Nami's Efforts (13)

Several days later, G-10, underground prison.

"Second Lieutenant Nami, this way, please!"

Orange-yellow light refracted through the convex lenses in the walls and back into the cells. The harsh brightness made Zoro open his bleary eyes and frown.

"I told you not to call me that!"

A familiar voice rang out. Zoro finally came to his senses and raised his head from the cross he had been hung on.

"Nami?"

At the corner, the soldier guiding her looked somewhat aggrieved.

Other than superiors addressing subordinates they were especially close to, who in the Marines called someone by name?

Everyone addressed each other by rank.

"Alright, I understand, Nami... Boss Lady!"

Boss Lady my ass, you bastard!

Nami's mouth twitched as she turned away and stopped looking at him.

"Alright, there's nothing else for you to do. Leave first. I want to talk to them alone."

With that, Nami took the torch and lit the oil lamps.

Bang...

A fire dragon snaked upward along the oil channels, turning the dim underground space from pitch-black to faintly illuminated.

By the flickering firelight, Zoro looked at Nami standing outside the iron bars in a spotless Marine uniform and Justice cloak, then grinned.

"You're alright, Nami? That's good."

"..."

The words she had prepared caught in her throat. After a long silence, Nami said, "If you're trying to flatter me and beg for mercy, you don't have to."

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku has promised that as long as you give up becoming pirates, you can return to the East Blue and continue being Pirate Hunters."

"Fleet Admiral?"

Zoro chuckled. "That title... Looks like you still haven't gotten used to your new identity, Nami."

"I'll... get used to it eventually."

Nami spoke with a dark expression. After pausing, she asked the question that had troubled her