The Butcher Pirates’ ship had just gone through a massive pillaging spree a few days ago.
Flush with cash, the pirates had all gone ashore to drink and fuck whores.
Only a few guards were left on board, and the only light came from the captain’s cabin.
The oil lamp at the bow flickered with a faint, firefly-like glow, looking as if it could go out at any moment.
The two crew members on night watch were completely dead drunk, snoring thunderously.
Since this was the caliber of these pirates, Sinan finally understood how Nami managed to steal a hundred million Berries from guys like this at such a young age.
Nami was a seasoned professional.
She knew exactly where pirates usually hid their treasure.
Following her lead, the two quietly began searching the entire ship.
“Damn it, how can there be no money at all?” After searching several rooms in a row and finding absolutely nothing, Nami couldn’t help but complain.
“Shh!” Sinan put his index finger to his lips and whispered, “Nami, keep your voice down, don’t wake up the pirates.” Nami was used to stealing; her audacity could only be described as the result of immense skill.
But Sinan, trailing behind her, was on edge and scared out of his mind!
When they entered the sailors’ sleeping quarters, Nami completely ignored the two drunk pirates lying in their hammocks.
She brazenly rummaged through the entire room, even going so far as to check the pockets of the two unconscious pirates.
Seeing Sinan’s terrified expression, Nami, already frustrated from not finding any treasure, clenched her fist and smashed it right onto Sinan’s head.
Thwack!
Nami’s fists were truly born imbued with Conqueror’s and Armament Haki; even Luffy’s rubber head would end up bruised and covered in massive lumps from her punches.
Sinan was merely a man of flesh and blood, so a huge lump instantly sprouted on his head.
Nami grumbled in annoyance, “Like I need you to tell me!
Look at how terrified you are.” She then added, “We’re moving too slow.
You help out too.
Go check the pirates’ storage room, I’ll go check somewhere else.” Dizzy from the blow, Sinan absentmindedly nodded and agreed, “Alright then!” Creak!
Carrying a kerosene lamp he had swiped from the pirates, Sinan pushed open the door to the ship’s supply storage room and walked in.
Inside the storage room, there were only a few gunny sacks, some overturned wooden barrels, and wooden crates stacked in the corner.
Looking at the meager supplies left in the room, Sinan didn’t really understand why Nami told him to search here.
After sending Sinan away, the impatience on Nami’s face vanished, replaced by a deadly serious expression.
Despite her relaxed demeanor moments ago, if she were truly that careless, given what she did for a living, she would have died hundreds of times over, even with Arlong the Fishman backing her.
Having stolen pirate treasure for so many years, Nami was intimately familiar with how pirates divided their loot.
The captain always took the lion’s share of every pillage, while ordinary pirates barely got a fraction of the money.
Moreover, pirates lived dangerous lives, licking blood off the edge of a blade and treating every day as their last.
Once ordinary pirates got their cut and went ashore, they immediately blew it all on booze and whores.
Unsurprisingly, the vast majority of the crew had gone ashore to drink and find hookers, which was why there was hardly anyone left.
But the light in the captain’s cabin was still on, which meant that “Butcher” Bakal, the captain, was still aboard—and the treasure was still on the ship.
In Nami’s eyes, Arlong was invincible, yet Arlong’s bounty was only 20,000,000 Berries.
Butcher Bakal’s bounty was as high as 15,000,000 Berries.
Nami knew full well that Butcher Bakal was incredibly dangerous, but to earn enough money to buy back Cocoyasi Village, she had no choice but to risk her life.
Unlike her previous casual behavior, Nami moved with extreme caution, tiptoeing silently toward the lit captain’s cabin.
She had sent Sinan away partly because it was highly inconvenient to drag a rookie into this next phase, and partly because she didn’t want to drag him down with her.
If things went south, Sinan would at least have a chance to escape.
It could be said that for the sake of Cocoyasi Village, every time she stole from pirates, Nami was gambling with her life.
Inside the captain’s cabin, a bright oil lamp illuminated the room perfectly.
On the bed, a massive, muscular man nearly two meters tall was sound asleep, his arms wrapped around a voluptuous woman.
Two more women lay sprawled by his side.
The women all wore heavy makeup; it was painfully obvious they were prostitutes from the island.
His subordinates had all gone out to drink and fuck women, so how could Captain Bakal possibly hold back?
He couldn’t leave the ship for too long in order to guard the treasure, but the island had no shortage of whores willing to board the ship to offer their services.
Peeking through the window, Nami took in the entire scene inside.
Having survived at sea for so many years, Nami had seen it all.
She paid no mind to the naked men and women on the bed; her eyes were entirely locked onto the chest tucked under the table where the oil lamp sat.
The outside of the chest was reinforced with thick iron bands and secured with a massive lock.
It was obvious at a glance that it contained something highly valuable.
Staring at the treasure chest, consumed by her greed for wealth, Nami’s eyes once again turned into giant $$ symbols.
After spending a few minutes observing and confirming that everyone inside was fast asleep, Nami made her move.
Over in the storage room, even though he knew there couldn’t possibly be any treasure hidden in these crates, Sinan still began searching them one by one.
He spent ages digging through them, finding absolutely jack shit, and ended up completely exhausted.
Holding the lamp, Sinan pried open a wooden crate meant for storing fruits and vegetables, hoping to find a piece of fruit to quench his thirst.
Right then, the wheels of fate began to turn.
The pirate ship hadn’t had a chance to restock yet, so the wooden crate only held a few shriveled, rotting fruits.
The only thing that still looked edible was a long, thick, cucumber-like vegetable.
Although Sinan didn’t recognize it and had never seen anything like it, the world of One Piece was rich in bizarre resources.
If the pirates kept it in a crate, it meant it was edible.
The moment he picked up the fruit, Sinan felt it throb right in his hand, nearly scaring the life out of him.
Thump!
Thump!
The fruit in Sinan’s hand felt as if it were alive, beating thump-thump just like a living heart.
Under the glow of the lamp, Sinan clearly watched the fruit’s skin shift from green to a deep pink.
Not only that, but the skin began to squirm as if it had a life of its own, rapidly sprouting the classic, spiraling “arabesque” patterns across its surface.
This process lasted for about a dozen seconds.
Watching a Devil Fruit literally reincarnate right in his hand, Sinan was utterly dumbfounded.
“This is a Devil Fruit…
Has my fucking cheat finally arrived?!” Rod-shaped, the size of a thick cucumber, with bright pink skin.
Staring at the Devil Fruit in his hand, Sinan was so overwhelmed with excitement that he nearly passed out.
But before Sinan could even celebrate, a deafening crash and a young girl’s terrified scream instantly snapped him back to reality.
The violent explosion and the scream completely shattered the tranquility of the night.
“Nami!” Hearing her voice, Sinan instinctively shouted her name, not even considering the risk of being discovered.
Clutching the Devil Fruit tightly in his hand, Sinan kicked open the storage room door and sprinted toward the bow deck, taking the steps two at a time.
On the bow deck, Nami was slumped on the floor, clutching her bleeding shoulder.
Her eyes were filled with pure terror as she stared at a massive hole that had been blasted right through the captain’s cabin.
Right beside Nami lay a completely naked prostitute, coughing up mouthfuls of fresh blood.