Originally, Shano had planned to leave Shimotsuki Village right after breakfast and set off for the final stop of his wool-gathering journey: the Goa Kingdom.
But everyone was reluctant to see him go, and they insisted on keeping him for one more night.
That night, a big group gathered in the tatami-floored hall for some fireside chats before bed, the atmosphere relaxed and easygoing.
During that time, the little guys Zoro and Sanji secretly drank some sake and ended up getting a good beating from Zeff, which added a few more cheerful vibes to the air.
Shano got a little tipsy, and once in the mood, he chatted a lot with everyone.
That's how they learned about Cocoyashi Village, how he had two cute younger sisters, and how his hometown's orange grove was beautiful—its citrus fruits fresh, juicy, big, and sweet.
Shano had considered it.
Just in case, maybe he should ask Zeff or Koshiro to go live in Cocoyashi Village for a few months after spring starts next year.
That way, dealing with the Arlong Pirates wouldn't be a problem at all.
But after giving it a little more thought, he ultimately didn't say it out loud.
He hadn't even gotten the Straw Hat yet, and his points were already over ten thousand.
You could say that from here on out, the various items and manuals in the system's trading market were basically his for the picking.
In that case, if he couldn't deal with the Arlong Pirates after a year of hard training, wouldn't that be no different from being trash?
Might as well forget about setting out to sea—just use a real sword and end it himself.
…
In the blink of an eye, it was the next day.
Kuina, Zeff, Sanji, Zoro… a whole group reluctantly saw Shano off at the dock, including Junichi, who had been missing since early yesterday morning.
That's when Shano found out—
Ever since getting back to Shimotsuki Village, this kid had been training like a madman.
From five in the morning all the way to midnight, not even taking time for lunch, and training with an intensity far beyond even Zoro.
That made Shano take notice.
In his view—
Junichi's swordsmanship talent was not as good as Zoro's, and far inferior to Kuina's.
But talent had never been the only factor that determined a person's limit.
As long as someone put in far more effort and sweat than others, the results would never disappoint.
After all, going from completely powerless to becoming the new generation of Navy hero—it only took two years.
"Why do you keep looking at me like that, Boss?"
Junichi was helping Zoro carry supplies onto the ship when he noticed Shano's gaze and looked up in confusion.
"I'm a little worried about you," Shano half-joked. "I'm seriously afraid that in a few months, you'll head out to sea on your own, and I'll have to come collect your corpse."
Did he see through that determination?
Junichi pressed his lips together.
Then suddenly looked up and gave a cheeky grin. "C'mon, that joke's not funny at all. Don't worry, Boss. I'm not some hot-headed idiot. If I'm not confident enough, I won't go and do anything reckless."
"What are you two talking about? Riddles? My head hurts listening to this."
Zoro looked from one to the other, totally baffled.
"That's not just your head hurting from confusion—you're actually hurting."
Shano shot a glare at the green-haired brat.
The guy had just gotten smacked around by Zeff last night, and this morning got beaten up again during sparring with Kuina. The swelling on his head hadn't gone down yet.
Now he was out here catching the sea breeze—of course his head hurt.
Shano turned back to Junichi.
"Anyway, as long as you know what you're doing. Don't forget—you're not alone. No matter where you go in the future, you've got so many companions you can fight alongside."
After that serious reminder, Shano waved goodbye to the rest of the group on shore and finally pressed the button to start the ship, sailing off into the distance.
This little boat packed with black-tech propulsion was just something he was temporarily borrowing.
From Shimotsuki Village to the nearest large island would only take two days, and Zeff was planning to go to that island tomorrow to buy ingredients.
So once he arrived, all Shano had to do was dock the boat and leave it there.
Then he could take a passenger ship from that town and head straight for the Goa Kingdom.
Zeff would naturally bring the boat back to Shimotsuki Village when the time came.
...
Six days later.
Goa Kingdom, deep in the Corvo Mountain Range.
In a dense forest, Shano swiftly climbed to the top of a towering tree and looked out over the vast sea of green.
After staring for a while, he rubbed his temples, a headache coming on.
"This time I really messed up…"
He had actually reached the borders of the Goa Kingdom by the morning two days ago.
But over fifty hours had passed, and he was still stuck wandering through the mountains.
It wasn't that he'd caught Zoro's infamous sense of direction.
It was just that the Corvo Mountains were way larger than he'd expected…
Having grown up in Cocoyashi Village all his life, where even the land around the island was small, he had gotten used to that kind of compact geography.
Only now, arriving in the Goa Kingdom, did he finally experience again what it felt like to not be able to see the ocean from high up…
"If only Luffy was still in Foosha Village," Shano sighed.
A year ago, Luffy had still been there.
But after the whole incident with Shanks, Garp had rushed him off to Corvo Mountain, putting him under the care of the mountain bandit Dadan.
That's how he later met Ace and Sabo, ran into the Sapphire Pirates, and formed the ASL Brotherhood and everything else…
If he thought about it carefully—
Sabo should've already been taken to the Revolutionary Army's HQ by Dragon a few months ago. Which meant only Luffy and Ace were left in the mountains now.
Shano felt like all his recent good luck—running into the Sea King and Zeff—had probably used up his luck supply.
Finding those two brats in these vast mountains on his own really was a tough task.
But still, he'd been searching nonstop for over fifty hours and hadn't found a single clue?
Those two little chaos magnets were supposed to be running wild in the mountains every day. He should've found some trace of their activity.
"Sigh."
With several nights of poor sleep, body sore all over, Shano leaned against the tree trunk high up and pulled out a few pieces of bread from his backpack to chew on.
He had stuffed himself in a town outside the mountains before coming in, but even so, his rations were almost all gone.
If he didn't find them today, he'd probably have to hunt wild animals and roast them—he hadn't brought any seasonings, so it was bound to taste awful.
After finishing the bread to at least get something in his stomach, Shano took a straw hat from his backpack and spun it in the wind on his finger a few times.
—It looked ordinary, clearly a bit old. The straw brim was loose and frayed, and the once-bright red ribbon had faded into a dull maroon.
If he brought it close to his nose, he could still smell the greasy scent of scalp oil.
He had bought it from a farmer in that small town before entering the mountain, paying two hundred Berries for it—just waiting to swap it with Luffy's hat once he got it.
In fact, there were plenty of shops in town that sold similar straw hats.
But he chose this greasy second-hand one for a reason—those shop hats were way too clean and new.
Luffy was a blockhead, sure—but if his beloved straw hat suddenly became shiny and spotless, he'd probably notice right away.
This move—this move was all about the details.
Shano was even thinking that if he ran into Luffy again in the future, he might be able to cash in some more points.
So for now, it was best not to let the switch get exposed.