The person who appeared before Nao was none other than Onigumo, whom he had thoroughly beaten once before.
This Elite Camp senior, who had only been transferred back to Marine Headquarters a few months ago, hadn't even ward his seat in Marineford before he was transferred again last week to the G-2 Branch, assigned under Kizaru.
His very first mission coincided with Nao's. Upon arrival, he didn't even have ti to draw his sword before he watched in stunned silence as the pirate captain with a 35 million Berry bounty was instantly killed by Nao with a single strike.
He hadn't done anything, just followed behind to clean up the grunts…
This left Onigumo quite depressed, making him feel as though his compatibility with Nao was simply bad luck, and every ti they t, he'd be in for misfortune.
"It's like this," he mumbled, taking a puff from his cigar.
"The Transponder Snail on the ship just received an ergency distress signal from a rchant vessel. They said they were plundered by pirates and hoped nearby Marines could co to their aid as soon as possible. Do you think we should go check it out?"
"Oh, really? I thought you wanted to spar with again."
"..." Onigumo's eyelid twitched. "Do I look like a masochist to you?"
"A little," Nao said. "As for whether we should go… hey, I an, we're Marines. How can we ignore a distress signal like that?"
"Because the distress signal might not be real. Pirates in the Grand Line aren't like those in the Four Seas; they're audacious and capable of anything."
Onigumo slowly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Before, in the waters near the G-2 Branch, there were several instances of pirates disguising themselves as rchant ships to set traps, actively luring Marines over to hunt them down."
"And the location of this signal is also very strange. It's from an extrely remote sea area. Logically speaking, very few rchant ships would pass through there this season…"
"So you're worried this is a trick, and if we rush over, we'll be ambushed and surrounded by pirates?"
"Yes, it's highly possible."
Onigumo warned in a deep voice, "Pirates who dare to pull such stunts are very confident in their own strength. We only have one ship and limited forces. If we encounter a monster with a bounty nearing 100 million, it could be dangerous…"
"There's good news like that?"
Nao's eyes lit up, and he imdiately beca energized. "Quick, quick! What are we waiting for? Get the ship closer!"
Onigumo: ?
A few minutes later, the Marine ship still turned around and headed towards the location ntioned in the distress signal.
Onigumo was actually still a bit hesitant.
But when his subordinate quietly leaned in and recounted Nao's recent glorious deeds to the newly arrived superior, Onigumo's eyes imdiately widened in shock, his jaw nearly dislocating.
This kid…
He'd only been gone a few months, and his strength had grown to this extent?
Even Hawkeye Missaya, with a 93 million Berry bounty, had fallen to him. No wonder he seed so confident and fearless.
After recovering, Onigumo imdiately made up his mind, deciding to set off at full speed. He might not have had a chance to act in the previous battles, but this ti, no matter what, he had to snatch so at from Nao's jaws.
At the very least, he had to get a big mouthful of the broth!
However, neither Onigumo nor Nao had expected that the distress signal truly ca from a rchant ship. There was no pirate trap to be seen at all.
The dilapidated, plundered rchant ship was docked in a natural harbor on a small island.
A thin, bald rchant lay on the deck, eyes closed, his condition unknown. Beside him, a blonde girl was hunched over him, seemingly sobbing softly.
Around them, several n, either guards or crewmates, were wounded, leaning against the railing in a semi-sitting position, their eyes vacant and lifeless.
The Marines boarded the ship. Seeing this dismal scene, they felt a pang of pity.
"We're too late…"
Onigumo sighed and stepped forward, speaking in a low voice to the silver-haired girl: "Please accept our condolences. We will help with your father's body…"
"Huh?"
The blonde girl looked up, oddly, at him. "My dad just fainted, who said he's dead?"
"..."
Then why were you hunched over him, crying so sadly?
Onigumo fell silent for a few seconds. "He was knocked out by pirates?"
"No, he saw that all the goods on the ship were robbed, not a single Berry left, so he passed out from anger."
The blonde girl blinked innocently. Onigumo then noticed there were no tear stains in her eyes and his expression imdiately stiffened.
Was it a misunderstanding earlier? Was this girl actually tired from waiting and just sleeping there to rest?
He looked at the beautiful girl, still childish and at most fourteen or fifteen years old, took a deep breath, suppressed his urge to retort, and continued to ask about the important matter:
"Do you know the exact identity of the pirates who plundered you? Which direction did they go? If they haven't gone far, perhaps we can help you get your goods back."
"Half an hour ago, they ran towards Saint Dine Island."
The blonde girl pouted. "But I advise you to give up. Going after them would be suicide."
"Why?" Onigumo looked at her suspiciously.
"That group of pirates is very strong. You've heard of the Max Pirates, right?"
The blonde girl teased, "Their captain, 'Mad Transparent Man' Max, has a bounty of 85 million Berries, and he has a whole bunch of well-known officers under him."
"As soon as I recognized his identity, I knew we couldn't resist. I imdiately told my dad to surrender, but he wouldn't listen, which resulted in many people on the ship getting beaten for nothing."
"And you, it seems you're just a G-2 Branch Captain, right? What's the difference between going after soone like that and just giving yourselves away?"
Her words showed no respect at all. Onigumo's eye twitched, but he had to admit that, at present, he really wasn't a match for pirates of that caliber…
Just as I thought.
The blonde girl glanced at the embarrassed Onigumo, yawned boredly, and no longer bothered with him. She was about to lean back on her father and sleep for a bit when she heard an unfamiliar, gentle voice coming from behind Onigumo:
"That may be so, but as Marines, to protect the interests of the public, we must at least try, right?"
The blonde girl looked towards the voice. What t her eyes was Nao's handso face with a slight smile. She imdiately froze, her cheeks flushed, and after a long mont, she stamred out two words:
"Who… who are you…?"
"Nao, a Marine from Headquarters. My strength is barely acceptable."
Nao introduced himself briefly and shrugged.
"Anyway, you can safely leave the Max Pirates to us. If it's convenient, you can give us a list of the goods that were plundered from the ship, and we'll do our best to help you recover them."
"Mmm… mmm, okay, okay…"
The blonde girl's earlier lazy and casual deanor instantly vanished without a trace. Instead, her expression was slightly flustered. She nervously lowered her head, rummaging through her father's various pockets, occasionally stealing a red-faced glance at Nao.
Nao was long accustod to such situations, so he maintained a poker face throughout, ignoring the blonde girl's gaze.
Onigumo, standing nearby, gave him a strange look.
We're both Marines. I clearly have more masculine charm, don't I? What's wrong with this girl? Why is the difference in treatnt so huge…
"Got it!"
A mont later, the blonde girl finally found the cargo manifest. When she looked up, the expression on her face was much more natural.
"Nao, it's all here. But it doesn't really matter if you get it back or not. Your Marine lives are more important. If you can't beat them, just run. Just make sure those pirates don't harm you."
Why do those words sound so off coming from your mouth? Onigumo muttered as he puffed on his cigar.
"Mm, don't worry."
Nao nodded, reaching out to take the cargo manifest. But just as their fingertips touched, the blonde girl suddenly gripped his wrist tightly.
He paused slightly, looking at the blonde girl in confusion, only to see her quickly lick the corner of her mouth. Then she looked up and giggled:
"Also, my na is Domino. No matter if we et again in the future, you absolutely must rember my na~"
… Shiryu's Diary …
Day 32 at G-6 Branch, sunny.
Failed to quit smoking. Smoked five and a half packs again today.
Forget it, I'll start tomorrow.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at spatreon/c/ReadJin
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