Sea Calendar 1520, by a dirt road outside Cocoyasi Village.
A red-skinned fish-man grinned. "Captain Nezumi, this is this year's cut. I hope our cooperation can continue."
"Squeak squeak squeak, of course," said a tall, thin man wearing a Marine cap with mouse ears, letting out a strange laugh.
"With me around, the Marines won't pay any attention to you Arlong Pirates. Feel free to exploit those wretched villagers."
The red-skinned fish-man laughed loudly and took his leave.
Captain Nezumi said to a young-looking Marine behind him, "Luo Chen, take the money. Let's head back to the base."
Luo Chen lifted the two wooden chests, feeling the heavy weight of the Berries inside, and sighed inwardly with regret.
'At least ten million Berries.'
'Too bad this money belongs to Nezumi.'
'Otherwise, I could have gotten the system's first-time deposit bonus.'
He was not from this world.
He had transmigrated here just over ten minutes ago, merging with the memories of a Marine who was also named Luo Chen.
'Captain Nezumi, Cocoyasi Village... this is the island of Nami's hometown, located in the East Blue.'
'The year 1520 is right when the story begins.'
Luo Chen stared at the two large chests of Berries, desperately wanting to deposit them.
What brought him to the world of One Piece was a system called the "Pay-to-Win Tutor."
By depositing money, he could summon master tutors and unlock training spaces.
Reaching certain cumulative deposit amounts would even grant him powerful ninja techniques.
However, the system's minimum deposit was ten million Berries.
And the ownership of the Berries had to belong to Luo Chen.
Depositing other people's money wouldn't work.
'The original owner of this body was broke. If he were a Celestial Dragon, I'd pay my way straight to VIP 18.'
Luo Chen grumbled internally.
The body's original owner had been a Marine for many years but was still destitute.
He had been so poor recently that he decided to throw in his lot with Captain Nezumi.
"Who's there?!"
Beside him, a middle-aged Marine suddenly shouted, his figure rushing forward.
Luo Chen looked up.
A woman with short blue hair was running out from behind a large tree in the distance, fleeing in a panic.
But her speed was clearly no match for the middle-aged Marine, and she was quickly caught.
She kicked and punched at the middle-aged Marine, but she wasn't strong enough and couldn't break free at all.
"Where did this wild woman come from!"
The middle-aged Marine angrily slapped her across the face and threw her to the ground.
Captain Nezumi grabbed the woman by her hair. "Which village are you from? Did you overhear our conversation with the fish-man?"
The blue-haired woman's pretty face was filled with anger, along with a trace of fear.
She gritted her teeth and cursed, "No wonder no Marines have come to subjugate Arlong's crew in eight years! You Marines from the 16th Branch are colluding with pirates! You animals!"
Hearing this, the eyes of Captain Nezumi and the middle-aged Marine turned completely cold.
"It seems we can't let you live."
Captain Nezumi kicked the blue-haired woman down and looked at Luo Chen. "You kill her."
"Hm?" Luo Chen was taken aback, his gaze falling upon the woman.
Short, ear-length blue hair, a tight tank top outlining her ample chest and slender, flexible waist.
If he wasn't mistaken, this should be Nojiko.
Nami's sister.
"Captain, my hands are full," Luo Chen said, indicating the two chests of Berries he was holding.
"Can't you put them down?! Are you an idiot!" Captain Nezumi scolded coldly.
Luo Chen's brow furrowed slightly.
'Nezumi insists on me being the one to kill her?'
He glanced at the middle-aged Marine.
'This guy is Nezumi's relative.'
'He wants me to bear the risk of killing Nojiko today.'
'Of course, it could also be to get my hands dirty with a civilian's blood, so we'll all be in the same boat from now on.'
Luo Chen put down the two chests of Berries, unslung the rifle from his back, and gripped it tightly.
'Can I take out Nezumi with one shot right now?'
'A Marine Branch Captain shouldn't be able to dodge a bullet, right?'
'If I can't do it in one shot, I'll be the one who dies...' Luo Chen glanced at the positioning of Nezumi and the middle-aged Marine.
These two, as Marines, colluded with pirates and preyed on the villagers.
He would have no qualms about killing them.
But Nojiko was different.
She was an innocent person. No matter what, Luo Chen couldn't pull the trigger on her.
'In the anime, rifles never killed anyone...'
Luo Chen felt uncertain, but at this moment, he had to take the risk.
He raised his rifle and aimed at Nojiko, who was sitting paralyzed on the ground.
"You... you bunch of animals, you scum of the Marines, you shameless bastards!"
Nojiko's cursing voice trembled, a wet patch spreading below her as she was scared to death.
But when she thought of the harm and suffering the villagers and Nami had endured from Arlong's crew for the past eight years, her heart felt like it was being sliced by a knife. She wished she could bite the three Marines in front of her to death.
It was because they colluded with pirates that Arlong had killed so many people.
"Shoot, Luo Chen! You're never this slow when it comes to women," the middle-aged Marine said sarcastically.
A cold glint flashed in Luo Chen's eyes, and he pulled the trigger.
The instant his finger bent, Nojiko's bloodshot eyes widened, her face contorted like a demon's as she tried to burn his face into her memory.
At that moment, Luo Chen swung the muzzle of the gun and aimed it at Captain Nezumi beside him.
BANG—!
A flash erupted from the muzzle. Captain Nezumi's body was thrown backward, blood spraying from his chest.
The middle-aged Marine froze for a second, then drew his gun in shocked fury.
But Luo Chen had already aimed at him and pulled the trigger again.
Another gunshot rang out.
The middle-aged Marine was also knocked backward by the immense impact of the bullet, falling flat on his back.
Luo Chen didn't dare to pause for a second, continuing to pull the trigger on Captain Nezumi and the middle-aged Marine as they struggled to sit up.
"Bang, bang, bang..."
The rifle's magazine was emptied in a matter of seconds.
The two men on the ground were covered in blood, their bodies riddled with bullet holes. They lay motionless in pools of their own blood.
With a trembling arm, Luo Chen lowered the rifle, panting slightly.
Killing for the first time was no small shock to him.
Nojiko stared blankly at the scene, her mouth slightly agape, unable to understand why the three Marines had started fighting among themselves.
Luo Chen said, "They colluded with pirates and took bribes. They deserved to die."
Nojiko hesitated. "But... weren't you with them?"
Luo Chen shook his head. "I had only just met these two."
He helped Nojiko up. "Let's get out of here first. The gunshots might attract people."
As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Chen saw the red-skinned fish-man who had left earlier rushing back from a distance.
His heart sank. He knew there was trouble.
The fish-man probably hadn't gone far and had turned back upon hearing the gunshots.
"Hey, hey, hey, what's going on here?"
The red-skinned fish-man shouted in surprise from a distance.
Luo Chen bent down and opened the two chests of Berries.
'System, deposit.'
He had killed Captain Nezumi, so this ten million Berries now belonged to him.
[Ten million Berries have been deposited, exchanged for one thousand Cultivation Points.]
[Summon Master Tutor function unlocked. Skill Training Space unlocked. Taijutsu Training Space unlocked.]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching a cumulative deposit of ten million Berries. Reward: Wood Style: Cutting Technique.]
[Friendly Reminder: In accordance with the power system of the current world, all ninja techniques will consume the host's stamina and do not require hand seals.]
"You killed Captain Nezumi?!"
The red-skinned fish-man came closer, eyeing Luo Chen menacingly.
"Brat, for the sake of this measly ten million Berries, you've caused a huge loss for our Arlong Pirates!"
With Captain Nezumi dead, the Marines would surely send a new branch captain.
At that time, the Arlong Pirates would have to spend money all over again to bribe the new captain.
And there was no guarantee the new captain would be willing to get rich with them.
Luo Chen was currently experiencing a strange power within his body.
He had a feeling that he could activate the Wood Style: Cutting Technique if he wanted to.
Nojiko pressed close to Luo Chen's side, saying nervously:
"Fish-men are far stronger than humans, and their skin is tough. A rifle might not work."
She was worried that Luo Chen would be no match for the fish-man.
Without a word, Luo Chen raised his rifle and fired repeatedly.
The red-skinned fish-man crossed his arms to block.
A dozen or so bullets embedded themselves in its skin as if they had been shot into mud, the ends of the bullets still sticking out.
Blood slowly trickled down from the ends of the dozen bullets.
The red-skinned fish-man lowered his arms and gave a ferocious grin. "These toy firearms can only kill weak humans."
It suddenly charged toward Luo Chen and Nojiko.
Nojiko's face went pale.
The rifle truly was no threat to a fish-man.
Luo Chen's vision blurred. He only saw a red shadow before he felt a hand grip his neck, his body slowly lifting off the ground.
"Go explain yourself to Boss Arlong," the red-skinned fish-man said coldly, choking Luo Chen.
Luo Chen grinned, raised his hand to press it against the fish-man's arm, and activated Wood Style: Cutting Technique.