New World, Moby Dick.
"Hey, hey, hey, seriously? Let me see too!"
"Did that Charlotte Linlin really take such a huge hit this time?"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, crewmembers of the Whitebeard Pirates were eagerly passing around the newspaper that Diamond Jozu had just bought.
"There it is—the headline photo. Look at Charlotte Linlin's face—she looks ready to turn green." Jozu chuckled, hands on his hips. "Haha, that Morgans guy really dares to publish it, isn't he afraid of retaliation!"
"That's what journalists do—anything for eyeballs and circulation."
Marco smirked, legs crossed. "Did Pops see it yet?"
"Yeah, I showed it to him in his room just now."
Jozu grinned. "He said from now on we gotta keep an eye on that Marine named Nao—says he might be a monster on the level of Garp or Sengoku someday."
"That's definitely possible."
Marco nodded gravely. "That kid's barely twenty-something, right? First took down a Warlord, then held off a Yonko, even fought Katakuri to a standstill—and escaped Big Mom. I'd be lying if I said I had that confidence."
Jozu patted Marco's shoulder. "That guy's nearly my level."
"By the way," Marco continued, glancing back at Jozu, "though he's Marine, he owes you a bit, Jozu. If it weren't for him taking out that Chameleon guy, your reputation would probably have been ruined in Paradise…"
"Don't remind me. Thinking about that idiot still pisses me off."
Jozu snorted, arms crossed, looking out at the distant sea:
"As for that Nao guy, heh, if I get a chance to meet him next time, I'll definitely have a good fight with him! I have to let him know that the real Diamond Jozu isn't as fragile and easily defeated as that fake…"
"Hahahaha, of course Captain Jozu you're stronger!"
A rough voice came from beside them. "The power of the Twinkle-Twinkle Fruit is no match for that guy's two broken swords!"
The speaker had earthy-colored skin, fluffy black hair, and thick chest hair. It was a still young Blackbeard.
"Thanks, Teach, I think so too!"
Jozu laughed loudly, patting his shoulder hard. "Come on, lunch time is almost here, let's go eat together!"
The two walked away, arm in arm, singing "Binks' Sake," Marco stood behind them, watching their backs disappear, a wry smile on his face.
Some things couldn't be said directly, or they would dampen a comrade's morale.
But deep down, he really felt…
Jozu, you idiot, if you ever really run into that Marine called Nao alone in the future, just run as far as you can as soon as possible…
...
New World – Onigashima,
"That old hag Linlin lost to that brat too?"
Looking at the newspaper his subordinate brought, Kaido held a sake jug in one hand and curiously flipped through it with the other. After reading, he couldn't help but laugh loudly:
"Bwahahaha! Serves her right for mocking me, calling my subordinates worthless trash. Now, I wonder who's more disgraceful!"
She specifically traveled thousands of miles to snatch someone back for marriage, only for the wedding venue to be smashed to pieces. A net woven by thirty-six islands and hundreds of ships couldn't even find a trace of that Marine.
With this incident, the spotlight had completely shifted.
No one would care about his subordinate, the Drought, being sent to Impel Down anymore. The one who lost face to the whole world and became a laughingstock was only the Big Mom Pirates!
"Natsuya Nao…"
Kaido stared at the photo of the black-haired youth for a moment before casually tossing the newspaper aside and chugging his sake straight from the jug.
At the end of the day—
He was a Marine, after all. An enemy by nature. Running into him on the battlefield was inevitable sooner or later.
So for now, Kaido wasn't too concerned. If they crossed paths again, he'd deal with him then.
In comparison.
Having just returned from Wano Country, he was more concerned about where that Kozuki descendant named Momonosuke had been sent…
...
The Grand Line – Remote Waters
The winds and waves were a bit rough last night, and the Red-Haired Pirates' shabby ship couldn't withstand them. The mast broke in half, leaving them to drift aimlessly with the sea breeze…
"So I'm saying… Shanks!"
Yasopp had held it in for a long time but couldn't anymore. He turned and roared at the straw-hatted young man who was sound asleep on the deck:
"How can you, as the captain, still be able to sleep soundly?! At this rate, we'll never reach the next island!"
Shanks was woken up. He groggily looked up at Yasopp, rubbed his eyes, and then lay back down.
"No rush, Yasopp…"
He stretched lazily. "Honestly, not even we know where we'll drift to tomorrow morning. That's what makes it fun, don't you think?"
"Fun my ass!"
Yasopp and Lucky Roo roared in unison. Just as they were about to continue their criticism, a News Coo suddenly flew past in the sky.
The next moment, they saw the red-haired young man, who had been lying at the bow of the ship, disappear in a flash.
The two squinted, looking up, to see that he had already stopped a News Coo and was in the middle of a fierce haggling session.
"What? You want 45 Berries? It's gone up again?"
"That's outrageous! It only just went up last year, and it hasn't been that long…"
"Absolutely not… Hey! Give me a break, I only brought 40 Berries!"
...
They continued bickering.
"This guy…" Yasopp was speechless. "He acts like he doesn't care about the ship, but he's really interested in the newspaper news…"
"After all, he just repelled a fleet personally led by a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral the day before yesterday…"
Lucky Roo took a bite of his chicken leg and shrugged. "That's an incredible achievement, it should be on the front page of the newspaper. Shanks has been looking forward to it for a long time…
"True."
Yasopp rubbed his chin and nodded. "After all, our idiot captain is a bit unlucky. Last time he finally defeated Gekko Moria, but a Marine swooped in and stole the spotlight…"
This time, surely he'd make the headlines?
The two stood side by side, watching Shanks successfully haggle, happily wave goodbye to the News Coo, then happily board the ship again, grinning as he opened the newspaper…
And then the next moment.
They both saw very clearly that the smile on Shanks's face instantly froze, as if he'd been punched in the face…
...
Grand Line – An Unnamed Island
Behind a wall, several children of different races were playing and frolicking in a yard, while a particularly tall little boy was frantically shaking the iron gate, angrily shouting:
"Damn it, let me in! You said I could play with you today!"
The children exchanged glances, then in unison, they drew out their voices, "N-o-o-o!"
"Why?!"
"Because we're all part of the Nao Fan Club now!"
A long-armed boy with black-rimmed glasses stepped forward with righteous authority. "You're the only one who refused to join, Jack! So you're out!"
"Are you serious? Just because of that photo in the newspaper yesterday, you all became his fans!?"
The tall boy named Jack bared his sharp teeth, furious. "Don't forget—your parents are all pirates! Idolizing a Marine? Seriously!?"
"Marine or not, Lord Nao is Lord Nao."
Another little girl gave him a disdainful look. . "If you can't even grasp that simple truth, I definitely don't want to play with you."
"Yeah! Yeah!"
All the children in the yard were surprisingly in agreement, refusing to let him in. Jack angrily dropped his hands, turned, and glared deeply at the girl, then left, filled with resentment.
"What the heck! Ellie used to like playing with me the most… but now, all for just a Marine…"
The little boy kicked pebbles along the way, his face full of annoyance. "Naysuya Nao, huh… I remember you, hmph! When I grow up and go out to sea, and form a pirate crew, the first one I'll challenge and defeat will definitely be him!"
And when that day comes—
The headlines will be about the great and invincible Captain Jack!
...
East Blue, Oyukot Kingdom.
"Wife, I've bought today's newspaper!"
The young farmer eagerly pushed open his front door, handed the newspaper to his wife on the bed, and happily said, "Quickly open it and see, there's news about your favorite Lord Nao again!"
"Really?"
The beautiful young woman with long, slightly wavy orange hair took the newspaper, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise. "Wow, new photo… So close and clear. Mr. Nao seems to have gotten even more handsome…"
She quickly became engrossed. The young farmer didn't mind; an idol and a husband were two different things. Ever since she'd become a fan of that Marine over a year ago, he'd made sure to bring home every article he could find.
Especially now, when she'd just given birth and was still recovering, anything that could cheer her up was worth it.
Nearby, in a tiny cradle—
A baby girl with short orange hair dozed quietly, snoring ever so softly.
...
South Blue.
A bicycle stood firmly on the ice-covered sea. Aokiji, with messy hair, lay on it, resting his arms under his head.
He listened to the Den Den Mushi on the other end, relaying news from Headquarters.
"Fought Katakuri to a draw… and escaped unscathed from a Yonko…"
He looked at the seagulls flying overhead, his gaze distant, muttering in a voice only he could hear, "Oh my, that guy has really grown to an excessively exaggerated degree…"
He inexplicably recalled their conversation on the Calm Belt when he returned from the West Blue.
Back then, he was the star closest to the depths of the starry sky, while Nao was just an insignificant firefly.
But now.
Vaguely, that black-haired young man who saved him from his despondent negativity was almost on the same level as him.
"Nao…"
Aokiji scratched his chin, repeating the name several times.
Handsome, strong, with unlimited future potential. No wonder Gion fell for him and confessed publicly in front of thousands at Headquarters…
If he were a girl…
Aokiji thought carefully for a moment, then shrugged. Well, no need to say more, he definitely would have fallen hopelessly in love with that guy too.
...
Calm Belt.
The pirate ship from Amazon Lily had just returned fully loaded from a successful raid and was on its way back to Amazon Lily.
This time's haul far exceeded expectations. The female warriors, unable to hide their excitement, gathered in small groups, chattering away.
However, the topic of conversation was not related to their current sea raid, but rather to a recently published newspaper found on a merchant ship they had plundered yesterday.
Newspapers were a rare sight in Amazon Lily, since the Calm Belt was too dangerous for News Coos. Only through raids could they occasionally glimpse news from the outside world.
"Even though he's a Marine, this Nao is really handsome!!!"
"Yeah, I've never seen such a charming man…"
"Just looking at his photo has me completely entranced… I probably won't be able to sleep tonight…"
Such discussions had hardly stopped since yesterday. Most of the female warriors had fallen head over heels for the black-haired youth in the paper.
Only a few small figures at the stern of the ship were an exception.
Most of them were around ten years old, with the youngest being only six or seven. It was their first time at sea, and they hadn't participated in the battle; they were just accompanying their elders to see the world.
They weren't interested in photos or men at all. At this moment, they were happily sharing the snacks and fruits from the spoils of war.
"The adults are so hypocritical. They used to call outsiders 'stinky men' and whatnot…"
A little girl with long green hair glanced at the female warriors and pouted. "Now they're swooning like that? Pathetic… Right, Hancock?"
But there was no reply.
"Huh?"
She turned her head, puzzled.
Only to find the black-haired girl who'd been beside her just a moment ago had vanished—now nestled among the grown women, craning her neck to get a better look at the newspaper photo.
"…"
How could even you betray me, Hancock? You're only eleven years old!
The green-haired girl was speechless. She squatted down and continued to focus on eating the biscuit in her hand. Neither she nor Hancock and the others in the distance noticed.
Just a few kilometers beneath the sea, away from them.
A figure, like a marlin, was swimming at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, swiftly heading south…