Three days later, in the morning, at the pier.
"No, do I have to take this thing with me?"
Shanu weakly raised the Den Den Mushi that was forced into his hand.
"Stop talking nonsense, just take it if I tell you to."
Bellemere said fiercely, "You insisted on going out to sea and won't be back for a month. How can I be at ease with you when you're so young?"
"Well, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with age. It seems that no one in the whole village can beat me..."
"Just take it with you, Shanu."
The middle-aged man in the brown patrol uniform crossed his arms and laughed, the brand new windmill above his head whirring and spinning rapidly in the sea breeze.
"Otherwise, she won't let you go today. Oh, and remember to take good care of my little darling. If you need a call, dial the village office. Tsk, if Bellemere hadn't cornered me several times and forced me to give it up, I wouldn't have been willing to give it to you, brat."
"You're so nosy!"
Bellemere raged, slapping Genzo hard. His police hat and the windmill flew off, landing on the sea near the pier.
"My new windmill!" Genzo hurriedly jumped into the water to retrieve it.
"It's yours, Uncle Genzo,"
Shanu realized, and flicked the Den Den Mushi's head with his finger. "I was wondering why this little thing had a windmill on its head!"
Bulu bulu!
The Den Den Mushi, lazily munching on basil leaves, was tickled by the prick. It glared at Shanu and turned its face away angrily.
Hey, fun.
This was his first time playing with a Den Den Mushi. It was quite cute, but it was expensive, starting at tens of thousands of berries.
Well, I can't afford one just yet. When I save up enough money, I'll buy one for each of my two sisters as a pet.
"Violent maniac, isn't this just to help you talk him down?"
Genzo sullenly climbed out of the water, blew on the wet windmill, and carefully put his police hat back on. It was such bad luck! Why did fate always play tricks on my little windmill?
Every once in a while, about once a year to be exact, the windmill above my head would mysteriously disappear.
I don't know which thief stole it. This one was just made a few days ago, and it almost fell victim to another thief. Bellemere didn't bother to pay attention to him.
Instead, she looked at the tall, thin old man directing the crew to check and load the cargo. She smiled gently.
"Mr. Gatt, this child's first time on a ship this long. I'll ask you to take good care of her along the way."
"Don't worry. I come to you every year to purchase, so we're old acquaintances. I can still fulfill your request." Gatt smiled, lighting his pipe and speaking politely.
"Asakura Island is a major commercial center and a must-go for us. I can assure you that I'll get the child there safely."
"Thank you very much," Bellemere smiled, clasping her hands together in a gesture of prayer for a safe voyage.
As Gatt left, she seemed like a different person again, sternly glaring at Shanu.
"Well, go ahead. Since you've been really hard-working lately, I'll indulge you this time and let you go to Asakura Island to relax. And don't forget, you must contact me at least once a week!"
He naturally couldn't tell his family the real purpose of his voyage. No one would believe that she would travel thousands of miles to steal an eight-year-old kid's hat.
So he changed the excuse to that he was bored staying at home for too long and wanted to go to Asakura Island to have some fun and visit the swordsmanship gym there to see if there was a chance to learn a few moves.
Facts proved that a convincing lie must be based on facts.
The latter reason immediately fooled Bellemere.
She had heard about it when she was in the navy. There were several famous swordsmanship gyms on that island, and they would jointly hold a grand kendo tournament every year. It was the best place to practice kendo in the nearby waters.
And according to her secret observation, Shanu's swordsmanship training was indeed not going well. In addition, there was a naval branch stationed on Asakura Island, and the route was also safe.
So, after much deliberation, she finally agreed to Shanu's somewhat excessive request.
"Got it, got it. Let's go! Remember to say goodbye to Nojiko and Nami for me!"
It was only six in the morning, and it hadn't been five when they left. The two little ones were sound asleep.
Shanu simply pinched their cheeks, not wanting to wake them.
Bellemere helped him stuff the Den Den Mushi into his pocket. The windmill on the shell immediately pushed the fabric into a funny bulge, causing Shanu to pat it lightly with dissatisfaction.
He waved to the two elders who had come to see him off, turned around, and trotted away towards the distant cargo ship.
The salty sea breeze swept past the boy's gradually blurry back.
"..."
Bellemere sniffed and turned her head away suspiciously quickly.
Only Genzo saw her quietly stuffing several large-denomination banknotes into the boy's pocket along with the Den Den Mushi.
"I say,"
Genzo waited for a moment and asked in confusion, "Why are you stuffing money so secretly? Putting it all in one pocket, aren't you afraid that it will be eaten by the Den Den Mushi?"
Bellemere's action of secretly wiping her tears suddenly froze.
"Ah, ah, bastard, why didn't you say so earlier!"
The ponytailed woman with red eyes suddenly turned her head back, her face devastated, and sprinted towards the end of the pier, shouting as she ran:
"Hey! Shanu, wait! Don't get on the boat yet--"
... ...
The moonlight was a little dim, and the sea was shrouded in darkness.
On the deck of the merchant ship, warm orange lights lit up, and a banquet with a few simple tables and chairs put together was emitting a cheerful heat.
The ship wasn't small, with perhaps twenty or thirty crew members Gatthered. Whistles echoed from time to time, accompanied by the clinking of draft beer glasses.
This party wasn't meant to welcome Shanu; he was just a hitchhiker, not a legitimate one.
As for the reason... on this ocean, did a party even need one?
"Hey, kid, what's up? Still feeling dizzy and nauseous?"
Old Captain Gatt, puffing on his pipe, approached and put his arm around Shanu's shoulders.
"It's all right now, Captain Gatt,"
Shanu replied, quickly swallowing his barbecue. There were only eight or nine empty plates piled beside him. It was clear that in front of outsiders, he ate in small, restrained bites.
Speaking of Shanu's story, it was a bit embarrassing.
After all, it was his first time on a large ocean vessel, and he hadn't experienced anything like this.
Yesterday morning, as the merchant ship reached full speed, pitching forward in the wind and waves, Shanu had literally leaned over the railing, nearly vomiting up his leftover food.
Several middle-aged men surrounded him, patting his back and offering him water and towels, and he finally managed to recover.
Fortunately, his years of training had not been in vain, and his strong body had given him an adaptability beyond that of ordinary people.
In just a few hours, the seasickness symptoms gradually subsided.
After a good night's sleep, the next day, he had completely recovered. No matter how the ship rocked, he was still full of energy, just like these veteran seafarers who had been sailing for years.
"Wow, your physique is good. It seems your mother was really worried, haha."
Gatt tapped his pipe with a smile. "You have a good material for the future of sailing. How about you, when you grow up in a few years, do you want to come and help us on the ship?"
"I will definitely consider it when I have the chance." Shanu chuckled. He knew that the other party was teasing him, but he didn't refuse on the spot.
The men on this ship were all very friendly to him, and he had a very good impression of him.
"Mr. Gattt," Shanu asked curiously, "The ship has been sailing for over forty hours. How long will it take to reach Asakura Island?"
"The currents and winds are quite favorable this time. We're faster than expected," Gattt smiled.
"About four days at most, assuming there aren't any problems later..." A dull thud suddenly shattered the stillness of the night, interrupting Gattt's words.
"What's that sound?"
"What happened?"
The lively banquet was instantly interrupted, and almost everyone jumped to their feet, looking around in confusion for the source of the sound.
"It's coming from the stern!"
Gattt, a seasoned veteran, immediately made his assessment and shouted in a deep voice, "Don't panic! Helmsmen and gunners, take your positions. Send a few more men to check the stern!"
"Yes, Captain!"
Everyone quickly separated, each following the order.
Shanu instinctively reached for the wooden sword at his waist—he had no reason to bring it with him, but after all, he was going there to learn swordsmanship, so he had to put on a good show.