In the blink of an eye, another three days have passed.
The next stop has not yet been reached, and the Curtainfall continues to move steadily on the sea.
"Achoo!"
Shanu suddenly sneezed, rubbing his nose in puzzlement.
"Strange, why am I sneezing so easily these past two days? Who's been talking about me?"
At this moment, he had just pushed open the door of the training room, shirtless and drenched in sweat.
He looked up and saw moonlight shining through the porthole onto the corridor. The whole ship was quiet, with only the sound of waves gently lapping against the hull.
It was already late at night.
"That's enough for today, time to sleep."
He stretched, having completed nearly twenty hours of self-torture-style training in one go, and it was indeed time to let his muscles relax.
Hmm?
Shanu suddenly stopped.
Wait.
Relax?
He touched his chin, turning his gaze to the dark sea outside.
Come to think of it, he had been too busy getting intimate with the Poneglyphs these past few days.
As for the "Deep Sea Breathing Technique," he hadn't practiced it much after initially mastering it.
To further refine it, he needed to spend long periods submerged in water, regulating his breathing and meditating to gradually adapt to the feeling of underwater breathing.
This was incredibly time-consuming, hence the temporary setback.
But now, a sudden inspiration struck him. With his control over his body, he should be able to maintain the automatic operation of the Deep Sea Breathing Technique even when unconscious, he could simply sleep underwater!
This way, he could use his rest time to catch up on sleep while slowly perfecting this secret technique.
Feasible!
Twenty-four hours a day of seamless practice, who could compete with that? No sooner said than done.
Shanu found a sturdy rope, tied it around his waist, and went to the boat, leaping into the sea.
The moment he entered the water, he didn't need to consciously control it; every pore on his body began to open, and his muscle fibers contracted rhythmically like fish gills.
Gurgle.
Bubbles escaped from the corners of his mouth as Shanu slowly sank.
Twenty meters, thirty meters, fifty meters…
Moonlight pierced the surface of the sea, transforming into a hazy blue halo in his vision. Schools of small fish were startled and scattered, their silver scales shimmering like a galaxy.
"More comfortable than I imagined."
Shanu adjusted his breathing rhythm, letting his body sink deeper into the darkness. Once the rope was almost taut
"Hoo…"
He rested his hands behind his back, crossed his legs, and floated, just like when he was lying in bed, slowly closing his eyes.
He wondered if it was because he was too tired from training today, but underwater, it seemed easier to fall asleep than on the boat.
The seawater blocked out all noise, leaving only the slow rhythm of his heartbeat.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Under the influence of the deep-sea breathing technique, each heartbeat caused his muscles to tremble slightly with the current.
Shanu's consciousness gradually blurred, but his body spontaneously maintained the operation of the breathing technique.
Yes, his judgment was correct. He could indeed continue refining this secret technique even in his sleep.
Now, he could finally sleep peacefully.
…
Splash.
As the Curtainfall sailed forward, the rushing water gurgled past him.
An ordinary person would be knocked over by such an impact, unable to even maintain their balance. But it caused no disturbance to the black-haired boy. He continued to sleep soundly.
A curious, enormous sea beast appeared in the distance, casting a huge shadow. Upon seeing the figure ahead, its eyes lit up, and it hurriedly swam closer.
However, as it drew closer, sensing the faint aura of danger emanating from Shanu, the giant sea beast's expression became increasingly hesitant. Finally, it stopped and wisely swam in another direction.
In this area where even sunlight could not reach, time seemed to stand still.
"Gurgle…"
Shanu turned over, changing to a more comfortable sleeping position.
He didn't know how much time had passed.
Suddenly
"Boom!"
A muffled explosion came from above, and Shanu was jolted awake, opening his eyes.
The nearly 100-meter-deep water layer filtered the sound, making it indistinct, but he still instantly determined the direction.
It was to the southwest; a ship was firing at the Curtainfall.
Shanu frowned, quickly rising to the surface and bursting through the water, landing on the deck.
Daylight was breaking, the sun high in the sky, and his companions were already up. He had slept for six or seven hours.
"What's going on?"
Shanu asked casually, looking into the distance.
To his surprise, the ship firing wasn't the pursuing Navy warship, but a fleet of six black-sailed pirate ships.
"Looking for death," Nojiko scoffed. "No grudge, just firing for no reason. Probably after your 500 million bounty head, bro."
"Is that so?"
Shanu laughed.
Come to think of it, when they first entered the Grand Line, they had encountered several pirates with malicious intentions, easily defeating them without giving them a chance to board.
But with the details of the battle at Tor Island revealed, and the bounty reaching its peak in Paradise, such occurrences became rare.
Nine out of ten pirate ships, upon seeing the fluttering white flag, were too frightened to even approach, turning tail and fleeing in panic.
But on this high seas, nothing is impossible. There will always be some pirates who are truly brave. He's so brave you can't even understand his thought process.
Like right now.
But speaking of which, this pirate fleet in front of us is quite large. The six ships that make up the fleet are all large ships, and the decks are packed with people. There are probably four or five thousand people in total, right? It's no less impressive than Krieg's fleet.
Shanu took the monocular telescope from Nojiko next to him and looked at the pirate flag.
Tsk, he didn't recognize it at all.
He immediately lost interest and said to Nojiko next to him, "I'm going to have breakfast. You and Nami are in charge."
The reason he said this was because his two younger sisters had only recently obtained their Devil Fruit abilities and liked to use these clueless pirates to test their new techniques.
The pirate ships they encountered in the past few times were basically handled by the two of them.
"But, it seems like it's not our turn this time." Nojiko shrugged. "Brother, turn around and look. Someone has been wanting to make a move for a while, but has been waiting for you to come up."
Hmm?
Shanu turned his head to look.
Kuina was already standing at the stern, her black ponytail fluttering in the sea breeze. Her left hand rested on the scabbard, her right on the hilt, her gaze sharp as a blade.
"Let me handle this, Lord Shanu."
Noticing Shanu's surprised gaze, the girl tilted her head slightly, a smile curving her lips. "I can show you the results of my training these past few days."
Oh? Was she trying to show off? This side of Kuina was quite rare.
"Looks like things are going well."
Shanu nodded with interest. "Alright, I'll go eat later. I'll stay here and observe for now."
Kuina took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.
At that moment, Shanu vaguely felt the air currents converging around the girl.
Oh? His eyes lit up, his interest growing stronger. Could it be that Kuina had already mastered that move so quickly…?
Meanwhile.
On the largest flagship in the center of the opposing fleet.
A burly, purple-haired man with a brutal aura, wearing a captain's hat, brandished a scimitar and roared at his crew.
"See that! Men, that's the ship of the Curtainfall Pirates! A head worth 500 million Berries is almost within reach!"
The purple-haired man spat as he spoke, his face trembling with excitement:
"Such a small ship! Looks like this pirate crew's strength is nothing special. Not even as good as me with a 70 million Berry bounty. They just got lucky and escaped from a Marine Admiral!"
"Once we get his head, I'll be the new 500 million Berry pirate! Men, from today onwards, our Rough Pirates will be famous throughout the Grand Line!"
"Whoa whoa whoa whoa—!!!"
"What a bold and spirited statement!"
"As expected of Captain Rough!!!"
The pirates on deck also went into a frenzy, raising their arms and cheering like a tsunami.
Just then
"Captain!
The lookout suddenly shouted, 'There's movement on the other side!'
From the stern of the Curtainfall, a slender, graceful black figure leaped through the air, charging towards them with a moonwalk!
It was Kuina. She coldly stared at the pirate fleet, her Wado Ichimonji still at her waist, her right hand firmly gripping its hilt.
'What! Sending a little girl to her death?'
The purple-haired captain, Rough, sneered, raising his scimitar. 'Foolish! Men, fire! Increase the firepower! Blast this little girl with the sword to pieces!'
'Yes, Captain Rough!'
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The broadside cannons of all six ships opened fire simultaneously, nearly a hundred shells piercing the sky, densely packed, raining down on Kuina.
Kuina's gaze remained indifferent, her right hand slowly clenching, the next moment.
'Ittoryu Iai: Six Paths: Steel Tempest!'
With a sharp shout, the gleaming blade was finally drawn!
Countless visible, translucent streams of air coiled around the sword, converging into a sharp point as she thrust forward, then roaring out!
*Whoosh—!!!*
With this strike, a sudden gale swept across the entire sea!
The sword energy surged forward, causing the sea to rapidly part to both sides. The violent air currents swept up all the incoming cannonballs, crushing them into powder.
Yet, the sword energy continued its relentless advance, constantly absorbing the surrounding air currents, instantly forming six giant tornadoes, each fifty or sixty meters high, surging and swirling across the sea. After intersecting, they separated again, as if alive, precisely targeting the six pirate ships!
*Whoosh!*
The violent air currents swept across the sea, tearing the seawater into a misty spray. Even before they reached the six pirate ships, they began to violently rock and sway, their masts groaning under the strain.
"Hey! What the hell is that?!"
The purple-haired burly man's eyes widened in horror, his curved sword clattering onto the deck.
Swordsmanship?
No, it must be a Devil Fruit user!
What kind of swordsmanship could achieve this?!
"Turn the rudder! What are you all standing there for? Turn the rudder, you useless trash!" Seeing the tornado getting closer and closer, he finally reacted, turning his head and roaring at the top of his lungs.
However, it was too late.
The moment the tornado touched the ship's hull, the sturdy hull was easily torn apart like paper, beginning to disintegrate.
The henchmen gathered on the deck had no idea how to resist. They turned to run away, but were swept high into the air by the violent airflow, letting out a shrill scream!
"No, no!!!"
The purple-haired burly man also felt the approaching wind behind him. He futilely clung to the mainmast, turning his head to watch his flagship being swallowed up by the tornado, shouting in despair:
"How can I die here? I'm going to become the Pirate King..."
Before he could finish speaking, the wind blade had already grazed his neck.
The captain's hat flew into the air along with his head. In his unfocused, vacant pupils, the last thing he saw was the sight of five other ships also being torn apart by the tornado. Six ships, all destroyed in less than a minute.
As the tornado gradually dissipated, only floating planks and a few screaming drowning victims remained on the calm sea. Kuina slowly sheathed her sword, turned, and used Geppo to land on the deck. Her black ponytail moved with the wind, her clothes fluttering. Despite returning from the storm, she wasn't soaked.
The stern deck was completely silent.
This sword strike had almost completely captivated everyone on the ship. Even Robin subconsciously put down his coffee, staring in astonishment at the young swordswoman before him.
"You're so cool!! Kuina-nee!"
Nami exclaimed excitedly, throwing herself into Kuina's arms and hugging her waist.
"I suddenly want to learn swordsmanship! Teach me, okay? From now on, you'll be my real sister! I won't acknowledge the other one!"
"Hey!"
Noji roared with her sharp teeth, "You brat, haven't I hit you in a while? Are you itching for a beating?!"
"Wow, that's scary! Kuina-nee, protect me!"
Kuina smiled slightly. She patted Nami's head. This girl, besides navigation and her bounty, only had a three-minute attention span for any other interest. Learn swordsmanship? She naturally didn't take that seriously. Compared to that, what was more important was...
"How is it?"
She tilted her head slightly, looking at Shanu with a hint of expectation in her eyes. That look, that expression, Shanu felt it was very familiar. It seemed like when Gin was still a cub, every time he bought strawberry milk and put it in the refrigerator, it looked like this.
Slap slap slap!
"Brilliant!"
He applauded enthusiastically, laughing as he said, "Brilliant! You've only been practicing the manual for less than a week, and you've already mastered this level of wind-controlling swordsmanship. This talent... truly worthy of being called the genius unparalleled in the entire Isshin Dojo!"
He meant it all. Compared to the other crew members, he had some expectation of the Steel Tempest effect; it was just about creating tornadoes, right?
But he hadn't expected... while it was indeed a tornado, Kuina had unleashed six in one go, each one incredibly powerful. He was completely dumbfounded. Even Yasuo himself would have a hard time doing that! Girl, you're a doomsday bot!
"Thank you, Lord Shanu."
Kuina suppressed her excitement, her face slightly flushed.
"You flatter me. I still have room for improvement. The next step is to study how to combine this move with Haki to take its destructive power to the next level..."
"Good idea."
Shanu gave her a thumbs up, then suddenly said after thinking for a moment, "However, compared to that, I think there's something even more important that urgently needs improvement."
"Eh, what?"
"It's not quite right!"
Shanu said seriously, "When you unleash this sword strike, don't shout so much nonsense. To unleash its full power, you have to shout 'Hasagi!'!"
Hasagi? What does that mean?
The young swordswoman tilted her head in confusion. Usually, she always had a cold and expressionless demeanor, but this made her look rather cute in a contrast.
"Okay."
She finally nodded firmly. Although it didn't seem to make much difference. But, since it was Lord Shanu's opinion, it must be correct.
The destruction of the pirate fleet seemed to go unnoticed by anyone.
The Curtainfall continued its journey. Shanu, rubbing his rumbling stomach, went to the dining hall, where the rest of the crew, who hadn't had breakfast either, followed. Zeff was already prepared, laughing heartily as he untied his apron.
"There are eighteen kinds of breakfast today: roast pork chops, Naruto ramen, minnow sushi, matcha mousse cake... Everyone line up and choose! Hey! Smoker, I clearly said you have to use tongs, no grabbing with your hands!"
With a sharp whooshing sound, Zeff kicked him hard.
Thump!
Three bumps appeared on Smoker's head. He cursed the old man angrily while obediently picking up the tongs next to him.
There was no way around it; in the kitchen and dining room, Zeff was the boss, and Shanu had to listen to him.
Shanu, carrying a mountain of plates, found a seat by the window.
He first popped a piece of mousse cake into his mouth to whet his appetite, then forked a golden-brown, crispy roast pork chop and took a bite. The crispy outside and tender inside meat burst with rich juices between his teeth, making him squint his eyes in satisfaction.
"Uncle Zeff's cooking skills are getting better and better!"
He mumbled in admiration, scooping up another spoonful of seafood broth. Clams and shrimp floated in the milky white soup, the fragrant steam making his nose tingle.
He put it in his mouth, and the warm sensation instantly spread from his stomach throughout his body.
Ah, so comforting!
Shanu quickened his pace. After a whole night of arduous training, nothing was more comforting than such a sumptuous meal.
Only with a full stomach could he start a new day with renewed energy!
Speaking of which, Uncle Zeff truly lived up to his reputation. Eighteen unique and incredibly delicious dishes, all prepared by himself in just an hour or two. Luckily, he had acted early and brought the old man onto the ship.
Otherwise, where would he have found such a talented chef?
The others were also engrossed in their meal. With Zeff in the kitchen, mealtimes were the most relaxing and enjoyable moments for everyone.
"Hey…" Zeff crossed his arms and grinned at the scene.
As a chef, he didn't need anything else; seeing his companions silently stuffing food into their mouths was the best praise and recognition for his culinary skills.
However, just then
"Brubru! Brubru!!!"
The public Den Den Mushi in the restaurant suddenly started ringing excitedly, the sound much more urgent and shrill than usual.
Hmm?
What's going on?
Shanu got up in confusion, ready to grab the receiver, while the crew members subconsciously looked up.
"Wait a minute, Captain," Smoker suddenly spoke up, "If I'm not mistaken, this should be a call from the Navy."
"The Navy?"
Everyone was surprised. Nami didn't believe it: "Really? Cigar Man, the Navy? How did they get our number?"
"I don't need to know."
Smoker subconsciously took out a cigar to light it, but under Zeff's unfriendly gaze, he silently put it back.
"Besides normal communication signal access, Den Den Mushi have two other special reactions."
He explained, holding two chopsticks from his ramen noodles in his mouth. "One is suddenly bursting into tears, which is because someone else nearby is sending an emergency distress signal. Anyone can do that; it's quite common."
"The other is what we're doing now. This is a technology possessed only by a major power like the Marine Headquarters. It strengthens the signal over a large area, simultaneously contacting all Den Den Mushi in that sea area. Generally, this method is used when it's impossible to pinpoint the target precisely; it's only used when trying to filter through different areas one by one."
"Huh?"
Nami's eyes widened. "I didn't know that existed! I've learned something new. So, does that mean the Marines roughly know which sea area we're in now?"
"That's normal," Smoker said in a deep voice. "After all, we just appeared in Alabasta a few days ago, so they can guess our route."
But that doesn't mean warships can easily surround them.
After all, ships aren't targets; they're constantly changing positions and won't stay still, allowing you to tighten the encirclement.
The biggest challenge for the Navy in capturing pirates has always been catching up with them in the vast ocean and not getting shaken off.
Simply knowing their general location is basically useless.
"Anyway, let's just answer it first," Shanu shrugged, unconcerned, and picked up the microphone.
He found it strange that the Navy was suddenly so eager to talk to him, and he was quite curious to see what they were up to.
"Hello?"
A serious voice came from the receiver. "This is a communications officer from the Marine Headquarters. I'm currently searching for the Curtainfall Pirates in this area. Everyone who connects, please cooperate. If you're not a relevant person, you can hang up now. But if you have any leads on the Curtainfall Pirates, please feel free to provide them..."
"I am Shanu," Shanu said calmly. "Who is your superior? What do you want with me?"
"You're Shanu... Eh?"
A cry of surprise came from the other end of the line. "Mr. Garp! Please come quickly! The person on the other end of the line claims to be Shanu!"
"Is that so?"
Garp's muttering voice came through. "Could it be another fake? I've been fooled several times in just one hour. These pranksters, humph, if it weren't for..."
"Old man Garp?"
Shanu raised an eyebrow, interrupting the other person.
"Oh?!!!! That voice sounds so familiar and comforting, it's like it's me! Hahaha, give me the phone!!"
Snap!
The next moment, the Den Den Mushi's face suddenly twisted, transforming into a rugged face wearing a dog-head hat.
"Hey! Long time no see, it's me, Garp!"
The Den Den Mushi, with half a donut dangling from its mouth, chuckled loudly as it chewed, "Finally found you, Shanu! You little brat, getting in touch with you was really quite a hassle!"