Under the warm glow of an orange lamp, the family was sharing dinner.
Shanu had his head buried in food. Ever since he'd let go of his inner knots, everything tasted better; the plates stacked higher and higher in front of him, threatening to reach the ceiling.
Bellemere had long finished eating. Leaning casually against the doorway, cigarette in hand, she watched with a smile.
This kid's appetite was getting more outrageous by the day. A hundred pounds of food in one sitting was nothing unusual anymore. She had even expanded the kitchen, building a small storage shed next door just to keep up with the ingredients he devoured.
The food problem was solved.
But the clothes… that was another headache.
Bellemere's most frequented shops lately weren't just the greengrocer and butcher—they were the clothing stores. Every month or two, Shanu's body grew taller and broader. The clothes she made herself couldn't keep up, so she had to keep buying ready-made batches just to fill the gap.
And with winter around the corner, he'd definitely need sweaters. Only her own knitted ones were warm enough. The trouble was—how big should she make them?
She sighed inwardly.
Shanu, meanwhile, was wrestling with a similar problem.
Compared to his peers, his body was flat-out monstrous. His rippling muscles struck fear into enemies, but in daily life they were a nuisance.
Like right now—he didn't dare shift his weight at the table. Every small movement made the chair beneath him creak ominously.
Baths were another issue—he couldn't fit in the tub anymore. Showers meant standing outside with a garden sprayer.
And the doors in the house? The ones that could be widened had been, but for the rest, he had to bend, twist, and duck just to get through without breaking the frame.
If only I had two forms, he thought wistfully. A normal one for daily life, and a battle form… like Frieza…
…
The next few days were busy with cleanup.
Defeating the Arlong Pirates left new problems to deal with.
First—what to do with the treasure on the ship?
Genzo and the others had tallied it up: over 300 million Berries.
Shanu wasn't a saint. If Arlong had plundered it on the Grand Line, he wouldn't bother tracing it back to the original owners—he'd just pocket it.
But the massacres had happened on neighboring islands, especially in Gusha Town, which had been ruined when they couldn't pay. Too many dead, too much loss. Shanu couldn't turn a blind eye.
So he pushed the whole matter onto Uncle Genzo.
Genzo would contact the nearby villages, return what could be returned, and use the remainder to rebuild Gusha.
That decision, on top of defeating the Arlong Pirates, made Shanu's reputation in Cocoyashi skyrocket.
Now, when he strolled through town, shopkeepers rushed out to greet him, and by the time he finished a street, his arms were piled high with gifts shoved into them.
Not that it lasted long—his two little sisters snatched everything the moment he got home.
Then there was Arlong's ship.
That was easy—strip off the pirate flag and shark-head prow, give it a scrub, and suddenly it was a fine merchant vessel.
Perfect timing, too. The family's tangerine orchard was booming and needed a big transport ship.
The last issue was bounties.
Arlong's head was worth 20 million. Kuroobi, 9 million.
Hachi, Chew, and the others were each worth several million. Altogether, over 80 million Berries.
Shanu wasn't desperate for money anymore. But wasting their heads felt wrong. That was his rightful prize.
So he dug out a nautical chart from one of Nami's books, bagged up the fishmen's severed heads, and planned to deliver them to the nearest Navy branch.
Two were close by.
One northwest—the 16th Branch.
One southeast—the 77th.
The 16th was out of the question.
Bellemere had checked with an old comrade and learned that the branch commander was none other than "Captain Nezumi." The moment Shanu heard the name, he dropped that idea.
The 77th, though—that one rang a bell.
If he remembered right, in the original timeline, it was the 77th that had dared to fire on Arlong Park.
Maybe its commander had changed since then, but they had to be more reliable than Nezumi.
"So tomorrow morning you're heading out again, to the 77th Branch?" Bellemere frowned at the dinner table. "That's a four- or five-day trip round."
"Eh, maybe not. Probably more like half a month," Shanu admitted. "I want to swing by and see some friends I made on my last trip."
And squeeze them for a little more profit, though he didn't say that part aloud.
"Half a month?" Bellemere's eyes widened. She sighed, then relented. "Fine. Just come back as soon as you can."
She used to worry about him going out alone. But now?
She gave a soft snort. The boy had flattened a whole gang of Grand Line pirates. In all of East Blue, who could possibly stop him?
She didn't brag like Nami did, but inside, she was bursting with pride.
"Big brother, I want to come too!"
"Me too! Me too!"
Both sisters shot their hands up. Bellemere's eyes narrowed dangerously.
But Shanu just chuckled. "Let them come. They've been cooped up at home too long. It'll be good experience."
The two girls looked at Bellemere with pleading eyes.
"…Fine." Bellemere rubbed her temples. "But listen—out there, you do everything your brother says. If I hear you misbehaved, you won't step outside the house again."
"Yay!"
Nojiko and Nami high-fived in triumph.
"Then it's settled! This voyage's navigator will be yours truly!" Nami declared proudly, thumbing her nose. "After all, who else knows the seas like I do?"
"Then I'll be helmsman!" Nojiko puffed her chest. "I can ride a bike, so I'm the best at handling vehicles!"
That bike was a kiddie one with training wheels I bolted on myself, Shanu thought helplessly, patting their heads.
"Forget it. This time we're sailing Arlong's big ship. I've already got professional helmsmen and navigators from the village lined up. You two just watch and learn."
Their cheers instantly turned into wails.
"Ehhh? No fair!"
…
The next morning.
Everyone was packed and ready. On deck, Shanu leaned on the rail, glancing at the chart while waiting for his sisters.
"The 77th Branch and Shimotsuki Village are in the same direction. That'll save time. And in the Goa Kingdom, Banba and the others know the terrain well—they'll help me find Luffy fast."
He was deep in thought when Nami's voice rang from shore.
"Eh? Big brother, look! A big ship is coming! That emblem—whoa, it's a Navy warship!"
A warship?
Shanu looked up in surprise.
Sure enough, on the horizon, a Navy vessel was sailing straight toward Cocoyashi Village.
On its billowing white sail, alongside the seagull-and-scales crest, were two bold black characters: 16.
Impossible to miss.