He actually had 600 points?
Xia Nuo was somewhat surprised.
It seemed that although Steelres had only shown his face a few times in the manga and was merely a minor character,
as an elite Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, the increased weight brought by his formidable strength still made this mere scabbard quite valuable.
His gaze fell once more on the final line of the appraisal.
"Regret and sorrow...?"
His beloved scabbard had fallen into the sea, so Steelres would feel regret and sorrow.
But for that kind woman who had indirectly saved his life, what kind of feelings would he have had when he raised his butcher's blade against her under the Celestial Dragons' orders?
"Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters..."
Xia Nuo shook his head slightly.
He was not an aggressive extremist and did not like painting everyone with the same brush. Whether in the Marines or among the pirates, there were quite a few people he had a favorable impression of.
But... there was no doubt about it.
Unless the Celestial Dragon class disappeared completely, the justice the Marines proclaimed would ultimately remain nothing more than a joke.
Of course.
Those factional disputes were still far too distant from him. Right now, his only goal was to make "money."
[Remaining Points: 7325]
After glancing at the points, Xia Nuo felt considerably more cheerful and closed the System Panel.
At dawn, with the sky only faintly bright.
After rushing around the city for most of the night, the two of them finally finished the cleanup work. They found a high place to sit and rest, overlooking the sea dyed red by the rising sun.
"What are you planning to do next?" Xia Nuo asked.
"I originally thought my strength was already enough for me to leave the dojo."
Pure Yi cupped his cheeks in both hands and said bitterly, "But after meeting you, Boss Xia Nuo, I realized I'm still far too weak. I'm nowhere near qualified. I'd better return to Isshin Dojo and continue training hard for a few more years."
Xia Nuo silently turned his head and glanced at Pure Yi.
In the dim morning light, the frail boy hugged his battered bamboo sword and stared toward the end of the horizon. His eyes clearly held a determined light.
Did he really think he was not qualified to leave the dojo?
With this kid's swordsmanship, he was naturally nothing special when viewed across the entire sea.
But if he restricted his sights to this small corner of the East Blue, Asagiri Island, then formally leaving the dojo, opening a dojo, and taking disciples... he was more than qualified for all of it.
Actually, his obsession had changed, hadn't it?
In the past, what supported Pure Yi's constant cultivation and pursuit of strength was his dream of restoring the reputation of Sakuraba Dojo.
Now, that obsession seemed to have shattered and vanished into the distance along with that frenzied figure. In its place, would it be those lofty figures standing high above him?
The Celestial Dragons and a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters... Such terrifying identities were enough to make most people choose to give up in despair, burying their hatred deep in their hearts.
But Pure Yi did not seem like someone who could be frightened so easily.
"I'm asking you, do you still think I'm truly proficient in swordsmanship?"
"Huh? Aren't you?"
"You're really foolish, Pure Yi. No wonder you were tricked by a fake beggar."
"...I've already started becoming immune to your hurtful words, Boss."
Xia Nuo laughed loudly and stood up. Bathed in the morning light, he stretched comfortably. "Come on, let's go! Take me with you to Shimotsuki Village!"
"Huh?" Pure Yi looked up in astonishment.
"What's with that expression? Didn't I mention it before? I've long admired Mr. Koshiro. Since I have the chance to visit him with your help, how could I miss it?"
"Great!"
The frail boy immediately jumped for joy.
When Xia Nuo had stood up, he had thought it was time for them to part, and he had felt somewhat dejected. He had never expected such a pleasant surprise.
Hmph, Boss Xia Nuo is really the type to say one thing and mean another.
He says he's visiting Teacher Koshiro.
But really, he just can't stop worrying and has to escort me all the way back to Shimotsuki Village before he can relax, right?
Half an hour later.
After purchasing food and fresh water, Xia Nuo followed Pure Yi to the most secluded pier at the harbor.
A small boat was moored there. It was seven or eight meters long and extremely crude.
"Wait, you came here in this thing?"
Xia Nuo touched the worryingly flimsy canvas sail with a dubious expression. "This is way too primitive. Can this sail really be used? You didn't row all the way to Asagiri Island, did you?"
No one answered him.
He turned around and happened to see Pure Yi prying open the wooden board beneath the rear seat with his bamboo sword. With grunts of effort, he carried out two large barrels of cola.
Snap!
Pure Yi closed the wooden board, then pressed a hidden button beside it.
Four exhaust pipes suddenly extended from the stern of the little boat. Two recesses also appeared beside the button, each just large enough to hold a barrel of cola.
"Here, this takes care of the problem. If it only slowly consumes one barrel of cola as fuel, that's the normal cruising mode, about as fast as an ordinary sailboat."
"But if you press the button again and have both barrels consumed at once, it activates high-speed jet mode. The speed is incredible, but the rate of consumption is even more incredible, so unless something special happens, it's best not to use it casually."
Pure Yi chattered on, while Xia Nuo stared in stupefaction.
Damn it, I've become a country bumpkin!
"Asagiri Island has this kind of black technology?"
Unable to restrain his curiosity, Xia Nuo directly slapped the button. The cola in the barrels immediately began bubbling and churning, and transparent, pleasant-smelling streams of air sprayed from the stern, pushing the little boat toward the edge of the harbor.
"Hehe, Teacher lent it to me. It's the only one in all of Asagiri Island. It's very special."
Pure Yi adjusted the sail and grinned foolishly. "What do you think? Amazing, right? I had about the same reaction as you the first time I saw it, Boss."
"A few years ago, Grandpa Kosaburo... Ah, I mean Teacher Koshiro's father. Back when he was still alive, he told me that when their generation came to settle in the East Blue, they met an amazing shipwright in a place called something like Waterflow City. Seeing that their ship was battered and could barely continue, the shipwright took the initiative to help them rebuild a lot of it. They got this device back then, too."
"Waterflow City? You mean Water Seven, right?"
"I think so. I don't remember very clearly."
That made sense.
Xia Nuo stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Kosaburo and the others had traveled from the isolationist Wano Country, crossing the Grand Line before finally reaching the East Blue.
The shipwright they encountered in Water Seven might well have been the famous shipwright Tom—the teacher of Franky, who had once built a vessel for the Pirate King Roger and possessed a legendary history.
Heh, I suppose I'm riding a lower-spec version of the Thousand Sunny.
While Pure Yi was not paying attention, Xia Nuo's eyes shifted, and he suddenly slapped the button again.
The two barrels of cola began rolling violently at the same time. He threw back his head and laughed, raising both arms as the sea wind filled 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 you say that normally we can't..."
The boy's urgent shout was shredded by the sea wind and turned into scattered bubbles atop the waves.
Screech!
A white seabird skimmed past the mast. Under the impact of the airflow from the stern, the wake shattered into flecks of golden scales in the morning light, gradually reflecting the island covered in falling cherry blossoms as a distant pale-pink silhouette receding beyond the horizon.
Two days later.
In some stretch of sea, dark clouds blanketed the sky as fine rain drifted down.
On a lonely little reef island.
The rocks were jagged, and there was not a trace of vegetation.
The golden-haired, curly-browed boy could only use broken planks to piece together a crude shelter from the rain. He curled up inside, his dull, vacant eyes fixed blankly on the distant sea.
"It's been fifty days..."
His features were gaunt. Hugging his knees, he muttered, "The food ran out last month. I'm so hungry. I'm really so hungry... There'll definitely be a ship passing by today, right?"
But it was still raining.
The golden-haired boy numbly glanced at the wood and kindling he had stored in the corner.
The last time a ship had finally passed by, it had happened to coincide with heavy rain, and he had been unable to light the signal fire no matter what he did.
He had shouted for help with all his strength, but it had been useless. In the end, he could only watch despairingly as the ship passed far away.
"Let me try a little longer, Pure Yi. Just three minutes—three more minutes of jet mode!"
A vague voice suddenly drifted over through the wind and rain.
"No! Boss Xia Nuo! Have you forgotten how much cola you wasted the day before yesterday? What if we actually run out of cola?"
"Hey, what are you afraid of? Then I'll row. I'll row you all the way home. You know how strong I am..."
The voices grew clearer and clearer.
Faintly, there also seemed to be a sound like the roaring motor of the Germa 66 troops' motorcycles.
Is this a hallucination...?
The golden-haired boy turned his face around in a daze, just in time to see a speedboat racing toward him at full speed, rapidly growing larger in his eyes—
Boom!
"Damn it, where did this reef come from?! It's all your fault for talking to me and making me fail to watch the route. We're grounded now, aren't we?"
Those were the last words he heard before losing consciousness.
"Thank goodness, thank goodness. Nothing's damaged."
Xia Nuo got off the boat and gave it a quick inspection. He immediately let out a sigh of relief.
"We got lucky this time, but what about next time? From now on, I'm steering the boat, Boss Xia Nuo. You're not allowed to press the button randomly anymore!"
"Got it, got it."
Knowing he was in the wrong, Xia Nuo pouted and was just about to carry the boat back into the sea when Pure Yi suddenly cried out behind him:
"Huh? Boss Xia Nuo, look! There seems to be someone over there!"
He turned and looked in the same direction. Sure enough, at the other end of the reef, a tall figure sat by the shore with his back to them. He wore a white cloak and remained perfectly still, like a statue.
"That outfit... Could he be a Marine?"
"No."
Xia Nuo stared at the figure. The more he looked, the more familiar it seemed. It was truly a gift from heaven, and he suddenly grinned. "Don't be so bound by stereotypes, Pure Yi. You should know that someone who likes wearing white isn't necessarily a Marine. He might also be a cook."
Just as riding a white horse did not necessarily make someone a prince—they could also be a general.