Sanji, Who Almost Transmigrated

An unexpected 600 points?

Xianuo was slightly surprised.

It seemed that although Steelres was only a minor character who appeared a few times in the manga.

As an elite vice admiral of the headquarters, the weight added by his powerful strength still made this mere scabbard quite valuable.

His gaze then fell on the last line of the appraisal comments.

"Regretful...?"

Steelres would feel regretful about his beloved scabbard falling into the sea.

When he raised his butcher's knife against that kind woman who indirectly saved his life, under the orders of a Celestial Dragon, what would his feelings be?

"Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral..."

Xianuo shook his head slightly.

He wasn't an extremist and didn't like to generalize. Whether it was the Marines or the pirates, he actually had quite a few individuals he thought highly of.

But... undoubtedly.

Unless the Celestial Dragon class completely disappeared, the justice the Marines espoused would always be a joke.

Of course.

Those debates about factions were still too far off for him. His current goal was simply to make "money."

[Remaining Points: 7325]

Glancing at his point total, Xianuo felt much happier and closed the system panel.

Early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

After rushing around the city for most of the night, the two finally finished their cleanup work and found a high spot to sit and rest, overlooking the sea dyed red by the rising sun.

"What are your plans now?" Xianuo asked.

"Originally, I thought my strength was already enough to graduate."

Junyi cupped his cheeks with his hands, his face contorted in a grimace. "But after seeing you, Boss Xianuo, I realized I'm still far from it. I'm not qualified at all. I should go back to the Isshin Dojo and train hard for a few more years."

Xianuo silently turned his head and looked at Junyi.

In the faint morning light, the slender youth held his tattered bamboo sword, staring at the horizon, his eyes clearly holding a resolute light.

Did he really feel unqualified to graduate?

With this kid's swordsmanship, it certainly wouldn't cut it across the entire sea.

But if he were confined to the small corner of Asagiri Island in the East Blue, officially graduating, opening a dojo, and taking disciples... he was more than capable.

Perhaps his obsession had changed?

In the past, Junyi's obsession that fueled his continuous training and growth was the dream of reviving the Sakuraba Dojo's reputation.

Now, that obsession seemed to have shattered and drifted away with that frenzied figure. Would it be replaced by those few high-and-mighty figures?

Celestial Dragons and Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals... such terrifying identities were enough to make most people give up in despair and bury their hatred deep in their hearts.

But Junyi didn't seem like someone who would be easily intimidated.

"I say, you still think I'm truly skilled in swordsmanship?"

"Huh? Aren't you?"

"You're really stupid, Junyi. No wonder you were tricked by a fake beggar."

"...I'm starting to become immune to your hurtful words, Boss."

Xianuo laughed heartily and stood up, stretching comfortably in the morning light. "Let's go! Take me to Shimotsuki Village with you!"

"Huh?" Junyi looked up in surprise.

"What's with that expression? Didn't I mention it to you before? I've long admired Mr. Koshiro. Thanks to you, I have a rare chance to visit him. How could I miss it?"

"Hooray!"

The slender youth suddenly became cheerful.

When he saw Xianuo stand up, he thought it was time to part ways and felt a pang of sadness. He hadn't expected such a pleasant surprise.

Hmph, Boss Xianuo is such a hypocrite.

He says he's going to visit Teacher Koshiro.

But in reality, he's just worried and wants to escort me all the way back to Shimotsuki Village before he can rest easy, right?

Half an hour later.

After purchasing food and water, with Junyi leading the way, Xianuo followed him to the most secluded pier.

A small boat was docked there, about seven to eight meters long, quite rudimentary.

"No, you came here with this thing?"

Xianuo touched the questionable quality canvas, a look of doubt on its face. "This is too primitive. Can this sail really be used? You didn't paddle desperately all the way to Asagiri Island, did you?"

No one answered.

He turned around and saw Junyi using a bamboo sword to pry open the wooden board under the back seat, then grunting as they pulled out two large barrels of cola.

Smack!

Junyi closed the wooden board and then tapped a hidden button next to it.

Four exhaust pipes suddenly extended from the stern of the small wooden boat, and two slots appeared next to the button, each perfectly fitting a barrel of cola.

"Here, with this, you don't have to worry. If you only slowly consume one barrel of cola for energy, that's the normal cruising mode, about the same speed as a regular sailboat."

"If you tap the button again, consuming two barrels of cola simultaneously, it activates the rapid jet mode. The speed is incredible, but the consumption rate is even more so. So, unless there's a special situation, it's best not to use it lightly."

Junyi spoke eloquently, while Xianuo stared dumbfounded.

Damn it, now I've become a country bumpkin!

"There's such black technology in Shimotsuki Village?"

Unable to contain its curiosity, Xianuo directly tapped the button. The cola in the barrels immediately began to bubble and gurgle. A pleasant-smelling transparent gas stream sprayed from the stern, propelling the small boat towards the outer edge of the dock.

"Hehe, Teacher lent it to me. It's the only one in the whole of Shimotsuki Village, very special."

Junyi adjusted the sail and chuckled foolishly. "How is it, amazing right? When I first saw it, my reaction was pretty much the same as yours, boss."

"A few years ago, Grandpa Koshiro... ah, that's Teacher Koshiro's father, when he was still around, he mentioned it to me. He said that when their generation came to settle in the East Blue, they met a very skilled shipwright in a place called Water Flow City. Seeing their boat was dilapidated and couldn't last much longer, he voluntarily helped them with many modifications. This device was obtained then."

"Water Flow City? Water Seven, maybe?"

"I think so, I don't remember clearly."

That makes sense.

Xianuo stroked its chin, lost in thought.

Koshiro and his group had traveled from the secluded Land of Wano, through the Grand Line, before eventually arriving in the East Blue.

The person they met in Water Seven might have been that famous shipwright Tom, Franky's teacher, who had the legendary experience of building a ship for the Pirate King Roger.

Tsk, I guess I'm riding a low-spec version of the Thousand Sunny now.

While Junyi wasn't paying attention, Xianuo's eyes darted, and it abruptly tapped the button again.

The two barrels of cola began to churn violently. Xianuo laughed heartily, raising both arms, letting the sea breeze fill its open collar. "Then let me experience the power of rapid jet! Full speed ahead, Sunny! Let's go!"

"Eh! Boss, didn't I say you can't normally..."

The young man's urgent cry was shredded by the sea breeze, turning into scattered foam on the crest of the waves.

Screech!

A white gull skimmed past the mast. The wake from the stern's exhaust current shattered into specks of golden scales in the dawn light, gradually turning the island of falling cherry blossoms into a faint pink silhouette receding at the horizon.

Two days later.

In a certain sea area, dark clouds gathered, and fine rain drifted down.

On a desolate island reef.

The rocks were rugged, with no vegetation.

The boy with curly blond hair could only use broken wooden planks to form a crude shelter from the rain. He huddled inside, his unfocused eyes staring blankly at the distant sea.

"It's been 50 days..."

He was gaunt, hugging his knees as he muttered, "My food ran out last month. I'm so hungry, so hungry... Today, a ship will surely pass by today, right?"

But it's still raining.

The blond boy numbly glanced at the wood and tinder he had stored in a corner.

The last time a ship had passed by, it had just run into heavy rain, and the signal fire couldn't be lit no matter what.

He desperately shouted for help, but it was useless. In the end, he could only watch in despair as the ship sailed far away.

"Let me try a little longer, Junyi, three minutes, just three more minutes of jet!"

A blurred voice suddenly drifted from the wind and rain.

"No! Boss Xianuo! Don't you remember how much cola you wasted the day before yesterday? If you do this again, what if the cola really runs out!"

"Hey, what are you afraid of? I'll paddle then, I'll paddle you home, you know how strong I am..."

The voices grew clearer.

Faintly, there was a sound like the roaring engines of the Germa 66's motor division.

Is this a hallucination...?

The blond boy dazedly turned his head, just in time to see a speedboat coming at full jet speed, rapidly enlarging in his eyes--

Thump!

"Holy crap, where did that reef come from! It's your fault for talking to me, I wasn't watching where I was going, and now we're grounded!"

This was the last sound he heard before he lost consciousness.

"Phew, phew, nothing's broken."

Xianuo disembarked and breathed a sigh of relief after a quick inspection.

"We were lucky this time, but what about next time? Boss Xianuo, I'm taking over the helm from now on, and you're not allowed to press any more random buttons!"

"Got it, got it."

Xianuo knew he was in the wrong and was about to lift the boat back onto the water with a pout when Junyi's startled cry came from behind him:

"Huh? Boss Xianuo, quick, look! Is that a person over there?"

He turned his head to look, and sure enough, on the other side of the reef, a tall figure sat by the shore, draped in a white cloak, motionless as a statue.

"That outfit... could it be Marines!"

"No."

Xianuo stared at the figure, finding it more and more familiar. What a stroke of luck! He suddenly grinned. "Don't be so stereotypical, Junyi. You need to know, not everyone who likes wearing white is a Marine; they could also be a cook."

Just like not every rider on a white horse is a prince; they could also be a general.