In the tangerine grove, Luo Chen had to dig up more than half the land before he finally found Nami's chest of treasure.
He tried to deposit it, only to find the system completely unresponsive.
[Ownership of the money has not been transferred.]
Seeing the system prompt, Luo Chen frowned in thought for a moment, then picked up the treasure and walked into the distance.
If he wasn't mistaken, this chest of treasure still belonged to Nami.
The ten million Berries from Captain Nezumi had transferred directly because he had killed him, so ownership of the money naturally changed hands.
"St... stop..." Genzo lay on the ground, his eyes wide with anger, his hands digging into the dirt as he tried to crawl forward.
Luo Chen said helplessly, "I'll give it back to Nami after I'm done using it."
Genzo trembled with rage. Done using it?
Once money is used, can it be returned?
This shameless Marine was treating him like a fool!
Luo Chen delayed no further and walked out of Cocoyasi Village.
Along the way, he tried to deposit the money several times, but all attempts failed.
It wasn't until he was far away from Cocoyasi Village, in the ruins of a deserted and uninhabited town, that the system finally notified him of a successful deposit.
[Ninety-one million Berries have been deposited, exchanged for nine thousand one hundred Cultivation Points.]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching a cumulative deposit of one hundred million Berries. Reward: Wood Style Ninja Technique Collection.]
[Host, please check your personal information to officially begin your training.]
A wealth of information flooded Luo Chen's mind.
Wood Style: Deep Forest Emergence, Wood Style: Sea of Trees Emergence, Wood Style: Wood Locking Wall, Wood Style: Wood Dragon Technique, Wood Style: Wood Human Technique...
It was all information regarding the stamina consumption and effects of various Wood Style techniques.
After processing it all, Luo Chen opened his personal information panel.
[Host: Luo Chen]
[Taijutsu: Lv1 (Equivalent to a Headquarters Ensign ≈ Pirate with a multi-million Berry bounty)]
[Skills: None]
[Ninjutsu: Wood Style Ninja Technique Collection]
[Cultivation Points: 10100]
[Next Cumulative Deposit Reward Tier: One Billion Berries]
'System, enter the Taijutsu Training Space,' Luo Chen said in his mind.
With the Wood Style Ninja Technique Collection, learning combat skills could be put on hold for now. Improving his Taijutsu was more important.
Taijutsu, according to the system's definition, encompassed various aspects including physical strength, defense, stamina, and hand-to-hand combat techniques.
Using Wood Style techniques required stamina.
Furthermore, the power of the Wood Style was directly related to his physical strength.
Only by raising his Taijutsu level could Luo Chen use Wood Style multiple times and increase its power.
His vision blurred, and when it returned, he found himself on a small, round planet.
The planet was tiny; he could see the curved horizon in the distance with a single glance.
The entire planet was a lush green, with soft, verdant grass under his feet.
A white light flashed on the empty patch of grass before him.
A woman in a tight black leather suit and holding a whip appeared.
Her expression was cold. She cracked the whip, making a sharp snap in the air.
"Get moving, now! One hundred push-ups!"
Luo Chen asked, puzzled, "You are..."
"Your Taijutsu teacher," the woman said. Her features were cold and beautiful, her lips a vivid red, possessing a kind of aloof and seductive charm.
Luo Chen glanced at the whip in her hand, silently got down on the ground, and began doing push-ups.
One hundred push-ups were a breeze for his original body, which had been a Marine. He wasn't sure if this kind of training would really be effective.
Just as he got into position, he saw the woman stomp lightly on the grass with her black high-heeled shoe.
An immense gravitational force pressed down on Luo Chen's body.
His expression changed. His arms began to tremble uncontrollably, and he felt as if a giant boulder was on his back.
Luo Chen gritted his teeth and slowly began to do the push-ups.
...
Back in Cocoyasi Village.
The beautiful, orange-haired girl returned to the hillside where her home was, her face beaming with a joyful smile.
She saw the overturned soil and the messy state of the tangerine grove. Her smile instantly froze, and she stood rooted to the spot.
Nearby, Sheriff Genzo was lying on the ground, one arm covering his eyes, with tear stains on the side of his face.
He suddenly sensed her presence, and upon seeing the orange-haired girl, he quickly sat up.
"Nami, you... you're back?"
The smile on Nami's face vanished completely. Her voice trembled.
"Mr. Genzo, what happened to the tangerine grove? Did you see the chest that was buried in the ground?"
Genzo's eyes were filled with guilt and pain. "It was stolen. The money you've saved up for the past eight years... it was all stolen by a Marine!"
Nami froze as if she had turned to stone.
Then, her body swayed, and she collapsed to the ground as if all the strength had been drained from her.
Her pretty face was pale without a trace of color, and she muttered endlessly,
"How could this be? How did a Marine know... The one hundred million Berries to buy back the village... it's been stolen..."
Just then, a villager ran over in a hurry. "Nojiko! Someone found her passed out outside the village! Quick, go check on her!"
Genzo instantly scrambled to his feet.
Nami tried to get up as well but found her body cold and weak, too exhausted to muster any strength.
She tried to stand, falling three or four times before she could barely stay upright.
"Nami, are you alright..." Genzo asked with concern.
Nami shook her head, biting her lip so hard that blood trickled down from the corner of her mouth.
"Let's go see Nojiko first."
Led by the villager, she and Genzo arrived at a private house.
Nojiko was lying on a wooden bed, her face smudged with dirt and blood. Seeing Nami, she said urgently,
"Nami, a Marine named Luo Chen found out about your one hundred million Berries! He might come to steal it, you have to hide it quickly..."
Nami was silent, her fists clenched tightly, her head bowed.
Tears fell, drop by drop, onto the ground in front of her.
Seeing this, Nojiko's words caught in her throat. Looking at Nami's state, a terrible premonition welled up in her heart.
"Nojiko, the money... it's already been stolen," Nami cried.
She hung her head low, covering her face with her hands, as sad and helpless as a child who had lost their most beloved toy.
Nojiko's lips trembled. She forced a smile and comforted her softly, "It's okay, Nami, it's okay..."
She got out of bed, picked up a broom from against the wall, and smiled. "I'm going to kill Luo Chen and get your one hundred million Berries back."
With that, Nojiko started to head out of the house.
Genzo and the villager hurriedly stopped her.
They could all see that Nojiko was not in her right mind.
"Let go of me!" Nojiko struggled violently, tears streaming from her eyes. "Luo Chen stole Nami's one hundred million Berries! The money she suffered so much to earn! He deserves to die! He deserves to die!"
Watching her sister in such a state, Nami turned and ran out of the house, her voice trailing behind her:
"Mr. Genzo, look after Nojiko! I'm going to find Arlong and have him kill Luo Chen!"
"As long as the one hundred million Berries ends up in his hands, he'll definitely spare the village."
Genzo and the villagers wanted to stop Nami, but it was too late.
"Nojiko, calm down!" Genzo yelled. "Nami went to find Arlong!"
He said in a low voice, "If Arlong can't find Luo Chen and blames Nami, she'll be in danger! We have to go help her!"
Hearing that Nami was in danger, Nojiko calmed down considerably, no longer singularly focused on killing Luo Chen.
She was silent for a moment, then asked, "How do we help? Those fish-men aren't even afraid of guns. What can we do?"
Genzo said angrily, "If they dare to hurt Nami, we'll fight them to the death!"
"Even if we die, we'll take a piece of them with us!"
He turned and rushed out the door. "I'll gather the villagers! We're all going to Arlong Park!"
"Everyone has watched Nami suffer for eight years. Our hearts have long been torn apart! We'd rather die with Arlong than go on like this! They will definitely come!"