26: Chapter 26 The Men's Promise: Preparing to Rob the Sixteenth BranchJust as the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were surrounding Luffy, preparing to return for a celebratory feast, a Marine wearing a rat hat and resembling a rat himself led a group of soldiers over."Chirp chirp chirp, that's enough for now.I'm so lucky today!I never imagined that Arlong, with a bounty of 20 million Berries, would be defeated by a nobody like you.Thanks to you all, the credit belongs to the rat captain of the 16th Marine Branch!"
The rat, grinning lewdly, fantasized about how handing over Arlong would not only bring him promotion and titles, but also grant him all of Arlong's assets in Fishman Paradise.Thinking of his future idyllic life, Colonel Rat's grin grew even more lewd.Zoro couldn't take it anymore and lunged forward, knocking the still-daydreaming Colonel Rat to the ground.Colonel Rat covered his face in disbelief and said, "You bastard, do you know who I am?Do you know what the consequences will be if you hit me?"
Luffy patted the nearly enraged Zoro, gently helped the rat colonel to his feet, and after adjusting him to a comfortable position, turned to the somewhat confused Zoro and said, "Zoro, shouldn't we be a little more polite?We're civilized people; we should try to win people over with kindness."
As he spoke, a "德" (virtue) formed from ice gradually appeared in front of Luffy's fist.To the mouse's horrified gaze, he punched him, sending him flying tens of thousands of miles away.The soldiers, who had originally intended to avenge their colonel, swallowed hard upon seeing Luffy's icy expression and the Fishman Paradise now a ruin still emitting black smoke.Following their own instincts, they all made various excuses to escape."Is this what you call winning people over with virtue?" Usopp and Sanji couldn't help but simultaneously scoff with shark-like faces.Uta and the other girls, however, couldn't stop laughing, especially Nami.Seeing the mouse colonel who had bullied her and Rookie be sent flying, she felt incredibly happy, though it was a bit of a pity about the 100 million Berries; she figured she wouldn't get them back.
Luffy looked at them with some confusion.Wasn't he supposed to win people over with virtue?Zoro, seeing Luffy's confusion, covered his face.He had just been surprised that Luffy had become so polite.Wasn't Luffy always the type to fight rather than talk?Why was he suddenly trying to win people over with virtue today?After seeing Luffy's actions, Zoro understood.So you really are winning people over with virtue.You used a fist with the word "virtue" written on it to knock that colonel away.Whether the colonel was convinced or not, he was convinced.But with this action today, plus killing that Colonel Kaka earlier, Luffy will probably get a bounty on his head this time, Zoro thought with some worry.
At night, the villagers of Cocoyasi Village danced and sang around a bonfire, their faces beaming with happiness as they celebrated their liberation from hell.The Straw Hat crew joined in the festivities.Zoro and Kuina were having a drinking contest with a group of burly men, Usopp was boasting about his heroic exploits as a sea warrior to a little kid, Uta was singing merrily from a high place, and Nami had found a doctor to give her an orange and windmill tattoo, but with a straw hat representing Luffy added on top.As for Luffy, his alcohol tolerance was poor, and he soon drank.Drunk and tipsy, Luffy dragged the Sword Saint and the Blade God into a nostril dance.Uta secretly took a picture.According to Uta's later recollection, when Luffy sobered up and saw the photo, he immediately wanted to jump into the sea to commit suicide.If Zoro hadn't desperately stopped him, perhaps a time-traveling character in history would have been born who wanted to commit suicide because of an ugly photo.The banquet continued until late at night.Luffy, unable to hold his liquor, made an escape to the edge of a cliff.A cool evening breeze awakened the boy's consciousness.Looking up, Luffy saw A-Jian from the village pouring a cup of wine onto a cross.Hearing the sound, A-Jian turned around.Upon recognizing Luffy, a smile appeared on his serious face.He then began telling Luffy the story of the cross: "Kid, Nami is now the navigator of your pirate crew.I know Nami's dream, and I won't stop her.But you must promise me that if you ever take away Nami's smile, no matter where you are, I will kill you without hesitation." Ken raised his fist and stopped in front of Luffy.Luffy also extended his fist and touched it with Ken's, solemnly promising Ken that he would not take away Nami's smile on the sea.Under the witness of [name omitted], the two men made their pact under the moonlight.Then, regardless of Luffy's wishes, A-Jian forcibly dragged him back to continue drinking.The next day, Luffy, dizzy and disoriented, got out of bed.Who knew how much he'd drunk the night before?After taking a cold shower, Luffy went to the deck of the Going Merry to breathe some fresh air.As time passed, the day arrived for their departure, but Nami didn't arrive after a long wait.Zoro said impatiently, "Is this woman not coming?"
Sanji, blinded by love, immediately flew into a rage, yelling that he'd teach Zoro, the "moss-head," a lesson.Zoro, not to be outdone, grabbed his sword and was about to fight Sanji.Just as the two were playfully bickering, Nami came running from afar, urging everyone to set sail quickly.Hearing this, the crowd didn't hesitate and immediately hoisted the sails.Nami weaved through the departing crowd, and with a powerful leap, landed safely on the deck of the Going Merry.This relieved the worried villagers.As Nami lifted her shirt, countless wallets fell out.The villagers then realized their wallets had been stolen."You little thief, take good care of yourself!"
As everyone watched the Going Merry sail away, they laughed and cursed, their eyes filled with reluctance.Meanwhile, A-Jian and Luffy gazed at each other across the distance, erasing any hint of romance.no, men don't need to say much.As long as Luffy keeps his promise and lets Nami happily fulfill her dream, that's enough.
On the Merry,Luffy pulled out the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and handed it to Nami.Nami initially didn't want to eat it; she didn't want to become a landlubber, and besides, it was quite valuable.But when she learned it had no side effects, she fell silent.Usopp was the same way, because Luffy had forgotten to tell him about the lack of side effects, making him hesitant to get too close to the ship's railing, fearing he might accidentally fall into the sea and drown.Seeing Usopp's gloomy gaze, Luffy chuckled and shoved the Rumble-Rumble Fruit into Nami's hand.After hesitating for a moment, Nami decided to eat the Devil Fruit; she didn't want to hold Luffy back."By the way, Nami, you should know where the 16th Marine Branch is, right?"
After Nami ate the fruit, Luffy suddenly asked a question.Nami nodded in confusion, not knowing why Luffy would ask that.But seeing the sinister smile on Luffy's face, Nami understood.Her glasses also turned into the shape of money.Everyone looked at the two of them and felt a sense of unease."L-Luffy, you're not thinking of robbing the Marines, are you?" Usopp asked with his last hope.After receiving an affirmative answer, everyone knelt down.Luffy, however, seemed completely unconcerned.