The blue dragon said nothing.
It turned its head, staring at the very first mural. In its sapphire eyes lingered a deep loneliness.
Towering palaces, drifting petals, young dragons at play, sea currents crashing endlessly against the cliffs of the sky—this mural depicted the magnificent homeland of Angsaya Sky Island.
"…Hey, big guy."
Nao suddenly spoke. "What if I told you I had a way for your clan to no longer see you as an outcast—and to take you back?"
The blue dragon froze. It whipped its head around and stared wide-eyed at Nao.
"Don't be so shocked just yet."
Meeting its gaze, Nao raised a finger and said softly:
"To achieve that, there's a price. First, I'll strip the Devil Fruit from your body. That means you'll never be able to wield lightning again—and your strength will drop considerably."
That's supposed to be a price? That's a blessing!
The dragon's eyes lit up. Without a moment's hesitation, it nodded frantically, even letting out a low whimper of excitement.
"So that's how it is… You've regretted eating that fruit out of curiosity all this time."
Nao understood its meaning, then shook his head and raised a second finger.
"As long as you accept that, good. As for the second condition—it's not really a price. I'll return all the children to the tribe. But you'll have to come with me and apologize in front of everyone."
Do I really have to…?
The dragon scratched its head in distress, giving Nao a pleading look. . It was too ashamed to face its former followers. That's why it had been secretly taking the children from the village in the middle of the night.
"Of course, you have to."
Nao's face was expressionless. "That's the absolute bottom line. No room for discussion. If your good deeds hadn't outweighed your crimes, I wouldn't be taking you back alive—I'd just bring your head."
My… head?
The blue giant dragon touched its neck with its chubby claws and shuddered, looking at Nao in fear. This man is terrifying…
"Everything is clear now. Since you agree, let's start."
Nao slowly drew the Sword of Azakana. Under the dragon's bewildered gaze, he tightened his grip and gave a faint smile.
"It might hurt a bit, big guy—so brace yourself."
[Ability stripped: Devil Fruit]
[Type: Logia – Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit)]
[Rank: S]
[Estimated Incubation Time: 90 days]
[Incubating…]
...
A few minutes later.
Nao played with his Azakana sword. He looked at the words that appeared in the notification panel and nodded with satisfaction.
At last…
The long-desired Rumble-Rumble Fruit, after so many twists and turns, was finally his.
No—hardly "twists and turns." After all, this honeymoon trip had barely lasted over a month. To obtain a fruit so quickly was beyond his expectations. At least he didn't have to wander aimlessly across Sky Islands searching in vain.
"Three months later—when I'm back at headquarters—it'll finish incubating."
Sheathing the blade, Nao's mood was buoyant. "A Rumble-Rumble Fruit without the Devil Fruit's curse… I'm actually looking forward to this."
Meanwhile, the blue dragon sulked against the wall, its head sporting several new lumps. Damn it, taking the fruit was one thing—but why did you have to beat me up too?
"Mechanics issue. Nothing I could do," Nao said knowingly, patting the dragon with a grin. "Oh, by the way—the fruit's mine now, but the curse is still on you. If you fall into the sea and drown, don't say I didn't warn you."
The dragon rolled its eyes. It was a noble dragon—it didn't need to swim anyway. With wings soaring freely across the endless sky, humans could only look up in envy. Could they ever do the same?
"Come to think of it," Nao chuckled, "you might just be the first of your kind to sneak a taste of forbidden fruit—cast down from the heavens to the mortal world."
Nao rubbed his chin, recalling the Garden of Eden story, and said with interest,
"You're male. Always calling you 'big guy' doesn't sound right. Why don't I just give you a name… how about Adam?"
What kind of dumb name is that?
The blue dragon scoffed. As a noble member of the dragon race, it was born with a name—a name dozens of syllables long, in fact. It didn't even bother telling him, afraid the human wouldn't remember anyway…
It ignored Nao, turned to face the wall, and tried to concentrate. It opened its jaws and blew hard for a long while. Not even a spark of lightning appeared. Instead, its overfull belly from last night let out a loud, satisfied burp…
Yes! It's really gone!
Overjoyed, the blue dragon slapped its belly happily. Now it was no longer an outcast. It could finally return home!
—But when it turned back around, Nao was already striding deeper into the cave, waving a hand over his shoulder:
"Come on. Wake up the kids—we're heading back to the village."
...
The forest was lush, streams babbled over stones.
On the clearing beside a brook, the women of the tribe wept with joy as they clutched their children tightly, safe and sound at last. Meanwhile, the blue dragon lay sulking at the edge of the clearing, head low, stealing glances at Elder Ampu speaking with Nao.
When they'd first entered the village, chaos had erupted. Panic and outrage swept through the tribe. People had seized weapons and surrounded the dragon in fury.
Fortunately, it had lowered its head and apologized immediately. Nao had stepped in at once, calming the angry crowd and explaining everything to the elder. At last, when they saw the children unharmed—and remembered how the dragon had once saved the entire tribe from destruction—they chose not to blame it further.
The blue dragon's heart felt lighter. Though it would no longer stay on this lonely island and would instead return to its home in the sky, at least before leaving, it had mended relations and eased the guilt in its chest.
Come to think of it…
That human named Nao—other than being a bit violent (he'd beaten it up several times just this morning)—was actually pretty decent. A genuinely good guy, really.
The dragon thought of the way Nao had stepped in front of it earlier to protect it, and couldn't help but chuckle to itself.
It lifted its gaze to the faraway sky, heart swelling with anticipation. My friends back home—this lord is finally coming back to see you…
Thud!
Its daydream was cut short by a sharp kick to the rump. Grimacing, it turned its head—of course, Nao had come up behind it at some point, smiling cheerfully.
"All done here. I'll be leaving now. Farewell, Adam. If fate allows, we'll meet again."
Farewell, my ass! I never want to see you again! The dragon snorted twin plumes of hot air from its nostrils and turned away in a huff.
But as it watched Nao's figure grow smaller in the distance, hesitation gnawed at it. At last, it stood and let out a low roar.
"Eh?"
Nao paused, turned back, and looked at it in surprise.
"You're saying you want to give me a ride?"
...
"Wuuuu–Haaa—!!!"
Ten thousand meters above the ground, the giant dragon soared through the clouds like a bolt of blue lightning. The rolling sea of clouds trembled beneath its wings, and Nao's carefree laughter echoed through the skies.
"Not bad at all! So this is what it feels like to be a dragon rider!"
He tossed a bunch of grapes into his mouth, chewed, and then casually shoved another cluster into the massive head beneath him.
"Pretty good taste. Here—you try some too."
Chomp. The giant dragon swallowed the grapes in one gulp. A moment later, an angry low growl came from below.
"What do you mean, 'tricked again'?"
Nao burst out laughing.
"Sure, they're a little sour, but we can't let food go to waste. If we don't eat them, they'll spoil. You've got to take your share."
Behind him, the dragon's back was piled with various tropical fruits and some dried meat, all of which the natives had tearfully begged him to take as a token of gratitude.
To Nao, these things were not rare, but they were a heartfelt gesture.
After politely refusing for a while, he had no choice but to accept some. Then, under countless eyes filled with reverence and reluctance, he smiled, climbed onto the dragon's back, waved goodbye, and flew into the clouds.
Two days had passed since then.
With the help of Nao and Little Luo, most of the berries with a short shelf life had been eaten. As for the dried meat, Nao planned to take it to Water 7 to share with his wives as rations.
ou're pretty fast. We should be able to reach Water 7 tonight."
Nao estimated the distance and glanced at Little Luo on his shoulder, who was looking at him with resentment.
"What's wrong? Are you jealous? Your speed is indeed faster than this big guy's, but there's a reason for everything. Could your tiny body carry me around in the sky?"
Ugh… Imagining Nao's three-meter-plus body pressing down on him, feathers crushed flat, Little Luo shook his head in dismay.
...
Nao's estimate proved right. By the time night fell, the silhouette of Water 7 was already visible in the distance.
Including breaks along the way, the trip had only taken two days and one night. By ship, it would have taken at least a week.
"Alright, this is far enough—let me down here."
Nao patted the hard skull beneath him and grinned.
"This is a big city, tens of thousands of people. If they see you, it'll cause a huge commotion."
The blue dragon obediently nodded and, under cover of night, descended onto a small reef island dozens of kilometers from the harbor.
"Well then—farewell, Adam."
Nao stepped onto solid ground with his pack, looked up, and waved with a cheerful smile.
"Enjoy yourself back home. I'll miss you."
Miss you? Hah, not a chance! The blue dragon snorted, spread its wings, and shot into the night sky.
Moments later, when it glanced down again, Nao—and even Water 7—had already dwindled to tiny black specks on the horizon.
Adam, huh…
Its gaze lingered briefly, then it accelerated sharply, streaking toward Sky Island's Angsaya at full speed. Light shimmered in its sapphire eyes. Hmph… that name… actually isn't so bad after all.
...
A few dozen kilometers was nothing for Nao. About ten minutes later, he had already entered Water 7 and was sitting on a small tourist boat.
As he floated down the waterway toward the city center, the surrounding scenery felt very familiar. The customs, people, and architecture were very similar to Venice in Europe.
Nao glanced around with interest as he strolled along, but he hadn't gone far before the Den Den Mushi in his arms started ringing with a "blu-blu-blu".
At this hour, who else could be calling me?
"Don't rush me, Rear Admiral."
He answered the phone without thinking and said with a smile, "I'm almost there. Help me get some hot water ready. I need to take a shower first. Good things take time."
"…"
The other end of the Den Den Mushi fell silent. After a long while, a familiar cough was heard.
Huh? Nao squinted his eyes and pulled the receiver away to look at it. A white Marine cap had appeared on the head of the small Den Den Mushi, and a braid-like mustache had appeared on its chin…
"Uh…" He awkwardly put the receiver back to his ear and lowered his voice. "Why aren't you sleeping yet, Admiral? You're calling me in the middle of the night… An old man's sleep is very important…"
"I'm not that old yet. And right now it's noon in Marineford."
Sengoku's gruff voice came through:
"I thought you'd be with Gion and the others, but… never mind that. You're in Water 7 now, aren't you?"
"Just arrived." Nao frowned. "Wait—how do you know that so clearly?"
"I had lunch with Tsuru at noon. Gion just reported to her—said she reached Water 7 yesterday. So I assumed you were there too."
Sengoku's tone hardened.
"The reason I called is that I suddenly remembered something important… Ever since you were reassigned back to headquarters, you still don't have a personal ship, do you?"
"A ship?" Nao scratched his head, speaking casually.
"I spend most of my time at headquarters anyway, so I never thought it was necessary…"
He never paid much attention to this—on missions he usually just requisitioned whatever spare warship was available at the docks.
Sengoku knew this habit of his. For him to bring it up now, could it mean…?
Nao furrowed his brows, testing the waters:
"What you mean is…"
...
Meanwhile.
In a mid-range hotel in Water 7.
Shia lay on the edge of the sofa, resting her delicate white chin on her hands, staring blankly out the window.
Through the transparent floor-to-ceiling windows, the street view outside was clear. The city was brightly lit and bustling with life. This water city was still charming, even at night.
"What are you thinking about?"
Suddenly, she was poked on her butt. Shia turned her head and saw Gion, who had just finished bathing, wiping her wet hair and sitting down with a smile.
"That guy is still in the deep mountains. No matter how much you look, you won't see him on the street."
Who... who said I was looking for him?!
Flustered at having her thoughts exposed, Shia bit her lip and turned her head away in shy irritation, cheeks flushed scarlet as her nails scratched lightly at the sofa.
Gion couldn't help but laugh, reaching over to gently pinch that dewy, tender cheek. This girl was truly the most interesting one. She was an ice princess in front of outsiders, but in private, she couldn't stand being teased...