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The lower deck of the Bloody Maw was damp and dimly lit, lit only by flickering lanterns swaying on rusty chains. The smell of seawater, sweat, and mold hung thick in the air. Every footstep echoed—except Kain didn't make any.
He just appeared at the bottom of the steps in a quiet shimmer, arms still tucked into his coat.
His gaze swept across the hold.
Iron bars. Chains. Shivering figures pressed into corners, too frightened to speak. Adults clung to each other, children hid behind whatever they could, and a small girl held a broken doll tight to her chest like it was her only shield.
Kain sighed. Loud enough for it to echo.
"Yeah," he muttered, "definitely hostages."
One of the civilians—a bearded man in ragged clothes—stood protectively in front of a group of others. His voice was hoarse, defensive. "Who are you?! Another one of them?"
Kain blinked slowly. "Do I look like I have the energy to be a pirate?"
That seemed to disarm the tension slightly. Or maybe it was the fact that his coat, even soaked and wrinkled, still had the Marine emblem on the back.
He walked over to the iron bars, dragging his fingers along them like he was inspecting furniture for dust.
"These locked?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
The man nodded, warily. "They keep us down here. Said they'd sell us off in the next port."
Kain frowned.
Not in rage. Not in sorrow.
Just… tired disappointment. Like he'd been asked to work overtime on a weekend.
"Figures."
He reached for the lock and casually snapped it between two fingers. The shackle crumpled like wet cardboard. The chains clattered to the ground.
The civilians didn't move at first. They stared at him—stunned, hesitant, disbelieving. Even the youngest among them didn't speak.
Then, slowly, one of the children stepped forward.
A girl, no older than six, with smudged cheeks and tangled hair. She looked up at him with wide eyes and clutched his coat sleeve.
"...Are you an angel?"
Kain squinted down at her. "What? No."
She didn't seem convinced.
"You came from the sky," she whispered.
Kain opened his mouth to argue, paused, then closed it again. "...Okay, technically, yes."
"You saved us."
"I saved myself from a terrible system punishment. You just… benefited."
Still, she smiled. A soft, pure smile, the kind that should've been impossible down here. It hit Kain right in the soul—he didn't like that.
"Alright," he muttered, gently detaching her grip. "Enough emotional damage. You're free. All of you. Go topside, don't trip over unconscious pirates."
The civilians slowly began to move. Stumbling, limping, helping each other. Whispering prayers. Muttering thanks. But none of them rushed.
Every few seconds, one would glance back at Kain.
Some in awe. Some in fear. Some just… confused.
And as they passed, Kain kept hearing the same words repeated under their breath:
"Angel."
"Guardian."
"Sleepy savior."
"God of naps."
Kain pinched the bridge of his nose.
The Shonen System chimed cheerfully in his head:
[Mission Complete!]
- Objective: Rescue the abducted civilians.
- Reward: 5,000 BSP
- Bonus: Free Nap Pass (20 uses)
- Additional Bonus: The rescued civilians now worship you as the 'Sleepy Guardian Angel.'
He groaned. "No, no, no. Please don't make that a title."
Following a very enthusiastic Ding!,
[Title Unlocked: Sleepy Guardian Angel]
- Passive Effect: Civilians will instinctively trust you.
- Drawback: You will occasionally be asked for bedtime stories.
"I'm not a damn babysitter," Kain muttered, turning toward the exit. "This system is actually cursed."
The sun had dipped low as Kain finally emerged from the underbelly of the Bloody Maw, stretching lazily as if he'd just woken from a decent nap instead of saving a ship full of civilians. His coat still clung damply to his shoulders, and his dark blonde hair stuck to his forehead in tired strands.
Above him, the sky had cleared. Blue again. Calmer.
The other pirate ship floated nearby—its crew now docile, some even helping the freed hostages onto their deck like they'd suddenly found religion. They avoided eye contact with Kain as he stepped forward, passing unconscious bodies and groaning pirates without giving them a second glance.
He reached a small dinghy still tied to the side of the Bloody Maw. Barely seaworthy. One oar. No sail and a strange transponder snail affixed to the front of the dhingy.
Despite his curiosity as to it's purpose, Kain did not wake up the sleeping snail. That would be taboo.
"Perfect," he muttered. "Low effort."
He climbed in without a word. A few civilians tried to thank him as he passed, but he just waved it off with a half-hearted grunt.
The girl who called him an angel tried to run up again, but her father gently held her back.
"She just wanted to say thank you!" the man yelled.
Kain waved without looking. "Tell her to save it for someone who deserves it."
And with that, he began to row.
Slowly.
Rhythmically.
Like each pull of the oar was a step closer to a long nap on a dry beach.
He didn't look back.
A familiar ding soon echoed in his mind.
[System Notification: New Side Quest Available!]
- Objective: Discover the reason you fell from Skypiea.
- Reward: 3,000 BSP
- Penalty: If failed, user will develop a debilitating fear of heights.
Kain stared at the cloudy sky. Blankly.
"Are you serious?" he asked aloud.
[Very]
He stopped rowing and looked around. Water. Horizon. Nothing else. Okay, what was the last thing he remembered?
"I was dreaming of a hoverbed while napping on a foamy cloud close to the edge of sky island. Did I roll over and fall off? No, no...I'm not that dumb."
[Hint: Suspicious interference detected near time of fall.]
Kain blinked. "Wait… you're saying I got pushed?"
[Affirmative. Drawing a list of suspects...]
The system went silent.
Kain's eye twitched. "That better not have been Chopper playing with the balloon tank again…"
"Puru puru puru"
Another sound interrupted him as the Transpoder Snail on the dinghy suddenly activated.
"Incoming Transmission Detected." The snail informed in a bored tone.
He frowned. "Transmission? From who—?"
A spark of light burst out of it's eyes, forming a projection.
A tall figure with a square jaw and a coat draped over his shoulders like a cape appeared, munching on a familiar bag of rice crackers.
Kain's blood ran cold.
"Oh no…"
The snail-vision crackled as the figure laughed—loud and booming, the sound of a man who'd thrown cannonballs for fun and survived enough wars to get bored of them.
"KAIIIIN! THERE YOU ARE, YOU LAZY BRAT!"
Vice Admiral Garp.
Kain didn't even look surprised—just exhausted in a spiritual sense.
"...How," he muttered. "Just how?!"
The transmission crackled again.
"You fell right into pirate territory, didn't you?!" Garp shouted. "And you beat 'em up? HA! That's my boy!"
"I didn't want to beat them up—"
"Tell me where you are," Garp interrupted. "We're sending a ship to pick you up for debriefing!"
"No."
"Debriefing."
"No."
"We'll have snacks."
Kain narrowed his eyes. "What kind?"
There was a long pause.
"…Rice crackers."
He hung up.
The projection fizzled into nothing and the snail returned to sleep, leaving the sea quiet again.
Kain slumped back in the dinghy, letting the oar float beside him as he rested his head on the rim.
Far in the distance, the silhouette of a Marine ship loomed, headed toward him at an aggressive pace. It made no sense how he'd been found. Was Garp Psychic? Maybe his Kenboshuko had reached the level of Future sight.
All these questions were hurting the logic in his brain.
Kain sighed.
"I should've stayed in the clouds."
[Pick the main suspect responsible for the sabotage, from the following list...]
"Was it Enel?" Kain asked, moodless.
The system was silent for a while.
[Side Quest Complete!]
-Rewards:...
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"Figures."
Kain ignored the notifications as he laid back and rested his exhausted spirit.