"Goodbye, Shanu-bro! Goodbye everyone else too!"
"Safe travels!"
Dorry and Brogy's booming voices rolled across the sea as the two giants stood on the shore, waving. Their massive silhouettes stretched long in the sunset glow.
"Bye, Giant Uncles!!!"
The crew crowded along the rail, shouting at the top of their lungs.
Nami and Nojiko's eyes were wet, and even Kuina's eyes had turned faintly red.
They hadn't known each other long, but after spending several days together, everyone had grown fond of the two honest, straightforward, lovable giants.
Soon enough, the island's outline faded into the evening mist.
Dorry and Brogy's gigantic figures gradually shrank into two small dark dots in the distance, but the giants still continued waving with all their strength.
"Huh?"
Zeff's puzzled voice sounded beside them.
"That's weird. We've sailed this far already, how come that Island-Eater Goldfish hasn't shown up?"
Shanu finally looked away and turned his gaze toward the sea ahead, raising a brow.
Right… where's my fish?
The enormous fish?
He had actually planned to use his newly learned "Elbaf Spear" to test himself against the legendary giant creature, to see the results of his special training.
But the sea ahead of them was strangely calm.
Luffy had been targeted by the Island-Eater Goldfish the moment he left Little Garden, yet the Curtainfall was far bigger than the Going Merry.
Very tactful, huh? Knows when to pick its battles.
Shanu sighed in disappointment, then glanced toward his system panel. Two new notifications blinked.
[You offered a strand of Blue Ogre Dorry's beard → +2000 points]
[You offered Red Ogre Brogy's belt buckle → +2000 points]
Both were drops from his training sessions these past days, Shanu had simply picked them up and sacrificed them.
This time he really did pick them up from the ground.
A total of four thousand points, quite a haul, raising his total back to 41,000.
Of course, if he had offered their century-old weapons, the gain would've been even higher.
But that would be way too heartless. After everything the two giants had done for him, simple, kind, and earnest as they were, Shanu couldn't bring himself to do that.
"Brother, where are we going next?" Nami asked.
Mochi was curled up comfortably in her arms, dozing. The little furball seemed to like the citrus scent Nami always carried, and spent most of the trip glued to her.
Around Nami's slender wrist were two compass-like log pointers.
One was an Eternal Pose to Alabasta.
Shanu had plucked it off Crocodile's corpse back on Whiskey Peak.
The other was a standard Log Pose.
But it wasn't the one Nami originally had.
During the days Shanu was training with the giants, the girls had been exploring the entire island together.
They encountered countless bizarre prehistoric creatures, widening their horizons, And in a winding river they found the remnants of several ancient shipwrecks.
The bodies aboard had long decayed to bones. No real treasure remained, but they did dig up several intact Log Poses.
All of them were already fully charged.
Nami was delighted and swapped hers out on the spot.
Her old pointer charged painfully slowly on Little Garden, it could've taken who knew how long to finish.
Now, with this new pointer, the Curtainfall had two choices:
Go straight to Alabasta with the Eternal Pose
Or follow the Log Pose to the next island on this route
"Pick one of the two, huh?"
Shanu rubbed his chin.
Everyone quieted down, waiting for his decision.
Choosing the route was the captain's authority alone. Every sailor who set out to sea understood that.
"…We go to the next island!"
Shanu laughed and decided quickly.
Unknown adventures were always more appealing, and with the Eternal Pose, they could go to Alabasta anytime.
But if they skipped the island after Little Garden now, once they reached Alabasta the magnetic field would reset, and there'd be no going back.
Three days later.
A strangely shaped island appeared on the horizon.
Everyone gathered at the bow, curious and excited.
As they drew closer, they saw a stone monument near the harbor, boldly engraved:
"Welcome to Tor Island."
"Tor Island… so this is our next stop?"
Smoker looked surprised.
"You've been here before?" Kuina jumped down from the second-floor open-air training deck, wiping sweat from her brow with a towel.
"No."
Smoker puffed on his cigar, eyes distant.
"But a friend of mine, another officer, had a mission here a few years ago. When she came back, she told me a lot about this place."
"This island is actually a twin island. The northern one is a thriving commercial city, with every kind of entertainment you can imagine. There's even a huge amusement park, packed with tourists during peak season."
He pointed into the distance. Everyone followed his gaze, and sure enough, far away, they could faintly make out the silhouette of a giant Ferris wheel.
"And the southern island, where we're about to land, is a peaceful countryside with beautiful scenery."
"In spring, the whole place is covered in cherry blossoms. Compared to the bustling northern island, it doesn't have much in terms of entertainment, but for people seeking a quiet retreat, it's a perfect getaway."
"The two islands are connected by a naturally formed stone bridge, so from the sky, the twin islands together look a little… unusual."
He suddenly straightened his back and tapped his chest.
"From above, they look just like a size 36F bra."
"What bra?!"
"So crude!"
"Idiot Smoke-for-Brains, pick a different comparison!"
The three girls instantly flushed and hurled their drinks at him.
"Ah, sorry!"
Smoker yelped as he dodged awkwardly, face bright red.
"I-I was just repeating what Tina, that friend I mentioned, told me back then! I didn't mean to copy it word for word…"
"You didn't have to copy the gesture too, you moron!!" Kuina snapped.
"That kind of hint… oi, that Tina definitely likes you, doesn't she?"
"…Huh?"
Smoker looked utterly lost.
Impossible. All he remembered was Tina picking on him nonstop back when they were both recruits.
Who treats someone they like like that?
Shanu sighed deeply and patted his shoulder.
Tch… a thirty-year-old clueless man.
"Alright, let's land on the southern island."
Shanu looked at the approaching dock. Cherry blossom petals were already drifting across the wind, reminding him of his first journey years ago, back on Asakura Island.