Fish-Man Island, Coral Commercial District Ruins.
The smoke cleared, leaving nothing but devastation.
The once magnificent coral buildings were now mostly reduced to rubble, and the famous Mermaid Café was left with only half a wall still stubbornly standing.
"Cough, cough…"
G-5 garrison commander, Commander Barton, sat on a broken stone pillar. In one hand, he held that gold loudspeaker he both loved and hated, and in the other, a thick notebook. A ferocious grin hung on his face.
Opposite him, aside from Luffy who was still wandering around looking for meat, the rest of the Straw Hat crew all looked grim.
"Hey, um… Mr. Mohawk," Usopp asked weakly from behind Zoro, "even if we did break some things… it's not to the point of either executing us or selling us off to mine, right?"
"Shut up, long nose!"
Barton snapped his notebook shut with a loud smack.
He adjusted his sunglasses and tapped his spiked club against the ground with heavy thuds, as if striking everyone's hearts.
"What do you mean 'some things'?!"
He pointed at the surrounding ruins and roared in anguish:
"Is this just coral?! No! This is art! These are landscapes personally appreciated by Lord Renzo! Every single stone embodies the history of Fish-Man Island and the hard work of G-5!"
"And the air! Because of your fight, PM2.5 levels have skyrocketed! This will affect Lord Renzo's breathing quality when he visits in the future!"
"And the mental damages! Lost work compensation! Shock compensation! Damage to G-5's brand image!"
The more Barton spoke, the more agitated he became, spittle flying everywhere:
"That red-haired bastard Kid ran away, so this bill naturally falls on you! After all-"
He let out a sinister laugh, "One hand alone can't clap. You're accomplices too!"
"Cut the crap." Zoro rested his hand on his sword hilt, clearly annoyed. "Just tell us how much. If it's too outrageous, I'll cut you down."
"Cut me?"
Barton sneered and pointed at the hundreds of fully armed G-5 soldiers around them, as well as the coastal cannons aimed their way.
"On Fish-Man Island, G-5 territory, you dare resist with violence? Go ahead and try. Let's see if your blade is faster, or if the Heaven's Punishment System left behind by Steward Rehn is faster!"
He cleared his throat and announced the number he had "carefully calculated".
"Total… five billion Beli!"
"PFFFT!!"
Usopp spat out his water instantly.
Chopper's eyes popped out.
Franky's sunglasses slipped down to his chin.
Even Luffy froze mid-chew. "Fi… five billion? How much meat is that?"
"F-FIVE BILLION?!"
Usopp screamed, "Are you insane?! You could buy several countries with that!!"
"No money?"
Barton's face darkened, revealing his thug-like nature.
"No money is easy to handle. There's a newly developed 'Hell Mine' in the New World that needs labor. You lot look strong, work for about 200 years, and you might pay off just the interest."
"Men! Arrest them!"
At his command, the G-5 soldiers cocked their weapons, and tension instantly peaked!
Just as Zoro was about to draw his blade and Sanji prepared to strike,
"Wait."
A crisp, calm, slightly arrogant female voice rang out from behind the crew.
They turned to see Nami stepping forward, parting the crowd with elegant strides.
There was no fear on her face, only a knowing, teasing smile.
"Five billion Beli? Commander Barton… your appetite is getting bigger and bigger."
"Hm?"
Barton looked at the orange-haired woman, feeling she seemed familiar, but couldn't place her.
After all, he used to be just a lieutenant commander, not someone who frequented the inner circle.
"Who are you? Mind your own business! No money means mining!" he barked impatiently.
"Who am I?"
Nami let out a cold laugh.
She slowly reached into her chest, and under everyone's gaze, pulled out a card.
A pitch-black card, edged with gold, with a lazy white sheep head emblem in the center.
That was… the highest-level access pass of G-5!
The Black Gold Card personally issued by their Admiral!
Smack!
Nami flicked the card onto the broken stone in front of Barton with effortless style.
"Open your damn eyes and look carefully!"
Arms crossed, her aura exploded, instantly transforming from a pirate into a queen commanding the field:
"Is this… enough to pay?!"
Barton had been full of disdain, but the moment he saw the card, he froze like he'd been struck by lightning.
With trembling hands, he carefully picked it up.
The cold touch, the unique material, and the hidden anti-counterfeit mark on the back known only to high-level officials,
"T-this… this…!"
His sunglasses slipped down, revealing terrified eyes.
"This is… an Admiral-authorized Black Gold Card?!"
There were fewer than ten of these in all of G-5!
Holding it meant extremely high authority, and more importantly, it meant being one of Admiral Renzo's own people!
"N-Nami… Miss Nami?!"
Barton finally recognized her!
Wasn't this the who used to be the financial director at G-5, the one who managed accounts even stricter than Rehn, and even dared to scold Rehn to his face?!
Thud!
Without hesitation, the tall commander dropped to his knees smoothly.
His previous ferocious, thug-like demeanor vanished instantly, replaced by a fawning smile more radiant than a blooming chrysanthemum.
"Oh my! So it's Advisor Nami! Look at my eyes, they should be gouged out and fed to dogs!"
He held the card with both hands and respectfully returned it, bowing deeply like a cooked shrimp.
"A misunderstanding! All a misunderstanding! If I had known it was you, I would've rolled out the red carpet! How could I dare ask for compensation!"
This 180-degree shift stunned the rest of the crew.
Usopp's jaw dropped: "H-he just knelt?!"
Chopper sparkled, "Nami… so amazing!!"
Zoro sheathed his blade with a snort: "Tch. The witch's intimidation."
Nami gracefully took the card back and tucked it away, then looked down at Barton.
"Five billion?"
"No, no, no! Of course not!"
Barton shook his head like a rattle drum.
"That's the price for outsiders! Since it's you, we're family! Talking money hurts relationships!"
"But…"
He glanced at the ruins and said pitifully:
"Sister Nami, you know Steward Rehn's temper. If this wall isn't fixed, he'll tear my bones out to patch it. So…"
"Enough whining."
Nami sighed.
"Calculate at cost price. How much?"
"Hehe, cost price…"
Barton scribbled quickly and reported:
"100 million Beli! Absolute conscience price! I even waived labor costs!"
From five billion down to one hundred million.
That discount was downright brutal.
"…100 million…"
Nami's heart bled, but compared to five billion, this was heaven.
"Fine. Put it on the tab. Send the bill to Rehn later, just say it's on credit."
"Got it! Thank you, Advisor!"
Barton immediately ordered his men to clear a path and even arranged an escort.
Watching the Straw Hats leave in style, Jinbe wiped his sweat.
"As expected of Miss Nami… this influence surpasses even the Four Emperors."
…
New World, G-5 Base, Temple of Sloth, Chief Office.
"ACHOO!!"
Rehn, who was organizing financial reports for Renzo (who was sleeping), suddenly sneezed loudly.
"Strange… who's talking about me?"
At that moment, the special Den Den Mushi rang.
Rehn picked it up, his tone instantly cold and imposing:
"I'm Rehn. Speak."
"C-Chief! This is Barton from Fish-Man Island!"
Barton quickly reported everything, including Luffy and Kid's fight, and Nami revealing the Black Gold Card.
"Oh? Miss Nami…"
Rehn's expression softened slightly.
"If it's her, then one hundred million it is. Charge it to my personal fund. Don't let Lord Renzo know."
"Yes, sir!"
"But… there's one more thing."
"What?"
"That Eustass Kid…"
"He smashed our facilities, injured our men… and most importantly, he ran! And before leaving, he flipped off your 'Divine Whisper' loudspeaker!"
"And he said: 'G-5 is nothing! Tell that fat bastard to come to the New World if he dares!'"
Crack.
Rehn crushed his golden pen.
His cheerful face instantly darkened.
"He… insulted me?"
"And Lord Renzo too…"
BOOM!!!
Lightning erupted through the office, everything turning to ash, except Renzo's sofa.
"Good… very good…"
Rehn forced himself to calm down.
'Killing him would be too easy.'
'For a pirate who values reputation… what hurts most?'
Rehn's eyes gleamed wickedly.
He picked up another Den Den Mushi.
"I'm Rehn from G-5. Connect me to bounty evaluation."
"I want to adjust a bounty."
"Eustass Kid."
"Raise it?"
"Raise?"
Rehn sneered.
"Lower it."
"To… 2.5 million Beli."
"…WHAT?!"
"Do it."
"And add: 'Wanted mainly to recover unpaid repair fees.'"
"…Understood!!"
Rehn hung up, smiling darkly.
"Kid…"
"When you see your new bounty…"
"That expression…"
"…will be priceless."
"Hahaha… try competing with me? With Lord Renzo?"
"I'll disgust you to death."
....
[email protected]/DaoistJinzu