"Strange, why are these Fish-Men acting so incredibly high and mighty?"
Watching the Fish-Men pirates saunter through the main gates of the casino, Robin's elegant brow furrowed slightly. "I remember a few years ago, the Fish-Man pirate crews here were always in a disadvantageous position... What's wrong, Miss Navigator? Are you feeling unwell?"
Nami did not answer. She merely stood rooted to the spot, clutching the small black cat in her arms tightly.
Upon seeing that gang of Fish-Men, Nami's face had instantly turned extremely pale. If one observed closely, it was possible to notice that her entire body was trembling slightly.
"Nami-san..." Sanji murmured. Knowing her past experiences, his heart didn't feel good at this moment either.
Nami's most precious parental figure had been murdered by Fish-Men, and afterwards, she had been forced to draw charts for them, enduring a dark period of time that lasted for eight long years. Now that she was seeing this gang of Fish-Man pirates who bore an extreme resemblance to Arlong's crew, it naturally dredged up her painful and sorrowful memories.
"Robin, Sanji."
Nami exhaled a long breath of turbid air, adjusting her state of mind as she forced a tight smile toward the two of them. "I'm really sorry, but I suddenly feel like heading back."
After running into this gang of Fish-Men, Nami's excellent mood for strolling around and shopping was instantly ruined entirely.
Robin and Sanji exchanged a glance, and both nodded in unison.
Crossing the inland river that split Hannabal into two, the three people and one cat arrived at the civilian district of the Western Island.
Unlike the Eastern Island, which had Penguin law enforcement officers responsible for maintaining order, pirates, bounty hunters, and gang members here engaged in murky, chaotic brawls. To put it simply, this place was a magnified and amplified version of Mock Town.
Initially, when Nami and the others first arrived, they didn't think much of it. However, after witnessing the prosperous town of the Eastern Island, looking at the utterly chaotic streets of the Western Island gave them an immediate sensation of moving from heaven to hell.
Before the three people and one cat could walk very far, a gang of vicious-looking pirates blocked their path with ill intentions. Looking at the undisguised malice on these men's faces, their motive required no explanation.
Setting aside Nami and Robin, two delicate and beautiful women, even Sanji—the sole male—did not look like a particularly fierce character based on his appearance alone. Consequently, Nami and her companions were naturally targeted as "prey" by these pirates.
"What a drag..."
Sanji used his newly purchased lighter to light a cigarette with a look of utter impatience, planning to teach this gang of blind pirates a good lesson, but he was stopped by Robin.
Following that, this dark-humored woman extracted the Crescent Moon membership card from her pocket. The pirates' expressions altered drastically the moment they saw that black membership card, and they subsequently fled under the utterly astonished gazes of Sanji and Nami.
"As I said, a Penguin Crescent Moon Member represents a privileged class within the Oswald Family's territory."
Robin brandished the black card in her hand, explaining to Sanji and Nami with a chuckle, "On the Penguins' turf, small-time characters like them wouldn't dare lay a hand on a Crescent Moon Member."
(This Crescent Moon Membership is truly convenient.) x2
Sanji and Nami blinked their eyes, silently marveling in their hearts.
Following this minor interlude, Nami and the others continued walking toward the dock where the Going Merry was moored. With the protective amulet of the Crescent Moon Membership, no blind fellows came forward to seek death.
Passing through a street block, a sudden commotion erupted up ahead, drawing the attention of the three of them over.
They saw several dozen vicious-looking pirates completely surrounding a short silhouette. A gang of spectators gathered around, the enthusiastic expressions on their faces indicating that they were clearly anticipating the subsequent developments of the situation.
"My, the insignias on those pirates' bodies look so familiar..." Robin chuckled.
Hearing this, Nami and Sanji focused their gazes, and the expressions on their faces became highly peculiar.
Wasn't this gang of pirates precisely the crew members of the Ursa Pirates, who had been soundly thrashed by the Straw Hat Pirates not long ago?
However, given that their captain had been punched into the sky by a certain Straw Hat idiot, how did these pirates still have the state of mind to bully someone here with superior numbers?
And speaking of that surrounded short silhouette...
A mane of shining, medium-length blonde hair cascaded casually down. A pair of deep blue eyes resembled a clear lake; even while in the midst of a critical crisis, they betrayed not a shred of panic or unease.
The figure wore a set of magnificent noble attire. Although it was male clothing, it blended with the exquisite facial features to create a distinctly unique charm.
"What a beautiful person..."
Nami sighed with emotion. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she turned her head to look at Sanji, only to see that the latter was actually still standing rooted to the spot with a completely calm expression.
"Sanji-kun?" Nami asked in astonishment. "Aren't you going to step up and help?"
"Help? Why should I help?" The curly-browed cook was thoroughly bewildered.
"Because the one surrounded is a super cute, beautiful girl." A certain dark-humored woman also revealed a look of confusion. "Did you fail to see her?"
The orange-haired navigator nodded. In her impression of him, Sanji should have charged forward long ago in a situation like this to play the hero saving the beauty.
"A beautiful girl? What are you guys talking about?"
Sanji was utterly dumbfounded. He raised an eyebrow in great astonishment and said, "Although that fellow looks incredibly beautiful, he's a man! At most, he's just a cute boy."
"Eh?!" x2 Nami and Robin cried out in surprise at the same time.
"Yes, regarding whether someone is male or female, I will absolutely never misread it."
The curly-browed cook lit a cigarette with total composure. "After all, I'm someone who wouldn't kick a woman even if it kills me. If I couldn't distinguish a person's gender, wouldn't that cause an immense amount of trouble?"
"Uh, that's true..."
Hearing Sanji's completely certain tone, Nami and Robin were shaken. They gazed at that short silhouette with blonde hair and blue eyes once more, their gazes complex.
(Can a man really look this beautiful?)
Speaking of exceptionally handsome males, Robin and Nami hadn't exactly never seen one; Sherlock was a very prime example.
However, no matter how handsomely the Sorcerer managed to shock heaven and earth or move ghosts and gods, his appearance still firmly belonged within the category of a male—at most, he was a glasses-wearing man whose looks completely broke the scales.
In contrast, the fellow opposite them could only be described with the phrase "excessively beautiful."
Even though he wore proper male clothing, he still managed to give off the impression of a woman disguised as a man. It was likely that unless you stripped off his trousers, you wouldn't be able to distinguish his true gender.
(But if a man can look so beautiful, what use is there for women?) Nami and Robin thought to themselves with a great sense of grievance.
While they were obsessing over the other person's gender, the pirates from the Ursa Pirates didn't care about any of that.
"We've finally caught you, little girl!"
The leading tall pirate revealed a cruel smile. "You killed my companion—did you think you could leave this place alive?"
"Killed your companion? Did I? Could it be that I forgot?"
This person, who was beautiful beyond description, tilted his neck in confusion. That somewhat androgynous voice also made it impossible for people to discern his gender.
"Also, let me give you a friendly reminder: I am a man."
"Stop playing dumb!" The tall pirate roared furiously. "It's only been an hour since you killed my companion, how could you possibly forget?!"
This vicious-looking pirate brandished the cutlass in his hand, threatening, "I'm warning you, we are the Ursa Pirates. If you don't offer a satisfactory answer, don't even dream of leaving this place alive today!"
"My, you're making things a bit difficult for me." The blonde youth planted the silver cane in his hand against the ground, his ice-blue eyes as calm as water.
"Making things difficult?" Somehow, a strange sense of unease inexplicably welled up within the tall pirate's heart.
"Yes." The blonde youth lifted his head, staring straight into the pirate's eyes as he smiled faintly. "Just like when you walk down a street, do you remember the small ant you stepped on and killed? Even if that ant came from a relatively strong anthill?"
Everyone present was stunned into speechlessness by the arrogant language coming out of this youth's mouth. According to his logic, everyone present was nothing more than a "small ant" that could be casually stepped on and killed!
The blonde youth's slowly delivered tone sounded as though he were stating some universally known truth. His expression was exceptionally calm, but in the eyes of that tall pirate, it was the most mocking expression in the world!
"You... Bastard!"
The tall pirate felt as though his lungs were about to burst from rage. He raised the cutlass in his hand high and hacked down ruthlessly toward the blonde youth's head!
"Watch out!" Nami and Sanji cried out in surprise together. Robin crossed her arms in front of her chest, intending to activate her ability to lend assistance, but it was already too late.
The sharp blade flashed with a cold light, and the blonde youth's beautiful face was instantly split into two halves!
However, the scenario of blood splattering everywhere that they had imagined did not appear. Within his head, which had been hacked into two halves, a bright silver liquid actually writhed. Following that, under the astonished gazes of the remaining people, it slowly merged back together, restoring itself to its original shape.
"A... A Devil Fruit! He's an ability user!" a pirate let out a cry of surprise.
The blonde youth caressed his own cheek, the faint smile on his face instantly transforming into something sinister.
"Oh dear, what a truly rude little ant..."
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