I collect everything in the One Piece world.

"That rat colonel died too easily; turning him into dried rat meat was too good for him! If you ask me, he should have been chopped into a hundred pieces and thrown into the sea to feed the fish!"

Bakara's words were blunt and direct, yet they carried an undisguised sense of defense.

Listening to her companions' words of comfort, feeling Robin's gentle pat on her shoulder, Morsen's warm hand above her head, and Bakara's indignant support, Nami's coldness and frustration slowly began to melt away.

The anger in her heart hadn't disappeared, but it was no longer a helpless burning; instead, it had transformed into a more resolute determination. The sadness hadn't vanished either, but it was enveloped by a warm bond, no longer so stinging.

She took a deep breath, blinked hard at her slightly sore eyes, and looked up at the three people surrounding her.

Mosen's expression was calm, but his eyes held unquestionable tolerance and support; Robin's gaze was gentle and serene; Bakala, on the other hand, was waving his fists, ready to fight at any moment.

Partners...is this what partners are like? It's so nice...

A warm feeling welled up in my heart, dispelling the last gloom.

With the comfort of the others, Nami gradually calmed down. Although she still hated Colonel Rat very much, he was now dead, and most importantly, he was a Marine.

Thinking of this, Nami bit her lip and looked up, saying with some worry, "That guy is definitely a scumbag, but he's also a Marine. If we just kill him like this, it'll probably cause a lot of trouble."

She didn't want her own situation to put Morsen and the entire adventure team in danger.

Mo Sen was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter, his hearty laughter carrying a carefree air of arrogance: "Hahaha! Don't worry, it's just a small matter!"

"Our goal is the stars and the sea, the unknown adventure, and the unbridled freedom. In this process, whether you are a pirate hunter or a wanted criminal, it is just a different label."

"Don't worry about such a trivial matter. It won't affect our course, much less become a constraint."

"Besides, before I met you, I did far more exciting things than this. Killing a mere naval captain from the East China Sea branch is no big deal."

Seeing Morsen's calm demeanor, as if the captain would hold up the sky even if it collapsed, and then looking at Robin's composed smile and Bakala's excited expression of beating up anyone who dared to cause trouble, Nami's last bit of worry vanished.

Yes, now she has a captain and partners, and she is no longer the pitiful thief who had to bear everything alone.

She is Nami, a member of this extraordinary adventure team, and their navigator!

Thinking of this, an unprecedented courage and determination rose within her.

She wiped her eyes and looked up again. Her beautiful eyes had regained their former liveliness and determination, and even had a sharpness they hadn't shown before.

"I understand!" Nami nodded firmly, her voice clear and strong. "I will no longer be afraid or back down because of this! Arlong or the corrupt Marines, no one can harm my village or stop our adventure!"

She looked at Morsen, at Robin, at Bakala, and a bright smile full of trust and fighting spirit appeared on her face: "Because we are partners!"

“That’s right!” Bakara was the first to respond, raising her fist.

Robin smiled and nodded, her eyes full of gentleness.

Mosen laughed too, this time a genuine, hearty laugh: "Hahaha! Well said! Well then, Miss Navigator, adjust course, full speed ahead! Destination: Cocoyasi Village!"

"Let's go and meet those 'noble' merfolk and continue our adventure!"

"Yes, Captain!" Nami answered loudly, her short orange hair flying in the wind.

The sea breeze billowed the sails, and the ship carrying four people cut through the azure sea like an arrow, steadfastly sailing towards a more magnificent future.

Chapter 83, Dragon Park, Mere Minor Fools (Two chapters combined, 4800 words)

Cocoa West Village, Evil Dragon Park.

Sunlight filters through the gaps between coconut trees and ornate buildings, casting dappled shadows on the surface of the swimming pool.

Ah Long's massive body sank into the cool pool water, his serrated nose slightly protruding above the surface, while his sinister fish eyes gazed absently at the sky.

For some reason, he had been feeling uneasy since this morning. Was it because Colonel Rat's operation was not going well?

With his thoughts in disarray, Ah Long straightened up from the pool, water droplets sliding down his strong, bluish-gray body.

He looked up at the top of the towering building in the center of the park, where Nami's drawing room was located.

"Nami hasn't returned yet?" Arlong's voice was deep, carrying his usual unquestionable tone.

Upon hearing this, Croobby, who was standing nearby, replied, "Brother Aron, she should be back soon according to the usual schedule."

“Every time she earns money, she rushes back to hide it, afraid that we will find out.”

He grinned and chuckled, "That guy really thought he was hiding something so well, haha, so naive!"

Then he paused and looked at Ah Long: "Brother Ah Long, should we go and dig out all the Pele she hid now? I estimate it's worth at least fifty or sixty million, right?"

"Forget it." Ah Long waved his hand, his voice icy: "Let her 'work hard' a little longer. Once she's saved up a hundred million, we'll take it all back at once."

"Hehehe! I understand! As expected of Brother A Long!" Croobi chuckled.

“But we really need to prepare more money next.” Ah Long’s tone changed, and his brows furrowed again: “That good-for-nothing Rat, I always feel that his operation this time is not very reliable.”

"If he fails, or is transferred and a new naval commander takes over this area, we'll have to start working on the connections again."

He has come to deeply understand human greed and fickleness over the years.

“Those lowly humans, why not just kill them if they disobey? Hmph~” The fishman next to him said dismissively, his signature lips looking particularly comical.

"Hmph, idiot." Ah Long sneered, "Humans are not all the same."

“The navy, with its greedy and cowardly nature like rats, is the ‘useful’ human being. We can bribe them with money to make them serve us.”

"And those villagers are another kind of 'useful,' they can be like cows, constantly producing Baileys. If we kill them, who will pay us 'protection money' in the long run?"

After saying that, he continued to issue orders: "Pass down the word that the protection fee for all villages will double over the next three months. We need to prepare in advance."

"Yes, Brother A-Long!" the two fishmen replied in unison.

Just then, Ah Long suddenly squinted and looked at the distant sea.

An unfamiliar ship was approaching, seemingly heading towards Cocoa West Village.

The ship was small and had a rather strange design. Most importantly, it had no obvious markings and was neither a merchant ship nor a pirate ship, nor did it fly any naval flags.

"What kind of ship is that?" A sudden surge of unease gripped Ah Long. In this sensitive time, the approach of any unidentified vessel warranted vigilance.

"Where's Xiao Ba? Tell him to take Moo Moo and sink that boat for me!" Ah Long said without hesitation.

Eliminating potential threats is their consistent practice; whether you're a merchant ship that's strayed onto the sea or a pirate, sinking you to the bottom of the sea is the end of it all.

“Uh… Brother A-Long.” Croob scratched his head: “MooMoo went off somewhere again this morning. Hachi went to look for it and hasn’t come back yet.”

Ah Long clicked his tongue impatiently: "Then you two take a few men and take care of that ship. Hurry up, don't let it dock."

"Understood!" Chu and Croobi exchanged a glance. For these powerful fish-men, dealing with a small human boat was child's play.

Soon, several strong, different-looking fish-men gathered at the estuary at the edge of the park and then leaped into the sea with incredible speed.

Once in the water, the fishmen's speed increased several times over, becoming as agile and swift as underwater torpedoes as they swam toward their target.

For fish-men, the ocean is their home turf. Sinking a human ship is a piece of cake for them, and they dare to go up and drill holes in even naval warships.

Soon, several mermen stealthily crept beneath the unfamiliar ship.

They exchanged a glance, nodded, and prepared to act in unison, clearly already quite adept at it.

However, just as they were about to touch the bottom of the ship, a series of faint lights suddenly flashed before their eyes.

"puff!"

A large amount of grayish-white powder exploded underwater, instantly mixing with the surrounding seawater.

"Gurgle!"

The seawater, which was originally at a suitable temperature, began to heat up and boil at an alarming rate!

Large amounts of bubbles rose from the bottom of the ship and around the fishmen, as if the seawater was being heated by invisible flames, and the temperature soared to a terrifying level within seconds that it was hot enough to burn the skin!

"Ugh!! It's hot! It's so hot!"

"What's going on?! Why is the seawater suddenly so hot?!"

"My skin! It was that ship's doing!"

Caught off guard, the fishmen were instantly surrounded by scalding seawater. Even their tough skin couldn't withstand the sudden, intense heat.

They frantically tried to rise to the surface, desperate to escape the terrifying heat.

"Splash! Splash!"

Several fishmen broke through the surface of the sea in a disheveled state, their heads emerging as they gasped for breath.

Many parts of their skin were burned red and even blistered, causing them to grimace in pain.

However, before they could figure out what was going on, a mocking voice came from above.

"Surprise!"

Several fishmen looked up in alarm, against the blinding sunlight, and saw a young human with black hair.

The young humans looked down at them with innocent, bright smiles, as if they were a few foolish fish that had stumbled into a trap.

Even stranger, the young human extended a hand, and a strange "piece of paper" shimmering with a faint light was floating and spinning in his palm.

Before they could even react, they realized what it was.

"Bang bang bang bang!"

Those "paper pieces" instantly transformed into several solid cannonballs carrying a scorching heat, slamming down on their heads, which had just surfaced from the water, at near-zero distance!

"Do not!!!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The close-range artillery fire created huge splashes on the water's surface, mixed with the fishmen's screams and the sound of bones shattering.

Several fishmen who attempted to launch a sneak attack were instantly wiped out by this bizarre and ferocious combined attack in the ocean they knew best, before they even got a clear look at their enemy's face.

Only a few streaks of dark red blood and the charred remains of several fish-men, belly up and smoking, remained on the surface of the sea.

"Warm-up activities are over!"

At the bow of the boat, Mosen withdrew his hand and gave a more "friendly" smile to the faintly visible coastline of Cocoa West Village and Evil Dragon Park in the distance.

Having already clearly defined his goal, how could Morsen have been unprepared? After all, the sea is what fishmen are most familiar with.

Therefore, before approaching Cocoyasi Village, Mosen had Nami, who was an excellent swimmer, secretly go into the water and stick many special stickers on the bottom of the boat.

The newly activated "quicklime powder" sticker is one of them. When quicklime is dissolved in seawater, it will react violently and release a large amount of heat, enough to make the local seawater boil instantly.

The subsequent developments were exactly as they had just happened: the merman attempted an underwater ambush, triggered a trap, was scalded, surfaced, and was met with a pre-prepared "surprise bombardment."

The whole process was clean and efficient, catching everyone in one fell swoop!