More Money

Rodney stared at Nami on the ground and fell into deep thought.

Ha, what luck. He had run into Nami just as he was preparing to head to Cocoyasi Village. Fortunately, he hadn't butchered the flower, chopped her to death, or thrown her into the sea. Otherwise, he would have been beaten to death by someone.

Wiping away nonexistent cold sweat from his forehead, he put on an affected air and asked, "You're that Little Thief Cat?"

"Yes." Nami nodded.

"You live in Cocoyasi Village?"

Nami: "..." How did he know?

She watched him warily, unsure what he wanted.

Rodney crouched down, used a kunai to cut the Steel Wire, and helped her up. "Hello. Let me introduce myself. I'm Jotaro J. Rodney, a pirate hunter."

"Red-Eyed Rodney?!" Nami cried out.

"Please don't call me that terrible nickname. If you're going to use a title, I prefer Fate Weaver. Or you can just call me Rodney." Rodney smiled.

"H-Hello, Mr. Rodney." Fate Weaver was still too embarrassing, with an overwhelming air of chuunibyou.

She chose to refuse!

"But I heard Mr. Rodney's eyes are red." Nami said it as if intentionally, yet not intentionally.

After defeating the Krieg Pirates, Rodney's reputation had soared. He had broken through a thousand-man fleet single-handedly, and none of the Krieg Pirates' higher-ups had survived. Every last one of them had sunk to the bottom of the sea.

It was said that only a tiny portion of the thousand-man fleet had survived. The rest had become fish food and nourishment for the ocean.

A pair of red eyes, just like a demon's pupils. The moment you saw those eyes, it meant death was waving at you.

In the East Blue, among the pirates, Rodney's name had already become synonymous with the Grim Reaper in a certain sense. Seeing Rodney meant death.

The title Red Eye frightened pirates far more than the "Fate Weaver" Rodney had made up himself.

Red Eye had thus become one way of identifying Rodney.

"This?" A hint of scarlet surfaced in his eyes. Under that gaze, Nami felt her entire body lock up, as if she had fallen into an icy cavern and some evil spirit had set its sights on her.

Rodney put away his Sharingan, and only then did Nami feel better. He smiled and said, "Sorry. That's one of my abilities. I usually only use it against troublesome opponents. Miss Nami, there's no need to worry."

Unlike before, he now seemed to Nami like an elegant, easygoing man. His smile was like that of a friendly older brother next door, making her feel completely at ease.

He didn't seem like some cold-blooded butcher after all.

"Do you believe me now?" he asked.

Nami hurriedly shook her head. "I'm sorry. I misjudged you."

"Um, can I leave now?"

"That won't do, Miss Nami." Rodney shook his head with a smile.

Nami's heart tightened. All sorts of unpleasant possibilities flashed through her mind. Sure enough, all men were the same.

She took a step back and forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "Mr. Rodney, what do you want with me?" She prepared for the worst. After sailing alone across the sea for so long, Nami possessed a precociousness no one her age should have had. She did her best to remain calm, ready to fight to the death...

She smiled bitterly inwardly. As a weakling like me, what chance do I have to resist someone this strong?

But everyone...

Her desire to live flared up once more, and she decided to stall Rodney for a while.

Unaware that she had already labeled him a "bad guy," Rodney kept smiling. "I only want to ask you a few questions."

"Questions? Go ahead." Nami took a deep breath, not daring to relax in the slightest.

"Your village is ruled by the Arlong Pirates, right?" Rodney asked.

"..." Nami was silent for a while before asking, "Are you planning to go after the Arlong Pirates?"

"Sigh, of course. It's my mission."

If it's him, perhaps...

Nami seemed to see hope, but then she remembered the Arlong Pirates' strength and the fish-men's terrifying power. The hope that had just appeared was extinguished at once.

Even if he's Red-Eyed Rodney, how could he possibly be a match for Arlong and the others? They're so powerful and evil. Besides, I have to make sure everyone survives.

"Please don't do that. You won't be a match for the Arlong Pirates."

Rodney asked curiously, "Are you doubting my abilities? No, please believe me. I'm not some feeble weakling."

"No. Compared to the Arlong Pirates, the Krieg Pirates were nothing. They're fish-men with bodies tougher than humans'!" Fish-men possessed incredible physical abilities, naturally having more than ten times the arm strength of ordinary humans.

They could treat houses like toys, casually flipping and throwing them around. Compared to fish-men, humans were like adults next to children. There was simply no comparison.

The Krieg Pirates might have boasted themselves up, but in reality, they were nothing more than a rabble. Nami had once secretly boarded one of their ships and stolen some treasure.

Humans can't defeat fish-men, she thought.

"Well, the Krieg Pirates really were a rabble, but I'm not some fraud riding on their reputation. Please believe me, Nami. Take me to your village." His gaze was utterly sincere, brimming with confidence.

Seeing that look, Nami felt even more strongly that she couldn't let Rodney go. She couldn't let a good person throw his life away for nothing. Even the Marines were helpless against them, so how could she let him go?

"You can't go. Are you an idiot? They're fish-men, fish-men!"

"Ha, who do you think I am? Don't worry. I'll definitely take care of them for you. Even if you don't let me go, I'll still get there." He said this because he absolutely had to go for the Chunin Ninja Exams. The pile of rewards was simply too tempting.

Besides, he had really been wanting to kill Arlong.

Arlong was an extreme racist who believed fish-men stood above humans. After nearly being beaten to death by the old man, he learned that Jinbe had become a Shichibukai and angrily brought the underlings willing to follow him to the East Blue. There, he threw his weight around and dreamed of building the so-called "Arlong Empire!"

"Why can't you understand what people are saying?" Nami demanded loudly.

"Don't worry. I won't drag you or your village into this." Rodney smiled.

Nami: "..."

All right, it was confirmed. This guy was an idiot!

He had never witnessed the strength of fish-men, so this man would never give up!

But once he witnessed human strength, he might die.

Forget it. What does it have to do with me? I need to find a way to leave here immediately.

Seeing Nami's unwilling expression, Rodney smiled, took his money pouch, and pulled out a thick stack of bills.

At the sight of the money, Nami's eyes instantly turned into the shape of Berries.

They followed the swaying Berries, and she couldn't look away.

"How about it? As long as you take me to Cocoyasi Village, this money is yours." Knowing Nami's weakness, Rodney began tempting her with money.

He could have taken a merchant ship past Cocoyasi Village, but there was still a long distance to cover afterward, and it would be exhausting. Wouldn't it be better to take Nami's little boat into Cocoyasi Village?

It would save both time and effort.

"That's my hometown. Don't you know how terrifying fish-men are?"

"I'll disguise myself, and I definitely won't reveal anything about you. I won't implicate you or the villagers. Please trust my promise."

"You misunderstand. I mean, you need to pay more!"

Rodney: "..."

Now transformed into a money-grubbing Nami, she counted the fresh stack of bills. This was the deposit. After bringing Rodney onto the island, he would pay another sum.

The two of them reached an agreement. Rodney absolutely would not reveal that she had brought him onto the island. In this regard, she could only choose to trust Rodney's promise.

"All right, follow me." After counting the money, Nami stuffed it into the four-dimensional pocket at her chest.

Rodney's gaze deepened. When he remembered her age, he withdrew his gentlemanly stare, coughed, and asked, "Where are we going?"

"If you want to get onto the island, then follow me. The merchant ship is far too slow." Nami shook her head.

She had brought a small boat, stolen from a port. It was light and extremely practical.

"All right, all right. Wait for me." After gathering all his belongings, including White Fang, he boarded Nami's small boat. Then he spent the night making do on the deck...

Damn it, I might as well have taken the merchant ship.