The smoke cleared.
The restaurant owner and the others were stunned to see a handsome, black-haired boy, yawning and drowsy, rising from the deep pit.
It seemed he had fallen asleep during the flight and had just woken up.
"Oh? Is it the East China Sea? We're here so soon!"
Shano glanced around, blinked, and laughed heartily. He stretched and pulled his boots off Luffy's face with a pop sound.
"It's your turn!"
The owner and the staff were terrified and roared with fangs. "You! Where did you fly from? Look at your feet, there's a dead person!"
Huh?
Really?
Shano looked down.
Oh my god!
What a coincidence!
So he was in the Goa Kingdom now? That made sense. When Kuma was still a cadre in the Revolutionary Army, he had been to the Goa Kingdom with Dragon.
"No one's dead, don't worry, uncle."
Shano kicked Luffy and said with a chuckle, "This guy is too... a rubber man, thick skin and flesh, not so easy to kill."
Huh, how come he can't wake up even after being kicked like that?
That's the good thing about being young, they can fall asleep as soon as they lie down.
"Rubber man?" The boss and a few employees were startled, remembering the straw hat kid's arm stretching out for a second to climb a tree. It really seemed like rubber.
Is that... that legend that spread across the sea, the power of the devil...
Meanwhile, Shano had already hardened his right fist with armament color and punched Luffy in the head.
BANG!
"Ugh, that hurts!!!"
Luffy sat up instantly, clutching the smoking pustules on his head, and yelled angrily, "Who? Which bastard is hitting me?"
When he saw the person in front of him clearly, he was stunned and rubbed his eyes vigorously. After confirming that it was not an illusion, his eyes widened.
"Brother Shano!"
Luffy hugged Shano's legs tightly, and his snot and tears all rubbed on his pants, "Woo woo woo! It's really you! I thought I would never see you again!"
Shano tried to pull his legs away with a look of disgust.
But he found that this guy was holding him very tightly, and his rubber arms were wrapped around him several times, and he couldn't get rid of it at all.
"Hey, kid, don't secretly wipe your snot on my pants!"
Shano said unhappily, "Also, what's your reaction? What's the big deal? It's only been a year since we last met, right?"
"But you used to come and perform magic for me every year. This year you have already left for the Grand Line, and I thought there would be no chance at all!"
Luffy raised his head, tears in his eyes.
This reminds me.
Shano stared at the straw hat on Luffy's head, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up.
Using the Marauder's Map to search for the Golden Lion's location costs two thousand points each time, so two times would cost four thousand. I'm just worried that no one will pay this bill...
"No!" He suddenly became alert. "Even if that's the case, you shouldn't be crying. Tell me the truth! Why is it?"
"Hehe..."
Luffy scratched his head. "It's the meal bill, Brother Shano. You see, I miss you so much. How about you help me pay the meal bill I owe? When I find the One Piece later, I'll pay you back with interest!"
He remembered clearly that when Brother Shano was only fourteen or fifteen years old, he had his own big ship and was a very wealthy man!
"Meal bill?"
Shano glanced at the guys still wearing aprons, almost understood, and laughed. "So that's why you're chasing this kid? Okay, it's just a meal. I'll pay for it. Uncle, how much is it?"
Although all the money he saved was left on the End, he still put hundreds of thousands of Baileys in his pocket when he returned to the East China Sea this time, just in case.
The restaurant owner and a few of his employees exchanged glances.
They'd initially thought this guy, seemingly out of nowhere, was no trouble at all, and were about to give up on the debt collection, retreating.
But... he seemed quite approachable?
"Since you've offered to help with the debt, I'll round off the decimals. That's the total," the owner said with a smile, holding up two fingers.
"Two thousand? No, if it's this guy, it should be twenty thousand Baileys. He's a real eater." Shano smiled and opened his wallet.
"Two million berries."
Shano froze, looking up in disbelief. "How much?!"
"We wouldn't dare make up such a story to trick you, sir!"
The restaurant owner pleaded, pointing at Luffy. "If you don't believe me, ask that jerk. Over the past six months, he's come here in various disguises, swindling food and drinks dozens of times, dozens of times!"
"This time, we recognized him and refused to serve him. He was starving, so angry he gobbled up everything the customers at the surrounding tables ordered..."
Shano's face darkened, and he slowly turned to look at Luffy, who had his hands in his pockets, whistling guiltily and pretending to gaze up at the view.
"You're embarrassed!
"You learned bad things from that Ace guy..."
He stared at Luffy for a few seconds, then a devilish grin broke out. "In that case, then pay off your debt with labor."
"Huh?"
Before Luffy could react, Shano had struck with lightning speed, his movements so swift he couldn't even see.
In a split second.
A pair of old seastone handcuffs clicked and were locked on Luffy's wrists.
"Wow! What are these? Why do I feel so uncomfortable?"
Luffy's legs suddenly went weak, and he collapsed to the ground like a deflated ball, screaming in fear, "I don't have any strength left... Brother Shano, what are you doing?"
"Boss."
Shano was too lazy to answer. He picked up the limp Luffy and threw him into the arms of the restaurant owner. "I'll leave this kid to you. According to the minimum wage standard for East China Sea workers, let him sweep the floor and wash dishes to pay off his debts. When he pays back the three million, we'll let him go."
"This, this..." The restaurant owner hugged the Sun God, at a loss, "Isn't it two million?"
"There has to be interest. Consider it a lesson for this brat,"
Shano said calmly. "If it teaches him a lesson and makes him realize he shouldn't do such sneaky things, then an extra million won't be a problem."
"You're talking like you're the one paying!"
Luffy gritted his teeth. "What are you doing, Brother Shano! I'm planning on going to sea in three years, and I have to train hard to become stronger! How can I waste my precious time washing dishes?"
He struggled mightily to free himself from the handcuffs.
But no matter how he struggled, it was useless; the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit was completely useless.
"These are seastone handcuffs, specifically designed to deal with people with special abilities. Stop struggling."
Shano casually tossed the key to the seastone handcuffs to the restaurant owner.
These were standard issue for the navy's elite, something he'd accidentally found on Smoker last year.
They were useless against opponents of the same level—no one was a fool—but they were quite useful for teaching a real fool a lesson.
"When you first encounter someone with special abilities, you'll be like this, completely defenseless and so weak that you can't even defeat any old man,"
Shano said calmly. "But after adaptation and training, strength will slowly return, and you may even become stronger."
"If you can do all the kitchen work by yourself while wearing handcuffs, it means you've trained well, and you shouldn't have to wait long to pay off the meal debt."
Is that so?
Luffy stared blankly at his seastone handcuffs. When he looked up at Shano again, his eyes were filled with tears and his nose was twitching.
Woohoo, I knew it...
How could a gentle and kind person like Brother Shano treat me so rudely and cruelly?
It turns out that he wanted to train me in disguise to make me stronger faster!
Luffy was so moved that his nose was bubbling, "I understand! Brother Shano is really the best!"
The restaurant owner and the waiters looked at each other. No, this silly boy... How could he help others count money after being sold?
"Okay, that's it. I still have business to attend to. Goodbye, Luffy."
Shano seemed to remember something, snapped his fingers, and said with a smile, "By the way, I'll do the magic for you too. Luffy, look at your straw hat?"
"Huh?"
Luffy finally reacted and touched his head. There was nothing there. He was immediately surprised. "When!"
Brother Shano's magic tricks have become even more powerful!
The restaurant owner and several waiters also looked at him in surprise.
"Let's look for it in the restaurant's kitchen," Shano laughed. "I've already left the straw hat and other things over there!"
He knew this shopping street well, having been there many times.
After they separated, all they had to do was go to the secondhand farm tool shop they used to go to every year, find the black owner, and buy a used straw hat.
Then, they could leave it in the kitchen before Luffy and the others returned to the restaurant.
With a casual wave, Shano walked out the alleyway, only to hear Luffy's reluctant voice shout from behind:
"Brother Shano! I'll definitely come find you when I get stronger! You must teach me that magic trick that transforms the straw hat!"
The voice was resounding.
Shano?
Many passersby instinctively turned to look, and upon seeing the handsome face they had seen countless times on wanted posters, they were immediately shocked.
"Hey! It's really that man!"
"What the hell are the Navy doing? They let such a monster return to the East China Sea!"
"Hush, keep your voice down..."
For a moment, there was a chorus of laughter. Some people looked terrified and quickly turned and ran away, while others were overjoyed, excitedly pulling out pens and paper, apparently asking for an autograph.
This kid is such a nuisance...
Even though this is the relatively isolated East Sea, since this is the bustling area of the Goa Kingdom, will he still be recognized by many people?
Shano sighed. He dreaded such situations.
He tapped the ground with his toes and launched himself like an arrow, unleashing his peak Moon Step. In an instant, he was a tiny black dot on the horizon.
...
The Moon Step is too stamina-intensive, after all. It tires you after a long time, making it unsuitable for long journeys.
So, after leaving the Goa Kingdom, Shano threw Bulma's capsule toward the sea.
Bang!
The capsule exploded, white smoke dissipated, and a streamlined silver-blue hoverbike appeared out of thin air.
Pretty cool, huh?
Shano nodded, pleased with Bulma's aesthetic. He straddled the bike, gripped the handlebars, stepped on the pedals, and twisted the accelerator.
Just before, while using the Moonstep, he had used the upgraded Marauder's Map again to locate the Golden Lion's approximate location.
It didn't seem too far from here. Heading straight southwest, at this rate, they'd arrive in a day and a night at most.
Besides…
Shano glanced at the system panel.
[You sacrificed Luffy's knockoff Straw Hat and earned 3,000 points.]
As expected of a son of the plane, you consistently produce high-quality wool!
This meant he'd only spent a thousand points at the Golden Lion, with Master Meng footing the bill for the rest.
Shano, in high spirits, hummed a little tune and stepped on the accelerator. The motorcycle instantly accelerated, riding the wind and waves, heading towards the horizon.
…
The moonlight was hazy.
In the dim night, Shano's motorcycle stopped at a rather remote island.
The island was small, and the town itself was pitifully small, even smaller than Cocoyasi; it could only be described as a village.
But… according to the Marauder's Map, the Golden Lion's headquarters was currently floating above the island, untold kilometers in the air.
"It's really high up," Shano said, looking up at the vast, night-shrouded sky. "Even with my Observation Haki, I can't sense it at all… huh?"
His eyes suddenly sharpened, and he turned his gaze towards the seven o'clock direction.
That was the busiest part of the village. From a distance, he could see the lights of the lone tavern still on. But Shano's attention wasn't focused on that. Instead, he sensed a familiar, powerful aura emanating from the small tavern.
It wasn't the Golden Lion, but…
Shano narrowed his eyes, changed direction on his motorcycle, and headed straight for the tavern.
His Observation Haki couldn't sense the Golden Lion, and the Golden Lion certainly hadn't noticed his approach. Since he hadn't alerted them, there was no need to rush.
He'd head to the tavern first and have a drink with this old friend.
It was only a kilometer or two away, and he'd be there in a flash.
In front of the shuttered door, the space left was very small, and it was completely occupied by a bicycle. Shano didn't hesitate and kicked the bicycle away and parked his motorcycle.
What a class, he is not worthy of squeezing a parking space with me!
Pushing open the shuttered door, as expected, under the dim light, an unusually tall curly-haired man was standing with his back to him, holding a wine glass in his hand.
"Hey... brother, you are too rude."
The curly-haired man said softly without even turning his head, "I have changed three cars in the past year. Do you want me to buy a fourth one?"
"I can't help it. There is really no parking space."
Shano casually pulled out a seat next to him, sat down, raised his hand to signal the bartender, "As compensation, I will pay for all your consumption tonight, how about it?"
"That's more like it..." Aokiji finally raised his head and muttered.
"Shirley?" Shano leaned against the bar with a smile and glanced at the half-empty bottle of wine in front of him.
"Yeah, Shirley..."
Aokiji said slowly, "A certain old senior loves this the most. I drank it with him a few times when I was young, and gradually fell in love with it."
Just then, the bartender brought an empty glass, and he filled it for Shano.
The two clinked glasses. Shano took a sip of the wine and frowned immediately: "Why is it so sweet... It smells like caramel, like it's for little girls. I don't like it."
"Don't underestimate Shirley, you bastard."
Aokiji glanced at him sideways, "Whether it's me or that old senior, for those of us who have been trapped in depression for years, Shirley's sweet fragrance is an indispensable comfort."
"Really?"
"Ah la la, you became famous at a young age, your life is happy and perfect, you have everything, you lack nothing, I'm afraid you can't understand it..."
He shook his head, and a cold chill began to spread all over his body, and in a moment it froze along the chair, the edge of the bar and the surrounding ground, "Also, someone seems to have forgotten something?"
"After all, I'm a navy. You, the newly promoted emperor of the sea and a super wanted criminal with a bounty of more than 3.2 billion berries, come to me like this. Aren't you really too arrogant? This is the East China Sea, not the New World."