"Tch. We've run into some annoying bastards," Zoro said as he opened his eyes, one hand resting on his sword hilt, impatience flashing in his gaze.
"I–It's not going to attack us, is it?!" Usopp trembled as he hid behind the mast, legs shaking. "We've only been flying a pirate flag for a few days!"
At that moment, a figure appeared by the railing of the Marine warship.
It was a man in a sharp suit, with pink hair and a fairly handsome face—though his expression was dripping with arrogance.
On his right hand was a custom-made iron knuckle weapon. He looked down at the Going Merry as if it were trash.
"I am Marine Headquarters Captain 'Iron Fist' Helmeppo."
His voice was lazy and condescending, as though he were addressing insects.
"This unidentified little boat—who's the captain? State your name."
Ronan looked at the Marine captain and curled his lips into an amused smile.
"Iron Fist?"
He almost laughed to himself.
In this world, if anyone truly deserved the title "Iron Fist," it was Luffy's grandfather—the Marine hero, Garp.
This arrogant captain daring to flaunt such a name… Ronan couldn't tell whether he was ignorant or simply shameless.
Still, Ronan didn't speak.
A clown like this wasn't worth his attention.
Luffy, however, didn't care at all. He stepped forward to the bow and shouted proudly,
"I'm Luffy!"
Usopp, not wanting to be outdone, poked his head out from behind the mast and yelled,
"I'm Usopp!"
Luffy pointed up at the flag flapping above them, grinning.
"That's our pirate flag! Freshly made just a week ago!"
Usopp added proudly, "I drew it! Pretty artistic, right?"
Helmeppo frowned, looking at them with utter disdain.
"What is this? Children playing pirates?"
His gaze swept across the deck and finally landed on Johnny and Yosaku.
"Oh?" Helmeppo adjusted his sunglasses, as if recalling something.
"Those two over there… I think I've seen you before."
"A pair of so-called 'bounty hunters' who only go after bottom-tier pirates, right?"
Johnny and Yosaku's faces flushed red instantly, fists clenching tight.
Helmeppo's mockery was undisguised.
"What, couldn't make a living anymore? Finally got caught by pirates?"
"Or did you just join them? How laughable. So-called bounty hunters are nothing but opportunistic hyenas."
"You—!!"
Johnny trembled with rage, about to draw his weapon.
Just then, the cabin door of the Marine ship opened.
A stunning woman with long blonde waves stepped out, wearing a red backless dress that showed off her figure.
She wrapped her arm around Helmeppo's and pouted coquettishly.
"Darling, stop wasting time talking to these filthy pirates. Let's go eat—I'm starving."
That intimate scene, paired with Helmeppo's contemptuous gaze, completely ignited the humiliation Johnny and Yosaku had bottled up.
"Bastard!!"
Johnny thrust a hand into his coat and roared,
"You dare say this is the kind of work small-time bounty hunters do?! Open your damn eyes and look!"
"Whoosh—!!"
He pulled out a thick stack of wanted posters—proof of the pirates they had hunted over the years.
In his fury, he flung them into the air.
The papers scattered like snow, raining down across the deck of the Going Merry.
But the only response they received was Helmeppo's retreating back as he walked away with his companion.
"Boring."
He didn't even bother turning around. Instead, he casually waved at a Marine soldier like he was shooing a fly.
"All right, let's go eat. This wreck is an eyesore. Sink it."
His tone was light—like crushing an ant underfoot.
The Marine soldier snapped to attention.
"Yes, Captain!"
The warship's side cannons slowly rotated, their black muzzles lining up with the Going Merry.
"What?!" Usopp turned pale. "H-He's really going to fire?!"
On the deck, Johnny stared at the ignored wanted posters littering the ground, his eyes burning red.
"That bastard… He didn't even acknowledge us."
Yosaku clenched his jaw, hand on his sword.
"If we ever meet again, we'll make them shut their mouths. Those Marines who only bully the weak."
Just as the tension peaked and the cannons were about to roar—
Nami quietly stepped forward and crouched down, looking at the scattered wanted posters.
"What is this…?"
Her voice was soft—but to Ronan, it carried a faint, unmistakable tremor.
"They're wanted posters, Nami!" Johnny snapped angrily, unaware of her change.
"These are our targets! Even if we haven't caught them yet, we've been—"
Nami didn't listen.
Her eyes were locked onto one poster at her feet.
The image showed a fish-man with a jagged, saw-like nose, sharp fangs, and a vicious grin that seemed to mock the weak.
Arlong — Bounty: 20,000,000 Beli
Her nightmare.
The shadow that had loomed over her hometown, her childhood—her entire life.
The monster who killed Bellemere.
Nami slowly reached out, her fingers trembling as she picked up the poster.
A freezing chill spread from her fingertips through her whole body.
Her face darkened instantly. The light vanished from her eyes, as if swallowed by the abyss of the deep sea.
"Arlong…" she screamed the name silently in her heart, hatred and fear surging within her chest.
Ronan saw everything.
He knew exactly what Nami was enduring.
Behind that cheerful, money-loving navigator lay a burden no ordinary person could bear.
To buy her village back from Arlong, she had stolen, deceived—she had even joined a group of pirates she didn't fully trust.
Ronan didn't speak.
He simply stepped a little closer to her, the butt of his iron spear tapping the deck with a dull thud.
But Johnny and Yosaku noticed none of this.
Johnny pointed at the poster in Nami's hand and said proudly,
"Oh! You've got a good eye! That's one of the highest bounties in the East Blue—Arlong! Twenty million Beli!"
Yosaku leaned in excitedly, completely missing her expression.
"Yeah! Take him down and you get the reward! Not a bad deal, right? If we team up, maybe—"
"Shut up."
Nami kept her head lowered, bangs hiding her eyes. Her voice was cold as ice.
"Huh?" The two froze.
"I said shut up!"
Nami clenched the poster and crushed Arlong's face into a wrinkled ball.
"So… do you have a grudge against that twenty-million-Beli pirate?"
Ronan's voice was calm, steady—strong enough to cut through the darkness.
He stood behind Nami, not looking at the poster at all, his gaze fixed on the distant sea.
As someone who knew the future, Ronan understood her pain.
But he also knew this—
Some wounds could only be revealed when she chose to reveal them herself.
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