Starting with the Uchiha clan, they began cultivating demonic arts.

Chapter 209 Slippery Fruit

"Alright, that's the end of my story... nothing special about it."

Nami sat on the sofa and said something in a seemingly casual tone. Uchiha Touyu nodded.

"It's pretty ordinary... In terms of tragic story, yours doesn't even rank in the top ten I know. And you haven't tried to deal with the Arlong Pirates at all. Instead, you've pinned your hopes on accumulating hundreds of millions of Berries, fantasizing that you can buy back Cocoyasi Village with that money... Heh..."

Nami, who had been barely managing to maintain a calm demeanor, completely lost her composure after hearing Uchiha Tou's words, her face filled with anger:

"You make it sound so easy! I told you my story just to tell you about my birth, not to make you compare your misery with others!"

"Furthermore, Arlong and his fishman pirate crew are not as simple as you think. Some reckless bounty hunters and even the Navy have caused him trouble in the past..."

"I'll just ask you one question: do you think Aaron will keep his promise and return your hometown to you after you hand over 1 million Berries?"

Uchiha Touyu asked in a calm voice, and Nami froze. After a moment, she lowered her head and said:

"They should...they should return it to me! After all, I'm a member of the Arlong Pirates, and the captain's promise to his crew..."

"Heh, Arlong is a pirate! How many pirates have you seen keep their promises?"

"Perhaps a few pirate captains will keep their promises to their crew, but do you really think Arlong considers you one of his crew members?"

"In Arlong's pirate crew, besides those fish-men, you're the only human, right? Do you really think Arlong considers you one of his own?"

Nami's face gradually paled, but she gritted her teeth and spoke:

"I...I had no choice! What else could I do? If I were to fight against the Arlong Pirates, and I succeeded, great, but if I failed, then Cocoyasi Village would truly be beyond saving!"

Uchiha Touyu curled his lip, subtly shattering Nami's long-held fantasy:

"However, if you don't fight back, Cocoyasi Village is doomed... Given the greed of the Arlong Pirates, they would never give up such a cash cow as Cocoyasi Village. They will only exploit it to the bone, greedily plundering all the blood and sweat of your fellow villagers."

"As for your pipe dream that 100 million Berries can redeem Cocoyasi Village, do you even believe it yourself?"

"Judging from the population of Cocoyasi Village, they can provide tens of millions of Berries a month. The so-called 1 million Berries is just the harvest that Aaron and his crew plundered from the entire village for three months—do you think they would give up this long-term cash cow for 1 million Berries?"

Uchiha Tobi's cold words, like flying knives, pierced Nami's last shred of hope, turning her already pale face ashen. She lowered her head, exuding a gloomy aura.

"Stop talking... Didn't you say you knew someone who could help me take care of the Arlong Pirates?!"

After she finished speaking, Nami cautiously raised her head, a hint of hope in her eyes, and looked at Uchiha Tou.

"You...you're not lying to me, are you...?"

"Whether I'm lying or not, I believe you'll find out when the time comes. The key is what price you're willing to pay. Don't say anything like spending one night with me... With the price of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, you could easily buy a dozen slaves prettier than you."

Nami glanced at Uchiha Tou and said dejectedly:

"Just tell me what you want! I don't have any other bargaining chips left!"

"Hmm... I'm heading to the Grand Line, and I'm missing an obedient navigator. Would you be willing to take on that role?"

"The Grand Line!"

A glint of light flashed in Nami's eyes, even carrying a hint of anticipation. As a talented and ambitious navigator, Nami naturally wanted to go to the Grand Line.

That place, with its unpredictable climate and treacherous seas, is a death trap for ordinary pirates, but for all navigators aspiring to a career at sea, it is undoubtedly a sacred place.

"Let me be your navigator and sail to the Grand Line? That's not impossible, but only after we've dealt with the Arlong Pirates!"

Nami's request was exactly what Tou Uchiha had expected. Before the problem in Cocoyasi Village was resolved, Nami would definitely not leave the East Blue under any circumstances.

The villagers of Cocoyasi Village and her sister are the biggest bond between this little thief cat and her. Only when Cocoyasi Village is safe and sound will she be able to pursue her dreams.

"Very well, then we have a deal. I'll help you deal with the threat posed by the Arlong Pirates, but from now on, you'll be my navigator!"

"Let me make this clear beforehand: I'm not the kind of captain who's soft-hearted. My methods will definitely be ruthless. I don't expect you to be the same way, but at least you can't hold me back when I'm doing things!"

"Alright, as long as you can handle the Arlong Pirates, I'll agree to anything else!"

Nami didn't think there was anything wrong with Uchiha Tou's suggestion. She had already become a petty thief herself, so what moral fastidiousness did she have left?

While Nami might not be able to do some things that would be considered aiding and abetting evil, the difficulty of standing idly by is greatly reduced.

Moreover, although Nami could tell that Uchiha Tou wasn't a kind person, he was still a little bit stronger than the average pirate... right?

"Very well... then the first thing you should do is eat this Smooth Fruit!"

After taking out the Smooth-Smooth Fruit, Uchiha Touya placed it on the table without saying a word and pushed it in front of Nami.

"Uh...what?"

Nami stared at the smooth, pink Devil Fruit, swallowed hard, and an expression of disbelief crossed her face. Pointing at the Devil Fruit, she stammered:

"You...you said...you said you'd give me this Devil Fruit...to eat?!"

"If not you, then who?"

Uchiha Touyu rolled his eyes and said calmly:

"You really want to sell this Devil Fruit? I'll teach you a lesson: in this world, power is always more useful than money!"

"While others hoard food, I hoard guns; others are my granaries! Cocoyasi Village and the Arlong Pirates are prime examples."

"While the Smooth-Smooth Fruit is most valued for its beauty-enhancing abilities, it is actually quite powerful in combat as well, especially in terms of potential. If developed properly, it can rival even the top Devil Fruits."

"Furthermore, as far as I know, Nami, your skin must be very sensitive! You can even sense the weather outside just by touching your skin. In that respect, you and this Devil Fruit have a very good compatibility."

"If you can develop even 30-50% of the Smooth-Smooth Fruit's potential, even with just your own strength, you'd be able to defeat the Arlong Pirates!"

This is no exaggeration. If the Smooth-Smooth Fruit is developed properly, it is almost equivalent to immunity to physical attacks, and it can even weaken many energy attacks. Once you reach the level of mastering friction, your speed will also increase significantly. Its auxiliary effect on agile martial arts masters can be described as immediate.

Even with the power of this Devil Fruit, once awakened, it would be enough to give any martial arts master a headache—the so-called strength comes from the root, if you can't even stand up, anyone can turn you into a rolling gourd.

Those with the ability to fly aren't much better off. If the friction with the air is zero, unless you're a gravity-based flyer, you won't be able to fly even if you have wings.

This is just a relatively rudimentary application. If we delve into the microscopic realm, the things this Devil Fruit can do will be even more extraordinary—of course, developing this Devil Fruit into the microscopic realm is by no means an easy task.

Arlong is a figure in the East Blue, but in the world, he's just a third-rate character. If Nami can make good use of her Smooth-Smooth Fruit ability, defeating them won't be difficult at all.

To put it bluntly, Arlong's level was such that even if he were thrown into Impel Down, he would only be able to stay on the first or second level. Two years later, Nami could single-handedly take down the entire Arlong Pirates.

"But... my talent isn't that great..."

Nami hesitated for a moment before speaking. In terms of navigator talent, Nami felt that even if she wasn't the most talented on the entire sea, she was still one of the most talented. But when it came to personal strength, Nami's talent could only be considered mediocre.

Among ordinary people, she is considered quite outstanding. After training, she can take on ten people at once—that's Nami's physical talent. It sounds good, but think about how many messy monsters there are on this sea. Not to mention the Iron Balloon's immortality, even Alita, that fat woman, is practically a mini-superman compared to ordinary people.

Therefore, Nami's excellence among ordinary people is almost meaningless on this vast ocean. It is precisely because she understands this that Nami is afraid of wasting this Devil Fruit.

"Why are you rambling on and on? Just eat it already!!"

Having already grown somewhat impatient, Uchiha Tou stood up, grabbed the Devil Fruit from the table, and forcefully shoved it into Nami's mouth.

"Wait a minute... Waaaaah, ugh!"

Just as Nami opened her mouth to say something, the smooth Devil Fruit was already stuffed into her mouth, followed by a strange, bitter, fishy, ​​sticky taste that filled her mouth.

"Ugh... This tastes awful... What the hell is this flavor?!"

Nami gagged several times before she came to her senses. She spat a few times, took a swig of rum, and only then did she feel that the bad taste in her mouth had been cleared away.

"They actually ate such a precious Devil Fruit just like that... Let me make it clear, I don't have any money to pay for it!"

"...You really care about money. It doesn't matter if you don't have money, but you've already put in such a big bet. It's too late to back out now."

"You'd better deal with Arlong's crew first! Otherwise, I'm not going with you..."

Nami muttered something to herself, but she also knew that since Uchiha Tou had even given her a Devil Fruit, he was obviously very confident in dealing with Arlong.

"Don't worry about that, Ah Long won't be so smug for long!"

A few days later.

Shields Town.

This small town, where the 153rd Marine Branch is stationed, seems to have just recovered from the turmoil. Many traces of the battle can still be seen in the town.

However, the ordinary people here did not seem to be affected. On the contrary, they all seemed to be in high spirits, as if they were holding a banquet.

"How strange... What's going on here? Could it be that we repelled the pirates' attack?"

Walking through the town, feeling the environment and the sense of incongruity with ordinary people, Nami couldn't help but ask a question.

"On the contrary, according to the information I have and the news I heard from the town, a few days ago, a Straw Hat boy who claimed to be a pirate came here and beat up the 153rd base branch leader stationed in the town, Marine Branch Captain Morgan."

"Huh? The naval captain was defeated?"

Nami glanced around. Although the buildings were somewhat damaged, it was only from the aftermath of a fight; it didn't look like they had been ransacked by pirates, which puzzled her.

"How could this be? What are these civilians so happy about? And this town doesn't even look like it's been looted."

"Because this Colonel Morgan is a calamity far more terrifying than pirates to the residents of this small town!"

Uchiha Tou shrugged and said calmly:

"This is quite normal! Over time, the naval branches that occupy various sea areas have gradually transformed from guardians of the seas into rulers similar to kings, exploiting the seas under their control to the bone. In some ways, their harm has even surpassed that of pirates."

"After all, pirates only do one-off business, and they only steal some small fortunes. They have no interest in things like land and houses."

"On the contrary, the branch leaders of these naval branches have been ruling this area of ​​the sea, just like the Arlong Pirates in your Cocoyasi Village. They will exploit the residents here for a long time, and not only do they charge them money, but they also force these residents to work for free."

At this point, Nami's face darkened completely. She not only thought of the 10 Berries that Cocoyasi Village had to give to Arlong every month, but also of the Fishman Paradise that Arlong and his crew had built—which was obviously not a building built by the Fishmen themselves, but rather the blood and sweat of the residents near that sea area.

"I see... No wonder the residents here are celebrating like it's New Year's after that naval captain was defeated... But where's the person you're looking for? Didn't you say you were looking for someone to help me deal with Arlong?"

Nami originally thought that Uchiha Touyu was looking for the commander of this naval base! But now it seems that this naval captain who has been defeated by pirates is clearly not the person Uchiha Touyu is looking for.

"Heh, do you know the identity of the pirate who defeated Colonel Morgan?"

Nami paused for a moment, then rolled her eyes:

"How would I know who he is? Besides, you're not planning to get this pirate's help, are you?!"

(End of this chapter)