The crew gathered around the kitchen table where Allen emptied the contents of the sack. There were fifteen bundles of bills, equivalent to 1.5 million berries, some jewels that Lenalee's estimated to be worth close to a million, an antique watch with diamond inlays—they had no idea what something like that was doing on a merchant ship—and lastly, several books that appeared to be antiques.
"Well, pick whatever you want," Allen said with a sly and amused smile.
"Huh?" Kaya blinked in confusion. "But wasn't this supposed to make you stronger?"
"Allen..." Nami seemed to feel pain in her stomach, but she still spoke up, "I agree with Kaya. Use this money to make yourself stronger. The stronger you are, the better you'll be able to protect Kaya."
"Only Kaya?" Allen smiled, making Nami blush awkwardly.
Allen shrugged. "Girls, first of all, don't forget that we're a crew. I don't plan on hogging all the loot for myself. Beyond that, we need money for ship expenses and personal necessities, but don't forget that your work as doctor and navigator has great value, so you have every right to receive your share."
Both girls fell silent. Pirates had no honor. Most captains kept everything and only paid their crew a little. This kind of treatment was rare. At least Nami, despite having seen hundreds of pirates over the years, had never seen anything like it before.
"Fine." Nami grabbed a necklace and the equivalent of half a million while sighing at the injustice and harsh reality of this world.
With Allen's strength, she could make millions by attacking ships in a short amount of time.
She couldn't do that. She had to carefully plan her robberies and make sure everything was safe before acting. If Allen and Monkey D. Luffy hadn't caused chaos at Base 153, she had planned to gather information on the base for several days, maybe even a week, and wait for the perfect moment to infiltrate it.
At the same time, Nami smiled faintly as she realized that with Allen as captain, she could gather the ten million she still needed in no time.
'Once I save my village, maybe I can keep traveling with him. I don't dislike a captain who loves money as much as I do~'
Nami looked at Allen with a smile that made him seem like a walking gold mine. However, when he looked into her eyes and smiled back, Nami felt her chest pound and immediately blushed.
'No way... I can't actually like this guy, right?!'
Nami shook her head and convinced herself it was only because he was handsome, and that no special feelings were involved.
"But..." Kaya hesitated.
Unlike Nami, Kaya wasn't a girl who had experienced the harsh reality of the sea. Of course, when she agreed to come with Allen, she knew she would have to accept certain things, such as the fact that despite being a good man, Allen wasn't a saint. Killing, stealing, getting into trouble with the Marines—those were things bound to happen.
"Kaya..." Knowing about the girl's inner conflict, Allen refrained from scolding her. Instead, he approached her and gently patted her head. "You're a sweet girl with a heart of gold, which is why it hurts me to do this, but I'm going to have to stain your purity..."
Kaya exploded in embarrassment. Nami did too.
Allen knew Kaya would have to change, even if only a little. Enough so that the cruel reality of the world wouldn't consume her.
[Idiot! Watch your wording!]
Allen blinked in confusion for a moment before quickly realizing that "stain your purity" had another meaning, as if he were saying he'd take her virginity.
"No, I—"
Allen didn't get to finish speaking before Kaya fainted with spirals in her eyes. Allen caught her in his arms.
"You're such an idiot!" Nami scolded him for being so insensitive.
After Kaya woke up, they decided to spend a few days sailing before heading to the next island, obviously to collect more "taxes" in advance.
....
The next day, they encountered another merchant ship carrying a cargo of cloth. After a quick naval battle where Allen boarded and subdued them, he took the opportunity to obtain high-quality fabric to make his "Jolly Roger" pirate flag.
It had a simple yet elegant and easily recognizable design. It was a skull with his hairstyle, and it had Timcampy as a symbol beside it. Of course, Allen didn't truly remember Tim himself, but that didn't stop him from imagining him.
Nami mocked him with laughter, saying she thought Allen would make a handsome skull or something similar, while Kaya was pleased with the design.
On the second day, Allen encountered a civilian ship. He had no intention of attacking them, but upon seeing his flag, they panicked and attacked Allen instead of fleeing.
A grave mistake... Allen easily defeated the crew and stripped them of their valuables and money. Once they learned that Allen hadn't intended to board them until they attacked first, they cursed their captain.
The third day was the busiest.
They encountered three pirate ships, but none of them were well-known. The strongest captain among them only had a bounty of three million.
Allen captured him after defeating him with a single slap and brought him to an island to collect the bounty. One advantage of not having a bounty yet was that he could act as a bounty hunter, just like Roronoa Zoro.
Meanwhile, Luffy's crew wasn't falling behind either. They had already set sail with a new crewmate named Usopp aboard a caravel called the Going Merry.
The world didn't know that the crew of the aspiring King of the World and the crew of the aspiring King of the Pirates were forming in the weakest and most peaceful sea of all, but soon the rumors would begin.
On one side, Luffy defeated Alvida the Iron Mace and Buggy the Clown, while Allen took down Axe-Hand Morgan and Kuro of the Hundred Plans. It was a surprise when everyone learned that Kuro was still alive... only to be finished off by a peculiar rookie.
With these rumors and nothing concrete yet, both crews continued on their separate paths. Luffy headed toward the famous Baratie, while Allen decided to go to Nami's homeland because he intended to see the place for himself.
However, he didn't expect that decision to affect Nami so deeply.
....
On the third night...
Inside the captain's cabin, Allen sat at his desk while finishing counting the money they had gathered.
"Five million from the three pirate captains turned over to the Marines... five million in loot from the two merchant ships and around two million from the civilian ship... in just six days, we gathered twelve million berries. Nami took two million, and Kaya only accepted one million, and I can leave one million for necessary expenses. That leaves me with a total of eight million to improve myself."
[Are you going to use it now, or will you keep saving for a silver coin?]
Now that he had enough strength to protect himself and his crew in this sea, and with a ship of their own, he wasn't in a hurry to immediately convert everything.
Besides, he was currently stuck at Level 19 and needed another silver coin to reach Level 20.
Allen raised his hand, and the scroll appeared before him.
Funds:
Copper Coin: 1
Silver Coins: 80%
Gold Coins: 8%
Below that, his current stats appeared.
Strength:
Level 19 (Equivalent to 29 Million)
Skills: 4
– Fist of Love.
– Hiken.
– Soru.
– Noro Beam.
– "Break/Quake" Gura Gura.
Haki:
– No personal Haki.
Weapons:
– No personal weapons.
Ship: 1
– Black Pearl Level 4
Allen carefully observed his current power and thought about where it would be best to invest the nine million.
He had no idea what Haki was, and Lenalee didn't know either, which was strange considering she could awaken it within Allen.
"Weapons? Nah."
Allen didn't believe he should waste coins on weapons yet. It was better for him to become strong himself.
"The ship? I don't think so."
A caravel for three people was already more than enough. Making the ship bigger would be foolish. What if the three of them could no longer manage it alone?
[Remember the ship tab? Don't forget that ship upgrades aren't just about size. You can improve the armaments, durability, repair it, edit the structure, improve the aesthetics, there are lots of things.]
"But all that dumb stuff costs money, doesn't it?"
[Well... yes.]
Allen sighed as he leaned back over the desk. He had lived a very deprived life in One Piece, but even now, with millions of berries, he still had to spend everything and go back to living with only a few thousand in his pocket.
Becoming stronger brought immense joy, but that didn't change the other reality.
"Then no, for now I won't upgrade the Black Pearl. I don't think it'll be necessary until the Grand Line... instead, maybe I should improve my current skills."
[That wouldn't be a bad idea. At Level 19, you won't faint from using them anymore, but remember that every increase is dangerous for your body.]
"I know." Allen nodded thoughtfully.
Improving skills was cheap compared to leveling up. At least when upgrading a skill, he only needed one million, though upgrading the Gura Gura required silver coins.
"For now, I'll upgrade one just to test it, but I can't forget that tomorrow I'll be able to raise Nami and Kaya to Level 2... that's also important."
Allen couldn't only increase his own strength. After all, the girls needed to be able to defend themselves too.
[About that... I've been thinking, and there might be a way to speed up the leveling process for both girls. We could also reduce the loss during the process.]
Allen was surprised. Level transfer usually costs double because one level was lost during the process.
'What is it?!'
Before Lenalee could answer, the sound of a light knock echoed through the door.
"Allen..."
It was Nami's voice. Allen blinked before standing up. It was strange for the girl to come to his cabin at this hour, because if it were something urgent, she would've just shouted.
....
Allen walked to the door and opened it, only to see Nami standing there.
She wasn't wearing her usual clothes, but instead wore a sleeping blouse with shorts that, for some reason, she thought were less erotic than wearing a skirt and had somehow convinced all the girls of that.
Even someone as pure-hearted as Allen (lol) couldn't help but feel moved to the point of swallowing.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, Nami looked at him with narrowed eyes, a hint of ambiguity in her gaze.
"Can I come in?"
Allen received a direct hit to the jugular. Without saying anything, he stepped aside and let her enter. From the other side of the ship, Kaya watched that with her fist clenched in an adorably determined way.
"Good, phase one complete!"
Inside the room, Nami sat on Allen's bed while he sat in the chair by his desk, only to stop his mind from having stupid thoughts with such a cute girl sitting on his bed.
[Pfff...]
'Shut up.' Allen didn't want to admit it, but he was a little embarrassed.
He had no idea that everyone in the Chat was making fun of him right now.
After all, what kind of ridiculous situation was it for the world's greatest womanizer to be nervous about being alone in a room with Nami?!
Allen himself would feel extremely embarrassed once he recovered his memories.
"I see you like to keep things simple," Nami commented while looking around the cabin.
There was a bed, a closet, a desk, and a small cabinet where the Chest was placed. That was all.
Allen smiled proudly. "Well, in these times of austerity, I can't afford to waste money on trivial things. Don't you think I'm amazing?"
Normally, Nami would've snorted or maybe sighed, but instead she laughed softly and smiled as her pupils slightly widened.
"It's true, you are amazing~"
"...!"
Allen received another hit, this time to his left lung, forcing him to cough to stop himself from blushing.
Seeing this, Nami laughed and acted a little bolder by lowering her neckline slightly. "What's wrong, Captain? Weren't you supposed to be the kind of man capable of seducing queens and goddesses with a single glance?~"
Allen felt offended, as if some instinct and pride buried deep inside him had awakened. He stood up and walked toward Nami before grabbing her hand and pushing her onto the bed while pinning her wrist above her head.
Nami was stunned and couldn't react. She hadn't expected Allen to do this!
Allen was just as shocked. Once he realized what he had done, he froze, unable to back away.
Both remained silent at such a close distance that they could hear each other's breathing. The situation stayed like that while Nami's face turned red and Allen had no idea what to do next.
Allen was a healthy and attractive young man, and Nami was also a beautiful girl in the prime of her youth. It was impossible for them not to feel something in this situation.
Nami's heart felt like it was about to explode, and Allen, seeing her act so cute, slowly began losing his ability to restrain himself as he moved his face closer. But when he was only an inch away from Nami's lips, she spoke.
"Allen... why do you want to go to my home?"
"...?" Allen stopped and looked at Nami. Despite being embarrassed, there was a worried look in her eyes. Not only that, but there was something else hidden beneath them.
Fear.
Allen pulled away and sat on the edge of the bed while Nami remained lying there for a few more seconds before sitting up.
Both stayed silent once again, but the atmosphere had lost its previous romantic warmth and instead became more melancholic.
"Because I care about you..."
"...?!"
"From the moment I saw you, I wanted you to come with me, but even now, when I know that part of you wants the same thing, I can feel that something is weighing you down... something that saddens you, something that hurts you, something that won't let you be free..."
Nami looked at Allen in astonishment. She hadn't expected this selfish guy, who always acted as if he only cared about himself, to have been paying so much attention to her that he noticed all of that.
Allen looked at Nami seriously.
"Originally, I thought I'd wait until you told me yourself what was wrong, but I feel like I can't wait anymore..."
Nami didn't deny any of his words. Instead, she smiled weakly with sad eyes. "Why do you think that?"
"Because I feel like I'm going to lose you..."
"...!" Nami widened her eyes before looking at Allen with a fake smile. "You figured me out?"
"..."
Just like Monkey D. Luffy, Allen had originally planned to go to the famous Baratie because he'd heard there were excellent cooks there and thought he might find one for his crew, but he changed his mind after noticing that Nami's behavior had changed.
Then he realized the girl had been waiting for a chance to leave the ship.
"..." Allen stayed silent with a serious expression.
He wasn't going to let Nami leave his cabin without an answer.
Nami knew Allen wasn't as airheaded as he pretended to be, and a simple lie wouldn't work on him.
"You're an unfair man. I had thought that with your help I could get the money I needed to pay off a debt I have, but as the days went by, things changed, and I became more and more afraid of getting involved with you..." Nami lowered her head before looking at Allen with tears in her eyes and despair written all over her face. "I just didn't want you to die"
"...!"
....
The next day...
Conomi Islands, Cocoyasi Village.
The sun shone high above a place called Arlong Park. This place was the base of the Arlong Pirates, led by a fish-man, one of the races of the sea alongside mermaids, both well known for their intelligence.
It was not a pleasant place for anyone who wasn't a fish-man.
The building had sharp roofs shaped like shark teeth, and its fake pink walls cut across the horizon. Giant fish statues with cruel smiles guarded the entrance while the flag of the Sun Pirates waved arrogantly overhead.
The air around the place grew heavier the closer one got. It was filled with hatred toward the human race.
The remains of shattered boats lay along the shore like broken trophies, and beneath the sea rested a collection of bones belonging to those unfortunate enough to drift too close to Cocoyasi Village.
Inside Arlong Park echoed grotesque laughter. It all came from a group of fish-men, humanoids with characteristics of marine creatures. One resembled a manta ray, another was half-octopus, and sitting on a coral throne as if he were a king was a sawshark fish-man.
That fish-man was heavily built with long black hair, blue skin, saw-like teeth, a harpoon-shaped nose, and cruel eyes. He wore a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and sandals like a tourist on vacation rather than a ruthless pirate.
The Arlong Pirates were tyrants. They had arrived at the Conomi Islands, kidnapped the entire population, and forced them to pay tribute. Anyone who refused was killed without mercy.
They were the worst kind of pirates, the type that harmed innocents simply for amusement and disgust.
Arlong drank from his mug while laughing deeply.
"Hey, Nami still isn't back?" Arlong asked with a mocking grin.
"No, maybe she ran away," said another fish-man, a stingray-man dressed like a karate fighter named Kuroobi.
"Impossible, that brat doesn't have the guts," mocked a sardine fish-man named Chew, whose lips were unusually long.
"Arlong-san, are you really going to let Nami go once she pays the hundred million?"
All the fishmen looked toward their captain. Long ago, he had made a deal with Nami. He promised that if she worked for him and gathered one hundred million berries, he would free both her village and herself.
Arlong stayed silent before smiling and revealing his sharp teeth.
"And lose our genius navigator? Shahahahahaha!"
That grotesque laugh escaped his mouth, causing the rest of the fish-men to laugh as well.
A pirate like Arlong would never keep his word. Deep down, Nami knew that too, but she clung to that empty hope because it was the only thing she had left.
The sea was suddenly cut apart by a ship advancing at incredible speed.
This vessel stood out on the ocean unlike any other because of its dark color, as if it were the executioner of the seas.
And where was it heading?
Straight toward Arlong Park, of course!
Once it got close enough, a Sea King, an enormous serpent-like creature with the bizarre appearance of a cow, noticed the Black Pearl. As it had done many times before, it tried to sink the ship.
When the Sea King emerged before the Black Pearl, it expected the same panic and fear shown by every other ship it had destroyed before, but instead, there was only a young man standing at the bow. His black coat fluttered behind him like that of a pirate lord.
"Move aside, cow... I'm not in the mood," said the white-haired young man.
The Sea King sensed that something was wrong and nearly became frightened, but it still roared and attacked.
"You brought this on yourself." Allen clenched his fist and swung it to his right, pausing before striking the air; his fist struck the air and shattered it as if the air were solid glass.
The cow-like Sea King began bleeding all over its body before sinking beneath the waves.
There was no mercy. That creature might've looked cute compared to other Sea Kings, but it was still a monster that had killed many people.
"Nami, is that Arlong Park?" Allen asked while looking into the distance.
Nami grabbed her own arm while trembling, but forced herself to nod.
"Nami-san..." Kaya supported her from the side.
"Don't make that face. Have a little faith in me," Allen smiled.
Nami nodded while biting her lips and crying. After that, Allen clenched his fist and pointed toward the place.
"Fire!"
The ship's cannons seemed to react to his command and unleashed a wave of cannon fire. There was no courtesy, no words, no warning. Allen decided to attack directly, and his objective was simple.
The complete annihilation of Arlong Park.
The Arlong Pirates had sharper senses than ordinary humans. Upon hearing the agonized cry of their pet Sea King, they became alert and spotted a jet-black ship in the distance. However, before they could react, it fired.
The cannonballs struck the main building, the walls, and one of Arlong's statues exploded. Chaos erupted instantly. Several fish-men were swallowed by the flames and burned alive.
Arlong could only watch as a third of his crew was killed by an unknown attacker.
"WHO DARES ATTACK US?!"
Arlong was furious. What kind of inferior human dared attack him?! This would not go unanswered!
====
A/N: Does anyone smell sushi? 🍷🗿
Patreon.com/_Aizen