On the Marine warship.
When Shia slowly regained consciousness, she turned her head to look. Outside the porthole, the night was as dark as ink, the waning moon hidden by dark clouds, with only a few sparse stars hanging in the sky.
"...Nao…"
Her memories rushed back from just before she passed out—anxious, desperate… a chaotic storm of emotion stirred again.
Gritting her teeth, she pushed herself upright and stumbled toward the door—
Only to see a small, round, chubby white pigeon perched at her bedside, tilting its head curiously at her.
Little Luo?
Shia was slightly stunned, recognizing it as one of Nao's two pets. Back when they were both interning at G-2 Branch, this pigeon had been very close to her.
But… why was it here now?
As if sensing her gaze, the white pigeon flapped into the air, landed on the desk, and began carefully twisting open an inkwell with its talons.
Then, dipping its wing into the ink, it struggled to scrawl out a few crooked lines on a sheet of paper.
Shia approached.
The writing was messy—barely legible—but she managed to decipher it:
"Don't worry. I can escape anytime. No need to fret."
"See you in the newspaper one month from now."
"…This message," Shia murmured, staring at the white pigeon, "Did Nao… send you with it?"
The plump little pigeon puffed up its chest proudly, clearly pleased with itself for successfully replicating human writing.
Shia couldn't help but let out a soft laugh and gently patted its back. Then she turned back toward the note, staring intently at the words.
Though a weight lifted from her chest… her brows were still furrowed.
Nao could escape at any time…
Then why wait a whole month?
And what did he mean by "see you in the newspaper"…?
What is he planning?
Her heart was heavy with questions. But just then, a commotion erupted outside.
She rushed to the deck.
A massive Marine warship was approaching fast. The white sails bore the G1 Branch insignia, and standing at the prow was Akainu, his face so dark it looked like it was carved from obsidian.
Vice Admiral Sakazuki—the reinforcement had finally arrived.
But still… a step too late.
Shia stared at his expression, hesitated for a moment, then turned back to retrieve the handwritten message.
And walked up to greet him…
...
Under the moonlight.
The Queen Mama Chanter sailed at full speed across the endless sea.
A grand celebration was underway on deck. Platters of sweets and delicacies filled the tables like a river in flood. The children of the Charlotte Family cheered and raised their glasses, congratulating Big Mom in high spirits.
The atmosphere was incredibly lively.
Meanwhile, inside the book world—
Nao was strolling alongside a small stream, calmly surveying this bizarre and surreal world around him.
Mont-d'Or's Book-Book Fruit was indeed fascinating. Each page of his book could manifest an entirely independent world, crafted from his imagination.
It could be a fairy tale.
A horror story.
Or even a bare, featureless cage only a few square meters wide.
But likely out of concern for how seriously Big Mom regarded Nao—and not wanting to offend her "future husband"—
Mont-d'Or had chosen to house him in a picturesque fairy tale setting, like a noble estate from medieval Europe. A luxurious prison, essentially.
Still… the art style was rough. Sloppy lines, lacking finesse.
"Feels like the difference between ONE's sketches and Murata's redraws…"
Nao muttered, eyes settling on a nearby castle.
He walked up and entered the grand hall.
Almost immediately, a loud, shrill voice echoed through the space:
"Ah! Welcome, my master! This lonely castle has long awaited your return!"
Nao turned toward the source—only to find it was a massive standing mirror.
But it didn't reflect his image.
Instead, a face with only features—no head, no hair—was grinning widely from within the glass.
"I am the magic mirror of this castle! All-knowing, all-seeing! Ask me anything, and I shall give you the most satisfying answer!"
A magic mirror?
Like the one from Snow White?
"Interesting."
Nao glanced at it in passing, then casually asked as he walked by:
"Mirror, mirror… who's the most handsome man in the world?"
"Why, you are, my master!"
The mirror replied cheerfully.
"Ah… what a delightful question. What in this world could possibly compare to your beauty?"
Now that was a good answer.
Even if it was just an NPC in a fantasy world, pre-programmed by Mont-d'Or…
"Got good taste."
Nao smirked.
"Alright, what about women?"
At this point in the timeline, Shirahoshi—the universally acknowledged most beautiful woman in the future—hadn't been born yet. Hancock was still just a child.
He was curious how the mirror would respond.
"Of course, it's Her Majesty Charlotte Linlin!"
The mirror shouted without a second's pause.
"The glorious ruler of Cake Island! The sovereign of Totto Land! Her beauty shines like the stars in the sky—radiant and eternal!"
CRACK!
Without a word, Nao shattered the mirror with a punch.
After leaving the main hall, Nao went straight to the second floor and chose the largest bedroom.
He couldn't sense anything outside with Observation Haki. So he wasn't sure whether Mont-d'Or, as the ability user, could spy on him through the walls of this constructed world.
To avoid being spied on, Nao thought for a moment, then took a capsule from his inventory.
[Luxury Tent Capsule]
Type: Permanent Item
Description: Deploys a luxury tent (16 square meters) with chandelier, wardrobe, desk, and soft double Simmons bed.
Note: Modified by Ms. Bulma, Capsule Corp.
"Do you really have to sleep outside, Goku?"
He'd bought it back during his internship at G2 and never had a good reason to use it—until now.
Click!
He flicked the capsule onto the floor. a spacious luxury tent appeared out of thin air, filling the entire empty space of the bedroom.
Nao stepped inside and shut the flap behind him.
The interior was as luxurious as any five-star hotel. He glanced at the soft double bed, and for a moment, the fatigue tugging at him made it tempting to lie down.
But now wasn't the time.
He sat cross-legged on the carpet in front of the bed, closed his eyes, and activated Observation Haki inward—to examine the state of his body.
"…Good. The Sweet Smoke Blue poison is mostly concentrated in the chest cavity. It hasn't spread to my limbs."
Nao opened his eyes and muttered,
"Otherwise, it might've been annoying if I had to fight…"
He flipped his wrist and pulled out the Azakana Sword—and without hesitation, drove it into his chest.
Blood splattered instantly.
"Poison, huh? Of all the ways to try and restrain me… they chose the most pointless."
Nao chuckled bitterly.
"No… I guess it's because I'm not really human anymore…"
He reached into his own chest cavity and, without flinching, began ripping out his poisoned internal organs—lungs, liver, kidneys…
Even his heart, now tinged with a dark, bruised purple hue.
All removed.
Yet from start to finish, his breath remained steady. His mind clear.
He felt pain—intense pain—but his consciousness was entirely unaffected.
"…That's all of it."
Gritting through the stabbing agony—heartless, lungless, but very much alive—Nao stood up and dumped the infected organs into the wastebin beside the bed.
Then he sat back down, cross-legged again, staring calmly at the gaping void in his chest.
Five minutes passed. Then ten.
His body began rapidly regenerating. New organs grew. Veins reconnected.
Within thirty minutes, he was fully healed.
Aside from the pale complexion and the blood still smeared on his chest, it was as if nothing had happened.
A chilling sight.
Anyone with a faint heart would've passed out watching that grotesque display of self-surgery and regeneration.
"The biggest hidden danger is gone."
Nao washed the blood off, stepped out of the tent, and retracted it.
He gazed through the window at the artificial sky above.
Calm. Tranquil.
But his voice dropped to a frigid whisper:
"…Now get ready, Big Mom."
"You're going to pay."
The message he had Little Luo deliver to Shia was no bluff.
It wasn't some soft lie to soothe her heart.
If he really wanted to escape, he could've done it any time, even from within the confines of this book world.
The method was simple:
He could use a special Vivre Card.
The purpose of this item was to allow him to quickly rush to the rescue of friends and family in times of crisis.
But by applying a bit of reverse thinking, he could realize its other use.
That is, when he was in danger, he could use the teleportation function to instantly transport himself to the side of a sub-cardholder.
Shia in the New World.
His hometown in the East Blue.
Gion in the West Blue.
Zephyrand Rosinante at Marine Headquarters…
By sacrificing just one card, he could vanish in a blink.
Go anywhere.
Just like Mont-d'Or.
But Nao refused.
Not because of the cost.
But because of pride.
He was still mid-duel with Katakuri. And now, forced to surrender and dragged away to marry an infamous old hag with dozens of ex-husbands—under the threat of slaughtering his crew?
No question—
This was the greatest humiliation he'd suffered since arriving in this world twenty years ago.
To just slink away during a party, tail between his legs like a coward?
Not happening.
He would retaliate.
And not later.
Now. Immediately.
Big Mom wanted a wedding? Sent out invites to the entire underworld to celebrate her new-found happiness?
Then fine.
Let her look forward to it.
Nao smiled silently, his eyes cold and dark.
When that day came, under the watchful eyes of everyone, he would make this Empress feel just how painful it was when dreams and happiness utterly shattered, vanishing like foam!