"Hmph! You're going too far! Remember what you just said!"
Nami pressed the tray against her heaving chest and glared as she took a step back.
She'd made up her mind—once they robbed their target, she'd set up a little trap for that idiot.Showing off his wealth in a tavern like this—so arrogant, even with a bodyguard by his side!
And he even squeezed her just now!Unforgivable!
"Remember? Interesting."
Ren chuckled. Well, she truly lived up to her name—Nami.Her obsession with money was second to none; even after being harassed, her thoughts still revolved around profit.
Money and personal safety—those were always Nami's top priorities.
In the original story, she once demanded ten thousand Beli from Luffy just because her clothes were torn.
When someone peeped at her while she was bathing, she didn't scream or panic—she simply showed herself boldly and charged each peeper ten thousand Beli.
It seemed that, in her eyes, money outweighed privacy.
Then again, it was understandable. After all, she had grown up under the tyranny of the Arlong Pirates.
Ren, armed with memories from his previous life, knew all too well what kind of life that was—one no better than slavery.
Those overworked wage earners back on Earth, burdened by housing loans, car loans, and childcare loans, still lived better than people under Fish-Man rule.
And Nami's mother had been slaughtered by Arlong because she couldn't pay the protection money for one adult and two children.
To buy back her village's freedom, Nami had to raise a staggering one hundred million Beli.
So for her, money was everything.
But Ren knew the truth—that one hundred million Beli "deal" was nothing but Arlong's scam.
When she finally gathered the full amount, Arlong would have the Marines from the Sixteenth Branch seize her money.
Yes—the same Marine base from the town where Ren had once lived!Ruled by none other than Captain Nezumi, that greedy rat who treated justice like a business!See? The world really was small.
"You only bought this much stuff?"
At that moment, Zoro returned.
He had just gone upstairs to the tavern's second floor and now held a folded wanted poster in his hand.
"Well, the drinks here aren't as good as the ones aboard the Gus," Ren replied casually, then raised a brow. "What were you up to?"
"There's a wall upstairs covered with bounty posters—open to both locals and passing bounty hunters. I wanted to see if anyone troublesome was nearby."
He paused. "And then I found this."
Zoro unfolded the poster and laid it before Ren, fixing him with a serious stare. "Are you a pirate, Ren?"
"Pirate?"
Ren blinked, glancing at the poster—only to see his own face printed on it.
Then his eyes trailed to the bounty amount: one zero, two zeros, and a one... and that was it!?
"One hundred Beli? Me?"
Ren slammed the table in outrage, rare fury flashing across his face.
He had thought that the havoc he wreaked on Captain Nezumi's base would've left a lifelong mark—a proper statement of vengeance for the body's former owner.
Yet all he got in return was a hundred-Beli bounty.
That was beyond insulting! Was that rat saying Ren's worth was barely pocket change!?Or did Nezumi simply get cheap and slap a random number on the notice to please Arlong?
No wonder Ren hadn't seen his wanted poster aboard the Gus—who'd bother printing a bounty that low in the newspapers?
The sharp thud from his hand drew curious stares from nearby drinkers.
"Oi, kid, you're a pirate too? Don't tell me you're that one— the hundred-Beli pirate? Hahaha! What'd you do, blow up a Marine outhouse? Uh, sorry..."
The man's laughter died mid-sentence as he caught the icy glare of the green-haired swordsman beside Ren.
A chill ran down his spine, and he hurriedly shut his mouth.
No one here was stupid—anyone could tell that this swordsman was not to be provoked.
Still, the word spread quickly. The tavern soon buzzed with whispers about the "hundred-Beli pirate."
Behind the counter, Nami kept her smile steady as she worked, though her gaze occasionally flicked toward the man who'd just groped her earlier—cold and sharp as a blade.She despised pirates more than anything.
"I don't deal in shady business," Zoro said at last, clearly unbothered by Ren's supposed bounty.
A hundred-Beli poster was too absurd. Real criminals didn't go for that cheap.
"I'm not interested in robbing the poor either," Ren said with a helpless smile, picking up two bottles of wine. "Care for a drink tonight? I've got liquor and a story."
"That kind again?"
Zoro eyed the bottles, frowning slightly. "You mean that... not-quite-a-century-old stuff?"
Yet even as he complained, his tongue flicked across his lips.
It seemed he still remembered the taste of that unique, fiery liquor.
"Erguotou?"
"That's the one!"
"So you do like that kind."
Ren pocketed the bottles and headed for the door. "I've got plenty more—drink as much as you want tonight."
He stepped out onto the street.
Night had fallen, and midnight was fast approaching.
The lively noise from the tavern faded behind him, swallowed by the cool night air. The moon hid behind drifting clouds, leaving the streets dim and still.
But that quiet didn't last long—soon, hurried footsteps echoed from the alley ahead.
A group of rough, scarred men emerged, blades and clubs glinting in the torchlight. Their faces twisted with hostility.
"So quick to move? Seems competition's fierce around here."
Ren tilted his head curiously, spotting a few familiar faces among them.
Some of the tavern drinkers had swapped their mugs for weapons—Cuckoo Town truly lived up to its reputation for chaos.
But strangely enough, none of them carried firearms.
"Careful!"
Zoro stepped forward, hand resting on his sword.
The mob parted suddenly as a hulking figure—over three meters tall and nearly as wide—strode out from their ranks.
What stood out most wasn't his size... but his green hair and the three swords at his waist.
"It's the boss! The Pirate Hunter!"
"Not anymore! The boss is gonna take over all of Cuckoo Island! This is where his legend begins!"
"Idiots! Address me properly—Lord Three-Sword Zoro!"
The giant turned with a barked command, silencing the men behind him.
He glared fiercely at Ren and his companion, his greedy gaze first locking onto the target... then shifting to the "bodyguard" beside him.
The sight made him pause—green hair, three swords?
First surprise, then realization, and finally contempt flashed in his eyes. This skinny wannabe dared impersonate the real Pirate Hunter?
The resemblance drew murmurs from the crowd.
"Hey, wait a sec—isn't that swordsman dressed just like our boss?"
"Hahaha! He's trying to copy him!"
"Totally! No way it's the real deal—the Pirate Hunter's name is way too big!"
(End of Chapter)