Five Months Later

The arduous training time flew by like a shuttle, and before they knew it, five months had passed.

Cocoyasi Village weathered several cold snaps and heavy snowfalls, finally overcoming the harsh winter and ushering in the season of blooming flowers.

Warmth mingled with the wind, grass shoots pushed through the frozen earth, and the expansion of the orange grove was gradually nearing completion.

New saplings were being planted batch by batch, along with tasks like loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing, and pruning branches. Scarred and the others were busy from dawn till dusk every day, yet they found joy in their work.

Over these past few months, they had begun to gradually integrate into the local atmosphere, and the villagers had also slowly accepted these outsiders.

Compared to the days of trembling with fear and fighting for survival in the Colbo Mountains, life now was simply like paradise.

If only...

...that mischievous little imp wasn't so troublesome, it would be even better.

"Hey!"

A small figure with orange hair suddenly darted out from behind a coconut tree, startling the stout ox who was carrying a bundle of orange saplings, nearly causing him to throw his back out.

"Nami, always scaring people like this!" the stout ox exclaimed indignantly, hands on his hips. "If you keep doing this, I'm going to report you to Lord Xianuo. Let's see how he deals with you!"

Ten-year-old brats were truly annoying!

"Nyah nyah nyah~"

Nami stuck out her tongue and ran off, "My brother doesn't have time for that! Why don't you try and catch me yourself, you big oaf!"

Passing by the village entrance, an uncle delivering mail spotted her and his eyes lit up. He quickly stopped his bicycle and waved.

"Wait! Nami, you have a package! It's quite heavy though, you probably can't carry it back alone. How about I help you deliver it?"

"A package?"

Nami's face lit up with surprise. She immediately squatted down and opened it on the spot, revealing a thick stack of books.

The mailman looked down and read along.

What were these? Atlas of the Four Seas, Treatise on Log Pose Craftsmanship, Advanced Complex Bathymetry Charting, To Vegapunk: Seastone Applications and Calm Belt Navigation...

They were all hefty tomes, and just reading the titles made his head spin.

"Are all these books for you?" the mailman asked, astonished. "Or for the adults at home?"

"They're for me! To be precise, my brother bought them all for me!"

Nami grinned happily and patted the stack of books with satisfaction. "The bookstore in the village has too few books, I finished them long ago. My brother often buys me new books from other nearby towns. This batch is of very high quality, enough for me to study for a good while!"

"That's truly impressive, Nami,"

The mailman uncle gave her a thumbs-up. "To be able to read books like these at such a young age... my daughter just runs around playing all day. If only she were as sensible as you!"

Sensible?

"Y-yes, that's right..." Nami nervously kicked a pebble. "Oh, right, the books are quite heavy, so Uncle, could you help me take them home?"

"Of course, it's my duty anyway,"

The mailman smiled and nodded.

He had been to Cocoyasi Village many times and was quite familiar with the terrain.

Pushing his bicycle ahead, he turned left and right, and soon a cozy wooden house appeared before them.

"We're home! Bellemere and Nojiko aren't here, they're probably at the orange grove."

Nami pointed to the coffee table in the living room. "Uncle, please put the books here."

"Okay!"

The mailman placed the books down and suddenly noticed a pile of hand-drawn sea charts scattered on the sofa beside them.

He picked one up to examine it. The first one was a detailed and exquisite chart of the island loop around Cocoyasi Village, far better in quality than anything he could buy on the market.

"Nami, did you draw these?"

The mailman was truly full of astonishment now. "That's amazing! Your talent is incredible. You might become a great cartographer in the future!"

"That's a given, Uncle!"

Nami proudly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear with a graceful and dashing movement. Unfortunately, she hadn't washed her hair for a few days, and her hand got stuck, taking a while to pull out...

"Ahem... In short, my dream is more than just that. My goal is to use my navigation skills to explore this entire sea and then create a world map based on my own observations!"

"A world map?" the mailman chuckled. "That's a truly extraordinary dream. But Nami, the outside world is very dangerous. There are many powerful pirates, you can't possibly deal with them!"

"I can't beat them, but following my brother is enough."

Nami snorted. "He's the most famous Great Swordsman in the East Blue! Any pirate crew, he just needs one swing of his sword to cut their ships in half!"

That young man named Xianuo?

The mailman paused slightly.

He vaguely recalled that name had been quite famous about half a year ago, but there had been no further news since, and he had gradually faded from public view.

The mailman couldn't help but feel curious. "Where is your brother? Now that you mention it, I've been to Cocoyasi Village so many times, but I don't think I've ever actually seen him in the village."

"He's a training fanatic, that's what everyone calls him anyway. It's strange to see him during the day. As for this time of day..."

Nami clutched the window frame and poked her head out, pointing to the tallest mountain in the hills to the north. "Hey, do you hear that sound from the mountain?"

The postman tilted his head to listen.

Only then did he notice the muffled rumbling, like distant thunder, faintly emanating from the mountain. Looking closely, he could also see wisps of smoke and dust rising from the summit.

He was momentarily stunned. "You mean..."

"It's my brother, he's in that mountain."

Nami grinned cheekily. "That's all the noise he's making. Luckily, the village is further south, so we can't hear it too well. Otherwise, we'd have gotten noise complaints long ago."

Your brother?

The postman's eyes widened. Was that a sound a human could make?

BOOM!

A colossal rock, easily five to six meters high, was instantly pulverized into dust by a single punch.

Amidst the swirling dust, the tall and sturdy figure of a black-haired youth was revealed.

Xianuo stepped over the still-rolling debris. The quartz particles crushed beneath his feet erupted with blue sparks as he quickly passed the spot where the giant rock had been.

He raised his head, looking at the devastated mountainside before him.

It barely resembled a mountain anymore.

As far as the eye could see, the entire mountainside looked as if it had been bombarded by a meteor shower, pockmarked everywhere with exposed rock faces.

A tunnel, piercing through the mountain and slanting towards the peak, was large enough for several people to walk through side-by-side. If not for the numerous fist imprints still remaining on the cross-section, it would look like it had been carved out by a giant drill.

"The hardness is still too low."

Xianuo's expression was blank as he gazed at the rock walls within the tunnel. "The metal content is already the highest among all the mountains on the island, and the rocks deep inside are the hardest, but for me now..."

He shook his head slightly. It was gradually becoming insufficient.

He withdrew his gaze and took a few steps forward, stepping out from the mountain's shadow.

The afternoon sun fell upon his shoulders.

His height had now reached one meter eighty-seven. His muscles were coiled and twisted like thick tree roots, possessing extreme density and emitting a cold, metallic sheen. His shoulders were terrifyingly broad, appearing like a majestic small mountain to ordinary people.

With every step he took, the rocks beneath his feet trembled slightly. As he passed a large tree, he happened to step on some mushrooms.

Xianuo didn't notice, but when he lifted his foot again, those mushrooms had already merged with the ground, reduced to two dimensions.

The reason was simple.

His own weight was barely 250 jin (approx. 125 kg), but his black combat attire had been augmented to weigh 1.6 tons.

Considering the increased pressure from his small sole area, the oppressive force he exerted on the ground was even greater than that of an adult elephant.