About a week later.
Thanks to a shortcut through the Calm Belt, the Marine ship officially entered the East Blue, drawing closer to Nao's hometown, Shibari Island, where Branch 16 was located.
For the past several days, Nao had spent almost all his time inside the training room.
He had now set the gravity threshold of his "Gravity Field" to 15 times normal; Combined with the Training Acceleration Card, he hadn't encountered any significant bottlenecks in his training and was steadily improving his strength at a speed far exceeding others.
Occasionally, he would also talk to Gion and Shia.
Gion had already ended her vacation, moving with her long-serving subordinates to the West Blue First Branch to assume the position of Base Commander. Now, she was just waiting for him, her Deputy Commander, to hurry over and "assist the great cause."
During their calls, she grumbled about the night before Nao left Marine HQ.
That night, he had fought "too seriously," with stamina that just wouldn't quit—from dusk till dawn, over ten straight hours.
Her legs were still sore. She could barely move.
Nao was speechless, only able to scratch his head and give an awkward smile.
With Shia, the situation was a bit more complicated.
Her elder brother had died from a severe illness, leaving the Lott Kingdom without a reliable heir. The remaining older princes and princesses were spoiled and utterly incapable.
The old king's words seemed to indicate an intention for Shia to ascend, becoming the first in line for the throne.
"Should I start calling you 'Your Majesty, Queen' from now on?"
Over the Den Den Mushi, Nao had teased Shia.
"...But I don't want to be a queen."
The Den Den Mushi, with its soft blue long hair, lowered its eyelids, its expression crestfallen. "I just want to graduate quickly, then stay by your side, Nao, as an aide or a secretary or anything…"
A secretary?
That position's only needed if there's work, but he didn't have any. Why would he need a secretary?
"Student Shia," Nao said earnestly, "The Lott Kingdom's destiny is closely tied to you. You wouldn't want the future of millions of its people to be ruined by your incompetent brothers, would you?"
"I don't care about that. I just want to be with you."
"The country might even fall, you know."
"If being queen means I can't be with you, then let it fall."
The young girl's voice was resolute.
She's truly hopeless.
Nao suddenly had a strange sense of déjà vu. If the Lott Kingdom had historians, wouldn't the role he played in their history books be akin to Daji or Bao Si, temptresses who brought down kingdoms?
What a sin.
...
The journey was quite smooth.
However, on the afternoon of the second day after entering the East Blue, as the Marine ship passed by Loguetown, light snow suddenly began to fall. And Nao's group finally encountered a small situation.
"Rear Admiral!"
Nao, who had just stepped out of the training room and was taking a cup of hot water from a subordinate, heard an alarmed cry from the crow's nest: "Nine-thirty direction! Look, sir!"
Hm?
Nao took the binoculars handed to him by his subordinate and looked. He saw two Marine ships engaging a pirate crew in the waters north of Loguetown.
The pirate crew's scale was quite considerable, boasting eight large ships and at least a thousand men, qualifying them as a "Pirate Fleet."
Cannon fire roared back and forth, the battle reaching a boiling point.
Even from a distance, Nao's keen eyes could see it: the Marines were clearly at a disadvantage.
The crew on his deck looked baffled.
The Loguetown Branch was responsible for guarding the essential route to Reverse Mountain, annihilating pirate crews attempting to enter the Grand Line. In terms of both personnel scale and overall strength, it was definitely the top-tier among all branches in the East Blue.
Most pirate crews active in the East Blue, upon seeing the Loguetown Branch Marines, generally only had the option of fleeing at the first sight.
But where did this pirate crew come from, that they had the strength to firmly suppress the Loguetown Branch and hold the absolute advantage? "Should we provide support, Rear Admiral?"
A subordinate couldn't help but turn and ask Nao.
"Of course,"
Nao put down the binoculars, his expression playful, and stroked his chin. "But you all can stay put. I'll go handle it myself."
The moment his words fell.
Whoosh!
His figure suddenly vanished without a trace, leaping into the air with Moonwalk, traversing the sea, and rocketing towards the area where the two sides were clashing.
"He's already gone?"
"So decisive, Mr. Nao…"
The people on deck felt no concern about Nao leaving to join the battle alone.
After all, they were all from Headquarters, well-informed. Before being assigned as Nao's subordinates, they had all, to varying degrees, become aware of this young Rear Admiral's glorious feat of defeating a Warlord of the Sea.
For such a strong individual, what kind of waves could an East Blue pirate crew, no matter how strong, possibly stir up?
Some subordinates even began to feel pity for those pirates. Unluckily running into their Rear Admiral, how many minutes could these unfortunate souls last…?
...
At the same time.
On the main ship of that pirate fleet.
"My lads!"
Beneath the fluttering black pirate flag, the burly man in a captain's hat drew his cutlass, swung it down fiercely, and roared with a ferocious grin:
"We're almost at boarding distance! Push harder, close in! I'll use these Loguetown Marines as a sacrifice to let the entire East Blue know that our Giorno Pirates are back!"
"Ohohohohoho!!!"
A thunderous roar echoed simultaneously from all eight pirate ships.
The pirates stared at the approaching Marine ships, their eyes filled with fanaticism and excitement, eager to rush over and slaughter the Marines cleanly.
Their Giorno Pirates were an obscure pirate crew in the East Blue just two years ago, once fleeing desperately under the siege of the Loguetown Branch. They had barely managed to cross Reverse Mountain and enter the Grand Line.
In the two years of chaotic wandering in the Grand Line, they had continuously grown stronger, and now they were no longer what they used to be.
And their captain, Giorno Lin, had even eaten the Spider-Spider Fruit, earning him the moniker "Spider Killer."
His bounty was as high as 53 million Berries! Although two months ago, they had run into a small pirate ship with only three people and were utterly defeated by a red-haired kid in a straw hat, suffering a huge blow. They had finally decided to withdraw from the Grand Line.
But now that they were back in the East Blue, they would undoubtedly crush all pirate crews in this sea and become the undisputed supreme overlords!
And the path to becoming an overlord would begin now—by completely crushing the Loguetown Marines, avenging the humiliation they suffered two years ago!
"Damn it, that damned Grand Line isn't a place for humans."
Giorno Lin, captain's hat tilted low, sneered as he looked across at the Marines—faces already twisted in despair.
"But I survived—and now it's your turn to suffer."
The thought of his beautiful future, reigning supreme and unrivaled in the East Blue, made him instinctively lick his lips in anticipation.
But precisely at this moment, the sudden screams from the pirates behind him shattered his fantasy: "What is that?"
"It looks like someone is flying in the sky… So fast! He's coming towards us!"
What's happening? Have Marine reinforcements arrived?
Giorno Lin snapped his head around, eyes locking onto a figure speeding through the sky. When he got a clear look—a black-haired kid, barely more than a teenager—his brow twitched, and he let out a cold scoff.
—Another no-name brat? Where do these pests keep coming from?
Sure, he, Boss Giorno, had once been beaten by some red-haired punk in the Grand Line—but that was the Grand Line! Running into monsters over there was practically a daily occurrence.
And now, back in the East Blue—some snot-nosed punk still dares to come at him alone?!
"Tch... Looking for death, are you?!"
With a snarl, eight thick, hairy spider legs suddenly burst from Giorno's back, anchoring into the surroundings as they spewed heavy strands of white silk in every direction.
Giorno Lin gripped his cutlass tightly, a savage grin spreading across his face. Then, using the webs as footholds, he sprang from the ship's bow—slashing straight toward the black-haired youth.
"Ohohoho! The Captain's making his move!"
"Tear him apart, Captain! Let him feel the wrath of the Giorno Pirates!"
The pirates erupted into cheers and rowdy laughter. It had been a while since they'd seen their captain go all out.
That black-haired brat probably had no clue just what kind of monster he was up against.
"Spider-Man?"
Up in the sky, Nao narrowed his eyes at the sudden burst of webbing below and the grotesque, hairy spider legs sprouting out. He frowned in disgust.
"Ugh… That's revolting."
He didn't even want the guy touching him. Whatever fleeting thought he'd had about toying with this one disappeared in an instant.
Shaking his head, he let out a sigh.
"Guess I'll just end this quickly."
Buzz!
The slender, dark-red blade—Azakana—flashed from its sheath and slashed downward in one fluid motion.
A terrifying wave of sword energy erupted like a roaring mountain torrent, thundering through the air with explosive force. The sheer intensity of it made Giorno Lin's twisted grin freeze mid-leap.
He tried to pull back, to escape—
But it was already too late.
All he could do was stare in horror as the blinding white slash surged toward him—
BOOM!
His massive half-spider body exploded midair, torn apart in an instant. Blood and flesh scattered in all directions, reduced to little more than dust.
And yet—the sword energy didn't slow. Not even a little.
It roared forward, unrelenting, cutting straight toward the stunned pirates below.
WHOOSH!
In the blink of an eye, all eight pirate ships—lined up in formation—were split clean down the middle. A single, perfect sword mark carved through each hull, and then—
BOOM!
The pirate ships, shattered into multiple pieces, capsized on the surface of the sea, exploding into towering columns of seawater. As the waves surged and crashed back, countless pirates plunged into the ocean screaming—like dumplings tossed into a boiling pot.
Among them, many had already been hit by the sword strike and killed before their ships even sank. What fell into the sea were nothing more than their mangled remains—limbs and scraps of flesh...
In moments, the sea turned crimson, the thick stench of blood spreading across the salty air.
"Done."
The ringleader was dead, and the rest of the pirates had taken a massive blow—completely losing the will to fight.
Nao had no intention of sticking around to mop up the aftermath.
He shot a glance at the two Loguetown Marine vessels in the distance, then turned away. Without hesitation, he used Moonwalk to launch himself skyward, heading back toward his own ship.
By the time he landed on deck, the snow had grown heavier, and a cold chill permeated the air.
He landed calmly, picked up his cup from before, and took a sip.
Hmm. Still warm. Good.
"Took out an entire pirate fleet with a single slash... that's Rear Admiral Nao for you."
Though his subordinates remained composed, they couldn't help but mutter in amazement.
"You were only gone for less than two minutes, sir. The time it took to resolve the battle was much faster than even our quickest estimation."
"That pirate's ability was disgusting. I didn't feel like wasting time."
Nao chuckled, clearly satisfied with the destructive power of his strike.
Half a year ago, during the battle with the Hawk-eye Pirates, he'd managed to cleave a ship in half with one swing—but that had pushed him to his limit.
This time, it had taken no effort at all—and he'd cut through eight ships at once.
His hard work, especially in swordsmanship, had clearly paid off.
"I should be able to break through my swordsmanship realm and reach Advanced soon, right?," he mused, finishing the last of his hot water. "Once I get past this small bottleneck... I should be on par with Gion."
Back when he sparred with Gion, he had a clear advantage—but that edge came from his physical power and stamina. In terms of pure sword technique, he had been a step—or more—behind her.
Now, that gap had narrowed considerably.
At this pace, it wouldn't be long before he surpassed her.
"By the way, Rear Admiral," one of the subordinate asked, "shouldn't we greet the Marines from Loguetown?"
The man pointed toward the distant ships.
"All they have to do is clean up. This is basically free credit. If they file a report to Headquarters and claim it was their work..."
"Let them."
Nao set the cup down and waved lazily as he turned toward the training room.
"I'm itching to get home. I don't have time to waste here. Full speed ahead."
"A mere pirate with a 50 million bounty? If they want that little scrap of credit, they can have it. But I doubt their commander is dumb enough to try something like that…"
Fair enough.
As Nao disappeared below deck, the subordinates nodded in agreement.
Their Marine ship was flying the Headquarters flag. What branch in the Four Seas would be so blind as to claim such credit?
Meanwhile…
Aboard the Loguetown Marine ships, the marines who had witnessed the devastating display were still frozen in shock, staring blankly at the sea.
What... did they just see?
The infamous Giorno Pirates—over two thousand strong. Giorno himself, with a bounty of 53 million Berries.
All gone, wiped out by a single sword slash.
Only after Nao's Marine ship disappeared into the snowy horizon did murmurs begin to spread among the crew.
"Who was that guy? Another Marine?"
"Never heard of anyone like that stationed in East Blue… Was he from Headquarters?"
"Probably. Couldn't see his face clearly, but he looked... young."
A lanky teen with a few thin whiskers mumbled enviously:
"So strong... If I had power like that—no, even half of that—I could make every damn pirate out there run just from seeing me…"
"Keep dreaming, Smoker. That guy's a big shot from Headquarters," someone teased.
"Hey now, cut him some slack," another chimed in with a laugh. "The kid just enlisted less than six months ago. Let him dream a little. We were the same way once, weren't we?"
But the teen—Smoker—snorted in frustration.
So what? Just because they were older, they were giving up on their dreams?
He clenched his fists tightly.
He hadn't joined the Marines just to drift through life. That overwhelming display of strength—that was exactly what he aspired to.
Smoker swore to burn the image of that battle into his memory. He'd chase after that man's back. No matter how far.
He was so focused that he didn't notice another recruit—who had enlisted around the same time—watching the horizon in silence, frowning, conflicted.
Was that really him?
The build, the sword style—everything matched the memories.
Lighting a cheap cigarette, Smoker exhaled a stream of smoke, a trace of regret in his eyes.
Saved by Lord Nao... again.
Just like half a year ago, during the Hawk-eye Pirate incident—he never even got the chance to say thank you.
But one day, he would.
One day, he'd grow strong enough to be worthy of training at Headquarters—maybe even the Elite Camp.
And when that day came, he'd meet Rear Admiral Nao face-to-face.
And finally say those words himself:
Thank you. And... I'll catch up to you someday.