Cover Story — "Momonosuke's Journey, Part 2: 'Sensei, I Think Someone's Down There!!!'"
"URGH—!"
Momonosuke gagged violently, coughing up whatever had been stuck in his throat. Once he could breathe again, he began to panic.
"Kin'emon! Kanjuro! Where are you?!" he cried out through tears.
The shout startled the green-haired kid squatting above. He hurriedly pulled up his pants, then peeked down the hole with wide eyes.
"HEY, KOUSHIROU-SENSEI!"
he screamed toward the door.
"THERE'S SOMEBODY UNDER THE TOILET!"
....
"..."
The mood had turned awkward in a flash.
Nao twitched at the corner of his eye and turned toward Shia. "Uh… who is this guy?"
My previous judgment seems to have been wrong.
"…That's Gallio VI, King of the Kingdom of Lotte."
Nao blinked, stunned.
The King of Lotte?
Isn't that the person who, when he was taken away by CP9, didn't mind his goddess being snatched, and even joined Shia's father in cheering and trying to bail him out?
This is a benefactor!
Nao immediately grasped Gallio's right hand, shaking it hard with gratitude. The blond king laughed awkwardly, scratching his head.
"No need to thank me! It was the right thing to do. Besides, how could I stand by and watch the man Shia's in love with get locked up? She would've cried her eyes out!"
That logic…
Anyone else would've jumped at the chance to get their romantic rival out of the picture. Yet this guy… what a genuine fool.
Still, this palace was arranged as a Marine rendezvous point for escorting the Paja royal delegation. Why was the king of a different country even here?
"Oh, I was planning to tag along and catch a ride to Mary Geoise with Shia!" Gallio beamed at the question. "The route to Mary Geoise is super dangerous—I couldn't let Shia travel alone with just the Marines! But now that I know you're the escort, I can rest easy!"
"Well then, I'm off! Let's eat together once we arrive at the Holy Land!"
With a carefree wave, he turned to leave.
Wait—he's really just going to head back now? Have a separate Marine ship come get him? He won't even make the conference in time!
Nao was speechless.
"Why don't you just come with us?" he offered. "My ship's plenty big. One more delegation won't be an issue."
"Yay!"
Gallio immediately bounced back, literally hopping with joy. "That means I won't be all alone on the trip! And I'll get to see Shia every single day!"
So this was what you were really waiting for, huh?
Nao couldn't help but chuckle.
...
In the end, the Lotte delegation boarded Nao's ship alongside the Paja royals.
And just like that, Nao's job went into overdrive—now he wasn't just escorting one royal family, but two.
For Gallio, this was the first time in his life leaving his neighboring islands, so everything about the voyage was exciting.
He spent nearly every waking hour perched up on the lookout tower, wide-eyed and thrilled by every seascape and sea king they passed. His camera Den Den Mushi was going off nonstop.
The Marine lookout, who'd been booted from his own post by the overly enthusiastic king, grumbled in frustration. He tried tracking Nao down to complain—but couldn't find him anywhere.
Which wasn't surprising.
After all, it had been over six months since Nao and Shia had seen each other.
Now that they were finally on the same ship, neither had any intention of letting anyone interrupt their time together.
Their chemistry was off the charts, and even their division of labor was… precise.
One handled the fill-in-the-blanks. The other did mental math. Compass arcs crossed, erasers flew, and the "ink" in that mechanical pencil never seemed to run dry—leaving streaks and marks all over their shared "test paper."
At some point, Shia even completely forgot Nao's rooftop warnings from half a year ago. Overcome by passion, she started using her Devil Fruit powers mid-"exam," changing forms again and again…
At first, Nao strongly objected.
Then he wavered.
Then he became a proud convert to the "Looks-Good-to-Me" camp.
Before long—
Even his usually strict training regime had been thrown completely off track. The "exam" had clearly taken priority for now.
...
The voyage itself was fairly smooth.
No major storms. Just the occasional pirate crew foolish enough to try their luck.
About four or five of them showed up along the way, their captains carrying bounties ranging from 60 million to over 100 million.
Too bad for them—they picked the wrong ship.
The cannoneers aboard didn't even get a chance to warm up. The moment pirates were spotted, Nao would Moonwalk straight out, finish them all off in minutes, and calmly return to the cabin without breaking a sweat.
The longest battle? Barely five minutes.
The Marines from G-1 were used to this. But the envoys from the two kingdoms? They were in absolute awe.
After just a few encounters, nearly everyone on board was in awe of Nao.
A number of younger women in the delegations had literal sparkles in their eyes, staring at him like he was a god.
Too bad…
Even gods have their headaches sometimes.
...
West Blue, First Branch, Top Floor Office
"I'm serious, you little brat…"
Gion—"Momousagi"—had just woken up. She yawned lazily and flopped over her desk, idly playing with a Den Den Mushi.
"When are you coming back, huh? It's already been almost two months…"
"I'll head back as soon as the Reverie's over, Rear Admiral!"
The Den Den Mushi on the desk spoke in fits and gasps, its voice occasionally strained.
"Can't help it. Escort missions take forever… Ugh, if I knew it'd be such a hassle, I wouldn't have volunteered to take this off the division's hands…"
"Yeah, totally a thankless job," Gion nodded in agreement. "Those royal types are impossible to please. Always looking down on us, acting like they're above everything—when they're the ones who need us for protection. You haven't lost your temper with them, right?"
"..."
Silence.
"Nao?"
"Ah, yeah—still here. Don't worry, Rear Admiral. Who do you think I am? What kind of noble lady would get mad at me, of all people—OW! Damn it, that hurts!"
"What happened?"
Alarmed by the Den Den Mushi's grimace, Gion's voice grew urgent.
"Are you okay? Where are you? And why have you been gasping like that this whole time?"
"No, no… I'm fine. Just in the training room."
After a pause of two or three seconds, Nao's voice finally returned—weak, but steady.
"Training's been slipping lately, so I ramped it up a bit. Guess I pushed my joints too hard…"
Tch. So that's all it was.
"Don't overdo it, okay?"
Gion huffed. "You're only twenty, and you've already taken down Dugalio the Drought. You're not in Elite Camp anymore—what's the point of pushing yourself so hard?"
"I don't really have a choice, Rear Admiral."
Nao's tone turned soft.
"You remember what I said back when you were in the hospital, right? That I'd get revenge for you?"
"Smoothie, Amande, Dugalio… I'm not letting a single one off the hook. So far, I've only dealt with one—two more to go."
"Word is, Smoothie's been tearing it up in battlefields for Big Mom. Growing faster than anyone expected. She's probably already stronger than Drought. If I don't train hard now… I might not be able to take her down next time."
"Still, your body comes first."
Gion's heart warmed. She said a few more soft words of longing, then reminded him to come back soon before hanging up.
"That idiot…"
She stared at the Den Den Mushi for a while, then smiled faintly, unable to stop the corners of her lips from curling upward.
On the other end.
Inside Nao's cabin on the warship.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Nao tossed the Den Den Mushi aside and grabbed the face in front of him—one that looked exactly like Mikasa's—and gave it an annoyed shake.
"They were calling! You couldn't have paused for just a second?! I could barely talk!"
"…I didn't want to stop," Shia muttered pitifully.
As he rubbed her cheeks, her form shimmered—and the Survey Corps uniform faded away.
In the next instant, a foxgirl with nine tails and a KDA-style idol outfit took her place, looking up at Nao with wide, teary eyes.
The nine tails spread out, tickling his back.
"..."
Nao fell silent, locked eyes with the foxgirl, and after a long moment… let out a deep sigh.
Fine.
How could anyone stay mad at a girl who only has eyes for you?
...
After twenty days at sea—
The warship finally crossed a large stretch of the New World and arrived at the Red Line.
Only a few days remained until the Reverie began.
Nao led two squads of Marines to escort the royal delegations up a massive lift, ascending to the city of Mary Geoise.
It was his first time setting foot in the Holy Land.
The red-carpeted streets were wide and opulent, lined with elegant, ancient buildings. Gold and marble glimmered everywhere—even the air smelled fresher, like breathing in the heavens.
Some in the delegations had attended previous Reveries; others were seeing it for the first time. Regardless, all were awestruck by the city's splendor, constantly murmuring in amazement.
Only Nao remained expressionless, his mood subdued. If anything, a faint trace of disdain crept into his gaze whenever he looked at the nearby buildings.
"What's wrong, Rear Admiral Nao?"
Gallio, trailing close behind, noticed and asked curiously, "Don't you like the view? This place is amazing! Way better than my royal capital! It's like heaven!"
"…Nothing."
Nao glanced at him and shook his head.
Heaven?
What a joke.
This city was built on mountains of bones and rivers of blood. A paradise of luxury sustained by infernal suffering.
He turned, his eyes drifting back toward the massive lift they'd used to arrive.
He had thought the elevator operated on some kind of advanced power system—he was impressed, even.
But after they arrived, Nao's Observation Haki picked up something strange underground. He quietly asked one of the older officers.
That's when he learned—
The lift was pulled by thousands of slaves hidden within the cliffs, straining under chains in the dark.
And that wasn't the worst of it.
Mary Geoise also had something called the "Auto Moving Walkway"—a moving path that let you travel the city without even walking. Incredibly convenient.
But obviously… it wasn't powered by electricity either.
How many slaves would it take to power something like that?
Fifty thousand? A hundred thousand?
Nao didn't dare guess.
"I just hope… next time I come here, I won't have to keep pretending I don't see these things."
He looked up at the tallest building in the city skyline—his hand slowly curling into a fist.
There are things I can't change yet…
But I'm only twenty years old.
Someday… I will.
...
After delivering the royal delegations to the housing prepared by the World Government, Nao originally planned to leave Mary Geoise right away.
Out of sight, out of mind.
He intended to rest at Headquarters for a few days and only return once the Reverie ended.
But Shia didn't want him to leave just yet.
She asked to explore the nearby area together. Since the sun was still up, Nao agreed.
The two walked hand-in-hand through the complex of buildings within the World Government area. Without realizing it, they arrived at the entrance of a conference room.
The conference room was extremely luxurious and spacious, with over fifty seats arranged in a circle. Peeking through the window, the two were drawn in and pushed the door open to enter.
"Over fifty seats, huh…"
Nao walked around the central table, murmuring, "Matches the number of member nations perfectly. Add the government higher-ups, and yeah—this must be where the Reverie's held."
"Probably," Shia nodded. "Each seat has a nation's name carved into the back. We're all assigned spots—it's been that way for centuries."
After looking around a bit, they began to lose interest.
Just as Nao was about to leave, a massive Den Den Mushi—nearly half a meter tall—slowly crawled out from a back room.
It didn't even glance at them, simply flopped beneath the window and basked in the sun like it owned the place.
"…What the heck?"
Nao raised an eyebrow. The thing was enormous—and rare.
"A projection Den Den Mushi?"