This is... Gatomon?
Shano's eyes widened as he looked the elegant cat up and down: "Evolved so quickly again? And you can talk now?"
"Hee hee, pretty strong, right? Half of it is thanks to the reward from our master last time, and the other half is of course because I've been working hard!"
Gatomon proudly tossed his head, "Actually, I finished evolving this morning. I wanted to tell you first thing, Master, but you were so focused on your training that I didn't want to interrupt..."
Shano squinted slightly.
Oh, sure, you've been so 'hard at work'. Eating and sleeping all day, at least Ah Yin gets kicked into the sea by him occasionally for some exercise.
This little rascal's shameless demeanor is so similar to Nami's!
Probably because he's liked sleeping on Nami's head since he was little, picking up her habits.
Shano instinctively glanced at Nami, only to find her gaping in disbelief, seemingly just now noticing Nuomi's evolution.
"Whoa!!!"
She tore at her short orange hair frantically, "You've evolved again, really?! When will my reputation ever be cleared, boohoo... Tell me! Will you evolve more? Will you? Will you?!"
"Well~"
Gatomon tilted his head, instinctively looking at Shano, and after Shano blinked at him, he turned back and showed a pure smile:
"Don't worry, Nami, it shouldn't happen again!"
"That's good."
Nami let out a sigh of relief, but thinking she might get accused by the Navy of a crime even a pet dog could be blamed for once the warrants are updated, she couldn't help but worry again.
Nojiko and Kuina patted her shoulder sympathetically, while Robin, witnessing their shaking shoulders, couldn't help but chuckle as she sipped her coffee.
"Let's talk about the important thing first, Nuomi."
She looked at Gatomon and asked with great interest, "Did you say you really found that treasure left by Rocks?"
As soon as she said this, everyone snapped back to reality, all eyes turning to Gatomon.
Ordinary treasures might not be appealing, but something left by Rocks... There's no doubt it's enticing.
Who cares about some treasure? My reputation is what's important... Only Nami still rested her cheek on her palm, full of worry.
"Yes, indeed, Big Sister Robin!"
Gatomon puffed out his chest, his tail wagging side to side, and said with a smile:
"After evolving, my sense of smell and perception have improved a lot. This morning, watching Master train was boring, so I wandered around the island, and suddenly I smelled a very peculiar scent!"
Always bragging, how come I didn't smell anything? Lying on the deck, Ah Yin lifted his head, glanced at him, and snorted.
Gatomon didn't notice Ah Yin's expression and continued:
"Following the scent, I found a very hidden crevice at the base of the rock peak. It was pitch dark inside, but my night vision is excellent now. I could see at a glance that there was a rusty iron box that's been there for many years, with a big 'R' engraved on it!"
"R..."
Robin pondered, "Rocks, maybe? It really could be something left by Rocks."
"No need to guess." Shano grinned, "Let's check it out directly, come on, Glutinous Rice Cake, lead the way!"
...
Ten minutes later.
At the base of the black rock peak in the center of Thunder God Island.
Everyone was gathered, except for Nami, who was listless. The rest were a bit impatient.
"This is it!"
Gatomon pointed to the crack on the rock face, nearly covered by moss, "The scent is coming from inside, but the rock layer here is too hard. I really don't know how to get down."
"So hidden, it's no wonder so many Pirates came to find it, all to no avail..." Robin leaned closer for a look, but couldn't see anything. If not for Gatomon pointing it out, they wouldn't have discovered it.
"Let me."
Without a word, Jack swung his fist, covering it with Armament Haki, and punched the rock wall!
Boom!
Rocks flew, and the crack was forcibly expanded into a large hole. Jack was the first to crawl in, using his hands like an excavator to clear the rock layers, leading everyone to the chest.
"Nami." Shano called.
"Got it."
Nami knew right away what her brother meant, snapped her fingers weakly, and a flame burst from above her, illuminating the dark cave bottom.
"No lock?"
Robin noticed the anomaly first and slightly frowned, "It seems someone has already opened it..."
"Eh?" Nojiko was immediately disappointed, "So it's just an empty box, and we came here for nothing..."
"No."
Shano squinted his eyes and suddenly spoke, "It's not empty, there's a faint living presence inside, though very weak."
So weak that it almost seemed dead. Even with Katakuri's Observation, it wasn't detected from the island before."
Shano moved to the front, pushed Robin back a bit, and then asked everyone to step back a little before cautiously reaching out his right hand toward the lid.
The treasure chest was very, very heavy, and one couldn't tell what material it was made of.
Even for him, it took a bit of effort to open it. It's estimated that even a dozen strong adults couldn't lift it together.
Creak~
The inside of the chest was exposed, revealing only one thing in the middle—a thin white-haired boy.
He looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, his skin slightly dark, body curled up in a ball, eyes shut, caught in a deep sleep.
"This..."
Everyone looked at each other, momentarily stunned.
"Rocks' treasure... is a living person?"
"How is that possible? How old must this guy be then? Doesn't look it at all!"
"Maybe he's an Ability User. This world is full of peculiar things..."
As they argued, the boy's eyelids suddenly twitched once, then slowly opened.
He looked around blankly, finally his gaze falling on Shano at the forefront, lips trembling slightly, seemingly wanting to say something, yet couldn't make any sound with his chapped lips.
"Water."
Shano extend his hand without turning back.
"I have some, boss."
Jack quickly handed over a large water bottle.
The boy held the water bottle, gulping down several mouthfuls before recovering, hoarsely saying: "Tha... thank you all..."
"Who are you?"
Shano didn't beat around the bush, asking directly, "Why are you in this chest?"
Indeed, why am I sleeping in this chest?
The boy's brain clearly still in a daze, thought for a long time, finally figuring it out, coming to his senses, he slapped his forehead and hurried to get up:
"Oh no! Grandpa is still waiting for me! I... I need to get back immediately..."
The boy frantically tried to climb out of the chest, but as soon as he stood up, he staggered weakly and almost fell.
Shano reached out to steady him, frowning:
"Don't rush, unless you eat well and rest properly, you probably won't be able to leave this island, we can help you, but you should answer my previous question, right?"
"Um..."
The white-haired boy hesitated, thinking these people, except for the cigar-chewing white-haired uncle, didn't look like bad guys. He scratched his head and decided to answer honestly:
"Sir, my name is Qia, I'm a hunter from the Agatha Islands, it was a few days ago... um, maybe ten days? I don't know how long I've been asleep... Anyway, I came here looking for something for my grandfather."
"That day, after a lot of effort, I finally pried open the chest, but before finding anything, the lid slammed down, trapping me inside. My throat went hoarse from shouting, but no one came to save me, and then I somehow fell asleep..."
"What could you be looking for that you'd find in Rocks' treasure chest?" Robin chuckled.
Rocks?
The boy looked puzzled, slapping his head, desperately trying to remember.
This name sounds a bit familiar. Who was that again? Damn, I should've paid more attention when the elders were telling stories!
"Tch, ignorant brat, you don't even know Rocks..."
Nami crossed her arms disdainfully.
And you have the nerve to say that?
Shano tapped her forehead irritably, turning to the white-haired boy named Qia: "Since you don't even know Rocks, how did you find your way here?"
"It was my grandfather." Qia scratched his head, "Years ago, he found this place following a Treasure Map and obtained a Holy Artifact."
"That Holy Artifact seemed to have a peculiar power, able to drive away beasts in the forest and nearby Sea King Species, protecting our clan and allowing us to live peacefully for a long time."
"Then, a few months ago, a Great Pirate somehow heard about our Holy Artifact and coveted it, wanting to kill us all and steal the Artifact."
Qia said, gritting his teeth, "That bastard kept pressuring us... Grandpa, as the chieftain, became anxious and sought the Artifact's power for protection, but somehow fell into a coma, never waking up. Thankfully, a savior later came and fought off the pirates, averting disaster."
"But Grandpa remains comatose, his condition worsens every day, near death, and the clan's priests have no way to help."
"I couldn't stand it anymore, so I secretly took the Treasure Map and ventured out to find a solution, hoping to find something in this chest..."
How come listening to this story feels so familiar?
Shano pondered, staring at Qia gulping down water: "What's the name of that Great Pirate you mentioned?"
"He's called something... Dofe... Doflamingo or something, the name is long, everyone calls him Flamingo."
Qia clenched his fist, "This started all because of him. I can't beat him now, but one day, I'll avenge Grandpa!"
"What about the savior that helped you all?"
"Oh, the savior's name is easy to remember, it's Kuma!"