In an instant.
A large area in the middle of the dock was emptied.
Endgame also docked at the shore accordingly.
The civilians and sailors who stepped back onto the land immediately left to find passenger ships that could take them home.
The remaining slaves whose hometowns were destroyed decided, just as planned, to settle down here for now.
They would make new plans after saving some money.
One of the slaves was visibly more emotional than the others, his rough hands tightly gripping the railing as he gazed towards the town with reddened eyes.
Shano remembered him.
Apparently his name was Pike, nearing forty, the oldest among the slaves Shano had saved.
"What's up?" Shano leaned against the ship's railing and asked with a smile.
"It's the City of Gastronomy!"
Pike wiped the corner of his eyes and couldn't help but smile happily, "Sir! I'm so fortunate; your next stop happens to be here! I worked here for over ten years!"
Oh?
Shano was a bit surprised; such luck is indeed extraordinary.
The other slave men shouted in excitement:
"Hey? Such a coincidence, Pike~!"
"Haha, so we've arrived at your old turf. We'll count on you to take care of us next!"
"No worries! I was a porter here for years, know quite a few old acquaintances! I can quickly help everyone find jobs!" Pike chuckled.
"Haven't been back for a while?" Shano asked again.
"Yeah, sir, it's been six or seven years."
Pike sighed, "Over ten years ago, I picked up a child by the dock, and us two depended on each other, settled down here."
"Until he grew up, managed to support himself as a porter with his strength, I missed my parents, so I parted ways with him and went back home. A blink of an eye, it's been a while, and I don't know how he's doing now."
"So you can reunite with your family, lucky guy."
The other strong man beside him grabbed his neck and shook it vigorously, "I'm really envious, Pike!"
"It's all thanks to Lord Shano! Otherwise, I wouldn't have returned here."
"Certainly, haha!"
A few strong men teased Pike for a while and then expressed their deep gratitude to Shano and the others.
Only then did they reluctantly bid farewell.
"Hehe."
Nami leaned on the railing, watching their backs fade away, chuckling, "Helping them regain a new life feels really good."
"Yes."
Shano patted her head and said with a smile, "Let's go, we should disembark too, and explore around this island."
Like Zeff, he was curious about the reasons behind the City of Gastronomy's restoration to prosperity.
Now, it's time to find out.
...
At the far northwest corner of the dock, located in a residential area at the town's outskirts.
Pike stopped in his tracks, stood dumbfounded, looking up at the house in front of him.
The mottled wooden walls, faded blue paint door frame, very ordinary and shabby. Its only unique aspect was the ceiling and door, modified to be much taller than the surrounding houses.
At this moment, the familiar yet strange small house stood silently in the sunshine as before.
Pike stood on tip-toe, using his rough palm to stroke the crooked marks above the door frame.
These were records carved with a blade for measuring that silly kid's height back in the day.
That kid was nearly two meters tall when found, and five or six meters by age fourteen or fifteen.
In a blink of an eye, it's been a while since they've seen each other, wonder how he's grown now.
His nose tingled, then he grinned and pushed open the old wooden door that hasn't been touched for ages, spread his arms, and laughed loudly:
"Hey, Jack, you brat, where are you? Daddy's back!!!"
...
At the same time.
The city center of the City of Gastronomy.
There were four sightseeing towers here, marking the highest points of the entire island.
Shano and his companions climbed one of the towers, overlooking the other dock on the northern side of the island.
"I see."
His eyes flashed thoughtfully as he immediately understood why this city has revived.
Compared to the bustling and lively southern dock, the northern dock had fewer passenger ships,
but a huge station towered there.
Right then, everyone heard the long whistle, "Woo-woo——" amidst the sound, a dark green steel beast was spewing steam as it slowly entered the station.
"This is… a sea train?!"
Initially stunned, having read numerous books related to navigation, Nami instantly dawned on a realization:
"No wonder this island has redeveloped; it was chosen as a test city for the sea train."
"The sea train technology was in trial stages five or six years ago, unexpected that it's now extended here."
Smoker squinted his eyes as he chewed on a cigar:
"In this aspect, the World Government did something right for once. There are warship patrols along the train route, keeping the pirates in check, plus stable trade and resource transportation..."
"That's why this place transformed back into the City of Gastronomy."
Shano first nodded and then slightly shook his head with a sigh, "It's a pity that the father of the sea train couldn't witness this."
The designer of the sea train was Franky's mentor, the world's greatest boatman, Mr. Tom.
This master shipbuilder who brought prosperity to the Water Capital and several surrounding cities, clearly offset his crime of building a ship for Pirate King Roger by constructing the sea train.