185 centimeters.
That was the height Shano compressed himself down to years ago, using a combination of Life Return and Paper Drawing, all while ensuring it didn't significantly affect his combat strength.
The reason he settled on that specific number?
It was simply because Bellemere was 186 centimeters tall.
He didn't want his mother to always have to look up at him.
Life proved that this decision turned out to be quite comfortable.
Though he was still a bit taller than the average person, it no longer interfered with daily life, nor did it make him stand out too much in a crowd.
By compressing his body density, he sacrificed a small portion of his strength, but gained significantly in agility.
His hitbox shrank dramatically, and the effectiveness of Paper Drawing skyrocketed—his body parts gained an instinctive, independent ability to dodge on their own.
This gave him a natural edge in most combat scenarios.
He gave this form a name: Paper Drawn Combat Body.
If Lucci ever came up with that same name in the future, by rights of first come first served, he clearly owed Shano copyright fees.
As for his actual, original form now...
"Hm?"
Shano suddenly looked up at the ceiling, frowning slightly. "It's only just summer, and there are already mosquitoes?"
Whoosh—!
In the next instant, his body expanded explosively, shooting up until his head touched the ceiling.
Muscles bulged all over his body—firm and powerful, yet smoothly contoured and not without beauty. Compared to a few years ago, when his physique resembled that of a grotesque muscle demon, he now looked more like a well-shaped human being—
That is, if you ignored the terrifying 3.7-meter height.
He flicked his finger.
The tiger-striped mosquito, nearly the size of a thumb, hadn't even had time to flap its wings before it was pulverized into a cloud of fine powder that drifted slowly downward.
The part of the ceiling that took the hit from his fingernail was completely unscathed—not even the surrounding dust was disturbed.
This was the ultimate mastery of controlling every cell in his body, down to the finest detail.
In this form, his immense strength could be unleashed without reserve. His defense and durability were maxed out, making it a form that complemented but contrasted with his Paper Drawn Combat Body.
…
Shano glanced at the powdered remains of the mosquito.
Satisfied, he nodded, then whoosh—shrank back into his everyday form and casually resumed humming a tune while washing the dishes.
The entire transformation process hadn't even taken half a second.
"You're gonna scare someone to death, you know!"
A voice full of shock came from the living room behind the door—Zoro shouting, "You suddenly grew so big, I thought we were under attack or something! And it was just to swat a mosquito?!"
"Zoro."
Koshiro's deep voice followed, "Mind your manners. You're a guest. How could you act so rude when visiting someone else's home?"
"You said the same thing back at Isshin Dojo when I was hosting guests! So when can I be rude—ow! That hurts!!"
"Mr. Zeff, when did you get back?"
…
Listening to Zoro's pained yelps, Shano couldn't help but smile.
It was funny, really.
Aside from his immediate family, almost everyone else who knew him mistook his Paper Drawn Combat Body as his actual form.
And his original form, instead, got treated like some kind of power-up transformation that couldn't be sustained for long.
That brat Sanji even secretly asked him once if he'd eaten the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Muscle Monster Form.
Naturally, that earned him a solid beating and a tearful retreat.
"Everyone's back?"
Just as he finished the dishes, Shano shut off the faucet and dried his hands on his apron as he stepped into the living room.
"Everyone's back—except Gin,"
Zeff pulled his fist out of the green-haired kid's head with a pop, grinning, "Everything that needed saying got said at the dinner table. It's time we hit the road, Captain."
"Yeah."
Kuina exchanged a glance with Koshiro, then casually turned her head and stretched like it was no big deal. "Time to go, Captain."
"Now she suddenly stops calling you 'Big Brother.'" Nojiko followed behind and mumbled under her breath.
"Don't be petty." Shano ruffled his sister's hair. "So you've decided too? You're really coming with us?"
"Yup!"
Nojiko nodded firmly.
"You made up your mind long ago, didn't you? Honestly, even back when you brought up wanting to train while we were still on the Tangerine, you already knew you wanted to set sail with me, didn't you?"
"No wonder you're my big brother—you saw right through me."
Nojiko looked a bit embarrassed, but when she caught Kuina glancing her way, she quickly put her hands on her hips and huffed, "But it's true I was too weak back then! I had no confidence and didn't want to be a useless burden, so I said I'd stay behind. But now..."
She clenched her fists tightly. "I'm strong now! I can protect myself—and help you too, big brother!"
"I believe it."
Shano chuckled.
That was probably the bond only siblings shared. Like him, Nojiko had no talent for swordsmanship, but displayed incredible potential in martial arts and hand-to-hand combat.
She'd first built her foundation with the "Breathing Fist," and under Shano's guidance, began training in the Six Styles. She'd already mastered Shave, Moonwalk, and Finger Pistol.
Besides that—
Over the past few years, every time Shano came across any martial arts secret manual, whether useful to him or not, he bought it and gave it to Nojiko.
Through relentless training, Nojiko's strength had grown by leaps and bounds.
Though she still had a long way to go before catching up to Kuina, now a true swordmaster, she definitely had what it took to sail the Grand Line.
"And me! I'm going too!!!"
Suddenly, the wooden stairs began to rattle. A lively girl with orange hair came bounding down, her slender body nimble like a sparrow. She slid down the last few steps on the handrail and landed with a jump, raising her hand excitedly. "Did you forget about this beautiful girl? Hmph! Don't forget, I'm your only navigator! You can't just leave me behind!"
"Quit playing around."
Shano flicked her forehead, unamused. "You're not even of age. What's a little kid doing trying to tag along?"
For males, adulthood started at eighteen. For females, sixteen. Nojiko and Kuina were the same age and had just crossed that threshold this year.
But Nami was only fourteen. She still sat at the kids' table with Zoro and Sanji at mealtime—she had a long way to go.
"Kid?! Who are you calling a kid?!"
Nami puffed up her cheeks and was about to puff out her chest in defiance—until Shano shot her a glare. She shrank back immediately, then her eyes rolled around mischievously, and she suddenly let out a dramatic "Oww!" and collapsed onto the couch, clutching her stomach.
"Nami-swan!!!"
Sanji slid across the floor in a panic, dropping to her side, eyes full of worry. "What's wrong? Are you okay?!"
"When did you become like this?"
Zoro looked at him in disgust. "Still got the brain of an idiot. It's that thing, you know, the one that happens when girls hit that age! Back then, Kuina had her first one and that's when I beat her for the first time!"
"Shut up, you moron!!"
Kuina's face turned crimson as she lunged to claw at Zoro.
"We're all here—watch your mouth, damn it! And besides, that was only once! Don't forget I beat you three thousand times after that!!!"
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