"Yes, yes."
The shop assistant dared not say anything more and hurriedly bent down to start moving the supplies.
The man before him was silent but exuded an aura that made it clear he was a force not to be trifled with.
"I just heard your accent, are you from the East Sea?" Hawkeye suddenly asked.
"I'm from Log Town, you figured that out?"
The assistant was taken aback, "Speaking of which, our town is quite famous, you know. Pirate King Gold Roger was executed there. I'm not sure if you've visited..."
"When Roger died, I was there in person."
Hawkeye said indifferently, "That was eighteen years ago, and I haven't been to the East Sea since."
It's not worth his visit.
"As for this time."
Hawkeye gazed at the horizon, his eyes distant.
"A few years ago, I heard about a renowned sword master in the East Sea. Now, considering the time, he should be an adult already. I hope he's grown into a worthy opponent for me."
....
East Sea, nighttime.
Under the dim moonlight, the New Gat continued to sail swiftly.
Inside the top VIP suite.
"Ah-choo—"
Shano sat on the carpet and suddenly sneezed. He rubbed his nose; huh, Nami must be secretly cursing him.
"Good job, Ah Yin, well done."
He smiled and patted the head of the giant silver wolf in front of him.
On the carpet, a few wet items had just been spat out, including Klik's severed hand, Gin's cane, and Palu's flint helmet.
Woof... no, howl!
Ah Yin, upon receiving praise, happily circled Shano, wagging its tail like a helicopter. Not a trace of its former aloof demeanor in front of others remained.
Shano casually took the items Ah Yin brought and sacrificed them all, collecting a total of 800 points, roughly equivalent to Ah Long alone.
Huh, it seems the Klik Pirates boast loudly of being the East Sea Dominators but their strength is still lacking compared to Ah Long.
Of course, the more points, the better. Sitting at home, he can still effortlessly reap so many; he's quite satisfied.
As for those worth a few million Belly bounty, and the remaining pirates who surrendered and gave up resistance.
The Navy from Branch 77 would naturally handle it. These years, from time to time, pirates have come, harboring similar ideas, to try and defeat him, the most famous sword master of the East Sea, to enhance their own reputation and bounty.
And the outcome needless to say: each died more miserably than the last.
Creating a near assembly line industry chain between Cocoyashi Village and Branch 77, with one claiming battle honors and the other collecting bounties.
Colonel Sophia even stationed a warship permanently nearby, swiftly coming over to clean up the battlefield at the slightest disturbance in Cocoyashi Village.
I've heard that with accumulated battle honors, soon she will be transferred to the headquarters to be promoted to headquarters colonel.
"Here's your reward."
Under Ah Yin's eager gaze, Shano pulled out a large box of strawberry milk from the package and handed it over.
Ah Yin grabbed it eagerly, expertly biting open a corner and gulping it down.
Shano rubbed its head, smiling fondly nearby.
For Ah Yin to grow so large, naturally it hasn't missed its share of meat and main food, yet its greatest love over the years has been strawberry milk.
Just as he was about to re-tie the package, Shano noticed something and retrieved a small glass ball from inside.
What is this?
Curious, he held it up and examined it under the light, discovering a magnetic needle inside, with a note stuck to the base.
He tore off the note and unfolded it.
"This is a Log Pose I made myself, sturdier than those in the market; not even bullets can easily break it! The Grand Line's magnetic fields are chaotic, a compass won't do; you must bring this!"
"—Love you, to my dearest big brother"
Nami's handmade Log Pose?
When did she sneak it in?
Shano vaguely recalled that in the book he bought for Nami, there was indeed an introduction on Log Pose crafting techniques.
He hadn't expected Nami to actually manage to make one herself.
A teenage girl achieving this must not have been easy, right?
Reading the signature on the note, Shano couldn't help but smile warmly.
This little one, seems she has really grown up, quite considerate indeed.
...
"Hehe, success!"
In the bedroom, Nami lay on the bed, holding the glass ball, watching the pointer inside tremble gently, and kicked her feet triumphantly.
Her silly brother is probably moved to tears right now, huh?
Maybe he'll even regret scolding her before leaving home and feel guilty.
He'd never guess that the special Log Pose she crafted, aside from being a Log Pose, serves as a tracker.
As long as the distance isn't too outrageous, she can sense the direction with her special pointer.
Won't let me onboard? Try to ditch me and run off with Nojiko?
Hmph, wishful thinking!
"Now, it's about finding a way to fool Belle-Mere; otherwise, if I disappear suddenly and she calls my brother, that's trouble..."
In any case, I can't leave today, it's too suspicious, give it a couple of days, then make up an excuse.
The girl focused on the nautical chart hanging on the wall, pondering deeply...
.......
Inside the luxury suite.
Shano carefully stored the Log Pose and approached the porthole, gazing at the sea beneath the dark night.
The destination of Gat's voyage is Sherly Island, near the Grand Line entrance.
The island is the renowned brewing and shipbuilding capital of the East Sea, with over ten shipbuilding companies densely distributed on the island.
Two months ago, Shano contacted the oldest Giant Whale Shipbuilding Company on the island.
At a price of 300 million Belly, he ordered a ship with quite high specifications.
Most of the fortune obtained from Sakuraba Itsuki was consumed in one go.
The reason for such a high price is Shano's request to incorporate Treasure Tree Adam from the company's material warehouse into the ship's main structure.
Treasure Tree Adam, the toughest tree species in the world, makes ships extremely strong and durable.
This way, even in the Grand Line's stormy disasters, one needn't worry excessively.
The design draft of the hull was provided by the shipbuilding company, while the interior decoration plan was according to the opinions of Shano and the crew.
Shano requested a training room with steel walls on all four sides, Nojiko also wanted a similar one, while Kuina dreamed of an open-air Sword Dao field at the stern. Zeff's requirement was even more specific, a fully-equipped kitchen with a spacious pantry.
Of course, Nami's pranks were there too, insisting on a nautical chart room filled with bookshelves, alongside a small orange garden.
Shano initially didn't bother.
But couldn't resist Nami's persistent requests, reluctantly agreeing in the end.
As a reminder on the ship, whenever he sees it, he'll think of this imp, though he doesn't expect these areas to serve a practical purpose.
Now.
Two months have passed, and the ship is complete.
All that's left is for Shano to go to the island for inspection.
It's a vessel worth 300 million Belly, custom-made. Not only the youngsters but even Zeff, with his rich experience, eagerly anticipated the ship's interior.