Rodney, looking at Nami's figure lying on the ground, fell into deep thought.
"Ha, what luck!" he chuckled. "I met Nami just before heading to Cocoyasi Village. Luckily, I didn't kill the girl by hacking her to death or throwing her into the sea. Otherwise, I would have been in big trouble."
Wiping the non-existent sweat from his forehead, he pretended to ask:
- Are you that little thief?
"Yes," Nami nodded, not taking her wary gaze off him, as if trying to guess his intentions.
— Do you live in the village of Cocoyashi?
A question flashed in her eyes: "How does he know?"
Rodney, as if reading her thoughts, leaned down, broke the steel wire with a kunai, and extended his hand to help her up.
— Hello, allow me to introduce myself. I am Joestar J. Rodney, pirate hunter.
"Red-Eyed Rodney?!" Nami exclaimed, her voice full of surprise.
"Please don't use that horrible nickname. I prefer to be called the Fate Master, or simply Rodney," he said with a smile that held a hint of irony.
"Hello, Mr. Rodney," Nami replied with a slight embarrassment, feeling like a middle school student who had found herself in an unexpected meeting with the principal.
"But I heard that Mr. Rodney has red eyes," Nami said, intentionally or unintentionally emphasizing this fact.
Rodney's reputation soared after defeating the Krieg pirates. He single-handedly destroyed their thousand-strong fleet. None of the Krieg pirates' top brass survived; they all drowned at sea. Only a small fraction of the thousand-strong fleet managed to escape, while the rest became fish food, nourishing the bottomless depths.
Red eyes, reminiscent of the devil's pupils, became synonymous with Rodney. When people saw those eyes, it meant death lurked within them. In the East Blue, Rodney's name struck fear into pirates. The title of "Red Eye" was more fearsome than his self-proclaimed "arbiter of fates."
"It's one of them," he replied, and the scarlet tint disappeared from his eyes.
Under those eyes' intense gaze, Nami felt frozen, as if she'd fallen into an icy cave, as if some malevolent spirit had hovered over her. Retracting her Sharingan, Nami felt a wave of relief.
"Sorry," Rodney smiled, "It's one of my abilities. I usually only use it when I'm facing particularly difficult opponents. Miss Nami, please don't worry."
Nami now felt at ease in Rodney's company. He looked refined and good-natured, smiling like a friendly neighbor. She felt more at ease in his presence. It seemed he wasn't the heartless butcher many had assumed.
"Do you believe me now?" he asked.
"I'm sorry I doubted you. Well, can I go then?" Nami asked, trying to maintain a semblance of calm.
"I'm afraid that's impossible, Ms. Nami," Rodney replied with a smile.
Nami was taken aback, fearing the worst. Men are all the same, aren't they?
Stepping back, she forced a smile and asked,
- Well, Mr. Rodney, what are you going to do with me?
Bracing herself for the worst, Nami, who had been alone at sea for so long, possessed a maturity beyond her years. She tried to remain calm and prepared for a mortal fight. Inwardly, she smiled wryly, knowing that someone as weak as herself couldn't stand up to someone as strong as Rodney.
However, everything…
The desire to live flared up in her again, and she decided to stall for time a little.
Unaware that in her mind Rodney was branded as a "bad boy," he continued to smile.
— I just want to ask you a few questions.
"Questions? Please ask," Nami said, taking a deep breath and remaining alert.
"Your village is under the control of the Arlong Pirates, right?" Rodney asked.
— … — Nami was silent for a moment, and then asked: — Are you planning to deal with the Arlong pirates?
"Oh, of course. That's my mission," Rodney replied.
"If it were him, maybe..." A glimmer of hope flashed in Nami's eyes, but when she remembered the strength of the Arlong Pirates and the might of the Fishmen, that hope quickly faded.
Even with Red-Eyed Rodney, how could she stand against Arlong? They were incredibly strong and evil. She had to make sure everyone survived.
"Please don't do this. You won't be able to stand up to the Arlong pirates," Nami warned.
"Are you doubting my abilities? No, please, believe me, I'm not weak," Rodney replied confidently.
"No, the Krieg pirates are nothing compared to the Arlong pirates. Fishmen are much stronger than humans! Their wrist strength is ten times that of normal humans. They can easily toss and throw houses around like toys. Humans and Fishmen are like adults and children, there's no comparison."
The Krieg pirates boasted so much, but in reality, they were nothing more than a group of petty crooks. Nami once snuck aboard one of their ships and stole some treasure. Humans couldn't defeat the Fishmen, she thought.
"Well, the Krieg pirates were a bunch of notorious pirates, but I'm not just a man. Please trust me, Nami, and take me into your village." Rodney's eyes were sincere and full of confidence.
Seeing that look, Nami felt she couldn't let Rodney go. A good man shouldn't be sent to a needless death. The Marines had nothing to do with them, so how could she let him go?
"You can't go! What are you, an idiot? These are fishmen, fishmen!" Nami exclaimed.
"Ha, who do you take me for? Don't worry, I'll definitely help you get rid of them. Even if you don't let me go, I'll find a way to get to them," Rodney declared, driven by thoughts of the Chunin Exams and the tempting reward that awaited him.
He also needed to kill Arlong, the racist Fish-Men-believing-to-be-superior-to-humans guy Luffy had nearly beaten to death.
After learning that Jimbei had become a Shichibukai, Arlong and his brothers arrived in the East Blue to establish what was known as "Arlong Park".
"You idiot, don't you understand what I'm saying?" Nami shouted.
"Don't worry, I won't let you or your village down," Rodney assured her with a smile.
— … — Nami, watching him, thought: 'After watching him, I can confidently say that this guy is an idiot! He will never admit defeat until he sees the power of the Fishmen! But that doesn't concern me. I need to find a way to escape from here immediately.'
Seeing Nami's displeasure, Rodney smiled, took out his wallet, and pulled out a wad of bills. As soon as Nami saw the money, her eyes widened with desire. She couldn't tear her eyes away from the bills.
- How about this? -
"If you take me to Cocoyasi Village, the money is yours," Rodney, catching a hint of vulnerability in Nami's eyes, began his game.
The journey to Cocoyasi on a trading ship was long and grueling. It made much more sense to take Nami's boat.
"Wow! This is my hometown! How did you know?" Nami exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with surprise and joy.
Rodney chuckled, his gaze mischievous. "I have my ways. So, is that a deal?"
Nami's gaze darkened as she weighed the pros and cons. More money meant a better chance of protecting the village, saving everyone... She nodded reluctantly. "Okay, let's do it. But remember, you must keep your promise and not endanger my village."
Rodney chuckled, his smile sly. "You have my word, Nami. I won't let anything happen to your village. Now go ahead."
Nami forced a weak smile, hoping Rodney wasn't lying to her. Deep down, she knew the journey ahead would be difficult, but she had to do everything she could to protect her loved ones.
They boarded a small boat, preparing for the trials that awaited them on their way to confront the Arlong Pirates