Snow-Snow Fruit?
Shanu was slightly surprised.
This seems to be Monet's ability, right?
Unexpectedly, this fruit has now fallen into his hands by some twist of fate.
"A Logia type?"
Kureha also cast a surprised glance, "This kind of Devil Fruit is quite rare. I didn't expect Wapol to have such a good thing. You kid, you're really lucky."
"For other people, it is indeed extremely rare, but for the captain, Logia types seem to have become very ordinary and commonplace." Robin chuckled.
"Oh?" Kureha raised an eyebrow.
"Indeed."
Shanu clicked his tongue, "Including this, there are a total of three Logia type users on the ship."
Flame-Flame Fruit, Snow-Snow Fruit, Smoke-Smoke Fruit.
Rounding up, there are three admirals on the ship who obey his orders.
"Don't you care?"
Kureha chuckled. "But I think the ability to control ice and snow is pretty cool. Hey, how about using this to pay for the consultation, handsome?"
"Do you think I'm senile? I've already paid the consultation fee!"
"Then how about something else?"
"What?"
"The secret to my eternal youth and beauty, how about that?"
"Who wants that kind of thing! Besides, old lady, the wrinkles on your face could fit Chopper inside, where's the youthfulness!"
"Hey! Want to die, you brat!"
...
The two of them started fighting again, and finally calmed down. Kureha, with a bruised and swollen face, stood sullenly to the side with her arms crossed, while Shanu was unharmed. Before turning to leave, he waved with a big laugh:
"Now I'm really leaving, huh? Goodbye, old lady! Chopper!"
"Have a safe journey, Brother Shanu, Sister Robin!"
Chopper waved his arms frantically on tiptoe.
The two figures eventually disappeared into the night.
Chopper stood at the door, reluctant to leave, until they could no longer see his back.
"Alright, stop standing there like an idiot ," Kureha patted his head. "If you want to see them again, you'd better study hard and graduate as soon as possible!"
"Yes, Doctor!"
Chopper wiped away his tears, clenched his little hooves, and his eyes blazed with fighting spirit.
Kureha casually assigned Chopper his study tasks for the day. After Chopper returned to his room, she comfortably lay back on the sofa and opened a bottle of wine.
Hmm?
She suddenly looked suspiciously at the top of the wine cabinet.
Just then, Chopper's startled cry came from the room:
"Doctor!"
"Hmm?"
"Where did my cotton candy go? Waaah, I only took a small bite this afternoon, and I didn't want to eat it. I was planning to eat it when I got back tonight!"
"I don't know, maybe the mice ate it. Who would be so bored as to steal your candy for no reason?"
Kureha impatiently brushed it off, her eyes searching back and forth on the wine cabinet.
Compared to the worthless cotton candy... strange.
She scratched her head, somewhat puzzled. Where was that bottle of sherry she'd treasured for thirty years, which she'd placed on top of the cabinet?
Had she drunk too much yesterday and opened it in her daze?
...
Night Sky.
Kuma, soaring through the night, suddenly felt a cool sensation on his scalp. He instinctively stopped and touched his head.
Huh?
Where's my hat?
He clearly remembered taking it from the table and putting it on before leaving.
Perhaps he'd been too eager to reach Dressrosa and flown too fast, causing the night wind to blow it away?
Kuma turned back, hesitated, and considered looking back, but the vast ocean... He ultimately gave up and continued at full speed towards the New World.
...
Drum Island River.
Under the moonlight, Shanu and Robin climbed onto the back of a sea turtle moored there.
"Are we going to meet up next?"
Robin asked.
"Yeah, I used your Den Den Mushi to contact them yesterday. They just arrived at a place called Hot Spring Island. Robin, do you have a Log Pose that goes there?"
"Yes."
Robin opened her backpack. "I've prepared permanent Pose for more than ten islands near Alabasta."
"That's a huge help, Robin!"
Shanu was overjoyed and gave her a bear hug.
Robin stiffened slightly for a moment when Shanu hugged her, but the next second Shanu pulled away and excitedly rummaged through her backpack for permanent Pose.
She then regained her composure, watching Shanu's back, and rubbed her temples with a self-deprecating smile. She knew the captain was different from the others, a trustworthy man, but she still reacted with an instinctive resistance...
When would she finally be able to completely let go of this deep-seated wariness?
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Shanu asked casually, her head down, rummaging through her things. "A little nervous meeting other people for the first time?"
"Not really."
Robin stretched out her arm, peered at the moon through her fingers for a moment, and chuckled.
"It's just that I'm used to being alone, and suddenly thinking about joining a lively group is a bit of a shock."
"Haha, it's alright, don't worry."
Shanu finally found the pointer, laughed, and stood up. "There aren't many rules on my ship. Everyone's very easygoing. Those guys are pretty good except for being a bit noisy, so it's easy to fit in. Oh, and there are cats and dogs on the ship, feel free to pet them!"
Cats and dogs?
Robin raised an eyebrow, a hint of curiosity rising in her heart.
The dog must be the very strong giant wolf, right? And the cat? Is it that soft, mochi-like little creature?
Where exactly does it resemble a cat...?
The sea turtle slowly turned, carrying the two into the night.
Moonlight spilled onto the sea, shimmering and sparkling, as if paving a silver channel.
...
A gentle evening breeze blew.
After leaving Drum Island, the temperature quickly became comfortable. Robin took off his thick winter clothes and spread them out in front of the seat.
Shanu used this as a pillow, lazily lying on the turtle shell.
It certainly wasn't as comfortable as lying on Robin's lap, but since he was cured, he couldn't pretend to be unconscious again.
At this moment, he seemed to be gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought.
In reality, he had already opened the system panel and was carefully tallying up the points he had gained from this trip to Drum Island.
Since obtaining Henry's book on thievery, he had diligently studied it, learning from its strengths and compensating for his weaknesses, and now his thieving skills had reached a new level, a state of divine mastery.
During his time in the treehouse, he had made several consecutive moves, and no one in the treehouse had noticed.
The gains were naturally substantial.
[You sacrificed Chopper's marshmallow, gaining 50 points]
[You sacrificed Kureha's treasured sherry, gaining 300 points]
[You sacrificed Wapol's jeweled crown, gaining 450 points]
[You sacrificed Robin's cowboy hat, gaining 1200 points]
[You sacrificed Kuma's bear-ear hat, gaining 3200 points]
The biggest gain was undoubtedly the bear-ear hat, worth over 3000 points, much more valuable than Crocodile's hook.
Kuma's strength is evident from this.
However, initially, Shanu's target was actually the Bible Kuma kept on the table.
Kuma had held this Bible in his hands for decades, making it his most distinctive personal item, and later, even a key characteristic distinguishing him from pacifists.
Therefore, it was undoubtedly Kuma's most "valuable" possession, but after Shanu casually flipped through a few pages, he realized this wasn't a Bible at all.
The thick book was densely packed with various pieces of information personally recorded by Kuma.
For example, there were records of Bonney's illness flare-ups, temperature fluctuation curves, doctors' diagnoses, tried medications and their effects... even scraps of newspaper recording scattered reports about Sapphire Scales Disease from around the world.
The Kingdom of Bridges, the Sky Island of Visalia, the Boon Islands, Baltimore Island, Amazon Lily... many places were on his to-do list, some he had already visited, some not yet.
Shanu suddenly realized.
In the original timeline, the Sabaody Archipelago, the place where Kuma sent the Straw Hat crew flying and training for two years... these were all places he had personally visited, traversing the world to seek medical help for his daughter.
The path to salvation lay within them.
Shanu immediately placed the "Bible" back in its place.
If he had actually sacrificed it, he would have felt guilty and unable to sleep all night.
The bear-eared hat he ultimately chose to sacrifice didn't carry much weight; it was just a hat Kuma liked, not as valuable as the Bible, but still worth 3200 points. Adding the other items, he had a total of 5200 points.
This brought Shanu's remaining points to 50,700, breaking the 50,000 mark for the first time, making him unprecedentedly wealthy.
Closing the system panel, Shanu's mood instantly lightened.
Tsk, sometimes being too rich is a burden.
After reuniting with his companions, the shop should refresh in a few days.
Hopefully, some good items will appear, allowing him to indulge in a big spending spree!
...
Time flew by.
Five days later, Shanu and Robin arrived at the hot spring island and successfully reunited with the others.
This hot spring island was a well-known resort.
The island was dotted with natural hot springs, their gushing springs flowing year-round, shrouded in mist.
Rumored to have healing properties due to the mineral-rich hot spring water, it attracted many tourists every year for recuperation and vacation.
The group had been waiting for a while and were already familiar with the place. As soon as Shanu arrived, the crew immediately took him to the island's best hot spring bath.
This suited Shanu perfectly.
Drifting on the tortoise shell for too long isn't comfortable; even washing up becomes a problem. He planned to rest here with Robin for a day to recharge before heading to the next stop.
...
Night deepened.
The hot spring area was shrouded in a hazy mist. Paper lanterns hung under the eaves, their warm yellow glow spreading through the rising steam, illuminating the entire bathing area like a dream.
Splash
In the rising steam, Shanu slumped backward into the volcanic rock bath.
The warm water washed over his shoulders and neck, relaxing his muscles inch by inch. The towel on his head, already wilted from the heat, drooped listlessly, but he didn't bother to straighten it, only letting out a satisfied sigh:
"Indeed, after coming from that freezing winter island, soaking in a hot spring is the most comfortable thing..."
Suddenly, a wisp of smoke drifted in from his right.
Shanu was speechless, turning to look at the pool beside him. "Hey, Smoker, is it really necessary? You brought a cigar into a hot spring? Can't you even stand it for a little while? You'll die if you don't smoke one, won't you?"
"I had no choice, boss."
Smoker grinned, raising the cigar on his finger. "This is a gift from Miss Robin. She said it's a rare delicacy that Crocodile loves to smoke, worth 50,000 Berries a stick. I've never smoked anything of such high quality before. It's a rare opportunity, so I had to savor it."
A gift from Robin?
They've already started their operation so quickly?
Shanu raised an eyebrow, finding it somewhat amusing.
He remembered it clearly.
In the original timeline, when Robin first boarded the Going Merry, apart from Sanji who immediately surrendered and welcomed her, everyone else was extremely wary and hostile towards her.
But Robin?
She easily grasped the weaknesses of Nami, Chopper, and the others, separating them and defeating them one by one. With a few simple tricks, she quickly dispelled the entire crew's wariness of her.
Now, would his own crew be no exception?
If doing this would make Robin feel at ease and integrate into the group more quickly…
Shanu grinned. He would only watch the fun from the sidelines and couldn't be bothered to interfere.
"Uncle Zeff," he looked up at Zeff, who was engrossed in a book, and said cheerfully, "You didn't get some good stuff from Robin either, did you?"
"Huh, Captain, how did you know?"
Zeff looked up in surprise, closed the book, and showed the cover to Shanu.
"Look, this is what Miss Robin gave me, 'The Complete Book of Lost Alabasta Recipes,' she said she found it in Crocodile's collection."
He turned the pages again, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Alabasta truly lives up to its reputation as an ancient civilization! Many of the dishes recorded here are ones I've never even seen before! Especially this Gaia Roasted Meat, it's cooked on a natural stone slab baked by the blazing sun, with fragrant lavender and perilla leaves…"
Once it got to cooking, Zeff couldn't stop, chattering on and on to Shanu and Smoker.
Shanu let it go in one ear and out the other, his gaze shifting to the high wall made of bamboo rafts beside him.
Tsk, even the most composed and steady old man on the ship was easily subdued. I wonder if any of the young girls will be able to escape Robin's clutches?
…
Meanwhile.
In the women's bathhouse, separated by a wall.
In the white mist, dazzling holy light collided and squeezed against each other.
"Wow! Thank you so much, Robin!"
Nami excitedly hugged Robin. "Drum Island, Tor Island... all the islands near Alabasta, have you prepared all the nautical charts? That's amazing! My Grand Line charting plan can take a giant leap forward!"
"It was nothing."
Robin smiled. After Nami excitedly ran off to look at the nautical data, she handed Nojiko a thick stack of books.
"These are several martial arts manuals collected by Baroque Works, mainly based on Mr. 2's Okama Kenpo. Girls can't learn this style, but some things in it are quite valuable. You can fill in any gaps in your knowledge and refer to them."
Nojiko took them, and her eyes lit up after flipping through a few pages.
Good stuff!
Just as Robin said, for someone who was practicing several martial arts at the same time, this summary version of the manuals had many merits and would be quite beneficial to her.
"Robin!!!"
Nojiko couldn't help but rush over.
In a corner of the bathhouse.
Kuina, wrapped in a bath towel, leaned against the bamboo raft, coldly staring at the slender figure's back.
Hmph.
A cunning old woman.
She's just a newcomer who recently joined Lord Shanu, yet she's using gifts to quickly build relationships with the crew?
Even Nami and Nojiko are calling her "sister"!
How infuriating!
This kind of mature woman's ease is infuriating!
But… since she's already seen through it, she won't fall for it!
Gifts? She'll just refuse them…
"First Mate Kuina."
A gentle voice came from beside her, and a delicate floral fragrance wafted in. Kuina turned her head in surprise, only to find Robin had appeared before her at some point.
"Is it okay to call you that?" Robin blinked. "After all, that's what they say in the newspapers and on the wanted posters."
"Uh, it's okay to call me that here."
Kuina's face flushed red, and she whispered, "But don't call me that in front of Lord Shanu yet, he... he hasn't officially approved it yet, I can't..."
"It'll definitely be fine."
Robin leaned forward slightly, smiling gently. "I saw everything at the docks, you know. The commanding presence and strength you displayed, this position is definitely yours, right?"
"Eh, is that so?"
Kuina was already feeling a little dizzy. Damn it, it must be because the steam in this hot spring is too hot, making her almost unable to stand!
"Also, First Mate, I've prepared a gift for you too. It's a famous sword that has circulated in Alabasta for a long time."
"Of course, its quality certainly can't compare to your Wado Ichimonji, but it should be passable as a spare."
"This is…"
Kuina's eyes widened, bursting with surprise, "One of the Fifty Great Swords, Hanashu!"
…
On the other side of the bamboo raft and high wall.
After hearing Kuina involuntarily call out "Robin-nee," Shanu shrugged and withdrew his gaze.
Well, even the swordswoman girl has been taken down, not to mention his two ditzy sisters. The outcome seems obvious.
...
The next day, early morning.
Everyone had recovered and were in peak condition.
The Curtainfall, now fully charged with magnetic energy, didn't delay and set off from Hot Spring Island that very day, heading towards the next stop indicated by the Log Pose: Alabasta.
Shanu sat under a parasol, leisurely sipping coffee, gazing at the distant horizon.
Alabasta.
It was a strange feeling.
Baroque Works had collapsed, and the drought in Alabasta hadn't even begun. It seemed there wouldn't be any trouble here.
He could explore the ancient desert kingdom's culture and natural scenery, then head straight for his most important goal the Poneglyph hidden deep within the capital, Alabasta, beneath the Funeral Palace.
The inscription contains evidence of Hades's existence in history, as well as information about his whereabouts; Robin should be quite interested in this.
As for Shanu himself… he wasn't interested in Hades, but he was quite interested in the stone tablet itself.
"I've heard that all Poneglyph tablets are indestructible…"
His eyes gleamed with longing.
As his strength gradually increased, steel plates alone could no longer meet his daily physical training needs.
Perhaps Poneglyphs would be more promising?
…
Alabasta, Katorea.
This is Alabasta's renowned oasis city.
As the gateway to the Sandora River, it's also the essential passage for merchant ships and travelers entering the heart of Alabasta.
On both sides of the river, stone-built docks extend into the azure water, where merchant ships laden with various goods often dock to unload treasures from afar.
However at this very moment, the dock was packed with merchant ships, their masts crammed into the wide river channel like a forest, and cargo containers that should have been loaded and unloaded in time were piled up like mountains, with sailors anxiously peering out from the ship's side.
"Aren't you letting us through yet?"
"What's going on? Are you even letting us through?!"
"Just arrived, huh? Don't worry, I've been waiting here all day, it's still early!"
"You came yesterday, old man? Do you know what's going on?"
"Look at the distance, don't you have eyes?" The old captain sneered, "Such a huge pirate ship blocking the way, who dares to go past?"
"Pirate ship?" someone scoffed, "How novel! We're all doing business on this Grand Line, who hasn't seen a pirate ship before? The Sandora River is so wide, does he think one ship can stop so many of us?"
"Idiot, do you think it's just an ordinary pirate?"
The old captain sneered, pointing his pipe at the fluttering skull and crossbones flag, "See that five or six-meter-tall guy under the flag?"
"That guy is one of the Shichibukai appointed by the World Government, Hanafuda! A terrifying monster with a bounty of 500 million Berries!"
"Not all Shichibukai are as approachable as Lord Crocodile. If you want to go and die, I won't stop you!"
The surrounding sailors gasped.
"Shi, Shichi, Shichibukai...?"
"What's he doing here?"
...
A massive black ship, like a behemoth, lay across the river mouth, its scarlet sails, painted with the patterns of playing cards' jokers, fluttering in the desert wind.
On the wide deck, a man in a black overcoat leaned lazily against the railing, a dozen or so merchants, bound like dumplings, kneeling at his feet.
"You all know, I clearly told you that no ship would be allowed to enter this river until I got what I wanted. Why didn't you believe me and insisted on forcing your way in?"
Hanafuda finished speaking with a smile, and to the merchants' horrified gaze, he drew a thick scythe, four or five meters long, from behind him.
Thud!
The scythe suddenly pierced the deck, embedding itself in a wooden plank near a merchant's ear.
The merchants, bound like dumplings, convulsed collectively, their bodies trembling. One, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, even wet himself in fear, the stench filling the deck.
"Tsk, so they're not so brave after all," Hanafuda chuckled, leisurely stepping forward and drawing his scythe again.
"I've been blocking this canal all day, and the Alabasta royal family hasn't made a move. Do they not care about the loss of the canal being blocked for a day, or are they simply not taking me seriously enough..."
He stroked his scythe, saying calmly, "Do you think the more bloodshed, the more lives lost, the faster the royal family will arrive?"
A deathly silence fell on the deck.
"Why isn't anyone speaking?" Hanafuda's face turned cold. "You merchants, don't you even respect me?"
"Waaah, waaah...!" The merchant with gold-rimmed glasses struggled violently, tears welling in his eyes.
Hanafuda stared at him for two seconds before realizing what he meant, then turned away angrily:
"Jack, you idiot! I told you to tie these people up, not to gag them too!"
Huh?
The muscular blond youth froze, scratching his head sheepishly:
"Sorry, Boss Hanafuda! It's my first time accompanying you on a business trip, I didn't hear you clearly, please forgive me!"
"Enough talk, get to work!"
"Yes, sir!"
Under Hanafuda's glare, the blond youth named Jack hurriedly stepped forward and removed the rag from the merchant's mouth.