Cover Story Serial: Straw Hat Crew Part 10 – "That brat actually dares to call again?"
[In Marineford. Garp was sleeping soundly when he was suddenly woken by the 'bururu' sound of a Den Den Mushi. The old man, with his eyes still hazy with sleep, frowned and picked up the receiver. Just as he caught a glimpse of the Den Den Mushi's head gradually growing a green hood, he heard a long-lost familiar voice from the other end. He was suddenly wide awake and furious.]
[But the voice on the other end was incredibly low and tired, with a hint of pleading. After listening, Garp was first stunned, then he held his chin with a complex expression and fell into deep thought...]
...
"Franky."
Iceburg's gaze was conflicted. "I misjudged you…"
He drew in a deep breath, turned to Fish Man Tom, and said, "Come on, sensei, let's head back. That big shot must be getting impatient by now. Just as Franky said—this time we have to secure his flagship order…"
"No, no, no." Tom chuckled, patting his belly. "I don't want to go back, and I don't want to meet that man."
"Eh?"
Iceburg and Franky froze at the same time.
"Why?" Franky blurted out in disbelief. "Old man, this is the best chance we've got…"
"A dignified Marine Vice Admiral choosing to believe you and following you all the way to a garbage dump like this is always a bit unsettling." Tom said with a chuckle. "If it were Iceburg who brought him here, it wouldn't be surprising…"
Is he saying that I'm a good-for-nothing who looks unreliable?
Franky was furious and wanted to argue, but he saw Tom look around. After confirming that there was no one around the alley entrance, he took out an old iron box from his arms and handed it to Iceburg.
"What's this, sensei?" Iceburg asked in surprise as he accepted it.
"Inside… is something even the World Government fears."
Tom smiled, his tone light. "I'm not sure if that Vice Admiral came here because of this, tagging along with Franky, but just in case—it's no longer safe to keep it on me."
He beckoned his two disciples closer. When they leaned in, he whispered a few words. Franky's eyes went wide, staring at the iron box in disbelief.
Even Iceburg, usually calm and composed, couldn't help but tremble slightly as he looked down at the iron box in his hands.
The blueprints for Pluton, one of the three Ancient Weapons?
So Tom-sensei had been hiding such an earth-shattering secret all along?
"Iceburg." Tom broke the heavy silence with a laugh and a wave. "Guard it well. If something happens to me—if I'm no longer here—"
"Don't say stupid stuff like that, old man!"
Franky grumbled furiously. "Why curse yourself like that? It won't come to that. I really did just bump into Vice Admiral Nao by coincidence, and honestly… I don't think he's that kind of person."
Earlier on the street, when he claimed to be Nao's fan and wore that expression of admiration, Franky had been putting on an act. Because of his past, Franky had never liked Marines.
But strangely enough…
Walking alongside Nao all this way, Franky had found himself developing an inexplicable sense of goodwill toward the overly handsome Vice Admiral. So much so that he was unconsciously speaking up in his defense…
"You can never see what's in another man's heart. It's better to be cautious,"Iceburg shook his head, carefully tucking the iron box away. Then he looked toward the direction of Tom's workshop. "For now, we need to come up with a reason to send this dangerous guest away…"
...
Inside Tom's workshop.
Nao sat with one leg crossed over the other, bored out of his mind. He'd been waiting for nearly half an hour, but Tom still hadn't come back.
His glass was long empty. Feeling thirsty again, he glanced at the table. There happened to be an unopened bottle of cola. He picked it up, flicked off the cap with his finger, and started chugging it down.
Halfway through, he stopped, frowning down at the bottle in his hand.
So awful—might as well be toilet cleaner disguised as Pepsi.
Sure enough, the cola recipe in this world still needs serious improvement… As a staunch Coke loyalist, Nao was in the middle of grumbling when he suddenly heard footsteps approaching outside.
Iceburg and Franky entered one after the other.
"Where's Mr. Tom?" Nao glanced back, asking curiously.
"Uh, well…" Franky scratched his head and looked to Iceburg.
Iceburg's gaze was calm, though his face twisted into a wry, helpless smile. He pulled a slip of paper from his coat and handed it to Nao with a sigh.
"Sorry, Vice Admiral. By the time we got to the shopping district, our teacher was already gone. He only left us this through his pet."
Nao accepted the note, reading the message. His brows lifted slightly. "The raw materials he needed were sold out in Water 7, so he sailed to another island to buy them?"
"That's right." Iceburg rubbed his temple, looking troubled. "At his age, he's still as stubborn as ever… Leaving without a word, making us chase all over the city…"
Watching Nao frown silently, Iceburg bowed deeply, his face full of guilt. "Our apologies, Vice Admiral. It's our fault. At the very least, our sensei won't return for two or three months. I'm afraid the shipbuilding matter simply can't be fulfilled…"
"I see…"
Nao cast a subtle glance toward a certain spot outside the door, then looked back at the two who were clearly uneasy. He rose casually to his feet. "Forget it, then. It just so happens I don't want to break my agreement with Helena Shipbuilding Company anyway. No need for you two to worry."
He waved them off with a smile, declining Iceburg's attempt to see him out. His figure soon disappeared into the alley beyond.
That was close…
Iceburg wiped cold sweat from his brow, silently relieved. Luckily this Vice Admiral wasn't the type to dig too deep.
Nice acting! Franky, standing behind, gave his senior brother a silent thumbs-up.
If it had been him holding Pluton's blueprints, there's no way he could have stayed that calm in front of Nao without slipping up…
————
When he returned to the hotel, it was already past eight in the evening.
The three women had already packed their luggage and were sprawled on the bed, happily flipping through a few manga volumes. Nao glanced at the covers—sure enough, more of Gion's beloved Germa 66 serial.
That stuff was like superhero comics back on Earth: serialized for years in the World Economic Journal, adored by countless fans, hugely popular.
"How old are you, still reading comics? So childish," Nao scoffed, rolling his eyes at Gion. He went to rinse off quickly, then flopped onto the bed with a copy of Chainsaw Man he'd bought for 200 points in the system shop last time. He flipped it open casually.
It was just bedtime reading to kill some time.
But his attention wasn't on the pages. He flipped through absently, his thoughts drifting back to what had just happened in Tom's workshop.
Tom had hidden himself, making up an excuse not to meet him. That much Nao was certain of.
The reason wasn't hard to guess.
They had never met before. The man's excessive caution probably came from Nao's identity—suspecting he was after the Pluton blueprints.
Nao shook his head.
What a misunderstanding… Forget the blueprints—if he really wanted to know where the actual Pluton was hidden, as a transmigrator, it wouldn't be difficult for him to figure out.
But he had absolutely zero interest.
Sure, a massive warship capable of blasting an island to pieces sounded terrifying. But in the end, it was just an external tool.
In Nao's eyes, anyone with enough time to scheme over something like that—like Crocodile had—would be better off spending it on training and improving their own strength instead.
Once he ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, or if his swordsmanship broke through its bottleneck and reached the master level, destroying an island in a single strike wouldn't be difficult for him either.
As for whether he should seek out Tom and clear up this misunderstanding…
Nao thought about it, then decided it wasn't necessary. After all, Tom's personally crafted flagship wasn't a must-have for him. Besides, he'd already placed an order with Helena Shipbuilding Company and had no intention of breaking his contract.
"What are you looking at?"
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by warm breath brushing his ear. Nao turned his head to find that Gion had somehow slipped into his bed, peering curiously at the manga in his hands.
"I want to be Makima's dog…" she read aloud from the speech bubble on that page, her expression turning strange. "Where'd you even buy this comic? It's so messed up…"
Smack!
Nao's face flushed red, and he decisively snapped the manga shut.
Then—
Amid Gion's startled yelp, he pounced on her with a wicked grin.
The last night in Water 7 was destined to be a sultry, heated one.
.........
Five in the morning.
Just as the alarm clock by the bed was about to ring, a hand stretched out from under the covers and pressed it silent.
Yawning, Nao sat up. It had been over a month since he'd last slept properly, and after last night's exhausting "battle," this rest had been exceptionally deep and sweet.
He walked to the window, pulled open the curtains—and froze.
No sunlight spilled inside. Beyond the glass, the sky was still pitch-black. In the distance, heavy storm clouds piled high, winds howled, the heavens themselves painted over with ink.
A storm was coming?
Nao frowned. If the rain hit too hard, the speedboat moored at the docks could get overturned, making it difficult to set sail…
Thinking it over, he went back to rouse the women, deciding they should leave before the weather worsened.
The girls were still drowsy and reluctant at first, but one glance at the sky outside had them instantly awake, each scrambling to get ready faster than the other.
Within ten minutes, they were packed and downstairs in the hotel lobby, ready to check out.
But the reception desk was empty. Just as Nao was wondering about it, there came a bang!—a deafening crash.
A tree on the street had been snapped clean in half by the gale and collapsed right across the hotel's entrance.
At the same time, a short, chubby figure came stomping down the stairs, cursing under his breath. He rolled up his sleeves, struggling to shove the tree out of the way.
Unfortunately—
The trunk was massive, far beyond the strength of any ordinary man. The chubby middle-aged man's face flushed red as he strained with all his might, barely shifting it an inch.
"That's the hotel owner," Bell-mère whispered to Nao after recognizing the man. "I think his name's Kado. He has a good heart."
Nao nodded, stepped forward, and gestured for the man to step aside. With just a slight bend of his waist and a bit of force from his right hand, he casually hefted the massive tree—over ten meters long—and hurled it out the door. Then, with another motion, he shut the glass door behind it.
"Eh?!"
Kado stared, dumbfounded, before quickly regaining himself and thanking Nao profusely.
"No need for thanks." Nao smiled faintly, then pointed to the empty reception desk. "We'd like to check out, Mr. Kado. Where are all your employees?"
"They all live in the slums on the outskirts. They couldn't stop worrying about their families, so I told them to run back and help."
Kado wiped sweat from his brow, then gave Nao a strange look. "You still want to leave? The Aqua Laguna will be here any minute. No ship will be able to sail—where do you think you'll go? If you ask me, it's best to stay put. This hotel sits on high ground. At least you won't have to worry about flooding. Much safer than being out there!"
Aqua Laguna?
Nao and the women were all stunned and looked at each other. After touring Water 7 for a few days, they all knew what the word "Aqua Laguna" meant.
No way…?
Were they so unlucky that they happened to run into Water 7's annual terrifying tidal wave just as they were about to leave the island?
"This is freaking cursed!"
Kado, oblivious to their expressions, spat on the ground with a scowl as he stared at the stormy sky outside:
"In past years, the Aqua Laguna always came around the same time, give or take a few days. But this year? Hell, they showed up more than half a month early! And in the dead of night, no less!"