[Cover Story Serial – Shiryu of the Rain Arc, Part 3: 'A Blow to the Head']
The hero being welcomed was named Angie, also a Marine Headquarters colonel. Shiryu had inquired earlier and learned that during this expedition, Captain Angie had single-handedly defeated several pirate crews in succession, saving multiple towns that had been ravaged.
"Saving at least a few thousand people in one go? That's certainly an impressive achievement. Shiryu was nodding in silent approval when he suddenly heard the Marines who were just discussing it sigh with regret again, saying that they had arrived too late at one of the small islands. By the time Captain Angie arrived, all the villagers had been massacred, and the name of that island was…"
BOOM!
Shiryu's feet swayed a few times. He felt his vision go black, and his body trembled violently. He couldn't hear any sounds, and his consciousness became blurred…"
...
At Garp's house.
Garp, who had just returned from a Headquarters meeting, was crunching on doughnuts and gloating as he looked at the exhausted-looking Nao on the opposite sofa.
"What, didn't you sleep well last night?"
"Uh-uh,"
Nao said weakly, with dark circles under his eyes, "The bed you arranged for me was too soft. Gion's body seems to be particular about beds, and I tossed and turned all night without getting much sleep."
"You should be grateful this old man's even willing to take you in and give you a place to sleep, instead of nitpicking."
Garp chewed his donut, giving him a sideways look before smirking.
"Being particular about beds is just an excuse. I think you're just still agonizing over what to do… They still didn't let you in today?"
"No."
Nao rubbed his face in frustration. "I already apologized to both sides with my tail between my legs, but it didn't work at all. Instead, they've gotten even worse—these past two days they've been openly flaunting their affection at home, and when they run into me outside, they treat me like air. Won't even acknowledge I exist…"
"And what about that little princess, Shia?"
A doughnut accidentally fell on the floor. Garp immediately bent down to pick it up, blowing on it with a pained look, and put it into his mouth again. "I remember that little girl was completely on your side, right? She wouldn't also give you the cold shoulder, would she?"
"She's been hiding from me. She's probably also been roped in by Gion and is going to see the play through to the end…"
Nao sighed gloomily. "Even my parents are going along with their nonsense, blocking me from getting inside. At this point I'm starting to wonder if I was even their real kid…"
Damn it, this is so unfair.
Logically speaking, when a harem finds out about each other's existence, shouldn't they be competing for his attention—trying every trick to keep him for themselves while scheming to drive the others away?
So how did it come to this? Their relationship's only gotten better and better—they're all chummy now, practically like one happy family—while he got kicked out of the picture entirely?
"Hahahahahaha!"
Seeing his dejected look, Garp couldn't help but laugh wildly:
"I have to say, that little girl Gion is getting better and better at imitating you. This morning, she even went to a top-level meeting and listened to the whole thing with a straight face."
"That idiot Sengoku and the others didn't even notice anything was wrong. After the meeting, he even specifically called Gion over to praise her. Only then did he realize something was off. I laughed so hard my teeth almost fell out…"
"How could a wife not be like her husband?"
Nao gave the old man a frustrated look and shook his head. "Forget it, let's not talk about that. What did they say at the Headquarters' high-level meeting? Is there a final decision on the big war in the New World?
"Hmm, it's pretty much been decided."
When it came to business, Garp nodded, his expression becoming serious. "Headquarters has decided to immediately send another 40,000 elite Marines to reinforce the G-1 Branch. With the 10,000 already there, a total of 50,000 people will participate in this war."
50,000 elite Marines…
That kind of number made even Nao click his tongue. Headquarters was truly throwing everything they had into this war.
Sure, compared to the future Paramount War's 100,000 troops, it was only half that size, and without summoning the Seven Warlords of the Sea, it might not seem as overwhelming on paper.
But this battlefield was in the New World—Headquarters had to keep a large force at home to guard against opportunistic troublemakers.
And preparation time was short; G1 Branch's defensive line was on the verge of collapse, so there was no chance to draw forces from other branches.
This wasn't like the Paramount War, where they could sit in Marineford and fight from a defensive advantage.
"What about the top-tier fighters?" Nao thought for a while and then asked again, "How are they assigned?"
"G1 Branch already has Sakazuki and Kuzan, plus two vice admirals, so their strength is decent. Originally, Headquarters was only going to send four more vice admirals."
"But because of that weird body-swap between you and her, your combat effectiveness has dropped, which might affect the battle. So they decided to add two more vice admirals on top of that."
Garp took a sip of the hot milk on the table before continuing leisurely:
"Below that, there are more than a dozen rear admirals. Above them is Sengoku. Fleet Admiral Kong and I have to stay at Headquarters and can't leave."
"And Zephyr-sensei?"
"Him? He's not been at Headquarters since last month."
Garp shook his head. "He's taking this year's new recruits from the elite training camp for an internship at a branch in the first half of the Grand Line. Even if we were to call him back now, it would take at least half a month, so there's no time."
"I see."
Nao felt a twinge of regret, though he knew that even if Zephyr were still here, it was unlikely Headquarters would send him to the New World for this war.
First, Zephyr had long since stepped back from the front lines, worn out and fed up. Second, Headquarters would also think that the current arrangement was sufficient to deal with this war.
After all, the enemy was just the Beasts Pirates' main force and a dozen other miscellaneous pirate crews that were in an alliance with them.
They were in no way comparable to Gol D. Roger from back in the day, or even the Rocks Pirates from an earlier period.
On the other hand, the Marines were deploying 50,000 troops, led by Admiral Sengoku himself, along with several famous veteran Headquarters Vice Admirals like Akainu and Aokiji…
It could be said that they had a clear path to victory.
If they couldn't defeat the Beasts Pirates like this, they might as well just disband the entire Marine before they embarrassed themselves in front of the whole world!
Nao spent another night in the guest room at Garp's house. The next morning, he boarded a Marine ship and rushed to the G-1 Branch.
He and Gion were in the last batch. Two days before, more than a hundred Marine ships had already set off from Headquarters with tens of thousands of elite Marines, heading for the New World battlefield.
Belle-mère was also a member of this battle group.
This was a little unexpected for Nao, but it also made sense when he thought about it carefully.
Though Bell-mère had been in the Marines for less than two years, she had abundant combat experience. She was now a full-pledge Headquarters ensign and a Devil Fruit user—by any measure, she qualified as one of these 50,000 elites.
On the Marine ship, Belle-mère, wearing a white uniform, looked dashing and valiant. She was holding the hilt of her sword with an excited and expectant expression, a completely different person from the gentle mother she was when she was taking care of the kids at home.
Nao felt a little worried. He found an opportunity in the middle of the journey to go over to her, wanting to remind the girl of the dangers of the pirates in the New World and tell her to be extra careful.
But before he could finish his first sentence, he was interrupted by an arm that was stretched out.
"I'll naturally take good care of my lover."
Gion, who had appeared at some point, stood in front of Belle-mère and looked at him coldly. "I don't need outsiders to worry about her. As for you… just take care of yourself, Rear Admiral Gion."
"…"
Nao looked at Gion, who had completely gotten into character, with a frustrated expression. He sighed and was about to go back to his room when Gion called out to him from behind.
"Give me Konpira."
As she spoke, she tossed over the Azakana Sword and the Wind Sword. Caught off guard, Nao fumbled to catch them, then unfastened Konpira from his waist and handed it to her.
"My own sword still feels best in my hands."
Drawing the blade and looking it over, Gion suddenly asked, "We're in the Calm Belt now. If we could find that little raccoon, is there a way to switch back?"
"Huh?" Nao blinked.
"Our personal spat shouldn't affect the war." Gion kept her eyes on the distant sea. "If we lost this war because you were missing from the fight, then…"
"How would we even find them?"
Nao sighed. "Even if those raccoon are still alive, they haven't left the Calm Belt… Finding them in just a few days would be like looking for a needle in a haystack—it's impossible."
"…I understand."
She said nothing more. Nao turned to go, but then he heard a quiet voice behind him:
"…Do what you can, and don't die."
Nao's steps faltered. He glanced back at her.
"You too, Rear Admiral—be careful."
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, a week later—
New World, G1 Branch Base.
Two days earlier, the last batch of reinforcements from Headquarters had arrived. With Admiral Sengoku, the commander-in-chief of this war, giving out one order after another, the Marine's massive war machine roared into action.
Within days, all defensive preparations had been completed with flawless order.
…
The next day, when the first ray of morning light roamed over this sea, coating everything in a light golden halo.
It also announced that the day of war had finally arrived. The countless major and minor forces in the entire New World, each with their own hidden motives, all turned their gazes and focused on this place.
And at the G-1 Branch at this moment.
The fortress was reinforced, and countless thick cannons were set up around the harbor.
As far as the eye could see, the area in front of the massive fortress was filled with Marine soldiers ready for battle. It was as if they were in a white ocean and a steel forest, a spectacular and shocking sight.
"Admiral Sengoku! The forward reconnaissance ship has just sent the latest news! The Beasts Pirates' fleet finished its rest last night and is currently setting off from the sea 20 kilometers north, heading toward the Branch base!"
"And the other fifteen pirate crews that are in an alliance with them have also gathered at full speed under Kaido's command!"
So they're finally here?
Sengoku stood on a high platform, looking at the distant, misty horizon. The gaze behind his glasses was as deep as ink. "Pass down my order. Everyone, get into position! Prepare for battle!"
"Yes, Admiral!"
The Marines were already lined up and ready. The top-level officers, who had been resting and recuperating, also walked out of the fortress building at this moment and came to the front of the base under the admiring gazes of countless Marines.
Time passed by, minute by minute.
Finally.
When the sun climbed higher and higher, and the sea mist gradually thinned and dissipated, the Marines gathered in front of the fortress could finally vaguely see the traces of several large ships at the end of the horizon.
And this.
Was only the tip of the iceberg.
Further away, more than a hundred massive pirate ships silently appeared in the sea mist.
Looking from afar, they were almost a continuous stretch, like an ancient behemoth crawling on the sea, and an invisible, terrifying pressure came rushing toward them.
"Oh my God…"
A young Marine Lieutenant by a cannon, who had a clear view of the scene in the distance, instinctively took half a step back. His hands, which were holding the binoculars, began to tremble slightly.
"What an incredible sight."
Beside him, an older officer managed to keep his composure, though his face had paled. "With this scale and momentum, is this what a Emperor-level pirate crew looks like…"
Everyone who was able to participate in this great war was an elite Marine. At the very least, they were Headquarters Chief Petty Officer or Warrant Officer level.
However, even so, most of them had never seen such a magnificent scene before.
With a great war about to begin, it was inevitable that they would feel nervous and uneasy.
"What are you panicking for?!"
Sakazuki, commander of G1 Branch, had instantly sensed the shift in his men's morale. He stepped forward, barking sharply:
"So what if the pirates on the other side have a big presence?! Don't forget, we've also gathered over 50,000 elite troops this time, and we have the strongest fighter in Headquarters, Admiral Sengoku, holding down the fort!"
"With them here, what's there to panic about when we're only facing one Beasts Pirates crew!"
As soon as he said that, the restless deck became much quieter.
Many soldiers looked at each other and gradually calmed down.
That's right, even though the enemy was a massive force, they weren't facing it alone.
They had thousands of comrades by their side, and an Admiral backing them up from behind.
In this situation, no matter how menacing the enemy was, the worst that could happen was that they would fight to the death in a bloody battle. What was there to worry or be afraid of?