Pirates: Martial Arts Masters on the Straw Hat Ship

"Swordsman... please!"

Icarum raised his head, his comical face now appearing particularly desolate with tears streaming down his face, his eyes burning with the last flame of "loyalty":

"If you can safely escort the princess back to the distant Eastern Kingdom of Alabasta, you will be rewarded handsomely!"

"Whether it's gold and silver, or status and fame... I beg you! Please save Princess Vivi!"

Several veins bulged on Zoro's forehead. He impatiently tried to shake off the other leg, but found it as stubborn as a barnacle clinging to a reef.

"Are you kidding me!"

"Don't forget," Zoro roared, his eyes icy cold. "Just a few minutes ago, you guys were attacking us!"

"Now you want to talk to me about payment? I'm already being merciful by not cutting you down! Let go of me!"

Just as the light in Icarus's eyes was about to fade, and Zoro was about to turn and leave—

"You mean... an enormous reward?"

A crisp sound abruptly cut through the noisy argument.

Nami's lips curled slightly upward, revealing a standard "devilish smile," and she held up one finger:

"I heard you. Since it's such a huge reward... then I promise you, one billion Berries, okay?"

The air froze instantly.

"What?! Ten billion?!"

Icarum was so shocked that his jaw almost dislocated and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

He stammered, staring at the seemingly harmless girl before him: "This...this is too..."

"What? You think it's too much?"

"Captain of the Guard, you need to understand the situation. If we don't help, that princess is definitely going to die."

"Does this mean that the life of a princess of a nation is not even worth a mere ten billion Berries?"

"No...that's not what I meant!"

Icarim was sweating profusely and his face was pale.

"The princess's life is priceless! But... I'm just a captain of the guards; I have absolutely no authority to agree to such an enormous sum!"

Nami curled her lip in disdain, then her eyes darted around:

"Is a princess of a nation not worth this little bit of money?! Say yes!!"

Zoro watched in stunned silence, exclaiming, "Hey... this is blatant intimidation! It's blatant opportunism!"

Ronan stood to the side, watching Nami's smooth and effortless extortion, and couldn't help but sigh:

"That's just Nami's style. When it comes to money, her fighting power is even more terrifying than if she had eaten a Devil Fruit."

"Look into her eyes, they're eyes that've already been set on money, that domineering aura called 'greed'."

"Ronan!"

Sanji, who had been in standby mode, suddenly turned around and glared at Ronan with eyes blazing with fury.

"You're not allowed to talk about Nami like that! This is clearly Nami demonstrating her superb diplomatic skills!"

"This is the spirit of compassion shown in rescuing a princess in distress! How captivating!"

"...."

Ronan rolled his eyes, speechless.

At this moment, Ikarum was completely overwhelmed by Nami's aura.

He gritted his teeth, as if grasping at the last straw:

"Alright... fine! If you really can escort the princess back safely, then why not negotiate directly with her? Perhaps... perhaps it will work! In any case, saving her is the most important thing!"

"That's more like it!"

Nami clapped her hands, her eyes becoming incredibly pragmatic:

"You mean we should save her first and then talk about money, right? No problem. After all, if the princess dies, my billion Berries will be gone."

She turned around to face the three men behind her, like a queen issuing commands:

"Did you hear that? Business is here! Go, Ronan, Sanji, Zoro! Go get my billion Berries... oh no, go get the princess!"

"Huh? Who wants to go, idiot?" Zoro turned his head to the side, looking annoyed. "I'm not your henchman."

Ronan, idly toying with the ebony stick in his hand, said:

"I have no obligation to save them. Although the man who caused the explosion was arrogant, he didn't actually do anything, which is against my principles."

Only Sanji seemed to have been injected with adrenaline, his entire body bursting with pink flames.

"Yes, Miss Nami!!"

Before he could finish speaking, Sanji had already transformed into a black whirlwind, his legs kicking up clouds of dust as he raced off in the direction Vivi had fled.

Only a loving echo remained in the air: "Vivi-chan—! I'm here to save you—!!"

Nami nodded in satisfaction as she watched Sanji disappear in an instant, then turned to look at the remaining two "troublemakers".

"Honestly, that lecherous cook ran away quickly."

Zoro pursed his lips and looked at Nami, "Hey, I'll say it again, why should I cooperate to make money for you? I'm not going."

"I also think it's unnecessary to go through all that trouble."

Ronan chimed in, "Sanji could handle those two low-level agents on his own, so I'm not going to join in."

Nami remained completely calm.

She knew these two people in front of her all too well.

She first looked at Ronan, a sly glint in her eyes:

"Ronan, haven't you always wanted a good gun?"

"You should know that crafting a good gun is very expensive, both in terms of materials and price."

Nami held up one finger and waved it in front of Ronan:

Do you know how much it costs to forge a truly good gun?

"Whether it's the Adamwood gun barrel you want, a rare metal with extremely high hardness, or the craftsmanship to create Seastone, they are all incredibly expensive."

She leaned closer to Ronan, lowering her voice to seduce him:

"Do you want to spend your whole life hammering away with a stick? If this deal goes through, I'll fund the forging of a legendary weapon for you—"

"How about a long spear made of Adam's wood and seastone alloy?"

Ronan's pupils contracted instantly.

For a martial arts practitioner, a handy divine weapon is far more attractive than beautiful women and fine wine.

In an instant, he pictured himself wielding a long spear made of Adam's wood and Seastone, sweeping across a vast army.

How majestic and awe-inspiring it was! How domineering and unparalleled it was!

"Really?" Ronan stared into Nami's eyes, his breathing quickening. "You're really willing to pay for me to build top-tier weapons? No backing out?"

"It's true!"

Nami patted her chest and assured them, "While I love money, I'm incredibly generous when it comes to my investment partners' equipment!"

"Hurry up! If you're too late, the princess will die, and your spear will be nothing but a fire poker!"

"make a deal!"

Without a word, Ronan grabbed the ebony stick, his languidness vanishing and replaced by a fierce fighting spirit.

"Then it's a deal!"

After saying that, Ronan moved like lightning, his feet propelling him forward like a cheetah, disappearing into the night in a few leaps.

Zoro was the only one left on the scene.

Zoro watched Ronan's departing figure, his lips twitching: "That guy... he was so easily bribed, what a loser."

He turned to look at Nami, arms crossed, his face cold:

"I'm different from them. I don't lack knives, and I don't like being bossed around, especially by a woman like you."

"Oh, don't say that."

Nami looked at Zoro with a smile, not angry at all, but with an expression that said, "I knew you would say that."

"You're all tough on the outside, but you're actually afraid you can't beat them, right?"

"Huh?!" Zoro bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and roared:

"Don't try that kind of low-level reverse psychology! Even if you say that, it won't work! I'm not going, and that's final!"