I collect everything in the One Piece world.

People wearing various animal masks frequently appear in lawless areas, attacking those who are freeing slaves and causing them considerable trouble.

The waters near Cocoa West Village in the East China Sea are calm and sunny.

A standard-issue naval warship rests quietly on the sea, with the naval flag hanging on the deck fluttering lazily in the breeze.

On the deck, a naval captain with a pointed face and a small mustache paced back and forth impatiently, his hands behind his back, occasionally taking out his pocket watch to check the time.

He was the rat colonel in charge of security in this sea area, but whether he maintained security well or not was unknown. However, he was quite adept at colluding with pirates and enriching himself.

"Why aren't they here yet... These mermen are getting more and more unpunctual." Colonel Rat muttered under his breath, his tone full of displeasure, but his eyes also held a hint of anticipation.

Just as he was about to lose patience, unusual ripples suddenly appeared on the sea not far away.

"Splash!"

Several tall, muscular figures with different skin colors burst out of the sea like cannonballs, splashing up large amounts of water, and landed lightly and steadily on the deck of the warship!

They were soaking wet, seawater streaming down their strong muscles and pooling on the deck. The distinctive, slightly salty smell of the fish-men clashed sharply with the odors of the warship.

"Snap! Snap!"

The surrounding naval soldiers tensed up instantly, instinctively aiming their muskets at the uninvited guests, the sound of bullets being chambered crisp and piercing.

Ah Long shook the water droplets off his head, ignoring the gun barrels pointed at him around him. He merely glanced indifferently at Colonel Rat with his shark-like eyes, a barely perceptible sneer curling at the corner of his mouth.

Upon seeing this, Colonel Mouse immediately plastered a fake smile on his face. He first nodded to Ah Long, then feigned displeasure, frowned, and reprimanded his subordinates:

"Hey? What are you doing?! That's so rude! Put your guns away!" He waved his hand.

"Mr. Alon is an 'old friend' of ours, a kind citizen who came to help the Navy maintain 'stability' in the sea! How can you treat him like this?!"

Damn it, now you're playing the good guy? Didn't you just order us to give these fishmen a hard time so they wouldn't take advantage of the navy?

The sailors exchanged glances, silently cursing under their breath, but slowly lowered their guns, though their eyes remained wary.

Seeing this, Ah Long couldn't help but sneer inwardly. How could he not see through Colonel Rat's clumsy performance?

Allowing his men to brandish guns was simply a way to intimidate him, demonstrate his authority as a "naval captain," and express his dissatisfaction with their lateness.

But to Aaron, this behavior was utterly ridiculous. They thought they could take him down with a few human firearms? He was a fish-man!

Faced with fish-men possessing ten times the strength of humans, these little toys of the navy pose no threat whatsoever. He could take care of them all before the muskets even fired.

He tolerated it only because the rat was deliberately trying to seduce and threaten him, and he did need this greedy rat to solve some "trouble" for him temporarily.

Colonel Mouse's gaze quickly fell on the heavy-looking suitcase in Crooby's hand, and the greed in his eyes almost materialized. His smile suddenly became even more "sincere."

"Oh, Ah Long, you've come at just the right time. I've just brewed a pot of good tea." Colonel Mouse rubbed his hands together and stepped aside in an inviting gesture: "Let's talk inside, let's talk inside."

The group arrived at a simply furnished but relatively soundproof cabin inside the warship.

Colonel Rat sat in the main seat, with two trusted marines standing behind him, each armed. Arlong and his two companions stood opposite him, and Crooby placed his briefcase on the small metal table between the two men.

"I believe that with Mr. Aron's wisdom, he must have made the most 'wise' choice, right?" Colonel Rat leaned forward, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his eyes fixed on the briefcase, his smile revealing undisguised greed.

Arlong didn't respond to his nonsense, but simply winked at Crooby next to him.

Croobby stepped forward, snapped open the lock on the suitcase with a "click," and then yanked the lid open!

Suddenly, stacks of brand-new, neatly arranged banknotes, exuding the fragrance of ink, were presented to Colonel Mouse!

The alluring green color and the amount made him catch his breath, his eyes almost glued to the money.

However, just as Colonel Rat reached out to grab it, Aaron swiftly extended his hand, covered in hard scales, and slammed it onto the box, stopping him.

Colonel Mouse's hand froze in mid-air, his expression changed slightly, and a hint of displeasure flashed in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it and looked up at Ah Long: "Mr. Ah Long, what is this...?"

Ah Long's icy voice rang out in the cabin, carrying an undeniable tone: "I brought the money. Double the usual 'protection fee'."

He stared intently into Colonel Rat's cunning little eyes: "What about what you promised? How's it going?"

Colonel Rat threatened him by saying that he had killed Mosen, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and that he would have to pay double the protection money he had paid before.

If he agrees, Colonel Rat will cover for him as before, and might even help him get rid of Morsen.

But if he disagrees, then if Morsen targets him for the bounty, Colonel Rat won't care. In fact, the guy even threatened to lure Morsen to his side.

It was because of this threat that Ah Long agreed to pay double the protection fee. However, he had already brought the money, and he needed to know whether Colonel Rat was prepared to deal with Morsen.

His money wasn't so easy to take; a fierce glint flashed in Ah Long's eyes.

Colonel Mouse understood what Ah Long meant, so he stroked his comical mustache, revealing a smug expression that said, "You can trust me to handle things." Then he leaned back in his chair and said slowly, "Of course it's ready. I'm always the most trustworthy person."

It's going to be available soon!

It will be available tomorrow! I'm ready to update like crazy, three times a day barring any unforeseen circumstances. I'll let you know in advance if anything happens.

Thank you all for your support and continued reading! Love you all! Remember to check back tomorrow~ First-day subscription data is also very important!

Feel free to share your thoughts on future plot developments or Devil Fruit abilities in the discussion area. I'll keep working hard! Love you all!!!

Main text

Chapter 74, "The Righteous Navy" Rat Colonel's Scheme (Seeking First Subscription!)

He lowered his voice: "I've received confirmation that the collector, Blackmoreson, has left Roggetown and is sailing in the East China Sea. And..."

He paused deliberately, and only continued when he saw Arlong's eyes narrow slightly: "I have mobilized some resources to guide several pirate gangs active in the nearby shipping lanes to the route where he might appear. They will meet soon."

"Isn't he a pirate hunter? Let him hunt to his heart's content. You know, not all pirates are easy to mess with. There are some really powerful ones, like the Krieg Pirates..."

Upon hearing this, Ah Long did not show any joy. Instead, he frowned, his shark-like teeth faintly visible at the corners of his mouth, and his voice became low and deep:

"Are you kidding me?" His tone was laced with undisguised contempt.

"That guy is a monster who could take down Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea! You think you can send a bunch of petty thieves from the East Blue to stop him? They wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth!"

Faced with Ah Long's questioning, Colonel Mouse was not annoyed at all; instead, he chuckled, looking confident of victory.

"Don't worry, of course I know those small fry can't do anything to him. I didn't expect them to kill Morin anyway. They're just expendable resources, cannon fodder in the first wave."

A sinister glint flashed in his eyes: "My plan is to wait until that collector is entangled in a fight with these pirates, wear him down, and ideally, get him injured..."

"I will order my warships to open fire at full speed! A barrage of artillery fire! Sink him and those pirate ships to the bottom of the sea!"

Colonel Mouse grew increasingly smug, as if he could already see Morsen perish at sea: "Moreover, I have a very reliable source; that guy is a Devil Fruit user!"

"Once the ship sinks and he falls into this vast ocean... hehe, no matter how capable he is, he's doomed! We probably won't even be able to find his body!"

"Of course, that's what we did, but we can't say it like that. We are the righteous navy, and we only set out after receiving news of the pirate attack on the merchant ship. We finally arrived and wiped out the evil pirates. It's just a pity that we couldn't save the famous pirate hunter collector, hehehe!"

Upon hearing the complete plan of "using someone else's knife to kill" and "kicking someone when they're down," Ah Long's tightly furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

Although this plan is despicable and shameless, it is indeed highly feasible. At sea, even some powerful pirates would be helpless against a warship firing in unison.

After all, they are not fish-men like them who can move freely in the sea, so even if they are strong individually, they cannot withstand artillery fire. This is the advantage of the navy.

Not to mention that for those with special abilities, once a ship is damaged and falls into the sea, it's a hopeless situation, and even if Morsen has great abilities, he will be powerless to help.

"Hmph, this is more like it." Ah Long snorted and finally released his grip on the box.

Upon seeing this, Colonel Mouse beamed with joy and eagerly pulled the heavy suitcase to his side.

Stroking those stacks of brand-new Pele, feeling the pure pleasure of the paper rubbing against his fingertips, he seemed to see a wonderful future of extravagance and happiness beckoning to him.

However, immersed in the joy of money, he did not notice that the coldness and murderous intent in Ah Long's eyes had not diminished, but rather intensified.

Colonel Rat was using Morsen's threats to blackmail him, demanding double the "protection money." How could he possibly swallow this insult? All of this was merely a temporary measure.

Once he confirms Morsen's death, the potential threat will be eliminated. If this greedy rat knows what's good for him, he'll have to return the money he's swallowed, with interest. Otherwise... his cruel methods are beyond the imagination of these stupid and greedy humans.

If it weren't for the news of Morsen killing a Shichibukai making him feel an unprecedented sense of crisis, he would never have tolerated a villain like Colonel Rat taking advantage of the situation.

Of course, Ah Long did not place all his hopes on Colonel Rat.

After all, he was a fishman who had ventured into the New World and witnessed true powerhouses.

He knew what level the Seven Warlords of the Sea represented, and the fact that Morsen was able to kill a Seven Warlord of the Sea showed that his strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

Colonel Mouse's plan seems feasible, but its success rate is not 100%.

However, whether the plan succeeds or not, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing for Ah Long.

After all, if the plan succeeds and Morsen dies, that would be the best outcome, ending everything. He would only need to "deal with" Colonel Rat, the insider and blackmailer, and get his money back. Everything else would remain the same.

If the plan fails... it means that Morsen's strength far exceeds expectations, and he can even thwart a surprise attack by a naval warship.

However, this would inevitably lead to a complete falling out between Mosen and the Navy. After all, attacking a warship and killing a Navy officer is a serious crime, enough to turn him from a "pirate hunter" into a "vicious criminal" who is being hunted down by the Navy.

By then, Mosen himself will be in dire straits, so how could he have the energy or reason to cause trouble for Ah Long?

Therefore, in Alon's view, this was more like a sure-fire deal. He was paying for insurance and, incidentally, silencing Colonel Rat for potentially "inviting the wolf into the house."

If it weren't for the rats interfering, given the vastness of the East China Sea, even if Mo Sen had a great reputation, there would be no reason for him to be specifically targeted at Alon Park. Therefore, the probability of him being targeted is actually not very high.

Of course, all of this was based on Aron's limited knowledge and arrogant sense of racial superiority.

He would never know that Mosen had not only been eyeing him for a long time, but had also come with the determination to "completely eliminate" him.

His fate was sealed the moment he oppressed Cocoyasi Village and drove Nami to despair. His sins could only end in one way: death.

Therefore, no matter how meticulous his plans were, all his schemes and calculations were nothing but futile and laughable struggles in the face of absolute power.

Moments later, the transaction was completed. Arlong, along with Croobi and his men, jumped into the sea as they had come, and then disappeared.

As Colonel Rat watched them leave, he began to happily contemplate the future while clutching the box full of Baileys, and started to plan his "righteous bombardment" operation.

Over the years, he has amassed a considerable fortune through Arlong and other pirates, and he is now reluctant to leave this place.

It wouldn't be bad to be able to remain a local tyrant in this region forever.

Chapter 75, Nami's Fishing Skills, Encounter at Sea (Seeking first subscription!)

The East China Sea, with its shimmering blue surface.

A sailboat, stronger and cleaner than the one previously owned by Breaking Waves Jack, is cutting through the waves.

The previous boat was already quite dilapidated, and Mosen didn't intend to spend money on repairs, so he borrowed another one from a "fated person".

At this moment, the sun was shining brightly, the wind was calm, and a leisurely atmosphere permeated the deck.