An Unexpected Attack

Admiral Sakazuki!?

Ain rubbed her bleary eyes and immediately woke up. She forcefully shook Noki's body beside her.

After Noki woke up and heard the voice outside, he felt utterly depressed.

He had been back for so many days, yet Sakazuki had never come looking for him. He had come on the one day Ain was here.

Noki even suspected that his uncle had taken up stalking and peeping, deliberately waiting for him to slip up before showing up to discipline him.

Of course, Akainu would never be that bored. If he found Noki unpleasant, he would come up and scold him regardless of whether he had a reason or excuse.

As calm as ever, Noki prepared himself to be scolded. Once Ain was properly dressed, he had Little Black transform into its original form and drape itself over him before opening the door.

He came face-to-face with Sakazuki's square, stern face.

"Uncle Sakazuki."

"Mm..."

Akainu noticed Ain behind Noki, and his gaze became even fiercer than usual as he gave a heavy snort.

Ain did not dare meet his eyes. Lowering her head, she softly said, "Admiral, g-good morning."

Sakazuki gave another muffled "Mm." "Noki and I have something to discuss. You should head back first."

Ain glanced at Noki. The two exchanged a brief look, then she quickly left.

"Humph!"

Sakazuki entered the house and went through his familiar routine, slamming his cap onto the table before sitting on the sofa. Having just seen the two exchanging affectionate looks, the more he looked at it, the more displeased he became. Combined with other reasons, the anger in his heart burned even hotter.

"Noki, I originally intended to praise your exploits in the East Blue. But now, it seems you are just like your useless father, both of you trapped by women! Is mere romance between men and women really that important?"

Without waiting for Noki to respond, Sakazuki continued, "I have already heard about you becoming a guard for a World Noble. Although I did not want you to meet those so-called nobles and repeatedly helped turn them down, they still decided to send you on this mission.

"They dressed it up by saying you were strong enough and had earned an excellent reputation recently, so no one but you would do.

"In my view, those are all excuses from that woman. Was ruining that fool not enough for her? Does she want to ruin you too?!"

Noki was completely confused. What did any of this have to do with anything? Where had another woman suddenly come from?

After venting his anger, Sakazuki drew a deep breath and tried his best to calm himself. "In any case, Noki, listen carefully."

"Please, go ahead."

"According to the information I received, three days from now, you will accompany an envoy to the Kingdom of Krilar as the World Noble's escort fleet commander. You may not encounter any danger along the way.

"But you must remember one thing. No matter how that Celestial Dragon approaches you, you must refuse. You absolutely cannot have any contact with a World Noble beyond the mission itself. Do you understand?"

Noki nodded. He felt that Akainu was speaking incoherently today and had been angry the entire time. This was clearly not his usual state.

Putting together the information he had gathered, Noki made a bold guess. "Uncle Sakazuki, do you know the World Noble I'll be escorting this time?"

Sakazuki paused before saying in a low voice, "Just do as I say. With your current level, knowing too much about many things will only be counterproductive."

"But Admiral, knowing a little more would let me make more accurate and reasonable judgments.

"Besides, my current strength should rank among the Navy's many officers. Though I am far inferior to you, I at least have enough ability to protect myself." Noki argued.

"I said it is not time yet!" Sakazuki's tone allowed no disagreement.

Seeing how resolute he was, Noki stopped asking. Still, he quietly made a mental note to pay closer attention to that World Noble's identity...

The room fell silent for a while.

After some time, Sakazuki took the initiative to break the deadlock. "Did you take the Navy Hero Garp as your master?"

"More or less," Noki answered truthfully.

"Learn properly from him. Do not miss this rare opportunity. If you can diligently train your martial arts until they reach Vice Admiral Garp's level, then I will tell you everything I know. Until then, focus on training and stop letting your imagination run wild all day." Sakazuki patiently advised him like a loving father.

"Alright!"

Noki roughly understood. Whatever Sakazuki was hiding from him had to be related to his father. Combined with what Garp had said before, a bold thought suddenly came to him. Could there have been hidden circumstances behind his father's death?

For someone else, it might not have been easy to make that leap.

But Noki was a transmigrator. While he did not know every secret of this world, he knew seven or eight out of ten.

Besides, he had watched so many TV dramas and read so many novels in his previous life. What absurd plot had he not seen before?

With just a little thought and a comparison to the situations in his memories, he sorted out the rough outline of the whole matter.

The only thing confusing him was the woman Akainu had mentioned. What did she want from him?

Noki had never considered the possibility of relatives, because judging from Sakazuki's tone, that woman was most likely a World Noble. How could his father, an ordinary Navy man, possibly have anything to do with a race as arrogant and self-important as the Celestial Dragons?

Sakazuki seemed to have completely calmed down and began asking about Noki's specific experiences in the East Blue.

Noki was not foolish enough to tell him everything. He concealed anything that might anger Sakazuki, such as exploiting loopholes in Navy regulations to earn bounty money and living with Ain.

Basically, out of every ten sentences, eight were true and two were false.

As the old saying went, confess leniently and rot in prison; resist strictly and go home for the New Year. What needed hiding still had to be hidden.

Though Sakazuki said he would not praise him, his expression still showed considerable approval.

As expected of someone he had nurtured. Aside from a few minor flaws, Noki was quite perfect overall.

After listening to Noki's experiences over the past year,

Sakazuki repeated his instructions, repeatedly warning Noki not to get too close to that Celestial Dragon and to refuse every attempt to build a relationship.

People were always curious about things they could not touch.

The more something could not be touched, the more they wanted to touch it.

Noki, having lived two lives, was no exception. Mainly because he believed that with his own strength and experience, he could solve any problem. The more skilled one was, the bolder one became.

Besides, had he disobeyed Sakazuki only a few times since childhood?

Many times, the facts had proven Sakazuki's views wrong. Taking the essence and discarding the dross was the correct path Noki should choose.

At last, he sent Sakazuki away.

Noki let out a sigh of relief, then turned around and saw another square, stern face. He immediately realized what was going on. "Little Black, when did you learn to play pranks?"

"Noki, you seem really afraid of him."

In Sakazuki's appearance, Little Black tilted its head and copied a gesture it had learned from Ain.

"Cough, cough."

Noki could barely stand to look at it. He could not imagine Sakazuki making such an adorable pose.

If Sakazuki himself saw this scene, Little Black's life would be over.

Sakazuki's information arrived ahead of schedule.

That afternoon, while Noki was training with Garp, Kuzan called him away midway through. He spoke of the very arrangement Akainu had told him about.

Three days later, Noki would serve as the commander of three warships and take responsibility for the Celestial Dragon's protection.

Noki's warship counted as one, while the commanders of the other two were rear admirals from Headquarters.

Kuzan gathered Noki and the other two officers for an initial deployment. As the saying went, plans could not keep up with changes. The final arrangements would still be decided by Noki, the commander.

After returning home, Noki had Ain notify Tashigi and the others to gather on the warship a day later. They would enter sailing status early, prepare the necessary supplies, and explain the precautions for escorting the World Noble.

Navy life became busy once more.

Over those three days, Noki still insisted on training with Garp.

At the same time, Noki began taking Little Black outside with him. Before outsiders, it would normally remain in the form of a Navy coat. Only when alone with Ain and Noki would it display other forms.

The day before the Celestial Dragon's departure.

After finishing his training, Noki was once again brought into the teahouse by Garp.

"Vice Admiral Garp, do you know who the woman Admiral Sakazuki mentioned is?"

"Mm..."

After hearing Noki's description, Garp bit into the biscuit in his hand and laughed. "Since Sakazuki does not want to tell you, he must have his reasons. This old man should not casually interfere."

"So you do know?"

"Brat Noki, you should understand that sometimes knowing too much is not a good thing. Everything should happen naturally when the time is right. If the time has not come, why insist?"

Then Garp changed his tone and burst into laughter. "Besides, this old man never intended to tell you."

"Oh?"

A sly smile appeared on Noki's pretty face. "Vice Admiral Garp, do you remember promising me two conditions as long as I helped you train Ace? It would not sound good if the Navy Hero went back on his word."

"Damn it!" Garp stomped his foot and beat his chest. "This old man actually miscalculated!"

Noki took a sip of tea. "Using one precious condition to trade for information I will learn sooner or later seems a little wasteful. Let us talk about it another day."

"You brat..."

Garp gave Noki a deep look. "You are far smarter than your father."

The next day.

At the port of Mary Geoise.

A long red carpet stretched all the way from the Holy Land to the docks.

Noki and the two colonels stood at attention on either side of the red carpet, waiting for the World Noble's arrival.

Along with a dense patter of footsteps, the Celestial Dragon's traditional attire came into view.

She really was a woman.

Noki observed the newcomer from the corner of his eye.

A group of CP Organization agents dressed in black suits stood behind the Celestial Dragon.

What surprised Noki was that this Celestial Dragon had not brought any slaves. Only a single maid accompanied her, dressed in luxurious and dazzling clothes. If she had not been standing beside the Celestial Dragon, one might have assumed she was the daughter of some wealthy family.

The Celestial Dragon wore a layer of white veil over her face, concealing her features. Perhaps it was Noki's imagination, but he felt as though he had seen this woman somewhere before. She gave him an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

The Celestial Dragon slowly stepped along the red carpet and boarded the magnificent vessel specially provided by the World Government.

Noki and the two colonels hurried back to their respective warships and gave the order to set sail.

The three warships formed a triangle around the World Government vessel.

Noki's warship sailed at the front.

Dezaya looked up at the tall, imposing ship behind them with envy in her eyes. "Master, what an impressive ship. I thought Headquarters warships were already huge and majestic, but the World Noble's ship is so much bigger."

Noki stood at the bow, wearing the Navy coat Little Black had transformed into, and yawned. "Do not embarrass me by acting like you have never seen the world. Although the chance of encountering enemies on this mission is low, none of you may let down your guard in the slightest. We must absolutely ensure the Celestial Dragon's safety."

"Yes, sir!" Tashigi, Dezaya, and the others answered loudly.

"Rear Admiral!"

Tereina approached Noki carrying a plate of beautifully arranged desserts. "Th-this is a cake I developed after studying the dishes at Headquarters. Please have a taste."

Noki casually picked up a piece and swallowed it. "It tastes good. Ain, you should try some too." He picked up another piece and personally fed it into Ain's mouth.

"It is delicious, Tereina. Thank you for the treat."

Ain bent down with a smile and patted Tereina's head.

Tereina pouted deeply. "I made that for the Rear Admiral!"

Ain replied matter-of-factly, "Then it belongs to Noki. If he wants me to eat it, then naturally I can eat it."

"Alright, alright."

Noki said helplessly, "Tereina, you made too much. We cannot finish it all, so give the rest to the others."

"But..."

"Follow orders!"

"Okay."

Tereina walked away with disappointment written all over her face.

Noki had Ain keep watch for him while he went inside to take a nap.

By his estimate, this journey should be extremely boring. Although the safest matters often produced unexpected accidents, Noki simply could not think of anyone so bored as to attack a Celestial Dragon.

Even the Sea Emperors, the four strongest criminal powers on the seas, rarely provoked Celestial Dragons, let alone ordinary nobodies.

"Rear Admiral!"

"Rear Admiral!"

"Something terrible has happened!"

"It is a pirate fleet!"

Ain hurried into the captain's cabin. "Noki, we have been surrounded by pirates!"

Noki hurriedly climbed out of bed, moved Little Black off where it had been lying on him, and picked up Golden Scale and Sandai Kitetsu from beside the bed. His expression turned grave as he asked, "What happened?"

"Everything was normal at first, then several pirate ships suddenly appeared. We thought they were simply passing by and would leave on their own after seeing the World Government flag.

"But more and more of them gathered. They are probably pirates who planned this long ago."

Noki strode out of the cabin and discovered pirate flags in every direction.

Ain grew even more worried. "Could they have planned to attack the Celestial Dragon because they want to kidnap her and demand ransom from the World Government?"

Noki shook his head and calmly analyzed the situation. "Impossible. If they merely wanted money, with such forces, they could earn more by robbing merchant ships with less risk.

"Besides, apart from the Headquarters officers involved in this escort, only the World Government's upper ranks knew our route.

"These pirates were clearly prepared in advance, which means a powerful figure must be controlling them from behind the scenes."

Boom! Boom! Boom...

As they spoke, black cannonballs were already hurtling toward the warships.

"Noki, what should we do?"

Ain drew the two short blades at her waist, leaped into the air, and slashed apart four cannonballs in succession.