Somewhere in Whitebeard's territory, aboard the Moby Dick.
A modest banquet was being held—to welcome Marco and Vista back to the ship after their narrow escape from death.
But clearly, no one was in the mood to celebrate. Even the usually kind-hearted Marco was scowling and drinking silently.
No one could bring themselves to be happy.
The safe return of two division commanders should have been worth celebrating. But the loss of three entire divisions in that battle weighed like a boulder on everyone's chest.
It was a blow too bitter to swallow—and a disgrace for the Whitebeard Pirates.
Three divisions, gone in one battle. Whitebeard's fleet might have been vast, but the main crew only had fifteen divisions in total. Losing a fifth of their strength in one strike…
Even back in Roger's time, when the New World was chaotic and warlords clashed constantly, they had rarely suffered such a devastating defeat.
Marco's expression was grim. Beside him, Vista was even more dejected—drunk out of his mind, his face full of guilt.
He cursed his own swordsmanship, knowing it wasn't strong enough.
In that three-against-one battle, he hadn't been able to help Marco much. Even with Marco's healing support, and after unleashing his ultimate Rose technique, he hadn't been able to change the tide.
Thud, thud, thud…
Heavy footsteps suddenly echoed. Everyone turned, and saw a towering figure striding out of the cabin.
"Pops!"
Everyone rose at once. Marco hurriedly tossed aside his bottle and rushed to support Whitebeard.
"Your wounds aren't healed yet! Didn't you promise to rest properly in your room? Why did you come out?"
In the recent battle between Emperors, Whitebeard had emerged victorious. Big Mom was gravely injured and forced to flee back to Totto Land. But Whitebeard himself had not escaped unscathed.
His age was catching up with him. Compared to his prime, his body's natural recovery had slowed significantly. Even with the aid of Marco's Phoenix Devil Fruit powers, he still hadn't fully recovered by today.
"Gurararara… my foolish sons…"
Whitebeard looked down at Marco and grinned. "How outrageous, how can you have a banquet without inviting me?"
"A banquet…" Marco forced a bitter smile. "This can hardly be called one…"
"If there's booze, it's a banquet!" Whitebeard said with an undeniable tone. He picked up a large tankard of beer from beside him, chugged it down, and said calmly, "No matter what, the fact that you and Vista made it back alive is worth celebrating."
"But Pops…" Marco's voice was thick with strain. He had barely started to speak when Whitebeard cut him off with a wave of his massive hand.
"My foolish son… This defeat isn't your fault. Who could have expected that brat, Nao, to have grown so strong? And besides—this was my decision. I was the one who sent you."
Whitebeard tilted his head back slightly, gazing toward the distant horizon. A cold snort escaped him.
"But this disgrace… will not be forgotten."
His expression stayed calm, but deep in his eyes, rage simmered—unhidden, unshakable.
Pray, you lightning brat. Don't ever come to the New World again and give me a chance to catch you.
Otherwise, the next time we meet, you can prepare to pay with your blood!
...
Meanwhile, as the world erupted in shock at the outcome of the war, Nao—at the center of the storm—had finished handling the aftermath. After parting ways with Akainu, the Thunder Hawk once more set sail, bound for Marineford.
On the way to Dressrosa, the situation had been urgent, forcing them to sail at full speed.
But on the return trip, there was no such rush. The two marine warships cruised leisurely across the seas. Ten days passed, and they still had not reached the Red Line.
Nao finally had some free time. Reclining on a rattan chair, he basked in the sun while leisurely flipping through a Bleach manga.
He had picked it up earlier this year from the system's shop, spending a full 5,000 points on it. But he had been too busy to actually read it—until the five boring days spent on Dressrosa, when he finally took it out for a reread.
He hadn't even finished a few chapters when he went to eat breakfast, and the whole set of manga on the table vanished without a trace.
When he asked Aokiji, he said he hadn't seen it, making Nao suspect it might have been snatched by a seagull, which pained him greatly.
But then, this morning,
Aokiji showed up with dark bags under his eyes, yawning as he returned the hefty stack of Bleach volumes to Nao, who could only stare in disbelief.
"Didn't I ask you last time if you wanted to read it? You were so scornful—you said only snot-nosed kids would be into this stuff."
"Couldn't help it. Aizen's too damn cool…"
Scratching his greasy, messy hair from an all-nighter, Aokiji muttered, "Besides, I'm not that old, right? Still a youth, you know…"
A middle-aged uncle pushing forty dares say that?
This was an addiction—it needed treatment. Without another word, Nao gave the guy a full-body electrotherapy session. Then, with a cold expression, he called for Aokiji's trembling subordinate to come over and carry the stiff, immobile man back to his room to catch up on sleep.
"Hadō #4, Byakurai."
"Hadō #63, Raikōhō."
"Hadō #88, Hiryū Gekizoku Shinten Raihō…"
As he flipped through the Bleach manga, Nao rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
There were quite a few lightning-based skills in here.
Some of them looked incredibly flashy, filled with style and impact. Maybe he could draw inspiration from them, fusing the powers of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with his swordsmanship to create stronger and more versatile abilities.
After finishing one volume, he tossed it aside and, after a moment of consideration, opened up the system panel for the first time in a while:
[Name: Natsuya Nao]
[Age: 22]
[Strength: 35 (1,000,000 points/level)]
[Agility: 33 (+3) (1,000,000 points/level)]
[Stamina: 39 (5,000,000 points/level)]
[Intelligence: 12 (500,000 points/level)]
[Charisma: 21 (5,000,000 points/level)]
[Current Points: 1,786,000]
[Standard Skills]: Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Close-Quarters Combat (Master), Two-Sword Style (Advanced), Rokushiki (Advanced), Firearms Proficiency (Advanced), Self-Discipline (Master), Armament Haki (Advanced), Observation Haki (Advanced), Drawing (Advanced), Fishing (Master), Swimming (Master), Sweet Talker (Advanced)]
[Innate Skills: Conqueror's Haki, Diamond Body, Voice of All Things, Radiant Smile, Craftsman's Spirit, Wind Barrier (Advanced), Thick Skin (Advanced), Iron Head (Advanced), Limb Regeneration, Amphibious Breathing]
[Currently Equipped: Guardian Angel, Boots of Lightness, Thornmail]
[Special Items: Shop 80%-off Coupons ×2]