The voice belonged to a tall, skinny man, almost reed-like in build—completely out of place among the burly, muscular pirates around him.
But no one in the cave dared to underestimate him.
His name was Arno, a Zoan-type Mantis-Mantis Fruit use , with a bounty of 775 million berries.
He joined earlier than Dugalio and held a higher position, being the absolute second-in-command of the Beast Pirates.
"You're going?"
Kaido finally lowered his sake gourd, glanced at him, and frowned in thought.
"That's acceptable, but we don't yet know who's responsible for the escort…"
Before he could finish, frantic footsteps echoed from the entrance. A tall pirate burst into the cave, stumbling and breathless.
"Kaido-sama! Urgent news!"
"Something's happened in Wano! Orochi tore up the agreement on his own, and now Kozuki Oden is furious—he's gathering his retainers and has declared war against you!"
The entire cave fell into silence.
Kaido, who'd been about to explode at the interruption, froze instead. His eyes narrowed with wariness, and his brow furrowed deeply.
"Kozuki Oden…"
That Kurozumi Orochi bastard, didn't he even bother to discuss this with me beforehand? What a mess.
Kaido stood from his fur-covered throne, slowly walking to the cave entrance. He stared out into the snowstorm for a long moment before speaking, his voice dark:
"Forget Dugalio for now. Pass my orders—mobilize all our forces. We're returning to Wano. Prepare for a full-scale war."
So they were just abandoning Captain Dugalio?
Several officers loyal to Dugalio exchanged glances, clearly unhappy.
But even they knew this wasn't the time to protest. The situation had changed. Priorities were clear.
They swallowed their discontent and responded in unison with the rest of the crew:
"Yes, Kaido-sama!"
...
Elsewhere…
After crossing the Red Line and entering the New World, Nao traveled by speedboat for several days and finally arrived at G-1 Branch.
Here, he would restock supplies, receive a warship, and assemble a temporary crew of subordinates for his upcoming escort mission to the Paja Kingdom, where he would reunite with Shia.
The marines from West Blue First Branch weren't strong enough for an operation of this level, especially in the New World. Both manpower and the ship would need to be reassigned from G-1 Branch.
"Whew, finally here."
Moored at the Marine port, gazing at the majestic and imposing G-1 Branch fortress from afar, Nao wiped the seawater from his forehead and clicked his tongue in admiration.
"As expected of a branch built in the New World, it's quite grand."
The G1 Branch was even more imposing than the G2 Branch where he had interned before.
Near the port, rows of cannons lined the perimeter, with nearly a hundred warships docked. Over 20,000 Marines were stationed here. Besides the branch commander Vice Admiral Sakazuki (Akainu), two more Marine Headquarters vice admirals were also assigned here.
In terms of overall strength, G1 was the strongest Marine branch outside of Headquarters.
In the official manga timeline, after the Marineford War, G-1 Branch even swapped positions with Headquarters, becoming the new Marineford.
Nao strode confidently through the gates, showing his ID to the sentries.
Moments later, a beautiful young Staff Officer with the rank of Commander, likely in her early twenties, hurried over and eagerly took it upon herself to escort him.
"You want me to head to the reception room for tea and lunch?"
The Commander Staff Officer's overly enthusiastic attitude made Nao a little uneasy. He turned his head with a slight frown and said:
"No need, I think Headquarters should have already informed you of my mission. I'm in a bit of a hurry. Just take me directly to the prepared warship."
"The warship and troops are already ready, Rear Admiral Nao."
The Staff Officer had been sneaking glances at Nao's profile, but the moment he turned to face her directly, her cheeks flushed red. She quickly looked away and stammered:
"I-It's just… the Commander personally requested that you stay for lunch. He'll come meet you as soon as he's finished with his duties…"
Akainu wants to meet me?
Nao blinked in surprise. "Isn't Vice Admiral Sakazuki supposed to be on an escort mission himself? Why is he still here?"
"He did have one originally, and by rights, Commander Sakazuki should be on his way to Mary Geoise by now…"
The Major's blush deepened as she explained.
"B-But after your recent accomplishments, his mission was temporarily canceled. The Headquarters ordered him to stay here and monitor the Beasts Pirates' activity 24/7."
So that's what happened.
Nao finally pieced it together.
Made sense. With Dugalio the Drought sent to prison by him, the power dynamics in the New World would definitely shift.
As the strongest combatant stationed in the latter half of the Grand Line, Akainu's burden had suddenly increased significantly, so he naturally wouldn't have time to leave.
But speaking of which.
Garp had already completed the escort of Dugalio to Impel Down, and yet for over ten days, the Beasts Pirates had made no moves at all. That was odd.
Could it be that they knew in advance that Garp was responsible for the escort?
Hmm, that shouldn't be the case either.
While Jack the Drought was still just a snot-nosed kid, there were plenty of reckless seniors like him in the Beast Pirates who would fearlessly charge into anything.
Unable to figure it out, he simply stopped thinking about it. Nao followed the beautiful staff officer to the reception room inside the fortress building, ordered some tea and pastries, then sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, enjoying the sea view outside, leisurely waiting.
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, over two hours went by. Finally, steady footsteps came from the corridor, growing closer, then a deep, resonant male voice spoke:
"Apologies. I had to run back to Headquarters earlier. Been buried in paperwork since I got back. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Nao set his cup down and turned.
A man in his early thirties entered—stern-faced, composed, exuding unshakable discipline.
He wore a deep red suit with a rose pinned to his chest, a Marine cap atop his head, and a Justice coat billowing behind him in the ocean breeze.
"Not at all. It's a nice change of pace. The snacks here are decent. I like 'em."
Nao rose with a smile. "It's our first time meeting, but I've heard of you plenty, Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
This was indeed their first meeting.
Unlike when he first met Aokiji and Kizaru, Nao now spoke with equal footing—confident, relaxed.
Gone were the days when he was just a nameless recruit.
Now, both his power and rank placed him among the upper echelon—nearly on par with the Admirals themselves. There was no need to humble himself anymore.
Besides—
Among the future Three Admirals, Nao had the worst impression of Akainu.
He had no issue with Ace's execution during the war—it was war, after all, and Akainu was doing his job. Same went for punishing deserters.
But the Ohara incident a year ago, where Akainu coldly ordered the destruction of a civilian evacuation ship?
That… was hard to forgive.
Seeing him again inevitably reminded Nao of the innocent lives lost in that tragedy. It left a sour taste.
To put it simply: Nao respected Akainu as a competent professional soldier—but didn't see him as someone he'd ever be friends with.
They just weren't the same kind of people.
"I heard what you did to Dugalio."
Akainu didn't notice the subtle shift in Nao's mood. He sat down across from him, gaze steady and filled with unmistakable appreciation.
"Well done. That bastard Kaido's been pulling more and more heavy hitters into his fold these past few years. It's caused major problems for us here in the New World."
"This time, you really helped us vent some frustration—eased the pressure on our heads quite a bit."
Eased pressure?
Nao's eyes flickered strangely.
Pretty sure I doubled your pressure, actually.
"It was just my duty."
He offered a polite smile, with a hint of aloofness.
"I've been interested in you since the day you defeated Warlord William," Akainu continued, pouring himself some tea and refilling Nao's cup as well.
"Rumor had it you were the strongest disciple ever trained by Zephyr-sensei since the Elite Camp was established."
"I scoffed at that back then. But then you took down Dugalio too—and slapped me right in the face with the results."
"Now that I see you in person, I have to admit—those rumors might just be true."
Nao was slightly surprised.
He genuinely hadn't expected Akainu to think so highly of him. This initial level of favorability was even higher than when he first met Kizaru at G-2 Branch.
Perhaps my immense Charm value subconsciously influenced him.
"You flatter me, Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
Nao took a sip of tea. "Everyone knows you were Zephyr-sensei's favorite. When I was still at the Elite Camp, he often used your achievements as an example to motivate us…"
"That was the past."
Akainu shook his head. His gaze locked on Nao, voice calm.
"You're now the most outstanding graduate the Elite Camp ever produced—without a doubt."
"And I honestly believe your future achievements might surpass mine… or even Kuzan and Borsalino's."
"But before that happens—I want to know just how far apart we really are right now."
Nao narrowed his eyes slightly, then grinned. "So that's why you had me wait, huh? You want to spar?"
"You'll be returning to the West Blue after this escort mission. Who knows when we'll meet again? I'd be a fool not to take this chance."
"Of course…"
Akainu added, eyes meeting Nao's. "But if you're not interested, that's fine too. The warship is ready—you're free to take it and go. No one will hold it against you."
He spoke openly and without pressure. So Nao didn't hesitate either.
"Let's do it."
Akainu wanted to test him—but Nao was just as curious.
After defeating Dugalio, he had grown even stronger. He was eager to find out just how close he now stood to the world's top-tier monsters.
...
Behind the majestic fortress building lay a vast training ground, used for the daily drills and gatherings of newly enlisted recruits.
And at this very moment.
The training ground was empty.
Under the setting sun, Nao and Akainu stood at opposite ends, gazing at each other from a distance.
"Let's get a few things straight first. While some large-scale destructive moves aren't suitable for use here, I'll still try my best and won't hold back. You should be careful."
Akainu stood with his hands behind his back, stating in a low voice.
"A sparring match should always be fought with full effort."
Nao smiled faintly, gripping the hilt of his sword at his waist. "I won't hold back either, Vice Admiral Sakazuki. Be careful."
The moment the words left his lips—
Both men vanished.
SWOOSH!
In a flash, they reappeared in midair, dozens of meters high, both using Moonwalk (Geppo) to hover.
"Great Eruption!"
Akainu roared, his arm transforming into searing dark-red magma as he launched a devastating blast at Nao.
"Perfect timing!"
Nao showed no fear, neither dodging nor evading. He directly drew his sword with an Iai quick-draw, and two magnificent white sword slashes simultaneously intersected and struck!
BOOM!
Violent currents of air erupted around them. Countless dust particles rose from the ground, spreading in all directions, like a dust storm at the end of the world.
Some nearby training equipment, caught in the aftermath of the sword slashes and magma, were directly shattered into pieces, becoming scattered debris on the ground.
Both were thrown backward by the shockwave, landing on the fragmented ground. After exchanging glances, they attacked again, clashing fiercely.
RUMBLE!
As their clash intensified, the shockwaves became louder, more frequent—until they finally attracted attention.
New World recruits, having just finished dinner and preparing to wash up, came pouring out of their barracks.
"Wait—is that Vice Admiral Sakazuki?!"
A red-haired recruit squinted through the chaos.
"Isn't Commander Sakazuki incredibly busy lately? How does he have time to be at the training ground?"
"It looks like he's sparring with someone."
Someone nearby said uncertainly, "Mr. Sakazuki is our strongest person at G-1 Branch. I haven't seen his opponent before; could it be a Vice Admiral from Headquarters?"
"No way!"
A lanky recruit caught a glimpse of Nao's handsome profile and gasped:
"I saw that guy in the newspaper! It's Rear Admiral Nao from the West Blue Branch!"
"Really?"
"Whoa, whoa, are you sure you're not mistaken?"
"Commander Sakazuki is fighting that Rear Admiral Nao?!"
These words were like a pebble dropped into a lake, instantly creating a wide ripple.
Many people immediately became interested, crowding over and eagerly pressing against the chain-link fence, trying their best to get a clear view of the battle inside the training ground.
Their reaction was understandable.
After all, following the reports of two major incidents, Nao's reputation had grown increasingly prominent throughout the entire Marine system.
And these Marines stationed far away in the New World also held immense respect and admiration for this young Rear Admiral.
Only twenty years old—and already at this level of strength?
A true prodigy of the Marines.
On the other side stood Sakazuki, their G1 Commander. A Magma-Magma Fruit user, a living legend, with more than a decade of decorated service.
Among the younger generation, he was one of the Marine's absolute strongest.
A clash between two monsters like this?
Of course they were excited.