Half an hour later.
Nojiko was still happily playing in the yard with Sadaharu.
Meanwhile, old Captain Natsuya, after asking around and struggling for a long time, finally found his way home with the help of a kind passerby.
"You little brat!"
He was so mad he practically jumped three feet into the air on the spot.
"So now, huh? All you've got in your eyes are your mom and Bell-mère, is that it? You've completely forgotten about your dear old man, haven't you?! Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to find my way here in a place as big as Marineford?!"
"Hahaha!"
Nao scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Sorry, Dad. Guess I got a little too carried away and forgot… But you're wrong about what you said earlier—there's no way I only have those two in my eyes."
"…That's more like it."
The old Captain snorted, his expression softening a little. "So you still have eyes for this…""
"Of course, I also have eyes for these two cute little ones!"
Nao picked up the now-awake Nami, laughed as he lifted her high, and spun her around the room, making little Nami giggle uncontrollably.
"…"
The old man was so angry he gritted his teeth. If this had been over a decade ago, when Nao was still a boy, he would've already kicked him across the room.
But now…
He just couldn't bring himself to.
Captain Natsuya sighed helplessly, stretching his legs out as he sat down on the soft sofa. Watching his son running around the room with not a care in the world, his eyes were full of pride.
He was just an ordinary man.
He was born ordinary, grew up ordinary, joined the Marines, trained hard, got married, had a son, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in his fifties.
The rest of his life was supposed to be the same—spending his remaining years in a peaceful, ordinary little town.
But everything had changed after his fiftieth birthday, turning in an unexpected direction.
The envy and admiration of his colleagues, the polite respect from his superiors, and now—being sent here, to the Marines' holy ground, Marineford, on a specially assigned warship…
And all because…
He had a son every parent in the world would go mad with envy over.
Even in his youth, Nao's talent had been extraordinary. At eighteen, he'd stood out among all the branch recruits of his age and been selected to train in the Marine Headquarters' elite camp.
From there, step by step, he'd gone on to defeat Warlords of the Sea, a Calamity, and even the Golden Lion, fighting across all four seas and earning remarkable military merits!
No powerful patrons, no high connections—just the son of an ordinary lower-class family who, by the age of twenty, had become the youngest Headquarters Vice Admiral in Marine history!
—Without a doubt, this kid was the greatest pride in his father's fifty-plus years of life!
Speaking of which…
Compared to when they'd last met in the East Blue two years ago, this boy seemed even more handsome now. And taller—by a lot. Easily over three meters! Standing next to him, the old captain couldn't even reach his waist…
He didn't care much about most things, but this… This was a blow to his pride. Captain Natsuya felt a little depressed. Looked like, next time they took a family photo, his son would have to sit while he stood, or it'd be hopeless…
"Oh, by the way, Dad."
Nao sat back down across from him on the sofa, Nami in his arms.
"Mom's already checked out the whole place and picked her room. Want to go pick one for yourself?"
This villa—granted by Headquarters—had a floor space of over five hundred square meters, with six bedrooms across two floors. Nao usually slept upstairs in the master bedroom, so the rooms downstairs were all empty.
"Sure."
The old captain got up cheerfully, but after a few steps, he froze.
"Wait—what do you mean, 'pick one'?"
"It means we're sleeping in separate rooms." Nao shrugged innocently. "Don't look at me; it was Mom's idea."
"…?" The old man turned toward Yukika, his expression filled with hurt. " Are you starting to hate me?"
"Oh my, how can you say that?"
Yukika elegantly sipped her tea, smiling.
"It's just more convenient for taking care of the kids. I'm going to have to get up at night quite often. I can't be waking you every time, can I?"
"Excuses! Isn't Nao and Bell-mère here to help?"
"Are you really that dense, or just pretending?"
Yukika shot him a glare.
"Nao's a Headquarters Vice Admiral—do you think he's as free as you? He'll probably be so busy he can't come home most nights. Bell-mère's got training during the day, and no experience as a mother. If this old lady doesn't take the load, who will?"
"…" The old man grumbled but couldn't find a retort.
"Besides, we're both at this age. It's perfectly normal to have separate rooms, isn't it?"
Yukika set down her cup, smiling.
"Back home, the house was too small to have extra bedrooms. But here, there's so much space—it'd be a waste not to use it."
"Fine, fine—separate rooms it is!"
The old captain's pride flared up, and with a snort, he strutted out to pick his room.
"Hmph! Acting like I'm the one begging you. Sleeping apart will be more comfortable for me anyway—otherwise, if I ever kissed you by accident, I'd be having nightmares for a week…"
Swish!
Out of the corner of his eye, Nao caught sight of something white flying across the room. The next moment, the old Captain in the distance cried out in pain and fell to the ground.
"Oh my, where did my cup go?"
Yukika looked down at her now-empty hands, puzzled.
"I could've sworn it was right here just a moment ago…"
"…"
Bell-mère and Nao exchanged a knowing glance and both pursed their lips.
Having grown up together, they were already used to this couple's "loving" daily life.
Nao didn't bother with his motionless father on the floor. He gently handed Nami to Bell-mère, then went upstairs to fetch the Den Den Mushi from his bedroom.
"What's that for?" Bell-mère blinked.
"It's past work hours—I need to call in and ask for leave."
Nao smiled, picking up the receiver and dialing.
"Since you're all here, I've got to take a day to spend with you."
"That's not a good idea," Captain Natsuya finally lifted his head from the floor, hesitating.
"You've only just been promoted to Vice Admiral. Work should come first—spend time with us in the evenings instead. No need to take leave just for this."
"And I hear Fleet Admiral Kong is famously stern and no-nonsense…"
"Relax, Dad."
Nao waved a hand with a small smile.
"The Fleet Admiral's easy to talk to—it'll be fine."
..
In the Fleet Admiral's office on the top floor of the fortress building.
Chaton, who had just returned to Headquarters after an external mission to report on his duties, sat upright on the sofa. Fleet Admiral Kong was talking to him while reviewing the documents on his desk.
"You've been a Rear Admiral for what, four or five years now, Tokikake?"
After a bit of small talk, Kong suddenly asked.
"Yes, sir."
Chaton vaguely sensed something and was instantly filled with excitement, but he kept his composure and nodded. "I was promoted at the beginning of 1498. It will be five years next month."
"In these five years, your contributions have been remarkable, and your strength has also improved significantly."
As expected, with Chaton's expectant gaze, Kong smiled.
"So, at the next Headquarters' high-level meeting, your promotion to Vice Admiral will be discussed. If all goes well, it's pretty much a done deal."
He's been working so hard for five years. Is he finally going to be promoted?
Even though he'd guessed it might be coming, hearing Kong say it himself nearly brought Chaton to tears.
Five years! A whole five years. He had finally reached this point. To be promoted to Vice Admiral at an age of just under thirty and become a high-ranking officer at Headquarters was a resume that was worthy of being proud of among his peers…
Oh, of course, that guy was the exception.
Thinking of Nao, who was also currently in Headquarters, Chaton let out a sigh. The surge of joy he had just felt was immediately dampened.
That was the real winner in life.
When Nao had been just an unknown recruit, Chaton had already been a Rear Admiral. But while he stayed in place, Nao had soared to Vice Admiral—becoming someone he could only look up to.
The gap between them was too great. And that face… that damnably perfect face that even he sometimes found himself staring at.
Over the years, even after his long-time crush, Gion, had been "stolen" away, Chaton hadn't felt jealousy toward Nao—let alone hatred.
"Thank you for letting me know in advance, sir."
His thoughts returned to reality. Chaton stood up and saluted, saying with a smile, "If there's nothing else, I'll just…
Buru-buru-buru…
The Den Den Mushi on Kong's desk rang.
"Hold on, I have to take a call."
Kong raised a hand, answered the call, and after a few "mm-hm"s, chuckled as he said things like, "No problem," "Show them around," and "Get some rest," before hanging up.
"What's up, sir?" Chaton asked, curious at Kong's thoughtful expression. "Who was that?"
"Nao."
Kong gave him a strange look.
"He said that his parents brought his two daughters over and that he needed to take a day off to spend time with them. So I just went ahead and gave him three days off."
"It's strange. He has two daughters. Something so big, and I never heard him or Gion mention it…"
The old man stroked his chin with a click of his tongue.
"No wonder that girl, Gion, was so eager to apply to be transferred back to Headquarters two months ago. Turns out it wasn't just because of Nao; it was also for this…"
Daughters…
With Gion…
And he had two of them…
Chaton stood there, stunned, like a statue. At that moment, he felt like he could hear the sound of his heart, which he had struggled to keep together for two years, finally shattering into a million pieces…
...
Back at the villa.
"That's so generous. He gave me three days off just like that."
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Nao laughed heartily and winked at his parents. "See? I told you. The Fleet Admiral may look serious, but he's actually very easy to talk to…"
"That's because he only has that attitude toward you."
Yukika saw through it all and said with a smile, "Didn't you say that Headquarters is short-handed right now? If it were anyone else, how could he be so generous and accommodating?"
Maybe.
Nao shrugged, then spotted Nojiko lying tiredly on Sadaharu's back outside. He hurried over, picked her up, wiped her sweat, and brought her some water—leaving Yukika momentarily speechless.
Once he was done fussing over Nojiko and Bell-mère had gone inside to put Nami to sleep, Yukika grabbed Nao by the arm, pulling him toward the door with a mischievous smile.
"Alright—spill it. When are you planning to do it?"
"Do what?" Nao blinked.
"Don't play dumb. The wedding, of course!" Yukika gave him a sharp look.
"Bell-mère told me before—you promised her you'd marry once you became an Admiral, didn't you?"
"Uh… yeah…" Nao muttered inwardly. Why does Belle-mère tell Mom everything? Who's the real child here?
"Nonsense!"
Yukika's smile vanished, her brows knitting.
"You said with your promotion speed, it'd be a year or two at most before you make Admiral? Please. That kind of talk might fool a young girl, but me? That's ten years at least. Is that really what you're planning?"
"Well…"
Nao chuckled awkwardly. "To be honest, Mom, the wedding is a little complicated…"
"What could be so complicated?"
Yukika gave him a suspicious look.
"Don't tell me you're planning not to marry Bell-mère? My daughter's not going to be treated like that!"
I'm your real son, you know?
Nao was speechless. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to reveal a little information to give his mom a heads-up.
"I'm definitely going to marry her, but I have to take care of something before that. And the amount of work for the wedding will have to be tripled or quadrupled. You'll have to be mentally prepared…"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Yukika frowned, puzzled. But before she could ask further, Nao had already gone back to the living room.
He picked up Nojiko, who had just finished her drink, and laughed.
"Hey! Nojiko, there are a lot of fun things to do and good food to eat in the Headquarters' residential area. Do you want to come with me?"
"Really?"
Though she'd been tired from playing, Nojiko's eyes lit up immediately, nodding enthusiastically.
"Yes! Let's go!"
"Belle-mère, do you want to come with us?" Nao poked his head into the bedroom.
"Shh!"
The red-haired woman shot him an annoyed glare, holding a finger to her lips.
"Nami's not asleep yet. You take Nojiko first—we'll go out with Mom and Dad tonight."
"Got it."
Nao was about to leave, but seeing little Nami drowsily fighting to keep her eyes open, he couldn't resist leaning down to plant a soft kiss on her pink cheek.
The little one, still half-asleep, instinctively turned her face away.
"Go on already," Bell-mère scolded in a whisper. "I just got her to settle—don't wake her up again."
"Alright, alright." Nao gave Bell-mère a quick kiss on the forehead, grinning as he turned to go with Nojiko.
But then—
A soft, fuzzy little voice suddenly came from the bed, slightly slurred and indistinct:
"Dad… Daddy…"