After two swordsmanship training missions, Eust’s swordsmanship skills improved significantly. He hoped to receive similar missions again, but the following five training missions were all physical training, which didn’t excite Eust much.
For the past ten days, Eust had been training peacefully by the shore, unlike his previous experiences where he encountered various events like the extortionist Jack and Bloodblade Karl’s mutual killing, Koby’s wilderness survival, and Shook and Beta’s rescue story.
Eust should have been satisfied with this training environment and focused solely on his training.
However, Eust overestimated his patience. The significant improvement in his skills from the two swordsmanship training sessions, combined with nearly a month of intense training, made him reconsider his initial plan to train for several months before setting sail.
Eust’s initial plan was to stay in one place and train diligently. But now, his growing strength made him rethink this strategy, and the idea of setting sail slowly took over.
One day, after completing a training mission and gaining more strength, Eust decided to return to the inn for dinner and casually gather information from the other guests.
This had become Eust’s new hobby—listening to interesting rumors, tales of rampaging sea beasts, and unexpected treasures. Even if the stories were exaggerated, Eust enjoyed them as entertainment.
That evening, Eust overheard news about Straw Hat Luffy, sparking his adventurous spirit and solidifying his decision to leave Shells Town and start his own adventure.
The information was somewhat vague, but Eust, familiar with the storyline, deduced that this event involved the first clash between Buggy’s pirate crew and Luffy and Zoro.
Given that the news had spread, the event must have happened some time ago. Such events wouldn’t be reported in the newspapers but rather spread through word of mouth by traders, making the news travel slowly.
Buggy’s Devil Fruit, the Chop-Chop Fruit, had great potential, but he hadn’t developed it much. Luffy, having eaten the Gum-Gum Fruit, was also just starting his journey, so their battles were not as refined as they would be later.
Despite their initial inexperience, their strength was formidable. Even Buggy’s two main officers could easily defeat Eust at this point.
The outcome of their clash was, of course, Luffy and Zoro’s victory, with them helping to save a town in the process.
Luffy defeated the beast tamer Mohji and his lion Richie and sent the “simplified version” of Buggy flying. Zoro, despite being injured, defeated the acrobat Cabaji, while the other underlings were KO’d by Buggy’s cannonballs.
Hearing this news and his own growing thoughts of adventure, Eust returned to his room to discuss setting sail with Sunny.
“Sunny, we’ve been in Shells Town for over twenty days now, and our strength has improved a lot. I want to set sail for adventure. What do you think?”
“Meow, my goal is to become the strongest strategist cat. There are no other strategist cats here in Shells Town, so I’m fine with leaving. Besides, didn’t you say we needed to stay and train here? Meow!”
“That’s right. When we first arrived in Shells Town, we had nothing. We needed funds and a brief rest, and our strength was very weak, so we decided to stay and train to improve before thinking about setting sail.”
“But now, things have changed. My physical and sword skills have improved many times over. After your fight with Bloodblade Karl and the side effects of your transformation disappearing, your strength has also grown significantly. We’re basically ready to set sail.”
“Meow, Eust, you decide. I don’t care, meow!”
“Ah, Sunny, does that mean everything I just said was for nothing? And stop mimicking me.”
Sunny responded with a big, dismissive gesture.
“Sunny, how should we handle getting a boat for our journey?”
“Meow, Eust, you decide. Meow!”
“I think we don’t have the strength or navigation skills for long voyages yet. For now, we should stick to exploring around Shells Town, so a small boat will do. We can’t handle a larger ship, and a small boat is easier to buy.”
“When we find enough crew members and a navigator, we can think about getting a bigger ship for long-distance adventures. By then, our strength should be enough for the Grand Line.”
“Meow, Eust, you decide. Meow!”
“Sunny, where do you suggest we head to first?”
“Meow, Eust, you decide. Meow!”
“Aren’t you supposed to be the strategist cat? Why not give some advice?”
“Meow, Eust, you decide. Meow!”
“Sunny! What did I do to upset you? Tell me, and I’ll fix it, okay?”
“Meow, nothing, Eust. I just think it sounds cool to answer that way, meow!”
“Ugh!” Eust was embarrassed. Sunny seemed to be whimsical.
“By the way, Sunny, how will you become the strongest strategist cat?”
“Meow, just by defeating all other strategist cats I encounter. Also, a strategist cat can have helpers. I hope Eust becomes strong enough to be my helper. Meow!”
“Great, so it’s really about the strength of the strategist cat’s team.” Eust thought.
How could he change Sunny’s view? Maybe he didn’t need to. If he or his team were strong enough, they could help Sunny.
Overthinking wouldn’t help. Preparing for their first adventure was the most urgent matter. One step at a time.
So, Eust and Sunny happily decided to leave Shells Town the next day and start their own adventure.
The next morning, Eust and Sunny had breakfast and began preparing for their journey.
They needed a boat and supplies. For Eust, who wasn’t familiar with the routes, a nautical chart, compass, and other basics were essential.
As expected, it was easy to buy a small boat that one person could handle, though the price was slightly higher than Eust anticipated.
Supplies, charts, and compasses were also easy to buy on Shells Island. With Sunny’s mission space, they prepared abundantly.
Eust sold some of the loot from Jack the Extortionist, replenishing their dwindling funds. Selling these items on smaller islands would be difficult, so it was necessary to do it early.
With everything ready, Eust checked out of the inn, gave little Rika a small gift, and left amidst her reluctant gaze.
Departures are always bittersweet, but their goal was the sea of stars.
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