"Na—o—!"
A furious roar, filled with rage and grief, echoed across the midnight training ground.
Nao, shamefaced, approached and bowed deeply to the half-naked man in tatters:
"My apologies, Mr. Brandon! I thought the field would be empty—I honestly didn't see you."
"Empty means you can just unleash sword energy? Huh?"
Brandon trembled with fury, pointing at the flattened training ground:
"I came out for water, and the moment I stepped out, I saw this..."
"This isn't HQ Elite Camp, kid! You trashed their grounds. How do I explain this to G-2 or Mr. Kizaru?"
"It's fine, Instructor," Nao scratched his head with a sheepish grin. "Mr. Kizaru and I get along. He won't mind something like this."
"Really?" Brandon eyed him suspiciously.
"Why would I lie?"
Nao glanced toward the dorms—lights were coming on. His sword slash had clearly woken people.
"People are watching. Should we go somewhere else?"
"What, feeling guilty?"
Brandon scoffed. "No need! Let them see who wrecked their training field!"
"I didn't mean it like that, Instructor..."
"Lying! I've been an instructor for years—I know how you kids think!"
Nao paused. "Your pants are gone."
Brandon froze, looked down—his face turned greener than his hair.
The next instant, a fresh roar echoed across the grounds:
"Na—o—!"
4:30 a.m. Still dark.
Under a starry sky, a groggy Shia followed Nao to the port.
"I had a nightmare last night, Nao..."
She looked tired. "I dreamt some guy was confessing to you outside the dorm, shouting your name over and over. It felt so real, I woke up sweating..."
Nao subtly paused, his eye twitching.
"Nightmares are like that. You'll feel better when the sun comes up." he said seriously.
"Okay."
She nodded, unfazed.
They reached the port just before five.
Only one Marine battleship was lit up, its deck bustling—clearly preparing to depart.
"That should be it."
Nao vaguely recalled the information the female officer had given him when he previously booked his combat mission.
"The captain seems to be the base's Rear Admiral Gumiiru, and the target is the Swimsuit Pirates. Their captain is 'Trunk Man' Barurru, with a bounty of 81 million Berries."
One of the strongest combatants at the G-2 Branch currently below the rank of Vice Admiral. Nao vaguely remembered that this person would later become Kizaru's successor, taking on the position of G-2 Branch Commander.
"81 million? No wonder they're sending a Rear Admiral..."
Shia tilted her head, looking at Nao, then suddenly giggled. "But… with Nao there, I'm afraid Rear Admiral Gumiiru won't even have a chance to make a move before that Barurru guy is already dealt with, right?"
"You shouldn't speak so absolutely."
Nao shook his head.
His current raw strength could indeed overpower pirates of that caliber, but Devil Fruit abilities were incredibly diverse, and unexpected complications were always possible. He couldn't afford to be careless.
His previous struggle with the invisible man Max, taking over half an hour to defeat him, was the best example.
The two climbed aboard the ship via the rope ladder.
Nao scanned the crowd and quickly spotted the somewhat balding Rear Admiral Gumiiru, who was standing with his back to him, by the cabin door, talking to someone inside.
It was Nao's first time seeing Gumiiru in person. He thought for a moment, told Shia to stay put, and walked over, planning to make simple introductions.
However, when he reached the cabin door, he found Gumiiru standing rigidly, his expression solemn, nodding repeatedly from time to time, completely in the posture of a subordinate taking orders.
—What's going on here?
There were only a few people in the entire G-2 Branch who could make Gumiiru act like this.
Nao's curiosity was piqued. Just as he was about to peek into the cabin, the person inside stepped out.
It was a tall, thin middle-aged man wearing Vice Admiral shoulder epaulets.
His white Marine cloak billowed in the sea breeze, looking cool, but his face was a bit lewd.
Nao looked up at the 5 AM night sky in confusion, then looked at Vice Admiral Kizaru in front of him. He simply couldn't connect these two things and felt his worldview being shaken for a moment.
"Oh, isn't that Nao~"
This guy had clearly sensed him with Observation Haki long ago, but the surprise on his face was so convincing. "It's still early in the morning, the sky isn't even bright yet, how could you… be here?"
"I signed up for this mission to pursue Barurru, Vice Admiral."
Nao's eye twitched, but he couldn't help but retort, "No, wait, shouldn't I be asking you that question!"
Gumiiru stood silently to the side, secretly pinching his own thigh.
"Well…"
Kizaru scratched his scalp, a bit embarrassed. "I'm getting old, so I tend to suffer from insomnia. When I got up to pee in the middle of the night, I saw a Marine battleship about to depart from the port, so I came over to join the fun, being bored…"
You're the Commander of the base. Is it really okay to be so willful and just go out to sea to join the fun?
Nao's forehead showed a black line. It was Gumiiru who lightly cleared his throat, speaking up to explain for his unreliable superior:
"It's like this, because this target is extremely cunning and good at escaping, he has repeatedly broken through our encirclements. In desperation, we had no choice but to ask Vice Admiral Borsalino to personally go. After all, you should also know what the Commander's Devil Fruit ability is…"
Isn't that a bit like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
Nao looked at Kizaru. If you weren't slacking off, with your Light-Light Fruit's speed, even a pirate with a bounty over a hundred million Berries wouldn't be able to escape, would they…?
Why do you need to personally deal with such a small-fry? Couldn't you just leave it to me?
"Don't underestimate that Barurru, little Nao…"
Kizaru yawned, smiling. "That guy, he's a terrifying Swim-Swim Fruit user…"
Huh? What kind of ability user?
Nao wondered if there was something wrong with his ears.
"The Swim-Swim Fruit, as the name suggests, grants the user the ability to swim," Rear Admiral Gumiiru explained helpfully, noticing Nao's puzzled expression.