Cover Story — "Momonosuke's Journey, Part 3: 'Is This Still Wano?'"
Finally rescued, Momonosuke stumbled weakly behind Koushirou, heading toward the dojo—completely unaware that Zoro, nose pinched, had made a show of avoiding him from a great distance.
Everything around him bore the mark of traditional Wano: wooden buildings, bamboo fountains that made soft "tock" sounds as they dropped. Momonosuke glanced nervously about.
He was supposed to have leapt twenty years into the future…
But this still looked like Wano.
And the people's clothes?
They were dressed almost exactly like him…
...
Projection Den Den Mushi.
As the name implied, these rare, incredibly expensive devices could read and project footage from recording tapes onto large screens.
Even Nao's West Blue First Branch didn't have one, and even at Marineford, they only kept two or three.
He immediately grew curious, circling it for a long time, looking and touching. Above the snail's shell, he found a square slot that looked oddly familiar.
Wait a second...
A thought struck him. He was tempted to try something.
But with Shia still beside him, he resisted the urge. Instead, he accompanied the blue-haired girl out of the conference room and continued strolling through the rest of the government compound.
Ten Minutes Later, Around a Corner…
Nao was chatting with Shia, not paying attention as a little girl carrying a massive lollipop came wobbling around the corner from the opposite side—until they collided head-on.
The child was sent flying nearly three or four meters.
Shit!
Nao lunged forward and caught her just in time before she hit the ground.
He looked down. The girl was only four or five years old, absolutely adorable—big round eyes, soft pink hair. But rather than crying, she simply blinked up at him, giggled, and gave him a playful wink.
Bold little thing. Whose princess is this?
"Sorry about that, I wasn't watching where I was going," Nao said, ruffling her soft hair and gently setting her back down. He crouched to her level and smiled. "But little one, you shouldn't be running around here alone. Where are your parents?"
"I'm playing hide-and-seek with my daddy!"
The little pink-haired girl cheerfully popped the lollipop back in her mouth and pointed behind her. "See, Nao-oniichan? He's right behind me—he's coming now!"
Huh?
Nao blinked. Wait, how does she know my name?
Before he could think further, footsteps gradually approached from afar. He turned to look and his eyes widened in astonishment—the little girl's father was remarkably tall and broad, nearly seven meters, like a mountain.
He wore a crown, but beneath it was a fluffy bear-ear hat. His belly was soft and round like a meatball, and he clutched a thick Bible under his arm…
Bartholomew Kuma?!
Why is he here at the Reverie?!
Wait—does this mean that before joining the Revolutionary Army, he was actually… the king of a World Government member nation?!
Back when Nao had crossed over, the manga had only just wrapped up the Whole Cake Island arc. Kuma's Vivre Card hadn't even been published yet. He had no idea about this detail—and so he was absolutely floored.
It took him several seconds to process it.
By then, Kuma had already stooped down, lifted the girl onto his shoulder, and turned to Nao with a calm, low voice.
"Apologies. My daughter's still young and doesn't understand proper manners. I hope she didn't trouble you."
Then he looked at the child on his shoulder and gently said, "Bonney, what do you say to this Marine officer?"
"Sorry!"
The little girl apologized immediately, though her full attention had already returned to the lollipop.
With a few crunch, crunch bites, she munched up the giant candy—bigger than her face—in no time, looking utterly satisfied.
Shia stared in awe. That appetite…
Nao, meanwhile, was struck by a realization.
Bonney?!
This pink-haired little girl is… THAT Bonney?! One of the Eleven Supernovas from Luffy's generation?!
No way. These two are… father and daughter?!
He watched them walk away, expression unreadable.
He never imagined that his first encounter with Kuma and Bonney would be under these circumstances, in this place, wearing this identity.
What could've possibly happened… for a king of a member nation to betray the World Government and join the Revolutionary Army? To even go so far as to become a Warlord just to act as their spy…?
Nao fell into thought.
A moment later, he shook his head and pushed those stray thoughts aside, returning to lighthearted conversation with Shia.
What he didn't notice… was that several hundred meters away, Kuma had suddenly stopped and turned back.
He stared quietly at Nao's retreating back, eyes heavy with concern.
...
This stroll lasted for over two hours.
Around 3 PM, after bidding farewell to Shia, he finally found an opening and secretly slipped back into the conference room.
The projection Den Den Mushi was still sleeping peacefully near the windowsill, snoring softly, its nose bubble rising and falling.
"Hey, wake up already! It's three o'clock! Time for tea!"
Nao popped the bubble with a sharp poke.
Pop!
The Den Den Mushi woke up with a jolt, furious—until it saw Nao's face.
Then it froze. Its cheeks flushed, and its anger vanished entirely. It slithered over to him and affectionately rubbed against his arm.
…Huh.
Do these things even have genders?
Nao rolled his eyes. He was used to the terrifying allure of his natural charm, so he didn't dwell on it. Glancing around and seeing no one, he reached into his bag.
He pulled out an item he'd bought way back during his rookie days at the Elite Training Camp—for just 100 points:
[PPAP Tape (Marine Recruitment Video)]
Type: Permanent Item
Description: A recording tape containing the "PPAP" video, compatible with projection-type Den Den Mushi.
Note: Special appearance by Borsalino.
"Even in retirement, I can still shine, right?"
Nao had been holding onto this thing for ages, always curious what was actually on it. Was this really some Marine-modified version of the viral PPAP video?
He'd never had the chance to watch it.
Until now.
"Finally get to see what's on this thing!"
With great enthusiasm, Nao slid the item into the slot on the Den Den Mushi, then flipped on the wall-mounted screen nearby.
To his shock, the display was an LCD—modern even by post-5G standards.
The tech tree in this world is ridiculous…
BZZZT—
The screen flickered for a moment, then suddenly blacked out. Smoke rose from behind the panel. A burnt smell filled the room.
What the hell?!
After all that, the damn thing's broken?!
Nao was thoroughly annoyed—but too stubborn to give up.
He rolled up his sleeves, tapped into his meager knowledge of electronics repair, and started taking the whole thing apart.
Eventually, he managed to put it back together.
…Except for six extra parts and more than a dozen screws. He had no idea where they were supposed to go.
"..."
Staring at the now completely ruined display, Nao felt a guilty pang.
He glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then casually whistled his way out of the conference room.
Whatever. It was already broken. I just failed at fixing it. Not my fault.
Oh, and of course—
Before leaving, he carefully removed the PPAP tape from the Den Den Mushi and tucked it back into his bag.
He still didn't know what it contained, and he definitely wasn't letting anyone else find out before he did.
...
After descending from Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Nao returned to his warship and set sail for Marineford.
The Headquarters wasn't far—barely a two-day round trip.
The Reverie wouldn't end for another ten days at least.
That gave him more than enough time to rest up at Headquarters before coming back to escort Shia and the others home.
"Hard to believe it's been over half a year since I last went back…"
Nao stood at the bow of the ship, gazing at the distant horizon. He thought back to the days when he'd left his hometown alone to train at Marineford, and a trace of nostalgia crept across his face.
Since he had time, maybe he'd stop by the Elite Camp—visit Zephyr-sensei and the others.
And check in on his still-not-graduated classmates. Hmm… wonder if that loser Rosinante is still single…
...
Meanwhile, Back at Mary Geoise.
All fifty member nations of the World Government had officially arrived.
And so, after six months of preparation, the highly anticipated Reverie had finally officially begun!
Alongside the royal delegates, several high-ranking officials from the World Government attended as well.
Even one of the Five Elders—the one who favored a kimono and carried a cursed blade—made a brief appearance on Day One, causing quite a stir.
By Day Two, the agenda began in earnest. The main topic: how to deal with the chaos engulfing the seas since the start of the Great Pirate Era—and the growing boldness of pirate crews everywhere.
Naturally, Marine representatives were essential to this discussion.
Fleet Admiral Kong, currently unwell, was unable to attend and instead sent the only active Admiral available: Sengoku.
The old workhorse showed up looking like he'd sprinted from Marineford, visibly exhausted. But in front of so many royals, he forced himself to appear composed and began leading the discussion.
"As I said earlier," Sengoku began, "with the fall of G7 Branch, our control over the New World is steadily weakening—and that's bad news."
"Particularly for those member nations located in the New World. The threat level has risen dramatically…"
"However, the Marine Headquarters does have countermeasures. To reassure you all, we've prepared a short video presentation."
He sipped some black tea and nodded to a nearby clerk.
The staffer nodded back, walked over to the (recently repaired) display, and inserted a recording tape into the Den Den Mushi slot.
"Please direct your attention to the following footage—"
But he froze mid-sentence.
He stared, dumbfounded, at the screen in front of him.
Because right now—
The display was not showing the official Marine presentation.
Instead, the face of a familiar man appeared onscreen.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Sengoku turned around. One glance, and his jaw dropped.
"…Borsalino?"
Onscreen, the unmistakable face of Vice Admiral Kizaru appeared—gold-rimmed sunglasses, monkey-like features, and that ever-creepy, sleazy aura.
What in the world?
Why is this playing instead of our footage?
Just then, a strange beat began to play from the speakers.
And in the next moment—
Kizaru slowly turned toward the camera, flashed a devilish grin, and drawled:
"PPA~P!"
The music intensified. The background turned white. Kizaru began dancing—hips swaying, arms flailing—in sync with the beat, grinning ear to ear:
"I have a pen!"
"I have an apple!"
With each line, he produced props seemingly from thin air—apple in one hand, pen in the other.
"Uhh~!"
After a moan that sent shivers down every spine in the room, Kizaru smashed the apple and pen together.
Then he stared directly into the camera and beamed a greasy smile at the audience of kings:
"Apple-pen!"
Buzz.
Whispers erupted around the circular table.
Kings exchanged puzzled glances. Side-eye flew in every direction.
"What is the Marine doing?!"
"Weren't we supposed to see footage of their countermeasures? THIS is the plan?!"
In the southeast corner—
"…Isn't that the commander of G2 Branch?"
Nefertari Cobra, newly crowned king of Alabasta, stared wide-eyed at the screen.
"What's he doing dancing like that? Is this a joke…?"
"I have a pen!"
"I have pineapple!"
Kizaru kept going—this time with a pineapple in hand.
His expression grew even more exaggerated, even more… grotesque.
"Uhh~"
"Pineapple-pen!"
"Apple-pen~"
"Pineapple-pen~"
…
By now—
Half the older kings in the room looked like they were suffering heart attacks.
Thunk!
Something hit the floor with a dull thud—fortunately, no one noticed.
Bartholomew Kuma bent down to pick up his fallen Bible, face as expressionless as ever… but his grip on the pages tightened.
Beside him, King Riku of Dressrosa twitched nonstop, having already yanked out half his beard.
And then—just as the song hit its climax—
Kizaru raised the props in both hands. His sleazy eyes glinted beneath his shades. He gave one final sultry smile and crooned:
"Pen-Pineapple-Apple-Pen!"