1.85 meters.
That was the height Shanu had reduced himself to years ago, using Life Return and Kami-e to compress his body to the utmost limit without significantly affecting his strength.
The reason he settled on that specific number was simple:
Bellemere was 1.86 meters tall.
He didn't want his mother to always have to look up at him.
Later in life, that choice turned out to be a comfortable one.
Although he was still slightly taller than the average person, it no longer interfered with daily life nor did it make him stand out too much in a crowd.
By compressing his body's density, he sacrificed a small amount of strength, but in exchange, his agility increased dramatically.
His target area became smaller, and the effectiveness of Kami-e rose sharply giving each part of his body an instinctive ability to dodge independently.
In normal combat, this made it far easier for him to dominate.
He named this form: "Kami-e: Martial Form."
(If Lucci ever came up with the same name later, by rights, he should owe Shanu copyright fees.)
As for his true form now...
"Hmm?"
Shanu suddenly looked up at the ceiling, frowning.
"Mosquitoes already? It's only early summer."
Swish!
In an instant, his body shot upward, expanding rapidly until his head almost brushed the ceiling.
His physique was muscular and powerful, yet smooth and symmetrical, less brutish than the monstrous bulk he had years ago, more refined and human-like.
…If you ignored the terrifying 3.7-meter height, that is.
He flicked his finger.
The thumb-sized mosquito didn't even have time to flap its wings before it burst into fine powder, drifting down softly.
The ceiling, however, where his fingernail had struck, was perfectly intact. Not even a speck of dust had been shaken loose.
That was the level of control he had achieved, mastery over every muscle and even every cell in his body.
In this state, he could unleash his full terrifying strength without restraint.
His defensive power and physical resilience reached their maximum, balancing perfectly with the agility of his Kami-e form.
Each had its own advantages.
…
Shanu glanced at the drifting specks of mosquito dust, nodded in satisfaction, and swish!
Shrank back down to his usual form, humming as he went back to washing dishes.
The entire transformation had taken less than half a second.
"Are you trying to scare me to death!?"
Zoro's shout came from the living room. "You suddenly got huge out of nowhere! I thought we were being attacked, and it was just to kill a mosquito?!"
"Zoro."
Kōshirō's calm but deep voice followed, "Mind your manners. You're a guest here. Don't act so disrespectfully in someone else's home."
"This sounds familiar… When I was the host back at Isshin Dōjō, you said the same thing! So when can I be rude. ow! That hurts!"
"Zeff, when did you get back?"
…
Listening to Zoro's pained yell, Shanu couldn't help but smile.
Funny thing, really.
Other than his family, almost everyone who knew him thought his Kami-e form was his true appearance.
His real form, on the other hand, was often mistaken for some temporary transformation he couldn't maintain for long.
Sanji, the brat, had even once whispered to him, asking if he'd eaten a "Mythical Zoan-type Human-Human Fruit: Muscle Monster Form."
He'd earned himself a good beating and a long crying session after that.
"All back already?"
Shanu turned off the tap, drying his hands on his apron as he walked to the living room.
"Everyone but Gin," Zeff said, pulling his fist out of the green-haired idiot's head with a pop. Grinning, he added, "We've said our goodbyes over dinner already. Time to head out, Captain."
"Yeah."
Kuina met Kōshirō's eyes, then turned away nonchalantly and stretched. "Time to go, Captain."
"You sure stopped calling him 'Brother' quickly," Nojiko muttered quietly behind her.
"Don't be so petty." Shanu chuckled, ruffling his sister's hair. "You've decided too? You're really coming with us?"
"Uh-huh!"
Nojiko nodded firmly.
"So you'd made up your mind long ago, huh? Even before you told me on the Orange Garden that you wanted to train, you already planned to go to sea with me, didn't you?"
"As expected of you, big brother. Saw right through me."
She smiled sheepishly, but when she noticed Kuina looking her way, she quickly crossed her arms and huffed, "But back then, I really was too weak! I had no confidence and didn't want to be a burden, so I said I'd stay home. But now."
She clenched her fists. "Now I'm strong! I can protect myself, and help you, too!"
"I believe it."
Shanu smiled softly.
That was the kind of bond only siblings shared.
Like him, Nojiko had no talent for swordsmanship, but she showed incredible potential in hand-to-hand combat.
She'd built her foundation with Breathing Fist Techniques, then under Shanu's guidance, trained in the Rokushiki, mastering Soru, Geppo, and Shigan.
On top of that, Shanu had spent years collecting every martial arts manual he came across, even ones useless to himself, and handed them all to Nojiko.
Through relentless training, her strength had grown by leaps and bounds.
Though still far from Kuina's swordmaster level, she was absolutely qualified to venture into the Grand Line.
"And me! I'm coming too!!!"
The wooden staircase trembled as an orange-haired girl came running down, light and graceful, like a bird in flight. She slid down the banister for the last few steps and landed with a grin, hand raised high.
"Did you forget about this beautiful navigator? Hmph! Don't you dare leave me behind!"
"Don't make trouble."
Shanu flicked her forehead. "You're still a kid. Stay home."
In their world, men were considered adults at 18, women at 16.
Nojiko and Kuina had just come of age this year.
Nami was only 14, still sitting at the kids' table with Zoro and Sanji.
"Kid? Who are you calling a kid!?"
Nami puffed up her cheeks and tried to straighten her chest in protest but Shanu's glare froze her mid-motion. Her eyes darted, and she suddenly yelped, clutching her stomach and collapsing onto the couch.
"Nami-san!!"
Sanji dropped to his knees in a dramatic slide, panic all over his face. "What's wrong!? Are you hurt?!"
"When did you become like this?"
Zoro gave him a disdainful glance. "Still the same idiot. It's that thing, y'know, the thing girls get at that age! Remember? Kuina had it suddenly one time, and that's why I beat her for the first time.."
"Shut up, moron!!"
Kuina's face turned crimson as she lunged at him, furious.
"Everyone's here! Watch what you're saying, idiot! And it was just that one time! Don't forget, after that, you lost to me three thousand times straight!!"