Cover Story– Straw Hat Crew Arc 6: "Tony Tony Chopper!"
(Blank panel)
Because he hasn't been born yet.
...
"Nao…"
Shiryu repeated the name under his breath, the face of that black-haired boy he had lived and eaten alongside for a full year surfacing vividly in his mind.
A faint grin tugged at his lips. He raised his cup and drained the sake in a single swallow.
"Can you get me some paper and a pen?"
When he put down the sake cup, Shiryu stared at Magellan and said, "Using your channels, a letter to Headquarters would arrive in a day at most, right?"
"No problem." Magellan also took a sip of sake and agreed readily. "It won't even take a day. It'll arrive tonight."
"Oh, right."
Before Shiliew could speak, Magellan remembered something and raised his eyebrows. "Your fiancée, Ensign Emily, is currently recovering at Headquarters. She'll probably be able to hitch a ride to Impel Down to visit you next week."
Emily is coming?
Shiryu's right hand, which was holding the sake cup, trembled slightly. His breathing became a little hurried.
"You've been so dejected for so long, and now... a light has finally returned to your eyes."
Magellan smiled. "This is against regulations and is rarely approved. Well, you don't have to thank me either. This is also all because of Nao-san."
Shiryu gave a silent nod.
Great kindness goes without saying, especially between brothers. Shiryu refilled his cup with sake and didn't say anything else, but he had already deeply engraved all the effort Nao had put in for him during these past few days into his heart.
He suddenly remembered the last part of the letter. Shiryu felt a little regretful and sighed.
"That guy, Nao, is getting married next week, but I can't be there…"
"Whose fault is it that you acted so impulsively? I can't reduce your five-year prison sentence."
Magellan also downed the sake in his cup.
It seemed that the atmosphere was just about right. Magellan finally said leisurely, "By the way, you've been officially discharged from the Marines. Do you have any plans after you get out of prison?"
"Who knows what will happen then?"
Shiryu shook his head slightly. After a moment of thought, he held the wine cup and said, "Maybe I'll take Emily and travel the world, go everywhere with her, and then find a place to settle down and become a fisherman or open a small coffee shop…"
"That doesn't fit your ideals, does it?"
Magellan was dumbfounded. "Open a coffee shop? I'm afraid your shop will close on the very day it opens because you'll scare all the customers away…"
What does he mean?
Shiryu glared at Magellan. Do I look that scary?
"What do you think?"
Magellan shrugged. The corners of his mouth turned up into a meaningful smile. "Compared to that, I might have a better path for you here…"
...
Just as the two impenetrable walls of Impel Down were getting to know each other.
Back at Marine Headquarters, after the meticulous preparations, Nao's wedding was finally held as scheduled.
May 5th, sunny.
It was originally a cloudy day, but after Garp and Zephyr worked together and punched a hole through the clouds, it became a cloudless, clear sky.
And this was just the beginning of this grand wedding.
The largest grassy area in the town behind the Headquarters fortress was decorated with beautiful flowers.
Beneath the white floral arch, guests came in waves. Almost all the high-ranking Marines at Headquarters made time to personally attend this unprecedented and grand wedding.
Kong, the Fleet Admiral of Headquarters, was the officiant.
Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru... a group of legendary old-era Marines all attended.
And a few old acquaintances who couldn't make it, who were also high-ranking Marine commanders, also sent messengers to deliver their wedding gifts.
Sakazuki, the Commander of the G-1 Branch, sent a pair of simple and elegant swords.
The quality of the swords might not be that good. They were not even as good as the Good Grade Swords of today, but they were forged over a thousand years ago.
They had been used by many famous swordsmen in history, so their meaning was extraordinary and their value was priceless. For a swordsman like Nao, they were very valuable collectibles.
Kizaru, the Commander of the G-2 Branch, sent four handpicked gems. They were all different colors and were all high-quality raw materials for jewelry.
At the same time, there was also a yellowed, dog-eared record book that meticulously recorded every record Nao had made during his internship at the G-2 Branch two years ago.
The one who came to deliver the gift was the same female staff officer who was in charge of Nao back then.
The sentimental value of this gift was even deeper.
Nao was deeply touched by Kizaru's thoughtfulness. He thanked the female Staff Officer with a smile, but he also felt that the record book seemed to carry a little bit of Kizaru's resentment…
Ugh, he did end up breaking his promise to Kizaru and couldn't go to the G-2 Branch to help him with his worries after all.
The Five Elders' wedding gift also arrived as scheduled after the wedding began.
It was a delicate wooden box. When opened, on the velvet cloth inside, lay three exquisitely crafted diamond crowns and three diamond rings the size of pebbles.
They were truly priceless.
"All together, it must be over a billion Berries..."
Nao didn't really care. Instead, he chuckled a little. "Did they use the treasures from the national treasury to pay for all the jewelry for my wedding?"
He had already prepared the diamond rings and crowns, so he had no intention of using them. However, his wives would be very happy to see them, so it would be a good idea to keep them as a collection.
In addition.
Inside the wooden box was a letter personally written by the Five Elders. Nao skimmed through it. Besides their congratulations for his big day, it also contained a long passage of sincere advice written in a kind and amiable tone.
It was probably the usual tactic of giving a stick and then a sweet date.
On one hand, they expressed their expectations and praise for him, almost explicitly saying that the future leader of the Marines had to be him.
On the other hand, they advised him to be more cautious in the future and not to be so reckless as to provoke royalty and nobles. They said they didn't want to see another scene of him killing a princess in public.
It seemed that to avoid a potential conflict, the Five Elders had also specifically given him the privilege of not having to kneel in front of a Celestial Dragon.
As for whether it was to protect Nao or to protect the Celestial Dragons, that was unknown.
"It's not bad. They seem pretty sincere."
Nao politely sent the envoy away and happily accepted all the gifts. He was very satisfied.
As for the Five Elders' instructions and warnings, he just ignored them all and treated them like farts.
As expected.
This special gift caused quite a stir at the wedding.
The highest authorities of the World Government would actually give a gift to a Vice Admiral?
And such a precious one at that.
It was simply unbelievable…
Many of the veteran Vice Admirals looked at Nao with a mix of envy and admiration. They then looked at the big shots who had made time to come, as well as the dog-like Kizaru, who was thousands of miles away but didn't forget to send a gift...
Only then did their scalps begin to tingle as they realized.
Despite coming from an ordinary family in the East Blue, despite becoming a Headquarters Vice Admiral for less than a year, and despite never having deliberately built up his own faction...
At this moment, Nao, in the entire Marine system, was liked by everyone from the top to the bottom. His prestige and connections had become the most terrifying presence among the younger generation!
Suddenly.
A convoy of luxurious carriages arrived from a distance. They passed through the red carpet and stopped outside the floral arch, attracting the gaze of all the guests.
"The brides' convoy has finally arrived."
The master of ceremonies was none other than Aokiji. He looked at the carriages in the distance, gripped the microphone, and said with a light smile:
"Ladies and gentlemen… and you old-timers as well… let's give the warmest applause to welcome our three brides!"
In an instant, thunderous clapping swept the field.
Dressed in a crisp white suit, Nao stood tall upon the dais, a faint smile tugging at his lips as his gaze rested on the three radiant figures approaching from the carriages—each adorned in a wedding gown, each supported gracefully by their bridesmaids.
At the center walked Gion.
Her gown was a flawless white, its trailing hem whispering across the carpet. Dark hair pinned elegantly up, she seemed like a blooming gardenia—pure and shy, yet with a trace of her innate valor shining through.
To her left was Bell-mère. Her white wedding dress was adorned with small orange flowers. She still had her chestnut-red ponytail, and the hem of her gauze skirt was trimmed with a light orange-gold edge.
She was grinning broadly and openly, just like the fruit orchard on Cocoyasi Village in the East Blue in winter, where everything you saw was a warm, bright orange.
To her right, Shia was wearing a light blue classical wedding dress.
She was usually as cold as an iceberg in front of outsiders, but at this moment, she couldn't stop smiling. She was elegant and refined, like a graceful elf deer that had walked out of a lakeside in the depths of a forest…
Three brides.
Three utterly different styles.
Yet each breathtaking in her own way—so much so that many of the guests could do nothing but stare in awe.
Seeing the three brides walk down the red carpet and arrive at the beautifully decorated hall, they embraced Nao one by one and looked at him with a smile…
This scene made many people start to applaud on their own. Many friends and family were so moved that they began to wipe the corners of their eyes.
"Uuuuuhhh—waaahhh…"
Chaton was the one who was crying the most. He kept blowing his nose with a handkerchief, but it was clearly not out of emotion.
"Little Gion is finally getting married. I was the one who watched her grow up…"
But the most painful thing was not that.
He had specially ordered and prepared a high-end suit, styled his hair, and put a carefully selected boutonnière in his chest pocket. He wanted to look his best to witness Gion's happiness.
But when he arrived at the wedding, he found that his outfit and hairstyle were an exact match for Aokiji, who was the master of ceremonies…
Meanwhile, at the same table, Gallio VI was grinning ear to ear like a child.
Although his experience was similar to Chaton's, for the kind and simple-minded King, seeing Shia and Nao, a perfect couple, walk into the wedding hall together made him a hundred times happier than getting married himself…
The reactions of the others were also different.
Little Hina was listlessly leaning on the back of her chair. She was staring at the three different wedding dresses, her eyes full of envy, wishing she could be in their place.
Nojiko was a flower girl. She was excitedly running and screaming on the grass with a few other children.
Little Nami was in her stroller. She started to feel sleepy while watching and unconsciously fell into a deep sleep, sucking her thumb.
Yukika and old Captain Natsuya sat in the front row. As they looked at their energetic son, they seemed to remember their youthful years. They looked at each other with a smile and leaned in closer together…
And in the hall.
Fleet Admiral Kong, as the officiant, witnessed Nao and his three wives swearing their vows and exchanging rings. He then laughed heartily and announced that the wedding banquet had officially begun.
Grand fireworks began to bloom in the night sky. A variety of delicious dishes were served at the tables. Amidst the blessings, the guests were laughing and drinking, having a great time together.
As for the newlyweds?
They had already quietly left the wedding banquet and gone to the prepared bridal chamber as night fell...
...
[Side Quest: "The Grand Wedding" — Completed]
[Side Quest Name: Grand Wedding]
[Quest Reward: 400,000 Points, S-Rank Gift Box x2, 80% Off Coupon x1, (Already received)]
[Note: You have come from a nameless boy on the beach to a famous Vice Admiral at Headquarters. Congratulations, Player! And without a doubt, this wedding is the most beautiful tribute to your journey over the years and also witnesses your transformation from a boy to a man…]
[The Love Cell Cultivation Game, Phase 1 has ended.]
[The System will be temporarily shut down for a full maintenance and upgrade. The estimated maintenance time is 60 days.]
…
On his way to the bridal chamber, Nao subconsciously opened his quest log and took a look.
The rewards had indeed been received. The 400,000 points were a huge sum when the quest was first released, but to him now, it was nothing.
The two S-Rank Gift Boxes and the 80% Off Coupon were still very appealing.
As for the system maintenance and upgrade, it was something he had been warned about when he accepted the quest. Nao was not surprised by it, but a 60-day maintenance period was indeed a bit too long.
This meant that he would have to wait 60 days to satisfy his curiosity and see what was inside the two S-Rank Gift Boxes.
However.
It was clear that even if the system wasn't in maintenance, he definitely wouldn't have a chance to open any boxes tonight.
Because as soon as he entered the bridal chamber.
He was caught off guard and pushed onto the bed by three hands that suddenly reached out from behind him. He then watched helplessly as his clothes were removed at light speed...