Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of mortars fired at once, their blazing explosions lighting up the entire port as bright as day.
But in the very next instant—
Every shell, before it had even traveled half its intended distance, seemed to be sliced apart midair by some unseen force. They shattered into pieces and lost all momentum, crashing uselessly into the sea.
Splash!
Countless water pillars shot up from the sea surface. The pirates responsible for loading the cannons hadn't even recovered from their shock when a bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, instantly destroying all the mortars.
"Go." Nao stood on the high ground, his hands clasped behind his back, stating calmly: "I've helped you this far. The rest of the battle is yours."
"Rest assured, Lord Nao!"
"We won't let you down!!!"
The veteran soldiers at the front laughed heartily, raising their weapons high as they led the charge. Fueled by righteous fury and burning pride, the soldiers surged toward the port to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.
Their rage and resolve pushed their fighting spirit to its limit—every man determined to win back their honor and their homeland.
The pirates, by contrast, were thrown into chaos. They stared, dumbfounded, at the smoking remains of their destroyed artillery. By the time they snapped back to their senses, the royal soldiers were already upon them. Panicking, they drew their weapons—but it was too late.
The tide of battle shifted instantly.
Within moments, the pirates were forced into a desperate defensive struggle.
Meanwhile, inside the inner city, the royal guards had already noticed the commotion at the port.
After sending scouts to confirm the situation, the commander of the palace guard was overjoyed. Without hesitation, he ordered the city gates opened and led his men out in a charge to join the fray.
With reinforcements arriving from the city, the pirates—already at a disadvantage—found themselves attacked from both front and rear.
Their formation collapsed entirely.
"Damn it… this is getting bad! Where's Captain Bobitru?! Why isn't he here!?"
"Captain! Captain, where are you!?"
The remaining pirate officers, still barely holding their ground, began to panic. The longer the fight went on, the more obvious it became—something was terribly wrong.
Their captain, "Iron Hammer" Bobitru, was nowhere to be seen.
Bobitru, with a bounty of fifty million berries, was a well-known name across the North Blue. With him in command, they should never have fallen so quickly.
But they had no idea—
The moment Nao had appeared on the distant high ground, Bobitru had spotted him through his telescope.
Under the moonlight, he caught a clear glimpse of Nao's face—
and in that instant, his pupils constricted. Every hair on his body stood on end as a chill shot straight up his spine.
White Dragon Nao???
Damn it!!!
He couldn't be mistaken. That man—
that legend—was here, in the flesh!
Why? How?!
There was no time to think.
Within a heartbeat, Bobitru made his decision.
Run. Run now!
The throne of Karemia Kingdom?
His crew of a thousand pirates?
To hell with all of it! None of it mattered anymore.
If he didn't flee right this second—while both sides were still tangled in chaos—then death was his only future.
Without a second thought, he clenched his teeth, dropped to his belly, and crawled toward the ship's railing.
Using the darkness as cover, he silently dove into the sea and began to swim for his life.
Half a kilometer out—
He surfaced to gasp for air and glanced back toward the port. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white.
Before he could even turn his head—
a razor-sharp White Night Hawk's talon struck from above.
His skull burst like a watermelon, spraying the moonlit sea with blood and bone.
Screech!
The White Night Hawk hovered disdainfully over the sinking corpse before its body shimmered, feathers shifting back into the form of a harmless-looking white pigeon.
It fluttered lazily back to Nao's shoulder.
...
Roughly half an hour later—
The battle at the port was over.
The victorious soldiers began clearing the battlefield, while the defeated pirates, now prisoners, were bound by the royal guards and escorted toward the city prisons to await their eventual trials.
The good news had already reached the capital.
The entire city of Karemia's royal capital was alight with celebration—cheers echoing through the streets as countless citizens wept tears of relief and joy.
But among the crowds were many who had lost loved ones during the last two days of chaos.
They gathered silently along the main roads, eyes burning with fury.
And when one imagined what might happen as the captured pirates were paraded through those same streets…
the scene would be nothing short of horrifying.
...
Nao, meanwhile, was received at the royal palace with the highest honors—treated as a savior and hero.
The old prime minister, along with every high-ranking official, waited on the palace steps for his arrival.
The moment Nao appeared, the old man burst into tears, fell to his knees, and bowed deeply in gratitude.
It took no small effort for Nao to convince the stubborn elder to stand back up.
Next, the officials presented him with chests of treasure and proposed holding a grand banquet in his honor.
But Nao declined them all with a polite smile.
He simply asked for a quiet room—and went straight to rest.
Even traveling at full speed, his warship had taken three full days and nights to reach the kingdom.
He'd been worried that Rob Lucci might already have started killing, so he'd pushed himself to the limit without a moment's rest.
Now, after nearly two months without proper sleep, a full night's rest was long overdue.
...
That night.
On a lonely hill overlooking the port—
"White Dragon... Nao..."
The name rolled quietly off the lips of the black-suited boy, Rob Lucci, as he turned his head to look back one last time toward the distant royal capital.
His expression flickered—conflicted, unreadable.
Then, without another word, he turned away and disappeared into the dark of night.
...
Waking up, Nao felt refreshed.
Outside his window, the early morning of Karemia was still wrapped in dim twilight—the sun not yet risen, the clock just past 5:30.
After a quick wash, Nao quietly slipped out of his room. Without saying goodbye to anyone, he transformed into a streak of blue lightning and vanished beyond the city walls.
He knew that if he lingered even a little longer, the citizens—eager to thank him—would surely surround him, making it nearly impossible to leave.
On the journey back:
With the crisis resolved, Nao relaxed, gliding above the calm sea while admiring the scenery. Absentmindedly, he opened his System Panel and glanced at the Shop.
At his current level of strength, there were few items left that could be of real use to him.
Still, for the past two years, every week without fail, he'd kept the habit of refreshing the shop—
just in case.
Most of the time, it yielded nothing worthwhile.
But every once in a while, he'd stumble upon something surprisingly useful.
And this week's refresh…
was one of those rare times.
As he scanned the list, his eyes lit up slightly.
[Shop Refresh Results]
Body Technique Training Acceleration Card (360 Days) – 50,000 Points
Mammoth Summoning Card (Consumable) – 50,000 Points
Wind of Healing (Consumable) – 700,000 Points
Proof of Insanity (Consumable) – 200,000 Points
Pickle Transformation Card (Consumable) – 10,000 Points
Tomie's Flesh (Permanent Item) – 30,000 Points
..
He smiled faintly.
Over the years, he'd purchased quite a few Body Technique Acceleration Cards, and his previous ones were nearly used up.
To have a new 360-day card appear just now—
was like someone delivering a pillow the moment he felt sleepy.
Nothing much to think about — he bought it right away.
For the rest, Nao went through them in his usual way — opening each item's details one by one from top to bottom.
[Mammoth Summoning Card]
Type: Consumable
Description: When used, you will summon a massive war mammoth that launches a ferocious charge straight ahead.
The shockwave from its attack is powerful enough to easily destroy an entire building.
Notes: Uses remaining (3/3)
"It really won't drop the spoon."
Nao blinked.
He had no idea what that last remark was supposed to mean, but he didn't dwell on it.
A physical mammoth capable of demolishing a building — if he'd drawn something like this back in his recruit days, it would've been a priceless treasure.
He'd have saved every single point just to buy it.
But now?
When a single flick of his finger could wipe out a whole city block, the thing was basically useless.
Still, after a moment's thought, Nao bought it anyway.
It was only a few tens of thousands of points, after all.
He figured he could save it as a toy for his kids later.
Over the past few years, that thought had led him to buy plenty of random junk he barely used—
like the Firebolt broom and Bamboo Copter that Nami now adored and refused to let go of.
...
[Healing Wind]
Type: Consumable
Description: When activated, summons a vast area of soothing green wind in front of you.
All living beings within that area will be cured of every disease and negative condition.
Notes: Uses remaining (2/2). A rare one-use skill scroll—use it wisely.
"Missing limbs not included."
There was no doubt about it—
this was the most valuable item in this week's shop refresh, the "jackpot" Nao had been hoping for.
The description claimed it could cleanse all illnesses and debuffs.
Nao wasn't sure just how far that power extended, but large-scale healing skills like this were rare treasures in any world.
Seven hundred thousand points was steep—but it was worth every bit.
Without a second thought, he bought it immediately.
...
[Insane Patient Identity Certificate]
Type: Consumable
Description: When used, everyone around you will perceive you as a mentally ill person.
With that identity, perhaps you could take advantage of certain situations…
Notes: Uses remaining (5/5)
"Intermittent insanity—your personal get-out-of-jail-free card."
"…Seriously?"
Nao's mouth twitched.
Maybe this would be useful in the modern world, but this was the One Piece world—
Who on earth here would let someone off the hook just because they were 'mentally ill'?
And it cost 200,000 points, too.
He didn't even think twice.
Pass.
...
[Pickle Transformation Card]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description:]
A one-use item. After using it, you will turn into a talking pickle, while retaining your self-awareness and intelligence.
The transformation lasts one full year.
[Note:] Cannot be used on anyone other than the player.
"Tired of facing a difficult life? Well… maybe becoming a pickle will help you escape for a while."
"Useless — and kind of dangerous," Nao muttered.
If he accidentally ate himself, what then?
Spending a whole year as a pickle… how was he supposed to face his family after that?
He rolled his eyes and skipped to the next item.
...
[Tomie's Flesh Chunk]
[Type: Permanent Item]
[Description:]
Once removed from your inventory, this piece of flesh will begin to grow and replicate.
Try planting it in the ground — in just a few days, you might "harvest" a kind and lovely daughter.
[Note:]
"To gift this chaotic, turbulent world a Tomie… perhaps not the worst idea."
...
"…Weird. Way too weird."
Nao reread the description just to be sure it really was what he thought it was—
and instantly felt a chill run down his spine.
Damn it, this thing was even more dangerous!
Practically a Pandora's box, he thought with a twitch of his eye, and immediately skipped it.
...
All in all—
this week's six items were of pretty good quality.
There were three he actually wanted, especially the 'Healing Wind', which was by far the most valuable consumable he'd seen in two years.
[Current points: 3,125,000]
Spend 800,000 points to purchase the three selected items?
Seven hundred thousand points was nothing to someone with over three million.
He confirmed the purchase. Moments later, the screen flashed, and the three items quietly appeared in his inventory.
Gazing at the glowing green icon of Healing Wind, Nao nodded in satisfaction, closed the system menu, and continued on his way.
His body blurred into a streak of blue lightning and vanished beyond the horizon.
...
Meanwhile —
In the North Blue, inside a luxurious manor.
The estate had once belonged to the Donquixote Family, but ever since Doflamingo's downfall two years ago, it had changed hands several times.
Now, it was part of the Charlotte Family's holdings.
Thanks to its serene countryside scenery, many of the Charlotte children were fond of staying here.
Those traveling through the North Blue on family business often stopped by to rest.
"Are we sure the intel's correct, Brother Perospero?"
Katakuri frowned as he flipped through the file in his hand, glancing at his brother.
"That guy… actually escorted seven royal families to the North Blue this time?"