Under Nami's impatient urging, the deck of the Starship immediately became lively. She ran back and forth on the deck, checking the nautical chart one moment and adjusting the sails the next, muttering incessantly, "Faster, faster, even faster!"
"Nami-san~ If you're in such a hurry, would you like to try my special treasure-hunting bento first?" Sanji held a delicate lunchbox, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
Nami grabbed it without even looking. "Thanks! No time to savor it now!" Sanji instantly turned to stone, tears welling in his eyes. "Even Nami-san..."
Zoro leaned against the ship's railing, yawning lazily. "Nami, did you forget something?" He meaningfully looked towards Cocoyashi Village.
Nami abruptly stopped, her expression suddenly turning serious.
She clutched the treasure map in her hand, her knuckles slightly white. "Of course not... That bastard Captain Nezumi!" A cold glint flashed in her eyes. "Before we officially start our treasure hunt, we need to get rid of this menace."
Luffy, who was sitting on the bow, swinging his legs, immediately perked up at her words. "Oh! A fight?" He excitedly pressed down his straw hat. "Perfect for seeing if there are any choices!"
Usopp, however, suddenly tensed up. "Wait! The opponent is a Marine Captain! Are we just going to charge in? Shouldn't we make a plan first... like letting me tell a tall tale first?"
"The plan is simple." Ron walked out of the cabin, playing with a gold coin in his hand. "Go straight to him, beat him up, and then..." He flicked his finger, and the gold coin drew a shining arc in the air. "Make him spit out everything he swallowed."
Nami revealed a cunning smile. "And, I've already collected all the evidence of his crimes." She pulled out a stack of documents from her embrace. "The evidence of his collusion with Arlong all these years is enough to send him to Marineford for a court-martial."
Usopp laughed. "We're pirates. What do we need this evidence for? Even with this evidence, if we, as pirates, take down a Marine, we'll still be wanted."
Zoro raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't matter, but it looks like Nami was prepared all along."
"Of course," Nami's expression softened. "I can't leave any hidden dangers for the village." She turned to look at the gradually receding Cocoyashi Village, the sea breeze ruffling her hair. "This time, we must completely sever all threats."
Luffy suddenly stretched his arm and put it around everyone's shoulders. "Then it's settled! First, we'll beat up Captain Nezumi, and then--" He grinned, revealing his signature brilliant smile. "We'll start our grand treasure hunt!"
"Oh!" Everyone responded in unison.
Ron was also very curious about what outrageous things the Treasure Hunt System would unearth, as he was most familiar with the sub-system's function description. The reward column stated:
Full of variety, good and bad mixed, hunt for treasure carefully, carefully hunt for treasure!
"....."
The Starship drew a graceful arc on the sea, changing course and speeding towards Marine Branch 16. Nami stood at the bow, looking at the Treasure Hunt System in front of her. In her eyes, there was both anticipation for the future and a firm resolve to settle old scores.
...
Two days later,
The Starship quickly arrived in the sea area where Marine Branch 16 was located. Usopp stood on the ship's rail next to the figurehead, holding a small slingshot, majestically aiming at the base gate.
"Let me show you the power of the 'Sniper King'!" He shouted exaggeratedly. A specially made gunpowder projectile cut through the sky, and amidst the terrified gazes of the Marine soldiers, the base gate exploded with a roar, flames soaring into the sky.
"Listen up!" Usopp stood with his hands on his hips, his voice loud. "There are thirty more pirate ships behind me, rushing here! If you know what's good for you, surrender immediately!"
He deliberately emphasized the words "thirty ships" and even seriously looked back at the empty sea.
"What! These guys actually dare to attack a Marine base head-on!"
"Damn it, I heard there are thirty more pirate ships!!!"
"Are we going to be doomed today!"
"Run for your lives!"
The new recruits were so scared their legs went soft. Some even directly dropped their weapons and turned to run away.
[Ding! Host's tall tale successful]
[Reward obtained: Enhanced Bullets x100, Burning Projectiles x100!]
[Current Tall Tale Level: Silver (5/100)]
The system's prompt sounded in Usopp's ear. He smugly touched his long nose, muttering softly, "Looks like I didn't tell a big enough tall tale this time..."
"But these bullets are really good!"
Sanji elegantly exhaled a smoke ring and slowly stepped forward. "Today I don't want to get hit..." His eyes suddenly sharpened. "I only want revenge!" His leather shoes sparked on the ground. "For the beautiful Lady Nami!"
Just then, Captain Nezumi rushed out with a squad of elite soldiers.
When he saw who it was, he first widened his eyes in shock, then his gaze fell on Nami, and his expression instantly became twisted and dramatic.
"Hahaha!" He shrieked with laughter. "What thirty pirate ships and grand pirates? Just you trash?" He contemptuously pointed at Nami. "Especially you, little thief cat, instead of earning money for me, you ran here to die?"
Nami's face instantly turned as dark as ink, her fists clenching with a crackling sound. Just as she was about to explode, a crisp system prompt suddenly sounded in her mind:
[Ding! New location detected, Treasure Hunt System activated!]
[Current Location: Marine Branch 16]
[Treasure map generating...]
[Treasure Coordinates: Base Underground Vault]
[Special Hint: Hunting may yield special rewards!]
Nami's pupils suddenly constricted, and a dangerous smile curled at the corner of her lips. "Captain Nezumi... It seems today I'll settle both new and old scores." She slowly unrolled the treasure scroll. "And while I'm at it... I'll dig up 'my' treasure!"
Captain Nezumi's small, green bean-like eyes stared intently at the treasure map in Nami's hand, his pupils instantly shrinking to pinprick size, then bursting with greedy light.
"Oh, you! You audacious little thief cat!" He shrieked, his voice distorted by excitement. "How dare you steal my treasure map!" His small body trembled with rage, and the whiskers on his face twitched.
The Marine soldiers behind him, hearing this, also had their eyes light up. "What? There's treasure in the base?"
"Captain-sama actually secretly hid a treasure map!"
"Brothers, let's snatch it back and split it!"
"Charge!!! We're gonna get rich!"
Greed instantly ignited this group of Marine scoundrels. They rushed towards Nami, jostling each other. Just then, a system prompt suddenly sounded in Luffy's mind:
[Ding! God-tier Choice System activated]
[Option A: Protect Nami from being harmed by the soldiers, reward 100 catties of East Blue special seafood rice!]
[Option B: Directly defeat Captain Nezumi, reward 100 catties of Grand Line special fruits!]
[Option C: Keep an eye on Captain Nezumi to prevent him from escaping, reward 100 catties of West Blue special roasted meat!]
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