Could it be that behind me are… Nami and Nojiko?!
That's right — the original story mentioned that Bell-mère used to be in the Marines. On a battlefield, she found these two orphaned girls and adopted them as her daughters.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Bell-mère looked at the three little ones in front of her with surprise. Why would there be children on a battlefield?
War orphans? Two very cute little girls, and also… a precocious little brat?
Bell-mère smiled and ruffled Noyer's hair, then pinched his little arms and legs like a female hooligan.
Noyer looked disgusted. Stop groping me! Haven't you seen a three-year-old kid's biceps before?
Nami and Nojiko, hiding behind him, cautiously peeked out their heads. They looked at the young woman in her early twenties with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
Bell-mère wasn't shy at all. She pulled them both into her arms, her face beaming with joy.
"Little ones, what are your names?" She asked with a smile.
Nojiko lowered her head sadly, "I don't know… I was already an orphan before the war…"
"I see…"
Bell-mère thought for a moment, holding her little hand.
"Then from now on, you'll be called Nojiko…" She patted Nami's head, "You'll be called Nami! Nami-chan! And also…"
{T/N: Nojiko's name is exactly the same as the Japanese Yellow bunting (ノジコ). Nami's name is most commonly accepted as "ocean wave", although it can mean other things as well.}
Bell-mère stared at Noyer and suddenly asked in confusion,
"How old are you, child?"
Noyer lifted the pendant around his neck, "My name is Noyer, I'm three years old, and I don't know where my family went."
"Three years old?" Bell-mère gestured to indicate his large frame, "You sure grow fast."
Noyer pouted.
I grow fast? You probably haven't seen what Big Mom looked like as a child. My small frame wouldn't even be enough to fill one of her mouths!
While he was lost in his wild thoughts, Bell-mère suddenly pulled him into an embrace along with Nojiko and Nami. Noyer was startled, then heard her gentle whisper.
"Don't worry. From now on, Bell-mère will protect you."
Noyer's emotions stirred.
In the original story, Bell-mère kept her promise, dying tragically at Arlong's hands to protect Nami and her sister. She was a strong person, with the radiance of motherhood.
When Noyer first arrived in this world, his view of the people in it was cold. But now, this gentle embrace made him understand — this world was real, existing, and full of human warmth.
His weary nerves relaxed all at once. Noyer's mind gradually calmed in the embrace. Before he knew it, he fell into sleep.
So much so that in his haze, he didn't even hear the system's voice.
『 Detecting that the host has met important characters and joined an important plot line. Distributing rewards… 』
If Noyer had been awake at this moment, he would have been surprised — the usually cold system voice had become somewhat gentle.
Bell-mère looked at the gradually quieting children, as if she had found her motivation to keep living once again.
She smiled and said to herself, "Sure enough, as long as you're alive, so many happy things will appear."
◇◆◈◆◇
In the time that followed, Bell-mère completed her last mission as a Marine and officially left the military.
This time, none of her Marine superiors and friends worried about her having dark thoughts. Everyone could see the longing for life in her eyes.
Just like that, Bell-mère bid farewell to the Marines and set off on the journey home with the three siblings.
On the calm sea, a small boat sailed leisurely. Noyer lay in the boat's inner cabin, reviewing his rewards.
『 Participated in important plot line: Bell-mère's adoption of sisters! Rewards: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1, White Talent Copy Card ×3, Constitution +15! 』
『 Met important characters: Nami, Nojiko, and Bell-mère! Rewards: Red Talent Copy Card ×1, Purple Talent Copy Card ×1, Blue Talent Copy Card ×1, Bag of Premium Mikan Seeds! 』
Noyer scratched his head in confusion, "System, why are there so many copy cards? Is there any pattern?"
「 Different levels of plot participation result in different rank copy cards. Bell-mère's adoption of the sisters determined the survival of the important protagonist Nami, so the importance level is very high. 」
「 For meeting important characters, the more a person is involved in this world's plot lines, the richer the rewards. 」
Got it. I need to meet people with lots of screen time in the original story. I'll have to meet up with Luffy and the others more often — after all, they're the main protagonist group.
As for the reward seeds, it must be because Bell-mère and her daughters are all related to mikans.
As for the Constitution +15…
"System, open my panel and show me all the data."
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Kilros D. Noyer
Charm: 80 [Max: 100]
Constitution: 95 [Max: 999]
Items: Gold Talent Copy Card ×1 | Red Talent Copy Card ×1 | Purple Talent Copy Card ×1 | Blue Talent Copy Card ×1 | White Talent Copy Card ×3 | Bag of Premium Mikan Seeds
Talents:〔 Otherworlder [Purple/3rd Rank] 〕|〔 Energy Enhancement [White/5th Rank] 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
Noyer nodded with satisfaction. His attributes were still weak, but at least they were improving.
"By the way, how is Constitution calculated, System?"
The dutiful system quickly explained.
「 Constitution measures physical strength only, not other abilities. 1–99 is the range for ordinary people. 100–299 is enough to set sail and fight to the death with others — for example, Usopp. 」
「 300–499 is monster-level physique, enough to fight freely in Paradise (the first half of the Grand Line) and recover quickly from injuries just by sleeping and eating — for example, pre-timeskip Monkey D. Luffy and Roronoa Zoro. 」
「 500–699 is enough to establish a foothold in the New World and carve out territory, generally at the level of First Mates and Officers of the Four Emperors' crews. 」
「 700–899 can suppress regional powerhouses and defeat most people with Constitution alone — such as Monkey D. Garp, Edward Newgate, and Shanks. 」
「 900–999 is almost an immortal being, unable to be harmed by conventional means or possessing extreme healing ability — such as Kaidō and Big Mom. 」
So my 95 Constitution is pitifully weak. But little by little adds up — sooner or later, this stat will rise!
Noyer was absorbed in thought when Nojiko's warm voice came from outside the cabin:
"Brother! Come out and watch Bell-mère fish!"
Noyer hurried to respond, "Coming!"
The matter of titles had happened naturally. Noyer and the two girls had been through hardships together. Now they were family, so they'd been calling him brother these past few days.
As for Bell-mère, he'd been conflicted about whether to call her mom, but she wouldn't let them. According to her, it would make her feel old.
Fair enough — after all, she was only 21 right now. Back in his previous life, the good life would just be starting at this age!
Noyer walked out of the cabin and immediately saw three figures — one large and two small — sitting leisurely in a row by the side of the boat, each holding a fishing rod. He suddenly realized that since awakening the system, he hadn't checked anyone else's talents yet.
'System, check the talents of Bell-mère, Nojiko, and Nami.'
「 Check complete. Talent panel opened for host. 」
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Bell-mère
Talents:〔 Heroine Among Women [Blue/4th Rank] 〕|〔 Maternal Radiance [Blue/4th Rank] 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Heroine Among Women 〕
〔 Rank: Blue 〕
〔 Description: Bell-mère possesses willpower and combat skills equal to any man's. When single, her learning efficiency for combat skills doubles. 〕
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〔 Maternal Radiance 〕
〔 Rank: Blue 〕
〔 Description: After becoming a mother, her combat power temporarily increases by 30% when fighting to protect her children. Children she raises will likely have kind and strong personalities, but will inevitably pick up some delinquent traits. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
Nojiko
Talents:〔 Elder Sister's Authority [Blue/4th Rank] 〕
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〔 Elder Sister's Authority 〕
〔 Rank: Blue 〕
〔 Description: As the older sister, Nojiko has a natural influence over Nami. When she comforts, encourages, or persuades her younger sister, her chances of success double. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
After looking at their talents, Noyer was speechless.
The copy cards he had seemed utterly useless. Wasn't there a single talent a male could use? If he copied these, would he become an elder sister, a heroine among women, or a great mother?
The dejected boy was full of complaints — until he saw Nami's talent. His eyes went wide. Just one talent, but its color was incredibly vibrant.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
Nami
Talents:〔 Climate Hyper-Perception [Red/2nd Rank] 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Climate Hyper-Perception 〕
〔 Rank: Red 〕
〔 Description: Nami can sense the air with her body, allowing her to predict climate changes with perfect accuracy. Her weather predictions are never wrong. When sailing at sea, the chance of encountering weather-related disasters drops to nearly zero. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
A Red Talent!
As expected, little Nami was the one true legend of these seas!
The original story featured many descriptions of her navigation skills. Despite receiving only basic knowledge from the East Blue, the young girl became an exceptional navigator.
She could sail easily through the East Blue and maneuver through the Grand Line's complex weather using this talent.
Normal navigators rely on knowledge and extensive sailing experience. But Nami's talent was like being a climate queen — she could perfectly avoid all disasters in Paradise.
In the original work, even Princess Vivi expressed amazement at her abilities, and Shiki the Golden Lion shamelessly kidnapped her.
Noyer stared at the red glow on the virtual panel and burst into wild, excited laughter.
"Hahaha — "
Bell-mère and her three daughters turned around, silently watching him pound the ground laughing.
Nojiko asked in confusion, "Has he… lost his mind?"
Nami, hugging Bell-mère's arm, nodded knowingly.
"Ahem."
Noyer realized his actions weren't very dignified. He stood up and walked over as if nothing had happened.
Bell-mère handed him a fishing rod. He took it and plopped down next to Nami.
'System, extract the Red Talent Copy Card.'
A faint light flashed. A red card appeared out of thin air in his hand. While Bell-mère wasn't paying attention, he hid the card in his palm and touched Nami's head.
『 Ding!〔 Climate Hyper-Perception 〕has been Copied! 』
The system's voice sounded. The card in his hand melted and disappeared. Noyer withdrew his hand, instantly feeling changes in his body.
The wind flowing around him seemed alive under his skin's perception. The air became like sprites, clearly telling him their temperature, humidity, and other factors.
Through the air, he had a complete view of the surrounding climate changes. No matter how they shifted, he could observe them from all angles. This feeling was like standing before a completely naked beauty.
Hiding… there was no hiding it!
Noyer closed his eyes, contentedly admiring the beauty… ahem, sensing the weather.
The weather in the East Blue wasn't as complex as the Grand Line, so throughout the journey, the environment remained pleasant and comfortable.
In the warm atmosphere, the four soon returned to Bell-mère's hometown: Cocoyasi Village, a peaceful paradise in the Conomi Islands, an archipelago in the northwestern East Blue.
Of course, in the world of pirates, peace and beauty only existed to be shattered. In nine years, the Arlong Pirates would invade, and this place would fall under Arlong's brutal rule.
Thinking of that fish-man, Noyer clenched his fists.
Bell-mère had died miserably at his hands while protecting Nami and Nojiko. This incident had always been a pain in the two girls' hearts.
Noyer looked at this woman's gentle profile and silently swore that in this life, it would not happen.
Nine years. He calculated that if he possessed at least Luffy's strength when he first set sail — by the time he turned twelve — he would have the ability to resist.
The pressure was immense, but fortunately, he still had the system.
Bell-mère's boat slowly docked, and she led the three children into her village. The surrounding villagers saw her and exclaimed in delight.
"Bell-mère's back?! Didn't she join the Marines?"
"Our delinquent girl couldn't have been kicked out, could she?"
"It must be because she beat up a superior!"
All along the way, the villagers greeted her warmly. Though their words sounded harsh, Noyer could sense they genuinely cared about her.
Bell-mère responded to everyone with laughing curses. Sensing the goodwill, Nami and Nojiko looked around without any shyness.
Just then, a puzzled voice called out, "Bell-mère?"
Bell-mère looked up with delight, "Genzō-san? You're still the Sheriff?"
Noyer turned to look. A middle-aged man in a short-sleeved police uniform stood before him, handlebar mustache framing an expression both serious and surprised.
Was this the uncle from the original story who wore a pinwheel on his head year-round just to make little princess Nami smile?
Out of curiosity, Noyer immediately used his talent-checking technique on him.
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
Genzō
Talents:〔 Sheriff Martial Arts [White/5th Rank] 〕|〔 Singular Focus [White/5th Rank] 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Sheriff Martial Arts 〕
〔 Rank: White 〕
〔 Description: After becoming a Sheriff, Genzō learned the martial arts techniques passed down by generations of Cocoyasi Sheriffs. 〕
﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃﹃
〔 Singular Focus 〕
〔 Rank: White 〕
〔 Description: Genzō was born with high standards for everything. When focused on a single task, his concentration and efficiency increase. 〕
﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄﹄
Martial arts? A Sheriff had martial arts?
◈◈◈
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Thank you for reading!
If you want to enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations: MrBlackWing
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)