Chapter 109: Tashigi, Oh Tashigi

"Goodbye, Xiano! And everyone else too!"

"Take care on your journey!"

The booming voices of Dorry and Brogy echoed across the sea as the two giants stood on the shore, waving goodbye. Their massive figures cast long shadows in the setting sun.

"Goodbye, Giant Uncles!!!"

The crew members also crowded by the ship's railing, shouting at the top of their lungs.

Nami and Nojiko had tears in their eyes, and even Kuina's eyes were slightly red.

Although they hadn't known each other for long, after spending a few days together, everyone had grown fond of these two straightforward, honest, and lovable giants.

Soon.

The outline of the island gradually blurred in the twilight.

The figures of Dorry and Brogy, as the distance grew, slowly turned into two small black dots in their vision, yet they continued to wave their arms persistently.

"Huh?"

Zeff's puzzled voice came from the side, "Strange, we've sailed so far, why haven't we seen that Island-Eating Goldfish yet?"

Only then did Xiano retract his gaze, looking at the sea ahead of the ship, raising an eyebrow.

Indeed, where's the fish?

Such a big fish?

He had originally planned to use the newly learned "Elbaf's Spear" to face off against this legendary beast and test the results of his special training.

But the sea before him was eerily calm.

Luffy had just set sail from Little Garden and was immediately targeted by the Island-Eating Goldfish, yet the Sunset was much larger than the Merry.

It seems to pick its targets wisely, how considerate.

He shook his head in disappointment, then turned to look at the system panel, where the latest two message prompts appeared.

[You sacrificed a strand of Blue Ogre Dorry's beard, gained 2000 Points]

[You sacrificed Red Ogre Brogy's belt buckle, gained 2000 Points]

These were items that had dropped during the special training over the past few days, which Xiano had casually picked up and sacrificed.

This time, he really picked them up from the ground.

A total of four thousand Points, quite a generous amount, bringing his Points back to forty-one thousand.

Of course, if he had sacrificed the weapons that had accompanied the two for a hundred years, the Points gained would have been much higher.

But that would have been too unethical. The Blue Ogre and Red Ogre had just helped him greatly, and they were two honest men without ulterior motives. Xiano really couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Brother, where are we going next?" Nami asked.

Nuomici was comfortably napping in her arms, the little one seemed to have taken a liking to the citrus scent on Nami and had been sticking close to her these days.

On Nami's slender, fair wrist, there were two watch-like pointers.

One was the Eternal Pose to Alabasta.

This was something Xiano had taken from Crocodile's corpse at Whiskey Peak.

The other was an ordinary Log Pose.

But it wasn't the one Nami had initially worn on her wrist.

During their days at Little Garden, Xiano had been busy with special training with the giants, while Nami and the others, having nothing else to do, decided to explore the entire island as a group.

Not only did they encounter many strange and fascinating ancient creatures, broadening their horizons;

They also found some shipwreck remains in the winding rivers, remnants from who knows how many years ago.

The bodies on the ship had long since decayed into skeletons, and there were no valuable treasures, but they did find a few undamaged Log Poses.

They were already filled with magnetic force.

Nami was delighted and immediately replaced her Log Pose with the newly acquired one.

The old Log Pose was accumulating magnetic force at a very slow pace on Little Garden. Who knew how long it would take to fully charge?

With this new Log Pose, the Sunset now had an additional option: either head directly to Alabasta or follow the Log Pose to the next stop on this route.

"Two choices, huh?"

Xiano pinched his chin, deep in thought.

The others also quieted down, waiting for his decision.

Choosing the route was the Captain's prerogative, and the crew had no right to interfere. Those who set sail on the seas naturally understood this.

"Let's go to the next stop!"

Xiano smiled and quickly made his decision.

Unknown adventures were always more appealing. After all, with the Eternal Pose, they could go to Alabasta anytime.

As for the next stop after Little Garden, if they didn't go now, once they reached Alabasta and the magnetic force reset, there would be no turning back.

...

Three days later.

An island with a somewhat peculiar outline appeared on the distant horizon.

Everyone gathered curiously at the bow of the ship to take a look.

As they got closer, they could see a stone tablet erected at the dock, clearly inscribed with the words: "Welcome to Toll Island."

"Toll Island... So the next stop is here?"

Smoker was somewhat surprised.

"Have you been here before?" Kuina jumped down from the open-air dojo on the second floor, wiping her sweat with a towel as she asked.

"No."

Smoker, with a cigar in his mouth, looked reminiscent. "But a few years ago, a colleague and good friend of mine came here on a mission. After returning, he told me quite a bit about this island."

"This island is actually a twin island. The northern island is a commercially developed town with all sorts of entertainment industries, including a large amusement park. During peak seasons, it's packed with tourists."

He pointed into the distance, and everyone followed his gaze, indeed catching a glimpse of a giant Ferris wheel far off.

"The southern island, where we're about to land, is a serene and beautiful rural countryside."

"In spring, cherry blossoms bloom everywhere. Compared to the bustling northern island, although there aren't many entertainment options, it's a great place for those seeking inner peace to relax and unwind."

"The two islands are connected by a naturally formed stone bridge, so the shape of this twin island is quite interesting."

He suddenly straightened his chest and pointed to it. "From a high altitude, it looks like a 36F bra."

"What bra?!"

"Vulgar!"

"Stupid smoker, change your analogy!"

The three girls were flustered and annoyed, hurling their drink cups at him.

"Ah, sorry!"

Smoker finally realized what he had said, dodging awkwardly while his face turned red. "It's Tina... the friend I mentioned earlier. That's what she said at the time. I just unconsciously repeated her words..."

"But you didn't have to mimic the gesture too, you idiot!" Kuina snarled, baring her teeth. "That implication... Hey, that Tina must have a thing for you, right? She must!"

"Really?"

Smoker was bewildered.

How could that be? All he remembered was that ever since their days in the training camp, Tina always found ways to bully him.

Who would treat someone they liked like that?

Xiano let out a faint sigh and patted his shoulder.

Tsk, a thirty-year-old straight man as tough as steel...

"Let's go, we'll land on this southern island."

As the dock drew closer, Xiano watched the pink and white petals of cherry blossoms drift in the wind, inexplicably reminding him of his first voyage years ago and the adventures he had on Asakura Island.

(End of Chapter)