Chapter 22: Sanji’s Near-Transmigration
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There were actually six hundred points?
Shano was slightly surprised.
It seemed that although Stainless was merely a minor character who appeared only a handful of times in the manga, his status as an elite vice admiral of Marine Headquarters—and the increased value brought by his formidable strength—had still made this humble scabbard worth quite a lot.
His gaze fell once more upon the final line of the appraisal.
“Regret and sorrow...?”
His beloved scabbard had fallen into the sea, and Stainless would surely have felt regret and sorrow.
But when he raised the butcher’s blade against that kindhearted woman under the orders of a Celestial Dragon—what kind of feelings had he harbored toward the person who had indirectly saved his life?
“A vice admiral of Marine Headquarters...”
Shano shook his head slightly.
He was not a radical or an extremist, and he disliked judging an entire group by the actions of a few. Whether among the Marines or the pirates, there were quite a number of people who had left a favorable impression on him.
But...
Without question, unless the Celestial Dragon class vanished completely, the justice proclaimed by the Marines would ultimately be nothing more than a joke.
Of course, such factional disputes were still far too distant from him. For now, his only goal was to make “money.”
【Remaining Points: 7,325】
After glancing at the number of points, Shano’s mood improved considerably, and he closed the system panel.
...
At dawn, beneath a sky just beginning to brighten.
After spending most of the night rushing around the city, the two finally finished their cleanup work. They found a high place to sit and rest, gazing down at the sea dyed red by the rising sun.
“What are you planning to do next?” Shano asked.
“I originally thought my strength was already enough for me to graduate.”
Junichi rested his chin in his hands and said bitterly, “But after meeting you, Boss Shano, I realized how far I still have to go. I’m nowhere near qualified. I’d better return to the Isshin Dojo and continue training for a few more years.”
Shano silently turned his head and glanced at Junichi.
In the faint morning light, the frail boy hugged his battered bamboo sword and stared toward the horizon. A resolute gleam shone unmistakably in his eyes.
Did he really believe he was not qualified to graduate?
With this boy’s swordsmanship, he would indeed be insignificant when measured against the entire sea.
But if one limited the comparison to this small corner of the East Blue, to Asazakura Island alone, then formally graduating, opening a dojo, and taking on disciples would all have been well within his abilities.
Perhaps his fixation had changed.
In the past, what sustained Junichi’s relentless training and pursuit of strength was his dream of restoring the reputation of the Sakura Court Dojo.
Now, that fixation seemed to have shattered and drifted away along with that frenzied figure. Had it been replaced by those lofty figures standing above him?
A Celestial Dragon and a vice admiral of Marine Headquarters...
Such terrifying identities were enough to drive most people into despair, leaving them with no choice but to give up and bury their hatred deep within their hearts.
But Junichi did not seem like someone who would be easily frightened into submission.
“Tell me, do you still think I’m actually proficient in swordsmanship?”
“Huh? Aren’t you?”
“You really are an idiot, Junichi. No wonder a fake beggar managed to fool you.”
“...I’m already beginning to develop immunity to your hurtful remarks, Boss.”
Shano laughed heartily and rose to his feet. Bathed in the morning light, he stretched luxuriously.
“Come on, let’s go! Take me with you to Shimotsuki Village!”
“Huh?” Junichi looked up in astonishment.
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“What’s with that expression? Didn’t I mention it before? I’ve admired Mr. Koushirou for a long time. Thanks to you, I have a rare chance to pay him a visit. How could I possibly let it pass?”
“Wonderful!”
The frail boy instantly grew excited.
When he had seen Shano stand up, he had thought the moment of parting had arrived and had felt a little downcast. He had never expected such a pleasant surprise.
Heh heh, Boss Shano really was someone who said one thing and meant another.
He claimed he was only going to visit Master Koushirou.
But in truth, he simply could not put his mind at ease. He had to escort me all the way back to Shimotsuki Village before he could relax, right?
...
Half an hour later.
After purchasing food and fresh water, Shano followed Junichi to the most secluded pier at the harbor.
A small boat was moored there, barely seven or eight meters long and extremely crude.
“Wait, you came here in this thing?”
Shano ran his hand over the worryingly flimsy canvas and looked doubtful. “This is far too primitive. Does that sail even work? Don’t tell me you rowed all the way to Asazakura Island.”
No one answered him.
He turned around and happened to see Junichi prying open a wooden panel beneath the rear seat with his bamboo sword. Grunting with effort, the boy lifted out two enormous barrels of cola.
Snap!
Junichi shut the panel, then slapped a concealed button beside it.
Four exhaust pipes suddenly extended from the stern of the little boat. At the same time, two slots appeared beside the button, each perfectly sized to hold one barrel of cola.
“See? With this, there’s nothing to worry about. If it slowly consumes just one barrel of cola as fuel, that’s normal cruising mode. The speed is about the same as an ordinary sailing ship.”
“If you press the button again, it consumes both barrels at once and activates high-speed jet mode. The speed is incredible, but so is the rate of consumption. Unless something special happens, it’s best not to use it casually.”
Junichi spoke at length while Shano stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
Damn it. Now I’m the country bumpkin!
“Shimotsuki Village has technology like this?”
Unable to restrain his curiosity, Shano immediately slapped the button.
The cola in the barrels began bubbling vigorously. A pleasant, transparent stream of gas burst from the stern, propelling the little boat toward the outskirts of the harbor.
“Heh heh, Master lent it to me. It’s the only one in all of Shimotsuki Village. Pretty special, isn’t it?”
Junichi adjusted the sail, grinning foolishly. “What do you think? Amazing, right? I reacted almost exactly the same way the first time I saw it, Boss.”
“A few years ago, when Grandpa Kozaburo was still alive—uh, I mean Master Koushirou’s father—he told me that when their generation came to settle in the East Blue, they passed through a place called Flowing Water City. There, they met an incredible shipwright. Seeing that their battered vessel could barely hold together, he volunteered to rebuild a great deal of it. That’s when they acquired this device.”
“Flowing Water City? You mean Water Seven, right?”
“I think so. I don’t remember very clearly.”
That made sense.
Shano stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Kozaburo and the others had come from the isolationist land of Wano, crossing the Grand Line before eventually reaching the East Blue.
The shipwright they encountered in Water Seven might well have been the famous Tom—the teacher of Franky, and a legendary figure who had once built the Oro Jackson, the ship of the Pirate King, Roger.
Tch. In a way, I’m riding a low-grade version of the Thousand Sunny.
While Junichi was distracted, Shano’s eyes shifted. He abruptly slapped the button again.
The two barrels of cola began churning violently at the same time. Laughing loudly, he raised both arms and let the sea wind fill his open collar.
“Then let me experience the power of high-speed jet mode! Full speed ahead, Sunny! Let’s go!”
“Wait, Boss! Didn’t I tell you that under normal circumstances you can’t—”
The boy’s urgent cry was shredded by the sea wind and scattered into sparse bubbles along the crest of the waves.
Screeech!
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A white gull skimmed past the mast. Under the impact of the air rushing from the stern, the trail of waves shattered into countless golden scales beneath the morning light, while the flower-covered island gradually became a distant pale-pink silhouette fading beyond the horizon.
———
Two days later.
Somewhere at sea, dark clouds blanketed the sky as a fine rain drifted down.
Upon a lonely reef stood a small island.
The rocks were jagged, and not a single plant grew there.
A blond, curly-browed boy could only piece together a crude shelter from broken planks to keep out the rain. Crouched inside, he stared blankly at the distant sea with dull, vacant eyes.
“It’s been fifty days...”
Gaunt and haggard, he hugged his knees and murmured, “The food ran out last month. I’m so hungry. I’m really so hungry... Today—today, surely a ship will pass by, won’t it?”
But it was still raining.
The blond boy stared numbly at the wood and kindling he had stacked in the corner.
The last time a ship had finally passed by, it had coincidentally encountered heavy rain. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get the rescue fire burning.
He had shouted for help with all his might, but it had been useless. In the end, he could only watch helplessly as the ship passed far away.
“Let me try for just a little longer, Junichi. Three more minutes—just three minutes of jet mode!”
A blurred voice suddenly drifted through the wind and rain.
“No! Boss Shano! Have you forgotten how much cola you wasted the day before yesterday? What if we actually run out?”
“Hey, what are you afraid of? If that happens, I’ll row. I’ll row us all the way home. You know how strong I am...”
The voices grew clearer and clearer.
Faintly, there also seemed to be a roaring sound resembling the motorbikes of Germa 66.
Was it a hallucination?
The blond boy turned his dazed face to the side and happened to see a speedboat racing toward him at full throttle, rapidly growing larger in his eyes—
Bang!
“Damn it! Where did this reef come from? It’s all your fault for distracting me! We’re stuck now, aren’t we?”
That was the last thing he heard before losing consciousness.
...
“Thank goodness. Thank goodness nothing’s damaged.”
Shano disembarked and gave the boat a quick inspection, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
“We were lucky this time. But what about next time? From now on, I’m steering the boat, Boss Shano. You are absolutely forbidden to press that button again!”
“All right, all right.”
Knowing he was in the wrong, Shano pouted and was just about to carry the boat back into the water when Junichi suddenly cried out behind him.
“Huh? Boss Shano, look! There seems to be someone over there!”
He turned and followed Junichi’s gaze. Sure enough, at the opposite end of the reef sat a tall figure facing the shore, draped in a white cloak and motionless as a statue.
“That outfit... Could he be a Marine?”
“No.”
Shano stared at the figure. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. What an unexpected gift from heaven.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
“Don’t be so bound by stereotypes, Junichi. You should know that someone who likes wearing white isn’t necessarily a Marine. He might also be a cook.”
Just as someone riding a white horse is not necessarily a prince—he might be a general.
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