The Marine warship's journey back to Headquarters was smooth sailing.
They didn't encounter any ocean storms, nor did they run into any overconfident Devil Fruit users who could attach to ships. Nao, who had been hoping to snag some last-minute battle merits, felt a deep sense of regret about this.
As dusk settled over the sea, the warship slowly sailed into the Marineford harbor. The recruits gathered on the deck looked at the familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar Headquarters fortress building, exchanging smiles, their faces filled with emotion.
Counting the round trip, it had been nearly four months.
After such a long time away, they were finally back!
After disembarking, Zephyr immediately announced two days of rest for all his disciples, with normal training resuming on the morning of the day after tomorrow.
Before that, a detailed ranking list would be posted on the training ground wall, publicly displaying everyone's internship performance.
Amidst cheers of "Long live Zephyr-sensei!", everyone gradually dispersed.
Shiryu and Rosinante huddled together, discussing how to pressure Nao into revealing his results ahead of time, when they suddenly noticed his figure had vanished without a trace.
That fast? Where did he go?
The two froze, then immediately realized, pouting.
He must've headed straight for the training grounds as soon as he got back, right? This guy, just like before, he's a complete training maniac…
Behind the Fortress – Residential Area
In the quiet alleyways, Nao, carrying a large string of gifts, headed straight for Vice Admiral Tsuru's residence first.
He knew the way very well; he didn't need to ask anyone. The reason was simple: when he was learning Haki, he was sent flying by a drunken Zephyr's punch, and he landed right here.
Hmm, the house looks pretty new. Garp must've rebuilt it with his own hands…
However, Tsuru wasn't home. The gardener sister, whose face was flushed, told Nao that she was on rotation today and had gone out for a stroll in the evening, and hadn't returned yet.
The routines of middle-aged and elderly people were truly unpredictable.
Nao sighed, having no choice but to leave the gifts for now, planning to come back later when she returned. After asking the gardener for Sengoku's residence, he bid farewell and hurried on his way.
These two were relatively "outsiders" whom he had only interacted with a few times. Their willingness to stand up for him and sacrifice so much was even more commendable. He had to prioritize them and pay his respects as soon as he returned to Headquarters to properly thank them.
Sengoku was at home, but to Nao's surprise, Garp was also there. The two of them were huddled together, completely drunk. They squinted at him for a long time before finally recognizing who he was.
Nao was quite speechless, but the two of them being together did save him some trouble on his visiting trip.
It's just that they were both so incredibly drunk. Their eyes were hazy the whole time, and Nao wasn't sure how much they actually heard. Garp, that unreliable old man, even suggested they spar to test the results of his months of probationary training.
Nao's face changed drastically, and he immediately fled in disarray.
What a joke. If Garp were sober and knew when to hold back, he'd be happy to play along with the old man. But when he was drunk, there were painful lessons from the past.
If he hadn't bolted so fast, he might have become the brightest shooting star in the Marineford sky again tonight!
Next was Vice Admiral Chishio.
This was purely an "insider." Nao didn't even knock on the door. After turning into the yard, he felt as familiar as if he were home. He walked past the old lady's carefully tended flowers and knocked on the house door.
The moment the door opened, he felt his vision go black. The entire world seemed to darken, and his head was submerged in a warm, moist ocean…
Huh? What's going on? Where am I? Did I travel through time again? Where am I right now?
"Sadaharu! How many times have I told you, not like that!"
Just as Nao was bewildered, a girl's huffy voice suddenly rang out. Then, it felt like something was pulled off his head, and his vision finally cleared.
A naturally goofy, fluffy large face was right in front of him, snorting warm air, its dark, round eyes full of excitement and happiness…
Did I open the door the wrong way? Did time flow get messed up?
Nao stared at the chubby white dog whose face almost filled the entire doorway. After a long moment, he was furious. He slapped his hand back and smacked it:
"So you've gotten good, huh, you bastard! You even dare to attack your owner!"
"And! How much did you sneak-eat?! I only boarded you here for a few months, and you're already so fat you can't even squeeze through the door!"
Sadaharu whimpered, covering its head and crouching down.
"Sadaharu did wrong, but don't scold him like that, Brother Nao." Hina had been fuming, but seeing this, she felt a pang of pity. She reached out and ruffled Sadaharu's big head. The dog took the opportunity to look up, gazing piteously at Nao.
"Being cute won't work!" Nao snorted. "I'm not some useless old man with curly silver hair. No matter how big you get, you're not allowed to express your feelings for me like that, understand?!"
"Woof woof~" Sadaharu immediately nodded vigorously.
"That's better." Nao casually ruffled its head, then turned to Hina, a smile blooming on his face: "Long time no see, little girl. Did you miss me?"
"Of course!"
Hina nodded vigorously, just like Sadaharu, but her attention was immediately drawn to the large pile of gifts in his hands, her eyes gleaming. "Wow, so many gifts! Is there one for Hina?"
I actually forgot to prepare one…
Nao's old face flushed. He huffed and puffed, rummaging through the pile for a long time, eventually producing a small bag of senbei crackers—this was originally for Garp, but the packaging wasn't sealed tightly and a bit had spilled out.
Hina held the senbei, which wasn't even as big as her palm, and her mouth immediately formed a pout like a teapot spout.
"Ahem, I'll buy you more later when I have time." Nao awkwardly turned his face away, looking towards the inside of the entryway, changing the subject. "Vice Admiral Chishio, is she home?"
"She is! She's in the kitchen preparing dinner!" Hina huffily fetched slippers for Nao and turned to lead the way. "Come with Hina, you big bad guy who only remembers Grandma and doesn't care about his little sister!"
He deserved the scolding. Nao obediently changed into the slippers and followed her in, opening his system panel and pulling up his pet stats list to check Sadaharu's current attributes.
This guy, his growth rate is truly astonishing.
A few months ago, he was only knee-height, and now he's taller than me.
As for his body length, by my estimate, he must be over five meters, right?
I wonder if he's considered an adult yet. But in any case, his current attributes should have increased significantly…
Sure enough.
After seeing the attributes displayed in the pet panel, even though he was mentally prepared, Nao couldn't help but be surprised:
[Name: Sadaharu]
[Species: Inugami]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 8]
[Stamina: 10]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Charm: 10]
[Skills: Six Powers: Soru (Beginner), Six Powers: Geppo (Basic), Extreme Rush (Racial Talent), Fierce Claw Strike (Racial Talent)]
[Extreme Rush: As a mysterious cosmic species, the Inugami unleashes its bloodline power, gaining a triple speed boost for a short period, dealing massive damage to enemies it collides with along the way.]
[Fierce Claw Strike: Beneath the four fluffy paw pads are actually sharp claws. Their lethality against humans is even comparable to fine blades.]
[Suggested Role: Mount / Childcare Assistant]