"So miserable, Bucky."
On the deck of the Orange Garden, Shano gripped his fishing rod, set aside the freshly bought newspaper, and burst out laughing, nearly doubling over.
Couldn't really blame him for setting someone up.
Now that Arlong was dead, the East Blue was full of small fry. There wasn't really anyone else who could match the "deeply hidden but powerful" figure mentioned in the rat's report.
With no better option, the great Bucky had to take the fall for it.
Considering he's a Conqueror's Haki wielder, he shouldn't be sinking from just a little storm like this.
Honestly though, the Marine headquarters' clean-up fleet might not have been dispatched to completely annihilate the Bucky Pirates.
As long as they scared them out of East Blue and forced them into the Grand Line, the mission could be considered a success.
After all, the Four Blues were the foundation of the World Government's rule. In terms of population and landmass, they far surpassed the Grand Line. The East Blue in particular had been peaceful since Roger's execution and couldn't tolerate too much chaos.
Whereas the Grand Line was more like a battle royale track designed for pirates. No need for interference — self-inflicted casualties would already take care of most of them.
The fishing rod remained still in his hand, not the slightest tug.
Shano didn't mind at all.
Fishing had been his favorite hobby back when he was a stressed-out office worker in his previous life. Ever since reincarnating, he hadn't really touched it.
Now, he was just using it to decompress and relax his mind, which was still recovering from being stretched too tight earlier. He'd randomly stuck half a red bean bun on the hook as bait — wasn't even expecting any dumb fish to bite.
"Boss!"
From the lookout tower came Monkey's voice. "We can already see Shimotsuki Village ahead — we'll be there in at most half an hour!"
"Oh yeah?"
Shano was a bit surprised — even earlier than he'd expected by almost half a day. As expected, Arlong's ship wasn't bad in terms of speed.
He set the fishing rod aside, turned his head, and looked into the distance. Sure enough, the outline of an island was faintly visible on the horizon.
This trip to Shimotsuki Village wasn't just to gather some loot. He also wanted to solve the issue of Zeff's broken leg.
Originally, his best plan was to find some rare elixir from the trading market that could regrow flesh and bone.
That kind of thing was extremely rare, but he wasn't in a rush. After all, there were still a few years left until the promised date. He could afford to wait.
But unexpectedly, two months ago, when he bought "Iron Bones," he also came across this item—
[Genos' Cybernetic Legs]
Type: Equipment
Price: 625 points
Description: Cybernetic legs modified by Dr. Kuseno from the world of One Punch Man. Automatically adjusts to fit the body shape and height of various disabled individuals. Comes with self-repair functionality.
Seller's Note: "Finally got a valuable offering… wait, why is there a bald guy with a dark face walking toward me?!"
…
Not bad, actually. A glorious step into evolution.
Shano bought it on the spot and planned to hand it over to Zeff.
However…
With this setup, what would the old man's title be when he joined Shano out at sea again?
Shano shrugged and checked his remaining points.
Over the past year, aside from buying training manuals for Rokushiki and the Flesh Furnace Method, he hadn't spent recklessly.
Plus, with the loot he'd gotten from the Arlong Pirates and the rat, his points currently sat at exactly 36,000 — only a couple thousand less than a year ago.
"Nothing worth buying this month. Guess I'll wait and check again next month."
Just as Shano was stroking his chin and pondering, the fishing rod at his feet suddenly started jerking violently, sliding toward the edge of the boat. He quickly stepped on it to stop it.
He wasn't going home empty-handed?!
Grabbing the rod with one hand and giving it a test tug — it was heavy. Easily over a hundred pounds. Shano's eyes lit up and he yanked hard—
Splash!
A green-haired boy stubbornly biting onto the red bean bun was yanked out of the water. He turned his head, confused.
"..."
The two stared at each other. Three black lines appeared on Shano's forehead.
"Why is it YOU?!" they shouted in unison.
...
An hour later, on a country path leading to the Isshin Dojo.
"So you were swimming around the entire island doing frog-style kicks for twenty laps… to train your leg muscles?"
"Yeah! That's the target Zeff gave me."
Zoro walked ahead, holding seven or eight red bean buns in both hands, devouring them. "It's tiring! I only got to twelve laps before I got so hungry. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been caught by your bun!"
"Oh, I see… Wait, no, what?!" Shano's eyes widened. "Why the hell are you practicing leg techniques instead of focusing on your swordsmanship? You're supposed to be catching up to Kuina!"
Don't tell me he got beaten by Kuina for another year and lost all confidence?
"That's not it!"
Zoro caught the implication and immediately shouted, "It's that cocky curly-browed brat! Half a year ago, he started learning leg techniques from Zeff and got pretty good at it. Zeff praised him a few times, and he started showing off in front of me. I couldn't take it, so I started training too…"
Shano quickly yanked Zoro back from veering right again. "Where you headed? It's left!"
Damn it, I came here once and remembered the road. How do you keep getting lost when you walk this path every day?
"Oh, right, left it is."
Zoro scratched his head. "Anyway, I'm learning leg techniques now too. But I haven't slacked on swordsmanship! I'll show that curly-browed idiot that my talent is way better than his. It's just legwork — I can master it in a few hours a day!"
While they talked…
The group followed Zoro and arrived at the gates of Isshin Dojo.
Even before entering, they saw a blond, curly-browed youth in the yard, holding a bamboo sword in each hand with a third in his mouth. He stood in a solid horse stance, rapidly swinging, striking the nearby wooden posts with loud thwacks.
"..."
Shano fell silent.
He took a step back and glanced at the signboard. Yup — Isshin Dojo. Right place.
"Hey, Zoro…" Nojiko nudged him and asked quietly, "That guy looks weird… Why's he biting a sword too?"
"Stupid, right? I think so too!"
Zoro chomped into his red bean bun and snorted. "That guy saw I was unique with my two-sword style and just had to prove he was stronger. So he stuck one in his mouth and declared himself a Three-Sword Style swordsman! Total nutcase. Who fights like that?!"
"Super dumb." Nami and Nojiko both nodded in agreement.
By this time, Sanji had also noticed the big group outside.
"Mr. Shano! What a surprise!"
He looked thrilled at first, but then spotted Zoro at the front of the group — and immediately put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly.
"Hey, moss-head! Did you see how fast I swung just now? I'm already catching up to you! In a few more months, not only Kuina — even your swordsmanship will be beneath me!"
"Keep dreaming, you idiot!"
Zoro crossed his arms and snorted, then spun and launched a side-kick. The dojo's signboard exploded into splinters on the spot.
"Why don't you get a taste of my legwork! See that? I've already surpassed you! Legwork's way easier to learn than swordsmanship!"
"Bullshit!"
Sanji snapped. Swish swish swish! All three bamboo swords flew out, instantly slicing the broken sign into even smaller pieces.
"See that? Clearly, swordsmanship is still superior!"
"Legwork!"
"Swordsmanship!"
Their noses were practically touching, yelling louder and louder.
Neither noticed behind them — when did Zeff and Koshiro get there? The two stood side-by-side, faces black as coal…