Chapter 28: Future Plans for Setting Sail

On the courtyard wall beneath the thatched rain shelter, Siano had drawn a pile of "E" letters from top to bottom, each facing a different direction.

"Which way is this one?"

"Up."

"And this one?"

"... Left?"

"Close one eye and try again; which way is this?"

"Uh... I can't see clearly."

Hopeless.

Siano slapped his forehead; apart from the largest "E" at the very top, she could not identify the direction of a single one below it.

With eyesight like Sister Guyina's, the best she could manage was 4.0.

By the standards of his previous life, she would need glasses of over 600 degrees, classifying her as severely nearsighted.

"Has your father never paid attention to your eyesight?" he couldn't help but ask.

"... Father is usually very busy; my inability to see things clearly only started last year, I suppose, and I never mentioned it, so it's normal that he didn't notice, right?"

One never mentioned it, the other never noticed it at all.

This father and daughter pair were truly too careless.

"In any case, get a pair of glasses as soon as possible."

Siano sighed, "It's fine to mess around with bamboo swords in the dojo during normal times, but in a real fight, wouldn't that be joking with your own life? You might not even make it to a fight; you could slip and fall to your death just going down the stairs because you can't see the path clearly."

"Mm, I'll discuss this with Father as soon as he returns."

Sister Guyina nodded seriously.

If anyone else had said this, given her temper, she might have been unable to resist arguing, especially regarding the latter half; how could she possibly be that weak?

But coming from Siano's mouth, it sounded so agreeable.

She sat down along the wooden corridor under the eaves, looking up at Siano.

"It seems I've constantly troubled Mr. Siano to worry about my affairs; instead, why don't we talk about yours?"

"Me? What is there to talk about regarding me?"

Siano shrugged and sat down as well.

"I haven't officially set sail yet, so there are no experiences worth mentioning; I only did that one thing on Light Cherry Island, and you know the specific details better than I do."

"Haven't officially set sail yet?"

"Yes, I'm only thirteen; why would I set sail? It would only make sense to go out and roam everywhere once I'm seventeen or eighteen, right?"

"Eh? Thirteen?!! That means you're only two years older than me!"

"Doesn't seem like it?"

"It doesn't! It's not just about appearance... well, not only appearance, but mainly, Mr. Siano, you look so steady and composed, and at such a young age, you already have such a great reputation!"

Sister Guyina made a sword-swinging gesture, "Stepping in to uphold justice whenever you see injustice; no matter how you think about it, it's too cool! When you officially set sail, if you join the military, you'll surely become an outstanding marine soldier!"

"The Marines?"

Siano thought for a moment, then shook his head, "No interest."

Perhaps if he had transmigrated a few years earlier, he truly would have made joining the Marines his goal; after all, in his view back then, even the worst order was better than chaos and turmoil.

Moreover, the Marines' white cloak of justice, to be honest, was really cool.

But he just happened to transmigrate only after finishing the God Valley arc; recalling it now made him feel truly nauseous.

If he were assigned some mission to escort the Celestial Dragons, he feared he would vomit up even his overnight rice.

Sister Guyina was stunned, "Eh, then could it be a bounty hunter? Wait, don't tell me you're a pirate?"

"As long as I remain free, what exactly I am seems irrelevant."

Siano spread his hands, "The world is so vast; in any case, I definitely must set sail and travel around, otherwise, cultivating all these skills would be in vain, and I'd waste this life, but... must I limit myself to a specific identity in advance?"

"If pirates come to rob me, I'll just rob them back; if the Marines come to annoy me, I won't be polite either; whatever identity they label me with later is their business."

"I am still me; I won't change my stance because of a label slapped on me; those who are on the same path remain on the same path, and those who aren't still aren't... do you understand what I mean?"

"I roughly understand."

Sister Guyina tilted her head, "However, I've only heard of the Marines putting bounties on pirates, never the reverse; so if you fight back against both sides whenever they provoke you, won't you ultimately still be classified as a pirate?"

"That's exactly how it is!"

Siano laughed heartily, "If that day truly comes, I won't be polite either; I'll simply draw a skull flag, establish a pirate crew, and whoever provokes me, I'll beat them up!"

"Until both the Marines and pirates tremble with fear at the mere sight of my ship from afar, daring not to approach; then I can care about no one and continue happily adventuring everywhere!"

"Hey, Sister Guyina!"

He suddenly lowered his head, "Didn't you make a promise with Zoro to compete over who would become the world's greatest swordsman first? Why don't you both come aboard my ship when that time comes?"

"If you want to become the world's greatest swordsman, staying cooped up in a small place like the Isshin Dojo won't work; without traveling across the entire sea, how can the world ever recognize that title!"

Go with Mr. Siano?

Leave this tiny Shimotsuki Village and roam the entire ocean?

Sister Guyina stared blankly toward the distant horizon where the sea met the sky, her breathing suddenly becoming rapid.

She gripped her bamboo sword tightly and jumped to her feet: "Now... right now?! It's a bit hasty, but it's no problem; however, Father hasn't returned yet; shouldn I seek his permission first before..."

"What are you thinking!"

Siano tapped her head, saying in an annoyed tone, "Are you really that eager to leave this place? Who said we're setting sail right now? I don't even have a ship yet!"

"Ouch, that hurts!"

"In any case, let's just treat it as a promise for now; keep it buried in your hearts, there's no rush; train hard with Zoro for a few more years; leaving at such a young age would break Teacher Teacher Gengsilang's heart."

Siano stretched, stood up, and smiled, "Rest assured, when the time truly comes to set sail, I will definitely not forget to come find you both."

Behind him, all was silent.

Puzzled, he turned around only to find Sister Sister Guyina staring straight at him.

"Pinky promise?"

"Uh... that won't be necessary, surely you aren't as childish as Zoro?"

"Pinky promise! Otherwise, don't think you can shake me off tonight; even when you go to sleep, I'll follow!"

"... I really can't do anything with you."

————

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang did not return until early the next morning.

After resting for a night, Siano woke up early feeling refreshed and full of energy; while doing handstands on two fingers in the courtyard for bodyweight training, he suddenly saw Teacher Teacher Gengsilang leading two figures inside.

Before he could clearly see who they were, the two of them dropped to their knees with a thud.

"Benefactor!"

Siano hastily flipped back onto his feet and helped Zeff and Sanji up from the ground.

"What are you doing? You've only just gotten out of bed and are already pulling this stunt? I really can't accept this; besides, old man, didn't you already thank me a few days ago?"

"Haha, the grace of saving a life outweighs heaven itself; how could one thank you be enough?"

Zeff grinned, pointing to his right leg, "Moreover, Benefactor, you actually saved me twice; if not for your desperate rowing to speed up and bringing me here to Shimotsuki Village, how could we have encountered Mr. Teacher Gengsilang and Doctor Grandma Zilan to heal this leg of mine?"

Leg?

Following his gaze, Siano discovered that below Zeff's right knee, which should have been empty, there was now conspicuously a sturdy wooden leg.

Its appearance and craftsmanship were quite exquisite; the joints could even bend freely, so if he pulled his trouser leg down, no one could tell he was disabled.

It was unknowably better than that toilet-plunger-like wooden stick from the original timeline.

"In my youth, I once followed my father in blacksmithing, but my aptitude was dull, and I failed to learn the true teachings."

Teacher Teacher Gengsilang pushed up his glasses and said with a smile, "However, privately I was more interested in woodworking; I spent many days researching it, never expecting it would come in useful today."

(End of Chapter)