The straw hat spun leisurely on his fingertips, and Shano suddenly let out an "hmm" as if sensing something, sitting up straight and turning his head southwest.
On the treetops over there, some birds were startled and fluttered away into the distance.
Someone's coming?
Or perhaps a large predator?
He frowned, spread his legs apart, and slid directly down the tree trunk for more than a dozen meters.
Then he steadied himself on a branch in the middle of the tree, maintaining a good wide view and able to clearly observe every movement on the ground below.
...
"Boss, how old is that kid anyway? Really that powerful, knocked all three of you down?"
A rather silly voice suddenly sounded, and Shano followed the voice to see a fat man, more than two meters tall, carrying a Wolf Fang Club on his shoulder.
"Why would I lie to you? Is this something to be proud of!"
The person following, resembling a Skinny Monkey, shouted angrily, "Look at this bump on my head, it's still swollen, all thanks to that little brat. Don't underestimate that little demon, he has powers from a Demon!"
The fat man looked puzzled, "Powers from a Demon?"
"I don't get it either, but that's what everyone says! His arms and legs can stretch a few meters long and then shrink back just like those scary spring-loaded boxes. It's terrifying!"
"Sounds horrifying, Boss! Good thing Boss Scar captured him now, or else we'd be on edge patrolling the mountain every day!"
"Yeah, but we can't be careless. Boss said the kid has a companion who might try to rescue him, so we're all called back to camp for strict defense..."
"Someone's here!"
The fat man suddenly pointed his Wolf Fang Club upwards, "Up in the tree!"
"Huh?"
Skinny Monkey was startled and immediately looked up.
Sure enough, he saw a black-haired guy on the tree, looking at them with great interest.
"That's the brat's accomplice! Be careful, he might be another monster with demonic powers!"
Skinny Monkey immediately yelled in warning, grabbed the flintlock gun slung on his back, aimed at him, and roared through gritted teeth, "Get down here! Put your hands up, or I'll shoot!"
"Why do you guys always point guns at people, it's really scary..."
Under their vigilant gaze, Shano indeed slowly raised his hands and said with a smiling face:
"I say, this is our first meeting, isn't it? Why immediately label me as an accomplice of a demon brat?"
"Not an accomplice?"
The fat man was dumbfounded and put the Wolf Fang Club back on his shoulder, turning to Skinny Monkey, "Boss, did we make a mistake? He says he's not an accomplice."
"How can you believe whatever people say!"
Skinny Monkey fumed with anger and glared viciously at Shano, "You still dare to say you're not an accomplice? Then... then let me ask you, let me ask you!"
He pointed to the back of Shano's neck, "If you're really not, how come you have the exact same hat as that little demon!"
"You mean this?"
Shano was slightly taken aback, glanced at the straw hat on his back, and shrugged.
"Just a coincidence, but well, I'm also looking for the same person as you guys. I've been searching in this lousy mountain for days, almost dying of fatigue, thanks for capturing him, saving me the trouble."
"No need to thank us, it's what we should do."
The fat man scratched his head, chuckling foolishly:
"That brat's been inexplicably stealing our grilled meat while Scar Mountain Bandits were scattered around. Boss Scar was furious and personally tied him up by a cliff, that'll teach him a lesson, see if he can rob us now!"
"Indeed, such inherently evil brats deserve this kind of fate!"
Shano wholeheartedly agreed, "This kid owes me something, that's why I've been looking for him, since we're allies, can you take me to that cliff you mentioned?"
"No problem, buddy!"
The fat man laughed heartily, "But that place is a bit remote, how about this, just follow me, I'll take you..."
"Take you where!"
Skinny Monkey jumped up, delivering a blow to the fat man's head. He had been standing there dumbfounded, listening to their conversation, and finally couldn't hold back anymore, shouting:
"Idiot! Fool! That kid obviously has ill intentions, can't you see he's tricking you!"
"Eh?"
The fat man was stunned, and Skinny Monkey snorted coldly, raising his firearm to aim directly at Shano's forehead, even pulling the trigger!
Bang!
With a gunshot, Shano turned his head, watching the yellow bullet grazing past his nose.
Then turning back, he glanced at the bullet hole in the tree trunk, frowning.
"It's rare to see someone who shoots suddenly without a word."
He narrowed his eyes slightly, staring at the disbelieving Skinny Monkey Bandit, "I'm not confident enough to dodge all bullets, so sorry, I'll have to take action too."
Boom!
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly stomped on the tree trunk, launching himself like a cannonball towards the ground.
In Skinny Monkey's eyes, a black shadow rapidly enlarged, and before he could react in panic, his throat was already clamped by five fingers as strong as steel and lifted into the air.
"Cough... cough... let go, let go of me..."
He struggled desperately, using the gunstock to smash the opponent's forehead, but instantly, the opponent expressionlessly snatched it away.
With a slight twist, the flintlock gun snapped in half like a toy and was tossed aside.
"Don't bully the boss!"
The fat man shouted, raising the Wolf Fang Club to smash.
Shano easily sidestepped, grabbed the fat bandit's arm with one hand, and flung him over the shoulder into the distance!
Boom!
The giant tree was smashed into a human-shaped pit, embedding the fat bandit inside. No matter how much he roared in fury, he couldn't move.
Shano then clutched Skinny Monkey's head with his fingers again, lifting him with a courteous smile under his terrified gaze:
"Now, would you mind taking me there?"
...
"Hey! Wake up? Wake up!"
In a daze, Luffy felt someone tapping his cheek with a rough hand.
Slap!
Suddenly, that big hand slapped hard, making him see stars, and then a large basin of cold water poured over his head like a waterfall.
So cold!
Shivering from the chill, Luffy finally snapped awake.
"Huh? What's going on here!"
Luffy looked around and found himself tightly bound to a stone pillar, with a cliff just behind him, frightening him into a loud wail, "Whoa—!!!!"
"Shut up, brat!"
In front of him, a scarred-faced, dark-skinned man stomped on a chair, looking fierce and intimidating.
"Getting you to talk calmly was quite an effort. Now, can you tell me what grudge or feud we have, why you've been targeting my subordinates lately?"
"Targeting? Your subordinates?"
Luffy's head was filled with question marks, resembling little bells. He glanced at the scary scar-faced man in front of him, then at the surrounding bandits.
The little bandits gritted their teeth, eyes wide like copper bells, staring viciously at him, as if he'd done some unforgivable evil.
Luffy was even more confused, tilting his head in puzzlement and asked:
"Uncle, who are you?"