“This is the place.” Kai looked coldly toward the distant Marine base.
“This is the branch that worked together with the Arlong Pirates and oppressed Nami’s village.”
“I see.” Luffy’s expression immediately turned serious.
“Then let’s destroy it.”
To Luffy, being a pirate meant living freely.
Anyone who hurt his friends could never be forgiven.
That was simply how he saw the world.
The others nodded in agreement.
These Marines were clearly corrupt.
Getting rid of them would only make the sea a better place.
“We’re fighting again?” Zoro stood up excitedly.
“Let’s charge straight in.”
After resting for several days, he felt like his body was getting rusty.
Perfect timing to test his blades on these Marines.
“There’s no need to make it complicated.” Kai casually pulled out a sphere the size of a fist from his pocket.
“This little thing can sink the entire base.”
The Straw Hat crew froze.
…What?!
That terrifying?!
“Wait, hold on!” Nami instantly grabbed Kai’s wrist.
“Put that thing away first!”
“We can’t handle this like usual.
That Captain Nezumi worked with Arlong for years.
There’s definitely a huge amount of treasure inside!”
That was money!
Stolen money from innocent civilians!
Free money was still money!
Usopp twitched nervously.
“Yeah…
maybe use something with a little less firepower.”
He stared at the bomb in horror.
Who carries something like that around?!
What if it accidentally exploded?!
They’d all get blown straight into the sky!
“Fine.” Kai reluctantly put the bomb away.
“What a shame.
My masterpiece won’t get a chance to shine.”
He still looked unwilling to give up.
“Are you sure you don’t need it? Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
One bomb and every problem disappears.”
“No!” ×4
Meanwhile, Luffy had already climbed onto the bow, preparing to rush in.
“Luffy, wait.”
“Hm?” Luffy paused and looked back at Kai.
“No need to hurry.” Kai pulled several smaller bomb robots from his pocket.
“Let me give them a little fireworks show first.”
He tossed them into the air.
Mid-flight, the robots transformed into tiny fighter jets and sped toward the Marine base.
A few seconds later…
BOOM!
BOOM BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
The entire outer perimeter of the base erupted in explosions.
The sudden attack left every Marine inside completely stunned.
“What happened?!” a Marine lieutenant commander roared furiously.
“Since when did pirates in the East Blue dare attack a Marine base?!”
“Sir!
A pirate ship just appeared offshore!
They launched the attack!”
“It’s the Straw Hat Pirates!”
“The Straw Hat Pirates?” The lieutenant commander froze before his face darkened.
Not long ago, the only surviving Marine had reported Captain Nezumi’s death to him.
And when he’d left Cocoyasi Village earlier, he had seen a pirate ship flying a straw hat flag.
The exact same crew.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes, sir!
It’s definitely their flag!”
“That’s bad…” Cold sweat rolled down his face.
Even Captain Nezumi had died to them.
There was no way he could win.
At the moment, he was the only officer left in the entire base.
Everyone else had died alongside Nezumi.
If someone hadn’t needed to stay behind and guard the branch, he would’ve gone too.
Maybe…
Maybe he should run?
The lieutenant commander seriously considered it.
Over the years, he had already earned more than enough money through corruption.
If he disappeared somewhere far away, he could live comfortably for the rest of his life.
Unfortunately for him, the Straw Hats had no intention of giving him that chance.
“Move it!” Luffy shouted as he wildly swung his arms around.
“Stop getting in the way of our treasure hunt!”
“Luffy,” Usopp sighed helplessly, “we came here to deal with these guys.
The treasure isn’t the main point…”
Before he could finish, Nami cut him off, her eyes practically glowing with Berry signs.
“We ARE here for the treasure!”
“Hand over all your money peacefully, or we’ll take you down ourselves!”
Kai shook his head helplessly at the scene.
Asking nicely wasn’t going to work.
“We hand over the treasure…
and you’ll let us go?” one Marine asked cautiously.
Kai blinked.
…Wait, that actually worked?
“Well,” Nami said calmly with her arms crossed, “that depends on your attitude.
Now then, tell me where the treasure is…”
“Absolutely not!”
The lieutenant commander suddenly rushed out from inside the base, his face twisted with anger.
“That money belongs to me!”
He had traded his entire career for that fortune.
Now that Captain Nezumi was dead, everything belonged to him.
The moment the words left his mouth, regret hit him instantly.
Looking at the dangerous pirates staring directly at him, cold sweat poured down his face.
At that moment, he wanted nothing more than to slap himself.
Why had he run out here and shouted that?!
These lunatics might kill him!
“Yours?” Kai sneered coldly.
“That money came from your partnership with Arlong, didn’t it?”
“If anything, it belongs to the civilians living on those islands.”
“So how exactly did it become yours?”
The lieutenant commander opened his mouth, but no words came out.
He had no answer.
Kai’s eyes turned colder.
“So this guy was involved too.”
“I see.” Luffy’s expression darkened.
“Zoro, take him down.”
“With pleasure.” Zoro grinned fiercely as he rushed forward.
His blades had been craving blood for a while now.