Deep within the tangerine grove, the harsh sound of shovels digging into the dirt was grating.
Clang!
With the crisp ring of metal hitting metal, several Marines responsible for the excavation stopped and shouted excitedly, "Captainl! We found it!!"
Two heavy treasure chests were dragged from the soil. The lids were crudely pried open, and under the sunlight, the Berries and jewels packed inside reflected a dizzying golden light.
It was exactly 100 million Berries. It was the blood-and-sweat money Nami had stolen back from the piles of the dead over eight years at sea, risking her life time and again. It was the last hope for this village.
"Ohohohoho!!"
Captain Nezumi looked at the chests of treasure, his squinty little eyes widening as a greedy smile spread across his face. He rubbed his hands together, his rat-like mustache twitching with excitement.
"It really was hidden here! What a fortune! As a Marine upholding justice, confiscating the illegal loot of pirates is only natural!!"
"STOP!!"
Nami arrived just in time to witness this. She charged forward like a madwoman, trying to push away the Marines who were hauling the chests.
"Don't touch it!! That's the money to buy back the village! It's everyone's hope!!"
"That's my money!! Give it back!!"
At this moment, she was no longer the shrewd "Cat Burglar," but a helpless girl about to lose everything.
"Tch, how annoying."
Colonel Nezumi, looking impatient, pulled a pistol from his waist. The cold, black muzzle was pressed directly against Nami's forehead.
"Quiet, pirate. This is official Marine business!" Nezumi's finger tightened on the trigger, a cruel glint in his eyes. "Resist again, and I'll execute you on the spot for obstructing justice! Besides... Arlong didn't say anything about leaving you alive..."
Nami's pupils shrank. However, before she could process the meaning behind his words, Nezumi pulled the trigger without hesitation.
"Die!"
"No! Nami!!" Nojiko screamed from the side, lunging forward without a second thought, intending to shield her sister with her own body.
BANG!!
The gunshot echoed through the grove, startling a flock of birds. Everyone closed their eyes, unable to look at the impending spray of blood.
However... the expected scream never came.
Because at the very instant the gun fired, a black shadow appeared out of thin air in front of Colonel Nezumi, like a phantom. No one saw how he got there. They could only hear the terrifying sonic boom of the air being torn apart.
BOOM!!
The next second, a fist wrapped in chakra slammed violently into Nezumi's wretched face.
"Pwuah!!"
Nezumi didn't even have time to react. Under that terrifying force, his entire face caved inward, teeth flying through the air mixed with blood and saliva.
His thin body was launched like a cannonball, flying a dozen meters before smashing through a stone wall beneath a tangerine tree and being buried in rubble.
Total silence.
The sea breeze rustled the leaves of the grove. Nami stared blankly at the back standing in front of her. His black hair fluttered in the wind; the boy held a sword in one hand, and in the other, he gripped the deformed bullet he had caught bare-handed.
Clink.
The bullet was tossed casually to the ground.
"Cough... argh! MY FACE!!"
From the ruins, Nezumi crawled out, face covered in blood. He clutched his collapsed nose, squirming backward on the ground like a maggot while screaming hysterically: "You... who are you?! You dare attack a Marine Colonel?!"
"I am a Marine! A Captain of the 16th Branch representing the justice of the World Government!!"
The surrounding Marines finally snapped out of their shock. They raised their rifles, aiming their dark muzzles at Viktor.
"Stop! Don't move!" "What do you think you're doing!"
Step. Step. Step.
Viktor didn't answer. He simply stepped over the rubble, walking toward Nezumi.
Hum—
His black eyes had transformed into the crimson Sharingan, cold and devoid of warmth.
Shing.
He slowly drew the long sword from his waist, the sharp tip pointing directly at Nezumi's bleeding nose.
"Marine?" Viktor tilted his head, his tone laced with undisguised mockery. "No... looking at you, I see only filth from a sewer."
"You are nothing more than a foul rat draped in the cloak of 'Justice.' What difference is there between you and a pirate?"
Hearing this, Nezumi let out a bloody cough, his trembling fingers trying to straighten the rank insignia on his shoulder. At that moment, his fear actually receded slightly, replaced by a twisted arrogance.
"Difference? Cough... the difference is massive..." Nezumi grinned with a mouth full of blood. "As long as I wear this skin... even if I'm a man-eating rat, even if I conspire with pirates, even if I'm pure evil..."
"Those villagers still have to call me 'Sir'! They still have to salute me!" He pointed at the word 'Justice' written on his coat, his eyes crazed.
"Because this is the Marines! This is the World Government! Even if I rot in the mud, my tombstone will be engraved with 'Justice'! But you pirates who dare touch me will always be evil criminals!!"
Viktor looked at the madman, the red light in his eyes intensifying. He wasn't looking at an enemy anymore, but a disgusting insect.
"Is that so," Viktor said flatly. "Then that's a real shame."
Sensing the physical weight of the killing intent, Nezumi finally panicked, his body shaking violently. "St-Stop! You can't kill me! If you kill me, you'll be wanted by the Government! An Admiral will—"
Puchi!!
Viktor didn't hesitate. He stepped on Nezumi's chest to pin him down and thrust the long sword downward. Without a shred of doubt or mercy, the blade pierced Nezumi's heart.
The force drove the sword through his body, pinning the Marine Colonel deep into the soil of the tangerine grove. Blood geysered out, staining the "Justice" coat red and drenching the land he had desecrated.
Nezumi's eyes bulged, his body gave a few final twitches, and the light in his eyes faded. To his final breath, he couldn't believe a pirate actually dared to kill him.
Flick.
Viktor pulled the sword out, flicked the blood from the blade, and looked coldly at the corpse. "In your next life, try being a human."
It happened too fast, too ruthlessly. The remaining Marines finally recovered from their shock, terrified by the sight of their commander's body.
"The... the Captain is dead!!" "This lunatic killed the Captain!!" "Kill him! Fire!!"
The Marines raised their rifles. But before they could pull the triggers—
"Three-Sword Style: Dragon Twister!!"
A violent whirlwind of sword energy erupted, sweeping through the encirclement.
"ARGH!!" A dozen Marines were tossed into the sky, their guns sliced apart and uniforms torn. They fell like rain, screaming as they crashed into the distance.
Zoro sheathed his sword, his eyes as cold as a vengeful god. On the other side, Sanji puffed on his cigarette, hand in his pocket, spinning like a top.
"Mouton Shot!!"
Bang bang bang bang!
With a series of dull thuds, the remaining Marines were kicked into the air like footballs, eventually hanging unconscious from the tangerine trees.
In an instant, the Marines were wiped out. The crisis was over. The grove returned to silence, save for the two treasure chests sitting quietly on the grass.
Viktor sheathed his sword and turned to look at Nami, who was still in a daze, kneeling on the ground. He walked over to her, pointing at Nezumi's corpse.
"Did you hear him, Nami?" Viktor's voice was low. "He said it himself—'Arlong didn't say anything about leaving you alive.'"
Viktor crouched down, looking directly into Nami's eyes. "This was your partner. From the very beginning, there was no contract, no promise. For eight years, he just treated you as a free ATM and a map-making machine."
"Even if you saved this money today, you couldn't buy back the village's freedom. Because Arlong... will never let go."
Nami looked at the body, then at the two chests of treasure that had been recovered but now seemed meaningless. Tears fell silently once more. The illusion had shattered.
"Yeah... I should have known all along..."
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