A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
A player, 28 June 2008
does this mean that if a naval follower is attached to a non naval personality, the naval follower can not perform the naval action?
The Rules Team, with Design input, has made the following change to the Naval ability.
Reaction: If you are the Attacker and your current army has more Naval cards than the opposing army, once per battle after engaging, target your Naval Personality: You have the first opportunity to take a Battle action, which must be performed by the targeted Personality or one of his Naval Followers.
This is reflected in the various places in the Comprehensive Rules.
Alex Jones (rules official), 28 June 2008
Does this mean that if a naval follower is attached to a non naval personality, the naval follower can not perform the naval action?
That has always been the case. The only difference is that the Naval Personality now performs the "Naval Reaction", rather than merely being targeted by it, which means that Misdirection has no effect [fixed].