The two of them hadn't lied—tonight's moonlight really was beautiful.
A star-studded sky stretched overhead, the full moon hanging high, casting down a soft, silvery glow. The sea shimmered below, faintly revealing the shadows of fish gliding beneath the surface.
There was no wind, no waves, just a quiet, tranquil silence.
Apart from the three of them, a few others lingered on deck, most of them fellow young Marines out for an evening stroll after dinner.
"This trip is going way too smoothly…" Rosinante leaned against the railing, gazing up at the silver moon with a bored expression. "We didn't even run into a couple of Sea Kings brawling or anything. Kinda dull."
"Not running into them is a good thing," Shiryu scoffed. "Seastone's not foolproof—if a Sea King surfaces nearby, it'll definitely spot us. That'd be a real mess."
"What's there to be scared of? We've got Vice Admiral Kuzan here—he'd make short work of a Sea King," Rosinante grumbled. "And there's Rear Admiral Gion, too. I wonder if she's strong enough to handle a Sea King?"
"That depends on the Sea King's size," Shiryu said, lighting another cigarette, making Nao Natsuya's scalp itch. This guy probably didn't measure his smoking in cigarettes or packs but in how many lighters he went through. It wouldn't be surprising if, one day, his collection of lighters exploded.
"If the ship capsizes, we'll be fine. But you, if you drown, don't blame us for not saving you in time."
Rosinante rolled his eyes.
Before joining the Marines, he'd already eaten the Silent-Silent Fruit and become a Devil Fruit user. However, he rarely showed off his abilities in the elite training camp. Only Nao and Shiryu, his closest friends, knew he was a Devil Fruit user and a terrible swimmer.
Of course, Rosinante had another secret—not even these two knew about it.
Perhaps it was because he didn't want to revisit the painful memories of his past, or maybe he didn't want his special background to taint this hard-earned friendship.
After all, no one in the elite camp except for Zephyr knew that he'd once been a Celestial Dragon raised in Mary Geoise—or that his adoptive father was Admiral Sengoku, making him a true "Marine noble."
As a transmigrator, Nao was the only exception. But since Rosinante didn't want to bring it up, Nao naturally respected his wishes and never mentioned it.
"Hey, what's that?"
As the three of them were chatting idly, an exclamation came from a short distance away, near the railing.
Nao turned and saw that the speaker was a pink-haired young female Marine—if he remembered correctly, her name was Carolla. She was standing on tiptoes, pointing excitedly at something on the sea's surface at three o'clock, her expression alight as if she'd discovered a new world.
Following her direction, the three of them widened their eyes, scanning the sea until they finally spotted something unusual…
A group of small, fluffy creatures was floating near the surface. Their faces were marked with raccoon-like eye patterns, but their tails were more like fish tails, gently paddling through the water, as though enjoying a peaceful holiday.
"Sea Raccoon!"
Rosinante recognized them, looking amazed. "What are they doing in the Calm Belt? Aren't they afraid of getting eaten by Sea Kings?"
At the same time, theSea Raccoon noticed the approaching Marine's ship and gathered along its side, curiously peering up at the Marines standing at the railing.
"Ohhh, so cute!"
Some of the girls were already squealing in delight, their eyes sparkling. Carolla, the pink-haired Marine, still had a half-eaten rice ball in her hand. She immediately broke it into smaller pieces and tossed them down to the little creatures.
Several Sea Raccoon leapt up gracefully, catching all the pieces. Instead of eating them right away, they used their tiny paws to break the rice balls into even smaller pieces, evenly sharing them with their companions.
After eating, they licked their paws and floated at the surface, bowing in unison toward Carolla in thanks.
"Haha, how polite." Rosinante laughed, waving at them. "Hey there, little guys, come on up and play! I'll get you some more snacks!"
The Sea Raccoon glanced at each other, murmured among themselves, and then—seemingly reaching a consensus—leapt onto the deck with surprising agility, lining up neatly along the railing.
Up close, these little guys were even cuter.
Someone brought leftovers from the galley, and the female Marines enthusiastically coaxed the Sea Raccoon closer, sneaking in pets and cuddles. The deck quickly transformed into something resembling a giant cat café.
Unable to resist, Nao reached out to scratch the head of the nearest Sea Raccoon. The little guy froze, its eyes half-closed in bliss.
"This one looks like the leader," Shiryu noted, though he resisted the urge to pet it. "I saw the others dragging along a bamboo raft while this one lounged on it like a king, not even bothering to swim."
"Really?"
Nao leaned in for a closer look. Compared to the others, it did seem a bit plumper, but he didn't notice anything particularly special.
"I heard a rumor that Sea Raccoon can shapeshift into any form for a short time," Shiryu added, taking a drag from his cigarette. He glanced at the pudgy little creature. "Hey, little guy, can you show us?"
"Hey, be polite!" Rosinante scolded. "We didn't even offer food yet. Shouldn't you say please?"
The chubby Sea Raccoon finally opened its eyes, blinking cutely. It nodded, and with a small pop, transformed into an exact replica of the cigarette in Shiryu's mouth.
"Whoa!"
Nao was astonished. He picked up the cigarette to examine it, feeling its texture—it was indistinguishable from the real thing. Just as he was marveling at it, another pop sounded, and the Sea Raccoon turned back into its original form.
"Chuu chuu!"
The little creature glared at Nao, puffing up its cheeks in protest as if blaming him for pinching it. Nao felt a twinge of guilt and was about to apologize when a slender, fair hand suddenly reached over and gently lifted the Sea Raccoon.
"It really can transform!"
A clear, gentle voice flowed into Nao's ear like a mountain spring. He turned, startled, to see Momousagi's delicate face, her expression full of surprise. "I thought that was just a myth. So there really are such magical creatures."
"Rear Admiral Gion!"
Her appearance prompted Rosinante and Shiryu to quickly straighten up and salute.
Nao did the same. When Gion casually waved a hand, signaling them to stand at ease, he softly asked, "Rear Admiral Gion, is this your first time seeing a Sea Raccoon?"
"Yes."
She smiled brightly, glancing briefly at Nao before returning her attention to the Sea Raccoon in her hand. "Hmm… little one, can you transform into something else? Something more difficult than a cigarette?"
The pudgy Sea Raccoon scratched its head thoughtfully, then suddenly popped into a miniature replica of the very Marine ship they were on—tiny enough to fit in a hand, like a delicate model.
"That's impressive," Gion murmured, stroking her chin. "But it's still so small. I guess it's no match for those Mimic-Mimic Fruit users I've seen…"
Pop!
The Sea Raccoon reverted to its original form, bouncing in place, as if eager to prove itself.
After a moment of thought, it suddenly brightened, smacked its tiny forehead, and turned toward Gion, offering its right paw.
"What's this?" Gion asked, amused but grasping the small furry paw and giving it a playful shake. "Is this a handshake or…?"
Before she could finish, the Sea Raccoon abruptly extended its left paw and hooked Nao 's thumb.
Then, in the next moment—
Amidst surprised gasps from the onlookers, Gion's vision blurred, as if the entire world was receding. Her body collapsed backward, losing all strength.
And just before she completely lost consciousness, she caught a glimpse of Nao also falling to the deck, as if struck by the same invisible force…