Nami's Secret

"Tch, ran into some annoying guys." Zoro opened his eyes, his hand resting on his sword hilt, a flicker of impatience in his gaze.

"He... he's not going to attack us, is he!" Usopp yelped, hiding behind the mast, his legs trembling. "We only put up our Pirate flag a few days ago!"

At that moment, a figure in a suit appeared at the railing of the Navy warship.

It was a man with pink hair, quite handsome but with an extremely arrogant demeanor.

He wore a specially made knuckle duster on his right hand and was looking at the Merry with the expression one would give to trash.

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

His voice was lazy and arrogant, as if he were speaking to ants. "This unknown little boat, who is its captain? State your name."

Ronan looked at the Navy captain, a playful curve forming on his lips.

"'Iron Fist'?"

Ronan chuckled inwardly.

In this world, if anyone deserved the title "Iron Fist," it was only Luffy's grandfather—the Navy hero Garp.

This captain, who didn't know the immensity of heaven and earth, dared to flaunt such a title. Ronan truly didn't know if he was ignorant or fearless.

However, Ronan didn't speak.

Such a clown wasn't worth his effort.

Luffy, however, didn't care about any of that. He stepped forward, stood at the bow of the ship, and shouted up at the sky, "I'm Luffy!"

Usopp, hiding behind the mast, wasn't about to be outdone. He poked his head out and yelled, "I'm Usopp!"

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

Usopp added, "I drew it! What do you think, isn't it artistic!"

Harpody looked at the two acting like a comedy duo, his brow furrowed, his eyes filled with disdain. "What are you guys doing? Playing house?"

His gaze swept across the deck, finally landing on Johnny and Joseph.

"Oh? Those two over there..." Harpody pushed up his sunglasses, as if remembering something.

"I've seen them before. I recall they were a pair of so-called 'Bounty Hunters' who specialized in capturing petty pirates, weren't they?"

Hearing this, Johnny and Joseph's faces instantly turned red, their fists clenched tightly.

Harpody's tone was undisguisedly mocking. "What, business isn't good? Finally caught by pirates?"

"Or did you join forces with them? That's hilarious. So-called Bounty Hunters are nothing more than hyenas who change their tune with the wind."

"You--!!"

Johnny trembled with rage, about to draw his sword to retort.

Just then, the door of the Navy warship opened.

A beautiful woman with long, golden wavy hair, wearing a sexy red backless dress, walked out.

She intimately linked her arm with Harpody's and said coquettishly, "Darling, stop wasting your breath on these dirty pirates. Let's go, I'm hungry."

This intimate scene, coupled with Harpody's contemptuous gaze, completely ignited the suppressed humiliation in Johnny and Joseph's hearts.

"Bastard!!"

Johnny suddenly reached into his chest, roaring, "Do you dare say this is the work of Bounty Hunters who target nobodies! Open your dog eyes and see clearly!"

"Whoosh--!!"

Johnny pulled out a thick stack of Bounty Posters from his chest, proof of the pirates they had desperately captured over the years.

He angrily scattered the Bounty Posters into the air.

The papers fluttered down like snowflakes, covering the Merry's deck.

However, all that was left for them was the retreating back of Harpody, who was arm-in-arm with his companion.

"Boring."

Harpody didn't even bother to look back. He simply waved his hand casually at a nearby Navy soldier, ordering as if swatting a fly:

"Alright, let's go to the restaurant. This broken ship is an eyesore, sink it."

His tone was as casual as crushing an ant.

The Navy soldier immediately snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes! Captain!"

Following that, the cannons on the side of the warship began to slowly turn, their dark muzzles aimed at the Merry.

"What?!" Usopp was terrified out of his wits. "Are they... are they really going to fire!"

On the Merry, Johnny looked at the pile of ignored Bounty Posters on the deck, his eyes red, his teeth gritting:

"That guy... he completely ignored us!"

Joseph also had a look of indignation, his hand on his sword hilt, his knuckles white.

"Next time we meet, it looks like we'll have to shut them up! These Navy guys who only know how to bully people!"

At this critical moment, when swords were drawn and cannons were about to roar.

Nami silently walked over, crouched down, and looked at the bounty posters scattered all over the ground.

"What is this..."

Nami's voice was soft, but to Ronan, it carried a barely perceptible tremor.

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

Johnny was still angry and hadn't noticed Nami's odd behavior. He said loudly, "These are all our targets. Although we haven't caught them yet, we've always been..."

Nami didn't listen to Johnny's explanation.

Her gaze was fixed on a bounty poster at her feet.

The portrait showed a fish-man with a long, serrated nose, sharp fangs, and a ferocious gaze.

He grinned, as if mocking the weakness of the world.

[Arlong -- Bounty: 20,000,000 Belly]

It was her nightmare.

It was the dark cloud that hung over her hometown, her childhood, her entire life.

It was the devil who killed Bellemere.

Nami reached out, her fingertips trembling slightly, and picked up the bounty poster.

Instantly, an icy chill spread through her body from her fingertips.

Her face turned incredibly grim, and her once bright eyes dimmed, as if swallowed by the darkness of the deep sea.

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

Ronan, standing nearby, took it all in.

He knew the torment Nami was enduring.

The seemingly greedy and lively navigator carried a burden unimaginable to ordinary people.

To buy back her village from Arlong, she had to steal everywhere and even join this seemingly unreliable pirate crew.

Ronan didn't speak. He quietly took a step closer to Nami, tapping his iron spear lightly on the ground, emitting a dull sound.

But Johnny and Joseph at this moment were completely oblivious to the heavy atmosphere.

Johnny pointed at the bounty poster in Nami's hand and proudly introduced, "Oh! Sister has good taste! That's one of the highest-bounty criminals in the East Blue—Arlong! A big fish worth twenty million Belly!"

Joseph also leaned over, completely failing to read Nami's expression, and excitedly chimed in, "Anyway, if we take them down, we'll get the corresponding bounty! This is a good business, isn't it, Sister? If we team up, maybe..."

"Shut up."

Nami lowered her head, her bangs covering her eyes, her voice as cold as ice shards.

"Huh?" The two were stunned.

"I said shut up!" Nami clenched the bounty poster in her hand fiercely, crumpling the face that made her nauseous into a ball.

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

Ronan's voice was light, yet carried a sense of calm that could pierce through the gloom.

He stood behind Nami, not looking at the bounty poster, but gazing into the distant sea with deep eyes.

As a transmigrator, he naturally knew what Nami was carrying, but he also knew that some wounds had to be revealed by her own decision.