"Natsuya Nao…"
On the Empty Throne, Imu sat with one leg crossed over the other, quietly gazing at the photograph in her hand.
After a long silence, she suddenly chuckled softly.
"Truly, an undeniable beauty. Even just a photograph of that face… could take one's breath away."
"Setting aside the looks, the strength is… adequate. To reach this level in his twenties, even if it's just the squabbles between children…"
She paused.
"Still…"
Imu stood up. She didn't appear to move, yet her figure blurred, vanishing from where she sat.
When she reappeared, she was already standing before the great wall behind the Empty Throne.
The wall was covered with photographs.
On the left side hung the portraits of the Marines.
At the top were the legends of the old generation — Garp, Zephyr, Sengoku — followed below by a neat row of three newer faces: Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu.
Their photos were far newer, though clearly not fresh — perhaps a few years old.
"But such a beautiful face…"
"Why is it that those eyes — those eyes — feel so deeply unsettling?"
Imu murmured softly.
It seemed she intended to place Nao's photograph in front of Akainu's row — but after a moment's hesitation, she shook her head and shifted it slightly to the right.
Now, it hung among a different set of names—
Gol D. Roger, Dragon under his green hood, Rocks D. Xebec…
And another — a young man with a straw hat, grinning broadly at the camera, scratching his head as if to mock Imu silently from within the picture.
Imu's narrow eyes narrowed even further. She said nothing.
...
Meanwhile, as the outside world erupted in chaos over the Battle of the North Blue,
the man at its center — Nao — was far too busy to pay any attention to rumors or news.
Badly wounded and utterly exhausted from the seven-day war, he had only rested for one night before leading the entire Thunder Hawk crew to help rebuild the ruined town on the island.
The destruction from his battle with Big Mom was nothing short of catastrophic.
Although few civilians lived there — and they had all been evacuated before the fighting truly began — their homes had not been so fortunate.
The clash between lightning and fire had obliterated most of the forest, turning the nearby settlements into scorched wastelands. Not a single building remained whole — only rubble and ash.
Nao felt deeply guilty about it.
In his view, this remote little town in the North Blue had only suffered such devastation because of his presence.
Tens of thousands of pirates had converged on the island, and Big Mom herself had come to battle.
Had he not been stationed there, the island's people might have lived and died peacefully — never once touched by a calamity of this scale.
Rebuilding from scratch was no small task.
It would take manpower, effort — and above all, money.
Though the World Government was expected to send aid funds for reconstruction,
Nao had no faith whatsoever in bureaucratic efficiency.
So, he simply sent Momonga to the neighboring kingdom's bank to withdraw funds on his behalf.
Over the years, thanks to his military achievements, both Marine Headquarters and the World Government had rewarded him generously—his accumulated bonuses now totaled 1.2 billion berries.
Nao ordered Momonga to withdraw the entire sum.
Part of it went directly to rebuilding the towns and compensating displaced civilians,
and the rest he distributed among Branch 128 and other North Blue brances that had come to support him —
as personal condolence payments to the families of fallen Marines.
The seven-day war had taken a heavy toll.
Since Nao had been fighting nonstop, there had been little time to command or regroup,
so the Marine's losses were… not insignificant.
Of course—
The results they gained in return were just as tremendous.
Tens of thousands of pirates had been annihilated—
and most of the fallen captains were well-known figures in the surrounding seas.
After this battle, at least half of the North Blue would likely enjoy a period of lasting stability for years to come.
The Charlotte Family's two Sweet Commanders, Smoothie and Cracker, had both been captured.
They were now securely imprisoned in cells aboard the Thunder Hawk, awaiting transfer to Impel Down once the fleet returned to Marine Headquarters.
As for Big Mom herself—
She hadn't been captured. Zeus and Prometheus had managed to rescue her, carrying her back safely into the New World.
Momonga and Onigumo were both regretful about her escape,
but Nao didn't mind. In his view, repelling an Emperor of the Sea and capturing one were two entirely different levels of difficulty.
When he had struck Big Mom down into the ocean, his own stamina was already spent—
his injuries too severe to allow him to pursue her.
In other words—
To bring Big Mom to Impel Down, or even to kill her on the spot,
he simply wasn't strong enough yet.
He still had a long road of training ahead if he wanted to reach that level.
When Nao reflected on the battle with clear eyes,
he admitted to himself: if Big Mom hadn't grown increasingly deranged toward the end—
losing her composure and exposing fatal openings—
the final victor of that seven-day war might not have been him at all.
Had the fight taken place on Big Mom's home turf,
the odds of victory between them would have been about fifty-fifty.
"But still…"
Declining the hammer offered by the old carpenter beside him, Nao focused on the screw in front of him, gently pressing it into the wooden beam with his finger, and muttered:
"There won't be a next time, Charlotte Linlin…"
...
About three days later—
Thanks to Nao's tireless effort, the first stage of reconstruction was complete.
The once-ruined town was beginning to take shape again.
The Thunder Hawk had also finished its repairs and was preparing to set sail,
its next mission being to escort the last remaining king back to his homeland.
"Goodbye, Vice Admiral Nao!"
"Safe travels, Mr. Nao!!!"
The docks were crowded with townspeople who had come to see them off.
They waved with all their strength, smiling brightly—though a faint sadness lingered in their eyes.
At first, of course—
many of them had resented the Marines.
After all, returning from evacuation only to find their homes reduced to ruins would have driven anyone to anger and despair.
But over the past few days, that resentment had vanished completely.
The people of the island had come to see Nao not as a distant hero of legend,
but as one of their own — a man who, despite his lofty rank as a Marine Admiral Candidate,
had personally labored beside them: rebuilding houses, carrying lumber, hammering nails, painting walls…
He did every job without complaint.
It completely overturned their perception of what a Marine could be.
And when someone eventually discovered that all the reconstruction funds came entirely from Nao's personal savings,
even the most stubborn locals found their bitterness toward the Marines melt away.
"Alright, that's enough—no need to see us off any further!"
Nao stood at the rail, smiling and waving to the crowd.
As the small island's outline slowly faded from view,
he finally turned away and returned to his room to rest.
After seven days and nights of battle —
and three more days of nonstop rebuilding —
even he was utterly exhausted.
It was time, at last, to get some real sleep.
Luckily, once he finished escorting this last king back home,
he would finally have no more pressing duties —
and could return to Marine Headquarters to enjoy a few peaceful, leisurely days with his family.
...
North Blue — Flevance.
A small inland kingdom, hemmed in by five larger nations and completely landlocked,
without even a strip of coastline.
Yet its name was famous across the entire North Blue.
The reason was simple: this country was extremely wealthy.
It all traced back to a discovery made a hundred years ago —
when someone found a type of lead ore buried beneath Flevance's soil,
known as Amber Lead.
This Amber Lead could be used to produce tableware, paints, sweeteners, cosmetics—
and even weapons.
Its superior quality made it a luxury export with eager buyers all over the world.
The "Amber Lead Industry" became the heart of Flevance's economy,
bringing the small nation immense prosperity —
far surpassing that of its five neighboring countries,
turning it into one of the brightest jewels of the North Blue.
And beyond its riches—
Everything within Flevance's borders, from the ground to the trees,
was coated in a pristine white sheen,
making the country look like a snowy wonderland straight out of a fairy tale.
It was breathtakingly beautiful — a true paradise on earth.
Travelers were often enchanted by its scenery, many lingering far longer than they had planned.
They gave this place a more poetic, memorable name—
"The White City."
...
At this very moment—
In the royal capital of the White City,
the annual Petal Festival was in full swing.
The plaza was alive with celebration,
and the streets overflowed with cheering, dancing crowds.
Inside the public hospital,
in the staff housing district,
a thirty-year-old doctor named Trafalgar sat in his home study,
teaching his eldest son the art of medicine.
"Law, for this type of operation, you need to use the blood vessels over here."
Dr. Trafalgar pointed at a thick medical textbook on the desk, smiling as he continued,
"You also need to pay special attention to these kinds of emergency situations.
I've listed them all here. You must remember them clearly—don't get them mixed up, understand?"
"I see."
The ten-year-old Law nodded seriously,
carefully jotting down every note in his notebook.
"Now I get it completely… You really are amazing, Dad. Before, I—"
"Brother! Brother!"
The study door suddenly burst open, cutting Law off.
A little girl, no older than five or six, came bouncing in, tugging at his arm.
"Brother, let's go to the festival and play!"
"No."
Law didn't even look up, still focused on his writing.
"I'm studying right now. If you want to go, go by yourself. Don't bother me."
"I don't wanna go alone!"
The little girl, her twin pigtails swaying as she puffed her cheeks in frustration,
looked adorably stubborn.
"Come on, Brother, please? It's the festival! It only happens once a year!
Come on, come on!"
"No—way—"
Law drew out each word dramatically, about to push his sister back toward the door—
when it suddenly opened again.
Standing there was a gentle-looking woman in a doctor's coat, a newspaper in hand.
With a faint smile, she said teasingly:
"Still reading that report about Vice Admiral Nao?"
Dr. Trafalgar smiled, lifting his glass of water as he looked at his wife.
"Didn't you already read that over breakfast this morning?
Why are you looking at it again? I know he's your idol,
but isn't this a bit much?"
"Can't help it,"
the young, gentle-looking woman said with a shrug.
"It's been two or three years since there's been any real news about him.
I can't help feeling a little excited this time — especially when it's such a big story.
What's wrong, are you jealous?"
"What nonsense."
Dr. Trafalgar chuckled and teased back:
"An idol's an idol, and a husband's a husband.
I can tell the difference. A man that remarkable—
I wouldn't dare try to compete with him anyway."
"Smooth talker."
She gave him an exasperated look, but when she noticed their daughter pouting sadly beside them,
she immediately guessed what was going on. Smiling, she turned to Law.
"Hey, Law."
"What is it, Mom?" Law asked, still not lifting his head.
"Studying is important, of course—
but if you overdo it, it's bad for your health."
She reached down to gently ruffle her daughter's hair.
"You need to take breaks sometimes, too.
You've been studying medicine for quite a while now—
you should know how important it is to balance work and rest, right?
Don't stay cooped up inside all day. Go with your sister and enjoy the festival for a bit."
"But…"
Law put down his pen, hesitating.
"Mom, aren't you the one who's been working nonstop at the hospital?"
"That's because lately, for some reason, there have been far more patients than usual.
We're short-staffed, so I don't really have a choice."
She smiled helplessly, then lifted the newspaper in her hand.
"But look, I still make time to relax when I can, don't I?
I read a little during my lunch break—just something I like, to clear my mind."
Dr. Trafalgar smacked his lips but said nothing.
"Reading the paper doesn't really sound like relaxing though, does it?"
The little girl, nestled in her mother's arms, suddenly lit up as if she'd had an idea.
"Mom, you should come with us!
Let's all go to the festival together—just for one day, the whole family!"
"Well…"
Her mother looked hesitant, but when Dr. Trafalgar met her eyes with an encouraging smile,
she paused, then nodded.
"That sounds like a good idea.
But Mom still has work this afternoon,
so I can only stay and play with you for about thirty minutes, okay?"
"Only thirty minutes…"
The little girl pouted, clearly not satisfied.
"That's already pretty good. You should be considerate of Mom."
Law finally closed the thick medical text,
patted his sister's shoulder, and smiled.
"Come on, let's go. Once Mom heads back to work,
I'll stay with you and keep playing, alright?"