Three days later, at dawn, on the pier.
"No, do I really have to bring this?"
Shano weakly lifted the Den Den Mushi that had been placed in his hand.
"Stop talking nonsense, take it."
Bellemere said fiercely, "You were making a fuss about going to sea, and you won't be back for a month. How old are you? How can I not worry about you?"
"Er, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with age. It seems like nobody in the whole village can mess with me..."
"Take it, Shano."
A middle-aged man in a brown police uniform crossed his arms and laughed heartily, a new windmill on his head spinning rapidly in the sea breeze.
Otherwise, he won't let you go today. Oh, and remember to take good care of my little one. If you need to make a call, dial the village office number. Tsk, if Bellemere hadn't cornered me several times and forced me to hand it over, I wouldn't have given it to you, brat.
Clap!
Bellemere was furious and slapped Genzo hard across the face. His police cap and the little windmill went flying, landing in the sea by the pier.
My new windmill! Genzo rushed to jump into the water to retrieve it.
It really is yours, Uncle Genzo!
Shano suddenly realized, tapping the Den Den Mushi's head with his finger. "I knew it had a windmill on its head."
Burp!
The Den Den Mushi, lazily chewing basil leaves, stared at Shano when he poked it, then looked away angrily.
"Hey, that was fun!"
It was the first time he'd ever used a Den Den Mushi (snail phone). It was quite cute, but expensive, starting at tens of thousands of Bells.
"Hmm, I can't afford one right now. I'll buy one for each of my two sisters as pets when I save up some money."
"Violent maniac, I was just trying to talk him out of it."
Genzo went down to the riverbank dejected, blew on his wet windmill, and carefully put on his police cap.
"What bad luck! Why does fate always seem to be against my little windmill?"
Every now and then, about once a year, his windmill would mysteriously disappear.
I wonder what kind of damn thief stole it. This one was finished a few days ago, and it almost fell victim to that again.
Bellemere, too lazy to bother the man, turned to the tall, thin old man directing the crew inspecting the cargo and smiled amiably.
"Mr. Gart, this is the boy's first time traveling on a ship in quite some time. Please take good care of him during the voyage."
"Don't worry, we buy from you every year, so we're old acquaintances. No problem."
Gart smiled and lit his pipe, speaking politely, "Asakura Island is an important trading center and is on our route. I assure you we'll get the boy there safe and sound."
"Thank you very much."
Bellemere smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of prayer for a safe journey.
After Gart left, her attitude changed immediately, becoming stern toward Shano:
"Alright, go ahead. Considering how hard you've been working lately, I'll give you a treat this time and let you go to Asakura Island to relax. Don't forget to contact me at least once a week!"
His true purpose in going to sea was, of course, something he couldn't tell his family.
Traveling so far to steal an eight-year-old boy's hat... no one would believe him.
So his excuse was that he was bored at home and wanted to explore Asakura Island, perhaps even visit the fencing dojo and see if he could learn a few moves.
It turned out that...
A convincing lie is often built on a foundation of truth.
This last excuse immediately fooled Bellemere.
He had heard about it when he was in the Navy.
That island boasts several renowned fencing dojos, which jointly organize a large annual tournament, making it the best place in the surrounding waters to practice fencing.
Furthermore, according to his secret observations, Shano's fencing training wasn't progressing very well, and with a naval branch stationed on Asakura Island, the sea lanes were quite safe.
Therefore, after much deliberation, he finally agreed to Shano's somewhat excessive request.
"Okay, okay, let's go! Remember to say goodbye to Nojiko and Nami for me!"
It was barely six in the morning, and even before five, when he left, the two little ones were fast asleep. Shano simply pinched their cheeks, not wanting to wake them.
Bellemere helped him put the Den Den Mushi in his pocket. The windmill on the shell immediately pricked the fabric, forming a comical bulge, which Shano patted lightly with some dissatisfaction. He waved goodbye to the two old people who had come to see him off, turned around, and ran toward the cargo ship in the distance.
A salty sea breeze caressed the boy's figure, which was gradually fading away.
"..."
Bellemere sniffed and turned around suspiciously quickly.
Only Genzo saw her surreptitiously slip several large bills into the boy's pocket along with a Den Den Mushi.
Genzo waited a moment and then asked, puzzled, "Why are you so sly with money? Putting it all in one pocket, aren't you afraid the Den Den Mushi will eat it?"
Bellmere's furious attempt to wipe away her tears froze.
"Aaaah, you bastard! Why didn't you say so before?"
The woman with bloodshot eyes and a ponytail turned around, her face contorted with despair, and ran to the end of the pier, shouting,
"Hey! Shano, wait! Don't get on the boat yet...!"
...
The moonlight was dim, the sea shrouded in darkness.
Warm orange lights glowed on the deck of the merchant ship, and a simple banquet table with hastily arranged chairs emitted a cheerful steam.
The ship wasn't small, with some twenty or thirty crew members gathered, whistling and cheering occasionally to the clinking of beers.
This banquet wasn't to welcome Shano; he was simply a hitchhiking passenger and didn't have that privilege.
As for the reason... on the high seas, did a banquet need a reason?
"Hello, lad, how are you? Still seasick and nauseous?"
Old Captain Gart, puffing on his pipe, approached and put his arm around Shano's shoulders.
"I'm fine now, Captain Gart."
Shano quickly swallowed the roast beef in his mouth. There were only eight or nine empty plates stacked beside him; it was clear he ate very slowly and with restraint in front of strangers.
Speaking of what Gart mentioned, it was truly embarrassing.
After all, it was his first time on a large ocean-going ship, and he'd never experienced anything like it.
Yesterday morning, as the cargo ship reached its top speed and was tossed about by the waves, Shano was leaning against the railing, nearly throwing up last night's dinner.
Several middle-aged men surrounded him, patting him on the back, giving him water and towels, until he finally recovered.
Luckily, his years of training hadn't been in vain; his robust physique had given him an extraordinary capacity for adaptation. In just a few hours, the symptoms of seasickness gradually subsided.
After a restful night's sleep, the next day he was fully recovered, full of energy no matter how much the ship rolled, just like veteran sailors who had been at sea for years.
"Wow, what a great physique! Looks like your mother worried a little too much, haha."
Gart chuckled, tapping his pipe. "You have great potential as a sailor. How about, in a few years, when you're older, you come help out on our ship?"
"I'll certainly consider it when the opportunity arises," Shano laughed, knowing the other was teasing him, but he didn't flatly refuse.
The older men on the ship were very kind to him, and he had a very good impression of them.
"Mr. Gart," Shano asked curiously, "the ship has been sailing for over forty hours. How much longer until we reach Asakura Island?"
"The ocean currents and winds are quite favorable this time, faster than expected," Gart smiled. "Four days at most, barring any further problems..."
Thump!
A dull, loud bang suddenly broke the silence of the night, interrupting Gart's words.
"What's that noise?!"
"What happened?"
The lively banquet abruptly ceased as almost everyone jumped to their feet, frantically searching for the source of the sound.
"It's coming from the stern!"
Gart, true to his experience, made the decision immediately and shouted in a deep voice, "Stay calm! Helmsman and gunners, take your positions! Send some more men to check the stern!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The crew quickly dispersed, each following orders.
Shano unconsciously reached for the wooden sword he carried at his waist; he didn't really need to carry it, but since he was supposedly learning swordsmanship, he had to play along.
(End of chapter)