The days of harsh training flew by like a swift shuttle, and before he knew it, five months had passed.
Cocoyashi Village endured several cold snaps and heavy snowfalls, but in the end, it made it through the harsh winter and welcomed the season of blooming flowers once again.
There was warmth mixed into the wind, grass buds broke through the thawing soil, and the expansion of the orange grove was gradually completed.
New saplings were being planted batch after batch, and there was still a ton of work to do—loosening soil, watering, fertilizing, pruning branches... Manba and the others were so busy every day that their feet barely touched the ground, but they were happy doing it.
Over the past few months, they began to slowly blend into the local life, and the villagers gradually accepted these outsiders too.
Compared to the days of risking their lives for survival in the Korbo Mountains, their current life was nothing short of paradise.
If only...
—A certain little rascal wasn't so mischievous, then it would be even better.
"Hey!"
From behind a coconut tree, a small orange-haired figure suddenly popped out, scaring Fat Cow—who was lifting a bundle of orange saplings from the ground—so badly that he almost threw out his back.
"Again, Nami! Always scaring people like that!" Fat Cow puffed up angrily, hands on hips. "If you keep this up, I'm gonna go complain to Lord Shano! Let's see how he deals with you!"
Ten-year-old troublemakers are the worst!
"Bleh~"
Nami stuck out her tongue and turned around to run, shouting, "My big brother doesn't have time for that! If you want, come catch me yourself, you big dummy!"
As she passed the village entrance, the mailman uncle who was delivering letters spotted her and quickly stopped his bicycle to wave.
"Wait! Nami, a package arrived for you! But it's really heavy—you probably can't carry it by yourself. Should I help you bring it home?"
"Package?"
Nami's eyes lit up in surprise. She immediately squatted down and opened it on the spot—inside was a huge stack of thick books.
The mailman peeked down to have a look too.
Titles like The Four Seas Atlas, Advanced Techniques for Making Log Poses, Advanced Contour Mapping, Vegapunk's Innovations: Seastone Applications and Calm Belt Navigation...
All heavy academic books—the titles alone made his head spin.
"All these books are for you?" The mailman was stunned. "Or are they for the adults at your house?"
"They're for me! More accurately, my big brother bought them all for me!" Nami grinned proudly, patting the thick pile. "The village bookstore ran out of books a long time ago. My big brother often buys me new ones from other towns. This batch is really high quality—enough for me to study for a long while!"
"You're amazing, Nami."
The mailman gave a big thumbs-up. "At your age, reading books like these... My daughter just runs around playing all day. If only she was as hardworking as you!"
Hardworking?
"Y-yeah..." Nami shuffled her foot on a stone awkwardly. "Oh right, since the books are really heavy, can you help me carry them home?"
"Of course! That's my job anyway."
The mailman smiled and nodded.
He had delivered mail to Cocoyashi Village many times before and knew the way very well.
Pushing his bicycle ahead, turning left and right, before long, they arrived at a warm, wooden house.
"Here we are! Looks like Bellemere and Nojiko aren't home—probably at the orange grove."
Nami pointed to the coffee table in the living room. "Uncle, just put the books here."
"Alright!"
The mailman put the books down and then noticed a pile of hand-drawn maps scattered on the sofa nearby.
Picking one up, he saw it was a detailed map of the area surrounding Cocoyashi Village—so precise and beautifully drawn that it easily beat any map sold in stores.
"Nami, you drew these?"
The mailman was full of amazement. "Incredible! You really have talent! You might become a famous cartographer someday!"
"Of course, Uncle!"
Nami proudly swept her hair behind her ear with a stylish motion—though because she hadn't washed her hair for a few days, her hand got stuck halfway and had to tug free awkwardly...
"Ahem, anyway, my dream doesn't end there! I want to travel the entire sea using my own navigational skills—and create a world map made with my own eyes!"
"A world map, huh?" The mailman laughed heartily. "That's an amazing dream! But Nami, the world out there is dangerous. There are lots of scary pirates. How will you handle them?"
"I can't beat them—but I'll just stay behind my big brother!" Nami said smugly. "He's the most famous swordsman in the East Blue! No matter which pirate crew it is, with one swing of his sword, he can slice their ships right in half!"
That young man named Shano...
The mailman froze slightly.
He remembered—half a year ago, that name was indeed famous for a while. But afterward, there was no more news, and people gradually forgot about it.
The mailman asked curiously, "Where is your big brother now? I've come to Cocoyashi so many times, but I've never seen him around the village."
"He's a training maniac! That's what everyone calls him. You'd be lucky to see him during the day. As for right now..."
Nami leaned out the window, pointing at the highest hill among the northern hills. "Hey, do you hear those sounds from the mountain?"
The mailman tilted his ear.
Sure enough, there were low rumbling sounds, like distant thunder, coming faintly from the hills. Looking carefully, he could even see wisps of smoke rising from the mountain peak.
He stared, dumbfounded. "You mean..."
"My big brother's up there, of course!" Nami said cheerfully. "All that noise comes from him. Thankfully our village is farther south—otherwise, people would've complained about the disturbance a long time ago."
Your big brother?
The mailman was stunned.
Could a human even make that kind of noise?
Boom!
A giant boulder, at least five or six meters tall, exploded into dust from a single punch.
Amidst the swirling dust and smoke, a tall, powerful figure emerged.
Shano stepped over the rolling rubble, sparks of blue fire flickering under his feet as crushed quartz scattered around. He quickly moved past where the giant rock once stood.
He looked up at the scarred mountainside ahead.
It didn't even look like a mountain anymore.
As far as the eye could see, the entire mountain looked like it had been bombarded by meteor showers—pitted and broken everywhere, countless rock faces torn open.
A tunnel slanted upward through the peak, wide enough for several people to walk through side by side.
If not for the faint knuckle imprints on the walls, it would look like a giant drill had bored through it.
"The hardness is still too low."
Expressionless, Shano stared at the walls inside the tunnel.
"Among all the mountains on the island, this one had the highest metal content and the hardest rocks, but for me now..."
He shook his head slightly. It was already starting to feel inadequate.
He withdrew his gaze and walked forward a few steps, stepping out from the mountain's shadow.
The afternoon sun spilled across his shoulders.
His height had already reached 187 centimeters. His body was packed with twisted, tree root-like muscles, their density so high they shimmered with a metallic sheen. His shoulders were so broad that he looked like a moving mountain.
Every step he took made the rocky ground tremble slightly.
Passing by a tree, he accidentally stepped on some mushrooms.
Without even noticing, when he lifted his foot, the mushrooms were already pressed flat into the ground, flattened into two dimensions.
The reason was simple.
Although Shano's own body weight was just about 250 pounds, the black weighted training suit he wore added an extra 1.6 tons.
Considering the small area of his feet, the pressure he exerted when walking was even greater than that of an adult elephant.
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