A few minutes later, the speedboat, carrying Nao alone, sped at full throttle towards Picardo Island.
Onigumo ultimately didn't come along, and the reason behind it was heartwarming.
It wasn't entirely about his weight; as the captain, he was responsible for all the marines on the ship.
This was the Grand Line, after all, and a strong individual needed to remain on board to prevent pirates from exploiting any openings.
...
Night sky.
Stars were dense, and the bright moon hung high.
The sea breeze was cool, and the surroundings shimmered with light. Nao scooped up a handful of water to wash his face. Looking down, he could vaguely see colorful fish darting past, creating beautiful light and shadows.
"So damn refreshing..."
He lay back leisurely on the boat's deck, gazing up at the full moon. He inexplicably recalled the night a few months ago when he and Gion swapped bodies; the moonlight was just as clear and bright as it was tonight.
He wondered what Gion was busy with now...
It had been so long since they last contacted each other.
"Less than two months until I can return to Headquarters."
Nao rested his arms behind his head, his gaze distant. "When my battle achievements are tallied, Gion will probably be shocked speechless..."
His efforts during this period hadn't been in vain. His current battle merits were more than enough for a Commodore rank. By the end of the three-month period, he would start as at least a Rear Admiral.
As for Vice Admiral, that would truly depend on luck.
After all, since the Elite Camp was established, there had never been such a precedent.
The night deepened. He was alone with the moon on the sea, accompanied by his white pigeon, enjoying this rare leisure time without feeling lonely.
He had originally planned to pass the time by reading the full set of Boruto manga he had bought last time, but after flipping through a few chapters cursorily, Nao couldn't bear it and tossed it back into his bag, thinking that the system truly hadn't deceived him; this was indeed genuine unburnable trash.
If only he could have rolled the full set of One Piece manga. When he transmigrated, Oda had only just finished the Whole Cake Island Arc, and he was still curious about the Wano Country arc.
The long night quietly passed. As dawn began to break, Nao took out his sea chart and flipped through it, estimating that it would take at most another hour to reach Picardo Town.
He immediately sat up, took out some luosifen and fried chicken, and started eating, preparing to fill his stomach and refresh himself before landing on the island.
However, before he could even finish half a chicken breast, the speedboat beneath him sputtered twice, trembled lightly, and then abruptly stopped.
Nao froze, twisted around to check the cylinder, and found that it had run out of fuel…
How lame, it hadn't even been half a day.
He rummaged through the storage compartment for a long time but couldn't find any spare fuel, immediately feeling a pang of frustration. Stranded in the vast open sea, with no village or shop in sight, how was he supposed to get to Picardo Island now? He couldn't just fly, could he?
Wait, fly?
A thought struck Nao. He reached into his backpack, which was essentially a four-dimensional pocket, pulled out a Bamboo-Copter (Take-Copter), checked that no one was around, and quickly put it on his head.
[Item: Bamboo-Copter]
[Type: Consumable]
[Description: Simply wear it on your head to control flight freely with your mind. Maximum speed reaches 80km/h. Total usage time is 16 hours, with no limit on uses. When time expires, the item permanently disappears.]
[Note: Put it on and remember the beauty of your innocent childhood.]
["Suneo, I..."]
Aha, he had this thing for so long, and he actually found a use for it now.
Woohoo, time to take off!
The Bamboo-Copter spun rapidly like a propeller, effortlessly lifting his body into the sky. Ignoring wind direction and all principles of mechanics, he could drift in any direction simply by controlling it with his mind.
In terms of travel speed alone…
Zephyr-sensei, this thing's way more convenient than Moonwalk!
A maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, much faster than a Marine ship. Nao maintained an altitude of about two hundred meters, gazing into the distance. He could vaguely discern the outline of an island at the horizon through the thin morning mist.
Little Lou flew and circled beside him, its eyes full of curious confusion. But as soon as Nao pulled out his luosifen again and started slurping, the bird flapped away, nose wrinkled in disgust.
"Next time I'll feed you some sour bamboo shoots, then you'll know this stuff isn't so bad."
Nao pouted, unconcerned, and continued his great task of filling his belly.
But less than half a bowl down, he stopped abruptly due to the wild loud laughter coming from below.
"Oh dear…" Nao immediately realized what had happened. He narrowed his eyes, looked down, and followed the sound. "Was I seen by someone on my first try…?"
...
The laughter came from the sea in the southeast.
On a small ship, about the size of the Going Merry, a man and a woman were leaning over the bow railing, pointing at Nao in the sky, laughing so hard that tears were almost streaming down their faces.
"Hey, Sammy, see that guy up in the sky! He's actually flying with a toy Bamboo-Copter on his head, ahahahahahahaha!"
"Hahahaha, I see him! He even looks like he's eating noodles! What a ridiculous pose! Hey, Jim Carrey, did you bring a camera? Hurry and take a picture!"
"I already left it on Saint Dine Island. We're not reporters, why would we keep carrying that thing around…"
The man called Jim Carrey was in his early thirties, plump, with a full beard.
The woman named Sammy was slightly younger, with long, wavy black hair and tanned skin, and a hot figure.
The two seemed quite close, playfully teasing each other and eventually embracing as they laughed. But they soon noticed that the figure who had been flying in the sky had suddenly and inexplicably vanished.
And at the same time, it felt like something had appeared behind them, arms wrapping around both their shoulders…
Jim Carrey and Sammy's smiles immediately froze.
They both stiffly turned their necks to look back. What met their eyes was a youthfully handsome face, impossibly beautiful, revealing neat white teeth, smiling as he looked at them:
"I tend to enjoy a good show. What were you two laughing about just now? Could you share it so I can join in the fun?"
"N-nothing at all…"
When did this guy get behind us…? Jim Carrey swallowed hard, forcing a dry laugh, while his right hand stealthily reached for the revolver at his waist.
Smack!
His plump right hand had barely touched the holster when something sharply slapped it. It instantly turned red and swollen, and a pained cry escaped Jim Carrey.
"No need for those little gestures. It's much better to just be honest."
The black-haired youth was still smiling gently, but in the morning light, Jim Carrey inexplicably felt a chilling cold deep in his heart.
He quickly pulled back his hand and shook his head, giving a meaningful look to his female companion who also intended to draw a weapon. Only then did he turn his head, his face pale, to face the youth.
Then he heard the youth's polite, yet somewhat expectant, voice:
"Well, if you don't want to share the fun, then answer another question for me. Excuse me, are you two… pirates?"
… Shiryu's Diary …
Today, I successfully quit smoking for seven hours, thirty-five minutes, and seventy-two seconds.
Significant progress, cause for celebration.
Decided to smoke three extra packs of cigars tonight to celebrate.
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin