The Mouse Captain

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the warship slowly sailed into the harbor.

A gangplank three meters wide was lowered. Two lines of Marines stood along its edges with their guns, their expressions solemn. A red carpet stretched from the very top of the gangplank straight to the shore.

Only then did a figure in a white long coat leisurely stroll down from the ship.

He had a long, thin face, a goatee, and eyes narrowed into slits.

" Tch, what a grand entrance." Nami curled her lips. "You got me all excited, and in the end, only this sleazy-looking guy came down. He clearly doesn't look like a good person."

"Shh, Nami!"

Nojiko hurriedly covered her mouth. "That guy is a very important person. Don't say things like that. You'll cause trouble for Brother Xia Nuo!"

"Hm?"

Mouse squinted over at them. He had not heard what the two little girls were saying, but they happened to be standing at the edge of the red carpet and looked rather obstructive.

He lazily waved a hand. The two Marines behind him exchanged glances, then reluctantly stepped forward to push Nami and Nojiko aside.

Before they could touch the girls, however, a strong, powerful arm reached out and blocked the two Marines' path.

"Marines from Branch 16?"

Xia Nuo gently pushed the two Marines aside and looked up at Mouse. "Captain, what brings you to our village all of a sudden?"

"How insolent! Do we Marines need to report to you civilians in advance before doing our jobs?"

Mouse snorted coldly.

"Let me ask you this. I heard that the Conomi Islands were attacked by the Arlong Pirates, and that the last place they appeared was Cocoyasi Village. That's why I came here with my subordinates to capture those pirates. You're a villager here, aren't you? Do you know which way those fish-men went?"

"I don't know."

Xia Nuo shook his head.

"You don't know?" Mouse's smile did not reach his eyes. "Why don't you think about it again?"

What he had said before was naturally a lie.

More than half a month ago, Mouse had received word that the fish-man Arlong, who had once belonged to the Sun Pirates and had a bounty of twenty million Beli, had led a large number of subordinates into the waters under Branch 16's jurisdiction.

How could he possibly afford to provoke someone like that?

Mouse had panicked, afraid that Arlong would come looking for trouble. So he had specifically called the superior who had once promoted him and asked for guidance.

His superior's attitude had been extremely ambiguous, hinting both openly and subtly that he should turn a blind eye.

He had even reminded Mouse that Arlong and Jinbe, the current Shichibukai, had a very close relationship.

The World Government's legal right of plunder granted to the Shichibukai might also apply to Arlong.

Mouse had understood immediately. Thus, for more than half a month, he had remained at ease, pretending to be deaf and dumb while ignoring the emergency distress signals constantly received by the base.

That continued until a few days ago, when he suddenly heard rumors that the Arlong Pirates had already met their end somewhere around the Conomi Islands.

Only then did he set out from the base in a mixture of delight and excitement.

Now.

Seeing that Xia Nuo did not seem willing to cooperate, Mouse clicked his tongue and waved for his men to drive away the other idle people who had gradually gathered in the distance out of curiosity.

Then he stared at the sturdy young man before him, who was clearly somewhat simple-minded and easy to deceive, and said with a grin:

"Fine, I'll be direct. I just received word that those fish-men died on this island. You didn't happen to see their corpses, did you?"

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

"Two million Beli?" Xia Nuo raised an eyebrow.

This guy is far too stingy. He wants to pocket the bounty worth more than eighty million Beli, yet he's only willing to hand over this little?

"It's twenty thousand Beli!"

Mouse said irritably, "You don't look very old, but you're quite greedy. You really dare to dream, don't you? Do you know that even if I pull off such a major achievement, the bonus my superiors award me would only be a few hundred thousand at most?"

Xia Nuo sneered inwardly. Who would believe you'd mobilize all these people for such a small bonus?

You probably already found someone to claim the bounty in your name, then split the profits afterward.

He could not be bothered to waste more time with this man. He had intended to leave, but he was worried Mouse would enter the village and harass or threaten the villagers. So he simply said:

"I killed them."

"Hm?" Mouse froze, unable to react for a moment. "What did you say?"

"The Arlong Pirates. All sixty-seven of them, from top to bottom, were killed by me." Xia Nuo said this flatly, then turned around and called out, "Manba!"

"Here, Boss!" a gruff man's voice came from the ship.

"Put all those heads out one by one and let Captain Mouse have a look."

"Yes, Boss!"

Before long, the fish-men's heads were lined up along the ship's rail.

To prevent them from rotting and stinking, they had been sealed in ice. Through the layer of ice, each one looked lifelike. Many still had their mouths open and eyes bulging, their faces filled with terror.

No one knew what they had gone through while alive. Even after death, such expressions remained on their faces.

"This, this..." Mouse stared in astonishment. "They really are..."

"Captain." A lieutenant adjutant stepped forward. "Should I take some men up there to verify them?"

"No need!" Mouse immediately raised a hand to stop him.

He had long since drooled over the wanted posters of these fish-men and knew them well. There was no way he could be mistaken!

This was the Arlong Pirates. Every single member with a bounty was here, not one missing.

"I never expected this. I really never expected this."

Mouse burst into laughter, his attitude suddenly turning enthusiastic. He reached out to put an arm around Xia Nuo's shoulders.

"Young heroes really do emerge in every generation. Such powerful pirates were actually wiped out by you alone! I was wondering why you were all waiting by the shore. Are you preparing to go out to sea and collect the bounties?"

"That's right. I've already contacted Branch 77 and am preparing to head over." Xia Nuo gently shifted aside and dodged Mouse's reaching arm.

Branch 77?

Mouse's eyes widened. He hurried closer and lowered his voice.

"Kid, you may not understand how things work. Even famous bounty hunters have a terribly hard time collecting their full rewards, let alone a civilian like you. Don't believe all the nice things Branch 77 tells you. Once you get there, you'll be lucky if they give you thirty percent of the bounty."

Xia Nuo watched him silently.

"If you have something to say, say it. If you've got nothing useful, get lost."

Mouse's smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly returned to normal. After coughing once, he said with a beaming smile:

"Don't be in such a hurry. What I mean is, instead of traveling all that way, why not hand all these pirates' heads over to me directly? Since fate has brought us together, I can even make an exception and give you a very generous share. We'll split it fifty-fifty—you get half, and I get half. How about it?"

"..."

Xia Nuo shook his head, no longer bothering to respond. He turned and walked toward the ship. "Nojiko, Nami, let's go."

"Oh! Coming!" The two little ones had been so engrossed in the spectacle that they hurriedly snapped back to reality and scampered after him.

"Stop right there!"

A furious roar suddenly came from behind them. Enraged and humiliated, Mouse drew his pistol and aimed it at the three figures' backs. "Lawless... Who gave you permission to leave?"

Xia Nuo turned around. When he saw the black muzzle pointed at him, his eyes narrowed slightly.