"Shuma!"
The two embraced warmly. After they separated, Kawakawa Shuma landed, and Nao lightly thumped the kid on the chest, scolding with a grin:
"So it really is you, brat! What's the deal? I don't call out first and you just stay quiet? Had me thinking I was seeing things at first!"
"Heh… rules are strict, you know…"
Kawakawa Shuma scratched his head sheepishly. "And besides, boss, the aura you had just now was too scary—I hesitated for ages and didn't have the guts. But now…"
"Now what?"
"…Nothing." Kawakawa Shuma rubbed the back of his head and chuckled stupidly.
Some things didn't need to be spelled out.
After all, it had been years. The classmate and comrade who once fought alongside him on the same ship was now in a completely different league. He himself was still just a lowly Commander, while Nao had risen to become a Vice Admiral whose name shook the seas.
Suddenly meeting again like this, it was only natural to feel nervous, afraid that if he approached too eagerly, he'd just be met with cold indifference. That would've been awkward beyond belief.
But looking at things now…
Heh, Nao was still the same old Nao—some things hadn't changed a bit.
Nao smiled as well, not pressing further. Instead, he steered the conversation into catching up on Shuma's experiences over the years.
Back then…
Among Nao's batch of recruits, Kawakawa Shuma had been the youngest, and in terms of talent, the weakest.
As such, upon graduation, he had only been granted the rank of Headquarters Lieutenant Commander.
But his greatest strength was his tireless diligence.
That seemed to be an influence from their time interning at G-2 under Nao's example. After graduation, he never let up, continuing to train relentlessly and eagerly taking part in missions. He racked up achievements time and again, even single-handedly slaying a pirate worth over 60 million berries.
Because of that, by the end of last year, he was promoted to Commander and transferred to the New World branch. His future prospects were looking very good.
"You've even mastered two types of Haki?"
Hearing his story, Nao raised his brows in surprise. "Not bad, kid. You're not even twenty yet, right? To manage that much already is impressive."
"No, no, it's nothing," Kawakawa Shuma waved his hands modestly. But his heart was already bursting with joy, and the pride in his eyes was impossible to hide. "Compared to you, boss, my achievements aren't even worth mentioning…"
Yet just a minute ago you were recounting every little detail with shining eyes, scared you'd miss a single point.
Nao couldn't help laughing. This kid—wearing an officer's uniform and cloak, he had gained a touch of authority, but deep down, he was still the same cheerful rascal.
At that moment, the sails of the G-5 branch had been fully raised, and the ships began turning to depart.
"Gotta go now, boss! When I get back to Headquarters to visit Zephyr-senei, let's have a proper drink together!"
"Sure. And make sure to call more of our classmates—we'll have a real reunion."
Nao nodded with a hearty laugh.
Kawakawa Shuma returned to the deck of his own warship, waving goodbye to Nao reluctantly. Before parting, they exchanged phone numbers.
"…Everyone's growing up, huh…"
Watching the receding silhouettes of the G-5 branch warships, Nao sighed softly, feeling somewhat sentimental.
Those who had come out of the Headquarters' elite camp truly were the best of their generation. Even the weakest back then—like Kawakawa Shuma—had now become an indispensable officer within the G-5 branch.
What about the real monsters who once contended for first place with him, like Kesha, Maynard, and the others? What heights had they reached by now?
Nao's eyes glimmered with expectation.
Today, in terms of strength and achievements, he already stood at the very top tier of Vice Admirals. But when it came to connections and influence, compared to some of the older veterans, he was still lacking.
Yet that wasn't a problem.
His fellow disciples—those who had already regarded him as their leader back in their recruit days—were beginning to shine in their own right. As time passed, when each of them rose to prominence…
His own network and influence would, anchored by these allies, weave into an invisible web stretching across all the Marine branches around the world.
Even if he made no effort to deliberately cultivate it.
"The so-called 'Nao faction' will gradually take shape without me noticing, and as my position rises it will become one of the largest blocs within the Marine."
Pulling his gaze back to the deck, Nao noticed at once that Aokiji, though apparently flipping through a manga in the deck chair, kept letting his eyes wander toward the distant warships.
"Really, I can't stand you."
Nao snatched the manga away and snapped, "Clearly you still can't let go, yet you tell me 'we'll see.' You didn't even dare to show yourself to see her off. When are you actually going to work up the courage and clear things up with Vice Admiral Molly?"
"Next time, next time for sure."
Aokiji replied absently, stretching his right hand out, "Don't take it—Aizen just showed up. If I quit now I'll be dying of withdrawal."
Tch.
Nao rolled his eyes and tossed the Bleach manga back.
"Next time"? Next time when? One of them is at Marine Headquarters, the other at G-5 — without some coincidence they might not see each other for years. If he keeps dodging like this, and Molly ends up marrying someone else, he'll only be regretting it at her wedding — I'll personally deliver a gift matching the color of your Admiral codename!
————-
The two Marine fleets went their separate ways.
The Thunder Hawk continued its course towards the Red Line, while the G-5 branch warships, escorting several hundred captured pirates, set sail on their return journey to the branch base.
Molly stood on the second-deck balcony clutching a yellowed, curled photograph. She stared at it absently, lost in thought. After a long time she let out a long sigh, tore the photo to shreds, tossed the pieces into the wind and watched them scatter into the sea, then turned and started downstairs toward her cabin.
Before she reached the bottom of the stairs, a familiar figure hurried up — her adjutant , a Rear Admiral.
"Vice Admiral."
The Rear Admiral's face was grave. "Just now we received a distress signal. From the six-o'clock direction — Kakarot Island. They say the island is under a large-scale pirate attack."
A distress signal?
Molly snapped back to attention and sneered, "What are we waiting for? Turn around at once—full speed, head there and provide assistance!"
Her mood already wasn't good.
Part of it was because of Aokiji. Part of it was that their previous bait-and-trap operation had taken a lot of effort and in the end only caught a minor fish.
Now these pirates had the gall to make trouble inside her jurisdiction — they were practically sailing into her crosshairs. This would be a perfect chance to vent some anger.
"But—"
The Rear Admiral adjutant hesitated, gritted his teeth, and still whispered, "Based on the civilians' descriptions over the phone, this pirate crew appears to be under the command of Sophia…"
"Sofia?"
Molly paused. "That Bubble Queen, Sofia?"
"Yes. No one else fits the description." The adjutant forced a small smile. "Under the treaty we don't have the right to intervene… Vice Admiral, should we respond to this distress call or not?"
Molly was silent. She hesitated only two seconds before deciding.
"If we heard about it after the fact we could have turned a blind eye, but this is happening right under my nose…"
She took a deep breath, a sharp glint flashing in her eyes. "I won't be able to stand by and do nothing."
"Send the order: turn now. Full speed for Kakarot Island!"
—————-
Dozens of nautical miles away, Kakarot Island.
This was originally an isolated island. Due to its relatively remote location and lack of resources, neither pirates nor merchant convoys often passed by.
The townsfolk on the island had thus enjoyed years of life that, while not wealthy, was peaceful and tranquil.
But today.
The town's peaceful atmosphere was utterly shattered by the sound of a cannon shot.
"Hurry it up! Don't dawdle — Lady Sofia is waiting for us to gather!"
A red-haired woman wearing a captain's hat and sporting dreadlocks stood on high ground barking orders. Her voice was cold: "Move faster! Money isn't the priority — Lady Sofia wants women!"
"Every young woman, no exceptions — take them all. Try not to injure them. Any man who resists, kill on sight!"
"Aye, Captain!"
The pirates brandished long knives like snarling wolves and charged into the town laughing wildly.
On the streets and in the alleys—
Chaos erupted everywhere. Screams and sobs filled the air. The townsfolk were the first to suffer, and even those who hid in basements or fled into the woods were soon dragged out by the pirates' search parties.
"Papa! Papa! Save me, save me! I don't want to be taken!"
A young girl in a beige dress, her features delicate, was being yanked by the wrist and dragged across the dirt toward the pirate ship. Tear-streaked, she screamed in despair toward the doorway of her home.
There, a dark-skinned farmer in his forties crouched on the threshold, hands clasped over his head, forced down by two pirates.
"…"
At his daughter's cry, his body trembled. He looked up at her, struggling, then finally dropped his head again in helpless defeat.
"You bunch of animals…"
Nearby, a black-haired youth of seventeen or eighteen shook violently, his teeth grinding. Watching as the girl in the beige dress was about to be taken out of the town, he finally couldn't take it anymore.
He suddenly pushed aside a pirate next to him, snatched the long sword while the pirate was distracted, and roared, sprinting towards the girl:
"Let go of my sister!"
"Well now, the little brat's got some guts."
The pirate dragging the girl was a bald giant, three meters tall — clearly an officer. Seeing the boy rush in with the sword, he sneered, not even bothering to draw his weapon, and lazily raised his right arm.
Clang!
Before the youth's disbelieving eyes, the blade struck the arm, which had turned jet-black — the sound was like steel striking steel. The strike left not so much as a scratch.
"You've got strength, probably trained a few years. Too bad it's useless against me."
The bald giant grinned, shook off the sword, then suddenly grabbed the youth by the neck, squeezing tighter and tighter, then exerted force abruptly!
Crack!
The sound of breaking bones echoed. The youth's corpse was tossed casually to the ground, his wide-open eyes staring unwillingly at the sky.
"No!!"
The girl in beige screamed shrilly, only to be slapped across the face the next instant, knocked unconscious.
"Damn noisy."
The bald giant curled his lip and dragged her to the town's entrance. There, an old man with snow-white hair lay in a pool of blood beside three slain family members.
"Don't be too proud, pirates…" The old man glared with hatred. "The G-5 Marine will be here soon. They'll avenge us. You bastards won't get away…"
"The Marine?"
The bald giant burst out laughing as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. "What are you dreaming about, old man? You're on death's door and still fantasizing?"
"Even if we sat here waiting for them, the Marine wouldn't dare interfere."
He stomped on the old man's chest, then pointed toward the pirate flag flying from the mast, a skull with bubbles beside it. He snickered. "See that? The bubbles next to the skull… That's Lady Sofia's mark!"
"We, the Butcher Pirates, are one of Lady Sofia's three main forces!"
Pressing harder, he crushed the old man's chest. Blood gushed from the elder's mouth as the pirate's voice snarled in his ear: "The Seven Warlords! The World Government's treaty! White and black, clear as day — legalized plunder!"
"Not just the G-5 Marine — even that Admiral Sengoku at Headquarters has no authority to stop us. All he can do is stand by and watch, understand?"
"Legalized plunder…"
Beside the corpses of his wife and sons, the old man's lips trembled, his face steeped in despair. Whether it was the crushing blow or the hopelessness of knowing no vengeance would come, his last breath slipped away. His hand twitched once before his body stiffened and fell back, lifeless.
"Lucky you, old fool — at least you didn't die in delusion."
The bald giant spat, kicked the bodies aside, and quickened his pace, hauling the unconscious girl onto the ship.
"How many now, Captain?"
He clapped the dust from his hands and turned to the red-haired, dreadlocked woman waiting on the shore.
"Thirty-two."
She snapped her fingers, smiling in satisfaction.
"Looks like we picked the right place. The town might be dirt poor, but their bloodlines are good. Nearly every girl here is pretty. Lady Sofia will be thrilled with this batch."
Just then, a shout went up.
"Captain, Captain! Marine warships are really coming! The numbers on their sails are G-5!"
"Hm?"
The red-haired woman with dreadlocks frowned. "Are they blind? Can't they see we're flying Lady Sofia's flag? Why haven't they turned back yet?"