[Cover Story Serial – Shiryu of the Rain Arc, Part 2: "A Bad Premonition"]
"Not back yet?
Early in the morning again, Shiryu was pacing restlessly at the harbor pier, glancing from time to time toward the far-off horizon.
By all logic, even if the journey had been less than smooth, his girlfriend and her family should have arrived at the G6 Branch long ago. But now, a full week had passed, and still—no word, no trace.
Don't tell me they ran into some ocean storm along the way… He prayed silently, when suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a Marine ship docking at the northeastern side of the pier.
A crowd of Marines was gathered there, cheering and applauding, their faces lit with the joy of welcoming heroes home…"
...
Two days earlier.
Night had fallen, and it was pitch black outside the window.
Inside the dimly lit living room, the black tea on the coffee table was already cold. Yukika and her husband had already taken the kids back to their rooms to sleep.
But the three women were still sitting in their respective spots.
One had a cold expression and turned her head away, one was lying on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling, and one was curled up in a corner, hugging her knees in silence.
No one spoke. The atmosphere in the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Belle-mère was the one curled up in the corner of the sofa. In her hand, she held a photo she had gotten from Yukika, staring unblinkingly at the picture of Nao and Gion together.
They look so perfect together…
The two people in the photo were both Rear Admirals, wearing white coats of justice. They stood side by side on the ship's deck with a smile, with countless solemn Marine soldiers standing behind them, which made the two of them look imposing and full of presence.
Belle-Mère felt a sudden pang of bitterness.
Is this what a high-class, dignified woman from Headquarters looks like? She was on a completely different level from herself in terms of both looks and aura. And at such a young age, she was already a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral.
And she, a low-ranking Marine officer who only became a ensign offcer by relying on a Devil Fruit given to her by Nao, couldn't even begin to compare.
No wonder that bastard idiot Nao got together with her behind my back…
Her eyes were completely fixed on the photo and she didn't notice that Gion, who had been holding her teacup and looking down in silence, was also quietly observing her.
"Childhood friends…"
Gion murmured to herself, barely loud enough for her own ears.
Looking at the resolute girl with a long chestnut-red ponytail, who was full of youthful vigor, for some reason, she felt a little envious of her from the bottom of her heart.
She wasn't just envious of the girl's age, which was similar to Nao's, but also envious of her experience as a childhood friend who had grown up with Nao since they were little, spending more than ten years together and experiencing all the ups and downs of life…
If only…
She also wished she had met Nao sooner and had these precious memories with him, forming a bond that was a combination of friendship, family, and love, a bond that could never be broken no matter what…
And not like this.
Among the people present, she was actually the last one to meet Nao.
After her anger from the daytime had subsided, she inexplicably felt guilty in front of Belle-mère and Shia, as if she was the third wheel who had intruded and ruined their relationship.
That's right.
When she thought about it carefully, the few of them had just fallen into that guy Nao's hands at different times and in different places.
They had no idea that the other existed, so it was impossible to say who was right or wrong, or who was the one who had intruded and ruined the relationship.
They shouldn't be hostile to each other like this.
There was only one person who ought to be held responsible for all of this.
"…Hey."
After taking a deep breath, Gion put down her teacup. When Belle-mère looked up blankly and she and Shia both looked at her, she pursed her lower lip and said softly:
"I have a suggestion. I don't know if you two are willing to cooperate with me…"
...
At the front door.
Nao froze in place.
He stared blankly at everything that was happening in front of him. He watched as Belle-mère opened her mouth with an "ah" sound and drank a large spoonful of borscht that Gion handed her. He watched as the two of them smiled at each other, their eyes filled with happiness and sweetness…
It took him a good ten seconds to snap back to himself. Then, ignoring Yukika's protests and exclamations, he rushed into the dining room.
At this moment, Gion and Belle-mère seemed to have just noticed him and turned their heads to look at him with surprised expressions.
"…Who are you?"
Belle-mère acted as if she was seeing him for the first time. After frowning and sizing him up, she stood up from the table with a hostile expression:
"How dare you trespass into someone's home without permission… This is very rude. Get out!"
Nao blinked in disbelief.
"Hey, don't say that, Belle-Mère."
He watched as Gion also stood up and pulled Belle-mère into her arms. While comforting her and getting her to sit down, she smiled at him and said:
"He's not exactly an outsider. This woman is the Rear Admiral Gion I told you about before. She was my superior when I was working in the West Blue."
"But now, she can only be considered my subordinate."
Gion shrugged and looked at Nao with a calm and indifferent gaze:
"So Belle-mère is right about one thing. It's very rude to barge into someone's home like this and interrupt a superior and his girlfriend while they're eating. Rear Admiral Gion, you've been a Marine for so many years. Don't you even know this much manners, hmm?"
Nao's eye twitched.
A moment later, under the cold stares of the two of them, he took a deep breath and finally spoke:
"…I was wrong, Rear Admiral, Belle-mère, and Shi…"
He looked around but didn't see Shia, so he gave up on mentioning her and said with a bitter face:
"In short, it's all my fault from beginning to end. I'm willing to bear all the consequences. I can understand if you want to hit me or scold me… but there's no need to put on a show like this, right?"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Gion frowned, looked at him with displeasure, and said coldly, "The weather hasn't even gotten hot yet, so why are you so muddled that you can't even tell who you are?"
"No, I—"
"What 'I'?"
Gion slammed the table and scolded angrily:
"Enough whining. Whether you've got official business to report, or you're just here to chat because you're bored—I don't want to hear it right now! Get out!"
His three-point-four-meter tall body was strong and muscular. When he looked down at her, there was a truly superior and unquestionable air of authority in his cold eyes.
Seeing his own face with that expression from this perspective felt a little strange.
Nao's expression froze. Before he could say anything, there was a sudden thumping sound of footsteps from the stairs.
He turned his head to see Nojiko running down the stairs, hugging her bunny toy. After curiously glancing at him, she threw herself into Gion's arms.
"Why'd you come down, sweetheart?"
Gion's anger instantly melted into a warm smile. She lifted the little one into her arms, pinching her nose affectionately. "Weren't you upstairs playing with Ace?"
"He got sleepy really early and went to bed! I heard noise down here, so I came to look."
Nojiko giggled and kissed Momousagi on the cheek. Then, she buried her head in her embrace and secretly looked up at Nao. "What a pretty big sister, Daddy. Who is she?"
Nao felt his teeth ache a little.
"She's one of your old man's subordinates—just got back to Headquarters today."
Gion affectionately nuzzled the little girl with his nose and answered softly. But when she turned her head to look at Nao again, her expression became cold again:
"What? Didn't hear me the first time? Want me to throw you out myself?"
"…"
Nao was about to say something else when he suddenly noticed Yukika, who had also come to the wall of the dining room at some point, shaking her head and winking at him.
Forget it.
"Alright, I'll go out for now…"
He subconsciously wanted to reach out and pinch Nojiko's cheek to say goodbye.
But he pulled his hand back as soon as he raised it and sighed. After one last look at Belle-mère and "himself," he pushed the door open and walked out with a sense of disappointment.
When he got outside the yard and looked back into the house through the window, the family of a few people continued to sit around the dining table, enjoying their breakfast. Gion would occasionally feed Nojiko in his arms a few bites. It was a happy, harmonious, and lively scene.
"Damn it, have I become the extra person…?"
Nao's groin ached a little.
Oh well. It was obvious that little rabbit and Belle-mère were still angry, so he would just let them mess around for a while.
Just as he walked out of the yard, a white pigeon suddenly descended from the sky, landed on his shoulder, and affectionately nudged his neck with its head.
And Sadaharu, who was originally dozing off by the swing, also suddenly wagged its tail and followed behind him, trying to curry favor.
Good.
Nao poked at Little Luo's feathers and then petted the dog's head, comforting himself one last time.
Hey, it's not like I'm completely abandoned. At least I've still got one dog and one hawk to keep me company…
...
Nao didn't know that—
Upstairs by the bedroom window, Gion, Belle-Mère, and the still-hidden Shia were watching him walk away.
Shia's reason for hiding was simple—
She was afraid that if she saw Nao, she would not be able to resist running over and betraying the team…
"Did that feel good?"
Belle-mère said softly, but then she frowned, "But seeing him look so lonely, for some reason, I feel a little sad…"
"This is the time when you have to be the most firm."
Gion said coldly, "If we don't make him realize that he's really wrong this time, he'll only become more and more arrogant in the future. In my opinion, we should at least give him the cold shoulder for a week… No, a month!"
Both Belle-Mère and Shiha were startled by her ruthlessness. But when they looked over, they saw the little rabbit's eyes still fixed on his retreating back—her hands behind her back twisting anxiously.
...
Meanwhile—
In the New World, the Beasts Pirates, who had been caught off guard by the Marine's sudden actions and suffered a great loss, had finally begun their revenge.
With a single command from Kaido.
Tens of thousands of troops were drawn from Wano Country, Onigashima, and many other islands under the control of the Beasts Pirates.
The Tobiroppo and other officers also gathered together and, with an all-out posture, launched a massive attack on the territory controlled by the Marines under the leadership of the three Calamities!
The Marines were originally prepared for this. Some of the outer islands they had recaptured had already begun to be abandoned, the residents were being evacuated, and the troops were retreating to the rear, preparing to engage in an all-out war with the Beasts Pirates once the Headquarters reinforcements had gathered.
But what no one expected was that.
At this time, several Marine ships that were retreating to the G-1 Branch's main base were suddenly attacked by an unknown enemy on the way.
Caught off guard, they suffered extremely heavy losses. Two Headquarters Rear Admirals were even killed on the spot while covering their subordinates' retreat!
When the news reached G1 Branch, Commander Sakazuki was furious and immediately ordered an investigation into the attackers' identities.
The results were shocking.
The pirates who had attacked came from over a dozen entirely different crews.
Some were tiny bands of a few dozen. Others were fleets of over a thousand. Their captains' bounties ranged from a few hundred million to near-billion levels.
For example:
Basque, the "Silver Wolf of the Moonlight," with a bounty of 660 million Berries, who had fought with Whitebeard for a day and a night five years ago before being defeated.
Ardan, a six-sword-style swordsman with a bounty of 530 million Berries, who had once single-handedly almost destroyed the entire Marine G-5 Branch base.
And Longya, the "Pirate Grand Admiral" with a bounty of 900 million Berries, a legendary old pirate from the same era as Gol D. Roger and Shiki, who had a massive fleet of thousands of people under his command!
They all had one thing in common: they had all, more or less, had some connection with the Beasts Pirates.
Some had been favored by Kaido, some had been spared after being defeated when they challenged Kaido, and they had some mutual respect. Some just had some business dealings with him in the underworld…
The Marines immediately realized that.
Kaido, who usually presented himself as a reckless figure, had made a lot of preparations this time. After not receiving support from the Big Mom Pirates, he had secretly prepared so many hidden cards.
The purpose was to catch the Marines off guard while their attention was focused on the Beasts Pirates' main force!
The news that the Marines had been caught off guard and taken a loss from the Beasts Pirates quickly spread from the New World in all directions during this time.
Even though Marine Headquarters had been deliberately trying to suppress and conceal it.
But because the news was so explosive, and with someone fanning the flames in secret, it was impossible to keep it under wraps. In less than two days, it had already spread across most of the world.
Almost all major and minor forces were shaken by it!
The major newspapers, led by the World Economy News Paper, also rushed to work overtime, printing related front-page stories overnight.
For a time, related news reports were flying everywhere. From an unknown bar in a remote town to a pirate ship in the New World, people could be seen excitedly discussing this matter everywhere.
Even the least observant people at this moment knew very clearly.
A war that was destined to be the biggest one in the past few decades… was about to break out!