"Miss Nami, welcome to the Ryuuto Pirates!"
Ignoring the fleeing Marines, Ryuuto walked slowly to Nami's side. As he spoke, he reached out and helped the collapsed girl to her feet.
"Hello, my navigator. Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Ryuuto, captain of the Ryuuto Pirates." Ryuuto said, taking Nami's wounded hand in his.
A salty sea breeze blew gently, lifting their hair. Ryuuto's brown locks and the tips of Nami's orange hair intertwined. The moment was like a contract, forging a strange, unspoken bond between them.
In that instant, Ryuuto appeared in Nami's world like a savior.
As if she had finally found someone to lean on, Nami fell against Ryuuto's chest and began to sob.
"Waaaaah..."
The young woman's cries carried years of pent-up anguish. As she wept, the endless bitterness and grievances seemed to find an outlet. Several minutes passed before her sobs subsided. Then, Nami abruptly pushed Ryuuto away, her face instantly transforming into a brilliant, wide smile.
Her tear-streaked face was like a vibrant spring flower suddenly blooming, radiant with relief and liberation.
"Hello, Captain Ryuuto! It's a pleasure to meet you!" Nami said with a smile, extending a hand toward him.
"Welcome aboard!" Ryuuto responded cheerfully.
As their hands met in the air, their fates intertwined. The Ryuuto Pirates had just welcomed their first crewmate.
Nojiko watched Ryuuto and Nami with a look of profound relief. With Ryuuto here, the heavy burden Nami had carried for so long could finally be lifted.
Genzo seemed to forget his own pain, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face as he looked at the two of them.
"To celebrate this momentous day, I will present you all with the heads of the entire Arlong crew," Ryuuto declared, his voice turning ice-cold.
In the days they had spent together, Genzo and Nojiko had come to sense the sincere kindness hidden within Ryuuto. But now, this cold-faced, cold-toned man was radiating pure killing intent.
Perhaps this was what a man had to protect.
To protect the tender heart of a young woman who had borne so much pain alone for so many years.
Having witnessed Ryuuto instantly annihilate Captain Nezumi, Nojiko and Genzo had no doubt that he possessed the strength to defeat the Arlong Pirates.
Backtracking to a few moments earlier, just as Captain Nezumi had sent his men to ransack the house for Nami's Berries, a long-awaited notification sound echoed in Ryuuto's mind.
[Nami's grief has been detected. Quest triggered: Save Cocoyasi Village. Sub-quest 1: Defeat Captain Nezumi. Sub-quest 2: Defeat the Arlong Pirates.]
[System Tip: Rewards will be distributed upon the completion of each sub-quest.]
[A young woman's heart is one of the most precious things in the world worth protecting.]
When he heard the system's mission prompt, Ryuuto had been ecstatic.
Now I'll have my navigator and my rewards.
[Congratulations, Host, for completing the sub-quest: Defeat Captain Nezumi. Reward: Bean Soldier x1, 5000 Reputation Points.]
Just as expected...
The moment Ryuuto cut down Captain Nezumi, the system's notification chimed on schedule.
"A Bean Soldier and 5000 Reputation Points?"
Quickly scanning the Reputation Exchange interface and his inventory in his mind, Ryuuto saw that his previous balance of 112 Reputation Points had indeed become 5115.
Only then did he calmly walk over to comfort Nami.
And that led to the scene at the beginning.
With his navigator secured, Ryuuto turned his concerned gaze toward Genzo, who was now being supported by Nojiko.
"Genzo, are you all right?"
As Ryuuto's landlord, the man had for years pretended to dislike and shun Nami, all so that she could one day leave the village without any lingering attachments.
"I'm fine!" Genzo said, his willpower immense.
"Nojiko, quick! Help me get Genzo inside the house," Nami said, rushing to support him from the other side.
With their combined effort, they soon helped Genzo disappear into the house.
No one paid any mind to the gold coins and Berries scattered across the ground. The worn-out bills and blood-stained coins were insignificant compared to family.
Given the resilience of people in this world, Ryuuto was confident Genzo would recover quickly.
Thus, Ryuuto turned his attention to the Reputation Exchange interface, his eyes quickly locking onto another of the Rokushiki techniques.
"Exchange!" Ryuuto commanded silently in his mind.
The 5000 Reputation Points he had just earned instantly transformed into a stream of white light that flowed into his body.
A moment later, Ryuuto had mastered another Rokushiki technique: Shigan.
Shigan involved tensing one's finger to the point of rigidity, allowing it to pierce a human body like a bullet.
After acquiring the technique, Ryuuto felt the strength in his arms increase significantly. As he clenched his fists, he could feel a surge of power ready to erupt from within.
"Shigan!"
Ryuuto extended a single finger and jabbed it sharply into the air.
The air seemed to freeze for a split second before being pierced by his absolute speed and power.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
A series of sharp cracks echoed through the air as his finger struck.
"Not bad, not bad at all." Ryuuto was pleased, seeing the considerable power of his Shigan.
Ryuuto knew well the power of the Rokushiki. Mastering even a few of the six techniques would make him a formidable fighter. He had already learned Soru, Rankyaku, and now Shigan, giving him a full arsenal of offensive abilities.
Ryuuto was deeply satisfied.
Now, it was time to deal with the utterly vile Arlong Pirates.
According to the original story, Arlong should be indulging himself in his self-built Arlong Park at this very moment.
He deserves to die!
Every single plank of wood in Arlong Park was soaked in the blood of the twenty surrounding villages. Arlong had built his opulent seaside paradise through the long-term exploitation of the local people.
As a Fish-Man, Arlong harbored a deep-seated malice toward humans, viewing them as nothing more than animals. Countless lives had been lost at his hands.
At the thought, Ryuuto's fists clenched involuntarily.
Just as Ryuuto was heading down the village road toward Arlong Park, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were in a tavern, feasting on local cuisine.
Walking along the village's uneven stone paths, Ryuuto passed by cottages with blue roofs, each with fishing nets hung out to dry by the door. It was such a quaint, seaside village.
He looked up at the pinwheel in the central square, once a symbol of freedom, and then contrasted it with the towering structure of Arlong Park in the distance. The tower was like a giant, dark hand reaching out, its fingers wrapped tightly around the necks of Cocoyasi's villagers.
The heavy burden was suffocating them, leaving them unable to breathe.
Suddenly, Ryuuto felt he understood the system a little better.