Nami was stunned in place, completely frozen in fear.
"Move—now!"
Alex grabbed the still-dazed Nami and dove to the right. As he looked up, he realized immediately what was falling toward them—it was a massive stone statue, crafted in Captain Morgan's likeness by his command. Only now, the statue had been split clean in half. No doubt it was Luffy's doing.
Just then, an angry roar echoed from above.
"Catch him! I'm going to personally behead that straw-hatted brat! He destroyed the statue I spent years perfecting—I'll never forgive him!" Captain Morgan bellowed.
Boom!
The massive half-statue crashed down, shattering upon impact.
Alex and Nami tumbled to the ground as shards of stone exploded from the wreckage like bullets, flying straight toward them at high speed.
Though Alex had reacted swiftly, clutching Nami tightly to dodge the massive falling stone, he couldn't get far—especially while carrying someone. The best he could do was shield her and pray they survived.
He twisted mid-fall, throwing himself over Nami and using his own body as a shield. Jagged fragments struck his back with brutal force.
Just my luck... who knew even these tiny stones could hurt this much?
What Alex didn't know was that some of those fragments had sharp edges, and the explosive force from the statue's impact had turned them into deadly projectiles. With no protection on his back, it was no wonder he felt like he'd been shot.
Strangely, Nami—trapped under him—was completely silent. Her face flushed red as she lay still in Alex's arms, her heart pounding wildly. She wasn't dumb. She knew exactly why Alex had risked himself like that—to protect her.
Almost unconsciously, her hand reached up and touched Alex's back.
Alex immediately noticed the movement. What is she doing?
Already in an awkward position, lying atop her, he tried to rise—but then her hand pressed gently to his back. A strange feeling surged through him.
Seeing Nami's slightly blushing, embarrassed expression, Alex's eyes widened. His breath quickened as panic set in.
Oh hell. Is this girl trying to make a move on me?
No way. I'm not that handsome. My strength is average at best. There's no way she'd fall for me. I'm just imagining things… right?
As thoughts ran wild through his head, Nami spoke in an unusually gentle voice:
"Since you just saved me… I'll let you owe me two hundred million Berries instead."
…What?!
So I saved her, and now I owe her even more money? What kind of logic is that?!
Alex was completely thrown off, his brain spinning. He had no idea what was going on in Nami's head.
Then she suddenly frowned and asked, "Why are you wet?"
The softness was gone—her expression had shifted back to her usual self, making Alex wonder if the previous moment was just a hallucination.
Hey! I've been perfectly calm this whole time. If anyone should be wet, it's you!
But before he could say anything, Nami continued, "You're bleeding. On your back."
As soon as she said it, Alex felt the burning pain. He reached back and felt something wet and sticky. When he looked at his hand, it was covered in red.
Well damn… I really am wet. Looks like I lost quite a bit of blood.
He groaned internally. Every movement sent pain shooting through his back—it was worse than he thought.
At that moment, Captain Morgan's deep voice rang out again:
"How dare you cause chaos on my turf! What is it, bounty hunter? Planning to stage a coup with that straw-hat brat?"
"I've always worked solo. I'm not like you, hiding behind your military thugs," came a firm voice from Zoro, tied to the wooden pillar.
Morgan sneered, stroking the massive axe embedded in his right arm. He turned to his men, all armed with rifles.
"Ready!"
Zoro looked at the black gun barrels pointed his way.
I… I can't die here!
Suddenly, his mind flashed with the image of a girl—around thirteen or fourteen, with brilliant blue hair and impressive sword skills. She had once scolded him:
"You still haven't improved much, Zoro!"
From behind the fallen statue, Alex saw what was happening. Zoro was about to be executed, Koby was bleeding badly from the shoulder and frozen in fear, and Luffy was nowhere to be seen.
Alex's heart raced. No time to think. He picked up a stone and hurled it at Captain Morgan's head.
Whizz!
It hit dead on, smacking Morgan's forehead and raising a welt.
"Who dares throw a rock at me?!" Morgan screamed in rage.
A nearby marine spotted Alex and Nami hiding behind the statue.
"Captain! There are two people behind the statue!"
"What?!"
Morgan followed the soldier's gaze and spotted them immediately.
"More traitors? I'll kill them all!"
Alex shouted back defiantly, spitting on the ground:
"Send those useless goons of yours after me, tough guy! You think being a navy captain makes you god or something? What a joke!"
That pushed Morgan over the edge. He screamed at his men:
"Capture him! I'll chop him into pieces with my axe!"
Nami turned to Alex in a panic as the marines began charging toward them, Morgan at the front with fury in his eyes.
"Are you stupid? You're already hurt and now you're drawing all their attention!"
"Shut up. Let me handle this. You hide—now!" Alex growled, shoving her away so she could escape.
If he hadn't thrown that rock, Zoro would've been dead by now.
Luffy, you damn idiot! Where the hell are you when we actually need you?!
While Alex fought off the charging marines, Zoro, still tied up, asked Koby:
"Who is that guy? Why did he save me?"
"I think he's the other guy Mr. Luffy mentioned. I've never met him before either," Koby replied, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
"Oh?"
Zoro stared at Alex.
"He's injured. Looks like he's badly hurt.
Even so… he still picked a fight with the Marines.
That guy's got guts."