I was reading the manga Kingdom and was struck with the idea that Shanks didn't know that FemBuggy was a girl.
Not because she hid it or someone else did, just because no one told him.
The Oro Jackson is full of men minus Toki and Shaky so there is no much to compare or any reference of what a young girl is or behaves, so Shanks knows girl become women at some point and that's it. And the crew does not how to raise a girl and much less keep one safe, so they just dress femBuggy as another boy and raise her to the best of their abilities.
Even though with time they realize that they are making a mistake its a little late, as femBuggy talks and acts like a sailor, no feminity or womanly behavior, they try to rein her by telling her that as she will become a beautiful woman she needs to at least learn how to act like one to be safe when she is older as not all pirates are nice. She sucks the compliment and makes a deal to learn from Shaky and will wear a dress when she turns 15.
Even when she starts to covet jewelry, use make up and let her hair grow, Shanks would be like: he is one flashy man and move one. Even more when puberty hits and they give him the Talk he is still: ok, I Wonder if Buggy was also told about girls?
When she finally turns 15, Shakira gifts her one of her Amazon Lily dresses and femBuggy makes her debut.
FemBuggy who struck a pose to show her legs: what do you think?
Shanks whose one brain cell is working overtime: funny joke, but how did you manage to hid it under so little fabric? *lifts her skirt*
The kick send Shanks flying so far that someone has to dive to save him, and it was done reluctanly after what he did.
this whole idea is absolute comedy gold!!!
The Roger Pirates crew, a bunch of loud, clueless pirate men who’ve never raised a girl in their lives, suddenly realizing they’ve been treating Fem!Buggy like just another rowdy cabin boy the entire time is peak chaos. They’ve been letting her run around cursing like an old-man, fighting, and acting completely unladylike because “that’s just how kids are on the Oro Jackson.”
Then one day it hits them: “Wait… she’s gonna grow up into a woman in a dangerous pirate world. We should probably do something about that.” So they awkwardly sit her down and go:
“Listen, dear… you’re gonna be a beautiful woman one day.”
“You gotta learn to act like one so the scummy pirates out there don’t mess with you.”
Fem!Buggy, being Buggy, sucks up the half-assed compliment like a sponge and immediately negotiates: “Fine. I’ll learn from Shakky… but I’m only wearing a dress when I turn 15. Deal?”
And during her lessons Shanks is on the side watching the entire interaction but it still won’t click with him and just assumes that Buggy wants to learn how to fight in flashy way, and who is more flashy than Shakky amongst the entire crew?…..maybe Gaban….
Fast forward to her 15th birthday.
Shakky gifts her a stunning Amazon Lily-style dress. Fem!Buggy struts out, strikes a dramatic pose, flips her hair, and shows off her legs with full flashy confidence:
FemBuggy: “What do you think?!”
[the crew is cheering and applauding, some wipe away tears because their little girl is a grown little woman now but not Shanks]
Shanks,brain cells working overtime, grinning like an idiot: “Funny joke… but seriously, how the hell did you hide all that under so little fabric?”
immediately lifts the hem of her skirt to “check”. You can hear invisible glass breaking as everyone freezes in horror, even Shakky who still had a neutral smile froze shock.
The kick that follows is legendary. Fem!Buggy sends him flying so hard he becomes a red-haired projectile over the ocean. Someone, probably a reluctant Rayleigh or Gaban, has to dive in to fish his dumb ass out of the water.
After the shock dies down the crew is dying laughing while Fem!Buggy stands there fuming in her pretty new dress, face bright red under the makeup, yelling “I’M NEVER WEARING THIS AGAIN, YOU PERVERTED RED-HAIRED IDIOT! ALL OF YOU!!”
It’s such a perfect mix of crew awkwardness, Shanks being an absolute menace, and FemBuggy’s dramatic energy. The fact that they tried to “fix” their tomboy upbringing at the last minute only for Shanks to ruin it instantly.
But in the end I think such scene will make Fem!Buggy’s confident weaver because of Shanks’s reaction but mostly everyone else’s. It is something new to her, something that took years to practice and still had doubt about it. Questions flooding her head while wondering if she should go through with it, if she even qualified to be seen as a woman with how she acts and talks.
I want to say that Shakky will do some damage control by comforting the little girl and assuring her that she is not at fault, meanwhile Rayleigh is beating lecturing Shanks while asking “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT WAS OK TO DO?!”
And when they learn his reasoning they just stare at him in horror while contemplating if they should throw themselves into the sea for failing these kids that they took in.