Aftermath of God Valley, After Awakening

West Blue—

On a small island.

Two little boys chased each other playfully along the street.

"Ha ha ha, Bepo, you're too slow!" The boy in front turned back and laughed smugly.

"Damn it, stop right there!" Bepo shouted breathlessly.

The boy sped up and dashed into a clinic on the corner.

"Hey! Rosin, how many times have I told you not to run around inside the clinic?" A brown-haired girl emerged from the back room carrying a tray.

The tray was piled with bloodstained gauze and cloth.

Hearing that, Rosin hurriedly skidded to a stop and stuck out his tongue sheepishly.

Just then, Bepo came charging in after him, his little face flushed red from running.

"I already made it to the pirate base, so I win." Rosin immediately turned around and declared his victory to Bepo.

"No way, I'm the hero!" Bepo stomped his feet in frustration. "Even in an enemy base, a hero has to make a big scene."

"Take this!"

The nurse wanted to stop them, but the two children had already begun chasing each other around the clinic.

Rosin panicked and ran without looking where he was going.

Instinctively, he headed deeper into the clinic, toward the room for critically ill patients.

Bang!

A door suddenly swung open.

Rosin was knocked flat onto his backside.

"Hee hee, I caught the pirate." The boy following close behind pounced on him and triumphantly raised his fists.

"I, Hero Garp, won!"

However, his cheering abruptly stopped.

The two boys froze in place, staring wide-eyed at the figure who had emerged from the critical care room.

His entire body was wrapped in clean white bandages, and his exposed brown eyes looked down at them.

Aside from his short white hair, the most striking thing was the pair of folded black wings behind his back, their texture strangely unnatural.

At that moment, Lin Nuo looked down at his body with slight confusion.

Then he spread his arms, and his black feathered wings unfolded completely.

Whoosh!

The bandages binding his body instantly burst apart.

"Kids, I won this resurrection match."

Bepo stared dumbfoundedly at the man, who was taller than the doorway.

Lin Nuo's gaze swept between the two boys before finally settling on Bepo.

"Did you just shout Garp's name?"

Lin Nuo raised his head and looked around this unfamiliar place, the confusion in his eyes deepening.

Lowering his voice, he quietly asked, "Where is this?"

"Have you seen Rocks or Roger?"

Rossini Archipelago, main island.

The streets of White Shell Town bustled with pedestrians.

Lin Nuo dragged his weary steps as he slowly walked down the street.

Over the course of the morning, he had visited every place in town where information was exchanged.

Bars, bulletin halls, and all sorts of other places... yet he had found nothing.

There was absolutely no news of Rocks or Roger's whereabouts. Only some of their feats and legends were being passed around.

He found a shady spot, sat down on the ground, and sighed softly.

It seemed a lot had happened while he was unconscious...

But at least one thing was certain: Kuma had used the Paw-Paw Fruit's power to send him away from God Valley.

But why had he not gone to Kuma's homeland, the Sorbet Kingdom, and instead ended up in the West Blue?

Could Imu's Haki have affected the bubble, causing it to burst and the ability's effect to end early?

Still, if even an unconscious him had managed to leave safely, then Rocks and the others should have had no problem.

It was just that the sea was vast.

Without a Vivre Card, finding them would not be easy.

"Hey, Lin Nuo! Wait for us!"

Two childish voices approached from behind.

Without even looking up, Lin Nuo knew it was Rosin and Bepo, the two little guys he had met first after waking up.

"You two, why have you been following me around?"

Lin Nuo lifted his eyelids and looked at the two boys who had run up to him, panting heavily.

"Just so we're clear, big brother isn't interested in men."

As he spoke, he folded his wings in a little closer.

"What do you mean, not interested in men?" Bepo wiped away his sweat, his little face utterly serious. "Sister Mira told us to keep an eye on you. You're a patient who just got out of bed."

"To keep anything from happening to you, or someone setting their sights on you."

"Things have been pretty chaotic in town lately."

Rosin put his hands on his hips. "And! Our clinic took care of you while you were unconscious for the past few days. We used a lot of medicine on you!"

"Are you planning to skip out without paying your medical bills?"

"Oh... the medical bills." Lin Nuo suddenly understood.

After waking up, his mind had been entirely focused on what was outside, so he had forgotten about that.

He was still wearing patient clothes from the waist down.

"Don't worry," Lin Nuo said sincerely. "I'm not a deadbeat. Once I have money, I'll definitely pay it back."

Just then, a loud cry came from the side of the street.

"Newspapers! Newspapers! Exclusive reports from the World Economy News Paper!"

"The Navy's latest movements, updated bounties for the great pirates of the New World! Don't miss out!"

Newspapers?

Lin Nuo's eyes lit up. He immediately stood and quickly walked toward the vendor.

"Sir... I'll take a newspaper." Lin Nuo's eyes were already glued to the headline on the front page.

"Coming right up, 120 Berries a copy." The newspaper seller handed over a fresh paper with a broad smile.

Lin Nuo reached out to take it, but his hand stopped.

His wallet was cleaner than Chopper's head right now.

For a moment, the atmosphere became rather awkward.

At that moment, a little hand reached out from the side and slapped several coins into the vendor's palm.

"Here. We'll take one."

"Oh, thank you, little boss." The vendor accepted the money, swiftly gave change, and moved on.

Bepo said nothing more and stuffed the newspaper into Lin Nuo's hands.

"Thanks, Bepo." Lin Nuo took the paper. "I'll definitely pay you back later."

"It's fine." Bepo waved his hand.

"After following you around all morning, I can tell you came from somewhere far away. You're not from our island."

"You've been so anxious to gather information. Are you trying to find separated family members or companions?"

He puffed out his chest and said boldly, "Consider this newspaper my gift to you!"

"I'm going to become a hero, after all. Heroes help people in trouble."

Lin Nuo looked at Bepo's earnest expression, and warmth stirred faintly in his heart.

He nodded, committing the gesture to memory, then eagerly opened the newspaper.

The front-page headline was about the heroic deeds of "Navy Hero" Monkey D. Garp.

The accompanying image showed his signature hearty grin and a collapsed pirate flag behind him.

Sea Circle Calendar, Year 1503...

It was still the year of the God Valley incident.

Lin Nuo quickly scanned the date and contents.

The newspaper was filled with all sorts of information:

A princess's wedding, naval technology innovations, unrest in non-member nations, merchant ships caught in storms...

Naturally, though, most of it concerned pirates and the Navy.

At last, his eyes stopped on a section of an inside page.

<Pirate Paradise? Rumors of Hachinosu Island Changing Hands>

The report was vague.

It only mentioned signs that Beehive Island, which pirates from all walks of life regarded as a transit point and place to unload stolen goods, seemed to have recently fallen under the joint control of several rising pirate crews. It also included a distant image of the entire island.

Beehive Island... wasn't that Rocks's stronghold?

Lin Nuo's heart skipped a beat.

Right. If he could not find Rocks himself for the moment, he could think about where Rocks was most likely to go.

Having found a direction, Lin Nuo's spirits lifted.

But after the excitement came practical considerations.

Beehive Island was deep within the New World, remote and hidden.

Without a Log Pose, sea charts, and a reliable ship, he simply could not get there.

It seemed that for now, he could only continue searching the Rossini Archipelago and the surrounding peninsulas to see whether he could find them.

Finding them would be best. If not... he would make longer-term plans later.

"Hey, Lin Nuo," Rosin suddenly leaned closer and spoke curiously.

"Actually, I wanted to ask earlier. Why do your companions... have the same names as those great pirates in the newspaper, Rocks and Roger?"

Curiosity glittered in the little boy's eyes.

"Ah, well..." Lin Nuo rubbed his chin. "Those names are just what they call themselves."

He laughed it off, covering up the names he had carelessly mentioned after waking up.

After the God Valley incident, he was probably on Imu and the World Government's kill list as well.

Before mastering high-level Haki, it was best to stay hidden whenever possible.

Thinking of Haki, he felt somewhat helpless again.

The point in time when he had transmigrated was indeed far too early. Luffy had not even been born yet.

According to his original plan, he had intended to grow and train alongside Luffy, then establish contact with Shirahoshi, the ancient weapon Poseidon, on Fish-Man Island.

After that, he would find a way to go to Wano Country and make contact with Pluton, then finally head to Egghead Island to find Vegapunk.

With two ancient weapons as trump cards, plus the world's greatest scientist, even if he could not awaken Conqueror's Haki, he would still have enough to contend with Imu.

But he had been thrown into God Valley right from the start.

Fortunately, after some maneuvering, he had obtained the Phoenix's power and met many important people.

How should he make use of these extra thirty-odd years?

That was another problem.

"Hey, what are you spacing out for?" Bepo waved a hand in front of his eyes.

Lin Nuo came back to himself, rubbed his flat stomach, and gave a bitter smile. "Nothing. I'm just hungry."

"I was thinking about what to have for lunch."

The moment he finished speaking, a loud rumble sounded.

It was so loud that several nearby passersby turned to look in surprise.

Rosin laughed and patted Lin Nuo's leg. "Ha ha, you're so huge, you must eat a terrifying amount."

"Come on, eat at my house. My dad's chef makes amazing food, and there'll definitely be enough."

"Really?" Lin Nuo was a little surprised.

"Of course." Rosin put his hands on his hips, imitating Bepo.

"Sister Mira told us to take care of you. We can't let Bepo be the only one showing off."

"Hmph, what showing off? It's my duty," Bepo protested. "But you, Rosin, don't you always say you want to become a pirate?"

"Why are you acting like a hero now? If you want to be a hero, you should join the Navy."

"Who says pirates can't be heroes?" Rosin immediately retorted, his little face turning red. "The kind of pirate I'll become in the future will be a pirate hero who helps the weak."

"A pirate is a pirate. What hero could there be?"

"What do you know? Didn't Garp say there are bad people in the Navy too?"

"Y-you're just twisting words."

"You are."

The two children began shoving each other, chasing and playfully fighting.

Seeing that, Lin Nuo hurriedly put away the newspaper and chased after them.

In a street corner, a man leaning against a wall watched the two children and Lin Nuo run away.

He casually tossed the cigarette butt to the ground, crushed it beneath his toe, then pulled out a Transponder Snail from his coat.

The Transponder Snail was quickly answered, its face taking on a cold expression.

"Yeah, it's me," the man said in a low voice.

"A lot of unfamiliar faces have indeed arrived on the island lately. I saw several strangely dressed freaks again today. They didn't look like travelers or merchants."

A reply came from the Transponder Snail. "Yeah, the higher-ups noticed too."

"The recent commotion has drawn plenty of hyenas from the outer seas."

"But they're just a rabble. The boss has more or less pacified them already."

"That's good." The man lit another cigarette. "By the way, how's the new outpost we set up at the harbor? No trouble, right?"

The Transponder Snail replied, "Everything's going smoothly. Recently, all ships entering and leaving the harbor, along with their personnel lists, have basically been under our control."

"However... the local officials seem very dissatisfied. They've said they'll invite the Marines over to restore order."

"The Marines..." The man paused mid-drag. "Do we know who they'll send? Any officers above warrant officer rank?"

The Transponder Snail said, "Don't worry. We checked. There aren't any."

"The Marines have been making major moves lately, and all their elites have been reassigned."

"Even if they really send one or two warrant officers..."

"We have backup plans. There's no need to fear them."