Cover Story: Momonosuke, Part 10 – "Father… S-Someone's Dead!"
BOOM!
The deafening crash from the warehouse and the ensuing scream startled Koushirou, who was simmering soup in the kitchen. He immediately tossed aside his apron and rushed to the scene.
He burst through the door—
Only to see Kuina collapsed on the wooden floor, clutching a heavy whetstone, her face pale with fear.
In front of her lay Momonosuke, his head cracked open, blood pooling around him.
His eyes stared wide, unmoving.
Both hands were curled tightly into dragon-claw-like shapes…
...
Holy Land Mary Geoise – Inside a Café
A blonde Celestial Dragon girl with a long ponytail gently stirred her cappuccino with one hand while resting her cheek on the other. She stared dreamily out the window, fixated on a figure disappearing down the street.
"So annoying… that guy…"
She muttered like she was in a daze.
"Is my charm really that weak? He only chatted with me for an hour… then just left like that…"
Unbelievable.
She'd planned to take him home tonight—her place was plenty spacious.
She imagined it: the wine cellar first, then the bedroom, the balcony, the dining room… eventually kicking out all the servants and finishing things off on the garden's cobblestone path…
"Mm~"
Lost in thought, Princess Oanna lightly bit her lip and ran her fingers over her swan-like neck. A soft moan escaped her lips as a blush colored her cheeks.
Well, it was their first meeting. And he was on duty.
She'd let him off the hook—for now.
Next time…
The next time he came to the Holy Land, she'd make damn sure he wouldn't get away so easily again.
Elsewhere, on the street…
Nao moved quickly through the alleys, headed back to where the royal delegations were gathered.
"It's finally handled."
After brushing off the Celestial Dragon girl with a half-hearted date, the whole mess was officially wrapped up. The backlash from slapping a Celestial Dragon had fully dissipated. He could finally breathe a little easier.
Honestly, he'd never wanted to clash with the Celestial Dragons this early.
After all, Marines ultimately serve under them. Unless Nao planned to defect and cut ties with the system entirely, it wasn't wise to stir up trouble now.
But he'd had no choice.
Even a fool like Gallio had the guts to stand up—how could he just stand by and watch?
If he had, he'd never forgive himself. Might as well quit the Marines and go be a farmer.
That wasn't the kind of justice he believed in.
His was always a justice of doing what he could—no more, no less.
Thankfully, his absurdly high Charm stat—combined with the chain reaction of skills like [Radiance Smile] and [Craftsman's Spirit]—had neutralized what should've been a prison-worthy disaster in a flash.
If Boa Hancock were narrating it, she'd probably say:
"No matter what this Rear Admiral does, I'll forgive him. Because… he's just too damn handsome!"
As for that Celestial Dragon girl—Oanna…
Yes, she was beautiful. And clearly smitten.
But just from their brief café chat, Nao could tell:
She was no different from the rest of her kind. Arrogant, self-centered, looking down on everyone with that sickening sense of superiority.
Nao could never be attracted to someone like that—let alone start any sort of relationship.
Still…
Playing along wasn't a problem. If it helped maintain her affection, that could come in handy someday.
At best, she was just a tool. Nothing more.
When Nao returned, both royal envoys had regrouped. Gallio VI was still unconscious, but doctors from the Kingdom of Lotte were doing their best. His life was no longer in danger.
The others rushed to him with gratitude, nearly swarming him with thanks.
Several older attendants even dropped to their knees on the spot, leaving Nao with an awkward smile as he helped them up one by one.
The two girls he had saved—and their parents—also knelt.
Nao comforted them gently, refusing their gifts and watching as they slowly departed with tearful relief.
"When poor, keep your integrity; when prosperous, help the world."
This… is about all I can do right now…
Nao stared at the limping backs of the two little girls, then turned to glance at the word "Justice" emblazoned on his cape.
He said nothing.
"…Don't dwell on it."
Shia had walked up behind him without a sound. She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her cheek against his back.
"You've done more than enough. Honestly, I never thought you'd actually raise a hand against a Celestial Dragon…"
"What do you mean 'raise a hand'…"
Nao ruffled her blue hair and chuckled softly, voice low so only she could hear.
"There will come a day when we truly raise our hands against them."
He looked ahead.
"Until that day comes… Marine 'justice' is nothing but a joke."
...
Later that Afternoon
To avoid any further complications, Nao arranged for both delegations to leave Mary Geoise, even though Gallio still hadn't regained consciousness. Their ships began the return voyage.
Nao himself returned to his usual state:
Hell training mode.
Day and night, he threw himself into brutal regimens inside a sealed chamber. Aside from occasional sparring with Shia, he barely stopped to breathe.
His "Gravity Training Field" was now at 22x weight. With his recently renewed "Physical Training Acceleration Card", his growth hadn't slowed at all despite his escort duties.
If anything, it had accelerated.
Time flew.
In a blink, more than half a month passed.
Only a few days remained before they reached their destination.
...
That Morning – Inside the Training Room
"Phew…"
Nao, drenched in sweat, sheathed his twin swords and pushed open the door of the training room. The morning light happened to stream in, and a gentle sea breeze blew, making him feel completely refreshed.
"Yep. Nothing beats a good workout."
Stretching lazily, he strolled toward the shower room as his subordinates saluted him in passing.
He casually pulled up his System Panel to check his current stats.
He hadn't looked closely since defeating "Drought" Dugalio in the West Blue.
Now, several months later, his power had clearly stepped up a level.
[Name: Natsuya Nao]
[Age: 20]
[Strength: 31 (200,000 points/level)]
[Agility: 29 (+2) (200,000 points/level)]
[Stamina: 29 (200,000 points/level)]
[Intelligence: 10 (200,000 points/level)]
[Charm: 18 (500,000 points/level)]
[Current Points: 333,000]
[Standard Skills]: Dual Blade Swordsmanship (Advanced), Rokushiki (Advanced), Firearms Proficiency (Advanced), Close-Quarters Combat (Advanced), Self-Discipline (Master), Armament Haki (Intermediate), Observation Haki (Intermediate), Drawing (Advanced), Fishing (Master)
[Innate Skills]: Radiant Smile, Craftsman's Spirit, Wind Barrier (Intermediate), Thick Skin (Intermediate), Iron Head (Intermediate), Limb Regeneration, Amphibious Breathing.
[Equipped]: Boots of Lightness, Thornmail Armor
Strength and stamina had each risen by around 20%, meaning +1 point each.
Agility hadn't increased numerically, but had subtly improved in practice.
"At my current base stats, I could take Dugalio head-on without needing to evade and maneuver like last time."
Nao raised his fist and clenched it, quite satisfied with his progress.
If he had any doubts before, now he was sure:
If he had been somewhat unsure before, now, he could completely say that he was undeniably the strongest person in the entire Marine Headquarters outside of the future Three Admirals.
In other words, among all the Vice Admirals, besides the three (referring to Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji), he was the undisputed strongest.
Well… except for Garp, of course. That old monster was a whole different beast.
"Oh right, it's a new week. The Item Shop should've refreshed."
After entering the shower room, Nao thought of this as he took off his clothes, so he switched interfaces and directly opened the shop page.
"I hope there's something useful this time."
As expected.
Upon opening it, six brand-new items were already displayed on the panel:
[Infinite Wallace Random Combo: 15,000 points]
[Breaker's Edge (Sword Skill Scroll): 290,000 points]
[Washington's Little Wooden Axe (Permanent Item): 6,000 points]
[After Tomorrow (Consumable): 2,000,000 points]
[Memory Eraser Pen (Consumable): 20,000 points]
[Dark Magician Girl Summoning Card (Consumable): 3,000 points]
As usual, Nao clicked on each item from top to bottom to view its detailed description.
[Infinite Wallace Random Combo]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description: Upon use, the player will receive a random Wallace combo. Possible meals include, but are not limited to, burgers, fried chicken, corn cups, egg tarts, etc. Does not include any beverages. Can only be used again after all current items are consumed. No cooldown. No usage limit.]
[Note: A great deity created the Infinite Finger Lickin' Good Chicken, and their eternal rival, who couldn't stand it, created this item in return.]
["No matter how big the bedroom is, it's only a temporary residence; the small toilet is your eternal home."]
Huh?
Nao was in the middle of lathering soap when he saw these lines of description and nearly dropped the soap. He looked at the note speechlessly, feeling a mouthful of complaints with nowhere to vent.
No… you're gods from that realm, are you that bored?!
Luosifen and fried chicken are one thing, but creating an Infinite Wallace combo? Why not just create infinite laxatives instead?
And…
Why display divine power to each other in this way?!If you're a true man, you should just fight with your fists!
"And it costs over ten thousand points, only a fool would buy this…"
Nao was no fool, so he directly waved his hand dismissively, "Pass!"
As a result, the soap slipped from his hand and flew out the door, hitting a Lieutenant Junior Grade who was about to come in for a shower, sending him screaming and crashing into the sea.
[Breaker's Edge Skill Scroll]
[Type: Special Sword Skill]
[Description: A powerful sword skill that can only be used by Dual Blade Swordsmen. Upon use, you will leave a soul mark at your current location that lasts for up to ten minutes, and your subsequent sword attacks will deal 20% additional damage. For Devil Fruit users, this additional damage will be doubled.]
[After ten minutes, you will be forcibly teleported back to the location of the soul mark and all negative status effects applied by enemies, including but not limited to freezing, slowing, petrification, etc., will be removed.]
[Note: The skill has a cooldown of one hour.]
["Although as an E-skill, it can't be as happy as your brother, it clearly also has a powerful and indispensable effect."]
"A new special sword skill, huh…"
After carefully reading the skill description, Nao's heart immediately stirred. This was simply a divine skill for both offense and defense! Not only could it add damage, but if used correctly, it could also serve as a life-saving trump card.
As for the one-hour cooldown, in Nao's opinion, it was practically nonexistent.
After all, at his level of strength, fighting opponents of similar caliber often lasted for days and nights.
The only drawback might be its rather high price, placing it in the same tier as Wind Barrier.
"I still have to buy it…"
Nao looked at his over 400,000 points, feeling a slight pang of pain. "After buying it, I'll only have a little over 100,000 points left. I'll be poor again…"
[Washington's Little Wooden Axe]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description: A small axe imbued with mythical qualities. Using it to chop down trees will make your work twice as efficient.]
[Note: Has a one-chop instant-cut effect for all cherry trees. For other types of trees, felling efficiency will increase by 50%.]
["The taste of lies…"]
"Nonsense."
Nao's evaluation was concise.
This thing needs six thousand points? He's not Bald Qiang (Chinese Cartoon); only someone with water in their brain would buy something like this. What's this about instantly chopping down cherry trees? Does he need that? What cherry tree can withstand his punch? They're not the Adam and Eve trees of the One Piece world.
Skip it directly. Next.
[After Tomorrow]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description: Upon activation, will restart your current day, rewinding time to 0:00 AM.]
[Note: Only two uses available. Please cherish them.]
["There are no parallel worlds. This is just a simple regret pill."]