Nami's Treasure Hunt

The Navy of the 16th Branch were indeed not good people.

The orange-haired girl sat on the rooftop, her hands supporting her chin, a disdainful smile on her face.

Nami was all too familiar with the marines' demeanor, their gait, and even the aura they exuded.

Arlong was right. The newly appointed Captain Nezumi and his soldiers were no different from the original 16th Branch.

"Birthday wishes? They're definitely unreliable..."

Nami shook her head, unable to help but recall the night three days ago when she celebrated her 16th birthday.

There was no banquet, no cake, no candles, and not even a shooting star in the sky where one could make a wish.

But Nami still secretly made a wish.

The newly appointed naval commander is a righteous naval officer, just like Bellemere.

As the daughter, or rather, the adopted daughter, of a retired navy officer, Nami has always longed for a powerful, upright, and kind naval hero to rescue her, piloting a warship that flies the banner of justice.

Not some brat who keeps saying he wants to be the Pirate King.

Becoming a pirate, at least for now, is not an option in Nami's life.

Of course, in essence, as a member of the Arlong Pirates, she is indeed a pirate.

In short, the appearance of Captain Nezumi completely shattered Nami's illusions.

"A legendary hero who saves a tragic girl? That's simply impossible!"

"Instead of trusting in the Navy's justice, let's gamble on Arlong's character..."

Watching the marines rush off to izakayas, gambling dens, and other shady places to have fun as soon as they arrived in town, Nami sneered twice and turned to leave.

When they parted, Garp gave Twitch 20 million Beli for repairs, Ma Qiao kept half of it.

10 million Beli is clearly not enough to make any major repairs or maintenance on the ship.

By the time night fell, the so-called "repair work" was almost finished.

The shipwrights' main task was to replace the charred parts of the Twitch with cheap timber, especially critical components such as the masts and sails.

Of course, they also couldn't help but secretly dismantle some good timber that hadn't been scorched and replace it with cheap timber from the shipyard.

The only reason they were able to pull off the switcheroo was because the ship was a military vessel.

Samville Repair Yard was a poorly managed place.

Otherwise, Nami wouldn't have gone to the trouble of sneaking in.

Generally speaking, Nami wouldn't touch the Navy's property, even if those guys were all delinquent Marines and super perverts.

Nami wasn't some kind of female knight, and she didn't have the standing to punish evil and promote good. She didn't want to get herself into trouble.

Her target was other ships that had come in for repairs.

Especially those luxury cruise ships that look like they're lucrative.

In the past two weeks, there have been several thefts at the Samville Repair Yard.

Some thefts involved cash and jewelry stored in safes by passengers on cruise ships, while others involved the theft of valuable handicrafts and precious metal tableware from the ship.

Nami decides to pull off one last heist before fleeing to a new place to continue her thievery.

Otherwise, even though the shipyard's management is chaotic, it will eventually come to their attention.

Just as she was looking for her prey for the night, Nami overheard a conversation between a group of passing boatmen.

"These navy personnel are really rich! No wonder they're elite troops transferred from headquarters!"

"I heard they drank all the beer in town!"

"There aren't enough for all the ladies!"

"Who says otherwise? Do you know what I discovered while I was repairing their ship?"

"What? Gold and silver jewelry?"

"Look at you, so full of yourself! It's a gemstone even more precious than gold and silver. It's said to only exist in the Grand Line. I only learned about it from my deceased uncle."

"Seriously, such a gemstone exists? I'm not well-educated, don't try to fool me!"

"Would I lie to you? My uncle said that gemstone is called Seastone, and it's more valuable than its weight in gold. It's embedded in the bottom of that ship, but..."

Nami wanted to hear more, but the boatmen had already gone far away.

"Seastone?"

"More valuable than gold?"

As a notorious Cat Burglar in the East Blue, Nami believed she knew all kinds of treasures like the back of her hand.

Without exaggeration, Nami is confident that she can distinguish the authenticity of most gems at a glance and judge their value.

This wasn't a talent; it was only after countless fruitless efforts that she learned how to distinguish between a genuine tycoon and a fake one.

However, the presence of Seastone still touched upon a blind spot in Nami's knowledge.

"Are there really treasures in the world more valuable than gold and silver jewelry?"

Nami bit her lower lip, her heart conflicted.

"I don't want to mess with the navy, I just want to broaden my horizons!"

In the end, Nami made up her mind.

The goal of redeeming the village for 100 million Beli is still a long way off, and I really need to improve my business knowledge.

With a sincere desire to learn, Nami took advantage of the night to arrive at the dock where the "Twitch" was moored.

The night was dark and the wind was high.

The Twitch was reduced to a blurry outline in the darkness.

The town was bustling and noisy, with lights and laughter echoing all around, but here at the dock, only summer insects sang their night songs.

The patrolmen on night watch at the dock were already fast asleep, clutching their wine jars.

These guys in uniforms and carrying short sticks are less like patrolmen and more like lowly security guards earning ten or twenty thousand Beli a month; they're hardly going to be that dedicated and conscientious.

Walking around the dock three times in the middle of the night is considered doing justice to the salary the boss pays.

In contrast, the 16th Marine Division squandered the Heavenly Tribute that ordinary people had saved up to hand over, yet they provided a protective umbrella for evil. Nami felt that the 16th Branch Marine Division was the real incompetent fools!

"They don't even have enough girls!"

Nami recalled the shipwrights' complaints, "That lecherous guy with the red scarf looks pretty impressive... Could he have used four or five of them by himself?"

Nami maliciously imagined a lecherous man in the Nightingale House, surrounded by women on either side, drinking heartily.

"Pah! How vulgar!"

Shaking her head, Nami banished those embarrassing images from her mind, then took off her t-shirt.

Um...

Although her figure was far from what it would be four years later, still resembling a delicate lotus flower, Nami -shirt.

The fabric used was so cheap it wouldn't even pass inspection.

There was no other way; the child's family was poor and didn't have many new clothes, so they had to conserve fabric.

Nami carefully folded the faded t-shirt she had changed into and hid it in the bushes.

Then put on a small headband flashlight.

Then, with a graceful leap, Nami plunged into the dark seawater.