Hoo~
The mist engulfed them.
Shano's vision suddenly distorted, everything around him turned into a white blur, seemingly static for a long time, with no movement.
He waited, growing increasingly bored, almost losing his patience...
Finally, the scene changed, a slightly salty sea breeze hit him, and he felt the sensation of fine sand beneath his feet. Shano looked down and found himself situated on the muddy docks of Cocoyashi Village.
Looking back toward the village, far away, familiar wooden huts sent smoke curling into the sky, and coconut trees rustled in the wind.
A tall figure turned around before him, one he found exceedingly familiar, as if he'd seen it countless times in his dreams...
"Boring, insignificant humans!"
Ah Long spread his arms wide, baring his teeth and laughing freely, "Listen well, from now on, this island will be ruled by us, the Ar Long Pirates! Sha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!"
Boom!
A black torrent shot out, and in an instant, Ah Long's body exploded into countless fragments.
Shano retracted his finger with a dark expression.
What nonsense is this, dredged up from some forgotten corner of ancient times!
Others face formidable foes like Aokiji and Zephyr, and this purple-skinned shark expects to be seated at the same table?
Sigh.
He sighed sadly, exited the illusion realm, and headed toward the training room loaded with historical texts.
Indeed, now, there is no object of fear for me anymore.
I should honestly continue training my Flowing Water Rock-Breaking Fist.
...
Three days later.
Drizzling rain, having started in the morning, had yet to cease. Amidst such obscured vision, the outline of the next island finally emerged in the distance.
Nojiko on the lookout tower immediately informed everyone, and crew members began to emerge one by one from the ship's cabins.
During this period, except for Nami, almost everyone had used Illusion Dream Grass for training, each with varying progress, though none had yet managed to break through their fears.
Such a feat isn't something easily accomplished.
Shano just emerged from the training room, took a quick shower, then came to the ship's bow, letting the raindrops soak his black hair as he gazed through the hazy mist toward the far distance.
A bustling port city gradually came into focus.
It was a town built entirely from pitch-black materials, with almost every building constructed from dark stone, appearing particularly solemn and mysterious amidst the curtain of rain.
At its highest point, a towering black spire pierced the skies, with streets bustling with people, local residents even dressed in black clothing and holding black umbrellas.
"Is that Black Stone City?" Robin appeared beside Shano under an umbrella, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, "Didn't expect to encounter it here."
"You know this island?"
"Mm."
Robin nodded, "One of the New World's famous trade hubs, known for producing an extremely durable black stone, it was once the domain of the Golden Lion. After the Golden Lion was captured, there was chaos for a while until, over a decade ago, the Whitebeard Pirates declared control over it, restoring its prosperity and stability."
"Whitebeard, huh..."
Shano squinted slightly, atop the towering black spire, he could indeed faintly see black skull flags fluttering.
This made him recall Fishman Island, where he had arranged with Marco to visit the White Whale to meet Whitebeard.
Unfortunately, the vastness of the ocean meant he has yet to cross paths with Whitebeard.
He wondered if there might be Whitebeard's officers stationed on this island... Just as he pondered this, Nojiko at the lookout tower suddenly cried out:
"Brother! Look at the seven o'clock direction, that ship, the pattern on the sails is, is..."
Hmm?
Shano followed her direction to see a noticeably striking pirate ship docked at the far left of the port.
It was striking because the ship was primarily deep red in color, with two large white sails bearing prominent skulls, behind which dual blades crossed, and a red scar on the left eye, with the prow shaped like a red snake with bull horns.
"It's the Red Hair Pirates."
Shano's lips slowly curled into a smile.
The ship before him was none other than the flagship of the Red Hair Pirates, and within the entire Red Hair Grand Fleet, only that person had the right to helm this ship—
Red-haired Shanks himself!
Behind him, Nami, wearing pajamas, stepped out holding Gatomon, just in time to see Shano's expression.
She wasn't sure if it was an illusion...
But she felt that her older brother seemed to be smiling, and smiling quite happily?