One Piece: It All Started When I Found Shanks' Arm

Chapter 70: The Fat Sheep of Loguetown

As night deepened, the flagship sailed out of the dock. Amidst a celebratory send-off of champagne and cannon fire from the Whale Shipbuilding Company, they departed from Sherry Island.

"Next stop, Loguetown. It's not far, we should be there in four or five days at most. Mr. Gandalf-Ford gave us enough food and water for ten days, so we're more than prepared for this leg of the journey," Kuina said, studying the sea chart and pointing at various spots.

"Loguetown is the closest town in the entire East Blue to the entrance of Reverse Mountain. There's a Marine branch stationed there, so it's relatively safe. We can use it as our final stop in the East Blue, Captain. Once we restock on food and water there, we can officially head for the Grand Line!"

Having been an avid reader since childhood, she knew a great deal about navigation. So, until they found a professional navigator, she had volunteered to take on the role. She could make up for her lack of practical experience by consulting with Zeff.

"Mmm, let's do that…"

Shane was lying lazily on the back of the silver wolf figurehead. Beside him, the real Gin was glaring at his wooden counterpart, occasionally baring his teeth at it.

Hearing Kuina call him "Captain" felt incredibly satisfying.

Even though he'd been called that before they officially set sail, hearing it now that he had his own flagship felt completely different.

He was growing more and more pleased with the ship. The training rooms were even better than he had imagined, and the minimalist, solid-wood style of the bedrooms and hallways, with a few Bohemian-style decorations, was perfectly to his taste.

All it needed was a good name.

The four of them had already discussed it, but all the names they came up with were lacking. The Silver Wolf, the Great Swordmaster, the Shimotsuki Coconut, the Iron Fist…

The names got more and more ridiculous. Shane had almost suggested calling it the "Flying Dutchman," but he calmed down at the last second. They all agreed to put it on hold and think about it for a few more days.

"Hey, Nojiko," Shane yawned, looking up at the mast. "You've been up there for over an hour. Hasn't the novelty worn off yet? It's about time you came down, washed up, and went to bed."

"Aww, why? Let me stay up here a little longer, Big Bro~!" Nojiko whined, just like when she was a child. It was her first time in the crow's nest of such a large ship, and everything was new and exciting.

There's no reasoning with her, Shane thought, waving a hand in resignation. Nojiko giggled and raised the spyglass to her eye again.

After some time had passed, Nojiko suddenly let out a small gasp. "Big Bro, I think there's a pirate ship over there! That Jolly Roger… it looks really familiar…"

She frowned, wracking her brain. "I think… it's the Black Cat Pirates?"

The Black Cat Pirates?

Kuro of a Hundred Plans?!

More points, delivered right to our doorstep?

Shane shot upright in an instant. As captain, he issued his first command: "What are you waiting for? Hurry up and pull the ship alongside them!"

…

When they actually drew near the ship, they realized something was wrong.

The Black Cat Pirates' ship was only half there. The front half was intact, but it looked like it had been sliced clean in two.

The cut was perfectly smooth and flat. The other half of the ship was nowhere to be seen.

Stepping onto the deck, they were greeted by the sight of bodies strewn everywhere and the overwhelming stench of blood.

Under a parasol, Shane saw the upper half of Kuro's body slumped in a wicker chair. His face was frozen in a look of sheer terror, as if he had witnessed something unbelievable just before he died.

"What in the world…"

Kuina crouched at the edge of the severed deck, her brow furrowed. "There's no mistake. This clean slice… it's definitely the work of a Swordmaster…"

But there were only three Swordmasters in the East Blue: herself, her father Koshiro, and Lord Shane.

Where had this unknown Swordmaster come from?

"Who the hell knows."

Shane was cheerful. He didn't care who had done the deed. For all he knew, Kuro had just been unlucky enough to run into Hawkeye while he was taking a leak off the side of his boat.

While the others went to check the rest of the ship, he started humming a happy tune and skillfully began to "shear the sheep."

Kuro's ten metal claws, Jango's hypnotic pendulum…

He didn't spare the two cat-like crewmen whose faces he recognized but whose names he couldn't recall, stripping them of their weapons as well.

All together, he gained a thousand points, which was even more than he'd gotten from the Krieg Pirates. His total point balance was now back over the thirty-thousand mark.

"Big Bro, I've searched the ship. There isn't much treasure, mostly cash. About fifty million Berries in total," Nojiko reported, poking her head out of a hatch and counting on her fingers. "With the funds we already have, that brings us to exactly eighty million Berries."

We're almost at a hundred million?

Shane nodded. He had left the bounty money he'd earned from Marine Branch 77 with his family, only taking a few tens of millions with him.

Out on the sea, opportunities were everywhere. As long as you had the strength, you'd never have to worry about money.

"There's also a lot of food we can take," Zeff reported happily after inspecting the kitchen. "Heh heh, it seems these pirates had just restocked their food and wine. They've barely touched it. There's enough here to last us a month."

Points, treasure, food… this free delivery came with a complete set of supplies.

Of course, there was one last thing he couldn't forget.

Shane waved a hand and ordered, "Remember to take their heads. When we get to Loguetown, we can collect the bounties from the Marines there!"

They didn't need to restock on food anymore.

But regardless, Loguetown was a place he had to visit.

There was a big, fat sheep there that he hadn't gotten around to shearing for years, just waiting for him!

...

Five days later, the four of them were gathered around the long table on the deck, staring at the sea chart with utter disbelief.

"Didn't you say it would take four or five days at most to reach Loguetown…?" Shane stroked his chin. "How come we're in the middle of nowhere? I don't see a single island."

"..."

Kuina propped herself up on the table, silent for a long moment before she finally managed to force the words out. "I think… we're off course. Our current route seems to be heading more towards… the Goa Kingdom…"

"What are you doing?" Nojiko ambushed her from behind, poking her in the side. "That's not the face you made when you were so confidently patting your chest and saying you could handle being the navigator!"

"Plans change…" Kuina said meekly, too embarrassed to argue. She really had tried her best. For the first two days, with Zeff's help, their course had been true, and everything was under control.

But on the third day, a storm had hit. Visibility was zero, and the wind was chaotic.

By the time the storm, which had lasted for a day and a night, finally passed, they discovered they had drifted far off their intended course.

"You can't blame yourself for that. Don't worry about it. Let's just correct our course and continue towards Loguetown. It'll only set us back a few days."

Shane smiled and patted Kuina's shoulder reassuringly. He wasn't bothered by it, but the incident had served as a wake-up call.

Going off course in the East Blue wasn't a big deal. As long as they realized it early, they could use the compass to get back on track quickly.

But what about the Grand Line?

The magnetic fields there were chaotic, the winds and currents were unpredictable, and a regular compass was useless. They would have to rely solely on the Log Pose for navigation, and the risks were far greater than in the East Blue.

It looks like I need to prioritize finding a reliable navigator.

"Beep, beep…" Just then, a beeping sound suddenly echoed in his ear. Shane paused for a moment, then realized what it was, his eyes lighting up with surprise.

Is that…

The Devil Fruit Radar, finally getting a signal?

BOOM!

At almost the same instant, the ship lurched violently, throwing everyone on deck off balance.

"What's happening?" Shane asked, closing his inventory and turning to shout.

"It's a whirlpool! And it's huge!!" Kuina yelled, rushing to the helm and desperately trying to keep the ship balanced. "It's pulling us in a certain direction… Dammit! We haven't even entered the Grand Line yet! How could we run into something like this?!"

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