One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 53: A Punch to the Face

That evening, the Isshin Dojo held a grand feast to welcome Shane and his group.

Nami and Nojiko, still thinking about the food they wanted, had run to the kitchen while Zeff was still prepping the ingredients to make their requests. Zeff had laughed heartily and, with a magnanimous wave of his hand, agreed to satisfy all of them.

This immediately caused dissatisfaction among a certain two kitchen helpers who had just woken up.

"We're all about the same age! Why do they get to make requests while we're stuck here washing and chopping vegetables for you?!"

The moss-head and the curly-brow set aside their previous animosity and united in an angry protest.

"Because they're honored guests, you two idiots!"

Zeff rewarded them with his fists. The epic strike action, which had lasted for a grand total of one minute, ended in screams of pain.

Meanwhile, Shane, not having seen Kuina or Junichi yet, couldn't help but ask Koshiro about them.

Only then did he learn that Kuina, after a year of hard training and with her already outstanding talent, had made great strides in her swordsmanship. A few days ago, full of confidence, she had gone to Cherry Blossom Island to participate in this year's kendo tournament, vowing to take up the torch from Mr. Shane and win the championship.

As for Junichi, he had been training like a madman day and night, but his progress in strength still couldn't keep up with Kuina and Zoro. He was gradually being surpassed by these two juniors who were several years younger. After a few days of soul-searching, he had made a painful decision six months ago to go out to sea to temper himself, becoming a bounty hunter.

Koshiro was a little worried about this, but Shane, apart from being surprised, was quite appreciative. Everyone has their own path. Since Junichi knew his potential for training in Shimotsuki Village was limited, there was indeed little point in staying and consuming himself with guilt. Daring to change paths and choose to improve through life-and-death struggles, Junichi must have found his own resolve.

After dinner, while everyone was gathered around the hearth chatting, Shane copied down a manual for the Six Powers and handed it to Zeff. The three techniques of Shave, Moonwalk, and Iron Body were very versatile. Zeff and Kuina could choose what they liked from it to improve their overall strength. Of course, Zoro and Sanji could also practice if they wanted. However, he would be officially setting out to sea in three years at most, and those two little guys wouldn't be grown up by then. Whether they would join his crew would be up to them.

The next morning.

The "Orange Grove" left Shimotsuki Village, sailing towards the final stop, the Goa Kingdom.

Shane hadn't forgotten his other important task. That night, he had fleeced all the remaining wool. Kuina's desk lamp, Zoro's headband, Zeff's old wooden prosthetic, and Koshiro's new glasses—he didn't miss a single one. He even stood by Sanji's bed and quietly drew a small tube of his blood.

He was now a seasoned pro at this. He "borrowed" things without anyone knowing, without making a single sound from beginning to end. No one noticed a thing.

After a long night of hard work, he had obtained a total of 2,500 points, bringing his remaining balance to 38,500.

As for whether Koshiro and the others would be suspicious, wondering why things always went missing whenever he came to visit... that was obviously not going to happen. With the lofty moral image he had in their eyes, as long as he could keep a straight face, even if they found a pile of stolen goods on him, everyone would just think that brat Zoro was secretly playing pranks.

A few days later.

On a beautiful, sunny afternoon, the "Orange Grove" sailed into the waters of the Goa Kingdom. The distant Colubo Mountains were already visible on the horizon.

Shane sat at the bow of the ship, playing cat's cradle with Nami and Nojiko. During a free moment, he looked up at the lush green mountain range and frowned slightly.

For some reason, starting this morning, as they got closer to their destination, he had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Manba, did the follow-up reports mention which Vice Admiral was sent to the East Blue to eliminate Buggy?" he turned his head and asked.

"One moment, Boss. I'll check right now," Manba said, hurriedly searching through a large stack of newspapers. A moment later, he looked up. "They did mention it. It says Momonga. He's also a very powerful and experienced veteran Vice Admiral. With him leading the team, the Buggy Pirates should be powerless to resist."

"Momonga..."

Shane breathed a sigh of relief. It actually didn't matter who it was, as long as it wasn't Garp. He just wanted to perform his magic trick on Luffy one more time, go in and out quickly, and didn't want any other variables.

On the outskirts of Mt. Colubo was the shopping street of the Goa Kingdom. The security here was good, and with a dazzling array of goods, it was a great place to stroll and relax.

Shane entrusted the professional sailors he had brought from the village to take his two sisters to play here for a few days. He himself, along with Manba and a few others, entered the mountain forest after preparing the necessary items.

With more people familiar with the terrain, searching for their target was significantly faster. By the afternoon of the second day, the group had found Luffy's trail.

It seemed he had separated from Ace again, each going into the mountains to train on their own. When Shane spotted him from a mountaintop, the little brat was being chased by three enraged giant bears, running for his life and screaming all the way.

"Why are there three of you?!" Luffy shouted, looking back as he ran, snot and tears streaming down his face. "This is so unfair! I only stole your honey! And you called so many helpers! If you have the guts, fight me one-on-one!"

"ROAR!"

The giant bears didn't speak, only continuing their relentless pursuit.

"I can't take it anymore! I'll fight you!!!!" Seeing that his stamina was about to run out, Luffy shouted, grabbed two nearby trees, stretched his arms to their limit, and used the force to catapult himself backward. "Gum-Gum—"

"Rocket!"

THUD!

His head slammed hard into the forehead of the middle bear. The hit bear cried out in pain and fell backward. But it wasn't knocked out. After only three or four seconds, it shook its head and got up again. The other two giant bears had also repositioned themselves, forming a three-sided encirclement, blocking all escape routes, and staring menacingly at the little brat below.

"I'm done for! This time I'm really done for!"

Luffy's legs trembled like a leaf in the wind, and he began to wail. "Wuwuwu, Ace, where are you? Hurry up and save me..."

This unlucky kid.

Shane had been squatting on the cliff watching the show. Seeing this, he couldn't help but sigh, stand up, and with a flicker, his figure instantly vanished.

The next moment, he was already beside Luffy. He looked up and glanced at the three giant bears.

"Give me some face," Shane said with a chuckle. "Seeing as this kid was in the wrong first, I won't make a move either. How about you all just leave on your own?"

Who the hell are you?

The three giant bears were bewildered for a moment. They looked at each other, then simultaneously roared, took a step forward, and opened their bloody maws, revealing their fangs, saliva dripping down.

So face doesn't work unless you're a Celestial Dragon, huh? Shane sighed melancholically. He was just about to make a move when he noticed the three giant bears had frozen. Looking up, for some reason, all three bears had looks of terror on their faces. They suddenly let out a low growl, turned around at the same time, and fled back the way they came, not even daring to look back.

Hm? Strange... Shane was looking at the retreating backs of the three bears in confusion when an annoyed voice suddenly boomed from above his head:

"Which brat are you?! Taking it upon yourself to save someone, how annoying! Do you know how much effort it took for this old man to drive these three bears over here?!"

That voice is...

Shane was shocked. He instinctively turned his head and saw a fist the size of a sandbag rapidly enlarging in his vision—