"Hina!"
At that moment, a somewhat stern voice suddenly called from outside the room.
Both Nao and Hina were startled, turning to see Chishio—Rear Admiral Chishio—standing at the doorway. She glanced at the photo frames, then at Hina, her brows furrowed.
Hina looked up at her, confused and unsure.
Seeing this, Chishio sighed softly and her voice softened: "It's getting late. Go take a bath and rest. I have something to discuss with your 'sister' Gion."
"Eh? But Hina also wants to—"
"Children shouldn't eavesdrop when adults are talking."
"Oh…"
Hina, though a little disappointed, obediently left the room. As her figure disappeared into the hallway, Chishio gently shut the door and sat down by the bed where Nao was seated.
"Chishio-nee…"
Nao could roughly guess what was going through her mind. After a moment of hesitation, he broke the silence. "This… Portgas D. Rouge…"
"Yes, it's exactly who you're thinking of," Chishio said quietly. "The wife of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger. Three years ago, while carrying Roger's child, she died during the Marines' pursuit."
Died while being chased by Marines?
Nao was stunned, his face showing disbelief.
Wasn't Rouge supposed to have given birth to Ace in South Blue's Baterilla and passed away from exhaustion?
"Surprised, aren't you?"
Chishio took the photo frame from Nao's hands, looking at the smiling little girl in the photo. She gently wiped away the dust, her expression turning soft and nostalgic.
"Rouge... although not related to me by blood, I always thought of her as my own daughter."
"Unfortunately, after her uncle passed away, her personality became rebellious. Not long after she became an adult, she left home to travel and rarely contacted me."
"Years later, she got in touch again, apologizing for her youthful defiance. She said she had found the love of her life in South Blue, and she was already pregnant."
"I was happy then, and I congratulated her on her marriage over the phone, looking forward to the day she'd bring her husband and child home to visit."
Chishio put down the photo frame and gave a self-mocking laugh. "But only a few months later, the Marines issued orders to hunt down Roger's family. It was then that I finally realized the man Rouge mentioned was Gol D. Roger himself."
"What an ironic story, Nao."
Nao pressed his lips together, remaining silent.
In truth, he wasn't that surprised. After hearing Hina mention Rouge's name earlier, he'd already pieced together this web of relationships.
As a Rear Admiral of the Marines and a contemporary of Garp and Zephyr, Chishio had taken in a girl who later became Roger's wife. It was a messy, tangled story, but not unheard of in this world.
Still, the age gap between them seemed huge.
Rouge must have been in her early twenties when she met Roger, who was already in his fifties and terminally ill. They fell in love and married within a few months—a relationship against all odds.
Maybe… that's just the nature of love.
Nao didn't want to comment on this May-December romance, but something about it felt off.
—Since Roger knew he was terminally ill and had limited time, why begin a relationship that would leave a widow and orphan behind?
If not for Garp's secret protection, Rouge and Ace might never have survived.
Maybe… that's just how pirates think?
Nao couldn't quite understand. Right now, his focus was on uncovering the real reason Chishio had suddenly resigned from Marine headquarters three years ago—right after Roger's execution—and if it was related to the order to hunt down Rouge.
Such ruthless orders, wiping out even innocent family members, must have disgusted many Marines.
Especially for Chishio, whose foster daughter was the one being hunted.
If that's why she left headquarters and returned home, it would make sense.
But then… what did Garp have to do with it?
Since the topic was out in the open, Nao was ready to ask directly about what had happened three years ago.
But just then, a muffled thud came from outside the door, followed by a girl's cry of pain.
"Hina!"
Chishio and Nao's expressions changed at once. They rushed out of the room and down the stairs.
In the living room, they looked around and saw the bathroom light was on. The sound had come from inside.
"Hina, are you okay?"
Nao knocked on the bathroom door. There was no response, and his heart sank.
Chishio, already worried, tried the doorknob. When she found it locked, she didn't hesitate—she kicked the door open with a loud crash.
Nao stood there, dumbfounded, as Chishio, her slight figure bursting with strength, stormed into the bathroom.
About to follow, Nao suddenly remembered something and hesitated. After a moment, he decided to wait outside.
Moments later, Chishio emerged, carrying Hina, wrapped in a towel, and gently set her on the sofa.
Hina's face was pale, her energy weak, but she was conscious.
"What happened, Chishio-nee?" Nao asked in relief.
"She slipped while bathing and fell into the tub," Chishio explained. "Luckily, she didn't lose consciousness."
"I'm sorry, Grandma Chishio," Hina said weakly, her voice thin. "I don't know what happened… I just suddenly felt so weak and slipped…"
"Are you feeling sick?" Chishio asked with concern. "I recall you're on your period. Did you sneak any cold drinks from the fridge again?"
"No," Hina said quickly, shaking her head. She pointed at the table. "I haven't eaten much lately. Just earlier, I had a few strawberries that Gion-nee brought."
"Oh, right," she suddenly remembered. "They were delicious, but there was one that tasted really bad. It smelled awful. I only took one bite before I spit it out. Could that have made me sick?"
Bad strawberry?
Nao glanced at the trash can by the table. There was a discarded strawberry there—one bite taken out of it. But... it looked unusual. Its surface was patterned with swirls.
Swirls?
Nao and Chishio exchanged glances. Both their faces changed. They said in unison:
"Devil Fruit!"
Nao bent down, picked up the half-eaten strawberry from the trash, and examined it carefully. His expression turned grim. The dense patterns and rough texture—it was unmistakable.
Recalling how he'd bought the strawberries just after completing a system mission the day before, when he was too preoccupied to pay attention, Nao realized with a jolt that the fruit vendor had probably slipped a Devil Fruit into the batch. He'd brought it home without noticing… and Hina had accidentally eaten it.
What a bizarre coincidence! Could this be the Ori Ori no Mi?
As Nao prepared to toss the Devil Fruit remnant back into the trash, he noticed Chishio and Hina staring at him with strange, scrutinizing expressions.
What now?
Nao was puzzled, wondering if something was on his clothes. He looked down—and froze.
In his field of vision, there were no graceful curves or a slender waist. Instead, there was a tall, well-built male body—one he knew all too well.
At last, Nao understood why Chishio and Hina were staring at him like that.
The large living room fell silent, only the ticking of the clock breaking the stillness.
"…"
In this awkward silence, Nao's eye twitched.
After a long pause, he finally forced a sheepish grin and said to Chishio:
"Uh, well, how about I head out right now to find that fruit vendor and demand a refund?"