You're the thief named Nami, aren't you?" Colonel Nezumi let out a rat-like laugh. "Kishishishishi.""According to our investigation, the treasure you stole from pirates is hidden right here in this Tangerine Grove, isn't it?!"Although it was a question, Colonel Nezumi's tone was one of absolute certainty.It was as if he had already received definitive intelligence!Hearing his words, Nami's pupils constricted, and her face turned pale instantly.How did he know?Colonel Nezumi was very satisfied with Nami's expression and said smugly, "The victims were pirates, so I won't blame you.""But a thief is a thief, so it's only right that we confiscate the stolen goods you've taken!""Now, hand over all the loot!"This money really was easy to come by. Although it annoyed him that he had to give a cut to Arlong, it was a necessary step for his long-term plans.Looking at Colonel Nezumi's nauseating appearance, Ben took a step forward.By now, Nami should have realized what was going on.He was going to blow this guy up!Nami reached out to stop Ben, signaling him not to act rashly.Then, pretending to be calm, she looked at Colonel Nezumi and said, "This is quite a surprise. You certainly are dedicated to your work.""Since you don't have the courage to face pirates, are you coming after a thief just to boost your record?""How truly impressive~"However, Colonel Nezumi didn't care about Nami's words.Would he care about such trivialities?Money was the only thing that mattered!Seeing that he had no intention of backing down, Nami revealed her identity."Let me give you a piece of advice: I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates!""If you dare touch me, Arlong won't just sit idly by."Nami believed this guy would never dare to lay a hand on her!At the same time, Nami was confused as to how this Marine had found his way here.After all, the previous Marines had all been wiped out by the Fishmen!Otherwise, this place wouldn't have remained under Arlong's rule for so long."Did you think that would put you on equal footing for negotiations?" Colonel Nezumi looked at Namiwith disdain. She really was a naive young girl."Find the stolen goods for me!"At his command, all the Marines sprang into action.Now, Nami was completely panicked.Especially when they started heading toward the spot where her Treasure Trove was hidden, Namifrantically pulled out her weapon and knocked two Marines to the ground!"Is this what you Marines are supposed to be doing?!" Nami glared at Colonel Nezumi, her face full of rage. "The Arlong Pirates haven't just killed people; they've destroyed an entire town!""You must know that!""They are still ruling this island, trampling on human lives everywhere.""And yet you ignore that massive issue and instead scavenge loot from a thief?!"Was this really the way of the Marines?!At this moment, Nami was utterly disappointed in the Marines."Hmph, such high-sounding words." Colonel Nezumi had no intention of entertaining Nami and continued ordering his men to locate the treasure.Once they found the exact spot, Nami immediately rushed forward to stop them. "I won't give you my money!""That money is...""That money is...!""This child's money is meant to save Cocoyasi Village!" Gen roared in anger. "Do you still think you have the right to take this money, Marines?!""What did you say?" Colonel Nezumi glanced at Gen. "A mere village officer trying to lecture a Navy Captain?""What's Arlong's cut for you?" Ben asked indifferently."Fifty percent!" Colonel Nezumi answered reflexively, then his face darkened. "Kid, are you trying to trick me into talking?""Are you tired of living?!"Glancing at the three people present, Colonel Nezumi began to wonder if he should just kill them all."That's why I said you're naive, Nami." Ben sighed, casually tossing out a Miniature Bomb Robot from his pocket. "Arlong was never going to let you go!"Nami slumped weakly onto the ground. At this moment, she truly didn't know what to do!Ben looked up at Colonel Nezumi and gave a 'kind' smile. "I hope you'll still be able to stand and talk in a moment."Chapter 6: Detonate!Colonel Nezumi glanced at Ben, instinctively feeling that something was wrong.Why did this harmless-looking guy give him such a dangerous feeling?Most importantly, this guy knew his secret!"Kill him!"This guy wasn't on the list; he was just an insignificant character.Killing him wouldn't matter; no one would care anyway."How ironic, Lord Captain~" Ben mocked. "Killing someone just because of a disagreement—is this the way of your Marines?"Shaking his head, he slowly raised two fingers. "In that case, I'll just have to send you on your way~""What are you doing?""Quiet~" Ben slowly raised a finger to his lips and said, "Someone is calling for you~""Calling for me?" Colonel Nezumi was confused. What on earth was he talking about?"The Grim Reaper~" The corners of Ben's mouth curled up. Then, his gaze sharpened, and he snapped his fingers. "Boom!""Boom!""Boom! Boom!"The Miniature Bomb Robots that had somehow attached themselves to the Marines suddenly exploded, turning them into a brilliant display of fireworks!Looking at the sole surviving Marine, Ben flashed a sunny smile. With a trace of blood on his face, he looked like a demon in the Marine's eyes."Don't be nervous, I won't kill you~" Ben waved his hand. "Go back and give a message to your Marine Base. Tell them that this scum was taken out by me, Ben—the future Great Pirate, Ben!"Killing that scum was fine, but he couldn't let it bring trouble to Cocoyasi Village."Ye... yes..." the Marine stammered. "I... I... I understand."His teeth were chattering so hard he could barely control his body.He was absolutely terrified!"Good." Ben nodded in satisfaction, patted the Marine's shoulder, and then his expression darkened. "Get out!"Watching the Marine scramble away in terror, Bennarrowed his eyes.Did he think he'd just be let go like that?Sorry, but no!When Ben patted his shoulder earlier, he had already placed two robots on him: one Miniature Bomb Robot and one Tracking Robot.When he reported the situation to the people at the base, the Miniature Bomb Robot would explode!Ben never had any intention of letting these guys go, including the ones back at the base!Walking over to Nami, Ben knelt down and pulled her into his arms, ignoring Gen's murderous glare nearby. "Do you see the reality now, Nami?""Why..." Hearing Ben's voice, tears began to shimmer in Nami's eyes. "Why?!""I just wanted to buy back the village."Just that one small wish!For this, she had struggled for so many years, risking her life countless times.But in the end, was it all for nothing?Nami clenched her fists, her heart filled with hatred for Arlong. "I hate this so much! If I'd known it would come to this, I should have fought them to the death from the start!""Arlong never had any intention of letting you go from the very beginning," Ben sighed. "Telling you that was just a convenient way to exploit you.""He just didn't expect you to gather the money so quickly."After all, only people with hope won't commit suicide; they'll stay alive and work.Arlong valued Nami's cartography skills; he couldn't let her die!Nami's tears flowed uncontrollably as she reached out and gripped the Arlong Pirates tattoo on her shoulder with such force that her nails seemed to dig into her flesh."Arlong...""Arlong!""Arlong!!"Ben reached out and caught Nami's hand, stopping her from harming herself."Ben..." Nami looked up at him with a tear-streaked face. "Help me...""Okay." Ben smiled and reached out to ruffle Nami's hair. "I'll go destroy your nightmare right now.""Uncle Gen," Ben stood up and glanced at Gen. "Take care of Nami. Don't let her go rushing into Arlong Park."Going there now would serve no purpose other than to add to her pain.
Alright." Gen nodded with a complex expression. Did this kid really have the courage to face Arlonghead-on?If that's the case, I'll forgive you for hugging my daughter just now.But this is Cocoyasi Village's own business, after all. They couldn't let this young man challenge Arlong Park all by himself!Watching Ben's receding back, Gen thought for a moment and said, "Nami, I'm going to gather everyone. We're going to fight them!""But...""No buts!" Gen said with a face full of rage. "Since Arlong has already crushed our hope, there's no need for us to wait anymore."Instead of living like this, gasping for breath, it's better to risk it all!Even if he dies, he will die like a man, on the battlefield!Chapter 7: Crushing the Nightmare!Gen moved quickly. Or rather, the people of Cocoyasi Village had already sensed something was wrong when they saw the Marines heading toward Nami's house, and they had already picked up their weapons and were waiting.Soon, everyone was marching toward Arlong Parkin a grand procession, weapons in hand.On the other side, Ben had already met up with the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates on the road.At this moment, they were talking to Nojiko."Huh?" Nojiko noticed Ben and was stunned for a moment. "Ben, why are you here?"Ben briefly recounted what had just happened and then said indifferently, "I'm going to take down Arlong."Nojiko's pupils constricted, her face full of fury. "Those bastards!"So that's how it is. They've been lying to us all along?!"You're saying that bastard Arlong made Nami cry just now, right?" Sanji took a drag of his cigarette and spoke with a calm expression.Ben glanced at Sanji. What was he going to say?"This isn't just your business anymore." Luffy stood up from the ground. "She's my navigator!"Luffy looked into the distance with a calm face and said, "Guys, let's go!"That direction was exactly where Arlong Park was!"Yeah!" X3Ben opened his mouth. How did things suddenly turn out like this?He had originally intended to take down those bastards all by himself."Let's go." Usopp came over and patted Ben on the shoulder. "This is everyone's business."Looking at the backs of the four, Ben finally realized.Yes, this is everyone's business.Nami wasn't just his friend; she was their comrade.With a light chuckle, Ben put his hands in his pockets and slowly followed. "Hey, don't be in such a hurry to start fighting later. Let me blow up that building first!"That was Nami's nightmare!He wanted to completely shatter the shackles that bound Nami!Hearing Ben's words, Nojiko's eyes flickered."Maybe..." He is the best match for Nami."Hey, where are they?" Gen and Nami rushed over with the villagers, all of them armed."What are you guys doing?" Nojiko was a bit dumbfounded. Where did these weapons come from?"Nojiko, where are they?" Nami stepped forward and asked. "They haven't already left, have they?"They had already rushed here at their fastest speed!Nojiko nodded. "The five of them have already gone. They just left a moment ago.""Let's go!" Gen waved his hand. "We can't let them take risks for our sake!""Let's fight those bastards!""Fight them!"At this moment, the people of Cocoyasi Village no longer feared the Arlong Pirates.Life is precious, and love is even more valuable.But for the sake of freedom, both can be cast aside!They were going to fight for freedom!..."This must be Arlong Park." Luffy looked at the distant wall with a calm face, seemingly observing where would be best to strike."Yes," Usopp nodded. "This is it."Not long ago, he had been saved by Nami right here.He wondered how her injury was doing.Just then, the people of Cocoyasi Village all charged over, shouting words about overthrowing Arlong."Let's fight them!""Fight them!""Everyone, please wait a moment!" Ben stood in front of the crowd and said, "Leave the Arlong Pirates to us.""If you go, you'll easily get hurt.""Nami knows our strength best, so it's no problem to leave it to us."Nami looked at her comrades in the distance and bit her lip. "That's right, they are very strong.""But...""No buts." Ben glanced at Gen and said, "Uncle Gen, please take these people and wait here for a moment.""The battle inside will be over soon."While Ben was still speaking, Luffy had already made his move.He slammed a fist into the wall, directly collapsing it!BOOM!Seeing this, Ben had to speed up his words. "Nami, I'm going to blow this place up and destroy your nightmare.""Just stay here with Uncle Gen and wait for me."Having said that, without waiting for Nami's reply, he turned and ran toward Arlong Park.After entering, Ben found Luffy and the others looking at him.They still remembered what Ben had said just now.Thinking of this, they couldn't help but feel a bit moved. This was the unspoken understanding between men.He then released the largest Explosive Robot from his pocket, which flew toward the building behind Arlong!"Are you looking for death?!" Arlong looked at them with a face full of rage. "And that Roronoa, I haven't gone looking for you yet, and you've delivered yourself to my door?!""Perfect, I'll kill you all together!""I'm afraid you won't have the chance." Ben slowly raised a finger and said with a cold face, "Detonate!"BOOM!!The power of the bomb was immense, instantly turning the building of Arlong Park into ruins!Outside, Nami saw this scene, and tears couldn't stop flowing.Had the shackles that had bound her for so many years finally been shattered?!Nojiko pulled Nami into a distressed embrace. "Don't worry, they will definitely win."Though she wasn't sure why she had so much confidence in this group of people herself."Yeah." Nami nodded. At this moment, she was full of confidence in her comrades and Ben!...If you like this author's work, please cast your votes~Thank you, everyone.Chapter 8: Blow Him into Pixels!"Damn it!" Arlong, buried in the ruins, burst out, roaring with a hideous face, "You bastard, how dare you destroy my life's work?!"Blood then trickled down from the corner of his mouth; the shockwave from the explosion just now had still injured him."So what?" Ben said coldly. "Those are the nautical charts Nami drew. You don't deserve to have them!""You're Arlong, right?" Luffy looked at Arlong, his eyes fierce."And who are you?" Arlong glanced at Luffy. He didn't recognize him—just what kind of trash had crawled out from where?Luffy didn't reply upon hearing this. Instead, he walked step by step to the front of Arlong and then slammed a fist hard into Arlong's face!THUD!BOOM!Arlong was sent flying, crashing heavily into the distant wall."You brat..." Arlong looked up at Luffy viciously. "I'm going to tear you into pieces!"Can any random cat or dog come and provoke him now?!"Yeah," Luffy said flatly, "if you can actually do it."Seeing Luffy's attitude, Arlong was instantly enraged.What do you mean, brat? Are you looking down on me?!"You bastard, how dare you lay a hand on Big Brother Arlong?!" The Fishman underlings were furious, and they all rushed out of the water, intending to give Luffy a harsh lesson.