"Bear?"
"Dover... Eh? The pirate this guy's talking about is that Shichibukai, Doflamingo—the one who got split in two!"
"Who else could it be! Nami, did you forget? Bear told us this story—it all adds up!"
Everyone began talking at once.
Shano also pinched his chin, eyes flickering thoughtfully.
It really did all line up.
He should've remembered earlier, but Bear had been in a hurry and didn't explain in detail. Plus, the name Agatha Islands was a bit obscure, and several months had passed. Hearing it now from the other side finally helped him connect all the dots.
"Um..." Chia looked around nervously. "You all know Mr. Bear? Is he okay now?"
"Of course we know him! Don't worry, he's fine!" Nami grinned.
"Because Bear saved you, Doflamingo chased him for a long time. But he happened to run into my brother and got rescued."
"Bear and his daughter are already part of our crew, they've just been held up and haven't boarded the ship yet. Otherwise, he'd be standing right here to meet you again!"
"Really?!"
Chia jumped up in excitement, eyes welling with tears.
"That's great! I was so scared Mr. Bear got cut in half by that flamingo..."
"Don't worry about things like that. Not only was he saved, that flamingo was also chopped in half by my brother—ages ago!"
Nami placed her hands on her hips with pride.
"It happened so long ago, the grass on his grave is probably this tall already!"
She spread her arms wide in an exaggerated arc—then got kicked by Nojiko in irritation. It's only been a few months, don't overdo it!
"Eh?!"
Chia looked at Shano in disbelief.
"B-Brother Shano... did you really defeat that monster?"
That flamingo... he was terrifying.
Chia still remembered the first time Doflamingo came to their island and demanded the sacred relic. With just a wave of his hand, he had caused heavy casualties among their warriors.
In order to protect the tribe, Chia's grandfather had offered the relic with tears in his eyes. But as soon as Doflamingo touched it, his expression changed drastically and he fled without a word.
He never came again in person, only sending his subordinates a few times to roughly demand it.
Eventually, he sent Bear—and thankfully, Bear was a good man. For their sake, he turned against the flamingo and went to war.
"You still need to ask? That guy wasn't even a warm-up for my brother!" Nami said excitedly, raising her finger with a grin:
"Doflamingo's bounty was only about 300 million, but my brother? His bounty is over 2.1 billion! That's seven times more!"
"2.1 billion?!"
Chia was stunned, jaw practically on the ground.
After a long pause, he suddenly turned toward Shano, bent his knees, and slammed his forehead into the rocky ground with a thud.
"Brother Shano!"
Chia was shaking all over.
"Even though I said I'd take revenge someday… I knew I was just boasting!"
His eyes turned red and tears streamed down his face.
"I was never strong enough. None of us thought we'd ever be able to avenge our tribe... I didn't expect—didn't dare imagine—that not only did you save Mr. Bear, you also personally killed that bastard..."
"I'll remember this forever! When I go back, I'll tell everyone in the tribe what you did!"
Chia was about to kowtow again, but Shano reached out and grabbed his shoulder.
"That's enough."
Shano shook his head with a sigh.
"A man's knees are made of gold. Don't kneel so easily. I didn't even know you at the time—killing that guy was just incidental. But... you just said that flamingo guy touched the sacred fruit and got scared off?"
"Yes, yes!"
Chia nodded quickly.
"When I was little, Grandpa used to say the sacred fruit holds terrible power. If your will isn't strong enough, you shouldn't even touch it. No one expected Grandpa would fall into a coma after trying..."
He looked up at Shano, eyes full of hope.
"Brother Shano, you're knowledgeable and strong... Do you have any way to save my grandfather?"
"I can't promise anything without seeing him first."
Shano thought for a moment and shook his head.
"But I am very interested in this sacred fruit. So take us to see it—and we'll send you home while we're at it. You've been gone so long, your tribe must be worried sick."
He truly was interested.
A so-called sacred fruit that protected the tribe for decades from beasts and Sea Kings... that held "power" no one had been able to extract... that even Doflamingo fled from upon contact...
If Shano didn't investigate it thoroughly, he wouldn't be able to sleep at night.
"Thank you, Brother Shano!"
Chia jumped up and opened a hidden door behind the treasure chest.
"Everyone, follow me! There's a passage below—it leads down to the seabed. Grandpa dug it out when he was searching for treasure—"
Before he finished, Jack scooped him up wordlessly and slung him over his shoulder.
—This silly kid already pierced the rock peak. With all the ability users on this ship, who's gonna follow you through a dark tunnel under the sea?
The group quickly returned to the ship. After spending a week on Thunder God Island, the End finally set sail again.
Following the permanent compass Chia provided, they headed toward the Agatha Islands.
...
Four days later.
The outline of the Agatha Islands came into view.
Scattered across the blue sea like pearls, more than a dozen islands stretched out. The largest island in the center was covered in dense primeval forest, with several volcanoes in the distance faintly smoking.
The End furled its sails and followed the river into the heart of the main island.
"We're almost there, Brother Shano!"
Chia stood at the bow, pointing at a hillside village.
"That's our main village! There are a few more nearby—altogether we have several thousand people!"
"Stop!"
A sharp shout came from the shore.
Dozens of warriors dressed in simple clothes and wielding longbows emerged from the forest. The tips of their arrows glowed black with Armament Haki, all pointed at the End.
"Eh?"
Nami was watching with curiosity, then suddenly yelped in shock.
"How come all these people know Haki?!"
Shano also looked around in surprise.
A tribe where every warrior mastered Haki was rare, even in the New World.
A male version of Amazon Lily?
"Outsiders!"
The burly young man in front shouted:
"We don't want trouble, but you're not welcome here. Turn around and leave, or we won't hold back!"
"Oh! Perfect! I just evolved and now I can show off in a fight!"
Tailmon leapt to the second-floor railing, brimming with energy.
"I'll take the lead and let everyone see how strong I've become—ugh!"
Before she finished, she was kicked off into the water with a splash.
Behind her, Ah Yin snorted and retracted his hind leg in disdain.
—What are you showing off for? Master hasn't even said a word yet.
"Wait! Big Brother Noah!"
Chia jumped ashore, waving as he ran up the hill.
"It's me! Chia! I'm back!"
"Chia?"
The warriors froze, clearly shocked.
"He changed his clothes and hairstyle... but that face, no doubt—it's him!"
"This brat! He's still alive?!"
"Hey! Chia, haha, where have you been? Everyone missed you!"
The tense mood vanished. Some warriors even stepped forward to greet him—but were stopped by the young man called Noah, who raised his hand.
"What's wrong, Young Patriarch?" the others asked. "That's Chia, you don't recognize him?"
"How could I not recognize my own brother?"
Noah kept his bow drawn, eyes narrowing. His square face was cold.
"That's why I have to ask: Chia, who are these outsiders you brought? And where have you really been these past three months?"
Three months?!
Chia was stunned. Had he really been gone that long?
He thought it had only been ten days. How long had he been trapped in that chest?
But this wasn't the time to argue. He lowered his head, aggrieved:
"Brother, I... I left to find a way to save Grandpa."
"Nonsense!"
Noah scowled and barked:
"At your age, what could you possibly find?! You sneaked away, and now Grandpa's worse than ever. The priests say he won't make it through this month!"
"What if he wakes up with one last burst of strength, and you're not there? What if he dies full of regrets, Chia?!"
"I... I..."
Chia grew flustered.
"I didn't mean for it to take so long. I just... I couldn't bear to watch Grandpa suffer anymore. And I found someone who can help him!"
He raised his head and pointed at Shano:
"This is Brother Shano! He's Mr. Bear's captain—and he defeated Doflamingo! He's incredibly powerful! I know he can save Grandpa!"
"What?!"
"He's so young, but he's Bear's captain?"
The warriors were stunned and turned their eyes to Shano.
Noah's pupils shrank slightly, but he quickly composed himself.
"Chia, are you sure you weren't tricked? Doflamingo is a monster even Grandpa couldn't beat—how could he..."
"It's true!"
Chia stomped his feet.
"I saw the bounty posters! If you don't believe me, I'll show you! Even the World Government is afraid of him—his bounty is over 2 billion!"
2 billion?!
That's... twice Grandpa's bounty back in the day!
Noah was stunned. Seeing Chia so worked up, he looked again at Shano—and realized he couldn't read him at all. Shano didn't seem hostile... but also wasn't someone he could assess.
He exhaled slowly and looked Shano in the eye.
"Sir, can you really save our grandfather?"
Shano shook his head:
"I can't guarantee it. But take me to see him—I'll try."
Noah hesitated, then finally lowered his bow and motioned for the warriors to make way.
"...Please follow me."
...
The air was filled with the smell of herbs and incense.
In the dimly lit wooden house, the old patriarch lay quietly in bed, eyes closed.
Shano saw that he was far older than expected—perhaps nearly a hundred. His long coma and lack of nourishment had left his body gaunt and brittle, his skin like bark wrapped around bone.
"Grandpa... I'm sorry I came back late..." Chia collapsed beside him, sobbing softly.
Shano turned to the center of the room. Two middle-aged warriors stood guard on either side of a wooden cabinet.
He walked over. The two warriors looked to Noah. After getting a nod, they stepped aside respectfully.
Shano opened the cabinet—and finally saw the so-called sacred fruit.
This is...
A pitcher plant?!
He stared for a long moment, wondering if he was seeing things.
It was a large, green, bottle-shaped plant with moist edges and a curved little lid—just like the ones villagers kept as novelties back in Kokosia.
The only difference: this one was massive. And along the pod were faint dark red veins... like dried blood.
Hiss...
As if sensing Shano's presence, the lid slowly opened wider, and a sweet-scented mist sprayed out.
For a second, Shano's mind blurred—but in the blink of an eye, he regained focus.
It was his mental sealing technique—something he had trained for years.
He wasn't affected.
But he recognized this feeling—a Devil Fruit user...
He stared at the pitcher plant, face turning odd.
"Hey, you... A Devil Fruit dropped near you once, and you ate it?"
A fruit... that ate a Devil Fruit, but didn't turn into one itself?
Weird, but then again—swords and ships could become fruit users in this world, so maybe not that strange.
The plant tilted its "head" as if confused—perhaps it hadn't met a human immune to its mist in a long time.
After a moment, it extended a leaf like a hand, inviting Shano to place his hand on it.
Shano was curious about its powers and didn't hesitate. He reached out and placed his right hand on the leaf.
Buzz!
In an instant, the world around him blurred—and when it cleared, everything had changed.
A blood-red moon hung in the sky. Atop a cliff shrouded in darkness, a massive figure in a red cloak slowly turned toward him.
"Huh? What's going on? Who dares disturb my benefactor?!"
The man grinned, revealing a sharp, ferocious smile. His dark red hair fluttered wildly in the wind.
"You're just a kid... and you came here to die? Don't you know who I am?!"
Buzz!
A terrifying wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded outward, crashing toward Shano!