Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"Tch, I've run into some annoying guys." Zoro opened his eyes, placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, and a hint of impatience flashed in his eyes.

"It...it's not going to attack us, is it?!" Usopp cried out, hiding behind the mast, his legs trembling. "We only just flew the pirate flag a few days ago!"

At that moment, a figure in a suit appeared by the railing of the naval warship.

He was a man with pink hair, quite handsome, but extremely arrogant.

He was wearing a pair of specially made brass knuckles on his right hand and was looking at the Going Merry with the disdainful gaze one would give someone trash.

"I am Lieutenant Commander Hepburn, 'Iron Fist'."

His voice was languid and arrogant, as if he were talking to a few ants: "Who is the captain of this nameless little boat? State your name."

Ronan looked at the naval captain, a playful smile curving his lips.

"Iron Fist?"

Ronan chuckled inwardly.

In this world, if anyone is qualified to be called "Iron Fist," it is only Luffy's grandfather—the Marine hero Garp.

This arrogant captain in front of me dares to parade around with such a title; I really don't know if it's ignorance or fearlessness.

However, Ronan remained silent.

This kind of clown isn't worth his time.

Luffy, however, didn't care about any of that. He stepped forward, stood at the bow of the ship, looked up, and shouted loudly, "I'm Luffy!"

Not to be outdone, Usopp, hiding behind the mast, poked half his head out and shouted, "I'm Usopp!"

Luffy pointed to the flag fluttering above his head, a look of pride on his face: "This is our pirate flag! It was just made a week ago!"

Usopp added, "I drew it! What do you think? Pretty artistic, right?"

Hebodi frowned slightly, his eyes filled with disdain, as he looked at the two men who were behaving like comedians. "What are you doing? Playing house?"

His gaze swept across the deck, finally settling on Johnny and Joseph.

"Oh? Those two over there..." Herbodi pushed up his sunglasses, as if he remembered something.

"I have seen them before. I think they were a pair of 'bounty hunters' who specialized in catching low-level pirates, right?"

Upon hearing this, Johnny and Joseph's faces turned bright red, and their fists clenched tightly.

Hepburn's tone was laced with undisguised sarcasm: "What's wrong? Can't make it here anymore? Finally caught by pirates?"

"Or have you gone along with them? That's laughable. These so-called bounty hunters are nothing but a bunch of opportunistic hyenas."

"you--!!"

Johnny was trembling with rage and was about to draw his sword in retaliation.

Just then, the hatch of the naval warship opened.

A sexy woman with long, wavy blonde hair and wearing a red backless dress walked out.

She affectionately took Hepburn's arm and said coquettishly, "Darling, let's not waste our breath on these dirty pirates. Let's go, I'm starving."

This intimate scene, coupled with Herbadi's contemptuous gaze, completely ignited the pent-up humiliation in Johnny and Joseph's hearts.

"asshole!!"

Johnny yanked his hand into his coat pocket and roared, "You dare say this is the kind of work bounty hunters do, targeting nobody?! Open your dog eyes and see clearly!"

"Splash—!!"

Johnny pulled a thick stack of bounty posters from his pocket, proof of their years of relentless efforts to capture pirates.

He angrily flung the bounty posters into the air.

Paper fluttered down like snowflakes, covering the deck of the Merry.

However, all that was left for them was the sight of Herbodi turning away with his female companion.

"boring."

Hepburn didn't even bother to turn his head, simply waving his hand casually at a nearby naval soldier as if shooing away a fly, and giving the order:

"Alright, let's go into the restaurant. This wrecked ship is in the way; let's sink it."

The tone was as casual as if one could easily crush an ant.

The naval soldier immediately stood at attention and saluted: "Yes, Captain!"

Then, the gun barrels on the side of the warship began to slowly rotate, their dark muzzles aimed at the HMS Merry.

"What?!" Usopp was terrified. "They're...they're really going to fire?"

On the Going Merry, Johnny stared at the pile of unclaimed bounty posters, his eyes red-rimmed and his teeth grinding together.

"That guy... he completely disregards us!"

Joseph also looked furious, his hand on the hilt of his knife, his knuckles white.

"Looks like we'll have to shut them up next time we see them! These marines only know how to bully others!"

At this critical moment when tensions were high and cannons were about to roar,

Nami silently walked over, squatted down, and looked at the wanted posters scattered all over the ground.

"What is this...?"

Nami's voice was very soft, but to Ronan it sounded like a barely perceptible tremor.

"It's a wanted list, Nami-neechan!"

Johnny was still angry and didn't notice Nami's strange behavior. He shouted...

"These are all our targets. Although we haven't caught them yet, we've always been there..."

Nami didn't listen to Johnny's explanation.

Her gaze was fixed on a wanted poster at her feet.

The image depicts a fish-man with a long, jagged nose, sharp fangs, and a fierce gaze.

He grinned, as if mocking all the weak in the world.

[Arlong - Bounty: 20,000,000 Berries]

That was her nightmare.

It was a dark cloud hanging over her hometown, her childhood, and her entire life.

It was the demon who killed Bellemere.

Nami reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, and picked up the bounty poster.

Instantly, a chilling sensation spread from my fingertips throughout my body.

Her face instantly turned extremely gloomy, and her once bright eyes were now dull and lifeless, as if swallowed by the darkness of the deep sea.

"Ah Long..." she silently murmured the name in her heart, hatred and fear churning in her chest.

Ronan, who was standing nearby, took in all of this.

He knew the torment Nami was going through at that moment.

That seemingly greedy and lively navigator carried a burden that ordinary people could not imagine.

In order to buy back the village from the evil dragon, she had to steal from all over the place and even join this seemingly unreliable pirate crew.

Ronan didn't speak, but simply took a step closer to Nami without making a sound, his iron spear slightly tapping the ground with a dull thud.

But Johnny and Joseph were completely unaware of the tense atmosphere.

Johnny pointed to the bounty poster in Nami's hand and proudly introduced it:

"Oh! Big sister has a good eye! That's one of the highest-bounty criminals in the East Blue—Arlong! A big fish worth twenty million Berries!"

Joseph also joined in, completely oblivious to Nami's expression, and excitedly chimed in:

"Anyway, if we take them out, we'll get the bounty! Pretty good deal, right, sis? If we team up, maybe..."

"Shut up."

Nami kept her head down, her bangs covering her eyes, and her voice was as cold as ice shards.

"Huh?" The two were taken aback.

"I told you to shut up!" Nami clenched the bounty poster in her hand and crumpled the face that made her nauseous into a ball.

"What, do you have a grudge against this pirate with a bounty of 20 million Berries?"

Ronan's voice was soft, yet it carried a sense of calm that could pierce through the gloom.

He stood behind Nami, not looking at the wanted poster, but gazing intently at the distant sea.

As a time traveler, he certainly knew what Nami was carrying, but he also knew that some wounds had to be reopened by her own decision.