The speedboat turned around and headed back the way it came.
Spandam squatted on the deck, staring blankly for a long while.
"What's wrong?"
Nao eyed the document clutched in Spandam's hand, asking earnestly, "Why are we turning back?"
"Are you playing dumb?"
Spandam suddenly looked up, glaring fiercely at him. "How could I have been so naive before, to actually believe your nonsense… no background, huh, no background… No background, yet so many big shots come out to protect you!?"
He flung the document over. Nao caught it steadily, roughly scanned the contents on the front, pursed his lower lip, and for a moment, his gaze was complex, unsure what to say.
Before he was taken by CP on the warship, he had indeed expected Zephyr-sensei, Vice Admiral Chishio, and the others to do something for him.
But he hadn't expected their actions to be so drastic, even to the point of forcing the issue with resignations…
Really… I've caused them so much trouble.
"The government chose to compromise; they've decided to release you without charge. Release is release, but those bastards from CP0 insisted that I personally take you back. What bad luck…"
Spandam sneered. "It's come to this point, so stop being secretive. Tell me, what's Admiral Sengoku's relationship with you?"
"We're not very close. We just had a meal together," Nao said truthfully.
In fact, Sengoku's willingness to step in so forcefully this time surprised him. Thinking about it closely, his good brother's covert efforts probably played a significant role.
"What about Mr. Garp?"
"I owe my entry into Headquarters entirely to him. You could say he's my guide…"
"Vice Admiral Tsuru?"
"I'm genuinely not close with her. We've only eaten together once."
Er, if things go smoothly, maybe she'll be my sister-in-law in the future?
"Admiral Zephyr?"
"I'm very close with him. He's my teacher."
"What about Vice Admiral Chishio?"
"She just owes me a small favor."
"…" Spandam was so angered he almost laughed. He couldn't help but roar, "Still being modest?! And you still dare to say you come from a common background, enjoying playing with people, huh? Brat?"
"And! What's your relationship with the royal families of the Lotte Kingdom and the Paja Kingdom?"
"Eh?" Nao was genuinely bewildered this time. "What kingdoms?"
"The Lotte Kingdom and the Paja Kingdom, both are World Government affiliated nations located in the New World."
Spandam saw Nao's confused expression and frowned. "The kings of both these royal families personally contacted high-ranking government officials, demanding your release without charge. They even went so far as to risk offending the Alabasta Kingdom… No, you genuinely don't know?"
"Nope, first I've heard of them."
Nao nodded.
He was telling the truth. There were too many countries in this world, and before today, he had truly never heard the names of these two kingdoms.
However, if they were both located in the New World… he started to get a clue.
If he remembered correctly, Shia was from the New World, wasn't she? But how could she, a princess who ran away to avoid an arranged marriage, have the influence to get the kings of two kingdoms to personally step forward…
Nao fell into thought, deciding that once he returned to G-2 Branch and met Shia, it would be time to have a serious talk with her about her background.
Before, he had been afraid of touching on the girl's painful past and had never directly brought up her identity or background.
"I keep feeling like you're messing with me again…"
Spandam looked at him with suspicion. Nao shrugged. "Think whatever you want. But I gotta ask, are we just leaving directly?"
"What else?"
Spandam snapped, "Do you want me to give you a tour of the island or something?"
"To be honest, I'd really like that," Nao nodded, saying earnestly, "It's Enies Lobby, after all. It'd be a bit of a shame to come all this way and not look around."
Feeling inexplicably irritated, Spandam glared at him, too lazy to respond, and plopped down on the floor in a huff.
The speedboat had already left the harbor. Nao gazed at Enies Lobby as it gradually receded into the distance. The majestic buildings all seemed somewhat familiar…
Hmm, Robin was tied to that wall, crying out, 'I want to live,' right? And the World Government flag waving in the wind… is it the same one that Sogeking shot down twenty years from now?
Nao suddenly extended both hands, using the Seastone shackles to mimic a slingshot. He squinted one eye, aimed at the white flag for a long time, then suddenly released, the chains snapping forward as he made a "pia" sound with his mouth.
"What are you doing now?!"
Spandam, squatting on the floor, was startled and turned to glare at him.
"Nothing."
Nao lowered his "slingshot," his gaze returning from the white flag. He said with a smile, "I just feel like I've gained another dream in life. It would be pretty great if I could achieve it…"
"Lunatic."
Spandam rolled his eyes and turned away again.
Who cares what your dreams are? That stuff's the most boring. Anyway, his biggest dream, as Spandam, the dignified CP9 Commander, was to send this plague back to G-2 Branch as soon as possible.
—He didn't want to spend another second with this guy!
The return journey was much smoother. For Nao, Spandam avoided him whenever possible. The few agents, with their newfound sycophantic tendencies, let him order them around, making his days quite comfortable.
Freed from the Seastone shackles, he finally had his hands free to perform his daily training at the narrow stern of the ship.
He also made sure to wake up early every day, and while the others were still sleeping, he'd resume his identity as a "fishing enthusiast" and use his "Somewhat Miraculous Fishing Rod" to fish once.
Enies Lobby and G-2 Branch were far apart. In the system's judgment, they clearly didn't belong to the same sea area, so the DEBUFF of diminishing returns from fishing was reset.
Nao fished several times in a row, and finally, after many days, on the morning of the third day, he caught a treasure that was quite decent.
It was a small, black mechanical object, square-shaped, with something like an electronic eye in the middle, which was dim and unlit.
[Item: Bounty Order Sensor]
[Type: Special Item]
[Description: Place the sensor on the photo of an officially issued pirate bounty poster. If the pirate corresponding to the bounty appears within a 10-kilometer radius, the sensor will automatically light up red.]
[Note: Only functions in the Pirate World. Cooldown: 3 hours.]
[Loot Evaluation: High Value]
"Seems quite suitable for me…"
After reading the description, Nao pinched his chin in thought. "Hmm, if I had gotten this thing earlier, wouldn't the efficiency of gaining battle merits these past two months have been much higher?"
He remembered there were several combat missions where defeating the pirates didn't take much effort, but searching for the target's whereabouts on the island wasted a lot of his time.
Although this item couldn't pinpoint exact locations or sense general directions like a Vivre Card.
For him, as a Marine, it could still be considered a divine auxiliary tool for captures, right?