Not Worthy of Sympathy (Thanks to "Definitely Not Megatron" for the 15,000 Qidian Coins)

Garen activated his Scan and quickly discovered the treasure chest Nami had buried in the yard.

Ignoring the Cat Burglar's heartbroken and contorted face, Ma Qiao, upholding the law, collected all the stolen goods.

The 16th Branch will post a public notice for 24 hours starting today. If these stolen goods are not claimed within the specified time, then there will be no way to recover them...

This is really a difficult situation!

Ma Qiao could only reluctantly use them as fertilizer to nourish the large roots.

Even so, it's still better than King Luffy using it to throw a banquet.

It is worth mentioning that the relevant public information will be published on the "Sunshine Government Affairs" window of the 16th Branch homepage of Big Bird Network.

It can be said to be very transparent and efficient.

The gold, silver, and cash in Nami's treasure chest were worth only about 60 million Beli.

This is easy to understand.

In the original storyline, it took Nami a full eight years to accumulate 100 million Beli.

Now, six years have passed, and the proportions seem a bit off.

However, as the techniques of Cat Burglar become more sophisticated, their efficiency in stealing will also increase.

The last two years were the peak period for the Cat Burglar to amass wealth.

Watching the Navy take away the money she had painstakingly saved over the past six years, Nami knelt on the ground, so distressed that she couldn't breathe.

"Actually..."

Ma Qiao crouched down, reached out and ruffled her messy orange hair, whispering in her ear, "60 million Beli, why don't you buy Arlong's head? In our Baroque Works, that's enough to hire a high-ranking officer..."

Nami was on the verge of tears.

Are there really such conscientious organizations in the world?

But she didn't know that!

"Not reading books or newspapers is a killer!"

Thinking of the Straw Hat Pirates, Ma Qiao smiled.

Ma Qiao pinched Nami's cheek, stood up, and turned to walk towards the beach. "Twitch, Garen, let's go fishing... Oh, right..."

Ma Qiao stopped and tossed a Den Den Mushi to Nojiko. "It contains your lovely sister's testimony. You might want to listen to it."

Nojiko instinctively turned on the Den Den Mushi.

"Um... my sister is a huge fat girl who weighs 280 pounds, and she never brushes her teeth..."

Nami's clear voice came through the Den Den Mushi.

Nami!

"Um, I have to go now, see you later!"

Just as Nojiko's iron fist was about to land, Nami sprang to her Mermaid and chased after that hateful figure.

"That's not right!"

Nami touched her cheek, which had just been pinched by someone, belatedly realizing what had happened.

"Didn't you say that Arlong was actually a hidden master, capable of dominating even the Grand Line? How could 60 million Beli possibly buy his head?!"

"Damn it, you never told the truth in a single word!"

"Same as me!"

"How annoying!"

Arlong Park

Standing alongside Smoker at the bow was not Twitch, the nominal commander of the 16th Branch, but Ma Qiao.

He didn't even see anything wrong with a Navy-hired adjunct advisor standing next to him.

At this moment, Smoker stared at the building in front of him, his brows furrowed slightly.

The flickering embers on his cigar revealed that he was not at peace.

Vice Admiral Garp was on his way by boat, ostensibly for post-dinner exercise.

A Fish-Man of Shichibukai caliber put Smoker under a lot of pressure; it's impossible for him not to be nervous at all.

However, a true White Hunter is not afraid of anyone!

It's important to know that before Smoker became a punching bag and lost all his prestige upon entering the New World, he couldn't be considered a disgrace to the Logia.

He not only easily defeated King Luffy, but he could even exchange a couple of blows with Fire Fist Ace at his peak, with neither side gaining the upper hand.

At that time, Ace's bounty, even without the boost from being Roger's son, had already reached 550 million, surpassing many of the Shichibukai.

Of course, Ace may not have used his full strength, but that's enough to demonstrate Smoker's swagger.

When he said he wanted to catch Crocodile, he wasn't just making empty boasts.

So at this moment, Smoker felt not only nervous but also an overwhelming sense of excitement.

At the same time, there was also a little bit of confusion.

Why is this so-called Fish-Man Paradise built exactly like the amusement Paradise in Sabaody?

"Perhaps he had some kind of tragic childhood..."

Ma Qiao shrugged. "According to us psychologists, this is called childhood trauma stress disorder. The more someone lacks something in childhood, the more they crave it as an adult. For example, some people didn't have a mother as children, so they grow up..."

"Ahem, anyway, those Fish-Man must have suffered some terrible treatment in the past..."

"I see."

Smoker nodded, completely convinced of Ma Qiao's analysis.

After all, in his view, Ma Qiao was a true master of humanity.

Moreover, it's perfectly normal for Fish-Men to have unhappy childhoods.

Smoker knew a little about the Sun Pirates.

But...

"You sympathize with them?"

Smoker watched Ma Qiao's expression, awaiting his answer.

In fact, this was a problem that had troubled Smoker for many years.

In upholding justice, he always acted according to his conscience, but sometimes he did encounter situations where the perpetrator was also a victim, making it difficult for him to make a choice.

"Sympathy? They don't deserve sympathy!"

Ma Qiao shook his head.

"In my hometown, there is a group of people called Kunlun Slaves, who also have a tragic past."

However, when given the opportunity, they did not hesitate to turn their Riot Games against innocent races that had never committed any crimes against them, rather than against those races that had oppressed them and then remained superior...

Their so-called equality and the idea that fish lives are precious are nothing more than their resentment at not being able to be superior, to prey on others, and to trample on their lives and property.

The kinder a person is, the more they look down on them; the more cruel a person is, the more they fear them.

Arlong and his gang were no different from those Kunlun Slaves, just a bunch of scum. Fisher Tiger, on the other hand, at least recognized who the real enemy was...

"Hey hey~"

Smoker flicked his cigarette ash, interrupting Ma Qiao with a strange expression, "I get the feeling your words are a bit dangerous. What are you implying? You might as well be more explicit!"

"I'm talking about illegal Slave Traders. What comes to mind?"

Ma Qiao's eyes widened. "Could it be... could it be that you've connected it to the Celestial Dragons? Hey, stay away from me! This outfit is very expensive; I can't let it get stained with blood!"

As he spoke, Ma Qiao actually moved a few steps away.

Smoker was speechless for a moment.

So you were just alluding to those unruly Celestial Dragons, weren't you!

They even turned around and bit me!

Fortunately, there was no one else around.

Ma Qiao's young girlfriend seems a bit silly and doesn't understand anything.

Tashigi has already been sent to organize the landing force.

Saying something like that would be extremely dangerous!

Shaking his head, Smoker said irritably, "Stop talking about these pointless things and let's get down to business. Are we really sure it's okay to launch a surprise attack on such a powerful enemy without waiting for Vice Admiral Garp?"