Am I Nami's Older Brother?

Noil tried to soften his smile as he walked up to the girls and asked softly, "Why are you following me?"

The little orange-haired girl timidly hid behind her older sister, while Big Sister looked at Noil, who stood a head taller than her, and said, "We want to find something to eat."

"Something to eat?" Noil froze.

He was starving himself, so where was he supposed to find food?

"I don't have any food on me either. How about we walk ahead together? Maybe we'll find some?"

The two little girls stopped talking. Noil scratched his head and said, "Well, if you don't want to, forget it."

With that, Noil turned and walked away. The two little ones hesitated for a moment before following at a close distance behind him.

Noil glanced back at the two sisters with a poker face and couldn't help letting out a sigh of relief.

They were just kids, after all, and still quite easy to trust others.

Just like that, Noil led the two little followers along for a short while. The stench of rotting scorch grew increasingly intense around them, almost making the few of them unable to keep their eyes open.

Bloodstains on the ground gradually grew more frequent, and after walking only a few steps, Noil even spotted several corpses.

A chill ran through Noil's heart, but with two girls following behind him, he couldn't show a terrified expression.

Stepping over to the side of a body one step at a time, Noil fumbled across the corpse with trembling hands.

This looked like the body of a pirate, covered in stab wounds and blood, a sailor's kerchief tied around his head, and his expression before death looking utterly gruesome.

Thank goodness, though, he actually found a small bundle tied around the man's waist, and he quickly unfastened it.

Fumbling frantically to untie the bundle, he found only a nearly dried-out piece of bread left inside.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Noil looked at the girls who were staring at him with eager eyes, sighed, and said, "Here, you guys eat this."

Big Sister took the bread, gave a rather polite bow of thanks, and then handed the food over to her younger sister.

The two of them then shared it, eating it bit by bit. Having gained this experience, Noil skillfully searched another corpse.

The corpses grew more numerous, and the food the three of them found was no longer a small amount. The bond between the two younger sisters and Noil unconsciously grew closer.

Gradually, the sky began to darken. Walking as if through a mortal hell, the three of them also felt somewhat frightened, so they casually found a spot to rest on the spot.

Watching the two sisters huddled together, a smile appeared on Noil's face, carrying a rather bittersweet flavor of finding joy in hardship.

Seemingly due to the stamina boost talent, Noil still didn't feel very tired.

This ability wasn't bad for him at the present stage.

Hmph... So what if it turned out to be actually amazing?!

Above the distant sea, a Marine warship was slowly sailing over.

On the deck, a pink-haired girl dressed in Marine attire stared blankly at the sky.

Not far away, a group of Marine soldiers looked at the girl with worry on their faces and muttered in discussion:

"Is Bellemere going to be okay?"

"She hasn't eaten in days. Her body won't hold up like this."

"There's nothing we can do, especially since her previous squad..."

"Shh, keep your voice down!"

Bellemere seemed not to hear the few people whispering behind her, though her roguish brow and gaze carried an unresolvable sorrow at the moment.

"Fall in!"

At that very moment, the Marine Commander suddenly let out a roar, and the soldiers on the ship hastily formed a neat squad on the deck, including Bellemere.

"Private First Class Bellemere!"

"Sir!"

Bellemere swept away her previous sorrow and responded with a heroic air.

"Take a squad to scout the village on the island first, and the rest of you come with me to support the kingdom interior!"

"Sir!"

Taking advantage of the moment before departure, Bellemere walked up to the Marine Commander and asked, "Sir, my resignation..."

The Marine Commander's gaze turned somewhat complex as he asked, "Do you really want to leave? You still have a bright future ahead of you."

Bellemere shook her head in silence.

"Your previous squad was wiped out, leaving you as the sole survivor. You should live on well carrying their hopes!"

The Marine Commander's tone grew somewhat emotional, but looking at the despondent Bellemere before him, he ultimately chose to let it go for now.

"Think about it carefully."

"Yes..."

Bellemere gazed at the distant battlefield, which resembled a nightmare, and sighed inwardly:

What meaning is there to living, anyway?

On the battlefield, Noil, who had just fallen into a light sleep, suddenly heard a series of chaotic footsteps by his ear, startling him into opening his eyes.

The two sisters leaning against him seemed to sense something as well and woke up.

The footsteps grew closer and closer. Under the dim twilight, Noil forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart, and beads of dense sweat quickly broke out on his forehead.

Shielding the little lolis behind him, Noil gritted his teeth. As that group drew near, he looked closely.

Marine uniforms?

That person is... Bellemere!

Wait a minute?!

Could the ones behind me be?

Chapter 3 Am I Nami's Older Brother?

Could the ones behind me be...

Nami and Nojiko?!

Right, the original story seemed to mention that Bellemere used to be a Marine, and during a battlefield, she found Nojiko and Nami—who were orphans—and adopted them as her daughters.

Could it really be this much of a coincidence?

Bellemere looked with astonishment at the three little ones before her. Why would there be children on a battlefield?

Battlefield orphans?

Two little girls who looked extremely cute, and also...

A brat with a precociously mature face?

Bellemere smiled and rubbed Noil's head, then pinched his little arms and legs like a female ruffian.

Noil wore an expression of utter disgust.

Cut it out! Haven't you ever seen a three-year-old's biceps before?

Nami and Nojiko, hiding behind him, cautiously poked their heads out, looking at the twenty-something girl before them with a mixture of fear and curiosity.

Bellemere didn't stand on ceremony at all, pulling one into each arm and hugging them to her chest with a cheerful face.

"Little ones, what are your names?" Bellemere asked with a smile radiating across her face.

Nojiko lowered her head despondently and said, "I don't know... Before the war, I was already an orphan..."

"Is that so..." Bellemere thought for a moment, taking Nojiko's small hand:

"Then from now on, your name will be Nojiko..."

Then she patted Nami's head and said, "And your name will be Nami! Nami-chan!"

"And..." Bellemere stared at Noil, suddenly asking with a puzzled expression, "How old are you, kid?"

Noil lifted the pendant around his neck and said, "My name is Noil, I'm three years old, and I don't know where my family went."

"Three years old?"

Bellemere gestured to estimate his large stature.

"Then you sure grow fast."

Noil curled his lips.

I grow fast? Then you must have never seen what Big Mom looked like when she was a kid.

My little physique wouldn't even be enough to fill one bite of her mouth!

While Noil was letting his imagination run wild, Bellemere suddenly pulled him into her embrace along with Nojiko and Nami.

Noil paused for a second, and immediately afterward, he heard Bellemere's gentle whisper.

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

Noil's emotions couldn't help but stir.

In the original story, Bellemere truly fulfilled her promise, dying a tragic death at Arlong's hands in order to protect the two Nami sisters.

This was an extremely steadfast figure overflowing with maternal radiance.

When he first arrived in this world, Noil had still viewed the figures in it with a certain cold detachment.

Yet now, a gentle embrace from Bellemere made him understand.

This world was a genuinely existing one, filled with human warmth.

His nerves, exhausted for so long, seemed to relax all at once. Noil's mind gradually grew peaceful within that embrace, and before he knew it, he slowly drifted off into sleep.

So much so that in his haziness, he didn't even hear the system's voice.

"Detected that the host has befriended an important character and joined an important plotline. Distributing rewards..."

If Noil were still awake at this moment, he would surely be surprised that the consistently frigid system voice had actually turned somewhat gentle...

Watching the gradually quieting children, Bellemere seemed to find her motivation to keep living once more.

She smiled and muttered to herself, "As expected, as long as you're alive, so many happy things will happen."

In the following time, Bellemere executed her final mission as a Marine and officially left the military.

This time, none of her Marine Commander or friends worried any longer about her doing something rash.

That was because everyone saw a yearning for life in Bellemere's eyes.

Just like that, Bellemere bid farewell to the Marines and embarked on the road back to her hometown with the three Noil siblings.

On the calm sea, a small boat sailed in a leisurely manner. Noil lay inside the cabin of the boat, counting his previous rewards.

"Participated in an important plotline: Bellemere adopts the sisters. Rewards distributed: Gold Talent Copy Card x1, White Talent Copy Card x3, Physique +15."

"Befriended important characters: Nami, Bellemere, Nojiko. Rewards distributed: Red Talent Copy Card x1, Purple Talent Copy Card x1, Blue Talent Copy Card x1, a bag of top-grade orange seeds."

Noil scratched his head in confusion and said, "System, why are there so many copy cards being distributed? Is there a pattern to this?"

"The degree of importance in participating in the plot varies, and the quality of the copy cards obtained differs. Bellemere adopting the sisters determines the survival of the main protagonist Nami, so the level of importance is very high."

"Regarding befriending important characters, the more ties a person has to the world's storyline, the more bountiful the rewards."

Understood. It meant he still needed to mingle more with those people who had heavy screen time in the original story.

After all, they were the protagonist group.

As for the reward seeds, he didn't even need to think about it—it must be because both Bellemere and her daughter were connected to oranges, which was why the system gave them.

As for the +15 to physique...

"System, open my panel and show me all the stats."

"Host: Kielros D. Noir

Ability Stats:

Charm: 80 (Max 100)

Physique: 95 (Max 999)