Chapter 63: Escorting Captured Marines to Loguetown!New2 days ago
After roughly eight to ten hours had passed, Luo Qi finally awakened from his deep sleep.
The moment he opened his eyes, the Forbidden Zone automatically resumed his livestream.
The viewers from Dragon Kingdom who had been waiting for his return immediately began spreading the news!
In just a single minute, the number of viewers watching his livestream skyrocketed past 100 million!
[Sleeping Beauty has finally awakened! Everyone, come take a look!]
[What the hell do you mean, Sleeping Beauty?! You should call him the Sleeping Prince!]
[What do you know?! As far as I'm concerned, Brother Qi is my beauty!]
[Uh... Brother, don't tell me you're into men?!]
[Hey, look! Reiju, Baby 5, Nami, and Nojiko are all inside the captain's quarters! Oh my God! I'm so jealous! I wish I could wake up to four gorgeous women surrounding me too!]
[Holy crap! Did you guys notice?! Brother Qi is wearing different clothes!]
[So what if he changed his clothes? Wait a minute... Don't tell me Baby 5 and the others changed them for him?!]
[I'm so jealous I could cough up blood, brothers!]
...
"You're awake, Luo Qi."
Reiju was sitting beside the bed, gently stroking Luo Qi's bangs.
The moment he opened his eyes, she noticed.
"How long was I asleep?"
Luo Qi supported himself with both hands and slowly sat up.
"About five hours."
Nojiko approached the bed carrying a plate of snacks.
"Five hours, huh?"
Luo Qi reached out and picked up a snack.
Then, he turned toward Nami.
"In that case, we should be getting pretty close to Loguetown by now, right?"
"Actually, we've already arrived."
Nami looked at Luo Qi with a somewhat peculiar expression.
"We noticed you were still sleeping, so we decided to wait here for a while."
"I see."
Luo Qi nodded.
"That's pretty much what I expected."
"Since we've already reached Loguetown, let's go collect those bounties!"
With that, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and put on his shoes.
However, just as he was preparing to stand up, he suddenly noticed something strange.
"Huh?"
"Wait a minute!"
"Who changed my clothes?!"
Only now did Luo Qi realize that he was wearing a completely clean set of clothes!
"Oh, that?"
The corners of Reiju's mouth curved upward.
"Your previous clothes were ruined during your battle with Hawkeye, so Baby 5 and I helped you change into something clean."
"And while we were at it..."
"We also gave your body a thorough wash."
As she spoke, Reiju glanced toward Baby 5, who was standing nearby with her head lowered.
The young woman's cheeks were already bright red!
Reiju's smile became even more mischievous.
"Originally, I was planning to handle everything myself."
"After all, taking care of the captain is part of an assistant's responsibilities, isn't it?"
"But Baby 5 insisted that she wanted to do it."
"So, in the end, I had no choice but to let her help me."
Reiju looked back at Luo Qi.
"Speaking of which, you really must have exhausted yourself during that fight with Hawkeye."
"Even after everything we did while washing you, you didn't wake up at all."
As she finished speaking, Reiju gave Luo Qi a smile that seemed to carry a rather suggestive meaning.
"..."
Luo Qi looked at Reiju.
Then, he glanced toward the blushing Baby 5.
The corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
So that's why Nami was looking at me so strangely earlier!
Don't tell me Reiju and Baby 5 actually took off their clothes while helping me bathe?!
Although the thought crossed his mind, Luo Qi still found it rather difficult to believe.
Baby 5 might genuinely be willing to do something like that.
But Reiju?
Surely she wouldn't go that far, right?
If Reiju were really willing to do something like that, her Captain's Assistant proficiency wouldn't have been evaluated as merely Black Iron-tier when she joined the fleet!
It would've had to be a much higher rank!
However, just as Luo Qi was thinking this...
"That's right."
Reiju's lips slowly curved into a knowing smile.
"We took them off."
"After all, it would've been troublesome if our clothes got soaked while we were washing you."
"And since you couldn't see anything anyway, there wasn't really a problem, was there?"
"..."
Luo Qi was momentarily speechless.
Meanwhile, back on Blue Star, the livestream chat practically exploded!
[So that's what happened while Brother Qi was asleep!]
[What a shame! I genuinely feel sorry for Brother Qi! If only he'd been awake, things would've been so much better!]
[Hey, I seriously suspect the person above has some questionable intentions!]
[Besides, if anything like what you're imagining actually happened, don't worry! The Forbidden Zone would very thoughtfully cut off the livestream for us!]
...
"Ahem!"
"Well, if you say so."
Luo Qi shrugged helplessly.
"Anyway, just like you said, I was unconscious. I couldn't feel anything."
He turned toward Nami and Nojiko, who were watching him with amused smiles.
Then, he glanced at Baby 5, whose face was still flushed bright red.
"Since we've already arrived at Loguetown, let's get moving."
...
Meanwhile, at the harbor of Loguetown.
"Oh my God! Is that really happening?!"
"Who the hell are those people?!"
"They're actually bringing captured Marines ashore?!"
"Are they insane?! Don't they know who's stationed here in Loguetown?!"
"That's the White Hunter!"
"Could those people be pirates? But their ship isn't flying a pirate flag!"
"Wait a minute! Look at those bodies!"
"Isn't that Arlong, the Fish-Man with a bounty of 20 million Berries?!"
"And that's Don Krieg! He's worth 17 million Berries!"
"Why are those people carrying the corpses of wanted pirates?!"
"Don't tell me they're here to claim the bounties from the Marines!"
"Then what about those Marine officers they've captured?!"
"Could it be that the Marines refused to pay their bounties, so they captured them in retaliation?!"
The moment Luo Qi and his companions disembarked from the Explorer, they immediately attracted the attention of everyone gathered near Loguetown's harbor.
After all, their group was simply too conspicuous!
Not only were they carrying the bodies of several notorious pirates, but they were also escorting a group of captured Marines!
It was an extremely unusual sight.
Naturally, the surrounding civilians couldn't help gathering to watch.
Before long, news of the strange group reached Tashigi, a Marine petty officer who happened to be patrolling nearby.
...
"EVERYONE, STOP RIGHT THERE!"
"Don't move another step!"
Tashigi hurriedly arrived at the harbor.
Just as the reports had claimed, she immediately spotted Luo Qi and his companions escorting several captured Marines.
Without hesitation, she drew her sword and assumed a guarded stance!
The two Marine soldiers accompanying her immediately raised their rifles and aimed them toward Luo Qi's group.
"HELP!"
"PLEASE SAVE ME!"
"I'm innocent!"
"These people are framing me!"
The moment Captain Nezumi spotted Tashigi, he began screaming desperately.
Seeing a chance to escape, he immediately rushed toward her!
He was determined to make one final attempt to save himself.
Unfortunately for him...
Luo Qi had absolutely no intention of letting him run away.
BAM!
He casually kicked Captain Nezumi in the back!
Although Luo Qi hadn't used much strength, the blow was still enough to send the corrupt Marine officer tumbling forward.
THUD!
Captain Nezumi slammed face-first into the ground!
The impact even knocked out his front teeth!
"YOU!"
Tashigi's expression immediately changed.
"How dare you attack a Marine officer?!"
She had already recognized the rank insignia on Captain Nezumi's shoulders.
The man was a Marine Captain!
He held the same rank as Smoker!
Tashigi couldn't just stand by while Luo Qi attacked a Marine Captain.
Without hesitation, she charged toward him with her sword!
Her intention was to restrain Luo Qi and take him into custody!
"Hold on!"
Luo Qi raised his hand.
"I have something to say!"
He had absolutely no desire to fight Tashigi.
As her sword approached, Luo Qi casually reached out and caught the blade!
Then—
WHOOSH!
His figure suddenly blurred!
Before Tashigi could react, Luo Qi appeared directly beside her!
He placed a hand on her shoulder, preventing her from moving.
Then, he leaned toward her ear and spoke quietly.
"These men might be Marines, but they're corrupt Marines."
"I have evidence proving it."
"So don't attack just yet."
Seeing Tashigi suddenly restrained, the two Marine soldiers behind her immediately prepared to open fire!
However, before either of them could pull the trigger, Luo Qi's companions moved!
In an instant, both soldiers were subdued!
Neither had the slightest opportunity to resist.
Naturally, Tashigi wasn't the kind of person who would blindly trust the words of a complete stranger.
But before she could begin arguing, Luo Qi had already taken out a Visual Den Den Mushi.
He activated the device.
The next moment, a recording began playing!
It showed Captain Nezumi interacting with the octopus Fish-Man, Hatchan!
The footage clearly captured their friendly behavior and the conversation that had taken place between them.
"This..."
Tashigi stared at the recording in disbelief.
Then, she slowly turned toward Captain Nezumi.
"He... really was colluding with pirates?!"
For a moment, she was completely stunned.
Luo Qi calmly switched off the Visual Den Den Mushi.
Then, with a friendly smile, he turned toward Tashigi.
"How about taking me to meet the White Hunter, Captain Smoker?"
"I think it would be better to let him determine how this matter should be handled."
Luo Qi paused briefly.
Then, he smiled again.
"What do you think?"