Pirates: How Many Divisions Do the Five Elders Have? I Want Them All

For the next two days, Ma Qiao stayed in Cocoyasi eating oranges and enjoying the beautiful rural scenery.

Garen has returned aboard the "Good Guy Twitch".

In Water 7, Garp still owes the 16th Branch a capital ship, a debt that Ma Qiao hasn't forgotten.

Now, the two most powerful pirate groups in the East Blue are Arlong killed and Krieg is already dead. Twitch, a level 3 hero, is safe and sound.

So he "dispatched" Garen, who had been promoted to captain, to Water 7 to buy ships on IOUs.

In addition to this objective, Garen also brought Ma Qiao the spoils of raiding the 16th Branch base.

These parasites did not disappoint Ma Qiao's expectations; they all became incredibly wealthy.

Unfortunately, Garp messed up again; several lieutenant colonels and captains ran away, probably to become outlaws and pirates.

These guys are naturally the targets of the new 16th Branch's next crackdown.

Even so, Twitch still managed to retain 420 million Beli in illicit gains.

At this point, Ma Qiao's total amount of justice earned was 845 million Beli + 420 million Berries = 1.265 billion Beli, equivalent to the price of an Emperor's Deputy.

This does not include the Marine Headquarters' funding that has not yet been received.

Therefore, relying on capturing pirates to uphold justice is simply a drop in the ocean.

Only with strong Root Division can a plant continuously draw nourishment from the soil of evil and bear the fruit of justice.

However, Ma Qiao has also spent a considerable amount of money these days.

First, there was the righteous and Boss Ma, who returned 200 million Beli to the villagers, earning their praise.

However, with the opening of Kashii's tobacco and liquor shop, it was only a matter of time before the money in the villagers' pockets flowed back into Boss Ma's pocket.

Of course, having endured so much hardship, the villagers, still fearing poverty, are unlikely to spend lavishly.

In addition to this money, the naval officers and soldiers who participated in the operation will also be rewarded according to their merits.

However, this money was not Yuan Gongbao's departure allowance, but rather a suitable material reward.

As a core, elite force, the Root Division unit fought bravely and displayed excellent conduct in this operation. Crucially, they were highly skilled and were all commended.

This sum totals approximately 20 million Beli.

In addition, loans were provided to support villagers in reclaiming wasteland, supplying production materials and expanding production, as well as funds were used to build the Bellemere Memorial and pay newspaper reporters for their writing. In total, nearly 150 million Beli was spent.

As a result, Ma Qiao's actual surplus funds amounted to approximately 890 million Beli.

I've already spent 110 million Beli on the captain, and I currently have 780 million Beli left.

Of this money, 500 million Beli will serve as seed money for the Big Bird Consortium, leaving 280 million Berry available for their own use.

The support champion that Ma Qiao had been longing for is finally available.

Should we choose 998?

Should I choose the 36e?

I'm really looking forward to it!

"Hey Joe, are you thinking about something lewd again?"

As the sun sets, the sea glistens, like a sparkling dusk.

Nami walked barefoot on the beach, her right hand clutching a beautifully chosen seashell, which she quietly placed behind her back.

She bent down and looked at Ma Qiao's face suspiciously:

"That expression of yours... are you thinking about that female student of yours?"

"Oh yeah! And her too!"

Ma Qiao slapped his palm; no wonder he'd been vaguely feeling like he'd forgotten something.

"Flying Thunder God Technique! How could I have forgotten about that!"

Ma Qiao pulled a green pendant from his pocket, and couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

No wonder they say men with money go bad...

I was so focused on 998 and 36e that I almost forgot my promise to my lovely student!

Now that we have money, perhaps we should teach Vivi a bit more of the Ma Family Eight Forms?

For example, receiving, transforming, and sending?

Ma Qiao was thinking about how to use relatively inexpensive skills to trick the young girl.

He didn't notice that the Cat Burglar's face was growing increasingly gloomy.

Nami stared intently at the gem pendant in Ma Qiao's hand.

For the first time in her life, she did not get excited by the preciousness of the jewelry.

She even wished that the emerald green gemstone was just a craft item, something worthless.

However, Nami can't fool herself.

Her years of experience told her that this was a genuine cat's eye stone.

Its purity, size, and quality are all exceptional, unlike anything I've ever seen before.

The craftsmanship of the pendant is unmatched even by the jewelers of the most prosperous kingdom in the East Blue — the Goa Kingdom.

Nami quietly hid the seashell in her hand.

Yes...

How can such inexpensive seashells be compared to precious cat's-eye stones?

How could a plain-looking girl from the East Blue, with nothing more than a bit of good looks and even a criminal record, compare to the noble ladies of the Grand Line?

In fact, Nami herself was unaware that she had never dared to ask Ma Qiao's true identity.

Despite being an ordinary citizen, he chatted and laughed with naval heroes, became close friends with a colonel in his unit, and commanded the unwavering loyalty of the East Blue Branch...

How could a man like that be ordinary?

And how could the "students" he spoke of be ordinary...?

At that moment, the necklace in Ma Qiao's hand was like a sharp sword, completely shattering Nami's illusions.

Everything is self-evident.

"What's wrong, Nami?"

Ma Qiao put the necklace back in his pocket and reached out to touch Nami's forehead. "You don't have a fever? Why do you look so pale?"

"N-nothing..."

Nami, unusually, didn't slap away Ma Qiao's sneaky hand, but instead smiled and said, "Let's go home for dinner. I wonder what delicious food Nojiko made today..."

That night, Nami cried in Nojiko's arms, she cried very sadly.

Nojiko knew about her sister's feelings, but didn't know how to comfort her.

Indeed, the two sisters are only somewhat popular on a remote island in the East Blue.

Looking at the entire East Blue, it's really quite ordinary.

Not to mention that Ma Qiao comes from the legendary Grand Line.

The next day, Nami groggily climbed out of Nojiko's bed.

Unsurprisingly, Nojiko is gone.

She yawned and sleepily pushed open the door.

"Nojiko, what are you doing?"

Nami was surprised to see that her clothes, surveying tools, and other personal belongings had been packed into a large package by her sister.

"Sorry, sorry!"

Ma Qiao, carrying a large basket of oranges, poked his head in from outside the door. "I Nojiko because you're such a lazybones, you can sleep even longer than me!"

"Ha?"

Nami paused, looking at her sister with a puzzled expression.

Nojiko smiled and wiped the fine sweat from her brow, "Yes, Mr. Ma Qiao said today is the day of departure!"

"Set sail? What set sail?"

Nami's eyes widened.

"Hey! You're not trying to renege on your debt, no, I mean, you're violently resisting law enforcement, are you?!"

Ma Qiao frowned and said, "Didn't I say that as Cat Burglar, you had to work for me to atone for your sins?"

"What kind of law is this?!"

Nami transformed into her fanged form and shouted.

Well...

Ma Qiao scratched his nose. "In the East Blue, my word is law, hahaha~"

Thump!

The hard object, imbued with Nami's signature Haki, struck Ma Qiao's head, ending his ugly villainous act.

"As expected... Vivi- chan is still the gentlest... eh..."

Looking at the hidden weapon that had landed in his hand, Ma Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, Nami, where did you find such a beautiful seashell? It's gorgeous!"

"It's just an ordinary seashell, nothing special about it..."

Nami jumped over, trying to snatch her seashell back, shouting, "Give it back to me!"

"Hey, this is evidence of your violent resistance to law enforcement!"

Ma Qiao held the seashell high in the air.

"You... you already have such an expensive necklace, why... why did you still steal my seashell...?"

Nami lowered her head, trying not to let anyone see her tears.

"Necklace? Seashell?"

Scratching his head, Ma Qiao felt completely baffled.

He said matter-of-factly, "Only children make choices; I'm an adult..."

I want them all!