Danger!
Bellemere was no longer the rookie she once was. Years of battle-hardened experience kicked in instantly.
CLANG!
Without hesitation, she spun and slashed behind her. Sparks flew as her blade met a tremendous force head-on. She put everything she had into the counter—but it wasn't enough. Her grip shattered at the joint, and her sword was flung from her hands, clattering to the deck.
Damn it!
Just then, several pirates attacked from in front of her. Bellmère, with her remaining meager strength, rusted all of their blades. At the same time, she bent down, her right hand reaching for her sword on the ground.
But, in that flash of lightning.
Bellmère felt a sudden chill on her forehead. The giant, dark and cold claw had, at some point, firmly gripped her head. With just a little more force, she could probably expect to see a watermelon-bursting scene…
"Well, I guess I overestimated you after all..."
The voice came from above—sly, cold, and filled with disdain.
Morrey, the captain of the Black Bat Pirates.
"Even if you were lucky enough to eat a Devil Fruit," he sneered, "you're still just a small-fry from the East Blue. I shouldn't have expected much."
He smacked his lips. "Still, you've got a decent face… good body too."
A nasty grin twisted across his face.
"If you were a guy, maybe I'd keep you around as a servant. But too bad… you're not."
"Now tell me—"
The pressure on her skull increased. A thin trail of blood leaked down through her tangled red hair.
"How do you want to die, huh? You killed a lot of my men. Should I crush your skull right now? Or carve you up piece by piece and let the boys blow off some steam?"
"…"
Bellemere didn't respond.
Her lips pressed into a tight line. Her face went pale. Her eyes were filled with bitter regret.
She had been so close—so damn close to getting her fellow Marines and the surviving villagers back to the 16th Branch.
Now it was all gone.
Was this really the end?
If only she were stronger…
Her eyelids fluttered. Her vision blurred.
Images flickered through her mind—her hometown of Cocoyashi Village, squabbling and playing with Nao under the tangerine trees, the soft, kind face of Yukika, and the two little girls she'd fought to save last night…
Like a film reel at the end of its run, they played one after another.
A soft smile curved her lips as she prepared to accept death.
But precisely at that moment, an untimely scream suddenly erupted on the ship, startling her into abruptly opening her eyes.
She turned her head and saw that the one letting out the piercing scream was none other than Black Bat Morrey. His giant claw was still gripping her head.
But at the same time, a long, powerful hand had also firmly seized the giant bat's head, and was slowly squeezing…
"Ow! Ow, ow, ow!"
Mori instantly reverted to human form.
He was over two meters tall, a giant among most men—but in the grip of the man who had appeared from nowhere in the rainstorm, he looked like a child, writhing and thrashing uselessly.
"I heard every word you just said…"
The newcomer bent slightly at the waist, his massive frame looming even larger.
His voice was low and calm—but carried a dangerous undercurrent.
"So tell me—how do you want to die? Crushed skull? Or bones peeled away, one by one?"
BOOM!
The sound echoed like a bolt from a clear sky—exploding inside Bellemere's heart.
The moment she clearly saw that familiar face, Bellmère's heart nearly leaped out of her chest. Her eyes widened, her lips trembled, and her face was filled with disbelief—
It was him.
It was really him.
What the hell was going on?! He should've been back at Marineford—what was he doing here?
Was this a dream her dying mind conjured up?
A final, beautiful vision before death?
"Captain!!"
While Bellemere stood frozen in shock, the pirates on deck finally realized something was wrong.
The pouring rain obscured their vision, and they had no idea when the tall figure had appeared.
But they all knew their captain was in trouble. Immediately, under the command of a few officers, they roared and swarmed forward, wanting to rescue Morrey.
"Overestimating yourselves."
Nao glanced up, his right hand still firmly gripping Morrey's head, while his other free hand rested on the Wind Sword at his waist.
Swish!
A cold light flashed, the blade cutting an arc of afterimages too fast to see, then instantly returning to its sheath.
The next moment, under everyone's horrified gaze, the wailing pirates who charged forward, without even a chance to react, were all bisected at the waist, becoming a pile of dismembered corpses on the ground.
Blood flowed everywhere, then was washed away by the heavy rain. Morrey, whose head was being held, was also stunned when he saw this scene.
He suddenly seemed to realize something.
With all his might, he struggled to twist back a little, finally managing to barely make out the handsome face so close to him.
"You, you, you are…"
This great pirate, almost invincible in the East Blue, suddenly had a drastically changed expression. His face was ashen like paper.
He trembled like a sieve, and his voice became especially shrill due to excessive fear—
"Rear… Rear Admiral Natsuya Nao! Impossible! How are you here in the East Blue!"
He actually recognized me?
"Because the East Blue is my hometown…"
Nao raised an eyebrow, then smiled. "Also, you said one thing wrong. I'm no longer a Rear Admiral, but a Vice Admiral. So, I'm sorry, I'm taking back the choice I gave you earlier…"
No!
No! I still want to go to the Grand Line to pursue my dreams! How can I die in this godforsaken place!
Morrey's pupils constricted. Realizing the threat of death, he erupted with all his strength, struggling desperately.
But everything was clearly in vain. The hand gripping his head remained unmoving, and in his despairing gaze, it suddenly exerted force—
Bang!
The watermelon, after all, burst open. Red and white matter splattered..
Nao subtly turned his face away, easily dodging it, then his gaze shifted, and he looked at the stunned remaining pirates with an expressionless face.
A shiver went down the spine of every pirate as his gaze swept over them, shooting straight to their scalps.
"W-What are you doing?! Run!!"
Someone screamed.
Panic erupted.
The pirates scrambled in all directions—some bolted toward the ropes without even grabbing their weapons. Others dove straight into the ocean rather than wait for their ship to launch.
But could they outrun Nao's sword?
Of course not.
VMMMM—!!
A blinding arc of white sword energy exploded out from his blade, slicing the air and creating a massive shockwave.
It flattened everything in its path.
Nao stepped lightly off the deck, walking on air with Geppo, vanishing and reappearing over the sea like a phantom.
In less than a minute—
Over two thousand pirates.
A full fleet of ships.
All gone.
Not a single survivor.
Only after the massacre ended did Nao finally descend from the sky, landing gently on the scorched deck of the Marine warship.
"…"
The surviving Marines were speechless.
They stared with wide, gaping mouths—at the man who had come from the heavens, killed their enemies, and saved their lives.
They looked at him like a god.
Only Bellemere had finally snapped out of her trance.
She stared at the tall figure walking toward her.
It wasn't a dream. He was real.
Her lips parted. She wanted to run into his arms with a smile.
But her nose scrunched.
And tears spilled from her eyes instead.
"…Why are you crying now?"
Nao smiled helplessly and spread his arms wide.
He pulled her into an embrace, wiping her dirty face gently with his fingers.
"It's over now, Bellemere. You did great. Really—it's my fault. I should've come sooner…"
WAAHHH!!
She pounded her fists against his chest—and cried even harder.
...
Several hours later.
The storm had passed. Sunlight poured through parting clouds, warm and golden.
The battlefield had been cleaned.
The damaged Marine ship was patched together well enough for travel, and the crew began their journey home.
But the mood wasn't light.
The red-haired girl, arms crossed, stood before the Marines, scowling.
"…You all heard what I said, right? If anyone goes back and tells anyone I cried…"
"Understood, Ensign Bellemere!!"
The Marines shivered, exchanged glances, then replied in unison with bitter faces.
Only then did the girl flick her ponytail with satisfaction and return to the ship's cabin. As soon as she pushed open the door to her bedroom, she saw Nao sitting by the bed, smiling and telling a story to Nojiko.
The little girl lay there, listening intently. Unbeknownst to her, sleepiness gradually crept up, her eyelids fought for a long time, and finally, she fell into a deep slumber.
Bell-mère didn't disturb them, just stood there quietly, watching it all, a smile appearing in her eyes.
Meanwhile, Nao, having clumsily tucked the little one into bed, turned around and was startled by her sudden appearance:
"When did you come in? I didn't hear a sound?"
"Is your Observation Haki malfunctioning again?" The girl gave Nao an annoyed look, then naturally sat down on his lap. "By the looks of it, you've already gotten close to these two little ones?"
"Yeah."
Nao glanced at the sleeping Nojiko.
"She was staring out the window all morning, scared out of her mind. Took a lot of effort to get her to fall asleep…"
From where Bellemere couldn't see, his gaze was… complicated.
Nojiko…
As someone from another world, Nao had recognized both girls immediately.
And that made his feelings even more tangled.
Was this fate?
Some chaotic butterfly effect?
It was a different island. A different battlefield. But somehow—just like in the original timeline—Bellemere had met the two girls who would become her adopted daughters.
He'd felt his Vivre Card burning when he rushed over.
But never expected this to be waiting for him.
"What are you zoning out for?" Bellemere poked him. Nao blinked and came back to himself.
He turned and asked, "Where's the other one?"
"She just woke up. The cook took her to be fed. Should be…"
Knock knock.
Right on cue, the ship's cheerful cook appeared at the door. Bellemere thanked her, took the swaddled baby into her arms, and returned to the bedside.
The little one had clearly just finished feeding, constantly burping. Her delicate little face was incredibly cute, plump and tender like a porcelain doll.
Nao couldn't help himself. He reached out, poked her cheek. Then pinched it.
"Hey!"
Bellmère, who was cooing at the little one, immediately slapped his hand away and glared at him fiercely: "Be careful with your strength, you're so heavy-handed. Don't you know how strong you are?"
Her reaction is too exaggerated…
Nao looked speechless. "Of course I know to hold back, there's no need for this…" He stopped mid-sentence, because both of them clearly saw that the spot where Nao had pinched the little one was visibly swelling…
The little one pouted, her nose twitched, and she looked about to cry.
Bellmère hurriedly stood up, walking back and forth, coaxing and rocking, but it had no effect. The baby girl cried extremely loudly.
She felt annoyed and turned to glare fiercely. Nao stood there helplessly, and seeing her gaze, he gave an awkward smile…
"How about I try holding her and coaxing her?"
The youngest Headquarters Vice Admiral asked cautiously, shamelessly.
"What are you dreaming of!" Bellmère snorted coldly. "You're the one who made her cry. The child's scared of you. Even if I let you hold her, she wouldn't… huh?"
She looked down blankly at the baby in her arms, and saw the little one with orange hair, who had stopped crying at some point when Nao opened his arms. She also tried to reach out her two small, pink hands, stretching and reaching, making babbling sounds…
"Ha! See that, she wants me to hold her!"
Nao, like a child who had won a bet, smugly took the baby from the stunned Bellmère's hands.
And once in his arms, the little girl immediately giggled happily, even actively reaching out her tender little hands to touch his beard on his chin…
Even through the thick cotton blanket, he could feel the little one's soft, chubby skin, and it even smelled faintly of milk. Holding her, Nao felt as if he was holding all the happiness in the world.
"See, she clearly likes me more!" He was smiling so wide his mouth was almost a Nike swoosh.
"Such a show-off."
Bellmère rolled her eyes at him, then glanced at the deeply sleeping Nojiko. After a long hesitation, she tentatively asked: "Um… Nao, there's something I want to talk to you about…"
"What?"
The Vice Admiral was gently rubbing the little one's cheek with his stubble, already so happy he could barely keep his eyes open.
"After I rescued these two children yesterday, I made this decision…"
Bellmère carefully chose her words, sighed, and finally gathered her courage to speak, "Although I know this request is a bit unreasonable and unwise, I still hope you'll consider it. After you hear it, please don't get angry…"