In One Piece World, My Appearance Is Maxed Out

6:30 a.m.

The Marine ship departed on time, heading southwest, about 200 kilometers to Bougie Island—its mission was to drive out the Cheese Pirates.

Leading the fleet was a young branch Commander named Streis.

Nao and Shia climbed aboard, and Streis, brimming with excitement, leaned against the railing and lit a cigar with flair.

"Har har! So you two are those fresh recruits from HQ getting real-world experience?" he called out with a grin. "Must be nervous, right? After all, we're going up against a famous pirate with a 56-million-Berry bounty!"

"But don't worry! With me, Commander Streis, at the helm, there's no way that pirate will get anywhere near you… ah—cough, cough—!"

Streis nearly choked on the cigar smoke, coughing violently. Nao rolled his eyes.

"Commander—ever heard of 'first time smoking, don't inhale?'"

"Cough, cough… was I the first time?" Streis gasped, tears watering his eyes. "I've smoked before! Don't… don't underestimate me!"

He tried to save face, but his spark fizzled fast.

When the Marine ship arrived at Bougie Island and he personally witnessed Nao charging into the pirate horde, slaughtering them like a god descending from heaven, Streis's eyes nearly popped out.

What?! Such intense skill—and he's just a rookie?

Streis chased after Nao, always a step behind. He watched in helpless awe as pirate officers—some worth a few million Berries, others tens of millions—all fell with chaotic screeches under Nao's blade.

In a flash, the pirate base was cleared, and Nao stood face-to-face with the Cheese Pirate Captain.

"..." Streis stood alone in the street, holding his sword, utterly bewildered.

This time, he genuinely wanted to silently light a cigar.

The captain of the Cheese Pirate was named "Cheese Monster" Wallace, with a bounty of 56 million Berries. He was a Paramecia-type Cheese-Cheese Fruit user, a bald fatty standing 1.7 meters tall and weighing 320 pounds.

With a physique like that, it was hard not to wonder if he spent his days using his Devil Fruit ability to self-produce and self-consume cheese, just to keep himself fed.

"Ho, ho… ho."

There were no living subordinates left around him. Wallace watched Nao approaching with a blank expression, retreating step by step towards the corner of the wall, sweating profusely, and despairingly roared:

"You… don't come any closer!"

Why do I feel like the villain here? Nao rolled his eyes, too lazy to bother with this guy. He used Soru to vanish and reappear above Wallace's head, let out a low grunt, and simultaneously brought down both the Wind Blade and the Azakana Sword.

Now!

Wallace, who had just moments ago appeared cowardly and fearful, suddenly showed a twisted expression. He stomped his foot, summoning a large amount of cheese he had pre-buried from the cracks in the floor tiles.

Gurgle!

Thick, dense cheese surged from the ground, boiling and congealing, instantly engulfing both the Wind Sword and the Azakana Sword, sealing them in mid-air.

"Too cocky, rookie! Now that your swords are gone, you're helpless!"

Wallace's face jiggled with fat as he laughed. His arm, transformed into a semi-liquid state and covered in a large amount of cheese, slammed towards Nao. He roared:

"You better remember, brat, cheese… is power!"

Looking at the surging torrent of cheese, Nao showed no signs of panic. Instead, he gave Wallace a strange look.

Whoosh!

Activating Soru instantly, he easily dodged the attack and appeared directly above Wallace's head. At the same time, he extended his right arm, which was already hardened with Armament Haki, and his fist clenched abruptly.

"Just because I don't have swords, doesn't mean I can't kill!"

Under Wallace's terrified gaze, Nao grinned mercilessly. His fist, gleaming with a dark luster, struck swiftly and cleanly towards Wallace's face.

"Eat my Justice Iron Fist, fatty!"

Thud!

The ground cracked open into a massive crater the size of a small building. Wallace slumped into the pit, motionless—his fate uncertain.

From island landing to departure took less than 90 minutes.

Streis, who hadn't managed to do anything except organize the clean-up and concluding work, returned to the deck in a daze, listlessly commanding the Marine ship to return.

Boring.

What was the point of being a Marine? What was the point of being a captain? It was all utterly pointless. He might as well go back to his hometown in the West Blue and raise pigs like before.

A once spirited young captain, so deeply shaken, became a "salted fish" who had lost his dreams.

Nao was completely oblivious to this. It was dusk, and the sunset was magnificent. Even he couldn't bear to waste such a beautiful scene, so he didn't immediately bury himself in the training room upon boarding the ship.

Instead, he stood at the bow with Sia, embracing her, feeling the sea breeze, and sharing a tender moment.

The scene gave a strong sense of déjà vu, making it hard not to worry if the Marine ship would hit an iceberg the next second.

Commander Streis who had just barely recovered, turned his head and saw this scene. His face immediately went numb, and he turned back around, silently lighting the cigar he had only taken one puff from earlier.

In the days that followed—

Nao, with Shia by his side, continued his high-intensity battle-merit grind.

Luck seemed to stay on his side. Missions came frequently, rarely leaving downtime. No more than a few hours after docking at G2, Nao would board another ship. Mission difficulty ranged from mid-Berry bounties up to 80 million, led by Commanders and Rear Admirals alike.

But regardless of the situation, Nao, with his formidable and invincible performance, made every combat mission conclude incredibly quickly, leaving the commanding officers stunned.

By month's end, his reputation had spread throughout the G2 branch. At first, it was whispered among senior officers. Soon, every Marine in the branch—tens of thousands strong—heard stories of a powerhouse recruit from HQ, relentlessly hunting pirate crews at unprecedented speed.

In just one month, over 20 pirates with bounties over 10 million were defeated by Nao—countless others under them, too.

When Instructor Brandon received Nao's merit report via the staff officer, he was speechless for minutes.

Even Kizaru, who had vaguely heard about it from his subordinates' discussions, asked for the combat report and, after a quick glance, his eyes also widened, and he fell into a long silence…

—Shiryu's Diary—

"I've been at G6 for a week now.

I kind of missed those two back at G2… until I met her.

Is this what it feels like to… like someone?

I've been too distracted to train properly. It's not normal—I even started writing a diary.

PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin