A 600-point value?
Shano was a bit surprised.
It seems that, even though Shiteires has only made a few appearances as a marginal character in the manga, his position as a rear admiral in the Navy with strong power and influence has made the scabbard of his beloved sword quite valuable.
His gaze shifted back to the last line of the appraised comments.
"Is he regretful...?"
Losing his beloved sword scabbard to the sea—would Shiteires feel regret?
As for the kind woman who indirectly saved his life, when he raised his blade under the orders of the Celestial Dragons to strike her down, what kind of emotions would he have?
"Navy Rear Admiral..."
Shano lightly shook his head.
He wasn't an extreme or radical person and didn't like to generalize. Whether from the Navy or Pirate factions, he actually had several people he respected from both sides.
But... without a doubt,
Unless the Celestial Dragon hierarchy completely disappears, the justice the Navy upholds would always be a joke.
Of course,
Those faction disputes were too far away from him for now. His goal was simply to make "money."
[Remaining Points: 7325]
He glanced at the point counter and felt much better. He closed the system panel.
...
The morning light was faint.
After running around the city all night, the two finally finished their tasks and came to a high ground to rest, overlooking the sea painted red by the rising sun.
"What are your plans next?" Shano asked.
"I originally thought my strength was enough to set out," Chunni said, his hands resting on his cheeks with a bitter face. "But after meeting you, Summer Boss, I realized I'm far from enough. I'm not qualified. I should go back and train for a few more years at the One Heart Dojo."
Shano silently turned his head and looked at Chunni.
In the dim morning light, the frail boy held his worn bamboo sword, staring at the horizon where the sea met the sky, his eyes clearly filled with determination.
Did he really feel unqualified to start his journey?
In terms of swordsmanship, Chunni was certainly not ready to face the whole ocean, but within the small confines of East Blue's shallow Sakura Island, he could easily set up his dojo, take on disciples, and start his career.
Was it his obsession that had changed?
In the past, the driving force behind Chunni's continuous training was the dream of restoring the Sakura Dojo's former glory.
Now, however, that obsession seemed to have been shattered along with a certain maddened figure, possibly replaced by those towering, high-ranking figures in the Navy and Celestial Dragon hierarchy.
The Celestial Dragons and the Rear Admiral... such terrifying identities were enough to make most people choose to give up in despair, burying their hatred deep inside.
But Chunni didn't seem like the type who could be easily intimidated.
"I told you, do you still think I'm good at swordsmanship?"
"Huh? Isn't that the case?"
"You're so dense, Chunni. No wonder you got tricked by a fake beggar."
"...I've started to become immune to your hurtful words, Boss."
Shano laughed as he stood up and stretched in the morning light. "Alright, let's go! Take me to Frostmoon Village!"
"Huh?" Chunni looked up in confusion.
"What's with that expression? Didn't I mention it before? I've always admired Mr. Geng Shirou. It's a rare opportunity to visit him with you, so how could I pass it up?"
"Yay!"
The frail boy immediately cheered up.
Originally, when he saw Shano getting up, he thought it was time for parting, and he felt a little sad. But unexpectedly, there was a pleasant surprise instead.
Heh, Summer Boss is really a contradictory guy.
He says he's going to visit Mr. Geng Shirou, but actually, he just can't let go of me and insists on escorting me back to Frostmoon Village, right?
...
Half an hour later.
After they bought food and fresh water, Shano followed Chunni to a secluded dock at the pier.
There was a small boat docked there, about seven to eight meters long, looking very rudimentary.
"What? You came here with this thing?"
Shano skeptically touched the flimsy canvas. "This is too primitive. Can this sail even work? You didn't row here the whole way, did you?"
No one answered.
Turning around, he saw Chunni prying open the seat under the rear deck and struggling to pull out two large bottles of cola.
Plop!
Chunni closed the deck and pressed a hidden button nearby.
Suddenly, four exhaust pipes extended from the back of the boat, and two grooves appeared next to the button, each capable of holding a bottle of cola.
"Here, with this, we don't have to worry. If we just use one bottle of cola for energy, it's a normal cruising mode, about the same speed as a regular sailboat."
"If I press the button again and use two bottles at once, it's turbo mode—super fast, but the cola will be used up quickly. So unless we're in an emergency, we shouldn't use it recklessly."
Chunni explained confidently while Shano was dumbfounded.
Oh no, now I'm the country bumpkin!
"Frostmoon Village has this kind of high-tech?"
Unable to resist his curiosity, Shano pressed the button, and the cola inside the bottles started bubbling. The exhaust pipes released a pleasant, transparent gas, pushing the boat out towards the pier.
"Hehe, this is a gift from my teacher. There's only one like it in all of Frostmoon Village. It's special."
Chunni adjusted the sails and grinned. "How about that? Pretty amazing, huh? When I first saw it, I had the same reaction as you."
"A few years ago, Grandpa Geng Sanlang... Oh, I mean, Teacher Geng Shirou's father, before he passed, told me that when they were coming to East Blue from Wano, they stopped at a place called Water Flow City. There, they met an amazing shipwright who helped them retrofit their ship. This device was one of those modifications."
"Water Flow City? You mean Water 7?"
"Yeah, I think so."
That makes sense.
Shano rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Geng Sanlang's group had come from the closed-off Wano Country, traveling across the Grand Line before arriving in East Blue.
They might have met that famous shipwright, Tom, in Water 7, who was Franky's teacher and had once built Roger the Pirate King's ship.
Tsk, so I'm essentially riding in a budget version of the Thousand Sunny.
Taking advantage of Chunni's distraction, Shano quickly pressed the button again.
The two cola bottles began to bubble violently. Laughing heartily, he raised his arms, letting the sea breeze fill his open jacket. "Let me experience the full power of the turbo mode, full speed ahead, Sunny! Let's go!"
"Huh? Boss, didn't we agree—"
Chunni's urgent shout was drowned out by the wind, becoming just a fleeting foam on the waves.
Caw!
A seagull soared past the mast. The turbulent wake from the boat's exhaust rippled into golden scales in the dawn light, and the island with its cherry blossoms slowly faded into the distance, becoming a faint pink silhouette on the horizon.
—
Two days later.
In a certain sea area, dark clouds loomed, and a fine rain fell.
On a lonely, rocky island.
The rocks were jagged, and there were no plants.
A boy with blonde, curly hair could only use broken planks to make a makeshift shelter. He huddled inside, staring blankly at the sea.
"Day 50..."
He looked emaciated, hugging his knees and murmuring, "The food ran out last month. I'm so hungry, so hungry... Today, a ship will pass by, right?"
But it was still raining.
The blonde boy numbly glanced at the pile of wood and fire-starting materials he had gathered in the corner.
The last time a ship had passed, it had coincided with a downpour, and his desperate attempts to light a distress signal fire had been in vain.
He screamed for help with all his might, but to no avail, and he had to watch that ship pass him by.
"Let me try for a little longer, Chunni, just three more minutes, three minutes of full-speed mode!"
A faint voice suddenly drifted through the storm.
"No! Boss Shano! Don't you remember how much cola you wasted the other day? If you keep this up, what if we run out of cola?"
"Heh, no problem, I'll just row it myself. I'm strong enough, you know…"
The conversation grew clearer.
In the distance, there seemed to be the sound of engines, like a motorbike from the Jemal 66 crew.
Was it a hallucination?
The blonde boy groggily turned his head and saw a fast boat rapidly approaching, growing larger in his vision.
Boom!
"Damn, where did this reef come from! You made me lose focus, now we've run aground!"
These were the last words he heard before he passed out.
...
"Luckily, luckily, nothing's broken."
Shano disembarked, quickly checking the boat. He sighed in relief.
"That was lucky. From now on, I'll be the one driving the boat, no more random button pressing from you, Boss Shano!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know."
Shano knew he wasn't in the right, but just as he was about to lift the boat back into the water, Chunni suddenly shouted in surprise behind him.
"Hey! Boss Shano, look over there, I think there's someone!"
He turned and saw a tall figure sitting on the shore at the other end of the reef. The person was wearing a white cloak and remained still like a statue.
"That outfit... Could it be a Navy soldier?"
"No."
Shano squinted, increasingly sure that the figure looked familiar. A grin spread across his face. "Don't be so stereotypical, Chunni. You should know, not everyone wearing white is Navy. It could also be a chef."
Just like how not every person riding a white horse is a prince—it could also be a general.