And That's a Meow-ne-ga

Of course, adding points is absolutely not something to be done right now.

Noah was not about to let this sudden windfall cloud his judgment.

He knew very well that once he added the points, the changes to his physical constitution would take effect immediately, and Momousagi would be unable to miss such a massive transformation.

He still had to endure for a few days; he would wait until he returned to his own body before enjoying the full upgrade in one go.

In a pleasant mood, he closed the attribute panel, hummed a Showa-era tune from his memories, and continued along the country path.

Passing through a small town, he remembered Momousagi mentioning on the ship that although Rear Admiral Shizi was getting on in years, her favorite snack was cream-covered strawberries, and the bigger they were, the better.

Back at headquarters, the old lady would often hold a bowl of strawberries, popping them into her mouth while she worked, much like Garp ate his senbei, consuming several pounds in a single day.

Since he was paying a visit, he really ought to bring a gift.

So, Noah stopped at a fruit stand and bought a large bag of cream-covered strawberries. These strawberries were enormous, nearly the size of oranges, and they weren't cheap, costing a total of five thousand Beli.

Noah's current monthly salary and allowance were only twenty thousand Beli, so he looked at the strawberries in his hand with a bit of heartache, wondering if he should ask Momousagi for reimbursement under the guise of official expenses once he returned to the warship.

After leaving the town, he picked up his pace slightly and arrived at the village where Rear Admiral Shizi lived just as the sun was setting.

Before his eyes, smoke curled from chimneys, quiet and peaceful—a veritable paradise on earth.

"So this is Rear Admiral Shizi's home..."

Noah stopped in front of a two-story house with a small courtyard, looking up at the gate and the white picket fence entwined with roses, "It's even more ordinary than I expected."

The only thing that stood out was how exceptionally clean and tidy it was, and through the gaps in the fence, one could vaguely see the courtyard filled with all sorts of meticulously pruned flowers and plants.

He took a deep breath, mentally reviewing all the information Momousagi had shared with him.

Then, he stepped forward and gently knocked on the gate.

"Coming, coming!"

Rapid footsteps approached from afar, accompanied by a crisp, cute voice, "Is that you, Gong-jie?"

With a creak, the wooden gate opened from the inside, and a little girl with pink hair poked her head out, her face full of excitement and surprise, "Gong-jie, what's the matter? Why so late..."

Her voice cut off abruptly as she stared blankly at the long, slender legs in front of her, which were nearly level with the top of her head.

She looked up in a daze, only to see a figure that seemed like a giant to her, blocking the entrance to her courtyard.

The pink-haired girl was startled and instinctively took two steps back. Panic-stricken, just as she was about to close the gate, the "giant" suddenly bent down and asked softly:

"Excuse me, is this the home of Shizi-jie?"

The gentle tone, the refined features, the naturally heroic aura, and the slight smile playing on his lips were incredibly infectious.

When the pink-haired girl saw the visitor's face, her heart inexplicably settled down. She looked at Noah hesitantly, "Yes, you... who are you?"

"Gion, Rear Admiral Gion of the Marine Headquarters."

Noah looked at the little girl with the center-parted short hair and delicate features, feeling she looked somewhat familiar, "I haven't seen Shizi-jie in several years, so I came specifically to pay her a visit."

"Ah, is that so?"

The pink-haired girl tilted her head, secretly sizing Noah up. Seeing his white Marine uniform and the Justice cloak fluttering behind him, she finally felt completely at ease.

"Please, come in!"

She quickly made way, and after Noah carefully squeezed through the gate, she closed it and shouted toward the house: "Grandma Shizi, come out quickly, we have a guest!"

"No need to shout, I'll just head in myself."

Noah smiled and ruffled the little girl's hair. As he walked along the pebble path toward the house, he asked casually:

"By the way, little one, why did I hear you call Rear Admiral Shizi 'Grandma' just now? I've never heard that Shizi-jie had a granddaughter as big as you."

"In a few months, Hina will be thirteen! I'm not a little one!"

The pink-haired girl pushed Noah's hand away in dissatisfaction, huffed, and muttered an explanation:

"She's my great-aunt. Hina's grandmother was Grandma Shizi's older sister, but she passed away when Hina was very young, so Hina has been living at Grandma Shizi's house for the past few years."

Hina?

Noah didn't mind the little girl's rebellious gesture; his attention was entirely captured by her self-reference, and he froze, a look of astonishment appearing in his eyes.

No wonder she looked familiar; the little girl who had opened the door for him was actually the future famous beauty Rear Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, "Black Cage" Hina?

What a coincidence...

He thought silently to himself, then turned his head to look at the pink-haired girl again.

Sure enough, once he made the connection, he felt she was cut from the same cloth as the Hina of twenty years later.

With fair skin and delicate features, she was already a beauty at such a young age, though her hair wasn't as long, and she lacked that sharp, heroic spirit.

After another glance, Noah withdrew his gaze.

He had no designs on Hina, nor was he a lolicon; he was simply surprised to meet a "familiar" Marine from his memories in such a remote village.

The courtyard was not large.

Following the pebble path, passing through the flower beds, and turning past the atrium, Noah saw a thin, white-haired old woman wearing loose loungewear, standing at the entrance of the porch, watching him with a smile.

Good grief, it's time to put my acting skills to the test!

"Sister Shizi!"

Noah wore a perfectly timed look of pleasant surprise, then, without a moment's hesitation, he lunged forward and gave the old lady a warm hug, cheering excitedly:

"You really do live here! It's been so long, I've missed you so much!"

"It has been a long time, little Gion."

Shizi patted Noah's back dotingly, her wrinkled face beaming with joy. "I've missed you too. When little Hina told me we had a guest, I thought it was just someone from the village. I never expected that when I came out, it would be you, you little rascal."

"Hehe, I managed to surprise you, didn't I?"

Noah let go of Shizi and handed over the bag full of strawberries he was holding. "Here, I bought these on the way. A gift for you."

Then, with a hint of feigned reproach, he added: "So you do remember missing me! Then why, three years ago, did you leave Marineford without saying a word, and not even write me a single letter?"