Under the warm orange glow of the lights, the family was enjoying dinner together.
Xiano was devouring his food with gusto. After resolving his inner turmoil, everything tasted better to him. The plates in front of him were piling up higher and higher, almost reaching the ceiling.
Bellemere had already finished her meal. She lit a thin cigarette and leaned against the doorframe, smiling as she watched the scene.
The boy's appetite had become increasingly outrageous. It was now commonplace for him to consume over a hundred pounds of food in a single meal. To accommodate this, she had expanded the kitchen and even built a small wooden shed next to it, specifically for storing ingredients.
The issue of food had been resolved.
But then there was the matter of clothes...
Bellemere was a bit troubled. Nowadays, the shops she frequented the most, aside from the grocery stores, were the clothing stores.
Almost every month or two, Xiano's body would grow taller and broader. The clothes she made herself couldn't keep up with the pace, so she had to buy large quantities of ready-made clothes to supplement his wardrobe.
But winter was approaching soon, and after all, the sweaters she knitted herself were much warmer. The question was, how big should she make them?
She was pondering this dilemma.
Meanwhile, Xiano, who was busy stuffing himself, was also thinking about a similar issue.
His current physique was indeed a bit too extreme compared to his peers. While his terrifying muscles were a strong deterrent to enemies, they weren't so convenient in daily life.
For example, right now, he didn't dare to move his butt while eating. If he made even a slightly larger movement, the chair beneath him would creak and groan.
The bathtub was also unusable. He had to resort to using a garden hose to wash himself.
As for the doors in the house, those that could be modified had been, but for the ones that couldn't, he had to carefully sidle through them, bending over and lowering his head.
"If only I could have two forms, a daily form and a combat form, like Frieza..."
Xiano silently thought to himself.
...
In the following days, Xiano was busy wrapping things up.
After dealing with the Arlong Pirates, several new issues arose.
First, what should be done with the treasure on the ship?
Genzo and Man-Scar had gone to take inventory, and it amounted to over three hundred million Berries.
Xiano wasn't a saint. If Arlong had plundered the wealth from the Grand Line, he wouldn't have bothered to go to such lengths to investigate and return it. He would have simply accepted it with a smile.
But the tragedy had occurred in the neighboring islands and villages, especially in Kshar Town, which had been reduced to ruins due to the inability to pay, resulting in heavy casualties. He couldn't remain indifferent to this.
After much deliberation, and to avoid the hassle, he simply entrusted the entire matter to Uncle Genzo.
Genzo would contact the surrounding villages and towns to return the property to its rightful owners. Any surplus would be used for the reconstruction of Kshar Town.
This act, combined with his earlier feat of defeating the Arlong Pirates, elevated his reputation in Cocoyasi Village to new heights.
Whenever he strolled through the town, the shopkeepers on both sides would enthusiastically greet him. By the time he walked down the street, his hands would be filled with items that people insisted on giving him.
However...
In the end, it all ended up benefiting his two younger sisters, who would snatch everything away as soon as he got home.
Additionally, Arlong's pirate ship now belonged to him.
But this was easy to handle. After some modifications and cleaning, removing the pirate flag, the shark-tooth figurehead, and other such elements, it transformed into a very decent civilian ship.
The family's orange orchard business is now thriving, and they are in dire need of a transport ship with sufficient capacity.
The last remaining issue is where to claim the bounties for these Pirates.
Arlong has a bounty of 20 million Berry, and Kuroobi has a bounty of 9 million Berry.
Officers like Hachi and Chew also have bounties in the millions, and when added up, the total reaches over 80 million Berry.
Xiano is already quite wealthy and isn't particularly interested in making more money.
However, the heads of these Pirates can't be sacrificed; it feels like a waste not to make use of their value, especially since this money is rightfully his.
So, he simply took out the nautical charts from the books he bought for Nami, cut off the heads of these Fish-men, and prepared to head to the nearest Marine base to claim the bounties.
There are two Marine bases nearby.
One is the 16th Branch to the northwest.
The other is the 77th Branch to the southeast.
The 16th Branch is out of the question.
Xiano asked Bellemere to help him contact her former colleagues.
Upon learning that the current base commander, a colonel named Nezumi, had just taken office last year, he immediately abandoned the idea of claiming the bounty at the 16th Branch.
As for the 77th Branch, Xiano has a vague impression of it.
It seems that in the original timeline, the Warship that dared to fire at Arlong Park belonged to the 77th Branch.
The base commander might have changed, but it's definitely more reliable than Nezumi.
"So, you're planning to set sail again tomorrow morning and head to the 77th Branch?" Bellemere was a bit unhappy at the dinner table. "It'll take four or five days to go and come back."
"Uh, four or five days might not be enough; it could take over half a month," Xiano said. "I made some friends during my last voyage and plan to visit them along the way."
And maybe squeeze some more benefits out of them, which is actually more important.
"Over half a month?" Bellemere widened her eyes but sighed after some thought. "Fine, just remember to come back as soon as possible."
In the past, she was worried about Xiano's safety when he went out to sea alone, but now?
Bellemere snorted. Even a whole nest of Pirates from the Grand Line had been beaten down. In the entire East Blue, who could possibly be a match for her son?
Although she doesn't brag about it like Nami does, deep down, she's incredibly proud of having such a son!
"Brother, I want to go too!"
"Me, me, and me!"
The two sisters suddenly raised their hands eagerly, and Bellemere narrowed her eyes, her expression instantly turning stern.
Xiano, however, smiled. "Let them come along. It's boring to stay cooped up at home all the time. It'll be a good experience for them."
The two little ones looked at Bellemere with pleading eyes.
"..." Bellemere helplessly rubbed her forehead. "Fine, but let's get one thing straight: you must listen to your brother when you're out. If I find out you've been causing trouble when you get back, don't even think about going out again!"
"Yay!"
Nojiko and Nami cheered and high-fived each other.
"Alright, let's make it clear: I'll be the navigator for this trip!"
Nami proudly wiped her nose with her thumb. "Hmph, it's not like any of you know more about this stuff than I do!"
"Then I'll be the helmsman!" Nojiko raised her head proudly. "I can even ride a bicycle! I'm great at handling vehicles!"
You're talking about a kid's bike, the one I modified for you by adding two small wheels.
Xiano sighed and patted both of their little heads.
"Stop dreaming. The ship I'm taking out this time is the big one from the Arlong Pirates. I've already hired professional helmsmen and navigators from the village to help. Man-Scar and a few others will also be coming along. You two can observe and learn, but don't even think about taking the wheel yourselves."
Nojiko and Nami's cheers instantly turned into wails:
"Eh—why is it like this—"
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
The group was all set and ready to head to the 77th Branch. Xiano stood on the deck, leaning against the railing, waiting for his two sisters to board while pulling out a nautical chart to confirm the route.
"The 77th Branch and Shimotsuki Village are in the same direction, so that should save us a lot of time. As for the Goa Kingdom, Man-Scar and the others are familiar with the terrain there, so they can help me quickly find Luffy."
As he was pondering this, he suddenly heard Nami's exclamation from the shore: "Huh? Big brother! Look, a big ship is coming this way! That symbol… wow, it's a Navy warship!"
A warship?
Xiano looked up in confusion, following the sound.
Sure enough, in the distance on the sea, a warship was heading toward Cocoyasi Village.
On its white sails, besides the Navy's iconic balance-scale seagull emblem, the bold black numbers "16" fluttered prominently in the wind.
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