Katakuri stayed behind.
It was breakfast time, and the two sides introduced themselves to each other while eating.
When everyone learned that this man had been specifically requested by Shano to stay as a sparring partner…
The crew members looked at each other, and their gazes toward Katakuri suddenly turned a bit strange.
There was sympathy in their eyes… and a little schadenfreude. Jack even sighed deeply and patted Katakuri's shoulder with a mature air…
What's going on with this atmosphere?
Katakuri was a bit confused, thinking maybe his scarf had slipped while eating and revealed his face.
So he reached up instinctively to pull up the scarf—
Only to freeze in place.
—Huh? Where's my scarf?!
…
At the same time.
Because he had already stuffed himself with dessert earlier, Shano didn't have much appetite left for breakfast.
After downing more than ten bowls of ramen just to get by, he went up to the open-air kendo deck on the second floor, coffee in hand, and lounged on a rattan chair, leisurely sorting through his gains.
The dark blue system panel spread out in front of him, and immediately a stream of information flooded the screen.
His trip to the Queen Mother Chant had definitely not been in vain—
[You sacrificed Charlotte Katakuri's scarf and received 3,200 points]
[You sacrificed Charlotte Smoothie's hat and received 2,500 points]
[You sacrificed Charlotte Owen's cloak and received 1,100 points]
Those three were the most valuable.
The other Charlotte siblings onboard had also been stolen from, yielding a total of 1,000 points.
But honestly, they were such side characters that Shano still couldn't remember any of their names.
Altogether, he had earned 7,800 points—quite a haul. Shano was in a great mood and even glanced down at Katakuri.
So much for the most powerful Observation Haki that could see into the future.
Maybe it was good at sensing attacks, but when it came to his god-tier Stealing Technique? Useless.
Besides...
The Knights of God had shown up, so how could he not fleece them too?
But that time, they were locked in confrontation, and the enemy's attention was on high alert. It wasn't easy to strike each target individually.
He had only managed to sneak in a "steal" card on their leader, Stinx, during a brief moment when they teleported.
Last time he got Kaido and Kizaru's underwear, but this time he got lucky—
He directly stole Stinx's sword.
Shano looked at the top entry.
[You sacrificed the Western Sword of Fegalando Shamrock Saint and received 8,000 points]
Huh?
Why so expensive?
Shano blinked—8,000 points? That was far more than expected.
Even Rayleigh's severed arm hadn't been worth that much. Why Stinx?
He quickly opened the item details:
[Fegalando Shamrock's Western Sword]
[Quality: Epic]
[Value: 8,000 points]
[Appraisal: One of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords. Contains the awakened Zoan-type Mythical Beast Devil Fruit. Can summon Cerberus, the three-headed dog of hell. Its combat power is not to be underestimated.]
No wonder!
Shano suddenly understood.
This wasn't just one of the Twelve Supreme Swords—it also had an awakened Mythical Zoan-type fruit embedded in it. Both are extremely rare in the pirate world.
With those two traits combined, it made perfect sense why the price was so high. Good thing it was—otherwise, it would've been a shame to sacrifice it.
"I wonder how much Shanks' sword is worth..."
He stroked his chin in thought.
Really wanted to reunite with that old friend. Both he and his Stealing Technique missed him dearly.
Before closing the system panel, Shano glanced at his total points again.
He had originally had 36,800 points. With the recent haul of 14,800, he now had 51,600—nearly making up for all his previous spending.
He couldn't help but laugh and stretch lazily.
The New World… really is a treasure trove.
...
After more than ten hours of sailing, just before nightfall—
The End finally arrived at the first island since entering the New World:
Thunder God Island.
The name said it all.
From a distance, the sky above the island looked like it had been ripped open. Blinding flashes of lightning tore through the dark clouds.
Countless thick bolts of lightning roared downward, exploding violently upon impact.
The terrain of the island was jagged and dangerous. There was almost no vegetation—only scorched dead trees and exposed rock. The air was thick with the smell of burnt ozone.
In the center stood a towering black rocky peak—
Like a giant sword, split by lightning, stabbing toward the sky. A striking sight.
"This is Thunder God Island," Katakuri stood beside the ship, looking from afar. "It's my first time here too. I've heard it's covered in thunderstorms most of the year. One of the most dangerous islands in the New World."
With his mouth and scars fully exposed now, he looked a bit out of place.
His missing scarf had puzzled him all afternoon, but since it was nowhere to be found, he simply gave up.
He figured he'd just buy a new one on his way back to Totto Land.
After all, he only had an image to maintain in front of his siblings.
He didn't care in front of outsiders.
"I can see that."
Shano glanced toward the harbor.
There were over a dozen charred wrecked ships there.
And that was just what was above water—many more must've sunk beneath. Clearly, many pirates had tried landing on the island but met their end.
"Desolate terrain and constant natural disasters—this is the perfect place to train Observation Haki."
Shano laughed. "We'll stay here for a few days. No need to dock. Just drop anchor. It's too risky to approach any closer. You guys can stay aboard or go explore if you're bored—up to you."
"Yes, Captain!"
The crew immediately sprang into action—lowering the sails and dropping anchor.
"But there's one thing I don't get, Brother Katakuri."
Jack was anchoring the ship. With the heavy anchor in one hand, he turned to ask, "If this place is so dangerous, and there's no town or anything, why do so many pirates risk their lives here?"
Katakuri gave him a look.
After a day of being around each other, he'd found Jack to be straightforward and likable. They'd even sparred a bit in the afternoon. The power Jack showed was intimidating.
Though Katakuri figured he could beat him in a real fight…
It would be hard to say the same for his siblings. Maybe only Smoothie could match Jack.
Cracker and Snack probably wouldn't last.
And that cold female swordsman with the bad attitude toward him…
Katakuri narrowed his eyes.
Tch. This guy Shano wasn't just close to Yonko-level himself—his crew was also full of monsters.
The only problem was… this kid Jack seemed to have misunderstood and thought he was a Fishman.
They got along well, so Katakuri didn't want to explain. Especially not that this was all caused by eating too many donuts as a child.
"That's a good question. While pirates are adventurous by nature, they're not usually this obsessed with a place unless there's something worth it."
Katakuri turned back to the burned-out ships and said seriously, "This all started with a rumor that spread across the seas over 30 years ago."
"It claimed that before his crew was completely destroyed, Rocks buried his most valuable treasure here. The already famous Thunder God Island became even more legendary."
"Rocks' treasure?!"
The surrounding crew were stunned.
Only Nami raised her hand in confusion. "Who's Rocks?"
"You don't know?" Smoker blew a smoke ring. "That guy ruled the seas before Roger showed up."
"You might not understand how important that is, but just know this—"
"Among the current Four Emperors, three of them—Whitebeard, Kaido, and Katakuri's own mom—were all once Rocks' crew!"
Three of the Four Emperors were his subordinates?
Now that got through to Nami. She inhaled sharply.
That was even scarier than her brother being the world's top swordsman!
"Roger's treasure is ONE PIECE, supposedly hidden on Raftel, and no one's found it yet."
Robin smiled. "But Thunder God Island is near the New World's entrance. Pirates pass by constantly. And after all these years, no one's found Rocks' treasure either? Doesn't sound reliable to me."
"Maybe not," Katakuri nodded. "Even my mother sent people to search for it more than ten years ago. They found nothing and gave up."
"I think it's either a made-up story… or someone already dug it up and kept quiet. Either way, I'm not interested. What about you, Lord Shano?"
He turned to Shano. "You don't believe this rumor, do you? Let's start training."
"Of course."
Shano grinned. "Even if it were true, I wouldn't care. A fight's far more interesting than treasure."
With that, he used Moonwalk and shot toward Thunder God Island, Katakuri close behind.
Jack followed right after.
He didn't believe in treasure either. He just wanted to watch the fun.
When he trained with Shano on Kraikana Island, the guy personally beat him like a sandbag and kicked him like a soccer ball. His face was swollen every day and he doubted his life.
Now someone else was taking that beating? No way he was missing it.
Smoker, cigar in mouth, carried Vergo in the other direction. He had a score to settle with that guy.
Kuina went with him—to supervise and make sure Vergo didn't run.
Robin, Zeff, Gin… the others also went ashore one after another. It was rare to see such a dramatic island. It would be a shame not to experience it.
Only Nami clung to the railing and refused to let go. No matter how much Nokigo pulled, she wouldn't budge.
"Wah! No! You know I'm scared of thunder! I used to crawl into my brother's bed during storms!"
"Idiot!" Nokigo tugged her ear. "That was childhood. You're grown now! And you're a Logia user—thunder can't even hurt you. What's there to be afraid of?"
"I know, but it's still scary!"
Nami shook her head like a rattle drum. No means no.
Nokigo finally gave up and left Nuomizi behind to keep her company.
Normally Nuomizi loved exploring too, but since morning he'd been sluggish and sleepy.
Nami and Nokigo were confused, but since he seemed fine when sleeping in Nami's arms, they didn't worry too much.
...
Two hours passed in a blink.
As the sky darkened, Katakuri used his awakened ability to turn the central island's rocky terrain into glutinous mochi, shaping a strong round house.
The enclosed space muffled the outside thunder, making it surprisingly quiet.
"These are the key concepts of improving Observation Haki."
Katakuri sat in the center. "With your talent, you'll grasp the theory easily. But to truly master it, you'll need to experience it in actual combat."
"You can arrange the training," Shano grinned. "Don't hold back. You're my teacher now. You can do whatever you want to me."
"I-I don't deserve that title…"
Katakuri waved his hands frantically—he knew Shano was just being polite, but it still made him nervous.
He focused, and the mochi walls instantly dissolved, exposing them to the furious thunderstorm.
Thunder roared incessantly over the island's center.
"Just as you said before we landed—these storms are perfect for sharpening Observation Haki."
Even though they sat close, Katakuri had to shout.
"In a storm like this, all five senses are overwhelmed. But that's exactly why it works—it forces you to push your Haki further!"
"I'll designate the most dangerous zone. Try to stay inside and dodge the lightning as much as possible."
"No Armament Haki, no using your Devil Fruit—oh, wait. You're not a fruit user. So just no external aid."
"Rely only on your body. That's the only way to feel the danger and fully awaken your Haki…"
CRACK!
Before he finished, a massive lightning bolt crashed down on Shano's head.
A deep pit formed beneath him—but Shano remained seated, totally fine.
Seeing Katakuri pause, Shano raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"…Nothing."
Katakuri twitched.
If it were him, sure—he could take that level of lightning with Haki or his Devil Fruit.
But Shano did it barehanded?
Could he be like his mother… born with that same "iron balloon" constitution?
"Sir… it seems we'll need to revise the training plan a bit."
Katakuri laughed dryly.