That evening, to welcome Shano and his group, the Isshin Dojo hosted a grand banquet.
Nami and Nojiko, still dreaming about all the food they wanted to eat, had already run off to the kitchen while Zeff was still preparing dishes, excitedly making requests.
Zeff burst into hearty laughter and waved his hand generously, agreeing to everything.
This immediately drew complaints from two recently-awoken kitchen helpers.
"We're all around the same age! Why are we the ones washing and chopping veggies while they get to ask for anything they want?"
Green-Haired Mosshead and Curly-Brows put aside their usual bickering, joining forces in a furious protest strike.
"Because they're honored guests, you two idiots!"
Zeff responded with some well-placed punches, swiftly bringing this tragic yet heroic labor movement to a screeching halt in under a minute, amidst a chorus of pained yelps.
Meanwhile, on Shano's side—
Not having seen Kuina or Junichi yet, he couldn't help but ask Koushirou about them.
That's when he learned that Kuina, after a year of intense training, had made great strides in her swordsmanship—already gifted to begin with. A few days ago, full of confidence, she had left for Asakura Island to participate in this year's kendo tournament.
Apparently, she had vowed to take up Shano's mantle and win the championship.
As for Junichi, though he had been undergoing hellish training day and night, his progress still couldn't keep up with Kuina and Zoro. Gradually being overtaken by these younger juniors, he'd fallen into a bout of self-doubt.
After some soul-searching, he finally made up his mind half a year ago—to leave and train out at sea as a pirate hunter.
Koushirou seemed a bit worried about this, but Shano, though surprised, was quite approving.
Everyone has their own path. If he realized that staying in Shimotsuki Village would only limit his future, then it made sense not to stick around and stagnate. Having the courage to change course and seek growth through life-and-death battles probably meant Junichi had found his own resolve.
After dinner, everyone gathered around the hearth for some late-night chatting.
Shano transcribed a copy of the Rokushiki manual and handed it to Zeff.
Shave, Moonwalk, Iron Body—these three techniques were quite versatile. Zeff and Kuina could freely pick whatever suited them to boost their overall combat power.
Of course, Zoro and Sanji could learn them too.
But Shano would be setting sail in no more than three years, and those two little guys wouldn't be old enough yet. Whether they would come aboard or not, that would be up to them when the time came.
…
Early the next morning—
The Tangerine Garden set sail from Shimotsuki Village, heading toward their final destination: the Goa Kingdom.
Shano didn't forget his other "important task" either—under the cover of night, he quietly "collected wool" from everyone.
Kuina's desk lamp, Zoro's headband, Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg, Koushirou's new glasses—not a single item was left behind. He even left a small vial of blood beside Sanji's bed.
He was a pro at this now—so practiced he could swipe things without making a sound, utterly undetected.
After all that sneaky labor, he earned 2,500 points, bringing his total to 38,500.
Would people like Koushirou suspect something, like—"Why is it that every time you visit, our dojo ends up missing stuff?"
Obviously not.
With the larger-than-life image he had in everyone's eyes, as long as he kept a straight face, even if he were caught red-handed with a bag full of stolen goods, they'd probably still blame Zoro the brat for sneaking around.
…
A few days later—
On a sunny afternoon, the Tangerine Garden entered the seas of the Goa Kingdom. Off in the distance, the towering peaks of Mount Colubo came into view.
Shano sat at the bow, helping Nami and Nojiko play string figures. During a break, he looked up at the lush green mountains ahead and frowned slightly.
He didn't know why—
But starting from that morning, the closer they got to their destination, the stronger the bad feeling in his gut became.
"Manba, did any of the later newspaper reports say who the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral sent to the East Blue to take down Buggy was?" he turned and asked.
"One sec, Boss. I'll check right now."
Manba hurriedly flipped through a big stack of newspapers. A moment later, he looked up. "Yeah, it's in here. Says it's Vice Admiral Burning Mountain. Apparently, he's a pretty experienced veteran. If he's in charge, the Buggy Pirates shouldn't stand a chance."
"Burning Mountain, huh…"
Shano let out a sigh of relief. Honestly, it didn't matter who it was—as long as it wasn't Garp.
All he wanted was to smoothly perform one last magic trick for Luffy, then quickly get out—he didn't want any surprises.
…
The outskirts of Mount Colubo were lined with the Goa Kingdom's shopping streets.
With good public safety and all kinds of goods, it was actually a nice place for sightseeing and leisure.
Shano arranged for the professional sailors brought from the village to take his two sisters around for a few days of fun.
He and Manba, after gathering all necessary supplies, entered the mountains with a few others.
With more people familiar with the terrain, the search went much faster. By the afternoon of the second day, they'd found Luffy's trail.
Apparently, he and Ace had split up again to train separately. When Shano spotted him from a hilltop, the little brat was being chased by three furious giant bears, screaming as he ran for his life.
"Why are there three of them!?"
Luffy cried as he ran, snot and tears streaming down his face. "All I did was steal your honey! Calling in backup for that? If you've got guts, fight me one-on-one!"
"ROARR!"
The bears didn't respond with words—just full-speed pursuit.
"I can't take it anymore! I'm fighting back!!!"
As his stamina ran out, Luffy shouted, grabbing two nearby trees and stretching his arms to the max, launching himself backward.
"Gum-Gum—"
"Rocket Launcher!!"
THUD!
His head slammed hard into the forehead of the middle bear. The struck bear let out a cry and collapsed backward.
But it wasn't knocked out—after just a few seconds, it shook its head and stood back up.
The other two bears had also repositioned, forming a three-way pincer that blocked all escape, staring menacingly at the panicking kid.
"It's over! I'm totally dead this time!!"
Luffy's legs shook like jelly, and he burst into loud sobs, "Waaaaah! Ace, where are you? Help meeeeee!"
What a hopeless kid.
Shano had been squatting on the cliff watching the whole show. He sighed, stood up, and disappeared in a flicker.
In the next moment, he appeared beside Luffy, glancing at the three giant bears.
"Do me a favor," Shano said cheerfully. "The brat was in the wrong first, so I won't make a move. How about you all just back off?"
Who the heck are you?
The three giant bears stared blankly for a moment, exchanged looks, then all roared and stepped forward. They opened their jaws wide, baring sharp fangs, drool dripping everywhere.
Guess not being a Celestial Dragon means face doesn't work, huh… Shano sighed and was just about to step in—
But suddenly, the three bears froze.
Looking up, Shano saw that all three bears now wore fearful expressions. They let out a low growl, then turned tail and bolted back the way they came, not even daring to look back.
Huh?
That's weird… Shano stared at the retreating bears in confusion—when a grumpy voice suddenly sounded from above.
"Who's this brat!? Saving people without permission—so annoying! Do you have any idea how much effort it took me to herd those three bears over here!?"
That voice—
Shano's eyes widened in alarm and he turned his head—
Just in time to see a fist the size of a sandbag rapidly filling his vision.
WHAM!