"Eat slowly, be careful not to choke."
"I have more over here, don't worry. There's plenty of fresh water too."
"Hey, blondie—grab some more bread from the kitchen."
Even with Absalom doing his best to help, it still took Nao more than ten minutes to finish distributing food and water to the freed slaves.
The starving civilians devoured the food with reckless joy. Nao stood quietly for a moment, watching them, before turning around—only to be surprised.
At the railing, Moria was crouched beside a pink-haired little girl, chatting and laughing animatedly with her.
He even make silly faces from time to time, making the girl giggle with bright, high-pitched laughter—"Horo horo horo."
Nao's eyes narrowed.
Moria… being playful?
That was a surprise.
…Wait. That laugh. Why does it sound familiar?
He looked again at the girl's side profile—and suddenly, it clicked.
Perona. The Ghost Princess.
One of Moria's top officer in the original timeline—one of the Mysterious Four of Thriller Bark.
The timing lined up too. If memory served, both Perona and Moria were originally from the West Blue. Moria had found her as a child and raised her like a precious daughter.
So this is the moment they met? And I just happened to witness it?
He suddenly seemed to recall something. With a thought, the system panel, emitting a faint blue glow, appeared.
Looking at the quest log, as expected, there was a prompt box:
[Side Quest "Save the Girl" – Stage 2 Completed]
Reward: 200,000 points, +1 random attribute point
[Only the final stage of the quest remains. Upon completion, you will receive additional massive rewards. Please continue your efforts.]
—
"So it was completed," Nao murmured, rubbing his chin.
The quest was clear—rescue three major female characters from the original series.
He had already helped young Robin. And now, with Perona—another high-profile figure with a massive fan following—the second stage was complete.
The 200,000 points were already credited. But what he was really excited about was the rare random attribute point—a reward he hadn't received in a long time.
Seeing that Moria and his future daughter were happily bonding and didn't need him for the moment, Nao sat down again on the zombie's back—the poor creature still kneeling in place, not daring to move without its master's command.
He opened his inventory and selected the Random Roll.
A glowing blue die appeared and began spinning rapidly in the air.
[ROLL COMPLETE]
[Your Strength has increased by +1]
—
Strength?
Nao blinked in mild surprise.
Until now, his rolls had been absurdly lucky—usually hitting high-value stats like Charm or Intelligence.
This was his first time rolling a point for his basic three attributes.
Still, at this stage, even a single point of Strength was incredibly valuable. Prices had skyrocketed compared to the early days.
So essentially… this free stat point just saved him half a million points?
Nice.
Sometimes doing good really did pay off.
Nao chuckled softly. To think chasing a thief and rescuing some slaves would lead to this kind of haul.
Maybe he should be thanking those scumbag Marines from this morning.
He closed the panel, tightened his fists, and closed his eyes briefly.
That 20% Strength boost—though subtle on paper—meant a serious upgrade to his close-quarters power.
At his level, even the slightest advantage in stats could flip a battle completely.
"…I'm kinda craving another fight with Katakuri."
He grinned.
"Next time we meet, he won't be able to rely on his Devil Fruit to keep the upper hand."
Despite being enemies by title, Nao had always admired Charlotte Katakuri.
In their last fight, even with Big Mom breathing down his neck, Katakuri refused help from Smoothie and others, choosing to duel Nao alone to the end.
Out of the entire dysfunctional Charlotte family, he was the only real man among them.
If only someone like that could be recruited to the Marines…
The idea hit Nao like lightning.
His current Charm stat was already quite terrifying, especially with women; in many cases, he could even charm them face-to-face, turning enemies into friends…
Perhaps when his Charm stat was even higher in the future, he might truly be able to turn someone like Katakuri from a formidable Marine foe into a reliable top-tier combatant.
He looked up. "Moria."
The tall Warlord jolted like he'd been hit by lightning. He quickly turned his head, face still plastered with a nervous smile.
"Wh-What?"
"I need to visit the 233rd Branch. Got a nest of rats to clean out."
Nao locked eyes with him. "So I need a favor."
"...No problem."
Despite being a good few meters taller, Moria instantly felt small under that gaze. He wiped the sweat off his forehead and forced a laugh.
"Scared me half to death. I thought you were gonna ask for something serious. What do you need me to do?"
"I want you to take these people—these women and children—home," Nao said calmly.
"If their families are gone and they don't want to return, drop them off at a prosperous, safe town along the way."
"Give them some money, but not too much—too much could get them hurt."
Nao patted his pockets. Empty.
He gave a helpless shrug.
"Keep track of the costs. I'll repay you next time we meet."
"No need!"
Moria waved it off.
"It's just pocket change. Don't worry about it, Tear Admiral Nao. I'll be hanging around the West Blue for a while anyway. Leave it to me."
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
Nao nodded. He trusted Moria to follow through.
For one, Nao's own terrifying reputation meant Moria wouldn't dare cross him—he had already executed a fellow Warlord, after all.
And two, unlike some of the other Warlords, Moria genuinely valued his position under the government. He wouldn't risk it.
Soon, it was time to part ways.
Nao stood at the bow as the zombie soldier finally, mercifully, collapsed back into the crowd, groaning in relief.
The freed slaves gathered near the railings, waving goodbye to the man who had saved them from hell.
"Thank you, Nao-sama!"
"If we can meet again in the future, please do visit our home!"
Perona, clutching her dirty teddy bear and still holding Moria's hand, shuffled her feet nervously. Then, after a long moment of hesitation, she made a decision.
She ran over and pressed a small silver bracelet into Nao's hand.
"…What's this?"
Nao was a little surprised, shaking the small bracelet in his hand, and said with a smile, "Little girl?"
"My name's Perona!"
The little Ghost Princess puffed out her chest, grinning. "Here, my mother gave this to me, and now I'm giving it to you, Mister Marine! I don't have anything else, only this as a thank-you gift!"
"…'Mister'?"
Nao's brow twitched.
He was barely twenty. Technically still a teenager. How had he suddenly aged into "uncle" status!?
"This is too valuable. I can't take it."
He laughed and gently pulled her hand open, placing the bracelet back inside.
"Keep it. It's the last thing you've got from your family, isn't it?"
"As for a thank you…"
He glanced toward Moria, who was now standing dutifully nearby.
"…Just grow up happy. That's all I need. You're five, right?"
"Uh-huh!"
"Then save the gift for later. When you're grown up and we meet again, then give me something."
He ruffled her hair gently.
"You've got thirteen years. Take your time. Grow up with a smile—and think about what kind of gift you want to give me."
Perona blinked.
Then nodded with all her strength.
"Okay!"
A few minutes later, Nao stood at the stern, watching Moria's pirate ship drift away into the distance. The former slaves were still waving as hard as they could.
Perona stood at the rail with her teddy bear, eyes locked on him, unwavering.
What a sweet kid. So obedient, so adorable.
Hard to imagine she'd grow up into such a tsundere.
Nao chuckled to himself and looked down at the hand that had just held hers. Then his mind flashed back to Moria and the girl making silly faces at each other earlier…
...Strange. Why do I suddenly want a daughter too?
"…At this rate, I better get that wedding mission out of the way first."
He smacked his forehead and sighed.
Was he really only twenty? Already having dad thoughts?
Damn you, Moria…
He pictured it:
Middle-aged Nao basking in the sun in Marineford's central plaza, kids playing nearby, Bellemere, Gion, and Shia standing by with warm smiles—
Damn. That's a beautiful vision.
I want that.
But—reality called.
Nao snapped back to the present and turned toward the vast ocean beyond the rail. A chill returned to his eyes.
As bad as Haake and those Marines were, they were just pawns.
The true rot sat comfortably in an office chair back at the 233rd Branch, sipping coffee and snacking on sweets.
Nao narrowed his eyes.
Time to deal with the real scum.
FWIP.
With a burst of wind, his figure vanished from the deck, slicing into the night like a silver dragon darting through moonlit waters.
...
Five days later…
A shocking piece of news spread from Kancer Island, where the 223rd Branch was located, quickly sweeping through the entire underworld and causing an uproar across the West Blue!
Nao, Rear Admiral of the First Branch and a powerhouse known even in the New World, had suddenly stormed the 223rd Marine branch three days ago.
Despite being greeted warmly by Captain Baji, Nao had coldly drawn his blade and executed him on the spot in front of stunned onlookers.
Then, with terrifying speed, he took control of the entire base—launching a full-scale purge of all corrupt officers.
Dozens of officers and soldiers, including multiple senior staff, were killed. Nearly half the base's personnel were wiped out.
The rest—those whose crimes weren't severe enough for execution—were arrested and sent to military court for judgment.
When the news came out, pirates across the West Blue erupted in mocking laughter.
"See? This is the Marines for you!"
"'Justice'? What a joke!"
But they didn't realize—
Their turn was next.
Since Nao had been away from the West Blue for over half a year, pirate activity had exploded. The threat of his name had faded, and pirate crews had grown bold again, rampaging unchecked.
But the very next day after the 233rd incident, pirates started vanishing.
Newly infamous crews suddenly went silent.
Remote islands were found littered with blood-soaked decks and rotting corpses.
One by one, the names disappeared:
"Sea Butcher" Garko, with a bounty of 59,000,000 Berries, who had attacked multiple villages and killed countless people;
"West Blue Pirate Admiral" Rondart, with a bounty of 70,000,000 Berries, commanding a vast fleet of over two thousand men;
"First Swordsman" Aizel, who had defeated multiple Marine fleets sent to encircle him within just half a year of setting sail, gaining fame throughout the West Blue…
It didn't matter how high their bounty was.
It didn't matter how large their fleets were.
It didn't matter how many cannons they carried.
None of them stood a chance.
They were wiped out as easily as livestock.
Such incidents became more and more frequent, and as time passed, after being exposed in the news, all pirates and other underworld forces realized one thing.
They had completely underestimated the meaning behind the sudden return of Nao — who was now even stronger than when he'd left — and what that meant for the entire West Blue!
All at once—
Nao's infamous reputation, returning from the New World, once again spread throughout the West Blue, causing countless dark forces to cower and dare not show their faces, and plunging countless pirate crews into panic, leaving them terrified and silent!