Cover Story – The Three Brothers, Part 1: "Day One of Quitting Smoking"
"She scolded me again…"
Spring was fading at G6 Branch. Petals fluttered gently in the wind.
Shiryu sulked back to his room, dug out a pack of gum he'd just bought yesterday, and began chewing aggressively.
He opened his diary and, with determined strokes, wrote five words on the first line:
"Day One of Quitting Smoking."
...
Bakko's death stirred no waves within the Marine system.
"This individual became a traitor, was apprehended and interrogated, then attempted to escape and resist, and was thus eliminated on the spot."
That was how Nao wrote it in his report to Headquarters.
Concise. Minimal detail.
But that was more than enough. Headquarters' trust in him had long reached the maximum—no one would doubt him.
As for the Marines of Branch 329—
When they first heard that their revered Captain Bakko had died at West Blue's First Branch, many were outraged. Conspiracy theories spread like wildfire.
But once they learned that the man who had both arrested and executed Bakko was Rear Admiral Nao himself—
All suspicion instantly vanished.
After all—
Who would question the judgment of the hero who had once descended from the heavens and saved their entire base?
Especially when that hero just so happened to be a devastatingly handsome man with a charm stat of 17?
As more behind-the-scenes information came to light, the deceived marines finally saw Bakko's true face for what it was. They began to curse him as a two-faced traitor who had conned them for half a year.
And toward Nao, the man who had revealed the truth, they now felt even deeper gratitude and admiration.
Meanwhile, at West Blue's First Branch—
Nao, having resolved to wipe out the West Blue's criminal underworld before his journey to the New World, returned to his office.
After a brief moment of thought, he dialed a number he'd never contacted before.
...
A secret island.
On the island's remote northern end stood what appeared to be a modest estate. It looked unassuming from the outside, but within lay the headquarters of the World Government's intelligence organization—Cipher Pol 5 (CP-5).
Cipher Pol, or "CP" for short, had ten branches from 0 to 9.
CP0 operated directly under the Celestial Dragons in Mariejois, while CP1 through CP9 handled various regions worldwide.
CP-5's jurisdiction: West Blue.
Inside the dimly lit operations room, the space buzzed with activity—footsteps, Den Den Mushi ringing, the scratch of pens on parchment, hushed voices over encrypted calls...
BANG!
"Son of a bitch!"
A loud crash drew every eye.
Behind a desk, CP-5's Deputy Commander slammed a receiver onto the table. He stood up, teeth clenched, pacing angrily.
"Just a Rear Admiral from a branch base—how dare he talk to me like that? Giving orders like I'm his subordinate!"
"Wait—was it Rear Admiral Nao?"
The Commander, who had been calmly sipping coffee from the head seat, turned his head curiously.
"It was him!" the deputy growled, still fuming.
"He said he's targeting the Corleone Family and demanded we identify their true hideout within three days!"
"Claimed that if we failed, it would be considered dereliction of duty—and that he'd personally come down on us!"
"Does he think we're his staff?!"
To be fair, the rage was understandable.
Cipher Pol reported directly to the World Government. While they did cooperate with the Marines, they always stood as equals—if not superiors in their own eyes.
Especially CP-5, despite operating only in West Blue, had always enjoyed authority over local Marine branches.
It only took a phone call to mobilize a small division.
Even the past few Rear Admirals of the First Branch treated CP-5 with deference. They asked for support, never ordered it.
So how had this new guy turned the script upside down, treating them like his own errand boys?
But—
The Commander did not get angry.
He was silent for a moment, then gently set his cup down and said:
"Let it go. Just do what he asked."
"…Commander?"
The Deputy's head whipped around, stunned.
Did I hear that right?
This was the man who always acted more high and mighty toward the Marines than anyone else. And he was saying this?
"Idiot," the Commander sighed, tapping his knuckles on the table.
"Sure, he's a Rear Admiral—just like the others—but you need to know what kind of Rear Admiral."
"This guy isn't like the previous ones. He's one of those absolute monsters you can't afford to provoke."
Years of experience in Cipher Pol had made the Commander's intel network razor-sharp. He knew all about Nao.
This was a nineteen-year-old Rear Admiral who had killed a Warlord of the Sea during his first year as a recruit.
Then CP9 took him away—and let him go unharmed. That alone was insane.
Not to mention, five top brass from Headquarters, including Garp and Sengoku, had all submitted their resignations in protest over how he was treated.
In terms of power, connections, and potential—this kid was stacked from top to bottom.
He was the real deal.
Give him ten years? He'd be an Admiral. At that point, he could make a single call and command even CP9.
"And us?" the Commander thought. "We're CP-5. Just a regional branch. I'd have to be insane to piss off someone like that."
"I originally planned to visit and introduce myself when he was first assigned here," he said aloud, "but I never found the time. Now that he's contacted us—it's the perfect chance to establish good relations."
No need to explain further. He waved his hand.
"Follow his orders. You're in charge of this mission."
"Mobilize everything. And if you can't find Corleone's hideout in three days—forget him, I'll come down on you."
What the hell?!
Now the deputy wasn't just shocked—his jaw practically dislocated.
He stood there, eyes wide enough to fit ostrich eggs, staring at the Commander in pure disbelief.
————
Two Days Later
West Blue – First Branch Training Room
"Twenty-six thousand and one… twenty-six thousand and two…"
Sweat poured in streams across the floor. Nao's entire body was taut like a drawn bowstring.
Balanced upside down on a single finger, his body moved in a rapid rhythm, barely visible to the naked eye.
As he panted softly, his mind silently counted the reps.
At exactly 25,000, his muscles finally hit their limit.
Exhale.
Nao flipped to the side, lying flat on the ground in a "T" shape. He rested his arms behind his head, tired—but smiling.
He'd cranked the gravity field up to 18x. Training under such brutal conditions, he could feel himself getting stronger every single day—at the most fundamental level.
Honestly, the satisfaction beat even that of leveling up through the system. It had become one of his favorite pleasures in life.
"Statistically speaking," he mused while staring at the ceiling,
"My strength stat's probably gone up by a few decimal points since the start of the year."
"At this pace, give it two more months—I'll hit the next physical threshold."
And if he had enough points saved up by then?
A little stat investment combined with his breakthroughs in Observation Haki and Swordsmanship would send his combat power into a whole new tier.
"If I ran into someone like William again now…"
Nao's eyes narrowed.
"It wouldn't be a question of whether I could win head-on—but rather, how long he could last under my assault…"
To be honest—
He hadn't had a truly satisfying fight since that duel with William.
The graduation assessment?
The pirate crews he wiped out in East and West Blue?
All one-sided slaughter. He didn't even use half his power.
Boring.
"Maybe on the way to the New World escort mission, I'll run into someone worth my time."
Nao stood up, ready for a shower.
But just as he stepped out of the training room, his aide rushed up, out of breath, holding a folder.
"Rear Admiral! This is an urgent official document just sent by the CP-5 department via an encrypted phone line!"
"Oh?"
Nao raised an eyebrow and took the folder.
He flipped through it and chuckled.
"Less than 48 hours to track it down? Now that's why they're the pros—never disappoint when it comes to intelligence."
Rhodes Island
This was the Capone Family's true hideout.
The other rumored islands across West Blue? Just false leads planted by Vito Corleone himself—classic "three burrows for the clever rabbit" strategy.
From here to Rhodes Island? Four days, max.
Nao closed the folder, calm and composed, and issued a clear order:
"Pass down the command: the warship is to prepare for immediate departure. Make it fast!"
The aide snapped to attention and saluted sharply.
"Yes, Rear Admiral!"
...
Rhode Island
Outside a luxurious reception hall, several men in black suits guarded the door, eyes scanning the area like hawks.
Members of the Corleone Family, they had never been this tense in their lives.
One mistake—one insect flying past—and it'd be over.
Because right now—
Mr. Vito, the family's founder, was hosting an exceptionally important guest.
Inside the hall, Vito Corleone, golden-haired and refined, poured two glasses of red wine.
He gently swirled one and offered it to his enormous guest with a smile.
"Mr. Dugalio, this is a family treasure—Sherry wine from '82, aged for decades. Please, have a taste—"
Before he could finish, the person across from him grabbed the glass, downed it in one gulp, and tossed the glass aside.
He smacked his lips and scoffed.
"Tastes bitter as hell. This is what you call 'aged'? Can't even compare to the booze Lord Kaido gives out!"
"…"
Vito's elegant smile froze.
He glanced at the man—eight to nine meters tall, even sitting down, still towering like a demon.
He swallowed hard, forcing himself to laugh.
"O-of course, Lord Dugalio. Lord Kaido is… well, Kaido. Even if we emptied our whole wine cellar, we couldn't match the quality of his stock..."
Inwardly, he was cursing.
Shit!
Wasn't the Beasts Pirates supposed to send a regular mid-tier officer?
Why the hell did they send him?!
"Drought" Dugalio.
Ancient Zoan-type—Sabertooth Tiger. 8.5 meters tall. Born with monstrous strength.
Only a year into joining Kaido's crew, and he was already one of the Three Calamities.
After hisvaliant performance during the fall of G-7 last year, his bounty had jumped from 350 million all the way to 500 million berries.
A walking natural disaster.
Just being in the same room as him was unbearable. But Vito had no choice.
He had to finish this meeting—even under this crushing pressure.
After all, during his reckless expansion, he'd bribed the Marines while simultaneously cozying up to the Beasts Pirates. All to get Kaido's backing for extending his reach beyond West Blue.
"Wine cellar?" Dugalio raised an eyebrow, then waved it off. "Forget that. We'll deal with booze later. Did you bring what Lord Kaido asked for?"
"All prepared well in advance, I promise."
Vito nodded eagerly, then clapped his hands.
"Bring the goods for Lord Dugalio!"
Three slender maids approached, each carrying a polished wooden box. They placed them neatly on the glass coffee table.
Vito opened the boxes.
Resting on velvet were three Devil Fruits, each gleaming seductively under the chandelier's glow.
Dugallio narrowed his eyes.
"Behold! Our Corleone Family used every resource to scour West Blue and gather these—all Zoan-types, just as Lord Kaido requested!"
Vito rubbed his hands and smiled flatteringly.
"Leftmost—Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Giraffe.
Right—Ushi Ushi no Mi, Model: Bison.
And in the center…"
"An Ancient Zoan—Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Brachiosaurus. Worth over 500 million berries on the underground market. Rare and priceless."
Author's Note: Some side plots don't really suit the diary format anymore, since that limits the point of view. I borrowed a trick from my little brother and decided to mimic Oda's cover story style. Hope you guys are okay with that!