Nami's Secret

"Tch, we ran into some annoying people." Zoro opened his eyes, one hand resting on his sword hilt as a trace of impatience flashed through his gaze.

"They... they're not going to attack us, are they?!" Usopp scrambled behind the mast, his legs trembling. "We only raised the Pirate Flag a few days ago!"

At that moment, a figure in a suit appeared by the railing of the Navy Warship.

He was a rather handsome man with pink hair, though his expression was exceedingly arrogant.

A specially made iron knuckle was fitted over his right hand as he looked at the Merry as if it were garbage.

"I am a Navy Headquarters Captain, 'Iron Fist' Harpody."

His voice was lazy and haughty, as though he were speaking to a few ants. "Which one of you is the captain of this unknown little ship? State your name."

Ronan looked at the navy lieutenant, a playful curve tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Iron Fist?"

Ronan found it secretly amusing.

In this world, if anyone had the right to call himself "Iron Fist," it was Luffy's grandfather—the Navy Hero Garp.

Yet this captain, who had no idea of his own limits, actually dared to swagger around with that title. Ronan had no idea whether he was ignorant or fearless.

Still, Ronan said nothing.

A clown like this was not worth his effort.

Luffy did not care about any of that. He stepped forward to the bow, tilted up his face, and shouted, "I'm Luffy!"

Usopp, hiding behind the mast, refused to be outdone and poked out half his head. "I'm Usopp!"

Luffy pointed at the flag fluttering above his head, his face full of pride. "This is our Pirate Flag! It was just made a week ago!"

Usopp added, "I drew it! So? It's pretty artistic, isn't it?"

Harpody looked at the two men acting like a comedy duo, his brows knitting slightly as his eyes filled with disdain. "What are you doing? Playing house?"

His gaze swept across the deck before finally settling on Johnny and Joseph.

"Oh? Those two over there..." Harpody adjusted his sunglasses, seeming to recall something.

"I've seen them before. If I remember right, they're the so-called Bounty Hunters who specialize in catching worthless small-time pirates, aren't they?"

Hearing that, Johnny and Joseph's faces instantly flushed red, their fists clenching tightly.

The mockery in Harpody's voice was undisguised. "What, couldn't make a living anymore? Did pirates finally catch you?"

"Or did you join them? What a joke. So-called Bounty Hunters are nothing more than a pack of hyenas that follow the wind."

"You—!!"

Johnny trembled with rage and was just about to draw his sword and retort.

Just then, the cabin door of the Navy Warship opened.

A sexy beauty with long, wavy golden hair and a backless red dress walked out.

She intimately wrapped her arm around Harpody's and said coquettishly, "Darling, stop wasting words on these filthy pirates. Let's go already. I'm hungry."

That intimate display, coupled with Harpody's contemptuous gaze, completely ignited the humiliation Johnny and Joseph had been holding inside.

"Bastard!!"

Johnny abruptly reached into his clothes and roared, "Do you dare say this is the work of Bounty Hunters who only target small fry?! Open your dog eyes and look closely!"

"Rustle—!!"

Johnny pulled out a thick stack of Bounty Posters from his clothes. They were proof of the pirates they had risked their lives to capture over the years.

He furiously scattered the Bounty Posters into the air.

The papers drifted down like snowflakes, covering the deck of the Merry.

Yet all they were left with was Harpody's back as he put his arm around his female companion and turned away.

"Boring."

Harpody could not even be bothered to look back. He merely waved casually at a navy soldier beside him and gave the order as if swatting away flies.

"Alright, let's head to the restaurant. This wreck is an eyesore. Sink it."

His tone was as casual as if he were crushing an ant.

The navy soldier immediately stood at attention and saluted. "Yes, Lieutenant!"

Then the cannons along the Warship's side slowly began to turn, their pitch-black muzzles aiming at the Merry.

"What?!" Usopp was terrified out of his wits. "They... they're really going to fire?!"

On the Merry, Johnny looked at the ignored Bounty Posters strewn across the ground. His eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding audibly.

"That guy... he doesn't take us seriously at all!"

Joseph wore an equally furious expression, his hand pressing against his sword hilt until his knuckles turned white.

"If we run into them again, we'll have to make them shut up! Those Navy dogs who only know how to bully others with their power!"

At that critical moment, with tensions at their peak and the cannon about to roar.

Nami silently walked over, crouched down, and looked at the Bounty Posters scattered across the deck.

"What is this..."

Nami's voice was soft, but Ronan heard an almost imperceptible tremor in it.

"It's a list of wanted criminals, Sister Nami!"

Johnny was still furious and did not notice anything unusual about Nami. He spoke loudly.

"These are all our targets. We haven't caught them yet, but we've always been..."

Nami did not listen to Johnny's explanation.

Her gaze locked tightly onto a Bounty Poster by her feet.

The portrait showed a Fish-Man with a jagged Long Nose, sharp fangs, and a vicious gaze.

He bared his teeth as if mocking every weak being in the world.

[Arlong — Bounty: 20,000,000 Belly]

He was her nightmare.

The dark clouds that had hung over her hometown, her childhood, and her entire life.

The demon who had killed Bellemere.

Nami reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly as she picked up the Bounty Poster.

In an instant, an icy chill spread from her fingertips through her entire body.

Her face immediately darkened. Her once-bright eyes lost all their light, as if swallowed by the darkness of the deep sea.

"Arlong..." she silently screamed the name in her heart, hatred and fear churning within her chest cavity.

Ronan took in every bit of it from the side.

He knew the agony Nami was suffering at that moment.

That seemingly greedy and lively navigator carried a burden beyond ordinary people's imagination.

To buy her village back from Arlong, she had no choice but to steal everywhere, even joining this pirate crew that did not seem particularly reliable.

Ronan said nothing. He merely stepped closer to Nami without drawing attention, the iron spear in his hand lightly striking the deck with a dull sound.

But Johnny and Joseph did not notice the heavy atmosphere at all.

Johnny pointed at the Bounty Poster in Nami's hand and introduced it proudly.

"Oh! Sister, you've got a good eye! That's one of the highest-bounty criminals in the East Blue—Arlong! A big fish worth twenty million Belly!"

Joseph also leaned closer, completely failing to understand Nami's expression as he eagerly continued.

"Anyway, if we take them down, we can get the corresponding bounty! Not bad business, right, Sister? If we join forces, maybe we could..."

"Shut up."

Nami lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes. Her voice was as cold as ice chips.

"Huh?" The two men froze.

"I said shut up!" Nami suddenly clenched the Bounty Poster in her hand, crushing that nauseating face into a ball.

"What, do you have a grudge against this pirate with a twenty-million-Belly bounty?"

Ronan's voice was soft, but it carried a reassuring steadiness that could pierce through the gloom.

He stood behind Nami. Rather than looking at the Bounty Poster, he gazed deeply toward the distant sea.

As a transmigrator, he naturally knew what Nami carried, but he knew even more clearly that some wounds had to be hers to decide whether to uncover.