Chapter 31: Straw Hat, Straw Hat

Originally, Siano had planned to leave Shimotsuki Village right after breakfast and set off for the final stop of this resource-gathering journey: the Goa Kingdom.

However, everyone was reluctant to let him go and insisted on keeping him for another night.

That evening, a large group gathered before bed around a hearth on the tatami mats in the main hall, the atmosphere relaxed and leisurely.

During this time, the two little ones, Zoro and Sanji, secretly stole some rice wine and were soundly beaten by Zeff, adding a few more notes of merriment to the air.

Siano, drinking until slightly tipsy, caught the mood and chatted extensively with everyone.

Through this, everyone learned about Cocoyasi Village, discovered he had two adorable younger sisters, and heard that the orange groves in his hometown were beautiful, yielding citrus fruits that were crisp, juicy, large, and sweet.

Siano had also considered it.

Just in case, should he wait until next spring and simply invite either Zeff or Teacher Teacher Gengsilang to stay in Cocoyasi Village for a few months?

If that happened, dealing with the Arlong Pirates would be no trouble at all.

But after a moment's reflection, he ultimately did not speak the words aloud.

He hadn't even obtained the Straw Hat yet, and the points on his person had already exceeded ten thousand.

It could be said that from now on, the various items and secret manuals in the System Trading Market were essentially up to him to choose.

Under these circumstances, if after a year of bitter training he still couldn't deal with the Arlong Pirates, what difference would there be between him and a good-for-nothing?

He might as well forget about planning any voyage and just use a genuine blade to slit his own throat and end it.

……

In the blink of an eye, the second day arrived.

Sister Sister Guyina, Zeff, Sanji, Zoro... a crowd reluctantly escorted Siano to the dock, including Junichi, who had been missing since early yesterday morning.

It was only at this moment that Siano learned the truth.

Ever since returning to Shimotsuki Village, this boy had been training desperately as if possessed.

He had been engaging in bitter training from five in the morning until midnight, skipping even lunch, an intensity far more terrifying than Zoro's.

This made Siano glance at him with some surprise.

In his view.

Junichi's talent for swordsmanship was inferior to Zoro's, and far inferior to Sister Sister Guyina's.

But talent was never the sole factor determining a person's upper limit.

As long as one exerted effort and sweat far beyond others, the resulting outcome would almost never disappoint.

After all, going from being unable to tie a chicken to becoming a new generation Marine Hero took only two years.

"Why do you keep staring at me, Boss?"

Junichi was busy running back and forth with Zoro, helping to load supplies onto the ship; feeling Siano's gaze, he looked up at him in confusion.

"Just a bit worried about you," Siano said half-jokingly. "I'm afraid that in a few months, you'll set sail directly, and then I'll have to figure out how to collect your corpse."

Did he see through that determination?

Junichi pressed his lips together.

Suddenly looking up, he grinned, "What's with that? That's not a funny joke. Boss, just rest assured; I'm not the kind of hot-blooded idiot who acts without thinking. Without sufficient certainty, I wouldn't do anything stupid."

"No, what exactly are you two talking about? Guessing riddles? My head hurts just listening."

Zoro looked at one, then the other, his face full of bewilderment.

"It's not that your head hurts from listening; your head actually hurts."

Siano glared irritably at the moss-head.

This guy had just been beaten by Zeff last night, and this morning, while sparring with Sister Sister Guyina, he got beaten again until his head was covered in bumps, the red swelling not having subsided yet.

Now, standing here blowing in the sea breeze, it would be strange if his head didn't hurt.

He turned back to Junichi.

"Anyway, just keep it in mind; don't forget you are not alone. No matter where you go in the future, you still have so many companions who can fight alongside you."

After Siano earnestly gave his instructions and waved goodbye to the others on the shore from afar, he finally pressed a button, starting the vessel and steering it toward the distance.

This small boat, hiding black-technology propulsion, was something he was borrowing temporarily.

It took only two days to travel from Shimotsuki Village to the nearest large island, and Zeff was already preparing to head to that island tomorrow to purchase ingredients.

Therefore, upon arrival, he only needed to dock this boat at the pier and leave it be.

He could then peacefully board a passenger ship in that town and proceed to the Goa Kingdom.

By that time, Zeff would naturally bring this boat back to Shimotsuki Village.

………

Six days later.

Deep within the Colubo Mountains of the Goa Kingdom.

In the dense forest, Siano quickly climbed to the top of a towering giant tree in a few steps, gazing out at the vast, endless mountains and forests surrounding him.

After staring blankly for a while, he rubbed his temples with a headache.

"This time was truly a miscalculation..."

He had actually arrived smoothly within the borders of the Goa Kingdom the morning before yesterday.

However, after a full fifty-plus hours had passed, he was still trapped, circling within this mountain range.

It wasn't that he had caught the directionlessness disease from Zoro.

Rather, the Colubo Mountains were simply far more vast than he had anticipated...

Having grown up in Cocoyasi Village since childhood, the surrounding ring-island areas were all very small, causing him to become completely accustomed to this feeling of miniature landmasses.

Only upon arriving in this Goa Kingdom did he finally re-experience what it felt like to be unable to see the horizon from a high vantage point...

"If only Luffy were still in Foosha Village," Siano sighed.

At this time one year ago, Luffy was still in Foosha Village.

It just so happened that the incident with Shanks occurred afterward; upon learning of it, Garp swiftly transferred him to Mount Colubo, entrusting his care to the bandit Dadan.

Only then did the subsequent events unfold: meeting Ace and Sabo, encountering the Sapphire Pirates, forming the ASL Brotherhood, and so on...

Calculating carefully.

Sabo should have been taken by Dragon to the Revolutionary Army headquarters several months ago, leaving only the two brothers, Luffy and Ace, in the mountains.

Siano felt that after setting sail this time, his luck seemed to have been entirely spent on encountering the Lord of the Coast and Zeff.

Relying solely on himself to find those two brats in this vast mountain range was indeed somewhat difficult.

But surely it shouldn't be the case that after searching day and night for over fifty hours, he still found absolutely nothing?

Those two troublemakers could never stay idle; left to roam freely in these mountains, causing chaos everywhere every day, he ought to have found some traces of their activities by now.

"Sigh."

Having slept poorly for several consecutive nights, his body aching all over, Siano simply leaned against a high tree trunk, pulled a few loaves of bread from his backpack, and began gnawing on them dry.

He had stuffed his belly full in the small town outside the mountains before entering the range, yet even so, his carried rations were nearly exhausted.

If he failed to find anyone today, he might have to hunt wild beasts in the mountains and roast them for food; without any seasoning on his person, that taste would surely be unpleasant.

After gnawing the bread to barely tide himself over, Siano took a straw hat from his backpack and spun it a few times on his index finger against the wind.

—It looked utterly ordinary and somewhat aged; the wheat-straw brim had become slightly loose, and the bright red silk ribbon had faded into an old, dark jujube color.

Held close to the nose, one could still smell a greasy scent of hair oil.

He had bought it from a farmer in that small town before entering the mountains for two hundred Berries, waiting to swap it for Luffy's straw hat the moment he obtained the real one.

In fact, there were many shops in the town, and similar straw hats were easy to buy.

The reason he insisted on buying this second-hand item with such a smell was simply because those sold in the shops were all too new.

Luffy was indeed a rough-edged idiot, but if his beloved straw hat suddenly became brand new and clean, he would likely spot the difference at a glance.

This move, this move was called details determining success or failure.

Siano was even thinking that if he encountered Luffy again in the future, he might be able to harvest another wave of points.

Therefore, it was best that the matter of the genuine straw hat being swapped did not get exposed for now.

(End of Chapter)