Earlier, when spoken to nicely he wouldn't listen, but after a beating, he instead revealed a smile. This is something Setsuna found hard to understand.
"Hey! What on earth do you mean by that?"
"Yahohoho... I suddenly thought it through. If you want some of this treasure, taking part of it is no big deal. I owe you guys a huge favor now."
Chinjao said as he touched his head. His head, no longer flat, now showed a unique cone-like structure. Zeraora's kick had just reshaped his cone head.
For Chinjao, as long as the cone head issue was resolved, it was an enormous blessing.
He kneeled directly on the ground without any defense, expressing gratitude, which resulted in a crack appearing on the ice surface.
Seeing the ice he cracked, Chinjao laughed even louder.
"Zeraora, did you accidentally beat him silly?"
She still held quite straightforward views — right is right, wrong is wrong. If all these treasures belonged to Chinjao, Setsuna could understand the misunderstanding since she would feel guilty about beating an old man silly.
"Probably not, but I think this guy is different from humans..."
Looking at the change in Chinjao's head, Zeraora couldn't quite understand whether it was just bone or a special keratin layer like a rhino horn. He was pondering this biological question.
After all, a normal structure shouldn't undergo such a change.
"Yahohohoho, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm just too happy. Please, let me explain."
Chinjao then explained the reason behind his head, though, in short, Chinjao's words could be summarized into two sentences.
He cherishes the cone head.
Garp is a bastard.
"That's it. Because of my head, I valued these treasures very much, hence I didn't listen to what you were saying. I'm terribly sorry. If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know."
Listening to Chinjao's explanation, Zeraora and Setsuna found it hard to accept, as Chinjao's reasons were beyond their understanding.
However, since he said so, Setsuna didn't hold back and condensed her Aura Power into the shape of a plate.
"Have you seen this before? Even if your cone head hits it, it can't break it."
Chinjao stroked his beard, thought for a moment, and still gave a negative answer.
"Do you want this? After I handle some things, I'll go find it for you. It's been ten years; it's time I made a comeback."
After leaving an address with Chinjao, Zeraora took Setsuna and left.
They didn't accept Chinjao's offer to give them treasures. Taking the treasure now would seem inappropriate. Someone might even think they were truly treasure thieves.
But watching their departure, Chinjao instead showed a pensive expression.
...
The next day, when they came down from the inn to the first floor, they were startled by the scene before them.
"What are you all doing?"
Seeing the group in front of him, Hatch almost pulled out his sword.
"Please don't misunderstand! We are here to entertain you on behalf of our leader. All your expenses in Flower Country will be covered by us, the Eight Treasures Marine Army. Here's a summary of Flower Country's famous attractions. Is there any place you'd like to visit?"
These were Chinjao's orders. As the biggest power in the Flower Country region, the Eight Treasures Marine Army was well-acquainted with most of the area. Chinjao wanted to find out where the Fur Race could be found, which wasn't difficult for him.
After returning to his base last night, he ordered the rest of the Eight Treasures Marine Army to locate this group and treat them enthusiastically, meeting all reasonable demands.
The various treasures Marines within Flower Country were also in a vague competition, so upon seeing their retired leader regaining his spirit, they complied with Chinjao's request immediately.
Hatch and Rei were puzzled, but Zeraora and Setsuna seemed to have some understanding of the cause of all this.
"That oddball seems quite interesting."
The matter wasn't over. After some time, they saw Chinjao again, this time carrying a small booklet.
"Yahohoho, the favor you did must be repaid. Since you don't want the treasure, here's a token of my gratitude."
Speaking, Chinjao handed over the booklet.
"What's this?"
"These are some of my insights into the Hasshoken techniques. Apart from this cone head and the treasures, this is my most valuable possession."
Hasshoken, the secret technique passed down through generations of the Eight Treasures Marine Army, is not shared with outsiders lightly. Despite being semi-retired, Chinjao was still the twelfth successor and had the authority to decide.
These partial techniques could be shared. Usually, practitioners had to join the Eight Treasures Marine Army, but this time, an exception was made.
Treasure is external, but strength is not, so this time they did not refuse.
Guided by the Eight Treasures Marine Army, they toured Flower Country for about a week, almost always moving through VIP privilege pathways. If Ferren's carrying capacity wasn't limited, they might have left with a ton of souvenirs.
Before they left Flower Country, Chinjao arranged for people to prepare them with some recommended travel spots worth visiting in the West Sea, and then Ferren spread his wings and left.
"Chief, those people have left."
After Zeraora and the others left, the Eight Treasures Marine Army reported to Chinjao.
"They left, huh? Truly outstanding young people, it's no wonder they are officers of the one known as the Sea Emperor. Young and promising."
Rubbing his head, Chinjao sighed slightly. After returning, a simple investigation revealed their identity. Although he had been retired for many years, looking at the bounty, theirs was 8 million higher than his.
Adding their identity, his impulsiveness almost brought big trouble, hence his continued goodwill gestures. Though gratitude was one cause, there were also other factors at play.
"Spread the word, have our people pay attention to this. There's no harm in getting in touch with them either."
"Yes, Chief! By the way, the second treasure marine leader has arranged a meeting with you today to discuss an alliance. You should get going."
...
Several days later, Ferren was still flying through the sky. The purpose of their journey was to experience different landscapes, so they weren't interested in countries similar to Flower Country. After several days of travel, they arrived at a new destination, a special country with Gothic elements.
Moreover, when they arrived, it seemed Halloween festivities were being held, with the streets full of all kinds of strange characters.