I Can Copy Any Talent in the World of One Piece

Noil tried to make his smile as gentle as possible. He walked up to the girls and asked softly, "Why are you following me?"

The little orange-haired girl hid timidly behind her older sister. The older girl looked up at Noil, who stood a head taller than her, and said, "We're looking for something to eat."

"Something to eat?" Noil froze.

He was starving himself. Where was he supposed to find food?

"I don't have any food either. How about we keep walking together? Maybe we'll find some."

The two little girls said nothing. Noil scratched his head. "If you don't want to, that's okay."

With that, Noil turned and walked away. After hesitating a moment, the two girls followed him at a little distance.

Noil glanced at the sisters without letting on and breathed a sigh of relief.

They were children, after all. They still found it easy to trust people.

Noil walked on with his two little followers. Before long, the stench of rot and burning grew so strong that they could barely keep their eyes open.

There was more and more blood on the ground. Within a few steps, Noil spotted several bodies.

A chill ran through him, but with the two girls behind him, he couldn't show his fear.

He approached a body one step at a time and searched it with trembling hands.

It looked like a pirate. His body was covered in knife wounds and blood, and a sailor's scarf was tied around his head. His face was twisted into a grimace.

Thank goodness, Noil found a small bundle at the pirate's waist and hurriedly took it.

He fumbled it open. Inside was only a piece of bread that had nearly gone hard.

Noil swallowed. The girls were staring at him longingly. He sighed and said, "Here. You two eat it."

The older girl accepted the bread and gave him a polite bow of thanks before handing it to her little sister.

The sisters shared it bit by bit. With one search under his belt, Noil began searching the other bodies more deftly.

There were more and more bodies, and the three of them found plenty of food. Without realizing it, Noil and the two sisters grew closer.

The sky gradually darkened. After walking through what felt like hell on earth, all three were growing frightened. They found a spot and stopped to rest.

Noil smiled at the sisters huddled together. He was finding what little comfort he could.

Perhaps it was thanks to his Stamina Boost talent, but he still didn't feel all that tired.

For now, the ability was actually pretty useful.

Fine... I take it back. Happy?

Out at sea, a Marine warship slowly approached.

On deck, a pink-haired young woman in a Marine uniform stared blankly at the sky.

Not far away, a group of Marines watched her with worried faces and murmured among themselves.

"Is Bellemere going to be okay?"

"She hasn't eaten in days. Her body can't take much more of this."

"Can you blame her? Her old unit..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down!"

Bellemere seemed not to hear them whispering behind her. Her usually roguish face was clouded with grief.

"Fall in!"

The Marine commander's sudden roar sent the soldiers hurrying into formation on deck. Bellemere joined them.

"First-Class Seaman Bellemere!"

"Sir!"

Bellemere swept away her earlier gloom and answered with vigor.

"Take a team ashore and scout the village. The rest of you will come with me to reinforce the Kingdom Interior!"

"Sir!"

Before setting out, Bellemere approached the Marine commander. "Commander, about my resignation..."

The commander gave her a conflicted look. "Are you sure you want to leave? You have a bright future ahead of you."

Bellemere shook her head in silence.

"Your entire unit was wiped out, and you were the only survivor. You should live well, carrying their hopes with you!"

The commander's voice grew heated. But seeing how despondent Bellemere was, the commander let the matter rest for now.

"Think it over some more."

"Yes..."

Bellemere gazed toward the battlefield in the distance, a place straight out of her nightmares, and sighed inwardly.

What was the point of living?

On the battlefield, Noil had only just drifted into a light sleep when the sound of many footsteps reached his ears. He jolted awake.

The sisters leaning against him seemed to sense something too and woke up.

The footsteps drew closer. In the dim light, Noil forced down his fear, but sweat soon beaded across his forehead.

He shielded the little girls behind him and gritted his teeth. As the group came closer, he peered at them.

Marine uniforms?

Was that... Bellemere?

Wait a second!

Then the girls behind me were...?

Was I Nami's Brother? ### Could the girls behind me be...

Nami and Nojiko?!

That's right. In the Original Story, Bellemere had been a Marine. She'd found the orphaned Nojiko and Nami on a battlefield and adopted them as her daughters.

Could it really be that much of a coincidence?

Bellemere stared at the three little children in surprise. Why were there children on a battlefield?

Orphans of war?

Two adorable little girls, and...

A little brat who looked far too grown-up for his age?

Bellemere smiled and ruffled Noil's hair. Then, like a shameless rogue, she gave his little arms and legs a squeeze.

Noil looked thoroughly disgusted.

Hands off! Never seen a three-year-old's biceps before?

Behind him, Nami and Nojiko cautiously poked their heads out. They studied the woman in her early twenties with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Bellemere acted as though they were already close, scooping a girl into each arm with a cheerful grin.

"What are your names, little ones?" Bellemere asked with a smile.

Nojiko lowered her head sadly. "I don't know... I was an orphan even before the war..."

"I see..." Bellemere thought for a moment and took Nojiko's little hand.

"Then from now on, you'll be Nojiko..."

She patted Nami's head. "And you'll be Nami! Little Nami!"

"And..." Bellemere looked at Noil, then asked in sudden puzzlement, "How old are you, kid?"

Noil held up the pendant around his neck. "My name's Noil. I'm three. I don't know where my family went."

"Three?"

Bellemere gestured at his height.

"You sure grew fast."

Noil pursed his lips.

I grew fast? Then you've clearly never seen what Big Mom looked like as a kid.

She could've fit my whole little body in her mouth!

While Noil's thoughts wandered, Bellemere suddenly pulled him into a hug along with Nojiko and Nami.

Noil went still. Then he heard Bellemere whisper gently.

"Don't worry. Bellemere will protect you from now on."

Emotion stirred in Noil's heart.

In the Original Story, Bellemere had kept that promise. She had died at Arlong's hands to protect Nami and Nojiko.

She was a remarkably strong woman with a mother's love.

When Noil first arrived in this world, he had still felt somewhat detached from its people.

But Bellemere's gentle embrace made him understand.

This world was real, and its people cared for one another.

The strain he had been under finally eased. Safe in her arms, Noil's mind grew quiet, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

He was so deeply asleep that he didn't hear the system's voice.

"Host has met an important person and become involved in a major plot event. Rewards are being issued..."

Had Noil been awake, he would have been astonished. The system's usually cold voice sounded almost gentle...

Bellemere looked at the children as they settled down. It felt as though she had found a reason to keep living.

She smiled and murmured to herself, "As long as you're alive, there are so many happy things waiting to happen."

After that, Bellemere completed her final mission as a Marine and formally left the service.

This time, neither her commander nor her friends worried that she might do something rash.

They could all see in Bellemere's eyes that she looked forward to life again.

And so Bellemere said goodbye to the Marines and set off for her hometown with the three children.

The sea was calm, and their little boat drifted along. Noil lay inside the cabin, counting the rewards he had received.

"Participated in a major plot event: Bellemere adopted the sisters. Rewards issued: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1, White Talent Copy Card ×3, Constitution +15."

"Met important people: Nami, Bellemere, Nojiko. Rewards issued: Red Talent Copy Card ×1, Purple Talent Copy Card ×1, Blue Talent Copy Card ×1, one bag of Premium Orange Seeds."

Noil scratched his head in confusion. "System, why did I get so many Copy Cards? Is there some rule to it?"

"The quality of the Copy Cards depends on the importance of your participation in the plot. Bellemere's adoption of the sisters determined the survival of Nami, an important protagonist, so the event was highly significant."

"As for meeting important people, the more involved they are in this world's plot, the greater the rewards."

Got it. I just need to meet people who get a lot of attention in the Original Story.

I should spend more time with Luffy and the Others, then. They're the main cast, after all.

And the seeds? That was obvious. Bellemere and her daughters were all connected to oranges, so the system gave me those.

As for Constitution +15...

"System, open my status panel. Let me see all my stats."

Host: Kielros D. Noir

Ability values:

Charisma: 80 (maximum 100)

Constitution: 95 (maximum 999)