As the dust settled.
The restaurant boss and others stared dumbfounded as a handsome black-haired young man yawned and drowsily stood up from the deep crater, rubbing his sleepy eyes.
It seemed this guy had fallen asleep mid-flight and only just woken up.
"Huh? The East Blue? We got here that fast?"
Xiano glanced around, blinked, then burst into laughter before stretching with a big yawn. His boot made a "pop" sound as it peeled off Luffy's face.
"Fast my ass!"
The boss and his staff nearly had heart attacks, their teeth bared as they screamed, "You bastard! Where the hell did you fly from?! Look at what's under your foot—you almost killed someone!"
Hmm?
Really?
Xiano looked down.
Holy shit, Nika!
What are the odds?
So that meant he was in the Goa Kingdom now?
Made sense, actually. Back when Kuma was still a Revolutionary Army officer, he'd followed Dragon here to the Goa Kingdom.
"Relax, old man. No one died," Xiano said cheerfully, nudging Luffy with his foot. "This kid's way too... uh, Rubber Man. Tough as hell, not easy to kill."
Huh? How was he still asleep after that?
Ah, youth. Could pass out anywhere.
"Rubber Man?" The boss and his staff exchanged startled glances, recalling how the straw-hatted kid's arm had stretched up a tree in seconds earlier. That did seem rubbery.
Was it...?
That legendary power of the sea, the Devil's strength...
Meanwhile, Xiano had already hardened his right fist with Armament Haki and promptly smashed it onto Luffy's head.
THUD!
"OWWWW, THAT HURTS!!!"
Luffy instantly shot upright, clutching the steaming lump on his head as he yelled angrily, "Who?! Who the hell hit me?!"
When his eyes focused on the person before him, he froze. Rubbing his eyes hard to confirm it wasn't a hallucination, his pupils then dilated in shock.
"Big Bro Xiano!!!"
Luffy immediately latched onto Xiano's leg, snot and tears smearing all over his pants. "Waaah! It's really you! I thought I'd never see you again!"
Xiano tried shaking him off with a disgusted look.
But the brat clung like a vice, his rubber arms coiled multiple times—impossible to dislodge.
"Hey, kid! Stop wiping your snot on my pants secretly!" Xiano snapped. "And what's with the dramatics? It's barely been a year since we last met, right?"
"But you used to visit every year to show me Magic tricks! This year you left for the Grand Line—I thought I'd never get the chance again!" Luffy looked up with teary eyes.
That reminded me.
Xiano's lips slowly curled into a grin as he stared at the straw hat on Luffy's head.
Using the Marauder's Map to track Golden Lion's location cost 2,000 Points per search—4,000 for two. Hadn't found anyone to foot that bill yet...
"Wait!" He suddenly grew suspicious. "Even so, you wouldn't cry over that. Spit it out—what's the real reason?"
"Hehe..."
Luffy scratched his head. "It's about the food bill, Big Bro Xiano. Since I missed you so much... maybe you could pay off my tab? I'll pay you back with interest once I find the One Piece!"
He remembered it clearly—when Big Brother Xiano was just fourteen or fifteen, he already had his own large ship and was quite wealthy!
"The meal expenses?"
Xiano glanced at the few staff still wearing their aprons and roughly understood the situation. He chuckled wryly, "So this is why you're chasing this brat. Fine, it's just a meal, right? I'll pay. Boss, how much?"
Though the money he'd saved was left on the Sunset, he had stuffed several hundred thousand Berries into his pocket before returning to the East Blue, just in case.
The restaurant boss and the staff exchanged glances.
At first, they thought this guy, who had fallen from the sky unscathed, was clearly not someone to mess with. They were ready to give up on the debt and retreat.
But now… he seemed surprisingly reasonable?
"Since you're offering to pay the debt, I'll round it down for you. The total is this much." The boss smiled obsequiously, holding up two fingers.
"Two thousand? No, if it's this guy, it must be twenty thousand Berries, huh? Tsk, he sure can eat." Xiano grinned and opened his wallet.
"It's two million Berries."
Xiano froze, looking up in disbelief. "How much?!"
"We wouldn't dare lie to you, sir!" the boss hurriedly defended, pointing at Luffy. "Ask this little bastard yourself! Over the past six months, he's disguised himself dozens of times to scam free meals—dozens of times!"
"This time, we recognized him and refused to serve him. He got so hungry he flew into a rage and swallowed everything on the tables around him…"
Xiano's face darkened as he slowly turned to Luffy, who was whistling nervously, hands in his pockets, pretending to admire the scenery.
So you do have some shame!
"You've picked up Ace's bad habits…"
After staring at Luffy for a few seconds, Xiano suddenly flashed a devilish grin. "In that case, you'll work off the debt."
"Huh?"
Before Luffy could react, Xiano moved with lightning speed—too fast to see.
In an instant.
A pair of somewhat worn Sea Stone Handcuffs snapped shut around Luffy's wrists.
"Wah! What is this? I feel awful!" Luffy's legs gave out, and he collapsed like a deflated balloon, crying out in panic. "I have no strength left… Big Brother Xiano, what are you doing?!"
"Boss."
Xiano ignored him, picking up the limp Luffy and tossing him into the boss's arms. "This kid's yours now. Pay him the East Blue's minimum wage for labor—sweeping, chores, washing dishes—until he's paid off three million. Then you can let him go."
"Th-this…" The boss floundered, holding the Sun God awkwardly. "Wasn't it two million?"
"There's interest. Consider it a lesson for this brat." Xiano said coolly. "If it teaches him to remember that stealing and cheating are wrong, an extra million is worth it."
"You're acting like it's your money!" Luffy gnashed his teeth. "What's the deal, Big Brother Xiano?! I'm planning to set sail in three years! I need to train hard to get stronger! How can I waste precious time washing dishes?!"
He exerted all his strength, trying to break free from the handcuffs.
No matter how much he twisted, it was useless—the power of the Gum-Gum Fruit simply wouldn't work.
"These are Sea Stone Handcuffs, specially made to deal with Devil Fruit users. Stop struggling."
Xiano casually tossed the key to the Sea Stone Handcuffs to the restaurant Boss.
This thing was standard issue for elite Marines—he had accidentally picked it up from Smoker last year.
It wasn't much use against opponents of the same level—nobody was that stupid—but it worked great for teaching a lesson to the truly foolish.
"First-time Devil Fruit users are just like you—completely powerless, so weak that even an Old Man could take you down."
Xiano spoke calmly, "But with training and adaptation, your strength will slowly return. You might even become stronger than before."
"If you ever reach the point where you can handle all the kitchen chores while wearing these handcuffs, that means your training is complete. The debt for your meals shouldn't take long to pay off."
Is that so?
Luffy stared blankly at the Sea Stone Handcuffs on his wrists, then looked up at Xiano, his eyes already welling up with tears, his nose sniffling.
Sniff... I knew it…
There was no way someone as kind and gentle as Big Brother Xiano would treat him so roughly and cruelly!
He was actually trying to train him in a roundabout way, to help him grow stronger faster!
Luffy was so moved that snot bubbles popped out of his nose. "I get it now! Big Brother Xiano really is the best!"
The restaurant Boss and the staff exchanged glances. Wait, this idiot… is he seriously thanking the guy who just scammed him?
"Alright, that's enough. I've got business to take care of. See you later, Luffy."
Xiano snapped his fingers as if remembering something, grinning. "Oh, and I'll throw in a Magic trick for you, Luffy. Check where your straw hat is."
"Huh?"
Only then did Luffy realize—when he touched his head, there was nothing there. His eyes widened in shock. "When did that happen?!"
Big Brother Xiano's Magic skills had gotten even more impressive!
The restaurant Boss and the staff also looked on in amazement.
"Go check the kitchen," Xiano laughed. "I already put the straw hat there!"
He was very familiar with this shopping street—he'd been here many times before.
After parting ways, all he had to do was visit that secondhand farming tools store he used to go to every year, find the Black owner, and buy an old straw hat.
Then, before Luffy and the others returned to the restaurant, he'd just leave it in the kitchen.
Casually waving his hand, Xiano stepped out of the alley—only to hear Luffy's loud, reluctant shout from behind:
"Big Brother Xiano! I'll come find you once I get stronger! You have to teach me that Magic trick that makes the straw hat disappear and reappear!"
That shout was way too loud.
Xiano?
Many passersby instinctively turned their heads, and upon recognizing the strikingly handsome face they'd seen countless times on wanted posters, they immediately erupted in commotion.
"Hey! It's really him!"
"What are the Marines doing, letting a monster like this return to the East Blue?!"
"Shh, keep your voice down…"
In an instant—
Some people panicked, turning on their heels and sprinting away, while others were overjoyed, eagerly pulling out paper and pens to rush over—probably for an autograph.
This brat… really knows how to cause trouble…
Although it was the relatively isolated East Blue, since this was the bustling area of the Goa Kingdom, would he still be recognized by many people?
Xiano sighed. He hated situations like this the most.
With a light tap of his toes against the ground, his entire body shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. His mastery of Moon Walk was at its peak, and in the blink of an eye, he became a tiny black dot on the horizon.
...
Moon Walk was ultimately too physically draining. Using it for too long was exhausting, so it couldn't be relied on for long-distance travel.
Thus, after leaving the borders of the Goa Kingdom, Xiano tossed Bulma's capsule onto the sea's surface.
Boom!
As the capsule burst open and the white smoke dissipated, a sleek silver-blue hoverbike materialized out of thin air on the water.
Pretty cool.
Xiano nodded in approval, quite satisfied with Bulma's aesthetic taste. He swung a leg over the seat, gripped the handlebars, pressed the pedal, and twisted the throttle.
Earlier, while using Moon Walk, he had already activated the upgraded Marauder's Map function again to pinpoint Golden Lion's approximate location.
It didn't seem too far from here. Heading straight southwest at this speed, he could reach it in at most a day and a night.
Additionally...
Xiano glanced at the system panel.
[You sacrificed Luffy's knockoff straw hat and obtained 3000 Points.]
As expected of the Chosen One—always a reliable source of high-quality wool!
This meant he'd only spent 1000 Points on Golden Lion, with the rest all covered by Young Master Luffy.
In high spirits, Xiano hummed a tune, revved the engine, and the hoverbike instantly accelerated, cutting through the waves as it raced toward the horizon.
...
Under the hazy moonlight.
In the dim of night, Xiano rode his hoverbike to a stop on a rather remote island.
The island wasn't large, and the town on it was pitifully small—not even comparable to Cocoyasi, barely qualifying as a village.
And yet...
According to the Marauder's Map, Golden Lion's stronghold was currently floating high above this island, thousands of meters in the sky.
"It's really high up..."
Xiano raised his head, gazing into the vast, night-shrouded heavens. "Even if I release Observation Haki, I can't sense anything at all... Hm?"
His eyes suddenly sharpened as his gaze snapped toward the seven o'clock direction.
That was the liveliest part of the village, where the only tavern still had its lights on. But Xiano's focus wasn't on that—rather, he sensed a familiar, powerful presence inside that small tavern.
Not Golden Lion, but...
Xiano narrowed his eyes, steering the hoverbike toward the tavern.
If his Observation Haki couldn't detect Golden Lion, then Golden Lion definitely hadn't noticed his arrival yet.
No need to startle the snake in the grass. No rush—he'd go to the tavern first and share a drink with this old acquaintance.
A distance of one or two kilometers passed in an instant.
The space in front of the louvered doors was cramped, entirely occupied by a bicycle. Without hesitation, Xiano kicked the bike aside and parked his hoverbike in its place.
What kind of lowly thing dares to compete with me for parking space?
Pushing open the louvered doors, just as expected, under the dim lighting, an unusually tall man with curly hair sat with his back to him, holding a glass.
"Hey... kid, that's pretty rude of you."
The curly-haired man didn't even turn his head as he spoke gloomily, "In just this past year, I've already gone through three cars. You really want me to buy a fourth one?"
"No choice, there really aren't any parking spots left."
Xiano casually pulled out a seat nearby and plopped down, raising his hand to signal the bartender. "As compensation, I'll cover all your expenses tonight. How's that sound?"
"That's more like it..." Aokiji finally looked up, muttering under his breath.
"Sherry?" Xiano grinned as he leaned against the bar counter, glancing at the half-empty bottle in front of Aokiji.
"Yeah, sherry..."
Aokiji said slowly, "An old mentor of mine loved this stuff. I drank it a few times when I was young and gradually developed a taste for it."
Just as the bartender brought an empty glass, Aokiji casually poured Xiano a drink.
They clinked glasses, and Xiano took a sip before immediately frowning. "Why's it so sweet... tastes like caramel, something for little girls. I don't like it."
"Don't underestimate sherry, you bastard."
Aokiji shot him a sidelong glance. "Whether it's me or that old mentor, for those of us constantly trapped in misery, sherry's sweetness is an indispensable comfort."
"Is that so?"
"Ara ara, someone like you, who achieved fame at a young age, living a happy and fulfilling life with everything you could want... you probably wouldn't understand."
He shook his head, and a chilling cold began to spread from his body, instantly freezing the chair, the edge of the bar counter, and the surrounding floor. "By the way, seems like someone's forgotten something important?"
"After all, I'm still a Marine. For a newly crowned Sea Emperor like you, a super criminal with a bounty over 3.2 billion Berries, to swagger right up to me like this—isn't that a bit too arrogant? This is East Blue, not the New World."
(End of chapter)