CLICK.
The safe door opened. Nami immediately pushed it wide open, hoping to find the map scroll she was looking for. What she found instead was an unpleasant surprise. It wasn't a map, but a piece of paper with a picture of a clown giving the middle finger, complete with handwritten words underneath: "Buggy is here and has already stolen this map. You idiot."
Nami crumpled the paper in her hand and cursed under her breath. "Ugh, damn clown." She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.
"What's wrong? Did you find it?" Luffy asked from the corner of the room.
"No, this isn't what I'm looking for." Nami put the paper back inside the safe and closed it again with a soft thud. "Did you find the swords?"
"Not yet. Maybe they're somewhere else."
Nami immediately got an idea. "Hey, this building has a lot of rooms, right? How about we split up so we can find those swords faster?"
Luffy held his chin, thinking for a moment, then nodded firmly. "Sounds good to me."
'Yes,' Nami thought happily. Her plan was going smoothly.
They split up shortly afterward. While Luffy was still busy exploring the building's corridors, Nami took the opportunity to change direction.
She headed toward the pier.
This was exactly the opportunity she had been waiting for.
From the moment she boarded Luffy's boat, Nami had already planned to leave as soon as she had the chance. She would take back her treasure, steal Luffy's boat, and disappear before he had any reason to stop her.
There was no reason for her to stay with him.
Luffy might have defeated Alvida and even helped her earlier, but that did not mean she trusted him. A pirate was still a pirate. She had learned long ago that relying on someone else was dangerous, and she had no intention of changing that rule simply because Luffy happened to be friendly.
Her goal was still the same.
Recover her treasure. Get a boat. Find Buggy. Steal back her Grand Line map.
After that, she would continue working toward the one thing that truly mattered to her.
There was no reason for her to stay here any longer.
She only needed to make sure Luffy did not notice she was leaving.
...
Meanwhile, Luffy had already checked three rooms but still had not found the swords he was looking for. He stood in the middle of the corridor, scratching his head in confusion.
"Where are Zoro's swords kept, anyway?"
Right at that moment, his eyes caught sight of a familiar figure in the distance, someone walking while rubbing his own face.
"Hmm? Isn't that..." Without thinking twice, Luffy dashed forward and suddenly appeared right behind the person.
Helmeppo, completely unaware of Luffy's presence, continued walking while rubbing his cheek, which was still bruised from the punch earlier, grumbling to himself.
"Why doesn't Father want to help me? I'm his only son, aren't I?"
"And that bastard actually dared to punch me. Just wait until I see him again. I'll capture him and torture him until he begs me to kill him."
"Who are you talking about?" A voice suddenly came from behind him.
Helmeppo's body froze. He turned around and found Luffy standing casually while smiling widely.
"AHHH! You!" Helmeppo immediately screamed in fear, but Luffy quickly covered his mouth, forcing him to stay quiet.
"You know where Zoro's swords are kept, right?" Luffy asked, his hand still covering Helmeppo's mouth as he tried to answer, producing only an unclear mumble.
"Hmmph! Hmmph!"
Realizing his mistake, Luffy loosened his hand slightly.
"Who would tell you? Do you know who I am?!" Helmeppo shouted, trying to threaten him. But the threat immediately faded when he saw Luffy raise his hand, revealing his fist. The memory of the pain from earlier instantly made him obedient.
"A-ah, sorry, sorry! I'll tell you!"
Helmeppo then led Luffy to his room, where Zoro's swords were stored neatly. Three swords were hanging there. Luffy did not bother asking which ones belonged to Zoro, because according to the fragments of memory he possessed, Zoro indeed used three swords at once.
As he grabbed all three, his eyes happened to glance toward the window. From there, he could see the open field where Zoro was tied up, and Coby had just entered, trying to undo the bindings.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Coby?"
His attention then shifted to the other side of the field.
Not far from there, a group of Marines was approaching, led by a large man with an axe fused directly to his arm.
Realizing that both of them were in danger, Luffy touched the three swords and instantly placed them into his inventory.
Then—
Crash!
Without hesitation, he punched the window, shattering the glass and frame into pieces, then jumped out and sped toward Zoro and Coby using Geppo.
...
In the open field, Coby rushed in, running toward Zoro, who was still tied up. From the roof of the building, Captain Morgan, who had been admiring his own giant statue, watched what was happening, his brow furrowing in displeasure.
"It seems the people in this town are starting to dare defy me." He shifted his gaze toward a group of his soldiers sprawled on the ground in exhaustion, having just finished dragging his stone statue into an upright position. But Morgan did not care about their exhaustion at all. To him, his orders were absolute.
"All of you, get up and follow me!" he ordered firmly. "I'll give the people of this town an example so they won't dare defy me again!"
In the field, Zoro tried to warn Coby, who was busy undoing his bindings.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Hurry up and leave!"
But Coby ignored him. He continued trying to untie the knot while answering, "No, Zoro-san, you're the one who has to leave! The Marines have no intention of keeping their promise. They're going to execute you today!"
"I can't stand watching the Marines commit all this cruelty anymore!"
Right at that moment, Morgan's group arrived at the field.
"Hoh, so you're the little rat who keeps sneaking in here," Morgan said coldly.
"What are you waiting for? Fire!" he ordered.
"B-but, he's still a child," one of the soldiers replied hesitantly.
Veins immediately appeared on Morgan's forehead. He glared sharply at the soldier who had dared to speak up. "You dare defy me?"
Crash!
Without warning, he swung his axe arm. The soldier immediately collapsed to the ground, a large wound gaping across his body as blood began to seep into his uniform.
"Anyone else want to defy me?" Everyone fell silent, their faces pale with fear. "Then fire!"
The soldiers raised their rifles, aimed them at Zoro and Coby, then unleashed a barrage of gunfire.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
At that exact moment, Luffy landed on the ground directly in front of Zoro and Coby, using his own body as a shield. The bullets struck his skin, then simply bounced off without leaving a mark. Coby and Zoro stared wide-eyed at the sight.
"What exactly are you?" Zoro asked, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Luffy grinned widely. He pulled his own cheek, stretching it out as he demonstrated while explaining, "I'm a guy who ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi. I'm a rubber human."
He then reached into his straw hat as though he were taking something out of it. "Here, Zoro."
"Oh, my swords!" Zoro immediately used one of the blades to cut the ropes binding his body. Once he was free, he turned toward Luffy. "Thanks, Captain."
"Shishi, don't worry about it," Luffy said as he placed his straw hat back on his head.
Morgan's body trembled with anger, feeling as though he had been completely ignored. Today felt as though everyone had decided to challenge his authority all at once.
"Who are you?! How dare you defy the authority of Marine justice! You will all be executed!"