One Piece Gunslinger

Even if Li Ang were incredibly lucky, or actually managed to find a restaurant on the sea after going through all sorts of hardships, he would still face a very daunting problem: was he going to a restaurant for a vacation? Logically speaking, shouldn't going to a restaurant be for eating?

Okay, lastly, even if we take a step back and assume that Li Ang just wants to wait for the two of them to have a meal together at the sea restaurant, to taste Sanji's cooking, and then continue on to the next stop. But that would require Li Ang to have money.

The floating restaurant is, first and foremost, a well-known luxury restaurant in the East China Sea. Furthermore, being located at sea makes the acquisition and preservation of various ingredients quite difficult and costly. Given these factors, the price level there is quite predictable.

Do you think Li Ang has money on him? Of course he does. But not this much. This is equivalent to having a lavish meal at a luxury hotel, not a roadside barbecue stall. He has the money for barbecue, but not for a lavish meal.

So why didn't one of the leaders of the revolutionary army, the chief of staff, have enough money to afford a big meal? That's because the revolutionary army was poor, and even if they had some money, it was all invested in military industry and scientific research, which are huge money-consuming sectors.

As a result, the revolutionary army cadres now receive almost the same treatment as ordinary soldiers. Even Li Ang himself is only slightly better off than those revolutionary army soldiers who barely have enough to eat and wear. They even euphemistically call it: "Promoting the revolutionary spirit of hard work and struggle, making sure every resource and every penny is used effectively."

Even so, it was still much better than the situation Li Ang had encountered before, where resources were scarce, food and clothing were a problem, and he had to rely on Koushirou and other non-revolutionary army personnel for sponsorship from time to time.

In short, Li Ang was simply too poor to afford a high-end, luxurious restaurant like the one on the sea.

However, Li Ang was quite straightforward; he was simply broke. While it's common for heroes to be penniless on Earth, in the pirate-infested world of One Piece, where strength reigns supreme, Li Ang could still dine and dash.

Anyway, the idea of ​​dining and dashing is pretty exciting—eat and run. With his human motor activated, Li Ang didn't believe anyone in this seaside restaurant could catch him.

However, while Li Ang is happy to dine and dash, the other two might not be. They at least need to maintain some semblance of decency, unlike Li Ang.

So, the floating restaurant was naturally skipped, and they headed straight for the next destination, Cocoyasi Village. As for the floating restaurant, Li Ang had to put it aside for now, and look for it again alone after the Cocoyasi Village trip.

However, the two women had probably been with Li Ang for a while and gotten used to sitting on the small, dilapidated boat. They gradually adapted to the speed of Li Ang, this experienced driver of the East China Sea, and neither of them had any adverse reactions when Li Ang rowed a little faster.

This saved a lot of time. They set off from Xiluobu Village in the morning and arrived at Kekeyaxi Village in the evening in their small, dilapidated boat.

"Alright, welcome to my lair. Do you need me to prepare a place for you to rest?" Nami looked at the land and forced a smile.

Li Ang had seen everything Nami was doing, and he slammed his hand on Nami's head, saying, "What do you mean by 'old lair'? That's awful. You should call it 'hometown,' understand?"

When Nami set foot on this land again, her heart was filled with complex and conflicted emotions.

On one hand, this is her hometown, filled with unforgettable childhood memories, and it is also the place she has always strived and worked hard for.

On the other hand, this is also the stronghold of the Arlong Pirates, who collude with the Navy and brutally rule everything here. Nami, for the sake of her village, is forced to join the pirate crew and serve them.

He both longed to return home and reconnect with his sister, and to see the other villagers. Yet, he also dreaded returning to see the Arlong Pirates and their group of fish-men.

“But all of that is in the past,” Li Ang said softly. “Now that I’m here, this place will only hold your fond memories, and none of this mess.”

Upon hearing Li Ang's words, Nami asked in surprise, "You already knew?"

“That’s right, we have the most reliable and responsible intelligence system in the world, unlike the navy’s,” Li Ang said confidently.

Although Leon didn't learn about Nami from the Revolutionary Army's intelligence, he wasn't exaggerating. Our intelligence system isn't the most comprehensive, its coverage is limited, and we don't have enough manpower. In these aspects, it's far inferior to the intelligence capabilities of the Navy and the World Government.

However, when it comes to being genuine, reliable, and responsible, they truly are number one in the world.

The World Government's influence extends almost globally, with its navy present in virtually every sphere of influence. Furthermore, it has spies infiltrated into territories controlled by other powers. In short, the World Government controls virtually the entire world.

However, this is not the case. Due to the collusion between the evil dragon and the rat captain in the navy, the true situation in Cocoyasi Village could not be reflected in the media.

In truth, a pirate like Arlong, who has wreaked havoc on 20 islands in the East Blue, is strong enough to easily cross into the Grand Line. If the higher-ups knew that such a powerful figure had emerged in the East Blue, they would definitely send troops to eliminate him. Leaving aside others, Smoker, the righteous brooding resident of Loguetown, not far from Cocoyasi Village, would probably be the first to rush to deal with Arlong.

In the original storyline, Ah Long had been running rampant right under his nose for so many years, all thanks to the false intelligence passed on by Colonel Rat.

However, this would never happen within the revolutionary army. If it were for wealth and status, or for monetary gain, such a person would never join the revolutionary army, where "poverty" was paramount. In fact, many intelligence operatives have even paid the ultimate price to successfully obtain and transmit intelligence.

If Colonel Rat were a member of the Revolutionary Army, then even if he colluded with Arlong, he would still try to get the information out before dying, let alone collude with Arlong.

"So you mean you knew everything the first time you met me?" Nami's eyebrows shot up, and she continued to ask.

"Yes, we actually knew a long time ago."

After hearing this, Nami grabbed Leon's collar and shouted, "Then why did you only come now? Didn't you say your Revolutionary Army was here to liberate all of humanity? Why...?"

Nami was arguing so enthusiastically that Karina had no idea what the two were talking about. Seeing that Nami was getting a little out of control, she quickly went up to pull Nami back: "What's wrong, Nami? What happened? This isn't like you."

However, neither Nami nor Leon answered Karina's question.

Li Ang simply let Nami grab his collar, without arguing or explaining, and only said, "I'm sorry."

Sorry, if it were useful, what would be the point of having police?

This statement still applies here. Even if Li Ang were to say a thousand or ten thousand things in comparison, it would not erase the suffering that Nami and Cocoyasi have endured over the past few years.

However, this statement was not made by Leon as a member of the Revolutionary Army, but by Leon personally to Nami.

For the revolutionary army, the entire world needed liberation and salvation. Since the whole world needed saving, it was impossible to attend to every place with limited resources and manpower. There were islands, countries, and even villages and towns like Cocoyasi in the world. Countless places awaited liberation, and the revolutionary army could only prioritize them.

Therefore, for the revolutionary army, rescuing A or B was the same—it was all about saving a village. So naturally, they would liberate wherever they could enter, wherever it was easier to control, wherever there were more resources, and wherever it had strategic significance.

Cocoa West Village is far away in the East China Sea, where it's still nighttime in Baldigo during the day—it's half a planet away. Not to mention, it has virtually no resources and no strategic value whatsoever.

If things had progressed at a normal pace, by the time the Revolutionary Army arrived here, the World Government would probably be doomed.

Therefore, from the perspective of the revolutionary army, there was indeed no need to forcibly rescue the village across thousands of miles.

But for Li Ang, saving A and saving Cocoyasi Village are different. It's like if your mother and your girlfriend fell into the water, you would still hesitate about who to save. But if a passerby and your girlfriend fell into the water, would you still hesitate?

People are selfish. Although morally speaking, saving a stranger or saving your girlfriend is saving a life, as long as you don't have a grudge against your girlfriend, you'll probably save her, right?

Unfortunately, even if Leon wanted to save Nami, his will could not supersede the will of the Revolutionary Army, nor could he sacrifice the overall interests of the Revolutionary Army for the sake of Cocoyasi Village. If the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff and the founders of many revolutionary ideas disregarded the interests of the revolution, then the national fervor that had been painstakingly built up over the years would collapse instantly.

It was for this reason that Li Ang, after successfully training Kerla to be his successor, finally took this opportunity to visit the village of Xirob, which he had long wanted to visit.

He apologized for neglecting it for several years, and for his incompetence and weakness.

Chapter 167 Meeting the Parents

“You don’t need to apologize at all, and you don’t owe us anything.”

After Li Ang offered a sincere apology, Nami released her grip on Li Ang's collar and immediately squatted down, bursting into tears.

“I know that our Cocoyasi Village doesn’t have anything worth mentioning. Apart from people like Ah Long, I doubt anyone would be interested in this place.”

The intelligent Nami also understood that even if the Revolutionary Army claimed to save the world and overthrow tyranny, it was still weak and powerless and could not possibly take care of so many places in the world. Otherwise, it would not have been suppressed by the World Government in the newspapers and public opinion.

Karina, who had always been Nami's companion, had never seen this side of Nami before, and was at a loss for words.

“You said you value my talent, and if you can save the village, I will go with you.”

Looking at Nami's unstoppable tears, Li Ang coldly said, "Please allow me to refuse."

"What are you saying? Nami is already like this." Karina, seeing that Leon had rejected Nami's request, bared her teeth and brandished her claws at Leon.

As a result, Li Ang simply patted Karina on the shoulder, gave her a reassuring look, and then squatted down, staring into Nami's eyes.

"Nami, I'll take care of Arlong's matter, but that's not a reason for you to join the Revolutionary Army. If I really use the safety of the village to force you to join us, wouldn't I be just like Arlong?"

At this point, Li Ang helped Nami up and said to her earnestly, "Don't succumb to fate. Submitting won't change anything. Your oppressor has only changed from Arlong the fishman to me. You must always hold your destiny by the throat. Everything you do should be done voluntarily. If someone oppresses you, fight back."

"The reason we are the Revolutionary Army is because we dare to fight against the World Government and the Celestial Dragons. Arlong is nothing but scum, terrified of the Celestial Dragons. He harbors hatred for them and all of humanity, yet he can only hide in the East Blue and lord it over others. If you can't even fight against someone like that, what courage do you have to face the World Government?"

"But, but... I..."

"I know that with your strength, you are definitely no match for Arlong. But your situation is similar to mine; we are no match for the World Government either. Once we have a clear goal, the first question we need to consider is how to achieve it."

Our revolutionary army has done so much over the years, but it has only two purposes: to strengthen our power and weaken our opponents.

And you, who were willing to work so hard for Aaron's false promise of 100 million Berries, why don't you try to think of other ways? Or try something else?

This is something Li Ang has wanted to ask for a long time. Nami is a smart person, so why did she fall for Arlong's trick? Why didn't she think of any other way? There are plenty of ways to deal with such a mediocre character.

Putting everything else aside, just take that 100 million Berries. After Nami has saved up that 100 million Berries, she can quietly hide the money in other places and then use that 100 million Berries to hire a group of mercenaries.

It can only be said that Nami was blinded by her own concern and was too involved to see clearly. Perhaps she also had childhood trauma and psychological pressure from Arlong since she was a child. All of these factors combined made Nami lose some of her judgment.

Of course, we can't rule out the influence of Luffy's "idiot aura." If Nami had solved the problem on her own, what would have been the point of Luffy?

Facing the silent Nami, Li Ang said earnestly, "But it's not your fault. All the places we liberated had problems, and only a very small number of people were awakened to the idea of ​​resistance. After all, without the baptism of revolutionary thought, it's difficult for ordinary people to break out of this vicious cycle."

But I said I'd help you, and I definitely will. Leave Ah Long to me. After that, think it over carefully; do you want to join us in our rebellion?

Li Ang didn't really consider Arlong, this minor boss, a formidable enemy. Arlong didn't possess any Devil Fruit abilities; he was just a cowardly, weak, and ordinary fish-man. Although he hated humans, he only dared to vent his hatred on a few small islands in the East Blue. Having been out of the Grand Line for so many years, he hadn't even considered returning, and his strength hadn't improved at all. Calling him a piece of trash wouldn't be an exaggeration.

However, Leon didn't want to simply kill him with a single shot; that would be too easy on him. Besides, Leon hadn't forgotten that he came here to persuade Nami to genuinely join the revolutionary ranks.

Therefore, Leon's goal once again is to have the villagers of Cocoyasi Village defeat the rest of the Arlong Pirates, except for Arlong, whom he will deal with personally.

Let Nami see that the Arlong Pirates, whom she has always regarded as the most terrifying force, are not invincible, and thus overcome the psychological trauma left by her childhood.

To be honest, Li Ang felt that even Luffy, that hot-blooded idiot, was able to help Nami overcome her trauma and willingly become his navigator by relying on things like "comrades," "dreams," "beliefs," and "persistence." So he was no less capable than Luffy, that hot-blooded idiot. He could easily play the role of a psychologist.

Li Ang had already begun planning his actions after arriving at Cocoa West Village back in Xiluobu Village, so there was no reason for him to fail.

The only problem was that they hadn't expected Nami to be so emotional. Years of suppressed emotions erupted at this moment, and she couldn't stop crying. Seeing this, Li Ang had no choice but to postpone his plans for the time being, resting for the night and making further decisions the next day.

Looking at Nami, who was still crying her eyes out, Li Ang leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Alright, it's late. You should go back and rest now. Stop crying. Tomorrow I'll show you how the Arlong Pirates are heading towards their demise."

Unfortunately, Li Ang, as the chief of staff of the revolutionary army, was knowledgeable in everything from astronomy and geography to politics, economics, military technology, and more. But he was utterly clueless when it came to charming girls. Having never been in a relationship, he could only offer clumsy attempts at comforting her and say inappropriate and jarring things.

Therefore, Li Ang's words were of no use whatsoever.

Karina, who had been observing from the sidelines for a long time, finally couldn't hold back anymore, even though she still didn't understand what the two were writing about, what Arlong was, or what the Arlong Pirates were.

But Karina was better at comforting Nami than Leon. She stepped forward, pulled Leon away, glared at him fiercely, and then dragged Nami aside to whisper. She couldn't leave her there; Leon's ears were incredibly sharp, and he might have overheard them.

After seeing Karina take action, Li Ang touched his nose and thought to himself, "Could it be that I'll have to learn about this kind of knowledge in the future?"

Hey, to be honest, this kind of emotional thing is not something that someone as rational as Li Ang can learn. He's lucky if he doesn't drive people crazy.

So Li Angji stood on the beach for almost half an hour, enjoying the sea breeze, before bringing the two women back from the other side.

I said, you guys are taking way too long, what are you whispering about?

Although Li Ang really wanted to say something, he was stopped by Karina's murderous glare before he could even get his mouth out. In the end, he could only chuckle awkwardly and let Nami and Karina lead the way, walking step by step into the village, towards Nami's house.

In the end, it was Karina who took Nami home, and it took her and Nami's sister Nojiko a lot of effort to calm her down and put her to sleep.

Li Ang stood outside for another half hour in the cold wind.

"Alright, come in first." Nojiko opened the door and welcomed Li Ang, who had been unable to get involved and had been just standing outside in the wind.

"Why can't you just say what Nami says?" As soon as Li Ang entered the room, Karina angrily accused him, "What Nami did just now was all your fault."

"What do you mean by not going along with Nami's thoughts? I don't know what's going on in Nami's head. How did you even begin to understand what Nami was thinking? And how did it become my fault? I just don't understand. It's clearly Arlong's fault, okay? I came here to help save the village."

Li Ang could only think these things to himself; he dared not detonate Karina, this powder keg, in person.

Nojiko stepped in to smooth things over, saying, "Alright, alright, you're all Nami's friends, right? Nami just fell asleep, so don't make a fuss."

Since Nojiko had said so, Karina no longer wanted to dwell on it. However, Li Ang felt that Nojiko's gaze was a little strange, like a mother-in-law looking at her son-in-law.

Hey, don't listen to Karina's nonsense! I didn't make Nami cry, okay? Wait, what the heck? I shouldn't have used the word "made her cry."