Temporary Mission

Noah felt as if he had been struck by lightning.

Why was this happening?

Was heaven toying with him?

It was one thing for his daily assessment to be canceled, but now he could not even take part in the combat assessment?

What kind of joke was this?! He'd been counting on this assessment all along, hoping to show off his skills and finally push his eternally stagnant ranking forward!

His eyes went blank. After a long while, he suddenly sprang from his chair, lunged in front of the Beaver-Cat that was busily munching on dried fish, and grabbed it by the neck.

"Change us back, you bastard!"

Noah snarled, "No energy, no stamina, whatever—that's all just an excuse, isn't it? You went and did something this awful on your own, and you still have the nerve to sit around leisurely eating dried fish?"

The chubby little raccoon cat froze in place and looked up at him helplessly.

"..." Even Aokiji was startled by him.

After wordlessly rubbing his forehead for a moment, Aokiji shook his head. "It probably wasn't lying. It likely never considered the consequences before doing it. Let it off this time. What bad intentions could a little kitty possibly have?"

"It won't be getting off that easily, Mr. Kuzan!" Noah gritted his teeth. "At the very least, it absolutely has to be punished..."

Just as Aokiji wondered what he was going to say, Noah suddenly snatched away the several pieces of dried fish the Beaver-Cat had yet to eat and tossed them into his own mouth.

"You're already this fat and still want to eat? Keep dreaming!"

Aokiji: "..."

Momousagi: "..."

"...I can see that, Noah. You really care about this combat assessment."

Aokiji tried his best to ignore the Beaver-Cat's pitiful gaze, gave a light cough, and turned to Noah.

"I had considered postponing the assessment for a few days and holding it after the two of you switched back into your own bodies. But this is an overseas combat exercise, after all. Making the entire ship's several hundred people wait at sea for you for so long would, for one..."

"You don't need to explain."

Noah had already regained his composure. Chewing on the dried fish, he waved a hand and sighed. "I understand, Mr. Kuzan."

Seeing the disappointment Noah could not hide, Aokiji did not know how to continue.

After all, he was merely a temporary instructor filling in at the last minute. Comforting people was not exactly his forte.

"How about I take it for you?"

Momousagi, who had silently observed from the side all this time, suddenly spoke with a smile. "Though my strength would be limited using your body, taking first place in a recruit assessment like this shouldn't be a pro—"

"No!"

Before she could finish, both Aokiji and Noah interrupted her in unison.

"Hey—" Momousagi shot the two of them a dissatisfied glare. "It's very rude to interrupt a girl when she's speaking."

"Sorry."

Noah lowered his head slightly, but his tone remained firm. "That absolutely won't do, Rear Admiral Gion. It's true that I want to prove myself in the combat assessment, but if I don't earn it myself, then no matter how impressive the final result is, it would be meaningless!"

"Indeed."

Aokiji nodded as well.

"If you took part, Gion, it would be unfair to the other recruits in this class. Besides, you have your own mission to carry out. Where would you find the time?"

"Oh, right, I almost forgot..."

Only then did Momousagi remember. She rubbed her brow with a headache, then seemed to realize something and abruptly turned to Noah, her eyes lighting up.

"Uh..." Noah felt uneasy under her stare. "Rear Admiral Gion, you... you aren't thinking of having me carry out your mission for you, are you?"

"Why not?"

Momousagi smiled sweetly. "No matter how you look at it, you have my appearance right now. There shouldn't be any problem with you completing a mission in my place, should there?"

"B-but I only have your appearance." Noah looked like he was on the verge of tears. "For a mission important enough to send Rear Admiral Gion personally all the way to West Blue, it has to be difficult. With my level of strength, there's no way I can..."

"Oh my, then you've got it all wrong."

Momousagi suddenly reached out and gently pinched the cheek of the face that belonged to her, smiling faintly as she spoke.

"Marine Headquarters sent me there for reasons completely unrelated to strength. All they need is this face of mine."

"Wh-what does that mean?"

Having his old body pinch his cheek did not really feel like anything, but knowing Momousagi was inside it still made Noah feel rather strange.

"Have you ever heard the name Rear Admiral Shizi?"

Momousagi withdrew her hand and asked casually.

Noah thought carefully, even digging through every memory from his previous life, but in the end, he honestly shook his head. "No."

"You only came to Marine Headquarters last year, right? It's normal that you haven't heard of her."

Momousagi crossed her legs again. This time, the movement was a bit too broad, as if something had pressed against her, causing her expression to turn slightly unnatural. She had no choice but to adjust her posture again.

"But Rear Admiral Shizi is actually very famous. She's an old Marine from the same generation as Mr. Zephyr, and she was once one of the most important advisers in Marine Headquarters' strategic council."

"Like Vice Admiral Tsuru?" Noah was focused entirely on Momousagi's words and did not notice her subtle movements.

"Yes. More precisely, before Rear Admiral Shizi retired, she was Sister Tsuru's deputy and helped her complete many important strategic plans."

At this point, Momousagi frowned. "But for some reason, she suddenly left without saying goodbye three years ago. Only after arriving in her hometown in West Blue did she submit a letter of resignation to Marine Headquarters, saying that she was getting old and was no longer suited to serve as a Headquarters adviser. She planned to retire in her hometown from then on."

"At the time, Marine Headquarters had just executed the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, in Loguetown in East Blue. They believed the situation on the seas would gradually stabilize, so after one unsuccessful attempt to persuade her to stay, they approved her retirement request. But you should know what happened afterward..."

Momousagi did not spell out the rest, but Noah naturally understood and gave a small nod.

Three years ago, the Marines had publicly executed Gol D. Roger. Their original intention had been to intimidate the other pirates on the seas, allowing the increasingly powerful Marines to further establish control over order across the ocean.

But no one had expected that, because of Gol D. Roger's own words, the entire world would become obsessed with the great treasure known as One Piece, ushering in the turbulent Great Pirate Era.

As a result, the world became even more chaotic and unstable.

"In short, ever since the Great Pirate Era began, Marine Headquarters has come under increasing pressure. At a time when capable people are needed most, they can't simply leave an exceptional adviser to retire peacefully in her hometown. Besides, Rear Admiral Shizi is even a few years younger than my sister, so she isn't exactly that old."

"But whether through Den Den Mushi calls or letters, every message they sent vanished without a trace and received no reply. In the end, Mr. Zephyr personally called her, and only then did they finally get through. Yet even after extending the invitation, she still politely refused."