Chapter 53: A Punch Head-On

That evening, to welcome Shano and his group, the Isshin Dojo held a grand banquet. Nami and Nojiko, still thinking about the food they craved, had eagerly scurried into the kitchen to make requests while Zeff was still preparing the dishes. Zeff burst into hearty laughter and generously granted every single wish with a grand wave of his hand.

This immediately sparked indignation from two kitchen assistants who had recently woken up.

"We're basically the same age! Why do we have to wash vegetables and chop things for you here while they get to make special requests?!"

The green-haired swordsman and the curly-browed cook cast aside their previous enmity and indignantly went on a joint strike in protest.

"Because they are honored guests, you two idiots!"

Zeff meted out a sound beating, resulting in this epic strike lasting a mere minute before coming to a miserable end amidst cries of agony.

Meanwhile, on Shano's side.

Having not yet seen Kuina or Jun'ichi, he couldn't help but ask Koushirou about their whereabouts. He then learned that after a year of bitter cultivation, Kuina—already exceptionally talented—had made immense progress in her swordsmanship and, full of confidence a few days ago, had set off for Saku Island to participate in the current kendo tournament. She had declared that she would inherit Shano's baton and claim the championship this year.

As for Jun'ichi, he had subjected himself to grueling, round-the-clock hellish training, yet his progress still lagged behind Kuina and Zoro, gradually being surpassed by the two younger juniors. After days of soul-searching and deep reflection, he made the resolution half a year ago to go out to sea for tempering and become a bounty hunter.

Koushirou harbored some worries about this, but Shano, aside from being surprised, felt a deep sense of appreciation. Everyone has their own path. Since staying and training in Shimotsuki Village offered limited prospects, lingering on in mutual exhaustion held little meaning. Having the courage to change paths and seek growth through life-or-death struggles meant Jun'ichi must have already found his own resolve.

After dinner, as everyone gathered around the hearth for late-night conversation, Shano copied a manual of the Six Powers and handed it to Zeff.

Soru, Geppo, and Tekkai were quite universal in their application, and Zeff and Kuina could freely pick the ones they liked to enhance their overall strength. Of course, Zoro and Sanji could practice them too if they wished. However, he would formally take to the sea in three years at most, and those two little fellows wouldn't have grown up by then, so whether they would come aboard or not would depend entirely on their own willingness.

...

Early the next morning.

The *Mikan* left Shimotsuki Village and sailed toward their final stop, the Goa Kingdom.

Shano hadn't forgotten his other important task; he had finished harvesting all his wool during the night. Kuina's desk lamp, Zoro's bandana, Zeff's wooden prosthetic leg, Koushirou's newly fitted glasses—not a single one was missed. He had even stood by Sanji's bedside and quietly drawn a small vial of blood from him.

He was now thoroughly accustomed to this kind of work, pilfering items without a sound or trace. From beginning to end, not the slightest noise was made, and no one noticed a thing.

After a bout of arduous labor, he gained a total of 2,500 points, bringing his remaining balance to 38,500.

As for whether Koushirou and the others would suspect why things kept disappearing from the dojo every time he visited...

That was obviously out of the question.

Given the towering reputation of high moral character he held in everyone's eyes, as long as he kept a straight face without changing his expression, even if a pile of stolen goods were pulled out of his pockets on the spot, everyone would simply assume that brat Zoro was playing pranks behind their backs again.

...

A few days later.

On a bright and breezy afternoon, the *Mikan* sailed into the waters of the Goa Kingdom, and the distant Colbo Mountains were already faintly visible in the distance.

Shano sat at the bow, accompanying Nami and Nojiko in playing cat's cradle. During a lull, he looked up at the lush green mountain range and frowned slightly.

For some reason.

Since early this morning, as they drew closer to their destination, he had a persistent bad premonition in his heart.

"Barb, in the recent reports, was there any mention of which Headquarters Vice Admiral was dispatched to the East Blue to wipe out Buggy?" he asked, turning his head.

"Hold on a second, Boss, let me check."

Barb hurriedly rummaged through a large stack of newspapers, looking up a moment later. "It is mentioned indeed. It says Burning Mountain, a very capable and veteran Vice Admiral. With him leading the team, the Buggy Pirates probably won't have any room to resist."

"Burning Mountain, huh..."

Shano breathed a sigh of relief. Actually, it didn't really matter who came, as long as it wasn't Garp. He just wanted to smoothly perform his magic trick for Luffy again, get in and out quickly, and avoid any other variables.

...

On the outskirts of the Colbo Mountains lay the commercial district of the Goa Kingdom.

The public order here was good, and all sorts of goods were dazzlingly displayed, making it a fine place for shopping and leisure. Shano entrusted the professional sailors brought from the village to take his two younger sisters to play here for a few days.

As for himself, along with Barb and the others, he gathered the necessary supplies and stepped into the mountain forest.

With people familiar with the terrain, searching for the target became significantly faster. By the afternoon of the next day, the group had tracked down Luffy's whereabouts.

The boy seemed to have parted ways with Ace again, each venturing into the mountains to hone themselves. When Shano spotted him from a hilltop, the little brat was being chased in flustered panic by three enraged giant bears, howling all the way.

"Why are there three of them?!"

Luffy yelled as he ran, looking back with tears and snot streaming down his face. "This is too much! I only stole your honey! You actually called so many helpers, if you've got the guts, let's have a one-on-one duel!"

"Roar!"

The giant bears made no reply, blindly giving chase with all their might.

"I can't take it anymore, I'm going all out with you guys!!!!" Sensing that his stamina was nearly exhausted, Luffy let out a shout, suddenly grabbing two nearby trees and stretching his arms to their absolute limit, using the momentum to spring backward. "Gomu Gomu no—"

"Rocket!"

Thud!

His head slammed fiercely into the forehead of the giant bear right in the middle. The struck bear let out a cry of pain and crashed backward onto the ground.

However, it didn't faint; after just three or four seconds, it shook its head and stood back up.

The other two giant bears had also adjusted their positions, forming a three-sided pincer movement that cut off all avenues of escape, staring menacingly at the little brat below.

"I'm done for! This time I'm really, really done for!"

Luffy's legs shook like a sifting sieve as he wailed aloud. "Wuuu wuuu, Ace, where are you, come quick and save me..."

What an unlucky kid.

Shano had been squatting on the cliff watching the show. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh, stood up, and flashed, his figure instantly vanishing from where he stood.

The next moment, he had already appeared by Luffy's side, raising his head to glance sideways at the three giant bears.

"Do me a favor and back off," Shano said with a cheerful smile. "Considering it's this little brat's fault first, I won't make a move myself. How about you guys just leave on your own accord?"

Who on earth are you?

The three giant bears stood in a daze for a moment, exchanged glances, and then roared in unison, taking a step forward while baring their fangs and opening bloody maws, great pools of drool dripping down.

Ah, so they weren't Celestial Dragons, meaning pulling rank didn't work. Shano sighed melancholically and was just about to make a move when he suddenly noticed the three giant bears freeze in place.

Looking up, for reasons unknown, every single one of those bears wore an expression of terror. With a sudden low growl, they simultaneously turned around and bolted back the way they came in a mad dash, not even daring to look back.

Huh?

Strange... Shano watched the retreating backs of the three bears in bewilderment, and just as he was puzzled, an irritated voice suddenly sounded from right above his head:

"What kind of brat are you?! Taking it upon yourself to play the hero and save people, you're utterly annoying! Do you have any idea how much effort it took this old man to drive these three bears over here?!"

That voice is...

Shano was startled, instinctively turning his head just in time to see a fist the size of a sandbag rapidly expanding in his vision—