"…"
Onigumo's eye twitched slightly.
He exchanged a glance with Momonga, then silently chose to keep his mouth shut — no more questions.
Sure enough…
He had been too naïve. For the Vice Admiral to "let that guy go" so easily? — Impossible.
He didn't know what methods the Vice Admiral would use to handle things later, but that didn't matter anymore.
He did know one thing:
All he needed to do now was offer a silent moment of mourning… for Ray's fate.
...
When dawn broke,
the Thunder Hawk officially set sail from Flevance, beginning its journey back to Headquarters.
Originally, Nao's plan had been to slip away quietly that very night — while the cured citizens of the plaza were still reeling in disbelief — and leave unnoticed.
But thanks to the commotion caused by Ray, which caused quite a stir and wasted a lot of time, they ultimately failed to slip away without the civilians noticing when leaving the city.
Before setting sail.
The civilians coming to see them off had long crowded the entire beach, and the gifts of thanks were countless. Even though the Marine soldiers responsible for guarding the ship did their utmost to decline, they had no choice but to accept some due to the overwhelming hospitality.
Valuable treasures and jewels were, of course, impossible to accept. So, the accepted gifts were mainly sentimental local specialties, such as thank-you letters from children, bouquets from young women, and a whopping three tons of oranges sent by a farm owner.
It wasn't until the ship had set sail that Nao noticed the mountain of fruit in the storage room. He suddenly remembered that The White City's citrus farming industry was quite developed. His heart nearly stopped then and there.
Damn…
Just thinking about it made his teeth ache — he had a psychological scar from oranges by now.
Still… the Thunder Hawk carried over a thousand Marines.
If they split it evenly, maybe it wouldn't be so bad, right?
He stared at the mountain of oranges, sighed helplessly, and comforted himself with that thought.
...
Holy Land – Mariejois
It was early morning. In the top-floor conference hall, three of the Five Elders sat around the sofa, flipping through the documents in their hands with grim expressions.
The silent atmosphere lasted for a while.
"The documents compiled by the CP division are all here. You've more or less finished reading them, right?"
The old man in a kimono holding the cursed sword Kitetsu spoke with a cold face, breaking the silence, "I never thought that after Nao's meddling, the people of Flevance were actually all saved... What do you think?"
"Hmph!"
The elder in the flat cap, with his fluffy white beard, slammed the table in anger.
"That brat Nao— does he even understand what he's done?! He might've basked in his own glory, but he's thrown the entire World Government onto the fire!"
"The situation's already spreading. Reporters are rushing there as we speak.
If the details make it into the papers and spread worldwide…"
He didn't finish, but the weight of his words hung in the air — everyone in the room understood.
If that happened, not only would the royal family of Roalan lose all credibility,
but the World Government's prestige itself would take a crushing blow.
"For now, focus all efforts on suppressing the news."
The tall elder with a waterfall-like long beard gently tapped the table with the knuckles of his right hand, frowning as he spoke, "But with over eighty thousand survivors, it's going to be nearly impossible to cover everything up completely…"
"Buster Call?"
The kimono-clad elder suggested flatly.
"It's too late for that," the tall elder replied, shaking his head.
"Nao's interference has already made that option meaningless. Suppressing public opinion is the only move we have left.
If it comes to it, we'll find a few expendable agents from CP to take the blame — cut them off from the Government entirely."
"I agree,"
said the elder in the flat cap, nodding grimly.
His expression was still dark as ink.
"We'll handle the White City matter that way… but what about Nao himself?"
"Nao..."
The tall elder with the waterfall-like beard frowned, a hint of chill flashing through his gaze.
They had long held some expectations for this up-and-comer named Nao. Not only had they essentially endorsed him as the future commander of the Marine, they had even taken the unusual step of sending envoys to attend that young man's wedding — a show of exceptional favor.
Why did they do that?
Because they all believed that White Dragon was the finest "dog" the Marine had bred in years — a dog strong enough to shoulder the Marine's burdens and perhaps even end this chaotic Great Pirate Era.
But now it seemed…
This hunting dog was ferocious, yes, but it had far too many of its own ideas and didn't obey.
There had been warnings earlier — especially back when he was a new recruit. Back then Nao had, against counsel, killed William, an action that had caused the Marine high command to tender collective resignations and left the World Government awkwardly caught between the Alabasta royal family and Marine Headquarters. That incident still caused many bureaucrats to grumble.
To the Five Elders, though, that was minor. At worst it was youthful hot-bloodedness: William's death was small potatoes. Nao's subsequent rise and battlefield achievements outweighed such blemishes.
Besides, they'd assumed that as he grew older he'd settle down and learn to weigh things properly. Two years ago, for example, he had followed orders and — unusually — not gone all-out against Donquixote Doflamingo.
But now it seemed…
He was still the same boy after all; nothing had really changed.
A dog that disobeys.
No matter how talented, that's not a good dog.
"We must punish him."
The tall, bearded elder snorted. "But we still need him to pacify the New World, so we can't press too hard yet. Leave him some face. Order it done: revoke every commendation and reward he was due for this time. Call off the celebratory honors — handle it coldly."
The "commendation" they meant was, of course, for Nao's defeat of Big Mom — a victory they had recently celebrated and for which they'd allocated high-level rewards.
"I agree."
The kimono-clad elder adjusted his glasses and said coolly, "It's time to give the brat a proper scolding. If we let his ego swell further, once he truly exterminates those Sea Emperors and ends this Great Pirate Era, he'll genuinely forget his place…"
"That day will never come," the flat-capped elder remarked, putting down his teacup calmly.
"Yes…"
The kimono elder's glasses caught the light as he murmured, "That day will never come."
When the prey in the forest has all been hunted, what use is a useless dog except to be cooked and eaten?
Tap, tap.
In the midst of silence, a soft knocking sound suddenly echoed.
A cautious voice came from outside the door:
"Honored Five Elders, CP-0 Deputy Chief Ray has returned to the Holy Land. He's waiting outside the hall, claiming to have an urgent intelligence report that must be delivered in person."
"Ray?"
The Five Elders exchanged glances. The elder in the kimono sneered:
"That disgraceful fool. I heard he went to provoke Nao on his own and got thoroughly humiliated. Now that he's back, what—he wants to cry and complain to us face-to-face?"
"The decision on the matter has already been made. It won't change because of him."
The tall elder with the waterfall-like beard said coolly,
"But… let him in. We're idle anyway — might as well listen to his little story. And we shouldn't let obedient dogs feel neglected."
The other elders seemed indifferent, neither agreeing nor objecting.
Moments later—
The grand doors slowly opened. Ray limped in, his body wrapped in bandages and plaster, his appearance utterly miserable…
——
Grand Line
In a steady drizzle, the Thunder Hawk was speeding toward Marineford.
"We'll probably reach Hadquarters by tomorrow."
At the dining table, Momonga sliced the oranges and broccoli on his plate, sighing.
"I originally thought we'd make it back before the New Year after finishing this escort mission. I didn't expect to be delayed this long. It's almost February already. Vice Admiral, you haven't seen your family for a few months, have you?"
"Mm, so I'm quite looking forward to it now."
Nao opposite him drank the warm Borscht soup and smiled. Momonga then turned his head, frowning at Onigumo at the next table:
"Why are you still staring at that? Eat your food; it's getting cold."
"Uh-huh…"
Onigumo gave a distracted reply, tossed the newspaper aside, and muttered in boredom:
"Tch. It's been over half a month, I've bought papers from several publishers, and not a single one mentions White City. Damn it — the World Gov… those bastards really do know how to suppress the news."
"That was to be expected."
Momonga sighed, glanced at Nao, then hesitated.
"No need to hold back. Speak."
"Alright." Momonga chose his words carefully. "This morning, while you were training, I got a call from Wilson. He told me some news."
"Apparently, that Deputy Chief Ray — right after returning to the Holy Land — rushed to meet the Five Elders in person."
"But halfway through his report, for some unknown reason, he suddenly lost it — drew his gun, and started firing wildly at the sofa! Nearly scared the Five Elders to death…"
"Hah?" Onigumo's eyes lit up. "Seriously? He did that? Why?"
"He claimed he saw a strange man holding a spoon — said that this same man had been hunting him for days, and when he suddenly appeared beside the Five Elders, he panicked and opened fire…"
So he finally got what he deserved? Went mad?
Onigumo was about to laugh out loud in approval — then froze, a chill running down his spine. He slowly turned his head and stared blankly at Nao.
"What're you looking at me for?"
Nao's expression didn't change; he calmly continued sipping his soup.
"He went insane — and somehow that's my fault too? Anyway, go on. What happened next? How'd they deal with him? I bet it didn't end well, right?"
"Yes, sir…"
Momonga gave a bitter smile — unable to read anything from Nao's expression — and simply continued truthfully:
"The Five Elders were furious. They stripped him of his position on the spot and ordered him to be sent to Enies Lobby for interrogation. After a few days of formalities, he'll likely end up rotting in Impel Down."
"Good."
Nao finally finished his bowl of borscht, smiled pleasantly, and lifted his head.
"Doflamingo's been rather lonely since Red-Hair was gone. Now he'll have a new cellmate to keep him company."
"You two carry on. I'm done — I'll head out first."
He left that line behind without a care for the stunned faces of Onigumo and Momonga, slung his coat over his shoulder, and strolled out of the dining hall toward the training room.
On the way, he opened his system panel and glanced at one of the items in his inventory.
[Spoon Killer Summoning Card]
Type: Permanent Item
Description: When used on any visible target, the target will be attacked five times a day for the next month by the Spoon Killer.
The timing of each attack is random; each attack ignores all defenses and deals 1% of the target's maximum HP as fixed damage.
Note: Each use costs 500 points. Cooldown time: 6 months.
The Spoon Killer is visible only to the target and the player.
...
Of course, Ray hadn't gone mad on his own.
His miserable end was entirely due to the fact that, on the night they parted ways in White City, Nao had already used this item on him.
At the time, Nao only meant to toy with him — to torment him a little for fun. He hadn't expected the item to have such a dramatic effect.
He had even planned ahead — if Ray ever left the Holy Land and showed signs of returning to the North Blue, Nao would simply intervene from the shadows and make him "mysteriously drop dead" on the way.
But as fate would have it, the fool either had the worst luck imaginable or simply couldn't keep his composure.
Right when he was being received by the Five Elders, the Spoon Killer struck — and Ray panicked, shooting wildly before the highest authorities of the world government.
All in all, it worked out perfectly.
After all, Impel Down could be considered half of Nao's own turf.
With Ray imprisoned there, it would be far easier for him to make subtle moves later on.
He was in quite a good mood thinking about that — until a sudden commotion broke out at the bow of the ship.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Looks like swimming fish... No, are those people? But not really either. It's too far, can't see clearly."
"There seems to be a ship chasing them from behind..."
...
A wave of curious murmuring reached his ears.
Nao walked up to the front deck. The marines who had been leaning on the railing straightened up and saluted immediately.
"Vice Admiral!"
"What's going on?"
Nao glanced into the distance and could vaguely make out a black ship chasing figures swimming in the sea ahead. He withdrew his gaze and focused on the Commander on duty.
"Reporting, Vice Admiral. It's too far; we're not entirely sure either."
the officer said hesitantly as he handed over the telescope.
"But judging from the look of it, those in the water seem to be escaped slaves… and the vessel chasing them appears to be a slave ship."
...
100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter