Straw Hat, Straw Hat

Xianuo had originally planned to leave Shimotsuki Village after breakfast and head to the final stop of his treasure-hunting journey: Goa Kingdom.

However, everyone was reluctant to see him go and insisted he stay another night.

That evening, a large group of people gathered around the hearth on the tatami mats in the living room for a relaxed and leisurely chat before bed.

During the conversation, Zoro and Sanji, the two little rascals, secretly drank rice wine and were soundly beaten by Zeff, adding a touch of liveliness to the atmosphere.

Xianuo, slightly tipsy, got into high spirits and chatted extensively with everyone.

Through their conversation, they learned about Cocoyasi Village, discovered he had two lovely younger sisters, and heard about the beauty of his hometown's orange groves, where the citrus fruits were crisp, juicy, large, and sweet.

Xianuo had also considered it.

Just in case, should he wait until spring next year and invite Zeff or Koshiro to stay at Cocoyasi Village for a few months?

With them around, dealing with the Arlong Pirates would be a piece of cake.

But after a moment's thought, he ultimately didn't voice his idea.

He hadn't even obtained the Straw Hat yet, and his points were already close to ten thousand.

It could be said that he could now pick and choose any item or secret manual from the system's trading market.

Under such circumstances, if he couldn't even deal with the Arlong Pirates after a year of arduous training, what difference would he be from a failure?

He might as well forget about setting sail and just slit his own throat with Masamune.

The next day arrived in the blink of an eye.

Kuina, Zeff, Sanji, Zoro... a group of people reluctantly saw Xianuo off at the dock, including Junyi, who had disappeared since early the previous morning.

It was only then that Xianuo found out.

Ever since this kid returned to Shimotsuki Village, he had been training desperately as if possessed.

He trained relentlessly from five in the morning until midnight, not even taking time for lunch. His training intensity was even more terrifying than Zoro's.

This made Xianuo's eyes widen slightly.

In his opinion.

Junyi's swordsmanship talent was inferior to Zoro's, and far inferior to Kuina's.

But talent was never the sole factor determining a person's upper limit.

As long as one put in more effort and sweat than others, the results would rarely be disappointing.

After all, it only took two years to go from being unable to lift a chicken to becoming a new generation Marine hero.

"Why are you staring at me like that, boss?"

Junyi, who was busy helping move supplies onto the ship with Zoro, looked up at Xianuo in confusion as he felt Xianuo's gaze.

"I'm a little worried about you," Xianuo said, half-jokingly. "I'm really afraid that in a few months, you'll set sail directly, and I'll have to find a way to collect your corpse."

Was his resolve seen through?

Junyi pursed his lips.

He suddenly looked up and chuckled, "What are you talking about? That's not a funny joke. Boss, don't worry, I'm not some hot-headed idiot. I won't do anything foolish without enough confidence."

"No, what are you two talking about? Are you playing riddles? My head is really hurting from listening."

Zoro looked from one to the other, his face full of bewilderment.

"It's not that your head hurts from listening, it's that your head actually hurts."

Xianuo glared at the green-haired brat irritably.

This guy had just been beaten by Zeff last night, and this morning he got beaten black and blue again by Kuina during their spar. The swelling on his head hadn't even gone down yet.

Now he was out here in the sea breeze, so it was no wonder his head hurt.

He turned back to Junyi.

"In short, you know what you're doing. Don't forget you're not alone. No matter where you go in the future, you'll still have so many comrades to fight alongside."

After Xianuo's earnest instructions, he waved goodbye to the others on the shore and finally pressed a button, starting the boat and sailing towards the distance.

This small boat, equipped with hidden high-tech power, was something he had borrowed for the time being.

It only took two days to travel from Shimotsuki Village to the nearest large island, and Zeff was planning to go to that island to purchase ingredients tomorrow.

So, upon arrival, he just needed to dock the boat and leave it.

He could then calmly transfer to a passenger ship in that town and head to Goa Kingdom.

Zeff would naturally take the boat back to Shimotsuki Village then.

Six days later.

Goa Kingdom, deep within the Colbo Mountains.

In the dense forest, Xianuo quickly climbed to the top of a towering ancient tree in just a few steps, gazing out at the boundless mountains and forests surrounding him.

After staring blankly for a long time, he rubbed his temples with a headache.

"This time, it was a real miscalculation..."

He had successfully arrived within the borders of the Goa Kingdom the morning before yesterday.

However, more than fifty hours had passed, and he was still wandering lost in these mountains.

It wasn't that he had caught Luffy's "lost-way syndrome."

It was just that the Colbo Mountains were far vaster than he had anticipated...

Having grown up in Cocoyasi Village his entire life, where the surrounding island area was small, he had become completely accustomed to such a miniature landmass.

Arriving in the Goa Kingdom, a renowned great nation in the East Blue, he finally experienced again what it was like to be unable to see the horizon from a high vantage point...

"I wish Luffy was still in Foosha Village," Xianuo sighed.

Around this time last year, Luffy was still in Foosha Village.

But then, after that incident with Shanks, Garp found out and swiftly transferred him to Colbo Mountain, entrusting him to Dadan the mountain bandit for upbringing.

That led to him meeting Ace and Sabo later, encountering the Sapphire Pirates, and establishing the ASL Brotherhood, among other things...

If he thought about it carefully.

Sabo should have been taken to the Revolutionary Army headquarters by Dragon several months ago, leaving only the brothers Luffy and Ace in the mountains.

Xianuo felt that his luck since setting out at sea this time seemed to have been used up on encountering the King of the Near Sea and Zeff.

Relying on himself alone, it was indeed difficult to find these two brats in these vast mountains.

But it shouldn't have taken him more than fifty hours of searching day and night without a single clue.

Those two troublemakers couldn't stay still; being semi-abandoned in these mountains, they were causing a ruckus everywhere every day, so he should have found some trace of their activities.

"Sigh."

Having not slept well for several consecutive nights, his body ached all over. Xianuo simply leaned against the tree trunk high up and sat down, taking out a few pieces of bread from his backpack and eating them dry.

He had filled his stomach in a small town outside the mountains before entering, but even so, his travel rations were almost gone.

If he couldn't find them today, he might have to hunt wild beasts in the mountains and roast them. Without any seasonings, he imagined the taste wouldn't be very good.

After eating the bread to barely fill his stomach, Xianuo took out a Straw Hat from his backpack and spun it a few times in the wind with his index finger.

--It looked ordinary, a bit old, with its straw-woven brim already a little loose, and the bright red ribbon faded to an old, dark jujube color.

Bringing it close to his nose, he could still smell a greasy scent of hair oil.

He had bought it for two hundred Belly from a farmer in the small town outside the mountains before entering, waiting to swap it with Luffy's Straw Hat as soon as he got his hands on it.

In fact, there were many shops in the town, and similar straw hats were easy to buy.

The only reason he insisted on buying this used one with that smell was because those sold in the shops were too new.

Luffy was a careless idiot, no doubt, but if his beloved Straw Hat suddenly became brand new and clean, he would probably notice it at a glance.

This move, this move was called "details determine success or failure."

Xianuo was even contemplating whether he could harvest some points later when he met Luffy again.

Therefore, it was best not to let the secret of the genuine Straw Hat being swapped out be revealed for now.