Unplanned Uninvited Guests

Under the warm, orange glow of the lamp, a family was having dinner.

Xianuo ate with his head down, feeling that everything tasted better after his mental block was removed. The plates in front of him piled higher and higher, almost reaching the ceiling.

Bellemere had already finished eating. She lit a slim cigarette and leaned against the doorframe, smiling as she watched the scene.

This child's appetite was becoming more and more outrageous. Eating hundreds of pounds of food in one sitting was commonplace. She had specifically expanded the kitchen and even built a small wooden house next to it to serve as a food storage room.

The food problem was solved.

It was the clothes...

Bellemere was a bit troubled. Besides the fruit, vegetable, and meat shop, her most frequent destination was the clothing store.

Approximately every one to two months, Xianuo's body would grow taller and wider. The clothes she made herself couldn't keep up with the pace, so she had to buy large quantities of ready-made clothes.

But winter was approaching soon. Hand-knitted sweaters were always warmer. However, how big should she make them?

She was racking her brain.

Xianuo, who was diligently filling his stomach, was also thinking about a similar problem.

His current physique was indeed a bit monstrous compared to others his age. His terrifying muscles were intimidating to enemies, but they were not very convenient in daily life.

For example, right now, he didn't dare to move his butt while eating. If he moved even slightly, the chair beneath him would creak ominously.

He couldn't use the bathtub either; he just used a garden hose to wash himself.

As for the doors at home, he had modified some, and for those he couldn't, he had to turn sideways, bend over, and lower his head carefully to pass through.

If only I could have two forms, a daily form and a combat form, like Frieza...

Xianuo thought to himself.

In the following days, Xianuo was busy with the finishing touches.

With the Arlong Pirates dealt with, several new issues arose.

First, what to do with the treasure on the ship?

Genzo and Scarred had finished counting it. It amounted to over 300 million Belly.

Xianuo wasn't a saint. If Arlong had stolen the treasure on the Grand Line, he wouldn't bother traveling so far and exerting so much effort to investigate and return it one by one. He would have gladly accepted it.

But tragedies had occurred in the neighboring islands and towns. Kesha Town, in particular, had been destroyed and reduced to ruins with heavy casualties because they couldn't pay the money. He couldn't remain indifferent to this.

After much thought, finding it troublesome, he simply entrusted everything to Uncle Genzo.

Genzo would contact the surrounding villages and towns to return the property to its rightful owners, and the surplus would be used for the reconstruction of Kesha Town.

This action, coupled with his previous feat of defeating the Arlong Pirates, raised his reputation in Cocoyasi Village to a new height.

If he casually strolled through the town, the shopkeepers on both sides would greet him enthusiastically and proactively. By the time he walked down one street, his hands would be full of gifts people had insisted on giving him.

However...

In the end, it all benefited his two younger sisters, who snatched everything up as soon as he got home.

Additionally, Arlong's pirate ship now belonged to him.

This was easy to handle. With a little modification and cleaning, removing the pirate flag, the shark-tooth ram, and other such items, it was transformed into a very decent civilian ship.

The orange orchard business at home was booming and desperately needed a large-capacity transport ship.

The last remaining issue was where to claim the bounties for these pirates.

Arlong had a bounty of 20 million Belly, Kuroobi had a bounty of 900 Belly.

Hachi, Chuu, and other officers also had bounties of several million each. The total, scattered among them, reached over 80 million Belly.

Xianuo was already very wealthy and wasn't particularly interested in making more money.

However, he couldn't just discard the heads, and it felt like a waste not to get their due value. Moreover, this money was rightfully his.

So, he found local marine charts from the books Nami had bought, cut off the heads of these Fish-Men, and prepared to head to the nearest Marine branch to claim the reward.

There were two Marine branches nearby.

One was Branch 16 to the northwest.

The other was Branch 77 to the southeast.

Branch 16 was out of the question.

Xianuo asked Bellemere for help and contacted her former colleagues.

Upon learning that the current base commander, a Captain named Mouse, had only taken office last year, he immediately abandoned the idea of claiming the bounty at Branch 16.

As for Branch 77, Xianuo had a vague impression of this branch.

It seemed that in his original timeline, the warship that dared to fire upon Arlong Park belonged to Branch 77.

While the base commander might have changed, it was bound to be more reliable than Mouse.

"So, you're planning to go out to sea again tomorrow morning, heading to Branch 77?" Bellemere asked, unhappy at the dinner table, "That'll take four or five days round trip."

"Uh, four or five days might not be enough, it'll probably take over half a month," Xianuo replied, "I met some friends on my last trip, and I plan to visit them along the way."

And to fleece them again, that's actually more important.

"Over half a month?" Bellemere's eyes widened, but after a moment's thought, she sighed, "Whatever you say, just remember to come back as soon as possible."

Before, she worried about Xianuo's safety sailing alone. But now?

Bellemere snorted. Even a whole nest of pirates from the Grand Line had been beaten down; who in the entire East Blue was a match for her son?

Even though she didn't brag about him everywhere like Nami, deep down, she was incredibly proud to have such a son!

"Brother, I want to go too!"

"Me, me, and me!"

The two younger sisters suddenly raised their hands one after another. Bellemere narrowed her eyes, her expression instantly turning displeased.

Xianuo, however, smiled, "Let them come along. They've been bored staying at home, and it'll be a good way for them to broaden their horizons."

The two little ones looked pleadingly at Bellemere.

"..." Bellemere helplessly put a hand to her forehead, "Fine, but one thing is settled beforehand: you must listen to your brother when you're out. If I find out you've been causing trouble again when we get back, you won't be allowed to go out again!"

"Hooray!"

Nojiko and Nami cheered, high-fiving in celebration.

"Then it's decided, I'll be the navigator for this journey!"

Nami proudly wiped her nose with her thumb, "Hmph, who else knows more about this than I do?"

"Then I'll be the helmsman!" Nojiko held her head high, "I can even ride a bicycle, I'm the best at operating vehicles!"

You're riding a child's bicycle, aren't you? The kind I had to beg me to modify with two extra wheels.

Xianuo speechlessly patted the two girls' heads.

"Stop dreaming. I'm taking out Arlong Pirates' big ship this time. I've already hired professional helmsmen and navigators from the village to help, and a few of the Scarred guys will be coming along too. You two can watch and learn, but don't even think about taking the helm yourself."

Nojiko and Nami's cheers instantly turned into wails:

"Ehh-- why is it like this--"

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

The group was ready and prepared to head to Branch 77. Xianuo stood on the deck, leaning against the railing, waiting for his two sisters to board while he took out a sea chart to confirm the route.

"Branch 77 and Shimotsuki Village are in the same direction, which will save a lot of time. As for going to Goa Kingdom, the Scarred guys are very familiar with the terrain there, and they can help me find Luffy quickly."

As he was pondering, he suddenly heard Nami's surprised shout from the shore: "Huh? Brother! Quick, look, a big ship is coming! That flag... Wow, it's a Marine warship!"

A warship?

Xianuo looked up in confusion, following the sound.

He saw a warship on the distant sea, indeed heading towards Cocoyasi Village.

On its white sails, besides the Marines' iconic scales and seagull emblem, the black characters "16" fluttered in the wind, quite conspicuous.