"That's my treasure!!!"
Nami lunged forward like a wildcat the moment Bai Ye lifted the sack of loot she'd spent so long collecting (well… stealing). For a second, she even forgot about pirates and ships—she just wanted her treasure back.
[Daoist Secret Art: Golden Light Mantra!]
BOOM!
"Ow!"
Nami rebounded off Bai Ye's glowing golden barrier like she'd rammed a wall. She clutched her head, glaring up at him. "What is that—magic?"
Damn it—this handsome guy was literally shining!
Bai Ye smiled calmly. "Not magic. Just a little Daoist protection spell."
In the original story, Nami would later become the Straw Hat crew's unofficial "big sister"—the one who freely smacked Luffy and Zoro whenever they got out of line.
But Bai Ye? He had no intention of being punched around for fun.
"So," he said lightly, weighing the sack in his hand, "since you're refusing to be our navigator, this treasure will count as our spoils of victory."
He tossed the bag in his palm, gauging its heft.
"Looks like about two million berries. Not much, but enough to throw Luffy a grand banquet—and buy Zoro a decent sword."
Watching him casually confiscate her hard-earned money with a straight face, Nami's teeth ground together.
This man was officially no longer handsome.
"Banquet?!!!"
Luffy's eyes lit up like fireworks.
"A new sword? Sounds good," Zoro added between gulps of sake.
You've got to be kidding me!
That was her treasure—painstakingly gathered, coin by coin, to buy back her village from Arlong!
All she needed was a little more… just a little more—and she could have been free.
Biting her lip, she glared at the three idiots and said, "Fine! I'll help you navigate. But I'm not joining your crew!"
Even now, she tried to keep her last line intact.
"Huh? Why not?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion.
"Because I hate pirates," she spat. "I hate them more than anything."
"Eh?"
Before Luffy could blurt something else, Bai Ye placed a hand on his shoulder. "Let it go for now, Captain. Don't rush."
Luffy nodded instantly. "Okay."
Bai Ye was his first crewmate, and the one who had convinced Zoro to join. When Bai Ye spoke seriously, Luffy listened.
"Then congratulations, Miss Nami," Bai Ye said pleasantly, handing the bag back. "You've successfully earned your treasure."
He smiled faintly. Only when Arlong is dealt with can this girl truly be free, he thought. For now, it was enough just to keep her nearby.
"Consider this an advance payment for your services as a temporary navigator."
"Fine! As long as I—wait…" Nami froze mid-sentence, realization dawning.
Hold on. That was MY treasure. How did it turn into "payment" after five minutes in your hands?!
"You're literally freeloading off me!!!"
Her shout nearly made Luffy choke on his meat.
Nami later found herself in the ship's storage hold, inspecting her "employer's" financial state—and her face darkened fast.
This is cleaner than a monastery, she thought grimly. Even a beggar would drop some change out of pity.
Well, not her. No one, she vowed, was taking a single Berry from Nami.
"Nope. This won't do," Bai Ye said suddenly, reappearing behind her. "Better have some insurance."
Before she could protest, he took the bag back, split it neatly in half, handed one portion to her—and then, with a smooth sweep of his hand, made the other half vanish into his inner space.
"To prevent you from running off halfway, I'll hold on to the rest."
Nami: …
What do you mean 'the rest'?! It's all mine, you con artist!!!
She wanted to scream. Not only had he freeloaded her work—he'd even managed to "deposit" half her savings into some invisible vault.
Later that day, Bai Ye gathered everyone on deck.
"It's been a while since we set sail. Our navigator's familiar with the ship now, so let's discuss our next destination."
Unlike the Grand Line, East Blue had no Log Pose—no fixed route—so their course was up to them.
"I don't care," Zoro said first, crossing his arms. "Anywhere with strong opponents."
"I want to find more crewmates and head for the Grand Line!" Luffy grinned wide.
"I don't have an opinion," Nami muttered. "I'll just make sure you get where you're going safely."
Over the past days, she'd learned who they really were—the heroes who'd freed Shells Town from Morgan's tyranny.
At first, she hadn't believed the rumors. But after the whole town had told the same story, she'd begun to wonder.
And then she'd met them herself.
Now that she knows them… Well, "heroes" might've been generous.
Luffy was a lovable idiot, Zoro a muscle-headed drunk, and the paper soldiers worked like unpaid interns.
As for Bai Ye—the guy who'd taken half her money? The worst of them all.
"I see," Bai Ye nodded, blissfully unaware he'd just been insulted. "Then I have a suggestion."
"While working with the Marines at Shells Town, part of our deal was that they'd give me a Grand Line chart. But when I got there…" He flipped his wrist, and a sheet of parchment appeared in his hand. "It had already been stolen."
He spread it open on the table.
In the center was a crude skull-and-crossbones with a clown nose, and beneath it, a mocking line of text:
'This treasure now belongs to yours truly.'
Zoro's eyes narrowed. "A clown skull…?"
"Wanted: fifteen million berries," Bai Ye said. "Known as 'The Thousand-Belly Trickster'—Buggy the Clown."
He left out one little detail—that Buggy had once been a cabin boy on the Oro Jackson, alongside a certain red-haired Emperor-in-the-making.
"I've heard of him," Zoro muttered. "A so-called immortal who can't be cut down, right? A fifteen-million bounty… decent fight."
"Alright!" Luffy slammed his fist into his palm, suddenly serious. "Let's go find him and get the chart back!"
"Hey, wait! That's Buggy the Clown—the one they say can't die! Fifteen million Berries, Luffy! He'll kill us!"
Nami's voice cracked. These people were insane!
"Actually, he's not immortal," Bai Ye said casually. "Buggy's a Devil Fruit user—same as Luffy. He ate the Bara Bara no Mi, the Chop-Chop Fruit. It just means you can't cut him apart the normal way."
Nami blinked. "You… actually know that?"
Bai Ye's smile deepened. "Of course. Let's just say I've read ahead."
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