"Hehehe, these two really are full of energy!"
Luffy brushed the dust off his straw hat as he stood back up from the ground.
At the same time, behind him, the bloodied Captain Nezumi—whose head had been smashed open—also struggled out of the rubble.
When he saw Luffy place the straw hat back onto his head, a sharp glint flashed through Nezumi's already small eyes.
"A straw hat?! There's no mistake! This guy is Straw Hat Luffy, the pirate with a bounty of fifty million Beli!"
A chance for promotion and fortune—had it really come this suddenly!?
Click!
Like happiness knocking on his door, Captain Nezumi said nothing. He swiftly pulled out a flintlock pistol from his clothes and aimed its pitch-black muzzle at Luffy's back.
"Die! Straw Hat brat!!!"
Bang!!!
A burst of fire flared.
A lead bullet shot out of the barrel at high speed.
And then—
Whoosh!
Luffy casually shifted to the side, effortlessly dodging the bullet from behind.
Even though, as a Gum-Gum Fruit user, he wasn't afraid of ordinary lead bullets at all, under Red's long-term training, sensing danger with Observation Haki and instantly evading it had already become muscle memory.
"Hey! What's your problem, attacking from behind like that?!"
Luffy turned around and complained indignantly at Captain Nezumi.
But in the very next second, his eyes widened as Red's earlier information about Nezumi suddenly resurfaced in his mind.
"Huh?! You kinda look like a rat!?"
"Don't tell me—you're the commander here?!"
Luffy's memory wasn't great, but when it came to recognizing people by appearance, he was second to none.
Like mistaking the long-nosed Kaku for Usopp, or calling Marco 'Pineapple Head.'
"That's right! It has to be you!"
Luffy suddenly grinned, his face lighting up with delight.
"Man, I really am lucky!"
"If I bring you to Nami, will she give me my allowance back?"
"What?" Captain Nezumi froze.
He was shocked—both by Luffy dodging the bullet and by what Luffy just said.
A major pirate with a fifty-million Beli bounty… having his pocket money controlled by someone else?!
Was this really Straw Hat Luffy!?
If so, then this had to be the funniest joke he'd heard all year.
However, time gave Nezumi no chance to ponder further.
Luffy's arm suddenly stretched out as he lowered his head with a grin.
"Gum-Gum… Pistol!!!"
No flashy effects. No Pokémon moves.
Just a simple punch—yet it rapidly filled Captain Nezumi's vision in his horrified gaze.
The next instant, Luffy's fist slammed straight into his face.
Nose shattered. Teeth exploded.
His entire body was sent flying backward into the wall, where he collapsed and lost consciousness completely.
With nothing more than an ordinary punch, Luffy had effortlessly knocked out Captain Nezumi, commander of Marine Branch 16.
Of course, that was only natural.
...
...
Meanwhile—
While the Straw Hat trio rampaged through the Marine base, the Going Merry, pushed by the waves, sailed openly through the gate that had been blasted open.
"So then, guarding the ship is up to you, Usopp!"
Red waved to Usopp as he and Nami—who had already learned Floaty Fall—took to the air.
The Marine soldiers stationed at the entrance had long since been terrified by the earlier cannon fire and fled deeper into the base.
Leaving Usopp behind was mainly just a precaution, in case something unexpected happened.
This Marine base was far larger than Branch 153.
Even after Captain Nezumi skimmed military funds and forced many soldiers out, the base still housed nearly a thousand Marines.
More than enough for Luffy and the others to have some fun.
After all, anyone who had stayed knew full well what Captain Nezumi had been up to—and still chose to help him.
They could hardly be called proper Marines anymore. Letting Luffy and the others give them a beating was just fine.
Using their ability to fly, Red and Nami went straight to the highest level of the Marine base.
This time, their roles were clearly divided.
Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji drew the Marines' attention through combat.
Red and Nami, on the other hand, searched for Captain Nezumi's treasure vault and the evidence of his long-standing collusion with the Arlong Pirates.
It could be said that the Arlong Pirates had been able to tyrannize these waters for so many years entirely because of protectors like this working behind the scenes!
This time, the Straw Hats weren't just taking lives—they were exposing everything to the public, utterly destroying the reputation of Captain Nezumi and his entire criminal circle!
Truth be told, aside from enforcing the rule of the Celestial Dragons, the Marines as a whole still contained far more people who stood for justice.
But corruption existed everywhere. Greedy officials were unavoidable.
That was the darkness of human nature—impossible to eradicate completely.
Once the truth behind the Arlong Pirates was exposed, whether for delayed justice or to preserve the Marines' image, the Marines would inevitably provide support and compensation to the people of Cocoyasi Village and the surrounding areas.
And for a long time to come, heavy Marine forces would be stationed here, ensuring that pirates would no longer appear in these waters.
That—
That was what the Straw Hats truly wanted to see.
And it was the greatest comfort Red could think of for Nami and the villagers who had suffered for so long.
...
...
The two moved in silence, quickly searching room after room within the Marine base.
Thanks to Nami's many years of experience as a thief, they soon found Captain Nezumi's treasure room.
Nami fired off a Thunderbolt, and the metal lock instantly melted under the intense heat and fell away.
With a creaking grind of metal, a scene of dazzling golden light burst into view before them.
"Oh my goodness~!" Nami gasped, her eyes instantly turning into the shape of gold coins.
Before Red could say anything, she leapt forward, plunging straight into a sea of gold and jewels, scooping up handfuls of treasure.
Red walked over as well, clicking his tongue at the stacks of Beli and jewelry.
"Didn't expect those fish-men to be this generous~"
"How much tribute did they give Nezumi to pile up this kind of wealth?"
"Ten billion Beli, at least?"
Red didn't really know how to appraise jewels—he was just estimating at random.
But one thing was certain.
No matter their value, these treasures were what remained after years of squandering by Captain Nezumi and the Arlong Pirates.
The blood they had sucked from these waters over the years was far, far more than what could ever be seen here!!!
"..."
Nami suddenly fell silent.
Clearly, Red's words had struck a nerve.
She looked at the gold coins in her hands, her expression wavering.
Only now did she remember—this money all came from the villagers' blood and sweat.
For a moment, Nami hesitated, unsure whether these treasures should be returned to the villagers.
Red gently patted her shoulder and said calmly,
"Don't worry, Nami. Don't overthink it."
"This money should be taken by us."
"After all, we're pirates. If we do too many things beyond our position, it could actually complicate matters."
"If the Marines use that as an excuse to accuse the villagers of colluding with pirates, it would be bad."
"On the other hand… if the Marines don't want to lose the word 'justice' they bear, then I believe the villagers will receive proper compensation."
As he spoke, Red found a good angle and took a photo of the treasure.
He even made sure the Marine seagull emblem was clearly visible in the shot.
"That does make sense!"
With Red's reassurance, Nami immediately brightened up again, her eyes sparkling with golden light.
Together, they packed all the treasure into sacks and left them in the vault, ready for Luffy and the others to carry out later.
Red and Nami then continued onward, preparing to search for evidence of Captain Nezumi's crimes over the years.
However, as they passed through a dormitory area, Nami suddenly came to a stop.
"What's wrong?" Red asked, turning back in confusion.
Nami frowned slightly and replied,
"Red… something feels off."
"I feel like there's something in this room that's inexplicably drawing me in!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her hand seemed to move on its own. A surge of electricity flashed forth, destroying the lock mechanism and opening the door.
Red stepped closer in curiosity.
And then he saw—
Right in the center of the room stood an exquisitely ornate and expensive sword rack.
And resting upon it—
Was a beautiful longsword etched with vivid, lightning-blue patterns along its blade.
(End of Chapter)