Chapter 4: An Unexpected Incident in the Night

Three days later, at dawn, on the dock's pier.

"No way, do I really have to bring this thing?"

Siano weakly held up the Den Den Mushi that had been forcibly stuffed into his hands.

"Cut the nonsense; if I tell you to bring it, then bring it."

Bell-mère looked fierce. "You're making such a fuss about going to sea, and you won't be back for a whole month. At your age, how can I possibly feel at ease?"

"Uh, what does age have to do with it? It seems like no one in the entire village can beat me..."

"Just take it, Siano."

The middle-aged man in the brown police uniform crossed his arms and laughed heartily, the brand-new pinwheel atop his head spinning rapidly with a whirring sound in the sea breeze.

"Otherwise, she wouldn't let you leave today. Oh right, remember to take good care of my little baby; if you want to make a call, dial the village office number. Tsk, if Bell-mère hadn't cornered me several times and forced me to contribute it, I wouldn't bear to hand it over to you, you brat."

"Who asked for your input!"

Bell-mère flew into a rage and landed a solid slap on Genzo; his police cap, along with the little pinwheel, was swatted away, drifting down onto the sea surface beside the pier.

"My new pinwheel!" Genzo panicked and jumped into the water to retrieve it.

"As expected, it belongs to Uncle Genzo."

Siano suddenly realized; he poked the Den Den Mushi's head with his finger. "I was wondering why this little thing had a pinwheel growing on its head."

Buru Buru Buru Buru!

The Den Den Mushi was lazily chewing on a basil leaf; provoked by the poke, it glared at Siano and huffily turned its face to the other side.

Hey, that's fun.

This was his first time handling a Den Den Mushi; it was quite cute, though the price was steep, starting at tens of thousands of Berries.

Hmm, he couldn't afford to keep one for now; later, once he had saved up some money, he would buy one for each of his two little sisters as a pet.

"Violent maniac, wasn't I just helping you persuade him?"

Genzo climbed out of the water onto the shore, looking dejected; he blew on the wet pinwheel and carefully placed his police cap back in its original position.

Truly unlucky; why did fate always have it out for his little pinwheel?

Every so often, or more accurately, about once a year, the pinwheel on his head would mysteriously disappear.

He didn't know which damn little thief had stolen it; this one had only been newly made a few days ago and had nearly suffered the same fate again.

Bell-mère couldn't be bothered with this guy; she turned her gaze to the tall, thin old man on the other side who was directing the crew in counting and loading cargo, and a gentle smile appeared on her face:

"Mr. Gatto, this is the child's first time taking such a long voyage; please look after him during the journey."

"Rest assured; we come here to purchase goods every year, so we're old acquaintances. This small request is certainly within my power to fulfill."

Gatto lit his pipe with a beaming smile and spoke very politely. "Sakura Island is a major commercial hub and lies directly on our route; I can guarantee you that we will deliver this child safely to that island."

"Then thank you very much."

Bell-mère smiled, pressed her palms together, and made a gesture praying for a safe voyage.

Once Gatto had left, she immediately seemed to become a different person; she put on a stern face toward Siano:

"Alright, go ahead. Considering how hard you've worked lately, I'll indulge you this once and let you go to Sakura Island to relax. Don't forget, every week, you must proactively contact me at least once!"

His true purpose for going to sea naturally could not be told to his family.

Traveling a thousand miles just to steal an eight-year-old brat's hat; no one would believe it if he said so.

So the excuse became that he had been stuck at home for too long and was feeling stifled; he wanted to go to Sakura Island to wander around and have some fun, and while he was at it, check out the swordsmanship dojos there to see if there was a chance to learn a move or two.

Facts proved that

convincing lies were often built upon a foundation of truth.

As soon as this latter reason was given, it immediately succeeded in fooling Bell-mère.

She had heard about it during her time in the Marines.

On that island, there were several renowned swordsmanship dojos that jointly held a grand Kendo tournament every year, making it the best place in the nearby seas for practicing the way of the sword.

Moreover, based on her secret observations, this child Siano's cultivation in swordsmanship indeed wasn't going very smoothly; plus, Sakura Island had a Marine branch stationed there, making the shipping route very safe.

Therefore, after much hesitation, she finally agreed to Siano's somewhat excessive request.

"Got it, got it, I'm off! Remember to say goodbye to Nojiko and Nami for me!"

It was only six in the morning; when he left home, it wasn't even five yet. Those two little ones were sleeping soundly; Siano had just pinched their cheeks and couldn't bear to wake them up.

Bell-mère helped him tuck the Den Den Mushi into his clothes pocket; the pinwheel on the shell immediately pushed the fabric out into a ridiculous bulge, which Siano lightly patted in slight dissatisfaction; he waved to the two elders who had come to see him off, then turned and jogged away toward the distant cargo ship.

The salty sea breeze swept past the youth's gradually blurring silhouette.

"..."

Bell-mère sniffled, turning her head away with suspicious speed.

Only Genzo saw that she had just quietly slipped several large-denomination banknotes into the boy's pocket along with the Den Den Mushi.

"I say."

After waiting a moment, Genzo asked perplexedly, "Why sneak the money in like that? Putting it all in one pocket, aren't you afraid the Den Den Mushi will eat it?"

Bell-mère's motion of secretly wiping away tears instantly froze.

"Aaaah, you bastard, why didn't you say so sooner!"

The ponytailed woman, her eyes red, suddenly whipped her head back, her face a mask of collapse; she sprinted toward the end of the pier, shouting as she ran:

"Hey! Siano, wait! Don't board the ship yet—"

The moonlight was somewhat dim; the great sea was shrouded in night.

On the deck of the merchant ship, warm orange lights had been lit; a banquet cobbled together from several simple tables and chairs steamed with cheerful heat.

The ship was not small; altogether there were twenty or thirty crew members, now gathered together, with whistles sounding from time to time, along with cheers as mugs of draft beer clanked together in toasts.

This banquet was naturally not held to welcome Siano; he was merely a passenger catching a ride and did not yet have the qualification for such an honor.

As for the reason... on this vast sea, does one need a reason to hold a banquet?

"Hey, kid, how are you? Still dizzy and feeling like vomiting?"

Old Captain Gatte puffed on his pipe, leaned over, and slung an arm around Siano's shoulders.

"I'm fine now, Captain Gatte."

Siano hastily swallowed the grilled meat in his mouth to reply; beside him were stacked only eight or nine empty plates, clearly showing that in front of outsiders, he ate in small bites, very shy and restrained.

Speaking of what Gatte mentioned, it was indeed somewhat embarrassing.

After all, it was his first time boarding a large ship for an ocean voyage, and he had never experienced such a thing before.

Yesterday morning, when the merchant ship had just reached full speed and was tossing about in the wind and waves, Siano had truly leaned over the railing, nearly vomiting up even the previous night's meal.

Several middle-aged uncles had surrounded him, patting his back, preparing water, and handing him a Mao Jin, before he barely managed to recover.

Fortunately, his cultivation over the past few years had not been in vain; his robust physique had also granted him an adaptability surpassing that of ordinary people.

In merely a few hours, the symptoms of seasickness had gradually subsided.

After sleeping through the night and arriving at the second day, he had completely returned to normal; no matter how much the ship rocked, he remained full of energy, no different from those veteran sailors who had spent years at sea.

"Ho, your constitution is quite good! It seems your mother worried unnecessarily, haha."

Gatte tapped his pipe with a smile. "You're good material for a sailor in the future. How about it? In a few years, when you've grown up, would you like to come help out on our ship?"

"If there's a chance then, I'll certainly consider it." Siano chuckled, knowing the other was teasing him, so he didn't refuse on the spot.

The uncles on this ship had all been very kind to him, leaving him with a rather favorable impression.

"Mr. Gatte," Siano asked curiously again, "the ship has been sailing for over forty hours now; how much longer until we reach Light Cherry Island?"

"The ocean currents and wind direction have been quite favorable this time, faster than expected," Gatte said with a smile. "At most four days, assuming nothing goes wrong afterward..."

Boom!

A dull, massive roar suddenly shattered the silent night, also interrupting Gatte's words.

"What was that sound!"

"What's happening?"

The lively banquet halted instantly; nearly everyone sprang to their feet, looking around in alarm and suspicion, searching for the source of the noise.

"It came from the stern!"

True to his experienced nature, Gatte made his judgment immediately and shouted in a deep voice, "Do not panic! Helmsmen and gunners, take your stations! Send a few more people to check the stern!"

"Yes, Captain!"

The crowd quickly dispersed, each acting according to the orders.

Siano also subconsciously reached for the wooden sword at his waist; strictly speaking, he had no need to bring this thing with him, but since he claimed to be going to learn swordsmanship, he had to commit fully to the act.

The contract status has been changed, so everyone can invest with confidence. During the new book period, we must queue and wait for recommendations, so I can only update twice daily; after going on sale, I will add more updates. By the way, I weakly beg for monthly tickets.

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(End of Chapter)