Bone?
Nao's expression shifted slightly as he scrutinized the shy young man, realizing he indeed resembled someone familiar from his memory. Counting back twenty years, the age lined up as well.
No mistake—this had to be the "Ship Cutter," T. Bone.
In the original timeline, Bone was a Marine Headquarters captain responsible for escorting Nico Robin during the Water 7 incident.
Though his role was minor, a fleeting appearance in just a chapter or two, he was easily forgotten by most readers as a background character.
But not by Nao.
"If criminals I once escorted were to be released back into this world, how many innocent lives would suffer and bleed because of them?"
"Even in this unjust world, I must prove that justice and righteousness still exist here!"
Someone who could utter such words, and act upon them with conviction, deserved to be remembered.
"How old are you, kid?" Nao asked, concealing his curiosity beneath a blank expression.
"F-Fifteen…" Bone stammered under the weight of the "big shot from HQ" speaking to him, bowing his head.
"Just joined, huh?" Nao pretended to frown. "Silest Island is two days' sail from here. You've piloted a ship before? Think you can handle it alone?"
"If not, we can swap him out," suggested Captain Bako, catching on to the mood. He gestured toward a few other Marines behind him. "I brought several with me. Feel free to choose."
But Nao said nothing, his gaze still locked on Bone.
"I… I can do it!" Bone's voice suddenly grew resolute. He straightened up and met Nao's eyes, his tone louder and steadier:
"I've been enlisted for two years. My navigation skills are excellent, and I'm from the West Blue, so I know these waters well. Please—trust me!"
That's more like it.
"Good," Nao nodded, pleased with Bone's confidence. He pointed at him and addressed Bako:
"No need to switch. He'll do."
You'll never know just how terrifying a disciplined person can be.
At just fifteen years old, Bone had considered himself one of the most diligent and self-disciplined individuals around. But after meeting Nao, he realized how wrong he'd been.
2:00 AM – Boarded the boat, departed the dock.
2:00–4:00 – Training and conditioning.
4:00–6:00 – More training.
6:00–8:00 – Continued training.
8:00–8:01 – Couldn't hold it, took a bathroom break.
8:01–12:00 – Back to training.
Throughout the journey, while Bone steered the boat, he couldn't help but gawk at Nao, who never seemed to stop his intense training on deck.
Aside from a brief trip to the stern to answer nature's call, Nao barely paused for ten solid hours.
Is he even human?
By afternoon, Bone watched Nao's sword practice from afar, feeling it was time to speak up.
"Um, Mr. Nao…" he ventured, unsure of Nao's exact rank and hesitant to address him otherwise.
When Nao turned his way, Bone hesitated but voiced his concern: "Aren't you hungry? Did you forget to eat?"
"Huh?" Nao finally glanced up, squinting at the blazing sunlight. "Wait, is it already time for breakfast?"
"Lunch, sir," Bone corrected. "It's already 1:30 in the afternoon."
"So long already?" Nao muttered. He ducked into the cabin, reemerging with a pile of canned goods, tossing a few toward Bone. "Here, eat something."
"N-No, thank you, sir," Bone declined hurriedly. "I brought some rations, and the cabin supplies were prepared specifically for you by Captain Bako. I wouldn't dare—"
"I said eat," Nao insisted, stuffing the can into Bone's hands. "I've been stationed at branch bases. I know what your rations are like. If you keel over from lack of nutrition, who's steering? Eat!"
"…"
Bone dared not refuse again. The aroma from the canned food was far more appealing than his dry rations, and his growling stomach betrayed him. So, after a polite thanks, he opened the can and devoured its contents hungrily.
Nao chuckled, opening his own can and eating with far more grace. Even in such a mundane scene, his looks and demeanor made it impossible for him to appear anything but elegant—
even if he were to devour food like Luffy, nearby girls would still glance his way with admiration.
While eating, Nao mentally reviewed his earlier training.
The massive physical boost from leveling up was evident. His practice sessions were far more efficient, and he could execute thousands of push-ups and sword swings without exhaustion.
Perhaps to Bone, his ten-hour training was incomprehensible. But to Nao, it felt far from his limit.
"Guess I need to adjust my sleep schedule," he mused. His enhanced body meant that even fifteen hours of daily training no longer left him drained. Maybe he didn't need to sleep every night.
He recalled how Blackbeard's unusual body allowed him to go years without rest. He couldn't manage that yet, but skipping a night or two? That was feasible.
"Why sleep in life when you'll have eternity to rest in death?"
For Nao, using sleep time to train was exhilarating.
Unlike ordinary people who might slack off after a major power-up, Nao knew that shortcuts couldn't replace hard work. Training tempered not just the body but the mind.
Besides, his enhanced physique needed continued adaptation and refinement through rigorous practice.
"Every time I reach a new level, my potential seems to expand even further, raising my upper limits."
Nao cracked open another can—peaches, his favorite post-meal dessert.
"This way, even if point costs rise for future upgrades, I can still steadily build my base stats through training."
It was a shame this week's shop didn't offer any training boost cards. He hoped next week's would. Those things were cheap and highly effective.
After finishing his peaches, Nao checked the time. It wasn't even 2 PM yet. Thinking a moment, he turned to Bone and asked:
"If all goes well, can we reach Silest Island by tomorrow night?"
The Marine HQ Elite Camp's warship had likely already reached the island, and Nao suspected the 48-hour live-combat assessment had begun or would begin soon.
He didn't expect to make it by the start, but he at least hoped to arrive within the first 24 hours.
"I'm afraid not, sir," Bone said apologetically. "Even with a fast boat, we'll reach Silest at the earliest by the morning after next."
"Morning after next, huh…" Nao sighed. As expected. But that would leave precious little time for him to participate in the assessment.
Hopefully, the Bege Pirates' officers hadn't all been wiped out by Shiryu and the others by then. He wanted at least a small piece of the action.
After eating, Nao lay down beneath the mast, arms behind his head, eyes half-closed against the afternoon breeze. Though it seemed like a nap, he was actually browsing his inventory to check Ryuma's Swordsmanship Notes.
During morning practice, he'd encountered several difficulties and hoped to find solutions in the book.
As he opened his inventory, he noticed a second gold icon—a treasure chest—reminding him of the S-class gift box from his earlier side quest.
He'd claimed it long ago, but while inhabiting Gion's body, he hadn't dared open it for fear of it triggering a reward that directly affected the body, like attribute points.
But now, with his body back and points spent, lying idle on the deck, it was finally time to open it. Time to see if he was a lucky "golden child" or an unlucky "stone-handed loser."
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin