Captain Nezumi

Under everyone's gaze, the warship slowly sailed into the dock.

A gangplank, three meters wide, was lowered. Two squads of Marines, holding guns, lined the sides with solemn expressions. A red carpet extended from the top of the gangplank all the way to the shore.

Only then did a figure clad in a white trench coat leisurely stroll down the ship.

He had a long, thin face, a goatee, and his eyes were narrowed to slits.

"Tch, such a grand entrance," Nami pouted. "I was so excited, but all that built up to this creepy guy showing up. He doesn't look like a good person at all."

"Shh, Nami!"

Nojiko quickly covered her mouth. "That guy is a big shot! Don't talk nonsense, you'll get Brother Xianuo into trouble!"

"Hm?"

The Rat squinted over. He hadn't clearly heard what the two young girls were saying, but he happened to step on the edge of the red carpet, which looked quite obstructive.

He waved his hand lazily, and the two Marines behind him exchanged glances. Helplessly, they stepped forward, intending to push Nami and Nojiko aside.

But before they could touch them, a strong, powerful arm stretched out, blocking the two Marines' path.

"Marines from Branch 16?"

Xianuo gently pushed the two Marines aside and looked up at the Rat above. "Captain, what brings you to our humble village so suddenly?"

"Insolent! Do we need to inform you civilians beforehand about what we Marines do?"

The Rat snorted coldly.

"Let me ask you, I heard that the Konomi Islands were attacked by the Arlong Pirates, and the last reported location was Cocoyasi Village. That's why I specifically brought my subordinates here to capture this pirate crew. You're a villager here, aren't you? Do you know where those Fish-Men went?"

"I don't know."

Xianuo shook his head.

"You don't know?" The Rat's smile didn't reach his eyes. "Perhaps you should think again?"

What he had said earlier was, of course, a lie.

More than half a month ago, the Rat had received intelligence that a Fish-Man named Arlong, formerly of the Sun Pirates, with a bounty of twenty million Belly, had invaded the waters under the jurisdiction of Branch 16 with a large number of subordinates.

This was not something he could handle.

The Rat was terrified, fearing that Arlong would come looking for trouble. He had called his former superior, who had promoted him, to ask for guidance.

His superior's attitude was ambiguous, subtly hinting that he should turn a blind eye.

He had also specifically reminded him that Arlong and the current Shichibukai, Jinbe, were closely related.

The World Government's authorization for the Shichibukai to plunder freely might also apply to Arlong.

The Rat suddenly understood. Thus, for the past half-month, he had been at ease, feigning ignorance and ignoring the urgent distress signals constantly received from the base.

It wasn't until a few days ago that he suddenly heard rumors that the Arlong Pirates had perished in the Konomi Islands area.

He was overjoyed and rushed out from the base.

Now.

Seeing that Xianuo didn't seem very cooperative, the Rat clicked his tongue and waved his hand, signaling his subordinates to drive away the other onlookers who had gathered out of curiosity.

Then, staring at the strong, seemingly simple and easily deceived young man before him, he said with a grin:

"Forget it, I'll be direct. I just received intelligence that those Fish-Men died on this island. Haven't you seen their bodies?"

He held up two fingers. "Don't worry, as long as you cooperate honestly, I can give you this much as a reward for supporting the Marines' actions."

"Two million Belly?" Xianuo raised an eyebrow.

Was this guy too stingy? He wanted to pocket the bounty of over eighty million Belly, but only willing to give up this little?

"It's twenty thousand Belly!"

The Rat said impatiently. "You're not that old, yet you're quite greedy. You really dare to think like that! Do you know that for accomplishing such a big task, the reward I get from my superiors is at most a few hundred thousand!"

Xianuo sneered inwardly. He'd be a fool to believe this guy would mobilize so many people for such a small reward.

He was probably already arranging for someone to claim the bounty privately and split it later.

He didn't want to waste any more time with this guy. He intended to leave, but he was worried this guy would go into the village and harass or threaten the villagers. So, he simply said:

"I killed them."

"Hm?" The Rat froze for a moment, not quite processing. "What did you say?"

"The Arlong Pirates, all sixty-seven of them, from top to bottom, were all killed by me," Xianuo stated calmly. He then called out, "Scarred!"

"Here, boss!" A gruff voice came from the ship.

"Bring out all those heads one by one and let this Captain Rat have a look."

"Yes, boss!"

In a short while, the heads of the Fish-Men were lined up along the ship's railing.

To prevent them from rotting and smelling, they had been sealed with ice. Looking through the ice, they appeared lifelike. Many still had their mouths open and eyes wide, filled with terror.

One could only wonder what they had experienced in life to retain such expressions even in death.

"This, this..." the Captain's eyes widened in disbelief. "It really is..."

"Captain," a lieutenant stepped forward. "Shall I take some men to verify?"

"No need!" the Captain immediately waved his hand, interrupting.

He had been drooling over the bounties of these Fish-Men for a long time; he knew them well and couldn't be mistaken!

This was the Arlong Pirates, every single one with a bounty, all here.

"I never expected this, never expected it."

The Captain burst into laughter, his attitude suddenly becoming enthusiastic. He reached out to put his arm around Xianuo's shoulder.

"Truly a hero among youths, to eliminate such powerful pirates all by yourself! I wondered why you were all waiting on shore, were you preparing to set sail to collect the bounties?"

"That's right, I've already contacted Branch 77 and am preparing to head over." Xianuo swayed slightly, dodging the Captain's outstretched arm.

Branch 77?

The Captain's eyes widened. He quickly leaned closer, lowering his voice.

"Young man, you might not understand how things work. Even famous pirate hunters find it incredibly difficult to claim the full bounty, let alone a commoner like you. Don't believe what Branch 77 says so nicely; when you get there, you'll be lucky if they give you even thirty percent of the bounty."

Xianuo watched him quietly.

"If you have something to say, say it. If you have something to release, release it."

The Captain's smile stiffened slightly but quickly returned to normal. He coughed and said with a grin, "Don't rush. What I mean is, since you've come all this way, why not just hand over all these pirates' heads to me? Given our fortunate encounter, I can even make an exception and give you a very good share. Fifty-fifty, you get half, I get half, how about it?"

"..."

Xianuo shook his head, too lazy to bother anymore. He turned and walked towards the ship. "Nojiko, Nami, let's go."

"Oh! Coming!" The two little ones had been so engrossed in watching the show that they snapped back to reality and hurriedly followed.

"Stop right there!"

A furious roar suddenly came from behind. The Captain, enraged, drew his pistol and aimed it at their backs. "Lawless... Who gave you permission to leave!"

Xianuo turned his head, his eyes narrowing slightly as he saw the dark muzzle of the gun.