"Recognized, huh?"
He smirked and sank lazily back into the wicker chair. "Guess you've got some sharp eyes. Good—means I can sleep easy tonight without having to fight."
"Captain, looks like two of them didn't leave." Smoker frowned beside him. "And they're heading straight for us…"
BOOM!
Before he could finish, the man in the distance raised his hand—and the sea just a few dozen meters from the Curtainfall suddenly erupted into flames, sending a column of seawater straight into the sky!
"Hey, pirates."
Mr. 5 adjusted his sunglasses and said coolly, "Where's your captain, Shanu? Tell him to get out here. That blast was just a warning. If you don't surrender right now, the next one will blow your ship to pieces."
An ambush, right from the start?
And he had the nerve to call out their captain by name? How rude!
Everyone's tempers flared instantly. Sleeves were rolled up and fists clenched.
Shanu just raised an eyebrow, a spark of amusement in his eyes as he studied the pair.
Ah… these two, huh?
Pretty high up on Baroque Works' ranking chart. Worth more than the average agents, sure—but in terms of strength…
"These small fry aren't worth bothering the captain."
Smoker clenched the cigar in his teeth and stepped forward. "Let me handle it."
"And me!" Nami raised her hand high. "I wanna try too!"
Lately, she'd been watching everyone train hard on the ship. It was getting frustrating just sitting around.
She'd been experimenting over the sea, testing her own abilities—and had even developed some flashy new moves she thought were pretty impressive.
Too bad no one had time to spar with her. Even Gin stopped playing with her after getting scorched a few times. Now her hands were practically itching for a real fight.
This was the perfect opportunity to show off!
"Didn't grab the chance, huh."
Kuina had already half-drawn Wado Ichimonji, but slid it back into the sheath and sat down again. "Then I'll leave it to you two. Nami—make it count."
Nojiko had been about to step up as well, but seeing Nami volunteer for once, she smiled and stood back.
"Don't worry, I'll take the big guy with the afro. The rookie, Smoker-kun, you handle the woman!"
Nami bumped her fists together, eyes gleaming.
Heh-heh. Maybe there's a reporter hidden on the island. Let the Navy see this and they'll raise my bounty for sure. Eight thousand Berries is just insulting!
"Well, maybe I should give you a warning," Shanu said lazily, flipping through a newspaper while checking news about the Alabasta royal family. "That guy's a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user. Any part of his body can explode."
"So what?" Nami sniffed. "I'll just burn—"
"That explosion earlier? He made it using his… booger."
"…"
Nami froze.
"B-booger bombs?!"
Her eyes went wide, her voice shot up an octave. "You mean that explosion was—? Urgh!"
The thought of punching that afro freak made her face go pale. She whipped around and grabbed Smoker's sleeve.
"Smoker, I suddenly feel like that woman in the air suits me way better! Switch! We have to switch!"
"…"
Smoker sighed. "Fine by me."
Booger bombs grossed him out too, but this wouldn't take long anyway. Better him than making a girl deal with it.
The next instant—whoosh—his body turned into white smoke, streaking straight toward Mr. 5.
Nami followed right after. As the ship reached the shore, she leapt down and landed neatly on the sand—
—and immediately winced in pain, hopping in place while clutching her ankle. "Ow ow ow! My ankle's broken, ow!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!"
Miss Valentine stared in disbelief, then roared, baring sharp teeth. "What kind of pirate crew is this?! They send a brat like you to fight me?!"
"Can't be helped!" she snapped, stomping over furiously and raising her parasol high. "I'll just knock you into the sea first, then make them send someone decent!"
"Getting that close already?"
Still holding her foot, Nami suddenly looked up, a mischievous smile curling her lips. "You're way too naïve…"
Before Miss Valentine could react, Nami straightened sharply, dropped into a low stance, and pressed both palms together at her waist. Flames erupted between them.
"Flame—Destruction—"
That name came from one of her brother's old stories—compressing fire, tighter and tighter, until the energy was almost too much to contain—then suddenly—
"—Wave!!"
BOOM!!!
A blinding fireball exploded between them, the blast shaking all of Whiskey Peak.
Miss Valentine was hurled back, crashing through a wall and leaving only her parasol's charred frame clattering to the ground.
"Cough, cough… you sneaky little brat!"
She staggered up, covered in soot, shrieking, "You're a Devil Fruit user too—and you still fight dirty!"
Nami flicked her orange hair proudly. "That's called tactics! Nyeh~ Serves you right for falling for it!"
"Ugh! You'll pay for that! Now it's time you saw my power—take this!"
She leapt skyward, floating up to thirty meters before suddenly plummeting straight down.
"Ten Thousand Kilo Press!"
"…No Armament Haki?"
Nami didn't even move, just smirked up at her.
Tch. Ten thousand kilos? That's only ten tons.
Her brother could swing a whole tree that heavy years ago.
CRASH!
The ground cracked in a spiderweb beneath the impact. Miss Valentine started to grin victoriously—when flames suddenly circled her in a ring of fire.
And within that fiery glow, Nami's smiling face appeared. "Sister Lemon, that little trick of yours can't even touch me."
What the hell kind of power is this?!
Miss Valentine's eyes went wide. She stumbled back, then suddenly shot upward again, turning feather-light.
"Trying to run?"
Nami clapped her hands together. "I was ready for that… Fire Phoenix!"
Whoosh!
The fire around her spun upward, forming first a long tail, then dazzling wings, then the proud head of a phoenix.
In just two seconds, a magnificent ten-meter firebird burst to life, beating its wings toward the sky.
Screech!!
With a clear cry, it shot upward, chasing Miss Valentine with impossible speed.
She glanced back, face draining of color. She tried to swerve left and right—but there was no escaping the phoenix's fiery pursuit.
She barely managed a scream of "Stay away—!" before the flames engulfed her completely.
Thud!
Nami brushed her hands together. "Heehee, done! Hey, Smoker—how's your side? I wrapped mine up in under three minutes, so don't tell me you're still—eh?"
She turned—and blinked. Smoker was already crouching on top of Mr. 5.
The man was trussed up tighter than a rice dumpling, unable to move a finger. At Smoker's feet lay two burned-out cigars.
"Third one's lit," Smoker said, tapping off the ash. He glanced at his watch. "Looks like I finished in twenty seconds. Guess I'm still faster."
Nami fumed. Ugh! Show-off!
Both of them were Logia users, yet she was the one falling behind in mastery. Not acceptable!
"That was your first real battle," came a familiar voice. "And against a Baroque Works Officer Agent, no less. Finishing it in under three minutes—not bad."
Shanu and the others had arrived, stepping ashore after watching the brief skirmish.
"Bro!" Nami beamed, grabbing his arm. "If you're praising me like that, I'm happy! So, what do you think—can I be one of the main fighters now?"
You want to be a main fighter too?
"If you're willing to start training in martial arts and Haki with the others, sure," Shanu said.
"…Yeah, maybe not."
Nami deflated. Physical training was exhausting. She had maps to draw and a course to plot—no time for that torture.
"Captain," Smoker said, glancing toward a cluster of buildings, "what about the ones hiding around us?"
He was the only one aboard with Observation Haki; he could sense several presences lurking behind walls and under floors.
"They knew when to back off. Leave them."
Shanu shook his head, eyes landing on Mr. 5, who was trembling like a leaf.
"Don't you think he looks kinda like Aokiji?" Shanu mused suddenly.
Smoker blinked. Aokiji?
He looked closer—thick lips, forehead lines, afro, little round shades… yeah, kinda did.
"Hey."
Shanu squatted down in front of Mr. 5, patted his face, and smiled. "So, who sent you two after me? Was it Crocodile?"