Chapter 22: Sanji's Near-Transmigration Experience
So it's worth 600 points?
Shane was a little surprised. It seemed that although Stainless was a minor character who had only appeared a few times in the manga, as an elite Vice Admiral of the Headquarters, the weight of his powerful strength still made his beloved sword scabbard quite valuable.
His gaze fell on the last line of the appraisal.
"Regret and sorrow, huh..."
Stainless felt regret and sorrow when his beloved scabbard fell into the sea. But what kind of feelings did he have when, under the orders of a Celestial Dragon, he raised his blade against the kind woman who had indirectly saved his life?
"A Marine Vice Admiral..."
Shane shook his head slightly. He wasn't a radical extremist and didn't like to generalize. Whether it was the Marines or the pirates, there were actually quite a few individuals he had a good impression of.
But... without a doubt, unless the Celestial Dragon class was completely eliminated, the "justice" that the Marines flaunted would always be a joke.
Of course, those debates about factions were still too far away for him. His current goal was just to get "money."
[Remaining Points: 7325]
Glancing at his point balance, Shane's mood improved considerably. He closed the system panel.
At dawn, the sky was just beginning to lighten.
After a long night of running around the city, the two finally finished their work and sat down to rest on a high ground, overlooking the red-tinged sea at sunrise.
"What are your plans now?" Shane asked.
"I originally thought my strength was enough to graduate," Junichi said, his chin in his hands, a pained look on his face. "But after meeting you, Boss Shane, I realized I'm still far from it. I'm not qualified at all. I think I'll go back to the Isshin Dojo and continue training hard for a few more years."
Shane silently turned his head and looked at Junichi. In the faint morning light, the frail boy held his broken bamboo sword, staring at the horizon, a resolute light in his eyes.
Does he really think he's not qualified to graduate?
In the grand scheme of the entire sea, his swordsmanship was, of course, not enough. But if limited to this small corner of the East Blue, Cherry Blossom Island, he was more than qualified to officially graduate, open a dojo, and take on disciples.
It's his obsession that has changed, isn't it?
In the past, the obsession that drove Junichi to constantly train and become stronger was the dream of restoring the Sakuraba Dojo's reputation. Now, that obsession seemed to have shattered and drifted away with that crazed figure. Had it been replaced by those lofty figures?
Celestial Dragons and a Marine 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 to be someone who was easily intimidated.
"I say, do you still think I'm really a master of swordsmanship?"
"Eh? You're not?"
"You're really dumb, Junichi. No wonder you were tricked by a fake beggar."
"...I'm starting to become immune to your hurtful words, Boss."
Shane laughed and stood up, stretching comfortably in the morning light. "Let's go! Take me with you to Shimotsuki Village!"
"Eh?" Junichi looked up, stunned.
"What's with that expression? Didn't I mention it before? I've admired Master Koshiro for a long time. Thanks to you, I have a rare opportunity to visit him. How could I miss it?"
"Yay!"
The frail boy suddenly jumped for joy. He had thought Shane was getting up to leave, and was feeling a little sad. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.
Hmph, Boss Shane is such a tsundere. He says he wants to visit Master Koshiro, but he's actually just worried about me and wants to see me all the way back to Shimotsuki Village, right?
Half an hour later.
After purchasing food and fresh water, the two followed Junichi's lead to the most remote pier. A small, rather crude boat, about seven or eight meters long, was moored there.
"No way, you came here in this thing?" Shane touched the questionable quality of the canvas sail, a look of doubt on his face. "This is too primitive. Can this sail even be used? You didn't row all the way to Cherry Blossom Island, did you?"
There was no answer.
He turned around just in time to see Junichi prying open a wooden board under the back seat with his bamboo sword, grunting as he pulled out two large barrels of cola from inside.
Smack!
Junichi closed the board and pressed a hidden button next to it. Four exhaust pipes suddenly extended from the stern of the small boat. Two indentations also appeared next to the button, perfectly sized to hold one barrel of cola each.
"Here, with this, we don't have to worry. If we only use one barrel of cola as fuel, that's the normal cruising mode, about the same speed as a regular sailboat."
"If you press the button again, it will consume both barrels at the same time, activating the rapid jet mode. The speed is ridiculous, but the consumption rate is even more so. So unless there's a special situation, it's best not to use it."
Junichi explained animatedly, while Shane stared, dumbfounded.
Oh no, now I'm the country bumpkin!
"Shimotsuki Village has this kind of black technology?"
Shane couldn't resist his curiosity and pressed the button. The cola in the barrel immediately started to bubble, and a pleasant-smelling, transparent gas shot out from the stern, pushing the small boat out of the pier.
"Hehe, my teacher lent it to me. It's the only one in all of Shimotsuki Village, very special," Junichi said, adjusting the sail with a silly grin. "Amazing, right? I had pretty much the same reaction as you, Boss, when I first saw it."
"A few years ago, Grandpa Kosaburo... ah, that's Master Koshiro's father, he mentioned to me when he was still around that on their way to settle in the East Blue, they met a very skilled shipwright in a place called something like Water Flow City. He saw that their ship was in tatters and wouldn't last much longer, so he offered to help them modify it. That's when they got this device."
"Water Flow City? You mean Water 7?"
"I think so, I don't remember clearly."
That makes sense.
Shane stroked his chin thoughtfully. Kosaburo and his group had traveled all the way from the closed-off country of Wano, through the Grand Line, to reach the East Blue. The person they met in Water 7 was probably the famous shipwright Tom, Franky's teacher, who had the legendary experience of building a ship for the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Tsk, so I'm basically riding a low-spec version of the Thousand Sunny.
While Junichi wasn't looking, Shane's eyes darted around, and he suddenly pressed the button again. The two barrels of cola began to churn violently. He laughed and threw his arms up, letting the sea breeze fill his open shirt. "Then let me experience the power of the rapid jet! Full speed ahead, Sunny! Let's go!"
"Eh! Boss, didn't I say, we're not supposed to..."
The boy's urgent shout was torn apart by the sea breeze, dissolving into scattered foam on the crests of the waves.
Screech!
A white gull flew past the mast. The wake from the jet stream at the stern shattered into golden scales in the morning light, gradually turning the island of flying cherry blossoms into a pale pink silhouette receding on the horizon.
Two days later.
In a certain sea area, dark clouds gathered, and a light rain fell.
On a small, lonely reef.
The rocks were jagged, with no vegetation whatsoever. A boy with curly blond eyebrows could only use broken wooden planks to build a simple shelter from the rain. He huddled inside, his vacant eyes staring blankly at the sea in the distance.
"It's been 50 days..." he murmured, his form gaunt as he hugged his knees. "The food ran out last month. I'm so hungry, so hungry... Today, a ship will definitely pass by today, right?"
But it was still raining.
The blond boy numbly looked at the wood and tinder he had stored in the corner. The last time a ship had passed by, it had been raining heavily, and he couldn't get the signal fire lit. He had shouted for help with all his might, but to no avail. In the end, he could only watch in despair as the ship sailed past in the distance.
"Let me try for a little longer, Junichi! Three minutes, just three more minutes of jetting!"
A blurry voice suddenly drifted in on the wind and rain.
"No way, Boss Shane! Have you forgotten how much cola you wasted the day before yesterday?! If we keep this up, what if we run out of cola?!"
"Hey, what are you afraid of? I'll just row then. I'll row you all the way home. you know how strong I am..."
The conversation grew clearer. Vaguely, he could also hear a sound like the roar of a motorcycle engine, similar to those of the Germa 66.
Is it a hallucination...
The blond boy dazedly turned his head and saw a speedboat jetting towards him at full speed, rapidly growing larger in his eyes—
THUD!
"Damn it, where did this reef come from?! It's all your fault for distracting me! Now we're aground!"
That was the last thing he heard before he passed out.
"Phew, thank goodness, nothing's broken."
Shane got off the boat and, after a quick inspection, breathed a sigh of relief.
"We were lucky this time. What about next time? Boss Shane, from now on, I'm driving the boat. You're not allowed to press any more buttons!"
"I know, I know."
Shane knew he was in the wrong. He pouted and was about to carry the boat back into the sea when he heard Junichi's surprised shout from behind him.
"Huh? Boss Shane, look! There seems to be a figure over there?"
He turned to look and indeed saw a tall figure sitting on the shore at the other end of the reef, wearing a white coat, as still as a statue.
"That uniform... could it be a Marine?!"
"No."
Shane stared at the figure, which looked more and more familiar. What a gift from heaven. He suddenly grinned. "Don't be so stereotypical, Junichi. You should know that not everyone who wears white is a Marine. They could also be a cook."
Just like not everyone who rides a white horse is a prince. They could also be a general.