One Piece : Start As Celestial Dragon And Take Down Hancock-Chapter 173: The Day the Hero Fell from Grace.

Mirana, still standing over the bleeding boy, tilted her head and began to speak — her voice cold, sweet, and cruelly patient, like someone telling a bedtime story meant to wound.

"Let me tell you a story," she said, pressing her heel lightly against Luffy’s shoulder as she looked toward Makino.

"It begins in the Valley of the Gods... where two brothers were born — Shanks and Shamrock. Sons of one of the oldest Celestial Dragon bloodlines."

Luffy blinked through the blood and dirt, confusion clouding his pain. Makino’s breath hitched; even Lakeman glanced toward Mirana, amused.

Mirana’s tone darkened as she continued.

"At that time, the seas were ruled by Rocks D. Xebec — a monster who sought to overthrow the world itself. The battle that followed shattered the heavens. The World Government, the Marines, Garp the Hero, and even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, joined hands to end the Rocks Era. In that war... Shanks and his twin brother were hidden away for safety, in the Valley of the Gods."

She smirked. "But Roger stole one of them. He took Shanks, tore him from his family, and raised him like a stray dog on his ship. That’s where Shanks learned to smile, lie, and scheme."

Makino felt her stomach turn.

"After Roger’s death," Mirana went on, "Shanks returned to Mariejois to reclaim his noble status. But after a year, he betrayed his blood again — fled the Holy Land, took his father’s ships, and began his life of piracy. He stole from both sides — government and pirate alike — always pretending to act for ’freedom,’ always hiding his true nature. Even the Devil Fruit you call a miracle, Luffy... he took that from Cipher Pol’s custody and fed it to you himself."

Her words cut deeper than her heel ever could.

Luffy’s pupils trembled. "No... no way... Shanks wouldn’t..." He tried to lift his head, but his body wouldn’t obey. "He’s not like that!"

Mirana smiled thinly. "And yet he was there — on Gol D. Roger’s ship, wearing that same straw hat. Tell me, boy, doesn’t this look familiar?"

She reached into her coat and tossed something onto the ground — a faded wanted poster, edges torn, the ink faint but clear enough to show Roger’s unmistakable grin... and the straw hat on his head.

Makino’s heart stopped. The image burned into her mind. Her lips parted, but no words came.

’That hat... the one Luffy treasures... the one Shanks gave him...’

The ground beneath Shanks trembled faintly as his haki flared again, sparks splitting the air. But the effort only made his wounds worse.

’Stop it, Mirana. Enough. You don’t understand what Roger meant... what we fought for...’

Makino’s fingers clenched weakly. Her mind raced, her chest tightening. Every word Mirana spoke twisted her beliefs.

Garp’s drunken warnings came back like echoes from another life — about the filth and arrogance of the Celestial Dragons, the cruelty of the nobles who called themselves gods.

She had heard of the burning of Gray Terminal, of the king of Goa’s attempt to please his visiting "masters." She had seen the smoke rise from the sea, the price paid by people with no names.

And now... Shanks. Her Shanks. The man who had brought laughter and wine to their village, who had protected Luffy, who had smiled with that same hat shading his eyes.

Could all of it have been a lie?

Her throat closed. She wanted to scream — at Lakeman, at Shanks, at the entire world — but only a shudder left her lips.

Lakeman’s hand tightened at her side, a silent reminder of his control. His gaze drifted lazily between Shanks, Makino, and the unconscious Luffy. The faintest smile touched his lips — satisfied, victorious.

Luffy’s breath hitched. His vision blurred as he stared at the poster.

"Shanks... is it... true?" he whispered, voice breaking under disbelief. "All that... everything she said..."

Tears welled up in his eyes. The world around him seemed to spin. His chest heaved once, twice — then he slumped forward into silence, his body finally giving out after all the pain, confusion, and betrayal he had endured.

Makino reached toward him instinctively, her eyes wide, her voice lost.

Shanks roared his name, but even that sound was muffled by Lakeman’s suffocating will.

And in that moment, as the setting sun painted the ruins in crimson light, the air grew still — the weight of truth, deception, and broken faith hanging heavy over them all.

Mirana’s voice lowered to a near whisper, the kind that carried more venom than a shout.

"And of course," she said, eyes flicking toward the broken pirate, "Shanks didn’t sever all his ties when he left. Oh no. He still visits Mariejois—quietly, in the dead of night, under the guise of diplomacy."

Her words hung in the air like smoke.

"He still speaks with the Five Elders," she went on, pacing slowly around the unconscious Luffy. "He dines with them, trades secrets with them. They respect him—one of their own who strayed, yet never quite left. It’s all part of his game."

Shanks’ head lifted slightly, blood trickling down his face, his glare blazing with fury.

’Stop twisting it... stop it!’

Mirana smiled thinly. "If his little plan fails—if this boy never becomes Nika, never awakens the fruit, never topples the World Government—then Shanks can simply return home. Back to his silk robes, his wine, his empty halls. He’ll live the rest of his life basking in luxury, while the seas burn."

Makino’s heart thudded painfully. Her hands clenched into fists against Lakeman’s coat.

’He... he still visits Mariejois? Still talks to them? After everything they’ve done?’

The thought made her sick. The image of burning villages, of Gray Terminal’s smoke, of the Celestial Dragons laughing behind their masks—it all rushed back at once.

Lakeman said nothing. He only watched, his crimson eyes glimmering with amusement as Mirana’s words did their work. The woman in his arms trembled—not out of fear of him now, but from the storm of betrayal crashing through her chest.

Shanks tried to speak, but only a hoarse sound escaped his throat. His pride forced the words back down.

’If I say anything now... she’ll never believe me. But if I stay silent... she’ll hate me all the same.’

Mirana stopped at Luffy’s side, her voice softening as if speaking to a child.

"You see, little one, your hero has never been what you thought. He plays both sides—government and pirate—waiting to see which will give him the greater glory. You were never more than a pawn in his story."

The boy didn’t respond. His face was pale, his eyes half-lidded from pain and exhaustion. He could barely comprehend what he was hearing.

Makino, meanwhile, felt her strength leaving her legs. Her voice was barely a whisper.

"Why... why would you tell us this?"

Mirana turned slightly, her smile calm and cold.

"Because you deserve to know the truth. And because my Master"—she nodded toward Lakeman—"prefers the world stripped bare of comforting lies."

The wind carried her words through the shattered silence.

In that moment, the air felt heavier than any haki—filled not with power, but with the weight of everything broken between them: trust, loyalty, and the small, fragile belief that some men were still good.

For a long moment, there was only silence.

The sea wind whistled through the broken village, carrying the faint scent of blood and dust. Makino stood frozen, her expression hollow, while Mirana’s final words still echoed in her ears.

Even Lakeman had gone quiet — his crimson eyes watching every trembling breath that escaped Shanks’ lips.

The red-haired man’s fingers dug deeper into the earth, the blood already dried on his hands cracking. His body shook violently, his head bowed. For the first time in years, the pirate who had smiled through every storm... looked utterly broken.

’Enough...’ he thought. ’I can’t let her—no, I can’t let them—believe this one-sided truth.’

He swallowed, the motion painful, and forced his head up. His voice came out rough, strained.

"Stop... enough, Mirana."

Mirana’s smirk didn’t fade. "Oh? Finally found your tongue, brother?"

Shanks drew in a shuddering breath. "You want the truth?" He looked toward Makino — her eyes red, her hands trembling — and then toward Luffy’s limp form, half-buried in the dirt. His chest felt heavy enough to crush him.

"I was born as a celestial dragon," he began quietly. "It’s true. My family... was part of that world."

Makino’s breath caught.

"Roger took me after the Valley of the Gods battle. I didn’t know why at first. He said... it was to protect me. To keep me from growing into the same kind of monster my parents were."

He paused, eyes distant. "He taught me to laugh, to live free. To see the sea as a world without walls. He was the one who told me the truth about the Nika Fruit — not as a weapon, but as a symbol of freedom itself. When he died... I thought I could carry that dream. But I was weak. I tried to walk both paths."

Lakeman tilted his head, expression unreadable. "Both paths?"

Shanks gave a bitter smile. "The world of kings and the world of pirates. I thought maybe... I could stop both from destroying each other. That’s why I met the Elders. Why I went back to Mariejois. I thought I could buy time... for Luffy."

Makino’s voice shook with disgust. "So you did lie..."

Shanks flinched as if struck.

"Yes," he whispered.

"I did. But not to harm you. Never to harm any of you. Everything I’ve done — every secret, every compromise — it was to make sure this boy..." He glanced toward Luffy, tears welling in his eyes. "...would have a chance to reach the sea without chains."

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