Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

"I thought I could hide a little longer."

As he spoke, the sailor took a bag out of his pocket and handed it to Li Mingyuan.

"This is so boring. Here, take it back."

Li Mingyuan took the sealed bag and weighed it in his hand; it was considerably heavier than when he had thrown it away.

He looked up at the sailor in front of him.

"So, is this considered an apology?"

"All my money is here. My knife even helped you out earlier. Can you spare my life?"

The sailor scratched his cheek and chuckled, "If that's not enough, I still have some belongings from the last island. I can lead the way there and dig up the treasure. It'll probably be around 20 million Berries. I think that's a decent amount as payment for my life."

Twenty million peles.

Upon hearing this, the surrounding sailors immediately erupted in commotion. In terms of the amount alone, this was an astronomical figure they had never encountered in their lives, and it was even comparable to the bounty on Ah Long's head. They never expected that a thief could come up with so much money.

But soon, another person who heard this couldn't hold back anymore.

"You idiot! Don't talk like it's none of your business!"

The first mate, his face flushed, suddenly jumped out from among the crew and roared angrily, "Of your twenty million Berries, at least a few million were stolen from our ship! Don't you know how important that money is? It's a matter of life and death for all of us! It's because of you that we had to risk coming to Arlong Paradise, and that's how things ended up like this."

"What grudge do you hold against us that you have to steal from us?! I remember you, you boarded the ship from Trit Island, and you've been on board for at least a few months now!"

"Why? Is that so strange?"

The sailor tilted his head, somewhat incredulously, and asked, "Anyway, your goods were all stolen, and you also plundered money from various regions, all to be handed over to the Heavenly Gold. Since it's all ill-gotten gains, what difference does it make if I steal it?"

"Since you've asked that, then I'll ask you this too: do you really think the current outcome is innocent?"

The sailor sneered, "They lost their cargo and came straight to Aaron's Paradise, deliberately concealing their destination and tricking a bunch of people onto the ship to replenish their crew. That Captain Rat is the same. Since he has dealings with Aaron's Paradise, do you think you're any good people who can get in touch with him? In my opinion, you're all birds of a feather, a bunch of rotten bastards."

"asshole--!!"

Upon hearing this, the first mate could no longer hold back and lunged at the sailor with reddened eyes.

He raised his fist high and slammed it down on the other person's face.

Upon seeing this, the sailor instinctively closed his eyes and curled up into a ball.

However, a moment later...

The expected pain did not come.

The sailor opened his eyes tremblingly, only to see Li Mingyuan raise his hand and firmly grasp the first mate's wrist.

"I don't think I said you could deal with him now."

Li Mingyuan said indifferently, "Don't make me repeat myself. If you don't want to die, do as I say."

Upon hearing this, the first mate's face immediately turned pale.

He shakily withdrew his fist.

Li Mingyuan turned back to look at the sailor in front of him.

"Twenty million Berries to buy your own life? Well, your life is quite valuable. Very well, I agree."

"But before that, there's one last thing I want to ask you..."

Li Mingyuan said in a deep voice, "Why did you steal my money?"

"Your reasons don't apply to me. All this money comes from rewards and thanks for catching bounty hunters. So far, apart from those fish-men who deserved to die, I haven't harmed a single civilian. We've spoken a few times on the ship, haven't we? Why are you targeting me?"

"Do you think I'm easy to bully and won't settle scores with you?"

At this point, Li Mingyuan narrowed his eyes.

A chill instantly spread from his body, enveloping the entire deck in a flash.

The nearby sailors all retreated in fear.

The sailor standing directly in front of Li Mingyuan, with nowhere to hide, was the first to be overwhelmed by this pressure. His face turned ashen, and his lips trembled dryly.

He gave a wry smile, but couldn't offer any explanation.

"It's stolen, that's it. There's no point in explaining."

The sailor, in a fit of desperation, retorted, "I've already paid twenty million Berries to save my life. If you don't like my explanation, or think I don't have that much money, then just kill me!"

"But after you kill me, you'll get nothing."

Having said that, the sailor stiffened his neck and stood there, stubbornly refusing to move.

He wasn't some kind of righteous thief, nor did he have any unspeakable secrets like Nami. Being a thief was simply a necessity for survival and a matter of interest.

It's fortunate that there's even a reason for this cargo ship theft; more often than not, he just stole on a whim, just like Li Mingyuan being robbed on a whim.

Ask him to explain? Where would he find so many excuses?

It would be better to just accept your fate and see if the ten million Berries in falsely reported savings are enough to buy your life.

The sailor, while trying to maintain his composure, secretly opened his eyes a crack to observe Li Mingyuan's reaction.

Li Mingyuan continued to stare intently at his face, perhaps somewhat angry at his reason, and his whole body felt even colder.

But soon, just as the sailor's heart was in his throat, the man seemed to have thought about something for a while, and the chill on his body inexplicably lessened a lot.

A few seconds later, the suffocating atmosphere emanating from the other person completely disappeared.

"Okay, whatever the reason, it doesn't really matter."

"You make a good point; the money you have is indeed much more important."

As if nothing had happened, Li Mingyuan nodded and said again, "In that case, from now on, you'll stay with me for a while until you hand over the 20 million Berries ransom. I'll let you go when you bring out your treasure."

"Really?!"

The sailor exclaimed in delight.

"Let's ride in the same boat later."

Facing the sailor, Li Mingyuan's eyes flashed with a deep meaning that he couldn't quite understand. "My next destination is Alon Paradise. That's what I came here for from the beginning. After I deal with these fishmen, I'll go back to the island with you."

"Uh...Ah Long Paradise."

A hint of resistance appeared on the sailor's face.

Ignoring this resistance, Li Mingyuan continued, "You have no right to refuse."

"This ship is about to sink. Let's get out of here together."