If it's flat, then it needs to be inflated.
With a sudden burst of strength, Shano lifted the boat and carried it to the surface of the sea, while Junichi immediately knelt down to perform artificial respiration on Sanji.
After a while, Sanji suddenly trembled in his upper body, coughed, and his eyes barely opened a slit before his neck tilted and he fainted again.
However, his breath became steady and deep, so Shano relaxed for the moment and had Junichi carry Sanji into the boat cabin.
Shano then returned to the island reef and helped Zeppu over.
The old man saw that Sanji was still alive, and finally felt at ease, lying down in bed.
Both of them were extremely weak—one unconscious and the other needing treatment for a severed limb.
They needed to find a reliable doctor for treatment as soon as possible.
"Does Frostmoon Village have a hospital?" Shano asked.
"A hospital?" Junichi scratched his head. "Not really, but there's a small clinic. Granny Zilan at the clinic is very skilled. People from nearby villages even come here to seek treatment."
"Well then, let's go to Frostmoon Village!"
Shano unfolded the nearby sea chart. "We've been sailing for two days. How long until we arrive?"
The East Blue is dotted with countless islands, and villages like Frostmoon Village, where few outsiders visit, are not marked on the charts sold in the market.
Fortunately, they had a local.
Junichi pointed to a spot and estimated, "Not far now, Boss. At most three to four days."
"Three to four days… Let's finish the cola and go full speed ahead. Both of us should row with all our strength to shorten the time."
Shano turned back. "You think you can handle it, old man?"
Zeppu barely lifted his right hand, signaling an "OK," but Shano saw the black lines on his forehead and smiled wryly. The old man then lay back down.
...
Two days later, in the evening.
The long-lasting drizzle gradually stopped.
Shano and his group finally arrived at a small island with rolling hills. To the south of the central mountain range was Frostmoon Village.
A few teenage boys were playing by the dock and noticed the fast-approaching boat.
"Hey, that ship looks familiar…"
"It's Brother Junichi! The idiot! Brother Junichi's back!"
"Brother Junichi!"
The boys happily ran over and surrounded Junichi as soon as he disembarked.
Meanwhile, Shano was still in the boat cabin, looking at the sleeping Zeppu. He took out a small bag from his pocket, inside which was half a bag of blood.
This was blood that Sanji had coughed up earlier while barely conscious. The scene had been rather scary, but fortunately, the situation had stabilized and there was no major problem.
Blood...
Shano rubbed his chin thoughtfully. This was probably the most valuable thing he could take from Sanji right now.
After all, the kid had just escaped from Jermal, and the chef's uniform he wore was from his time as an intern on a passenger ship. There wasn't much personal significance in any of his belongings.
He didn't hesitate anymore and chose to offer the blood as a sacrifice.
[Sacrifice: Sanji's Special Blood]
[Quality: Fine]
[Value: 1000 Points]
[Identification Evaluation: As a member of the Vinsmoke family from the North Sea royalty, Sanji's blood is naturally special due to genetic modification. Though he despises his bloodline, it is undoubtedly more valuable than that of an ordinary person.]
[Remaining Points: 10325]
"Looks like it's worth a lot," Shano's eyes brightened, and his mood lifted.
Sanji, like Nami, was still a little kid, so he couldn't expect much in terms of strength or influence. But getting 1,000 points from him was an unexpected bonus.
Strapping his sword, the Zhengzong Dao, back on his back, Shano walked out of the cabin. He looked at Junichi and smiled. "You're quite popular in the village, huh?"
Ever since the Zhengzong Dao had made its appearance in front of Junichi, Shano had gotten used to carrying it with him. Now that he had grown a bit taller, it looked pretty good on him.
"Hehe." Junichi scratched his head shyly, but noticing Shano's exhausted face, he quickly turned serious and adopted a master's tone. "Business first! There are two patients who urgently need to be taken to the clinic. Who's willing to help?"
In the two days they had spent arriving, it was mainly Shano's superhuman strength and endurance that had helped speed things up. Junichi didn't want to burden him with these final tasks and wanted him to get some well-deserved rest.
"I will! I will!"
A bunch of kids eagerly volunteered. Four of them picked up Sanji, and two helped Zeppu towards the clinic.
Junichi followed closely behind but suddenly noticed a figure in the bamboo forest. He immediately called out.
"Zoro!"
"Ha?"
A boy with green hair popped his head out, panting and covered in sweat. When he saw Junichi, his eyes lit up in excitement. "Brother Junichi! When did you come back?"
"Just arrived. Another person training by himself, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Hold on, I need to take these patients to the clinic. This is Shano, my very respected person. Could you please help guide him to the dojo for some rest? I'll be over later."
"Got it, no worries, Brother Junichi!"
Junichi and his companions went off, and Zoro picked up his bamboo sword, slinging it over his shoulder, then walked out of the bamboo forest.
He looked at Shano, his gaze lingering on the Zhengzong Dao on his back.
"Let's go! Follow me!" Zoro said in a casual tone, "There are still plenty of empty rooms at the dojo. You look exhausted, so I'll help you find the most comfortable bed!"
"Okay."
Shano smiled and followed behind.
"By the way, your name is Shano, right?"
As they walked, Zoro suddenly asked without looking back. "Brother Junichi seems to respect you a lot. He even calls you 'boss,' but you don't look older than him. Are you two close?"
"We've only just gotten to know each other, but I'd say we've become life-and-death friends."
Shano casually responded, his attention fully on the green-haired boy in front of him.
Zoro was barely about 1.5 meters tall, a little kid with his green hair swaying just beneath Shano's chest. It was hard to resist the urge to pull at a few strands.
"Really? Brother Junichi is the strongest among their group of disciples. If he recognizes you, I guess your swordsmanship must be pretty good too!"
"But I'm also strong. Among the disciples my age at the dojo, I'm the best!"
Shano was speechless.
The most reliable member of the Straw Hat crew, the one and only Roronoa Zoro, seemed to still be in his early stages.
A headstrong little kid who never stopped boasting—one of the classic traits of his age.
"Is that so?" Shano cleared his throat and feigned curiosity. "What about Kuina?"
Zoro's face instantly turned red.
"What!? Did Brother Junichi tell you about this too?!"
"Well, something like that," Shano smirked, holding back laughter.
Zoro, flustered, gritted his teeth. "Almost! Kuina's strong too, we've sparred a lot, and it's usually 50/50!"
Shano chuckled softly.
The kid was embarrassed, so he didn't press further and kept walking with Zoro towards the village.
Until...
Something felt off. They somehow ended up at the end of an alley, where a traditional Japanese-style gate displayed a sign reading "Frostmoon North Mountain Hot Springs."
"What's going on here?" Shano looked confused at Zoro. "I thought we were going to the Ishin Dojo?"
"That's not right... I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere," Zoro scratched his head, clearly puzzled. "I can't remember which fork in the road I took wrong."
Shano suddenly realized.
Zoro could get lost in Frostmoon Village too!?