Adrian had just finished venting his frustrations when—
not far away—a lithe figure dashed toward them.
Short blue hair, tied back with a red headband.
A heart-shaped tattoo stretching from her chest up her left shoulder, and further down her right arm.
She hurried over, and the moment she saw the two strangers standing there—
and the corpse of Salt-Broiled lying on the ground—
Her pupils constricted violently.
The scene before her was something she had never witnessed in her life.
Someone… had actually killed a member of the Arlong Pirates.
If Arlong found out, he would absolutely kill whoever did it.
These two men were doomed.
"You two… you're not from the nearby villages, right?"
Nojiko studied their faces.
One of them was strikingly handsome—
If he were from any local village, she would have recognized him immediately.
But she didn't.
Which meant…
They weren't locals.
They were outsiders—just like the bandaged man beside him.
Two outsiders had killed an Arlong Pirate.
This was a disaster waiting to explode.
"Did you come from somewhere else by boat?"
She asked cautiously.
"Yes."
Adrian nodded calmly.
"You should leave. Now. That fish-man was part of the Arlong Pirates. If Arlong learns you killed him, he will hunt you down. If you run immediately, you might still have a chance."
Nojiko's expression was complicated.
The fish-man's death shocked her deeply—
but beneath that shock was something else.
A small, forbidden sense of satisfaction.
After all, her adoptive mother, Bell-mère, had been killed by Arlong's hand.
Seeing even one of his underlings die brought her a brief, unspoken relief.
But she knew this wasn't true revenge.
Salt-Broiled was just a nobody.
Her true enemy…
was Arlong himself.
And if Arlong died—
she would cry from joy.
But before she could think further—
CLICK!
The handsome young man raised his strange-looking gun and pointed it at her.
The weapon didn't resemble anything she knew—
but judging from the fatal wounds on Salt-Broiled's body, this gun had definitely caused them.
"You… what are you doing?"
Nojiko froze.
Adrian's sudden move left her caught off guard.
But Adrian only smiled.
"Thanks for the warning, miss. But I'm a bad guy, you know."
He lifted the AK slightly.
"If you don't want to die, then you're going to do exactly what I say."
Of course he recognized her—
Nami's sister, Nojiko.
She didn't have any special powers—
but she was a local.
Meaning she knew the area far better than he did.
If he wanted information, she was the perfect source.
Her expression shifted instantly.
She had tried to help them,
and he turned out to be a criminal.
Her mind went blank for a moment.
This world is too dangerous…
Why are there bad people everywhere?!
If she had known, she absolutely would not have run over here.
"What do you want?"
Nojiko asked, steadying her emotions.
This wasn't her first life-or-death moment.
She had long outgrown the days of breaking down in tears.
"Hm…"
Adrian let his gaze slide over her from head to toe—
Then from toe to head.
That look made Nojiko tense up immediately.
She quickly crossed her arms to cover herself.
Is he… is he planning to rob me of my chastity?
Her heart pounded nervously.
But after taking another look at Adrian's annoyingly handsome face—
She suddenly froze.
…If he really wanted to… I wouldn't exactly be losing out?
"Peh! What am I thinking?!"
She shook her head frantically.
This was not the time for those types of thoughts.
Absolutely not.
Sin.
A grave sin.
"If you're here to rob money, you've picked the wrong target. I have no money. The richest person around here is Arlong. He has at least billions of berries. If you rob him, you'll hit the jackpot."
She tried to shift the danger onto Arlong.
If this man was a criminal,
then let him go clash with Arlong.
Whether Arlong won—
or this guy won—
At least she'd be safe.
Adrian raised an eyebrow and walked right up beside her.
"You're pretty wicked, you know?"
He rested one hand lightly on her shoulder.
The other held the AK, muzzle still pointed at her.
"I know this is Arlong's territory. Yeah, he's been collecting protection fees for years. Of course he's rich. But he's also not someone that's easy to take down."
He leaned in slightly, smirking.
"You want me to clash with Arlong so you can reap the benefits like a fisherman watching clams fight, huh?"
This woman…
was sly.
Really sly.
But—
He liked it.
Translators's Thoughts:
Nojiko finally appears—and immediately gets caught between panic, pragmatism, and a very questionable internal monologue thanks to Adrian's "handsome criminal" energy. Meanwhile, Adrian is already seeing through her schemes while appreciating her boldness. Things on the Arlong Coast are about to get even more chaotic… stay tuned!
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