"Vice Admiral! We’ve received a message from Branch 77!"
"Tashigi came running over to Rengoku with a video Den Den Mushi in her hands.
"A resident of the village most recently attacked by the fish-man pirates has filed a report!"
Rengoku sprang to his feet at once, delighted by the news.
"Now that is wonderful news indeed!"
Tashigi handed the Den Den Mushi to Rengoku.
"Justice! This is Marine Branch 77! Branch Vice Captain Prinprin speaking! It is an honor to assist Vice Admiral [Flame Hashira] Rengoku!"
"You’ve done well! I’ll get straight to the point! Which village filed the report?"
"Yes! The village that reported the incident is Gosa Village! We’ve already prepared a report with the village’s coordinates and the details of the attack, and sent it by fax!"
Excellent news.
"Branch Vice Captain Prinprin!"
"Yes, Vice Admiral Rengoku!"
"Can you immediately lead your forces to Gosa Village and investigate the incident?"
"Yes! In fact, Branch 77 is already fully prepared to deploy!"
"Splendid! Then proceed directly to Gosa Village and make contact with the fish-man pirates who carried out the attack! If those fish-men turn out to be the Arlong Pirates, with a bounty of 20 million Berries, do not show hostility too hastily. Buy time until I arrive!"
"Yes! Understood! We will complete the mission for certain!"
Clack.
"Change course! Target: Gosa Village! Gosa Village is a village that is currently suffering from fish-man pirate attacks! Move out at full speed so no further damage is done! Over!"
**
Had that crew all caught stupidity from Luffy?
Or were all three of them stupid to begin with?
Zoro had been captured by Arlong’s men. There was no way he should have been caught by small fry like that.
Was this the fundamental gap between fish-men and humans?
Even that monster Zoro had been helpless?
Still, thinking of old comradeship, she had let him go, and the idiot had gone and attacked Arlong’s subordinates.
At this rate, you’re going to get yourself killed by Arlong, Zoro!
Nami was already exhausted from Zoro’s thoughtless recklessness, and now Usopp had been captured too.
Damn it! Damn it all!
She had never intended to drag them into this in the first place!
Why were they all coming here like idiots?!
"Special Move! Smoke Star!"
Fine, this was better.
Usopp’s smoke bombs blocked the vision of the fish-men surrounding him, and in that opening Nami "stabbed" Usopp.
Now Arlong would have no reason to suspect her any further.
"Sorry about this, Nami. You really are one of our crewmates."
The fish-man Kuroobi, who had argued for killing Usopp, extended his hand in apology.
His hand was filthy with the blood of the residents of Kokoyashi Village.
Nami had no intention of taking that handshake, naturally.
"Don’t be ridiculous. I only joined hands with you to buy back Kokoyashi Village. As for any sense of comradeship with you lot? Not even the tiniest speck of it."
"Tch. How dull."
And now even that yellow-haired cook was here too.
Why on earth did they insist on meddling in other people’s business?
"I told you, Luffy. I approached you all for money, nothing more.
But traveling with you lot meant the 10 million Berries I stole from Buggy got cut in half, and the remaining 5 million Berries were all confiscated by the Marines. Even the bounty for capturing Kuro, worth 16 million Berries, only left me a little over 2 million Berries in the end.
Whenever I act with you people, it feels like I’m the only one taking losses. If things had gone well, I could’ve made over 18 million Berries this time."
Half of it was sincere, and half of it was a lie.
Honestly, Nami herself didn’t even know what she was saying anymore.
Her heart was pounding.
Why weren’t they leaving, even after I said such awful things?
Are they stupid?
Thud.
"Hey! What are you doing, Luffy!"
"Captain, why are you suddenly lying down on the ground?"
"No idea. I’m going to sleep. I don’t know what’s going on here, and I don’t care either. But I’m not leaving, and I don’t exactly have anywhere else to sleep, so I might as well sleep here."
Those idiots...
"I don’t care! Just go die already!"
Without realizing it, the agitated Nami shouted at Luffy and ran off, not once looking back.
**
Meanwhile, aboard the warship of Marine Branch 77 Vice Captain Prinprin, Arlong Park came into view.
"So that’s the so-called Arlong Park the villagers mentioned. How ridiculous."
Seeing the building standing upright on that low-lying island made Prinprin’s anger flare up instantly.
"I’d like nothing more than to personally crush those bastards to death, but Vice Admiral Rengoku gave his orders..."
"All hands! Prepar—huh?"
Before anyone realized it, a fish-man had climbed aboard the warship.
"Heh, never seen your face before, chu!"
He was a truly ugly fish-man, with protruding lips.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"Fufufu, I’m an executive of the Arlong Pirates. The name’s Jango, chu! Arlong asked me to deliver this to you, chu!"
In the fish-man’s hand was a briefcase.
Under normal circumstances, there should never have been any negotiation with pirates, but remembering Vice Admiral Rengoku’s words, Prinprin strode toward Jango.
Suppressing his own nature, he forced the corners of his mouth upward.
"Ahahaha! Well now, you seem like a fish-man who can talk things through! Why don’t we step inside and have a little conversation?"
"Fufufufu, sounds good, chu!"
"Tell the deck hands! Stop the ship for now!"
As Prinprin gave the order to halt, he shot a meaningful look at his vice-captain.
Understanding the meaning behind that look, the vice-captain immediately activated the Den Den Mushi communication as soon as Prinprin and Jango entered the ship.
Meanwhile, as the warship bound for Gosa Village came to an unexpected stop, the villagers waiting on the shore for the Marines began to grow uneasy.
"Huh? Why are they doing that?"
"Could they have been attacked by fish-men in the meantime?"
"Why aren’t they coming anymore?"
"They must be planning their operation! They probably know Arlong is strong, so they can’t attack recklessly."
That was right.
Though rather than planning an operation, they were in the middle of carrying one out.
Once the communication line connected, the vice-captain, mindful of Prinprin’s presence, tapped out a message on the Den Den Mushi at once.
Marine Morse code.
The Marines’ own Morse code.
A cipher that all officers from lieutenant junior grade and above were required to learn, whether at Headquarters or a branch.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap, tap-tap, tap, tap, tap-tap, tap-tap, tap, tap, tap-tap-tap.
Then the other side answered in the same Morse code.
Tap-tap-tap, tap, tap.
Got it!
Swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish, swish.
As soon as the vice-captain received the reply from Vice Admiral Rengoku’s side, he quickly signaled to the soldiers on deck.
Seeing that signal, the soldiers all relaxed.
And then a new tension quietly rose in its place.
Ah... to think that a low-ranking branch soldier like me would get to meet the famous Vice Admiral [Flame Hashira] Rengoku from Headquarters!
At that point, the fish-man pirates were no longer important to them.
What did fish-man pirates matter when they could meet Vice Admiral [Flame Hashira] Rengoku!
In the minds of the Marines, fantasies had already begun about whether they might be selected by the Vice Admiral and sent to Headquarters.
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