Title: The Two Emperors
Characters: Shanks, Blackbeard, cameos by both Blackbeard and Red haired Pirates
Pairings: one-sided Blackbeard/Shanks, mild Shanks/Beckman
Warnings: Blackbeard crushing on Shanks. Not as creepy as the last chapter, but it's still Blackbeard.
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.
Additional Note: Happy Birthday Shanks. (March 9th)

The ninth of March was a beautiful day, the pirate captain thought as he stepped onto the deck of his ship. The sun was shining, it was warm without being hot, and a gentle breeze was blowing over the sea.

Yes, this was the kind of day a man like Red haired Shanks would be born on Marshall D. Teach decided. It was beautiful and refreshing, just like him.

Van Augur barely turned as Blackbeard chuckled quietly to himself.

"There's a newspaper." The sniper told him, firing leisurely from his humorously long rifle. A bird dropped from the clear, blue sky into his waiting hand and the Captain took a newspaper from the stiffening talons.

Teach opened the front page and his grin grew, showing all the gaps between his teeth. A surprised laugh escaped his lips.

"Good news I take it." Augur guessed dryly, not looking overly curious.

"Look!" Teach showed him the paper anyway, but didn't shove it in his face, which Augur appreciated.

"The World Government finally got around to naming you an Emperor."

"Yes." Teach beamed. "One step closer to my goal."

"Which one?" Shiliew of the Rain, former Chief Jailer of Impel Down, asked irritably. "All of your "goals" only lead to more goals."

Teach only grinned lecherously.

"Whatever." Shiliew shrugged. "As long as I get the fights you promised me."

"You will." The Captain promised, "you will."

The party was going in full force on The Red Force, despite the absence of the birthday boy on the deck. Many suspected he was below deck where it was dark and cool, nursing a hangover from the previous night.

They were right; Shanks was indeed below deck, holding his head, but not because of alcohol. His loyal first mate had just brought him the day's paper.

"So, he's been declared an Emperor." He pondered.

"You don't accept him as an equal, surely." Yasopp grimaced.

Shanks looked at him, amused. "It won't matter for long, either way."

"Does it matter right now?" Beckman asked, smoking his cigarette.

Shanks smiled. "No, I suppose it doesn't."

"Join us on deck when you're finished moping." Beckman patted his shoulder to temper the harshness of his words. He wasn't upset with the Captain; he understood that Shanks wanted some alone time.

"I'll be up in a minute." Shanks assured him, feeling much less alone than he had when he first read the front page.

Beckman and Yasopp left, climbing the stairs to rejoin the party. Shanks watched them fondly, his eyes lingering on Benn's behind perhaps a little too long, as he wondered what Benn would agree to later in honor of his birthday.

"Purupurupuru." The noise from Shanks' pocket almost startled him and he removed the tiny Den Den Mushi from his pocket.

"Zhahaha." The snail laughed. "We're equal now, Red haired."

"So the papers say. But since when have pirates listened to the Government?" Shanks answered evenly. "You still have much to prove."

"Soon, I will come for you."

"Soon, I'll be ready."

"Zhahaha. You're as delightful as ever." The snail laughed again. "I'll give you more than a few scars to remember me by next time."

"What do you really want, Marshall?"

"From one Emperor to another, Happy Birthday." The snail went silent, its eyes closing.

Shanks sighed, shook his head and climbed up to the deck. Blackbeard was a person to worry about, and regardless of Yasopp's biased opinion, an equal for him in battle, but there was no sense in bothering his crew when they were having a good time. If he was worried everyone else would worry too, and that was no way to celebrate a birthday, so before he stepped into sight a smile was plastered on his face.

Besides, Benn was right, as always. For the moment it didn't matter. Teach wouldn't interrupt his thirty-ninth birthday any further.

Eventually he and his crew would face Blackbeard and his crew, and there was a possibility they might not win and he would discover the man's true intentions, but today was not that day.