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Noir almost couldn't resist rolling his eyes.
"Thanks, but there's no need. Your crew probably threw you overboard to scare you."
Noir recognized most of the people on the pirate ship. The fat guy always holding a drumstick, Usopp's father Yasopp, and the first mate Benn Beckman were all there, among others.
Several other crew members, whose names Noir couldn't remember, were standing on the ship, mercilessly mocking Shanks:
"What's the matter, Captain? Did you swim all the way here?"
"With one arm, Captain, you'd better not show off too much!"
Noir's face was lined with exasperation at the jeers, but Shanks showed no reaction, instead joining in the laughter wholeheartedly.
Shanks leapt onto the ship, and as the pirate ship gradually sailed away from the shore, Noir waved goodbye to him.
Shanks' bright smile always had a way of infecting those around him. He waved back at Noir, shouting, "Noir, once you enter the Grand Line, come find me!"
Huh? How does he know I plan to enter the Grand Line?
Noir recalled mentioning it during his battle with Kembra. Had Shanks been there already?
I didn't notice at all.
It seems that, even without my intervention, Kembra's crew would have been defeated by Shanks' passing crew before they could invade the village.
Poor bastards.
Smiling, Noir bid farewell to Shanks and his crew. Suddenly, the system's notification sound interrupted the moment.
"Ding! Important person Shanks recognized. System reward: Haki Awakening Intro^1, Constitution +15."
What? Haki?!
Excited, Noir opened the system and found a new section under "Swordsmanship"—Haki: 10 (Max 99).
The previously elusive power now felt within his grasp. This is the power of Haki!
This fishing trip yielded quite a haul of rewards.
Golden, purple, and blue talents, and now Haki awakening, was a great surprise.
While Noir happily counted his rewards, the fishermen returned, with many villagers rushing to support him.
Among them was his mother, Bell-mère.
Bell-mère hurried over; worry etched on her face as she saw his severe injuries. Her face darkened with concern.
Noir quickly reassured her, "It's okay, Bell-mère, it doesn't hurt anymore."
Turning her head away, Bell-mère stubbornly said, "I don't care about you!"
"In just a short while, how did a good kid turn into a bloody mess?"
"Do you know how worried I was when everyone came looking for me?"
Listening to Bell-mère's nagging, Noir played dumb, smiling foolishly without retorting.
Seeing his expression, Bell-mère rolled her eyes and lightly knocked on his head, asking, "Where are those pirates? Did you lose the fight?"
Noir quickly laughed appealingly, "How could I lose? I'm Bell-mère's child!"
Pointing to the distant sea, he said, "I cared for them all. The pirate ship has sunk."
Bell-mère nodded, and the villagers excitedly chimed in:
"Noir is amazing, defeating them so quickly!"
"Exactly, those pirates looked so fierce!"
"Enough talking; let's get Noir back to the village to treat his wounds!"
With the villagers' support, Bell-mère helped Noir back to the village, laying him down in the village clinic.
Bell-mère stayed by his side, comforting him, "You need to get better quickly. We're planning a celebration for your big catch and defeating those pirates!"
Wrapped up like a mummy, Noir weakly protested, "Actually, my injuries aren't serious..."
Trying to get up, Noir was forced back down by Bell-mère's stern glare.
"Onii-chan!"
A sweet voice called out, and Noir knew who it was without turning his head.
A small orange-haired figure burst through the door, shouting as she ran in, flopping onto Noir's chest like a little ball.
"Ow!"
Noir yelped as he felt his wounds reopen.
Seven years had passed, and Nami had grown from a fragile little girl into a lively, healthy child.
Nami lay on Noir's chest with short orange hair, looking up with big teary eyes and a runny nose.
In a tearful tone, petite Nami cried, "Onii-chan... don't... don't die!"
With a face full of exasperation, Noir pulled Nami off him and tossed her aside, exclaiming, "I'm just injured; I'm not dying!"
"Really?"
Hearing this, Nami immediately stopped crying, wiped her tears and snot with her chubby hands, and then happily ran out to play again.
"Gen-san, I want your windmill..."
Listening to the laughter of his silly sister outside, Noir felt like banging his head against the wall.
But thankfully, he had two sisters.
Nojiko, wearing a blue sundress and a headband, stood by the bed, looking at Noir's injuries with concern, asking, "Onii-chan, are you okay?"
Noir sighed inwardly: This is the real gentle sister.
As for the carefree petite Nami...
Forget it; let's not mention her.
Noir gently ruffled Nojiko's hair, softly saying, "I'm fine. Those pirates aren't that tough."
Nojiko nodded, looking at Noir with admiration, "I heard! Onii-chan is amazing, sinking an entire pirate ship!"
Noir and Nojiko were the same age, but Noir had always cared for his sisters, so everyone treated him as the older brother.
On the battlefield, Nojiko was holding Nami when Noir found them and provided for them. Nami was too young to remember, but Nojiko remembered it clearly.
So, from childhood to adulthood, Nojiko's most admired person was Noir. In her eyes, her brother could do anything.
Even more than Bell-mère!
In Bell-mère's home, Noir's number one little follower was Nojiko. As for Nami...
She only stuck to Noir when she needed something from him.
Noir happily chatted with Nojiko by his bed while Bell-mère watched her children with a sunny smile.
A capable son and two daughters, one naughty and one gentle—Bell-mère was very content.
This was the life she wanted.