Chapter 12: Nami, Never Underestimate My Optimus Prime!
Just as Rok and Nami finished dealing with the Drake Pirates and were about to leave the bank,
Nami's Den Den Mushi suddenly rang—and it brought bad news.
While they'd been fighting X. Drake,
something had happened to Luffy and the others at the Sabaody amusement park.
Apparently, everyone had been having way too much fun,
and in the chaos, the mermaid Camie had suddenly vanished.
After a quick group discussion, they all agreed: Camie had almost certainly been kidnapped by the second she stepped onto the archipelago.
On Sabaody, a female mermaid was literally a walking fortune.
So to those human traffickers, Camie was the ultimate jackpot.
Rok wasn't surprised in the least.
He had warned Luffy and the others beforehand to keep an eye on her,
but Luffy was basically deaf when he was excited.
At least, following the original storyline, Camie would be fine… for now.
But since she'd been taken,
there was a 99% chance she'd end up at the Human Auction House in Grove 1.
Which meant—
the infamous "Straw Hats punch a Celestial Dragon" incident was still going to happen.
The moment he thought of Celestial Dragons,
a cold, razor-sharp smirk curled at the corner of Rok's mouth.
Charloss Palace should be on the island right now, shouldn't he?
Perfect.
Time to settle an old debt.
On the way to Grove 1,
after some serious consideration, Rok made up his mind.
Sure, a gentleman's revenge could wait ten years,
but when the bastard who poisoned you was standing right in front of you?
He wasn't that patient.
Besides, Celestial Dragons almost never left the Holy Land Mariejois.
With his current strength, storming the Red Line was still suicide.
This was a golden opportunity.
The archipelago was already going to explode because of one Celestial Dragon incident anyway—
why not make it two?
Killing one or two of those scum while the world was watching wouldn't be the end of the world.
With the Summit War right around the corner,
Rok didn't mind giving the World Government and Navy Headquarters a massive headache.
After all, his current status?
Just another criminal with a bounty on his head.
"Nami, I suggest you take the treasure back to the Sunny first."
"There's a very high chance things are about to get messy. Dragging around this many giant bubbles full of cash is basically screaming 'rob me.'"
As they passed through Grove 17,
Rok glanced at Nami hauling several massive treasure-filled bubbles and couldn't help but remind her.
"But Camie's in danger! We don't have time…"
Nami hesitated. She knew it was inconvenient—half the island was already eyeing her bubbles like starving wolves.
But compared to Camie's safety,
the money suddenly felt… slightly less important.
…Okay, it was still super important. That was almost 400 million berries! Waaah!
"Leave it to me."
Her reaction actually touched Rok.
A super money-grubber willingly putting treasure second?
That proved Nami was genuinely kind and had a bigger heart than most.
She was just a little violent sometimes.
…Not that it mattered. Two years from now she'd be even more "violent."
Before Nami could protest,
a small toy truck suddenly appeared in Rok's hand.
An orange-and-blue semi-truck model—one Nami had never seen before.
…Seriously?
"Rok, this really isn't the time for jokes."
Nami narrowed her eyes, her pretty face full of deadpan.
Was he messing with her?
Did he think she was Luffy or Chopper—someone who'd lose their mind over a cool toy?
And how was something that tiny supposed to carry 400 million berries back to the ship?
"Hey, show some respect, Nami. Never—EVER—underestimate my Optimus Prime!"
Rok huffed, genuinely offended.
Nobody disrespects Optimus Prime!
Autobots—roll out and grow!
Clunk-clunk-clunk—BOOM!
Under Rok's mental command,
the little toy truck instantly inflated several hundred times in size in just a few seconds.
It was still a bit smaller than the real deal,
but more than big enough.
Under Nami's gobsmacked stare,
Rok stuffed every single treasure bubble into the trailer.
Then, using Observation Haki to guide it, he remotely controlled truck-mode Optimus Prime to drive straight to the Sunny docked at the harbor.
"Rok, you…"
Nami's face was now pure shock. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she stared at him.
She had to admit—
this was the most mysterious, capable man she'd ever met.
Was there anything this guy couldn't do?
And that "Optimus Prime" thing?
Absolutely badass!
"What 'you'? Focus, Nami. We've got a war coming. Let's go!"
With the treasure safely on its way,
Rok didn't waste another second.
Running with Nami would be too slow,
so he swept her soft waist into his arms, scooped her up princess-style,
and then—full-power Rokushiki Soru!
Whoosh—!
Wind screamed past them.
Nami clung tightly to Rok's strong arm, face buried against his chest.
The speed made her dizzy,
but for some reason… the corners of her mouth lifted into a tiny, uncontrollable smile.
…
"Hey, Zoro! Camie's in Grove 1! Hurry up and follow me!"
While Rok and Nami were racing toward Grove 1,
Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw Hats were also sprinting full-tilt toward the Human Auction House.
Zoro had actually been asking for directions properly for once,
when Luffy came zooming by on a flying fish, stretched his arm out, and yoinked Zoro into an impromptu roller-coaster ride.
Already injured, Zoro gritted his teeth in fury:
"Damn it, Luffy! One of these days I'm gonna cut you in half!"
Meanwhile,
outside the auction house in Grove 1…
Hatchan, Usopp, Robin, Chopper, Franky, and the others were already waiting anxiously.
They'd only just arrived themselves,
but with Camie's fate unknown, everyone was on edge.
"Man, where are Nami and Rok? They're so slow!"
Usopp grumbled, staring down the street.
"Rok's still poisoned, Usopp," Chopper said, checking the time. "He and Nami are definitely gonna be slower."
The Straw Hats' doctor stubbornly trusted his medical judgment:
That guy was absolutely not cured yet. He could collapse from toxin flare-up any second!
Chopper had already prepared a dozen different antidote pills just in case!
"Yeah, if it were you who got hit with that poison, Usopp, you'd be dead already," Robin added quietly from the side.
"Wha—Robin! You don't have to be that harsh even if you're defending Rok!"
Usopp wailed.
But before he could complain further—
WHOOSH—!
A violent gust of wind slammed into their faces.
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