“Hey, can you take this seriously?”
Nami lowered her voice as she looked at the sleepy-eyed boy beside her, who had just yawned.
Her brows knitted together.
“We’re robbing the rich to help the poor here, not taking a stroll!”
Mox raised an eyebrow.
He casually produced a chair from who-knows-where and leaned back in it.
“What’s the rush?
It’s not like the treasure’s going to grow legs and run away.”
Before he could finish, heavy footsteps came from deeper inside the warehouse.
A burly guard approached, carrying an oil lamp.
“Who’s there?!”
The guard roared and swung the long saber in his hand.
Nami’s heart tightened.
She was just about to dodge when Mox moved.
He didn’t even bother straightening up.
He merely shifted his body slightly and casually thrust out his right arm.
His elbow slammed forward like cast iron.
The movement was so fast that Nami could barely make it out.
BAM!
A dull impact was followed by the crisp sound of bones colliding.
The guard didn’t even have time to groan before his eyes rolled back and he collapsed stiffly to the ground.
The oil lamp clattered onto the floor.
Its flame flickered a few times before going out.
The entire exchange had taken less than a second.
Mox dusted off his hands as if he’d merely brushed away some dirt, then returned to his lazy demeanor.
Nami glared at him.
“Don’t think you’re so great just because you’ve got some skills!”
She pulled a small set of tools from her waist and crouched beside the heavy iron door at the end of the warehouse.
Her fingers moved rapidly.
Hair-thin probes and hooks danced inside the lock, producing barely audible clicks.
In less than twenty seconds, the lock that Buggy himself had reinforced was effortlessly opened.
This time, Mox was genuinely impressed.
He looked at Nami with interest.
“Not bad.
That’s some professional work.
Practice really does make perfect.”
Nami proudly raised her chin and pushed the door open.
“Of course.
You should know who I am.
I’m Nami, the ‘Cat Burglar’ feared by pirates throughout the East Blue!”
Beyond the door was a passage leading toward the treasure vault.
The two walked in, one behind the other.
Mox said casually:
“Actually, we don’t need to go through all this trouble.
I could just kick the door down.
These lackeys wouldn’t be enough to keep me busy no matter how many of them came.”
“Could you stop bragging for once?”
Nami rolled her eyes.
“Careful.
You might bite your tongue when the wind gets too strong.”
They passed through the corridor.
The space suddenly opened up before them.
A massive vault door stood shut, decorated with elaborate patterns.
Several spheres with a dark sheen were mounted around it.
They were Buggy’s prized Buggy Balls.
“Careful.
Those are bombs,” Mox warned.
Nami nodded.
She once again went to work on the lock.
This one was far more complicated, but she remained calm and precise, her fingers moving steadily.
Mox leaned against the wall, watching her focused profile.
He had to admit that this woman really did have extraordinary talent in this field.
“Got it!”
Nami whispered.
The massive door slowly opened.
An indescribable golden radiance poured from inside, illuminating both their faces.
Inside the vault, gold coins were piled into mountains.
Gemstones and diamonds glittered everywhere.
There were even several cases of perfectly preserved liquor.
The air itself seemed to reek of money, enough to drive anyone mad with greed.
“My goodness…”
Nami covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with avarice.
“This has to be worth at least twenty million Berries!”
“That bastard Buggy was hiding all this?!”
She immediately threw herself at the piles of gold, frantically stuffing coins and gemstones into the cloth sacks she’d brought.
Her hands moved as quickly as the wind.
Mox was much calmer.
He didn’t even bother looking at the treasure.
Instead, he walked directly toward a bookshelf in the corner.
It was filled with scrolls and parchment.
He leisurely flipped through them as though searching for something specific.
Meanwhile, Nami secretly slipped several high-quality gold coins into her clothes.
She also quietly hid a small pouch of diamonds behind an inconspicuous wooden crate, intending to come back for them later.
She was extremely careful.
She thought nobody had noticed.
She was wrong.
Mox had already covered the entire vault with his Observation Haki.
Every one of her movements—even the slightest twitch of her eyelids—was clear to him.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
He continued searching through the nautical charts.
He already had a plan.
Nami finished packing as much as she could.
Seeing Mox still leisurely examining the “old papers,” she grew anxious.
“Hey, what are you doing?
Hurry up and pack!”
“There are so many treasures!
We need to get out of here before someone notices!”
Mox didn’t even look up.
“What’s the rush?
I haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
“What could possibly be more important than all this treasure?”
Nami didn’t understand, but she sped up her packing anyway, already calculating how she could get a larger share.
Just then, she spotted an exquisite rosewood box at the very back of the vault.
Gems were embedded in its surface.
It was obviously extremely valuable.
Her eyes lit up.
She quietly approached and reached for the lid.
“Don’t touch it!”
Mox’s voice suddenly rang out.
Nami jumped and immediately pulled her hand back.
“What is it?”
Mox pointed around the box.
“Didn’t you notice those wires?”
“They’re connected to the Buggy Balls.
Touch them, and the whole thing goes up.”
Only then did Nami notice several nearly transparent wires wrapped around the box.
One end was connected to several Buggy Balls in the corner.
Cold sweat instantly covered her body.
If she’d been a second slower, she might have been blown to pieces.
Mox stepped forward.
His fingers moved as fast as lightning, precisely pinching the thin wires.
With a gentle pull, he detached them from the Buggy Balls.
Then he opened the rosewood box.
The contents left both of them stunned.
There was no priceless treasure inside.
Instead, there were bottles and jars of all kinds, decorated with images of cosmetics.
It was an entire set of high-end makeup products.
“…”
Nami’s mouth twitched.
“That bastard Buggy!”
“He protected his makeup with all those bombs?!”
Mox was equally speechless.
Apparently, the Clown Captain had some truly strange habits.
Nami angrily tossed the cosmetics aside and went back to packing the treasure.
Soon, several enormous bundles lay on the floor, filled with gold coins, gemstones, and other valuables.
Mox finally found what he had been looking for as well.
Several detailed nautical charts.
They weren’t complete, but they were already extremely valuable.
He also found a notebook hidden inside a secret compartment.
It contained detailed records of the formula and manufacturing process for Buggy Balls.
This could be very useful for Usopp.
Mox carefully put the notebook away and nodded in satisfaction.
He looked at the bundles on the floor.
Then he glanced at Nami.
She was taking advantage of his apparent lack of attention to slip a few more gold coins into her pockets.
A smug smile appeared on her face.
She knew she couldn’t take all the treasure for herself.
If she could take a little extra, though, that was still a profit.
Mox walked over and patted her shoulder.
“Good work.”
The moment he finished speaking, he activated his ability.
The enormous bundles on the floor suddenly vanished.
So did the pouch of diamonds Nami had hidden behind the wooden crate.
Even the gold coins in her pockets disappeared without a trace.
The smile on Nami’s face instantly froze.
She reflexively checked her pockets.
Empty.
She looked at the floor.
All the mountains of treasure were gone.
She whipped her head toward Mox, eyes wide.
“You… where did you put the treasure?!”
Mox pointed at himself.
“I stored it.”
“You stored it?!”
Nami was furious.
“Then what about my share?!
And the stuff I just—”
She stopped herself.
But the meaning was obvious.
Mox gave her a knowing smile.
“Your share?”
“When you were hiding things just now, it didn’t look like you intended to share them with us.”
Nami’s face flushed.
Then she became embarrassed and angry.
“You… you noticed?”
“Mm-hmm.”
Mox nodded.
“My senses are much sharper than you think.”
Nami stared at the seemingly harmless young man in front of her.
She suddenly felt that he was absolutely terrible.
She’d been planning to sneak out through a rear window after the treasure was divided, then come back for the stash she’d hidden.
That way, she’d make an extra profit.
She hadn’t expected him to notice even the few coins in her pockets!
Tears welled up uncontrollably.
Nami desperately fought them back.
She gritted her teeth.
“Fine!
You win!”
The gold coins in her pockets were gone.
But when she remembered stuffing them away, she seemed to recall that a few had rolled into her boots.
That thought eased her frustration slightly.
At least she hadn’t come away completely empty-handed.
Still, she was shaking with anger.
Mox looked at her tearful expression and decided not to tease her any further.
He knew why Nami needed 100 million Berries.
She wanted to buy back her village from Arlong, the pirate who controlled it.
Mox thought her plan was somewhat naive.
But he understood her determination.
He took out a medium-sized bundle from the System Storage Space and handed it to her.
“This is for you.”
Nami froze.
She didn’t take it.
“What’s inside?”
“See for yourself.”
Suspiciously, Nami opened the bundle.
Inside were neatly stacked Berries.
There appeared to be around five million.
She abruptly looked up at Mox.
Her eyes were filled with shock.
“Why… why are you giving me this much?”
“You could have kept it all.
I couldn’t have done anything about it.”
Mox’s expression was completely sincere.
There was not a trace of teasing in his eyes.
“Because you’re our partner.”
“Partner?”
Nami murmured the word.
To her, it was both unfamiliar and distant.
She had grown up under the shadow of pirates.
She had witnessed far too much betrayal and greed.
To her, the so-called “partners” were nothing more than an excuse for exchanging benefits.
“Yeah.
Partner.”
Mox nodded firmly.
“Partners don’t need that many reasons.”
“If we have something and you need it, we’ll share it with you.”
“Treasure included.”
Nami stared at Mox.
Then she looked at the bundle in her hands.
The wall she’d built around her heart for so long seemed to crack ever so slightly.
This boy was different from every pirate she’d ever met.
She took a deep breath and put away the bundle and the nautical charts.
Her expression became resolute.
“Don’t worry.”
“Since you’ve chosen to trust me, I’ll honor our agreement and get you to the entrance of the Grand Line.”
Just then, noisy footsteps came from outside the vault.
A furious voice followed.
“Damn you, Cat Burglar!
Put my treasure down!”
“And you rubber bastard!
Get out of my way!”
“It’s Buggy!”
Mox raised his chin toward the door.
“Looks like Luffy’s side is almost finished.”
“Time for us to get out.”
The two exchanged a glance.
Then they slipped through the rear exit of the vault.
Meanwhile, in the open area at the center of the camp, Zoro’s battle with Cabaji was reaching its climax.
Cabaji rode his unicycle across the rocky ground, weaving around with incredible agility.
The grinding sound of the wheel against the stones was painfully shrill.
The short blade in his hand traced bizarre arcs beneath the moonlight.
At times, he stabbed toward Zoro’s lower body like a striking viper.
At others, he suddenly hurled an iron ball on a chain through the air, trying to disrupt Zoro’s judgment.
“Pirate Hunter Zoro?”
“You’re nothing but a stray dog rejected by pirates!”
Cabaji’s laughter was shrill and grating.
He suddenly spun the unicycle in place, kicking up a cloud of dust that immediately filled the area and obscured Zoro’s vision.
“You can’t even catch up to my rear wheel!”
“And you still think you’re going to become the World’s Strongest Swordsman?”
Zoro slowly closed his eyes.
His green bandana fluttered in the night wind.
He didn’t try to watch Cabaji’s movements.
Instead, he listened carefully to the rotation of the unicycle’s bearings.
He felt the slightest changes in the surrounding airflow through his skin.
It was an instinct he’d developed through years of training.
No matter how chaotic the battlefield became, he could accurately lock onto his opponent’s movements.
“Clowns belong in a circus.”
Zoro suddenly opened his eyes.
His gaze was as sharp as a blade.
All three swords came out simultaneously.
“Swinging a sword around in front of me will only dirty my blades.”
Before the words had even finished, his body had already become a blur.
He shot forward.
Cabaji hadn’t expected Zoro to move so quickly.
He hurriedly swung the chained iron ball.
It flew straight toward Zoro’s face with a sharp whistle.
But Zoro’s body twisted aside with incredible flexibility.
His left-hand sword precisely knocked the chain away.
His right-hand sword slashed toward Cabaji’s sword-wielding wrist.
The sword clenched between his teeth swept past the edge of the unicycle, sending a shower of sparks into the air.
Clang!
The chain was severed by the blade.
Cabaji’s wrist was grazed by the sword’s force, and blood immediately spilled.
He grunted in pain.
The unicycle lost its balance, nearly sending him crashing face-first into the ground.
“How is this possible…?”
Cabaji finally regained his balance.
He stared at Zoro’s three-sword stance.
For the first time, fear appeared in his eyes.
“You only have two hands!”
“This is Three-Sword Style.”
Zoro’s gaze was cold as ice.
“I trained this way so I could defeat every powerful opponent.”
He gave Cabaji no chance to recover.
Zoro pushed off the ground and leaped into the air.
His voice was cold.
“Three-Sword Style… Onigiri!”
Three vicious sword trails crossed together, forming the shape of a ferocious beast.
With a roar that seemed to tear through the air, they crashed down upon Cabaji.
Cabaji desperately tried to block with his broken chain and short sword.
But the tremendous force behind the attack sent him flying backward.
His unicycle shattered on impact.
He slammed into the ground.
The short sword in his hand broke in two.
A deep wound opened across his chest.
“You… how are you so strong…?”
Cabaji coughed blood as he stared at Zoro’s back.
Only now did he realize he’d provoked someone he absolutely shouldn’t have.
Zoro calmly replied:
“You’re just too weak.”
Watching from the shadows, Mox secretly nodded.
In the original story, Zoro was stabbed in the abdomen by Buggy and struggled somewhat during his fight with Cabaji.
Now that Zoro hasn’t been stabbed, the future World’s Strongest Swordsman is obviously on another level.
Mox took a jar of sake from the System Storage Space and tossed it to Zoro.
He smiled.
Zoro caught the jar, opened it, and took a long drink.
He exhaled in satisfaction.
“Drinking after getting some exercise really does make sake taste better.”
“Finished over there, Mox?”
“Of course.”
Mox smiled.
“Let’s check on Luffy.
He should be almost finished too.”
Elsewhere, Luffy’s battle with Buggy had reduced half the pirate camp to ruins.
Buggy’s body had been scattered by Luffy’s rubber fists.
His head rolled around on top of a tent.
His arms waved through the air like the limbs of a broken puppet.
Yet he continued shouting curses.
“You Straw Hat bastard!”
“Do you even know who I am?!”
“I’m the immortal Buggy!”
“Red Nose!
Red Nose!
Red Nose!”
Luffy deliberately shouted the insult as loudly as he could.
Buggy roared in fury.
His body suddenly reassembled.
A dagger appeared in his hand.
“I’ll tear you and your stupid Straw Hat to pieces!”
“Chop-Chop… Punch!”
His fist detached from his body and shot toward Luffy’s face with a sharp whistle.
Luffy abruptly leaned backward.
The fist skimmed past the tip of his nose and smashed into a wooden crate behind him.
Splinters flew everywhere.
But it had only been a feint.
At the same time, Buggy’s foot came flying in from the side.
Using the splitting properties of the Chop-Chop Fruit, he attempted to bypass Luffy’s rubber body.
Luffy’s Observation Haki suddenly detected Buggy’s intention.
He lightly sidestepped.
A grin appeared on his face.
“It’s useless!”
“You think your rubber powers are impressive?”
“Against my Chop-Chop Fruit, they’re nothing!”
Buggy sneered and attacked again.
Luffy suddenly remembered the strange power that had surged through his body when he’d taken the Buggy Ball head-on.
Mox had told him that it was the embryonic form of Armament Haki.
It could make his body as hard as steel.
And now…
He thought he knew how to draw upon that power.
Buggy saw Luffy hesitate and thought he’d found an opening.
He grinned viciously.
“You think being made of rubber can protect you?”
“Chop-Chop… Bombard!”
Buggy’s body split into countless pieces.
They shot toward Luffy like cannonballs.
But this time, the fragments struck Luffy’s body, now covered in black markings.
Instead of hurting him, they bounced off as though they’d hit steel plating.
“What?!”
Buggy’s voice came from among the scattered pieces.
His voice was filled with disbelief.
“How can your body…?”
“Because I’m going to become the Pirate King!”
Luffy retracted his inflated body.
His fist was surrounded by a dark aura.
He charged toward Buggy’s body before it could fully reassemble.
“So I won’t lose to you here!”
“Gum-Gum… Armament Haki… Rocket!”
The Armament Haki-coated fist slammed into Buggy’s chest.
This time, Buggy’s splitting ability was completely overwhelmed.
He was sent flying as though he’d been struck by a massive boulder.
He crashed through three tents before finally coming to a stop.
Blood sprayed from his mouth.
He could no longer maintain his separated form.
He collapsed to the ground unconscious.
Nami immediately rushed over and began looting him.
Luffy shook his fist.
His eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Is this Armament Haki?”
“It’s awesome!”
“My punches are way stronger, and it can even counter Devil Fruit abilities!”
Mox walked over.
He looked at Luffy in surprise.
“Luffy, you just…”
“Mox!
Mox!”
Luffy excitedly grabbed Mox’s arm.
“I did it!”
“I just awakened Armament Haki!”
Zoro approached, puzzled.
“What are you two talking about?”
“Armament Haki?”
“Yeah!
Armament Haki!”
Luffy explained.
Mox smiled.
“All right, Zoro.
I’ll explain everything to you in detail once we’re back on the ship.”
He looked around.
Thanks to Luffy’s battle, the town itself hadn’t suffered much damage.
Only the Buggy Pirates’ base had been reduced to a wreck.
“Since Buggy’s unconscious…”
“Can we recycle all this junk?”
The moment he finished speaking, Mox’s body suddenly transformed.
A massive aura spread outward.
His body rapidly expanded.
In an instant, he transformed into a gigantic Slime, covering most of the camp.
Broken stones, splintered wood, ruined tents, and even scattered weapon fragments were sucked toward him.
They merged into his body and were decomposed into pure energy.
This was the reason for his gigantic form.
It allowed him to decompose “trash” at the fastest possible rate.
Zoro and Nami were seeing this form for the first time.
Both were too stunned to speak.
Luffy had seen it before, but he still became excited every time.
“Whoa!
That’s awesome, Mox!”
“Your Slime Form is incredible!”
Mox converted all the collected Energy into Physical Strength.
The number on his system panel climbed steadily.
Finally, it stopped at 1,000.
He was filled with anticipation.
He had already awakened Armament Haki.
Would the system give him an additional reward and upgrade his Haki?
[Ding!
Congratulations, Host.
Your Physical Strength has reached 1,000 points, satisfying the requirements for Armament Haki awakening.]
[Ding!
Host’s Armament Haki has already been independently activated.
The system will replace the Physical Strength reward with an awakening of Conqueror’s Haki!]
Mox froze.
“Conqueror’s Haki?”
“I awakened it just like that?”
“Are you kidding me?”
He hurriedly checked his system panel again.
Knowledge regarding the use of Conqueror’s Haki instantly flooded his mind.
The fundamental principle was presence—an overwhelming, unwavering force of will.
As long as he wanted to use it, he could unleash it whenever he wished.
Basically, whenever he wanted to show off.
Mox rubbed his nose and dismissed his giant form.
He checked the Devil Fruit repair progress.
It had reached 98%.
Only a little more Energy was needed to complete the repair.
It might become one of his greatest assets.
He clapped his hands and turned to Luffy and Zoro.
“Look at what you’ve done!”
“You’ve turned the whole place into ruins!”
“What if you scare the children?”
“Even if you don’t scare the children, think of the flowers and grass!”
“Now look at me.”
“See how clean and level I’ve made everything?”
“The townspeople can come straight here and build houses or plant crops.”
“How convenient!”
“When are you two going to become as outstanding as me?”
Zoro frowned.
He looked around.
“My swords…”
Nami quietly snickered.
They’re different from the pirates I’ve met before.
Maybe going with them…
No.
What about my village?
She shook her head, forcing those thoughts away.
The people nearby, seeing that she was unharmed, simply shook their heads.
They all thought she was a little strange.
“Whoa!
Mox!
Nami!”
“Did you find the treasure?”
Luffy ran over excitedly.
Mox raised the notebook in his hand.
“Yeah.
We found some treasure.”
“And a few treasure maps.”
“Looks like you guys had quite the fight.”
“By the way, Nami…”
Luffy suddenly grabbed her wrist.
His eyes shone like stars.
“Become our navigator!”
“We’re going to the Grand Line, so we need a great navigator!”
Nami’s heart skipped a beat.
For just a moment, she was tempted.
But then she thought of her village.
She hardened her heart and pulled her hand free.
“Who said I wanted to become a pirate with you?!”
“But you just helped us find the treasure.”
Luffy looked genuinely confused.
“I only did it for the money!”
Nami raised her voice as though she were trying to convince herself.
“Once I’ve saved enough money, I’m going my own way!”
“Hmph.”
She turned her face away and pulled out the Grand Line nautical chart she’d taken from Buggy.
“Since you helped me get away from Buggy and even shared some treasure with me…”
“I suppose I can guide a bunch of rookie pirates like you.”
“There are reefs ahead.”
“Follow my route and we’ll avoid them perfectly.”
Luffy immediately cheered.
“Awesome!”
“Nami really is a good person!”
They bound Buggy with the Seastone handcuffs they had obtained from the Marine base and handed him over to the mayor.
The mayor could then turn him over to the Marines and claim the bounty, helping compensate the town for its losses.
Afterward, they packed up everything worth taking.
To accommodate all the treasure and supplies, Mox deliberately chose not to put the ship into the System Storage Space.
Instead, he left it docked at the harbor.
Once everything was ready, Nami pointed toward the nearby vessel.
“Is that your ship?”
“The one with the propeller at the stern?”
Luffy nodded proudly.
“Yep!
Mox designed it!”
“Mox uses his ability to make the propeller turn.”
“Pretty awesome, right?”
He seemed even more excited about Mox being able to make the ship move than he was about awakening Armament Haki himself.
Nami was the first to jump aboard.
Luffy and Zoro followed.
When Mox was the last to board, he saw Nami standing at the bow.
Her short orange hair fluttered in the sea breeze.
The setting sun cast a warm glow over her, outlining a beautiful silhouette.
“What are you waiting for?”
Nami turned around and glared at him.
“Get the propeller moving already!”
“Or do you want the Marines to catch us?”
The corner of her mouth secretly curled upward.
Mox smiled.
He placed his hand on the propeller control.
Energy flowed through his fingertips.
The propeller slowly began to turn.
The little ship cut through the waves and sailed toward the setting sun.
Mox leaned against the railing and looked at the noisy group around him.
Luffy was shouting about meat.
Zoro had his eyes closed, resting.
Nami was studying the nautical chart.
For some reason, Mox suddenly felt that this journey toward the Grand Line was going to be much more interesting than he remembered.