The tone was natural, as if nothing had happened.
"Mm, much better." Robin smiled slightly.
This confirmed one hundred percent that nothing happened last night.
She let out a slight sigh of relief, yet felt a tinge of inexplicable disappointment.
Fortunately, at that moment, Nami began to shake the sign tube vigorously, snapping Robin's thoughts back to reality.
"Here, draw one each."
Seven hands and a big paw reached out simultaneously, each drawing a lot.
"Meow!"
Nuomi wanted to participate too, but being just a round little furball without hands, Nami simply ignored it with a cold smile.
The allocation results came out quickly.
Shano, Smoker, Zeff, and Ah Yin would take the train.
Robin, Kuina, Nami, and Nojiko would travel by boat.
This was the journey plan to the Spring Queen City. Once they left the Spring Queen City, heading to the next stop at Water Seven, they'd switch places.
"..." Shano held the wooden lot, deep in thought without speaking.
"What's wrong, bro?"
Nami leaned over, took a glance, "Isn't experiencing the sea train exciting? I'd love to take the train first, why don't we switch?"
"It's not about the lottery."
Shano frowned, pondering deeply, "It's just that we're about to leave this island, and I feel like I forgot something..."
Hmm, what was it?
Forget it; it probably wasn't important.
Just as everyone was getting ready to set sail from the pier and head to the station, urgent shouts suddenly came from the shore.
"Lord Shano! Lord Shano!"
Pike rushed to the front of the ship, his face full of anxiety and worry, with beads of sweat still on his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Shano immediately went to meet him, "Weren't you settled on the island? What's happened now?"
"Are you leaving already?"
"Mm," Shano nodded, "Resupplies are about done, time to head to the next island."
"Then, then what about my son?"
Pike glanced around the deck, a bit disappointed, "I haven't seen him. Did you... not take him?"
Well.
Lord Shano's ship isn't just for anyone.
Maybe I've been too hopeful...
"Your son?" Shano looked puzzled.
"It's Jack! You should know him, right?"
Pike was also stumped by the question, scratching his head, "He came to find you yesterday, wanting to apologize and hoping to follow you from now on. Did you not run into him?"
Who?
Jack?!
"..."
Shano slapped his forehead.
He finally remembered what he had forgotten.
...
Ten minutes later.
Town center, garden.
Jack returned to his human form, crouching on the bench, warming his hands by the fire, yet still shivering from the cold.
Icy bits clung to his eyebrows and the tips of his hair, his lips were purple, clearly having endured quite a night.
"Dad... I'm sorry, I, I think I messed up..." he stammered, his voice full of regret.
"Didn't mess up, you were just a bit off!"
Pike stood on the chair, on tiptoes, gently rubbing his adoptive son's arm with a warm towel:
"Good thing I checked on you when you didn't return all night and found it suspicious, and went to Lord Shano. If I'd been a moment later, you might have frozen to death, dummy!"
"That's a Navy Grand Admiral you're dealing with! You fool, you just charged right in. How many times have I told you, don't be so rash, if you had just explained your intentions first to Lord Shano, would this have happened?"
Beside them.
Shano exchanged glances with the others, all finding the situation somewhat laughable and crying.
Along the way, during their conversation with Pike, they pieced together the whole story.
The straightforward and naive giant had learned yesterday about the benefactor who saved his father and felt deeply guilty about once opposing that person, intending to come and apologize.
And Pike thought his adoptive son's abilities were wasted at the docks, so he encouraged him to join them, offering his help to Lord Shano.
The result was...
Just as Jack spotted Shano in the garden, he ran into Aokiji's imposing presence and, enraged, attacked without a word.
On Shano's side, due to certain black histories in Alabasta, everyone still viewed him as an enemy and didn't bother with him at all.
Later, due to Robin's drunken misconduct, everyone followed Shano back to the ship early.
In the end.
By pure coincidence.
This unlucky guy ended up frozen in the deserted garden for an entire night.
If it weren't for his Fishman physique and the durability from the Mammoth Fruit, he might have already been done for.
"Hehe, lucky I'm here."
Nami smugly snapped her fingers, sending a bright spark from her fingertips to fuel the campfire before Jack a bit more.
She constructed the campfire, and it was her Flame-Flame Fruit powers that quickly melted Aokiji's ice.
Otherwise, anyone else dealing with this chunk of ice would have taken quite some effort.
"It's a lot warmer now..."
Jack lifted his head, looking at the orange-haired girl before him. Despite still trembling, he managed to squeeze out a grateful smile:
"Th-thank you, Big Sister Nami!"
His teeth chattered, voice halting, "If not for your rescue, I might have really frozen to death..."
Amid the endless cold, his consciousness had long blurred. He did not know how long he endured before gradually coming to.
The first flicker of firelight he saw, the first smile he encountered, both came from this kind and warm-hearted human girl before him.