[Skill: Wind Barrier]
[Type: Special Sword Skill]
[Description: Upon activation, creates a wall imbued with howling gales that, on a rule-based level, nullifies all incoming projectiles. Does not affect living organisms.]
[Current Stage: Beginner. Each use consumes 25% stamina. Skill can be upgraded with points to expand its range, increase duration, and reduce stamina consumption.]
[Points required to upgrade to next stage (Intermediate): 120,000]
[Prerequisite Skill: Advanced Swordsmanship]
——
"On a rules-based level, it nullifies projectiles..."
Nao's eyes flashed with interest as awe stirred in his heart.
"A defensive god-tier skill. No wonder it was so expensive in the shop—and hasn't shown up again since..."
As expected, S-Rank Gift Box items are always top-tier.
As for the prerequisite of Advanced Swordsmanship, it wasn't much of a problem.
Even before his trip home to the East Blue, his swordsmanship had already loosened from its bottleneck, needing just a final push to break through.
In the days to come, as long as he focused his training on the sword, the breakthrough would surely arrive soon.
"Time to continue training."
He'd opened all his loot; the sea lion mob drop event had been a total success. Satisfied with today's haul, Nao closed his system panel and once again threw himself into harsh training.
———
Ten Days Later
West Blue First Branch.
In a not-so-spacious training room, sixty Marines stood with rifles, positioned along the southeast walls. From various angles, they took aim and fired continuously at the figure in the center of the training ground.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire roared as bullets rained down like a monsoon.
And right there in the middle of it all, a lone figure—with eyes shut tight—moved like a dragon in flight, weaving effortlessly through the storm of bullets.
Half an hour later, the gunshots faded.
The Marines, exhausted and breathless, massaged their sore wrists, all gazing with admiration at the unscathed man landing softly in the center—Nao, not even a thread on his uniform disturbed.
"Must've been over a hundred volleys, and not a single hit."
"Yeah... and in such a confined space too. Rear Admiral Nao is just insane."
"And he did it with his eyes closed! I think they call that... Observation Haki?"
"No idea…"
They whispered among themselves. Most had never been to the Grand Line, and many didn't even know what Haki was—but that didn't lessen the profound shock Nao's power brought them.
"Great work, everyone."
Nao smiled and nodded at the group, taking the water bottle handed to him by a subordinate. The Marines snapped into salutes as he walked briskly out of the training ground.
"Compared to simple meditation, this kind of training really is more effective for honing Observation Haki."
He sipped his water thoughtfully.
"Bit wasteful on manpower and bullets though. Back when I was in the Elite Camp at Headquarters and hadn't even graduated, we could never afford training like this..."
Yeah, being stationed at a local base and calling the shots was just... better.
He wasn't into squandering funds on food, drink, or entertainment—but if it was for power-ups? He could indulge a little.
Hmm? Technically the deputy base commander isn't the top dog, just second in command?
Tch—his direct superior was his own wife. Top dog or not, what did it matter?
"At this pace, I'll fully master Observation Haki and reach the intermediate level in a week at most."
Nao calculated inwardly.
"Earlier, while dodging bullets, I was training under 10x gravity. Once I break through, I'll increase the gravity again to put more pressure on the body—should still be effective for strengthening Observation."
For ten days now, he'd been doing exactly that. One hour a day in a gravity field, sparring with regular base Marines—no need to seek out speed-type elites at all.
Add in about two hours of daily meditation, and it was no wonder his Observation Haki had improved so rapidly.
But of course—
He wasn't neglecting other aspects of his training either.
Over four hours of physical conditioning every day. Nearly ten hours daily devoted to swordsmanship. And this was all under the premise that he had to fulfill his promise and handle Gion's complicated administrative duties every day.
In between, he'd even gone out once to take down a pirate crew with a combined bounty near 100 million berries.
Running 24/7 like this—probably no one else in the entire Marine system could keep that pace.
—Now that's what you call a time management god!(leans back smugly)
Wonder what Vice Admiral Kizaru at G2 Branch looked like when he heard Nao hadn't been assigned under him but instead shipped off to the South Blue. Must've been devastated.
"Next up, time to train my swordsmanship."
He set down his bottle, excitement growing in his chest.
"Both my swordsmanship and Observation Haki are on the verge of a breakthrough... which will come first, I wonder?"
———
Five Days Later – Night
Drenched in sweat, Nao washed up quickly and returned to his bedroom, feeling refreshed.
To be exact—it was the bedroom he shared with Gion.
On the wide double bed, she was already clean and cozy, reclining leisurely against the headboard with a thick book in hand and occasionally sipping from a cup of coffee at her side.
"What's got you so hooked?"
Nao casually stripped off his shirt and climbed under the blanket, leaning over to sneak a peek.
Turned out it was a comic—and a pretty childish-looking one at that. A bunch of dudes in flashy transformation suits, fighting bizarre monsters like some knock-off Kamen Riders.
"You're a grown woman, and you're reading this?"
He couldn't help but sneer.
"I've got a manga called Boruto—now that's a thrill ride. I'll show it to you sometime."
"It's the Germa 66 series. Used to be serialized in the paper, and I've been following it for ages. I gotta see how it ends."
Gion shot him a playful glare, like a moody teenage girl, wanting to finish the last two pages—until her eyes accidentally drifted down to Nao's bare chest...
She swallowed hard and snapped the comic shut with a loud smack.
Nao didn't notice. He settled comfortably at the headboard and habitually pulled up his system panel to review his stats.
Checking his attributes every few days had become routine.
"All three base stats unchanged... Well, makes sense. Only been a month since the last upgrade. Progress gets slower the further you go—wait, hold up!"
He sat upright in surprise, eyes locked on the skill list below.
"Both swordsmanship and Observation Haki advanced today?!"
A double breakthrough!
The past few weeks of grinding hadn't been in vain. Overjoyed, he immediately activated the [Wind Barrier] skill scroll he'd been saving in his inventory.
Then he flung off the blanket, skipped the jacket, and charged out of the room.
"Where the hell are you going this late?!"
Gion's annoyed voice called after him.
"I had a sudden breakthrough in swordsmanship—I need to test it!" Nao didn't even turn his head.
What do you mean it can't wait until morning?!
She glared after him as he vanished down the hall, then angrily punched his pillow and huffed while picking up her comic again—
Only...
She propped her chin on her palm, dazed, an itch in her heart that wouldn't go away. The comic she was so into earlier suddenly held no appeal.
———
By the Shore
The coast beside the West Blue's First Branch roared with crashing tides. Waves surged over ten meters high under the force of the moonlit sea.
"Standing under a wave like this... when it crashes down, it should count as a flying projectile, right?"
Still shirtless, Nao stood at the water's edge, sword in hand, watching the towering waves approach.
"Perfect test for the Wind Barrier."
One hundred meters.
Fifty.
Twenty—
As the wave loomed right overhead, Nao's eyes gleamed coldly. He suddenly drew his blade in a flash of iaido.
Swish!
The crimson blade of Azakana and the jade-white Wind Sword sliced together through the night sky, weaving a crisscross of afterimages as a thick, howling wind wall materialized instantly before him.
"Hasaki!"
With no one around, Nao took the chance to be dramatically chuuni, yelling out a ridiculous move name as the barrier formed.
Splash!
The wave slammed down ferociously, but at the moment of contact, it vanished—like it was sucked into another dimension.
Hundreds of cubic meters of seawater just... disappeared.
Fish and shrimp trapped within rained from the sky like pebbles, dropping along the wind wall's edge and splashing into the sea in front of Nao.
"Living creatures don't get erased, but they do get blocked."
The tide rolled back. Nao remained dry—untouched by even a drop.
Sheathing his blade, he looked up at the dissipating barrier and burst into laughter.
"Just as I thought—a god tier barrier skill that breaks the rules. This is awesome!"
With this skill, no matter how terrifying the enemy's attack—Akainu's magma falls, Fujitora's meteor drops—
As long as he prepped ahead of time, he could block them all with ease.
Well, aside from the stamina drain. One use cost 25%—four times in a row and he'd probably collapse on the spot.
Thinking it over, Nao opened his system and spent 120,000 points to upgrade the skill to Intermediate.
[Your Wind Barrier has been upgraded to Intermediate. Effectiveness increased. Each use now consumes 20% of stamina.]
[Upgrade to Advanced costs 300,000 points. Each use will then consume 15% of stamina. Upgrade now?]
Nao glanced at his current point total.
Around 250,000.
Nope—couldn't afford it. Not even close.
"Must've been made by Tencent... freakin' pay-to-win grindfest," he muttered, closing the panel.
He drew his sword again and launched another test slash at the sea.
Sure enough, the stamina drain was clearly lower—and more importantly, the barrier's range and duration had doubled.
The basic wind wall had been about ten meters wide and lasted five seconds. Now it spanned nearly twenty meters and held for ten.
Which meant in large-scale battles, this move was far more valuable—not just for protecting himself, but for shielding subordinates and even full battleships.
Totally worth the 120,000 points.
"That's the good stuff—now back to bed."
Satisfied, he sheathed his sword and hummed the tune to "Eternal Pose" on his way home. At the bedroom door, he twisted the knob... but it wouldn't budge.
"That's weird. I swear I didn't lock it earlier..."
He scratched his head and knocked.
"Hey, Rear Admiral, open up! I'm back!"
"I'm already asleep."
Gion's icy voice came from inside.
"The door's staying shut. Go to the training room and cuddle your sword tonight."
"..."
Left with no choice, Nao trudged out into the snow, sword in hand. Snowflakes danced, wind howled, and his lone figure stood like a plum blossom in the frost.
Utterly baffled.
Scratching his head, he wondered—
What the hell did I do to piss her off this time?
———
Time passed.
In the blink of an eye, December was gone, and the calendar turned to January of Year 1502 in the Sea Circle Calendar.
It was New Year's Day. Festive cheer filled the First Branch of the West Blue Marines.
"Happy New Year, Rear Admiral!"
"Happy New Year, sir!"
Yawning, Nao stepped out after a long night of special training with Gion. He greeted subordinates lazily as he strolled toward the dining hall, flipping through the morning paper.
Today's front page covered the upcoming Reverie.
Held every four years, the Reverie was a summit for the kings of 50 member nations under the World Government. Preparations had been underway since the latter half of last year.
And now, at the start of the new year, rulers from all over were beginning their journeys to the Holy Land Mariejois.
Nearby kingdoms could get there on their own, but distant ones often required Marine escorts via warship.
Some even required Vice Admiral-level escorts.
"What a colossal waste of manpower..."
Nao scratched his head, muttering to himself.
"Only people with nothing better to do would waste time serving nobles like that... Though I doubt they'll pick me anyway. I'm just a Rear Admiral—low rank, not strong enough, no qualifications..."
Below the headline, another news item caught his eye.
Since the start of the Great Pirate Era, Fish-Man Island—10,000 meters below Mariejois—had suffered constant attacks. Mermaids were being kidnapped, sold into slavery. The country was in constant crisis.
But now, at the start of the new year, the Whitebeard Pirates had suddenly declared Fish-Man Island as part of their territory.
Any crimes committed there would be considered an offense against the Whitebeard Pirates—and would be met with swift and brutal retribution.
The announcement caused an uproar. All the major newspapers scrambled to cover it.
If the Reverie hadn't dominated the headlines, today's front page would've been Whitebeard grinning boldly at the camera.