Chapter 57: Nojiko's Determination

Accumulated, it totaled 7,650, causing the remaining points to suddenly reach as high as 46,150.

Garp's dog-head hat being worth four thousand was no surprise.

But the counterfeit straw hat he had bought for five hundred Berries to swap in unexpectedly contributing three thousand, equivalent to one-tenth of the genuine original, was a delightful surprise.

Siano hadn't expected much from it in the first place.

It seemed that as long as Luffy never saw through it and continued to treat it as the real thing, he would naturally pour immense emotion into it, regarding it as his most cherished possession.

This meant he could steadily harvest a huge crop of leeks every year before entering the Grand Line.

That felt good.

Siano withdrew his gaze with satisfaction, preparing to enjoy a good sleep; the only thing that slightly annoyed him was that a new skill had somehow appeared at the very end of his skill panel.

—Stealing (Minor Success).

This was truly outrageous.

Wasn't all this done to earn points and protect his hometown and family? Could a martial artist's actions be called stealing!

The next morning.

Siano and the others left Mount Colubo, bidding farewell to the enthusiastic Dadan family, the reluctant Luffy, and the stone-faced Ace, before embarking on their journey home.

After sailing for several days.

On board the Orange Garden, Siano lay on a rattan chair, holding a newspaper and reading it with great interest.

In an inconspicuous corner, there was a piece of news that caught his interest—the latest Asakura Island Kendo Tournament had officially concluded yesterday, where a dark horse girl named Sister Guyina stunned everyone by easily claiming the championship.

"Winning the championship with a perfect record? Her progress in cultivation is truly impressive."

Sister Guyina really wanted to improve.

Not only was she trying to catch up to a certain person she idolized, but she was also desperately trying to prove herself to Teacher Teacher Gengsilang, who had always held prejudices against her and had even spoken hurtful words to her face.

Since meeting and getting to know her last year, Siano had sensed that beneath the girl's seemingly sensible and polite exterior lay a stubborn heart yearning to stand at the peak.

"By the time I officially set sail and you board the ship, I wonder how far your strength will have progressed?"

Siano gazed toward the horizon, his expression leisurely.

With Zeff's auxiliary teaching, the various martial arts secret manuals he had provided, and most crucially, her own extraordinary swordsmanship talent, she had crossed that life-and-death line which originally had no continuation...

For this companion, whom he had long ago designated as his second official crew member, he felt great anticipation.

"Darn it, do we really have to go back so soon?"

Nami's resentful muttering came from behind.

Just as Siano snapped out of his thoughts, he felt a chill at his neck; the little one had climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and shaking him vigorously. "Brother! Can't we play a little longer? How about dropping me off when we pass through Shimotsuki Village?"

"Going home requires taking the straight, shortcut route, which doesn't pass through Shimotsuki Village; besides, what would you even do there?"

Siano couldn't be bothered to pay attention and picked up the newspaper again; as for his neck? He had long trained his body to be crane-like; if Nami could actually choke him, she would have some real skill.

"Well..." Nami's eyes darted around as she began to act coquettishly. "I actually quite want to become a powerful sword master just like you, to guard our hometown and protect Bell-mère and Nojiko! Since Sister Sister Guyina is supposed to be heading back anyway, I... I could just go and study swordsmanship under her properly!"

"Heh..."

Siano let out a cold laugh; who besides an adult Sanji would believe such an excuse.

"Nami!"

Suddenly, Nojiko's voice rang out from behind; she angrily grabbed Nami's ear and forcibly yanked her down from Siano's back—

"So shameless! I shared my heartfelt thoughts with you last night, and you immediately learned and sold them out to trick Brother!"

"Ouch! Boo-hoo-hoo, I didn't mean it, Nojiko."

"Then tell the truth! What exactly do you want to do in Shimotsuki Village!"

"I want to eat Uncle Zeff's cooking! Don't you want to, Nojiko? Those dishes taste hundreds of times better than what Bell-mère makes! Just thinking about it makes me drool..."

"I will tell Bell-mère these words exactly as they are."

"Eh?!!! Help, nooo!"

Listening to the scolding sounds coming from behind, Siano cheerfully crossed his legs and continued reading the newspaper.

This was probably a case of one thing conquering another; Nami feared nothing when facing him, but the moment Nojiko stepped in, she immediately became like marshmallow dough that could be kneaded at will.

In the past, the two little ones refused to submit to each other and often fought.

But as Nojiko began Entering Puberty, the height difference between the two gradually widened, and such incidents ceased to exist.

Now at twelve years old, Nojiko was already 1.6 meters tall, while Nami was only around 1.4-something meters, still a little bean sprout; with such a vast difference in combat power, the older sister's authority gradually established itself.

However, just now Nojiko said that Nami had copied her heartfelt thoughts?

"Stop scolding her for now." Siano turned his head curiously. "Is what Nami said true? Do you really want to go study swordsmanship to become stronger and protect our hometown in my place later?"

"I do want to become stronger, and I do want to protect our hometown."

Nojiko first nodded, then poked Nami's forehead in annoyance. "But you can learn anything to become stronger; swordsmanship was just made up by this little rascal!"

"What do you mean made up? That was a reasonable deduction, okay!"

Nami rubbed her red ears, looking aggrieved. "Wasn't it you who told me last night that Sister Guyina from Mr. Teacher Gengsilang's house is the same age as you, yet she is already qualified to compete for the Kendo Tournament championship and has even been invited by Brother to adventure on his ship?"

"And you can't even defeat the big goose in the village, so you got stimulated, right? I just naturally assumed you also wanted to go learn swordsmanship..."

She snorted and pointed at Siano.

"But if you ask me, if you really want to learn swordsmanship, why look for Mr. Teacher Gengsilang? You should have Brother teach you; he is the East Blue... no, the world's strongest great sword master, far more formidable than Mr. Teacher Gengsilang!"

"You're exaggerating more and more."

Siano pinched Nami's nose in displeasure.

He pondered for a moment, then looked at Nojiko. "I cannot teach you swordsmanship, but I have various other martial arts sufficient for you to learn; during the early foundation-building phase, I can formulate a cultivation plan most suitable for you, and in the future, if there are any secret manuals that fit you, I will find ways to obtain them for you."

"But Nojiko, think carefully again; are you truly certain you can endure this hardship?"

"I can!"

Nojiko clenched her fists and nodded earnestly with all her might, "Don't underestimate my determination, brother!"

Of course she knew how exhausting it was to cultivate into a powerhouse; over these past few years, she had been the one delivering water and food most often while Siano endured bitter cultivation every day, and that self-torturing, life-risking intensity was something she would never forget for as long as she lived.

But all of this was to protect Cocoyasi Village, and even more so to protect them, wasn't it?

Especially during the past few months, when her brother's nerves were so taut he bordered on madness, she had felt a little afraid just watching him from afar.

Fortunately, after defeating that invading pirate crew, her brother had visibly relaxed all at once and returned to his original state.

But regardless, she did not want to continue like this, always being a useless burden, and even less did she want her brother to remain distracted, constantly worrying about their safety.

Now that her brother was at home, no one dared to disturb the tranquility of Cocoyasi Village, but what about the future?

Her brother was a man of great ambitions; sooner or later, he would have to leave and venture out into this world.

When that time came, it would be her duty as the eldest daughter to step forward and shoulder the responsibility of guarding her sister and mother!

Siano quietly gazed at the blue-haired girl, and the girl stubbornly lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"With just a moment's inattention, you've slowly grown up, Nojiko."

Siano suddenly felt a touch of sentimentality, smiled, and ruffled her small head, "Since you have this resolve, then very well; once we return to the village, we'll begin your training in earnest. The training ground I built in the tangerine grove has been kept intact all this time, and handing it over to you now is just right."

"Mm!"

Nojiko nodded vigorously; she hadn't expected to gain Siano's support so easily, and for a moment her heart swelled with delight.

"What about me, brother?"

Nami pulled a tangerine out from somewhere and began eating it, asking indistinctly, "I was only joking earlier! I just want to properly study my navigation, read books, and draw sea charts; I don't want to be forced to run dozens of kilometers every day..."

"This doesn't concern you; go play somewhere else."

Siano lay back down, shook out the newspaper, and casually curled the corners of his mouth, "If even a little one like you has to be forced to train in body techniques, then wouldn't all the sweat we taller folks shed while standing at the front have been wasted?"

Taller folks? Wasted sweat?

What did that mean? Nami listened in a fog, her face blank as she popped a tangerine segment into her mouth.

Beside her, Nojiko pressed her lips together in a light laugh and mimicked Siano by gently ruffling her little head.

Ten days later.

The Tangerine Grove returned to Cocoyasi Village, resuming its mission as a cargo transport ship.

And after a good night's sleep, it was time for the trading market to refresh; Siano brushed his teeth with one hand while flipping through it with the other.

The first two items had far too low a cost-performance ratio; uninterested, he skipped them outright, but upon reaching the third, his eyes suddenly brightened.

【Life Return】

【Type: Cultivation Manual】

【Price: 1800 Points】

【Description: An advanced body technique that achieves complete fusion of consciousness and flesh through extreme control of bodily functions; upon successful cultivation, one can freely manipulate the activity of all organs, hair, and even cells throughout the body, achieving precise domination over one's physique】

【This body technique belongs to the same combat system as the Six Styles and is closely linked to them; to avoid going astray, it is recommended to cultivate both Iron Body and Paper Art to the Great Completion Realm before practicing this manual】

【Seller's Note: None; direct sale by the System】

Finally waiting for Life Return, huh?

Siano's right hand, holding the toothbrush, suddenly became urgent and forceful.

He had been looking forward to this thing for a long time; over the past year, his physical attributes had improved too rapidly, and his microscopic control had temporarily failed to keep pace.

Previously twisting the steel frame of a birthday cake cart into a pretzel by accident, and sitting on a dining chair too afraid to move vigorously, were both due to this reason.

Crack...

The toothbrush in his hand suddenly snapped; Siano was somewhat speechless. Great, here was yet another piece of corroborating evidence.

He had no choice but to end early and start rinsing his mouth, while his gaze remained fixed on those several lines of descriptive text.

"It still requires mastering Iron Body and Paper Art first?"

Siano frowned; he had long since reached the Great Completion Realm in Iron Body, but what about Paper Art? The remaining two of the Six Styles had not appeared in the market even once over these past few months.

Prerequisites were the most annoying thing; how long would he have to wait before he could learn this?

Somewhat resentfully, he added it to his shopping cart first, then scrolled down to the next item.

Hm?

Siano stared at the new product before him; the furrowed brows that had just been knitted together instantly smoothed out—

【Six Styles Manual ×2】

【Type: Cultivation Manual】

【Price: 800 Points】

【Description: Since you have already purchased four of them, the remaining two random manuals will definitely be Storm Leg and Paper Art】

【Seller's Note: None; direct sale by the System】

Second update; humbly requesting votes, thank you everyone

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(End of Chapter)