Another day passed.
Three miles outside Cocoyasi Village, Luffy was, as usual, training his body. When he got tired, he simply restored himself with the Repair Fruit. Kaya was doing the same—pushing her physical limits and strengthening her body. As for Nami, now familiar with the properties of her thunderclouds, she had begun practicing the Six Powers. As Luffy's future queen, she knew she needed the strength to match him, so she didn't dare slack off for even a second.
The rest of the sub-crews, watching Luffy and the others train so hard, soon found themselves influenced as well and increased their own training intensity. Only Usopp and Buggy sat on the bows of their respective sub-ships, faces in their hands, watching everyone get stronger.
Damn… these people were way too hardworking.
At that moment, the News Coo flew overhead. Usopp paid a hundred Berries for a newspaper, and when he saw the attached bounty posters, his eyes went wide.
He jumped to his feet and shouted toward the main ship:
"Luffy! Bad news! You've been given a bounty!!"
The moment those words rang out, the feverish training across the fleet came to an abrupt halt. Everyone turned toward Usopp.
"Huh? I got a bounty? Let me see."
Before Usopp, Zoro, Nami, or anyone else could even process it, Luffy's legs compressed and—whoosh—he shot straight to Usopp like a cannon.
Usopp nearly had a heart attack.
"Luffy! What are you doing?!"
"The bounty poster. Give it."
Luffy grabbed the poster. When he saw the photo and the number—40 million Berries—his grin stretched ear to ear.
"Forty million! I actually got a bounty! I'm officially a full-fledged pirate now! Hahahahaha!"
Usopp was dumbfounded. Why was this something to celebrate?
Luffy excitedly put the first poster aside, then tilted his head, glancing at Buggy.
"Buggy, you're only at twenty million? That's kinda sad."
"What? Wasn't I at fifteen million?! I went up!?"
Buggy's body split apart as he rushed over. When he saw the number, he burst into tears.
"Why?! I even got demoted from captain to division commander! Why did my bounty go up?!"
"Eh… twenty-one million. Not impressive." Luffy shrugged.
Zoro checked his own bounty, the corners of his mouth twitching upward no matter how hard he tried to suppress it. But then he noticed the words under Luffy's portrait—Capture Alive Only—and he couldn't help but sigh.
"As expected of someone with connections. Even with a bounty, they only allow you to be taken alive."
Nami stood by the railing of the Going Merry, chin in her hand.
"Well, his grandpa is Hero Garp. If he died, the whole Marine Headquarters would have a headache."
She glanced at Luffy again as he hopped back onto the ship with the poster. Even on a bounty poster, the idiot was annoyingly handsome.
What she was truly relieved about, though, was that none of the posters included her. She wasn't on the Navy's radar. Staying quietly in the shadows suited her perfectly.
…
On the coastline of Cocoyasi Village, the fleet had already docked. The feast of fishmen would begin soon.
Luffy sat on a massive rock by the shore, with Nami and Kaya standing behind him on either side. In front of him stood Zoro, Usopp, Buggy, and a dozen of Buggy's elite crew.
Luffy scanned the group, and his gaze landed on the big lion.
"Uh… what was your name again? I forgot."
The Beast Tamer almost cried on the spot. Who the hell had he been working himself to death for these past days?
"Captain Luffy, I'm the vice-captain of Buggy's division—Mohji!"
"Who asked you? I asked him."
"What—?! Captain, you—"
Mohji was about to explode when Buggy slapped him hard.
Buggy immediately put on a flattering smile. "Sorry, Captain. He's clueless. The lion's name is Richie."
"Richie. Got it."
Luffy nodded, then unfolded the map in his hands, pointing at a marked location.
"According to Nami, this is the base of the Arlong Pirates."
"They're a crew made up entirely of fishmen. Their strength is… so-so."
"But fishmen can dive. To stop them from escaping, I need someone to cut off their escape routes."
Mohji puffed up his chest. "We'll lie in ambush ahead of time. Not a single one will get away!"
"You said it. If even one escapes, I'll deal with you. Pull it off, and I'll teach you the Six Powers."
"Yes, Captain!!!"
Luffy nodded with satisfaction, then turned toward Nami.
"Nami, how do you want the fishmen dealt with?"
Everything they were doing was for her sake. Her opinion mattered.
Feeling everyone's eyes on her, Nami drew a deep breath.
"Please… drive out all the fishmen below officer rank. Just drive them away."
"Drive them away? Nami, you're too soft."
Luffy gave her a disappointed look. Then a cold, merciless intent filled his expression.
"Straw Hat crew—hear your captain's order!"
"Leave no one alive from the Arlong Pirates."
"Arlong himself—cut him into eight pieces. Feed him to Richie."
"Move out."
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T/N:
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