Chapter 167 - 6

Chapter 6 Orange TownSwish… a long sword slashed towards Luffy. He slightly sidestepped, dodging the attack, though his Straw Hat was indeed grazed a little.He took the Straw Hat off his head and looked at the small tear. His expression immediately changed; not even when fighting Captain Moca had he shown such a serious look.He punched the sword-wielding person hard into the ground and said coldly, "Don't touch my hat!""His head is harder than the ground, and he didn't even die… and he's just a small fry. I wonder how terrifying Kaido, who is called immortal, truly is."Meruem had no intention of interfering. He stood aside with Zoro, watching Luffy display his power, taking care of all these strange things by himself."Wow, you're so strong… How about we work together? I'm Nami, the cat burglar who specializes in stealing from pirates." Nami's voice rang out from the second floor nearby.Luffy was still a bit displeased and replied coldly, "I'm a pirate too. Not interested." With that, he turned and walked away.Meruem and Zoro exchanged glances, shrugged helplessly, and followed Luffy.But Nami was persistent, constantly following Luffyand asking questions.Meruem felt a bit downcast seeing this. He regretted not showing off his skills earlier. He hadn't realized it when watching the anime, but now, Nami perfectly fit his aesthetic; his heart was pounding wildly.The four walked around… "Hey, what are you guys looking for… Is it some treasure?" Nami felt like she was going to die of exhaustion, yet these three were still looking around everywhere.Meruem interjected, "We're looking for a restaurant to eat… There's no one in the entire town.""You should have said so earlier! I'll go find you something to eat. Everyone in Orange Town has gone to evacuate to avoid Buggy." Nami said, rubbing her forehead helplessly."Is Buggy that terrifying? How much is his bounty again?" Zoro was a bit confused."It's said that a little girl in a town once mocked his strange nose, and he used cannonballs to blow the entire town into the sky. His bounty should be 15 million Berries. He's quite terrifying indeed." Namifamiliarly opened the door to a residence and invited everyone to sit in the living room."Is this your house?" Luffy asked.Nami rolled her eyes and said, "How could it be? Where would a thief who steals from pirates have a home? This family went out to evacuate, so I'm just temporarily borrowing it."As she spoke, Nami served some instant food. The three, having been hungry all day, didn't stand on ceremony. She sighed, watching them gobble down their food."My current goal is to gather 100 million Berries and then buy a certain village."Luffy's mouth was full. He opened it, wanting to say something, but nothing intelligible came out.Meruem swallowed his food and said, "…Actually, I think you might have been tricked."Nami laughed indifferently, "How could I be tricked? You three look like the easy ones to trick."Meruem turned to look at Luffy and Zoro, who were still fighting over food, and felt a bit embarrassed to be associated with them.Nami reached behind her and pulled out a sea chart, saying, "If you're pirates, you must want to go to the Grand Line, right? This is a sea chart for the Grand Line. As long as you cooperate with me, I'll take you there." With that, she placed the map on the table for the three to verify its authenticity.Meruem leaned in to look, and realized… he couldn't understand anything. He subtly turned to ask the other two for their opinion, only to find they hadn't even glanced at it."Alright, the three of us are indeed easy to trick. This is a sad reality.""Ahem, we can cooperate with you." Meruemthought for a moment, even though he didn't know if it was real, and replied.Nami's expression looked very happy, her eyes curved like crescent moons, making Meruem's heart skip a beat."That's good. Then we'll take Buggy's treasure and then we'll set off. Before that, we still need to make some preparations."…Luffy was tied up tightly, his mouth still moving incessantly, looking like a Groundhog.Meruem covered his face and finally remembered, saying, "Miss Nami, there's no need for all this trouble… Isn't it just Buggy's treasure? We'll go snatch it for you. In exchange, you'll be responsible for taking us to the Grand Line. We'll be responsible for your safety along the way and won't force you to become a pirate.""But Meruem, she's a navigator…" Luffy finally swallowed his food and shouted.( ᇂ _ ᇂ | | | )Meruem looked at Luffy's current appearance, reached out to untie the ropes, and said, "…After all, what we want are like-minded companions. Coercion and inducement don't lead to good results. As long as she can take us there, that's fine."Luffy was full of reluctance and wanted to say more, but Meruem stopped him with a wave of his hand.Nami, whose plan was exposed, hesitated to speak, slowly moving towards the door.Meruem continued, "Miss Nami, you don't need to be so scared. Is the deal I just mentioned valid?"Nami mustered her courage and said, "As long as you get Buggy's treasure for me, I'll take you to the Grand Line!"Meruem snapped his fingers and said with a smile, "Deal. Let's go, Captain, time to work."Nami's gaze darted between Meruem and Luffy, and she said to Meruem, speechless, "I think you're more like the Captain."Meruem shrugged, didn't answer, and walked out. "I don't want to be Captain… I'll just stay safe and sound. Luffy can use Gear Third; if the sky falls, he'll hold it up first.""Meruem… why are we helping that thief steal treasure?" Zoro was a bit confused."Of course, it's because she's good… Ah, no, Zoro, can you find the Grand Line?" Meruem, who almost blurted out his true thoughts, swallowed his words and completed the rhetorical question.Zoro looked serious and shook his head."Do you think Luffy can find it?"Zoro continued to shake his head."Then that's it, isn't it? The treasure of a pirate who blew up a town with cannonballs can help us get to the Grand Line. What do you think?"Zoro nodded.Meruem wiped away non-existent cold sweat. "I finally managed to smooth it over."Luffy leaned over and said, "I really think that guy from before was great. I want her to be my navigator. Meruem~ think of a way.""Don't be like that, Big Shot No. 1…" Meruem said helplessly, "She will definitely be your navigator in the future, no rush…"Luffy's expression immediately brightened upon hearing this. He slung his arm over Zoro's shoulder and strode towards the bar where Buggy was.Meruem turned to look, and Nami silently followed."…Miss Nami, why are you here?""I want to help too. In this terrible era, why are there pirates everywhere…"Meruem smiled and said, "I used to be a bounty hunter. As a pirate, Luffy is different; what he pursues is the same as me, freedom. And with time, you'll understand. For now, you don't need to help. To be your bodyguard, I have to show you my strength."Meruem waved his hand behind him and quickly took two steps to catch up with Luffy.Nami stood still for a while, then gritted her teeth and followed.