A New Side Quest

58 million Beli?

Hearing this bounty figure, the recruits on the deck were instantly dumbfounded, doubting if there was something wrong with their ears.

Are you sure there isn't some mistake, sir?

We are just recruits who have only been in the Elite Training Camp for a year; we haven't even mastered the Six Powers yet, and you want us to go up against a pirate captain of that caliber?

Noah was equally stunned, though his attention was more drawn to the name of the pirate captain.

The surname Capone? In his memory, Capone Bege, one of the Eleven Supernovas of the Worst Generation, also hailed from the West Blue. Could there be some connection between these two?

"You seem to have a slight misunderstanding."

Aokiji shrugged. "Let me repeat: your mission is to liberate Celeste Island, and this island is merely one of the larger ones controlled by the Capone Pirates."

"Mr. Kuzan, does that mean Capone Beate is not on the island?"

A navy soldier gathered the courage to raise his hand and ask, "We only need to deal with the pirate forces stationed on the island, right?"

"That's about the size of it."

Aokiji nodded slightly. "However, the Capone Pirates originated from a mafia family and have a large number of members. According to navy intelligence, there are at least five hundred pirates stationed on Celeste Island, including over a dozen officers with bounties. Their strength is not to be underestimated."

"Therefore, there are a few things I must say first."

His gaze swept over those young faces, his expression suddenly turning stern as he held up a finger:

"First, you must never act on impulse!"

"This is your first real combat experience. Blood and smoke often cause those new to the battlefield to lose their heads. When you encounter a powerful enemy you cannot easily defeat, do not forget to think calmly about whether you should request reinforcements or retreat temporarily."

"Courage is a good thing, but if you are overly reckless, you will only throw your lives away for nothing!"

"Second, although the ranking for this practical exam will be determined by your combat merits, I hope this will not affect the cooperation and communication between you."

"Remember your identity. If you trip up your teammates or refuse to save them just to get a higher ranking in the exam, then you are unworthy of the word Justice you carry on your shoulders, and you are no different from the pirates!"

"Third, and the final point!"

Aokiji paused here, and only after everyone's attention was focused to the maximum did he continue in a deep voice:

"This exam begins the moment you step onto the island, and the results will be tallied after 48 hours. During these two days, although I will be observing the entire time, I will not step in to save you unless it is an absolute last resort. Everything depends on you!"

"I've said what I needed to say. Do you understand?"

A thunderous, unified response erupted on the deck: "Yes, Vice Admiral Kuzan!"

"Very good."

Having said so much in one breath, Aokiji felt a bit thirsty. His adjutant promptly handed him a bottle of water. After politely thanking him, he unscrewed the cap, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go.

Just then, a hand was raised from below. "Mr. Kuzan."

"Speak." Aokiji looked at the owner of the hand, a blue-haired girl with delicate features.

"What about Vice Admiral Gion?"

The girl with long blue hair reaching her waist glanced subtly at someone to her right before turning back to look at Aokiji.

"Is she also an examiner commissioned by Instructor Zephyr? Will she be staying on the island this time to supervise us with you?"

"..."

Whether it was his imagination or not, after meeting the girl's gaze, Aokiji felt a strange sense of hostility directed toward Momousagi.

"No."

Though he found it a bit strange, he answered directly:

"Vice Admiral Gion has other missions to attend to. She just happened to be heading to the West Blue as well, so she is just hitching a ride on our ship."

"Oh."

The blue-haired girl nodded lightly, lowered her eyelids, and asked no more.

Aokiji scratched his head, didn't think much of it, gave a few more brief instructions, and then dismissed the assembly before turning to head into the cabin.

At that moment.

Momousagi, who had been standing silently behind Aokiji the whole time, raised an eyebrow before leaving. She turned her head to glance at the blue-haired girl with interest, then looked at Noah in the corner of the crowd.

She then smiled without a word, turned around, and followed Aokiji inside.

"So I really was misunderstood!"

In a corner behind the crowd, watching Momousagi's retreating figure, Noah, who had been holding a rigid military posture, instantly relaxed. He couldn't help but sigh and rub his brow.

Before Aokiji explained the rules, he had been staring at Momousagi behind him.

For one, it was his first time seeing this future navy admiral candidate, so he was naturally curious. For another, the moment Momousagi appeared, his system panel had refreshed with a new mission.

But who would have thought that Shiya, who had been watching him silently in the crowd, would see this and assume he had developed an infatuation with Momousagi? She had become jealous, and because her reaction was so direct, Momousagi had keenly noticed it.

This was just too awkward...

Recalling the way Momousagi looked before she left—like an adult watching a young couple bickering—and feeling the lingering gaze of the blue-haired girl in the crowd, Noah shook his head helplessly.

It seemed that even though she had been decisively rejected that night, Shiya hadn't approached him again, yet she clearly hadn't given up on the idea of pursuing him at all.

How annoying; it's not my fault that I'm handsome.

He prayed internally that the young girl would abandon her unrealistic delusions soon, while simultaneously opening his system task bar with a distracted mind to glance at the newly refreshed side quest.

"Side Quest Name: Superior's Confession"

"Finally, an outstanding woman has appeared by your side—congratulations! So, how about making her the first 'Hard' difficulty challenge in this romance game and launching your conquest?"

"Task Content: Within fifteen days, make Gion say the words, 'I like you, Noah.'"

"Task Reward: 150,000 points, random stat points x2"

Upon reading this side quest, Noah briefly suspected that this lousy system was sent by the heavens specifically to mess with him.

Why does it only come up with tasks that have absurd rewards and even more absurd difficulty levels?

To make Momousagi, a woman he barely knew, confess to him within fifteen days... Noah felt that a task to become Fleet Admiral within fifteen days would probably be easier than this.

When he transmigrated from his past life, the manga plot had just progressed to Wano Country, and Momousagi, this Admiral candidate, had only appeared twice, leaving no deep impression on him.

But regardless, her potential and appearance were at the top tier within the Navy; to ordinary recruits like them, she was like a flower on a high cliff, impossible to approach.

Moreover, Momousagi had very high standards. It seemed that in the original timeline, even Chaton, who was also an Admiral candidate, had confessed to her over a hundred times, only to fail every single time.

"So, no matter how I look at it, it's impossible. Should I drag her into a game of Truth or Dare and trick her into saying those words to me?"

Noah walked over to the railing, propped his chin in his hand, and stared at the endless sea in the distance. After a long while, he scratched the back of his head and muttered in distress, "Task points... they really aren't easy to earn!"