A ship from the 16th Branch?
Nao froze for a moment, still processing, when excited shouts came from the distance:
"Hey! Nao—over here!"
Following the voice, he saw a girl with a chestnut-red ponytail on the right bow of the ship, desperately waving her hand.
Who else could it be but Belle-mère?
Their eyes met midair for a brief instant, and the girl's smile blossomed into a crescent moon. Before the Marine ship had even come to a full stop, she leapt down impatiently, like a bird returning to the forest, and threw herself into Nao's arms.
"Whoa, whoa, easy there—you're gonna snap my neck…"
Hanging off him, she locked her arms around his neck. He sighed helplessly and wrapped an arm around her firm backside to help support her weight.
"Alright, time to get down—people are staring, you know."
He stroked Bell-mère's hair gently, breathing in that faint, familiar orange blossom scent, and said wryly:
"Whatever happened to a young lady's modesty…"
"Tch, who cares what they think?"
Bell-mère snorted through her nose, still buried in his chest—but her eyes darted slyly to the left and right.
Sure enough, plenty of people were staring, their faces frozen in shock. A few female Marines looked downright petrified, standing there like statues.
Is it because their idol is already "taken," and they're all heartbroken?
This is just the beginning. The girl felt a wave of arrogant pride. All of them are reacting so strongly now. What will you guys do when Nao and I officially get married? Won't your eyes fall out from jealousy and envy?
"My, what a surprise. Just as I expected…"
Just then, a gentle and soft woman's voice rang out. The girl quickly looked up and turned around, only to see Yukika, wearing a loose-fitting casual outfit, walking over with a charming smile:
"Just a few days ago on the road, when I asked if you missed Nao, you shook your head so hard. But that night, I saw you staring at his picture for several hours. As expected, the moment you saw him, you completely showed your true colors…"
"Oh?"
Nao raised an eyebrow and looked at the girl in his arms with a strange expression. "Several hours… Is that true?"
"I-I didn't!"
Bell-mère pushed him away in embarrassment, landing on the ground and crossing her arms, her cheeks flushing bright red.
"Don't listen to Yukika! Th-that night, Nojiko just missed you. I was just using your picture to get her to fall asleep…"
"You should call me Auntie Yukika in front of outsiders."
Without mercy, Yukika flicked her forehead. While Bell-mère nursed her grievance,Yukika turned to Nao with a teasing smile.
"And you—since the moment you arrived, you've done nothing but fuss over Bell-mère. You haven't even greeted me properly. My heart is breaking… maybe I should just turn around and go back to the East Blue…"
"No way!"
Nao immediately bowed. "Mom! You must be tired from the long journey!"
"That was half-hearted."
Yukika rolled her eyes at him, not bothering to argue. Nao then happily looked up again. "Mom, where's Dad?"
"He's still on the ship."
Yukika glanced back and shrugged. "He probably ate too many tangerines these past few days and has had diarrhea. He's probably still squatting somewhere, releasing his waste…"
"You don't have to be so detailed." Nao was halfway through a sentence when he suddenly felt that something was wrong. His expression changed slightly. "Wait? Tangerines? You don't mean…"
"That's right. This year, the tangerines at home were overstocked again. There were over ten thousand kilograms more."
Yukika said with a smile, "I gave away as many as I could. It would have been a waste to throw away the remaining thousands of kilograms, so I brought all of them with me. But some of them weren't stored properly on the way and were about to go bad, so I had your father try his best to deal with them all…"
"…"
Nao gave a sympathetic glance toward the ship.
"Oh, by the way, Mom…" He suddenly remembered something, glancing around. "Where are the two little ones…?"
"Stop pretending. You wanted to ask a long time ago, didn't you?"
Yukika said with a half-smile, "But you had to hold it in and ask about your mom and dad first, otherwise, it would seem like you don't care about us, right?"
"That's not true." Nao's face flushed slightly, and he immediately denied it righteously.
"Everyone is like this. The care you have for the next generation will always be greater than the care you have for the previous one. I'm the same."
Yukika smiled. "Especially with those two little cuties. Even I felt my heart melt the moment Bell-mère brought them home. Your father too—he's been spoiling them endlessly, guarding them like treasures in his hands, terrified they'll get even the tiniest bump…"
So this is what they call doting on the grandchildren, huh?
Nao suddenly felt a little sour. Why was I kicked and yelled at by you two my whole life, but I never received this kind of treatment…?
"Here they come."
Yukika suddenly turned her head and looked at the ship, smiling.
"Where?!"
Nao immediately turned to look. Sure enough, the cabin door opened, and a middle-aged nurse stepped out—one child in each arm—making her way carefully down the rope ladder.
Why are they in the nurse's arms?
Sensing his confusion, Yukika explained, "It's a long journey, and it's the first time the two little ones have been on a ship for so long. They both developed a slight fever from the swaying…"
Swish!
The air rippled, and in the blink of an eye, Nao was gone from Yukika's side—reappearing at the base of the ladder to carefully take the two girls from the startled nurse.
"…"
Yukika walked over speechlessly. "I wasn't finished talking. What's the hurry? We gave them a fever-reducing shot yesterday, and they're almost completely better now."
"I was just worried…"
Nao scratched his head awkwardly. Looking down, he saw baby Nami sleeping soundly in her swaddle, no sign of illness on her face.
Nojiko, however, stirred from the movement. Her big, dark eyes blinked open—and when she saw Nao, they lit up with joy.
"Mr. Nao—"
Her voice was soft and milky, pure with childish innocence.
She still wasn't calling him "Dad," which was a tiny disappointment—but Nao's heart still nearly burst with joy. He couldn't resist gently pinching their cheeks.
Whoa, so soft…
The tough Marine's heart completely melted. Holding them felt like holding the whole world. He couldn't stop looking at them—left, right, over and over.
After a few minutes, Yukika finally couldn't take it anymore and gave him a kick.
"Let's go home first! It's a cold winter morning. Do you really want to make your old mother stand here in the cold wind?"
"Oh, oh, okay, okay!"
Nao snapped out of his daze and hurried to help carry the large luggage.
Unable to use his hands, he first carefully handed the swaddled Nami to Belle-mère. Nojiko was placed on his shoulders, and together, they led the way.
"Whoa, horsy ride!"
The father and daughter laughed as they ran ahead, while Yukika trailed behind, shaking her head.
This boy, when he was watching from the ship from a distance, he was wearing a suit and a cloak and looked so cool and composed, with the demeanor of a Vice Admiral. But now, his true nature has been exposed, and he's as carefree as he was back in the East Blue…
"By the looks of it…" She shrugged, keeping pace. "…he's going to be a complete daughter-con."
Five minutes later—
The cabin door opened again. Captain Natsuya shuffled out, clutching his stomach, looking pale and weak. The wind made him hunch his shoulders.
He looked up at the empty deck, bewildered.
"Huh? Where is everyone?"
...
Meanwhile, in the Calm Belt—
The Marine ship of the First Branch of the West Blue was sailing at full speed. Gion, who had just finished showering, stood in front of the porthole with a towel wrapped around her, looking at the bright moon in the night sky, a slight smile on her lips.
"Finally, we're almost there…"
The sea breeze blew, making the newspaper on the table rustle loudly.
The large photo and article on the top page was the report of Nao defeating the Golden Lion.
...
In the New World.
"Princess, have a safe trip!"
At the port of the Paja Kingdom, with the tearful farewells of her maids, the indifferent-looking Shia boarded the ship, also beginning her journey to Marineford.
In the sky, a white hawk soared out from the depths of the clouds.
When no one was looking, it transformed into a chubby, cute little white pigeon and landed on the blue-haired girl's shoulder.
...
On the boulevard of Headquarters.
Nojiko sat perched on Nao's shoulders, her pale, tender legs swaying with each step, her cautious yet curious eyes taking in the sights of Marine Headquarters.
And her father — who was also serving as her trusty steed — Nao, had completely put aside his Vice Admiral status and was now acting like a full-fledged tour guide.
"If you go east along this road, you'll find the elite camp's base. Two years ago, I used to train there every day."
"If you go west, you'll find the training grounds for the regular recruits. There are at least a few thousand of them there. Can you hear it? Listen closely. There's a rumbling sound coming from over there…"
"See, that tallest and fattest building is the Headquarters fortress. My office is pretty much on the top floor. The view from the window is great. I'll take you up to see it sometime."
"Worried that others won't agree? Oh, come on. How could that be? Your dad here is a Headquarters Vice Admiral. I can walk around here sideways. I'm not afraid of anyone, except for a few old men who look like they can fight…"
"How big of a deal is a Headquarters Vice Admiral? It's a very, very big deal. The status is at least as high as a three or four-story building…"
Along the way, Nao excitedly explained everything he saw to Nojiko. Subordinates who knew him would constantly stop, salute, and say hello.
When they saw the little girl on his shoulders, their eyes would fill with curiosity.
At first, the little girl was a bit shy. She held on tightly to his neck and didn't dare to look at these people.
After all, this was her first time in such a big place…
Compared to the countryside of the East Blue, whether it was the remote village where she grew up or the peaceful and serene Chaili Island, this place was like a fantasy city in the clouds. For a little three-year-old, everything was foreign and awe-inspiring…
But the strong body holding her, the warm, gentle voice in her ear—together they gave her enough security to sit up straight, look around, and even giggle at his jokes.
Before long, they reached the family residential area behind the fortress, stopping before a large courtyard.
"We're here!"
Nao happily opened the gate. The giant white dog Sadaharu, who had been dozing just outside, perked up immediately—barking and bounding toward them, tail wagging, circling Yukika happily before lying down and sticking his head out for attention.
Huh, how come you never act like this when I come home? Nao twitched an eyebrow. So this big goof knows perfectly well who's the top dog in the house, huh?
"Ara, little doggy still remembers me."
Yukika smiled and rubbed Sadaharu's fluffy head. "But why are you so fat again? You must be five or six meters tall now…"
"Five-point-three meters. He eats dozens of kilograms of food a day."
Nao grumbled from the side. "He's a real glutton. I can barely afford to feed him. If he wasn't good for guarding the house, I would have kicked him out onto the streets a long time ago…"
Woof!
Sadaharu let out a little whimper and lowered his head sadly.
"Oh, good boy, don't listen to him. How could a Headquarters Vice Admiral not be able to afford to feed you?"
Yukika immediately rubbed his face with affection and then held her chin, deep in thought. "Hmm, but if he can eat dozens of kilograms a day…"
Sadaharu suddenly felt a strange chill.
"Could you stop thinking about your tangerines for a second?"
Nao said angrily from the side. "The last time we talked on the phone, weren't you curious about what the house the Headquarters gave me looked like? Come on, let's go in and take a look."
"Fine." Yukika shrugged.
Nojiko, however, shrank back from the giant dog.
"Don't be afraid, Nojiko."
Nao noticed right away and reassured her. "Don't be scared of Sadaharu's size. He's very obedient. You can try it yourself."
As he spoke, he turned and gave Sadaharu a look.
The big white dog shivered, then immediately lay flat, wagging his tail and offering his head. Encouraged, Nojiko reached out to pet him.
As expected, Sadaharu stayed perfectly still no matter how she patted him. When Nao put her gently on the ground, the dog even rolled over, showing his soft white belly.
Before long, girl and dog were playing like old friends—Nojiko riding him around the courtyard, laughing nonstop.
Meanwhile, Yukika and Belle-Mère followed Nao into the house.
"Huh?"
It was at this moment that Nao realized that something was not quite right:
"Where's Dad? Did he not follow us?"