CLANG!
The hatchet struck against Nao's neck with sparks flying, followed by a metallic snap as the blade cracked and flew away.
"..."
Startled, Nao touched his unscathed neck, then glared at the girl across from him.
"That was way too dangerous… Hey! What are you doing, Bell‑mère?!"
Standing at the entrance to the tangerine grove was a striking young woman.
Her long chestnut hair was tied in a high ponytail, sleeves rolled up to expose her smooth, pale arms. She clutched a basket of tangerines, sweat damp on her brow—clearly coming off hard work.
She stared slack-jawed at Nao, frozen in place.
Clatter.
The basket hit the ground. Tangerines spilled and rolled everywhere.
"…Nao…Nao…Nao…"
She stammered, completely unable to finish his name.
Nao's anger over the near-accident vanished in an instant the moment he saw her like that.
He sighed softly, bent down, and gently collected the stray tangerines. With a warm smile, he said:
"It's me… long time no see, Bell‑mère."
Feet pounded.
Bell‑mère dropped her farming tools and rushed forward with such speed and force it was like a wild animal charging its cage.
So full of emotion?
Tears seemed to shine in her eyes. Nao's heart tightened with guilt.
He straightened up, opened his arms and beamed, ready to welcome his childhood friend... with a hug.
Instead—something felt wrong.
She didn't slow down at all.
"You still—"
Bell‑mère bit her lip and swung a fierce uppercut directly up at Nao's chin.
"How dare you come back, you jerk!"
THUD!
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the tangerine grove.
A moment later, Bell‑mère cried out in pain.
"It hurts!!!!"
Nao stood silently, unmoving, watching her curl on the ground, clutching her swollen fist. He couldn't help an awkward twitch at his eye.
Technically, he didn't throw a punch, or use any Armament Haki— she was the one using violence first...
But a smart man knows when to take responsibility.
He knelt beside her and held her swollen hand, speaking softly:
"You okay, Bell‑mère? I'm sorry—I didn't see you coming, didn't give you any room to... Want to try again? I'll let you knock me ten meters this time."
He exhaled gently over her tender knuckles.
"Enough already!"
She pulled her hand away, pushing him back with a huff.
"It doesn't that hurt… Stop being so gross… Wait! Who are you? When did you get so... gentle?"
"Nonsense. When have I ever changed?"
Nao grunted.
"Think back—hasn't it always been me who comforts you when you cry or get angry?"
"Hah! Don't act like I don't remember."
She glared at him.
"Every time we fought—up in those trees, tangerines rolling everywhere—who was it that Aunt Yukika had to break up with one punch to both of us?"
Suddenly, she stopped mid-sentence.
Nao looked down at the scattered tangerines and up at the shafts of morning sunlight sneaking through the branches.
He met Bell‑mère's gaze, and they both cracked shy smiles.
Nearly two years apart, the slight distance between them dissolved in that bright warmth.
"So... when did you get back?"
Bell‑mère brushed dirt off her clothes and stood.
"And why didn't you tell me?"
"I got in late last night," Nao replied, "Mom mentioned you'd be off today and coming here to help around the grove. So I rushed out first thing this morning."
He gestured at the gifts piled under the tangerine tree..
"I even brought you some presents from Marineford."
Bell‑mère picked through the gifts and smiled at items she loved—clearly chosen with care.
Inside, she was bursting with joy. On the outside, she remained cool, huffing:
"That's better. Now tell me—why didn't you reply to my letters? I sent four of them!"
"I replied to one—the one I mailed with Mom and Dad. You all must've gotten it."
Nao blinked innocently.
"But the other three? I never got them. And when you called, I was away on assignment—and no one at Headquarters told me when I got back. I didn't even know until Mom mentioned it last night..."
Smooth save: transition from unanswered letters to last-minute mission to make the excuse credible.
Bell‑mère's expression softened, clearly relieved and curious.
Then she reached out and gently tugged at his shirt collar.
"Looks like your wounds got worse..."
Her fingertips brushed old scars on his chest. She sighed.
"Nao…I saw news about you in the newspaper a while ago. You've become so strong now. You must have endured a lot of hardship back at Headquarters, right?"
Nao scratched his head. "It's you suddenly acting like this that I'm not used to. I feel like the hair on my back is almost standing on end…"
Bell-mère, annoyed, pinched his chest. Nao let out a sigh of relief and, playing along, issued a pained yelp.
Good, that's more like it.
"You've also grown a lot taller."
Bell‑mère stood on her toes and measured his height with her hand.
"I used to come up to here... now I only reach your chest."
"Tell me about the last two years?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"If I told everything, it'd take days."
Nao shrugged.
"How about I help clean up the grove while we talk?"
"You... help me?"
Bell‑mère rolled her eyes.
"This is your family grove, you know?"
"Does it matter?"
Nao gave her an innocent look.
"You've eaten more tangerines than anyone else here for years—at least ten times more than me."
He remembered how, when they were kids, she ate so many tangerines that her teeth started to ache — and he had to rush her to the dentist.
Bell‑mère simply smirked, grabbed the scattered tangerines, dumped the tools in his arms, and marched deeper into the orchard—leaving Nao protesting in her wake.
They walked side by side through the grove as the morning sunlight filtered around them. Their laughter and conversation drifted through warm tangerine-scented air—like sunshine on tangerine peels.
It felt like a scene frozen in time — like a faded old photo from years ago.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
A light drizzle fell over the port of the Oykot Kingdom. A middle-aged man, dressed like a merchant in a brown trench coat, paced anxiously under a black umbrella.
"They're here, sir!"
A servant called out, "A passenger ship is approaching! That must be the one madam is on, right?"
Hm?
The middle-aged man spun around. When he saw the flag fluttering from the ship's mast, his eyes lit up. He could hardly contain his excitement and joy.
"The Beals Trading Company flag… That's it! It has to be this one!"
As the ship pulled into port, he and several servants eagerly made their way forward. Sure enough, among the disembarking passengers, he spotted a graceful figure with shoulder-length blue hair, cradling a baby and waving to him with a smile…
It was his newlywed wife, whom he had been separated from for over half a year while she stayed in their hometown during her pregnancy.
"Marilyn!"
The merchant choked up with joy. After a tight embrace and a passionate kiss, the two finally pulled apart. He took the bundle from her arms and looked down—inside lay a tiny baby girl, also with soft blue hair, sleeping peacefully, utterly adorable.
It was his first time seeing his daughter in person. Feeling the quiet, invisible thread of blood between them, the merchant's heart almost melted on the spot.
"Have you named her, Marilyn?" he asked, his voice a little hoarse—perhaps from standing in the rain too long.
"Not yet. I wanted to wait until I met you to decide together," Marilyn said with a gentle smile. "But I do have a name in mind. I was thinking… Nojiko. What do you think?"
"Nojiko, huh... Nojiko…"
He repeated it twice, then beamed.
"That's a lovely name. It's perfect."
He let out a hearty laugh and reached down to gently touch the baby girl's cheek.
"Sweetheart, from today on, your name is Nojiko. When you grow up—"
"Sir!"
Before he could finish, a panicked voice called out from behind.
What now?
The merchant turned in confusion, following his servant's gaze. His body tensed immediately, and his face turning pale.
Through the mist and falling rain, a massive ship loomed like a crouching sea beast, slowly gliding toward the harbor.
And high on its mast...
A black pirate flag with a skull drawn on it fluttered in the wind…
...
At the same time, elsewhere—
The afternoon sun drifted freely across Shibari Island. After a busy morning, Nao and Bell-mère strolled down the main street, chatting and laughing as they looked for a place to eat.
"Not heading home for lunch?" Bell-mère asked. "Since you're back, Aunt Yukiko's probably whipped up a mountain of beef stew and potatoes, right? I haven't had that in forever—I'd love to."
"Still more than ten pounds left, actually. I'll bring you over tonight and make sure you leave absolutely stuffed."
Nao yawned lazily.
"But Dad has to work and can't come home for lunch, so it wouldn't be fair to leave him out. Let's just grab something simple outside for now."
"Yeah, that works too."
Bell-mère nodded.
"We can't forget Mr. Natsuya."
She wasn't originally from Shibari Island, but was born in Cocoyasi Village, just under fifty kilometers away. As a child, she'd lost her parents to a shipwreck and drifted alone at sea until Nao's father rescued her during a mission.
Since then, she'd been brought to Shibari Island and raised there, growing up side by side with Nao.
To her, Yukika and old Captain Natsuya were practically family—the only real parental figures left in her life.
They wandered a bit longer. Then Nao suddenly paused, squinting at the corner of the street.
"JATT All-You-Can-Eat BBQ…? That's odd. I don't remember that being here. When did it open?"
"I think it opened early this year, you were already at Headquarters by then."
Bell-mère looked too.
"Wanna try it for lunch? It's always packed. I heard the food's good, reviews are great, and the price is super reasonable. Just 1,500 Berries a head."
1,500 Berries?
Nao was stunned.
That number made no sense. Just last night, his dad had paid over 10,000 Berries for twenty pounds of beef.
This is One Piece world—land of bottomless appetites. Opening an all-you-can-eat BBQ place was gutsy enough, but pricing it that low?
Was this owner really not afraid of someone teaching them a harsh lesson?
"It's a miracle they haven't gone out of business."
He clicked his tongue in amusement and grabbed Bell-mère's hand.
"Let's go. I've gotta see what kind of crazy person is running this charity."
"Welco—"
The two waitresses at the entrance put on automatic smiles and stepped forward to greet them—
—only to freeze solid the moment they saw Nao's face. It was like their feet were bolted to the floor. They forgot entirely about greeting the guests.
Nao shot Bell-mère an awkward glance. She glared and shoved him inside.
They settled at a second-floor window seat. A male server brought the menus. After a few quick questions, Nao had a handle on how things worked.
This wasn't buffet-style. Once you paid, you could order anything from the menu, as much as you wanted. The kitchen would just keep bringing it, as long as you finished within an hour.
"This, this, and this—three pounds of each. That should do for starters."
He passed the menu to Bell-mère.
That instantly triggered her old competitive reflex. Not to be outdone, she upped each item to four pounds.
Once the server left, she immediately regretted it. She bit her lip and looked worried.
"That's like… over thirty pounds total. Nao, what if we can't finish? You can't take leftovers home here, and if we waste too much, they'll charge us extra."
"Don't worry about it," Nao chuckled.
"Even if we ordered double, I'd still handle it. You've got me."
He wasn't quite a monster eater—definitely not Luffy-tier—but with his current physical stats, putting away dozens of pounds of meat was doable.
"Really? I don't remember you being able to eat that much?"
Bell-mère eyed him suspiciously and began counting on her fingers.
"I saw a notice on the wall—any leftovers over 100 grams get charged 500 Berries. If we leave ten pounds… that's 50,000 Berries! I've been saving for a year and still wouldn't be able to cover it!"
"How's that possible?"
Nao chuckled at her seriousness.
"You've been in the Marines for so long. Even though a branch Marine's salary isn't high, it's still 60,000 or 70,000 Berries a month. You say you've saved for a year, how could you not even have 50,000?"
"Because I only keep 3,000 Berries for myself each month," Bell-mère said. "The rest, I've deposited all of it into a three-year fixed-term account at the bank…"
"Three-year fixed-term?" Nao frowned. "Why save for so long? You weren't tricked by a bank salesperson, were you?"
"Don't insult me."
Bell-mère snorted.
"Of course I'm saving for a reason—and a very important one. One that has everything to do with a certain someone sitting right in front of me…"
Hmm?
Nao's heart instantly sank, a premonition of ill omen flashing through his mind.
Something's not right… not right at all!
He'd definitely just walked straight into a trap he didn't even see coming.