Faced with Nao's questions,
Hina answered without holding anything back.
She poured out everything she knew, like beans spilling from a bamboo tube.
The story had to start from a year and a half ago.
A year and a half ago, the Marine's G7 branch base in the New World was overrun by Kaido and Big Mom joining forces.
Branch commander Vice Admiral Millar was killed in action, Deputy Branch Commander Vice Admiral Cass was captured, and the entire branch—nearly ten thousand Marines—suffered catastrophic losses. Fewer than one in ten survived.
Gion had also been gravely wounded in that battle, knocked unconscious and on the verge of death. If Sakazuki hadn't arrived with reinforcements in time, she most likely would have died on the spot.
It was after that battle that the G7 branch relocated back to the first half of the Grand Line, and Marine deployments in the New World were further scaled back.
Only G1 and G5 branches were left, positioned like pincers on either side of the Red Line, guarding the Marines' last foothold in the New World.
After suffering such a huge loss, of course the Marines weren't going to just swallow it quietly.
But at that time, the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates were still in their "honeymoon" alliance phase; meanwhile, the Marines had their hands full with the once-every-four-years Reverie, escorting royalty from around the world to Mariejois, which left them severely short-handed. So they had no choice but to endure for a while.
By the second half of last year, the Reverie had ended.
And the fragile alliance between the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates had completely collapsed, the two sides clashing and skirmishing once again.
Marine Headquarters finally began working at full speed on a massive revenge operation.
It was during that time that Vice Admiral Chisio, Deputy Chief of Staff at Headquarters, was sent to the G1 branch.
After over a month of preparations, the Marines secretly gathered their forces. Many Vice Admirals from Headquarters converged in the New World, launching a sweeping offensive against the islands and nations under pirate control!
They swept forward like a tide, unstoppable.
Before the enemy could react, in just a few days the Marines had retaken dozens of islands—including the former G7 branch's base—that had been under the control of the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates.
In the past two days, the Marine's vanguard had already begun to retreat, no longer venturing deeper into the New World, and instead began to consolidate the territory they had reclaimed.
"No wonder Kuzan said last week, when I ran into him at Headquarters, that he was heading to G1 Branch for a few days…"
Nao rubbed his chin in thought, muttering, "Turns out he was secretly going alone to take part in this war…"
As for why they hadn't sent him…
Nao could guess a few reasons.
First, this revenge plan was already thorough enough; if he went, it'd just be adding frosting to the cake, nothing essential. Second, Sengoku and Kong probably figured, since he'd just fought Golden Lion for days and nights, they didn't have the heart to make him go straight back into battle. They might have decided to let him rest at Headquarters for a while.
But from here on…
It was obvious he wouldn't be able to stay out of it.
"Vice Admiral Chisio already sent you back to Headquarters early. Looks like she's bracing for the worst."
Nao massaged his temples, speaking in a low murmur as he looked at Hina:
"Kaido and Big Mom won't just let this slide. This coming war might be the largest and most brutal since the God Valley Incident…"
"God Valley?"
The unfamiliar name made Hina tilt her head in confusion.
"Never heard of it? That's a long story. I'll tell you about it when there's time."
Nao chuckled, but he wasn't in the mood to tell stories. His thoughts were still on the looming war.
Without a doubt,
this would be a world-shaking battle destined to go down in history, one that would profoundly affect the New World's balance for decades.
Headquarters would surely commit more forces and fight with everything they had. And as one of the top combatants among the Vice Admirals—easily in the top five—Nao figured that even without him volunteering, Fleet Admiral Kong would already have his name on the roster.
He'd had plenty of downtime lately; the chance to finally cut loose in an all-out battle was something he actually looked forward to.
The problem was…
He couldn't really cut loose.
Nao looked down.
Forget his feet—he couldn't even see the hands folded on his lap. The proud, snowy mounds completely blocked his view, making him shake his head in frustration.
Although Gion was technically only a Rear Admiral right now, her actual strength wasn't far off from veteran Headquarters Vice Admirals.
But using her body, he couldn't fully unleash that strength; the unfamiliarity meant he'd be lucky to get seventy or eighty percent out of it.
And on the other side, Gion—using his body—would face the same problem, maybe worse.
If the war broke out and he got deployed to the New World before they switched back…
That'd be a nightmare.
After sorting his thoughts, Nao decided to call home first thing in the morning. Even if Gion, Bell-mère, and the others were still mad, at least Shia or his mom might pick up, so he could find out what was going on.
"Let's go back to sleep, Hina."
Nao sighed, standing up from the sofa chair. "I'm heading to my room too. Tomorrow morning, I still have to—"
"No."
Hina pouted and grabbed his arm again, shaking it hard. "Hina wants you to sleep with her. You've been doing it these past few days, and you promised tonight too…"
"What nonsense?"
Nao shot her an annoyed glare. "That was Gion who promised you. She's her, I'm me. Starting tonight, you'll sleep in your own room like a good girl!"
"I don't want to!"
Hina hugged his arm tighter. Whether by accident or on purpose, her modest "little rabbit" pressed right up against the "big rabbit," her tone now tinged with pleading:
"Please, Nao-nii, the thunder outside is really loud… Hina won't be able to sleep alone…"
"You're fifteen already. Still acting like a little girl? There's no reason to be scared of thunder."
Nao stepped back half a pace, frowning.
"Pouting won't work. Listen, Hina—remember what I told you back at Headquarters last year? Men and women are different. Once you're grown, you need to keep proper distance with—"
"But you're not the opposite sex right now."
Hina huffed in protest, muttering under her breath, "It's just sharing a bed… even hugging under the same blanket wouldn't be a big deal…"
Nao froze for a moment.
"Enough!"
His face darkened completely. "You think playing word games is funny? Hm? I'll say this one last time—you're grown now. It's not appropriate to share a room with me anymore. Go back to your own room and sleep, got it?"
His tone was that of a strict guardian.
Hina flinched, instinctively letting go of his arm. When she looked up and saw his cold, serious expression, a wave of hurt welled up inside her.
"If you don't want to, fine… but why be so mean about it…"
Her lips quivered. She forced herself to puff up in indignation, threw the words at him, and then spun around and stormed out, slamming the door hard behind her.
Just as she turned away, Nao caught the faint redness at the corners of her eyes.
Had he gone too far?
Was it just the stress from the looming love-triangle mess and the war making him snap at a clingy girl?
Watching her storm off, Nao stood in silence for a long while before slowly walking to the window. He clasped his hands behind his back, gazing at the gloomy rain outside, and let out a soft sigh.
Yes… but not entirely.
More than anything, he probably just didn't want to betray Gion and the others again, didn't want to add any more romantic entanglements.
Rumble!
Just then, another jagged lightning bolt streaked across the night sky. Through the porthole glass, which was wet with rain, it lit up the beautiful and refined face that belonged to Gion.
Nao looked at his reflection in the glass and remained silent.
...
New World, Onigashima.
In a Japanese-style garden similar to the capital of Wano Country, it was pouring rain. The simple bamboo shishi-odoshi would occasionally make a soft 'thud' sound, startling the goldfish in the pond, which scattered in all directions.
The world was a misty white, the clouds were thick, and the visibility was dark.
But Kaido's face at this moment was much gloomier and uglier than the sky.
"You… mean to say…"
He sat on a luxurious chair made of animal skin. After listening to his subordinate's report, he threw the gourd of sake he was holding aside and said, word for word, with a ferocious expression:
"That bastard Charlotte Linlin actually rejected my alliance letter and said she wouldn't send a single soldier?!"
"Y-Yes… Kaido-sama…"
The messenger who was responsible for sending the letter was a burly bald man over five meters tall, but in front of the enraged Kaido, he was shaking like a frail little chick.
"That woman didn't even meet me herself. She had that son of hers, who looks like a clown, give me a perfunctory answer, and then she kicked me off Whole Cake Island."
He said, trembling, "She said that since it was our people who got beaten up, and their territory wasn't damaged much this time, and they've been having some friction with Whitebeard lately, they don't have time to deal with the Marines, and they're, they're not interested in… "
"In what?"
Kaido's face became even gloomier. "Tell me exactly what they said!"
"They're not interested in allying with an idiot who doesn't have a brain. If you lose, you'll just embarrass yourself in front of the whole world…"
The five-meter-tall bald man gritted his teeth and finally managed to finish. Then, with a tearful face, he lifted his red and swollen buttocks and complained:
"She didn't respect you at all, Kaido-sama. And that kick… I'd say that she wasn't kicking my ass, she was slapping your face!"
To the right of the main seat, Yano, the current head of the Calamities, still had an expressionless face, but he secretly pinched his thigh hard.
"…"
Kaido didn't notice the ambiguity in his words. After listening, his face became even more gloomy. He stared at the bald man, and after a long time, he spoke with a cold and chilling tone:
"Very good, very good… It seems like it's about time to settle some of the old scores with Linlin…"
"But before that…"
His gaze sharpened. He slammed a fist into the chair beside him—pelts and wood alike splintering with a crash.
At the same time, his roar shook the palace:
"First, I'll make those Marines understand exactly what happens when they piss me off!"
BZZZT!
The monstrous rage of the Yonko burst forth. The terrifying aura caused the lightning and thunder in the sky above Onigashima to fall silent for a moment.
Inside the hall, only the "Calamities" and the "Tobiroppo" on either side kept their composure. The rest of the officers were already on their knees, trembling, not daring to breathe.
"Pass the order!"
A moment later, Kaido, who had reined in his anger, took a step forward. He looked at the pouring rain outside the hall and gave the order with a sinister smile:
"The entire Beasts Pirates crew, led by me personally, will all attack! At the same time, notify those who have signed the alliance that they must also gather within ten days!"
"Before the end of the month, I want the head of the G-1 Branch Commander to be hanging at the gate of the capital of Wano Country! Do you understand?!"
CRACK!
Lightning and thunder flashed outside the hall, and at the same moment, a thunderous response echoed inside the hall:
"Yes, Kaido-sama!"
...
"West Blue's First Branch Marine ship, please dock at Northeast Sector 23."
"Repeat, West Blue's First Branch Marine ship, please dock at Northeast Sector 23."
Following the harbor loudspeakers' guidance, the white-hulled ship from West Blue's First Branch slowly came alongside the pier.
Headquarters at last.
Nao stood on deck with his hands behind his back, gazing at the towering fortress in the distance. Something about it felt odd.
Just days ago, he'd been at this very port, welcoming Shia. Now three days had flashed by, and he was the one arriving.
As expected, no one was at the shore to welcome him.
"How tragic…"
He chuckled at himself.
These past two days, he'd called home multiple times—same result every time. The moment the line connected, it was hung up, not even giving him the chance to say a word.
Even calls to Garp next door went unanswered—who knew what the old man was busy with.
"I'm leaving now."
At the fork in the road leading to the family residential area, Hina, who had been following behind him, scuffed her feet on the ground in a huff for a long time before she finally dropped those words and left.
It was clear that the little girl was still sulking at Nao.
Now he was truly alone. Nao quickened his pace, quickly walking through the familiar streets. When he arrived in front of his own house, he hesitated a little.
Finally, he took a deep breath and nervously knocked on the door.
Creak.
Soon, the door was pulled open from the inside, and Yukika, wearing a regular household outfit, appeared at the doorway.
"Oh my, and who might you be?"
As soon as she saw Nao in front of her, Yukika was slightly stunned and showed a puzzled expression.
"Seriously? Mom, now's not the time for jokes."
Nao gave her a frustrated look and then leaned in to peer inside, asking casually, "Gion and Belle-mère? Are they still home…"
His words abruptly stopped.
The moment he peered inside, he froze in shock. At the dining table, that familiar "self" was sitting opposite Belle-mère, the two of them feeding each other, their faces full of sweet smiles…