Chapter 109: A Thief... What Is There To Be So Proud Of?
With the officers defeated, the underlings of the Trump Pirates scattered and fled in all directions.
This was an old tradition in the pirate world!
The two officers of the Trump Pirates were soaked in seawater. Honey Queen's Devil Fruit ability had completely vanished, leaving her slumped weakly in a barrel they had hastily found.
Boo Jack wasn't faring much better—his massive body was crammed into a barrel, looking utterly ridiculous.
"Let us go!" Honey Queen shouted feebly.
"Bear King-sama won't let you get away with this..."
"That's right!" Boo Jack's chubby face was blackened from Usopp's explosives, but his mouth remained defiant. "When our leader arrives, you're all dead!"
On the deck of the Going Merry, the Straw Hat crew gathered in a circle, observing the two captives.
Nami poked Honey Queen with a stick. "Still talking tough even in this state? Spill it—how many more are in your Trump Pirates? What is Bear King's ability?"
"Hmph, don't even think about getting any information from us!" Honey Queen turned her head away.
Lufia crouched by the barrel, tilting her head as she studied the two. Suddenly, she declared loudly, "Let them go!"
The deck fell silent for a moment.
"Huh?!" Usopp was the first to jump up. "Lufia, they tried to burn our ship! And you want to just release them?"
Nami also frowned. "Exactly! And the rest of them fled so fast they didn't even leave any treasure behind. Letting them go would be a huge loss for us!"
Zoro, however, was the first to grasp Lufia's intention. "The captain's decision has my support."
"Miss Lufia is absolutely right," Sanji said with an elegant bow. "Her compassion and kindness are precisely what make her so charming. Bickering with these defeated underlings would indeed be beneath us."
All eyes turned to Ralph.
Ralph stroked his chin, lost in thought for a moment.
By his principles, showing mercy to enemies was cruelty to oneself—only by eliminating the root of the problem could future troubles be avoided. But...
"While I generally advocate for decisive action," his gaze met Lufia's, and he finally spoke, "this is Lufia's wish, and it's the captain's order. As her comrades, we have no choice but to support her."
Lufia's eyes instantly lit up, blossoming into a radiant smile. "Ralph supports me too! How wonderful!"
[System Notification: Lufia's Favorability +5%. Current Stage: Close Friend 80%]
Ralph felt a slight stir in his heart as the system interface flashed through his consciousness.
80%... It shouldn't be long until the next stage.
Suppressing his thoughts, he turned his attention to the two captives.
"You heard her?" Ralph walked over to the barrel. "Our captain says to let you go. Cherish this opportunity."
Honey Queen and Boo Jack stared blankly for a few seconds, seemingly unable to believe it.
"R-really letting us go?" Boo Jack stammered.
"Of course!" Lufia nodded emphatically.
Soon after, the two officers were released from the barrel.
Though Nami looked pained, she still fetched a small life raft and tossed it to them.
Honey Queen and Boo Jack exchanged a glance before scrambling clumsily onto the raft.
After rowing about a dozen meters away, Boo Jack suddenly turned back and shouted, "You better remember this! We, the Trump Brothers, will have our revenge!"
"That's right! Just wait until Bear King-sama finds you—" Honey Queen's threat was cut short as a wave suddenly jolted the raft, nearly throwing her into the sea.
The Straw Hat crew couldn't help but burst into laughter at this comical scene.
Ralph also shook his head with a smile, but in that very instant, his Observation Haki detected something unusual.
Behind the nearby cluster of reefs, there were unfamiliar presences.
More than one, and they had been lurking for some time.
As the laughter gradually subsided, Ralph discreetly signaled to his companions.
The tacit understanding forged through their recent training allowed everyone to immediately understand.
Zoro's hand rested on his sword hilt, Sanji adjusted his stance, Nami and Usopp slowly retreated behind cover, while Lufia blinked and her ears twitched slightly.
The Straw Hat crew silently dispersed, surrounding the area from multiple directions.
By the time the two people hiding behind the reefs realized something was wrong and tried to escape, it was already too late.
First, Lufia couldn't hold back and startled them with a sudden "Wow!"
"Where do you think you're going?"
Zoro leaped out, landing steadily on the reef in front of them.
Sanji intercepted from the side, while Ralph descended from above, blocking their retreat.
Lufia directly stretched her arms and hauled both of them out.
The two individuals—one large, one small—were thrown onto a larger reef platform, looking terrified at the Straw Hat crew surrounding them.
The older one appeared to be around thirty, wearing a jacket and goggles on his head;
The younger one was only seven or eight years old, also wearing goggles.
"W-what do you want from us?"
The adult shielded the child behind him, his voice trembling.
Lufia landed, her rubber body bouncing slightly as she curiously leaned closer:
"Who are you? What were you doing hiding here?"
Nami also approached, twirling her golden staff:
"Pretty bold to hide behind reefs and spy on pirates fighting! Tell us, what's your purpose?"
Faced with the questioning, the child, after the initial fear, suddenly puffed out his chest and pulled the adult to stand up.
"Borodo, let's tell them!"
The child's eyes shone brightly, "After all, they don't seem like those bad guys from the Trump Pirates!"
The adult called Borodo still wanted to stop him, but the child couldn't wait and jumped up excitedly.
"My name is Akisu!"
The seven or eight-year-old boy declared loudly, then pulled Borodo along, "He's Borodo! We are—"
The two shouted in unison: "The world-famous Thief Brothers!"
The scene fell silent.
Lufia was the first to cheer:
"Wow! So impressive!"
The others had varied expressions.
Ralph raised an eyebrow, Zoro looked exasperated, Sanji blew a smoke ring, and Nami... Nami's expression was the most complicated, since she had once been a thief herself.
"Thieves...what's there to be proud of?"
Usopp muttered quietly.
Akisu heard him and retorted angrily:
"We're not ordinary thieves! We aspire to become the world's greatest thieves! We're after world-famous treasures—"
"The Diamond Clock?"
Nami's eyes lit up, "The Diamond Clock!"
"You mean that world-class treasure made of diamonds and precision machinery?"
"It's said to keep perfect time, is incredibly gorgeous, and is priceless!"
"That's right!"
Akisu proudly lifted his head.
Sanji immediately moved closer to Nami:
"Miss Nami, you're not only beautiful but also so knowledgeable~"
Ralph ignored these distractions and stared at Borodo as he asked:
"So you were hiding here waiting for us and the Trump Pirates to weaken each other, then planning to make your move?"
Borodo's face changed color, but Akisu had already blurted out:
"This is the brilliant strategy Borodo came up with!"
"The Diamond Clock is on Clockwork Island, but it's been occupied by the Trump Pirates' Bear King.
"We deliberately leaked information about you Straw Hat Pirates in front of them to provoke a fight between you, so we could take advantage of the chaos—"
As Akisu spoke, he closed his eyes and shook his head, seemingly lost in admiration for Borodo's brilliant plan.
Completely unaware that Borodo's face had turned pale.