"600 Points?"
Xiano was slightly surprised.
It seemed that Steelers, though only a minor character who appeared a few times in the manga, was still a Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral. The weight of his formidable strength had made the scabbard he cherished quite valuable.
Xiano's gaze fell on the last line of the appraisal comment.
"Regret and sorrow, huh..."
Steelers must have felt regret and sorrow when his beloved scabbard fell into the sea.
But what kind of emotions did he harbor when, under the orders of the Celestial Dragons, he raised his blade against the kind woman who had indirectly saved his life?
"Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral..."
Xiano shook his head slightly.
He wasn't an extremist and didn't like to generalize. Whether it was the Marines or the Pirates, he actually had a favorable impression of quite a few individuals.
But... there was no doubt.
Unless the Celestial Dragon class was completely eradicated, the so-called justice the Marines boasted would always remain a joke.
Of course.
Those debates about factions were still far from him. Right now, his only goal was to make "money."
[Remaining Points: 7325]
Glancing at the Points, Xiano felt much better and closed the system panel.
...
Early morning, just before dawn.
After running around the city for most of the night, the two finally wrapped up their work and sat down on a high ground to rest, overlooking the sea dyed red by the rising sun.
"What are your plans next?" Xiano asked.
"I thought my skills were already enough to graduate," Junichi said, resting his chin on his hands with a bitter expression. "But after seeing you, Boss Xiano, I realize I'm still far from ready. I'm not qualified at all. I'll have to go back to Isshin Dojo and train hard for a few more years."
Xiano silently turned his head to look at Junichi.
In the faint morning light, the skinny boy hugged his rotten bamboo sword, staring at the horizon with a determined glint in his eyes.
Was it really that he wasn't qualified to graduate?
In terms of swordsmanship, if you looked at the entire sea, of course, he wasn't impressive.
But if you limited it to the small corner of the East Blue, Asakura Island, he was more than qualified to graduate, open a dojo, and take on disciples.
Had his obsession changed?
In the past, what drove Junichi to keep training and getting stronger was his dream of restoring the reputation of Sakuraba Dojo.
Now, that obsession seemed to have shattered and drifted away with that deranged figure. Had it been replaced by those towering figures?
The Celestial Dragons and the Naval Headquarters Vice Admiral... such terrifying identities were enough to make most people give up in despair, burying their hatred deep in their hearts.
But Junichi didn't seem like someone who would be easily intimidated.
"Hey, do you still think I'm actually proficient in swordsmanship?"
"Huh? You're not?"
"You're really dense, Junichi. No wonder you got scammed by that fake beggar."
"...I'm starting to become immune to your hurtful words, Boss."
Xiano laughed heartily and stood up, stretching comfortably in the morning light. "Let's go! Take me to Shimotsuki Village!"
"Huh?" Junichi looked up in surprise.
"What's with that look? Didn't I mention it before? I've long admired Mr. Koshiro. Thanks to you, I have the rare chance to visit him. I can't miss it."
"Yay!"
The skinny boy immediately perked up with excitement.
He had thought that Xiano getting up meant it was time to part, and he felt a bit sentimental. But he didn't expect such a pleasant surprise.
Hmph, Boss Xiano is really a guy who says one thing but means another.
He claimed it was just to visit Master Koshiro.
But in reality, he just couldn't let go of his worries and insisted on seeing me all the way back to Shimotsuki Village, right?
...
Half an hour later.
After the two of them finished purchasing food and fresh water, under Junichi's guidance, Xiano followed him to the most secluded pier at the dock.
There, a small boat about seven or eight meters long, quite rudimentary, was moored.
"Wait, you came here in this thing?"
Xiano touched the questionable-quality canvas, his face full of doubt. "This is way too primitive. Can this sail even work? Did you paddle like crazy all the way to Asakura Island?"
No one answered.
He turned around just in time to see Junichi using a bamboo sword to pry open a plank under the rear seat, grunting as he pulled out two large barrels of cola.
Snap!
Junichi closed the plank and then tapped a hidden button nearby.
At the stern of the small wooden boat, four exhaust pipes suddenly extended, and two slots were revealed next to the button, perfectly sized to fit one barrel of cola each.
"Here, with this, you don't have to worry. If you only slowly consume one barrel of cola as fuel, it's normal cruising mode, about the same speed as an ordinary sailboat."
"But if you press the button again, consuming two barrels of cola at the same time, it activates the high-speed jet mode. The speed is insane, but so is the fuel consumption. So unless there's an emergency, it's best not to use it."
Junichi explained confidently, while Xiano stared in astonishment.
Damn, now I'm the country bumpkin!
"Shimotsuki Village has this kind of black tech?"
Unable to contain his curiosity, Xiano pressed the button. The cola in the barrel immediately started bubbling, and a pleasant transparent gas stream shot out from the stern, propelling the boat toward the outer edge of the dock.
"Hehe, it's borrowed from the teacher. Shimotsuki Village only has this one—it's very special."
Junichi adjusted the sail, chuckling foolishly. "Pretty amazing, right? I had the same reaction as you when I first saw it."
"A few years ago, Grandpa Kozaburo—ah, that's Master Koshiro's father—mentioned to me when he was still around that when their generation was settling in the East Blue, they passed through a place called the City of Water. There, they met a very skilled shipwright who saw their boat was in such bad shape it could barely hold together. He offered to help modify it, and that's how they got this device."
"City of Water? You mean Water 7?"
"Yeah, I think so. I don't remember clearly."
That makes sense.
The latest novel is first published on 69shu!
Xiano stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Kozaburo and his group had traveled all the way from the isolated country of Wano, crossing the Grand Line before finally reaching the East Blue.
The shipwright they met in Water 7 was probably the famous Tom, Franky's teacher, who had the legendary experience of building the ship for the Pirate King, Roger.
Tsk, so I'm basically riding a budget version of the Thousand Sunny.
While Junichi wasn't paying attention, Xiano's eyes gleamed, and he suddenly pressed the button again.
The two barrels of cola began to churn violently at the same time. He laughed heartily, raising his arms high, letting the sea breeze fill his open shirt. "Then let me experience the power of rapid propulsion! Full speed ahead, Sunny! Let's go!"
"Hey! Boss, didn't we agree not to do this normally..."
The boy's urgent shout was torn apart by the sea breeze, turning into scattered foam on the waves.
Screech!
A white gull skimmed past the mast. The wake left by the airflow at the stern shattered into golden scales in the morning light, gradually turning the island with its fluttering cherry blossoms into a faint pink silhouette fading on the horizon.
————
Two days later.
Somewhere on the sea, dark clouds loomed, and a light drizzle fell.
On a lonely, isolated reef.
The rocky terrain was barren, devoid of any vegetation.
The blond boy with curly brows could only use broken planks to piece together a makeshift shelter from the rain. He curled up inside, his vacant eyes staring blankly at the distant sea.
"Day 50..."
He looked haggard, hugging his knees and muttering, "The food ran out last month. I'm so hungry, really so hungry... Today, surely a ship will pass by today, right?"
But it's still raining.
The blond boy numbly glanced at the wood and kindling he had stored in the corner.
The last time a ship passed by, it just so happened to be during heavy rain, and the signal fire wouldn't light no matter what.
He desperately shouted for help, but it was futile. In the end, he could only watch in despair as the ship sailed far away.
"Let me try a bit longer, Junichi. Just three more minutes of propulsion!"
A faint voice suddenly drifted through the wind and rain.
"No! Boss Xiano! Don't you remember how much cola you wasted the day before yesterday? If you keep this up, what if we really run out of cola?"
"Hey, what's there to fear? If that happens, I'll just row. I'll row us home if I have to. You know how strong I am..."
The voices grew clearer and clearer.
Faintly, there seemed to be the sound of a motor, like the roar of a Germa 66 motorcycle.
Was it a hallucination...
The blond boy dazedly turned his head, just in time to see a speedboat hurtling toward him at full speed, rapidly growing larger in his vision—
Thud!
"Damn it, where did this reef come from! It's all your fault for distracting me. Now we're stranded!"
This was the last sound he heard before losing consciousness.
...
"Thank goodness, thank goodness, nothing's broken."
Xiano stepped off the boat, quickly inspecting it before letting out a sigh of relief.
"This time we were lucky, but what about next time? Boss Xiano, from now on, I'll be the one steering the boat. You're not allowed to press any buttons recklessly!"
"Got it, got it."
Xiano knew he was in the wrong and pouted, about to lift the boat back into the sea when suddenly Junichi exclaimed behind him:
"Huh? Boss Xiano, look over there! There seems to be someone?"
He turned to follow Junichi's gaze and indeed saw a tall figure sitting on the shore at the other end of the reef, draped in a white cloak, motionless like a statue.
"That outfit... Could it be a Marine?"
"No."
Xiano stared at the figure, finding it more and more familiar. What a stroke of luck! He suddenly grinned. "Don't be so quick to judge, Junichi. You should know, not everyone who wears white is a Marine. Some might just be cooks."
Just like how not everyone who rides a white horse is a prince—sometimes, they're a general.
(End of Chapter)