Confessing to Nami

"You jerk! You damn pirate, you only know how to bully me! Waaah..."

Lu Zhuo realized he had gone a bit too far with the teasing. He quickly set down his sword and hurried to her side.

He gently stroked her golden hair and said in a soft tone, "Stop crying, alright? I was just teasing you. The charts drawn by the great navigator Nami are worth 21 million Beli. Once we reach the Marine branch and collect the bounty, I'll give you 10 million."

"Really?"

The moment she heard about money, Nami stopped crying instantly. She looked up at the smiling Lu Zhuo.

However, Lu Zhuo's impression in her heart was truly abysmal, so she wore a look of utter disbelief.

Watching her expression, Lu Zhuo reached out, wiped the tears from her face, and stared into her eyes. "Don't worry. I said I would give it to you, so I definitely will. I like you, so I won't lie to you."

This sincere demeanor left Nami momentarily stunned. A blush immediately crept up her cheeks, and she pushed Lu Zhuo away before running off.

Watching her retreating figure, Lu Zhuo maintained that same smile. The seeds he had been planting for days were beginning to take root and sprout following his confession.

Nami-chan, you can no longer escape the palm of my hand...

A day and a half later, just as Nami had said, an island finally appeared on the horizon.

Lu Zhuo and Nami went ashore together and headed toward the Marine branch.

Nami, however, was somewhat fearful and looked as if she didn't want to go, but Lu Zhuo wouldn't let her slip away and brought her along by force.

Looking at the Marine branch before him, Lu Zhuo felt a sudden sense of reflection.

In truth, he could have taken the Marine path to reach the top after arriving in this world. But in his view, the rules within the Marines were too restrictive, and one had to obey orders—it was far too lacking in freedom. Although he could learn the Six Powers, it would be difficult to maintain control over the plot.

As they walked into the Marine branch, Nami behind him was clearly flustered. As a pirate from the Arlong Pirates, a pirate always felt like they were facing a natural predator when confronting the Marines.

Of course, more importantly, it was Lu Zhuo who had forcefully broken through her mental defenses. She didn't even know how to face him; she had been avoiding him for the past two days, yet the seeds in her heart were taking deeper root.

Those wicked teases, the comfort during her moments of sadness, and the occasional words filled with concern—none of it could be erased from her mind.

Dropping the two heads that were nearly rotting, Lu Zhuo said with a smile, "I'm here to collect the bounty. These two heads belong to the Flower Blade Captain and Captain Kuro."

The Major at the Marine branch had already heard of Lu Zhuo; after all, Marine intelligence was very well-informed. Still, seeing Lu Zhuo in person, he was somewhat surprised that someone with such strength could be so young.

"Very good, a hero among the youth!" Lu Zhuo didn't recognize this Major at all; it seemed he was a character not even worth a name.

After taking the stack of bills handed to him, Nami, standing behind him, had countless little stars twinkling in her eyes. With a slight smile, Lu Zhuo handed the cash over to her.

Just as he was about to leave, the Major suddenly blocked his path and said with a smile, "This friend is quite strong. Why not join the Marines? The higher-ups have already given word: as long as you join, you'll be granted the rank of Major, equal to my own!"

"This..."

Lu Zhuo was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that just two casual kills would attract the attention of the Marine high command.

He couldn't possibly join the Marines, but of course, he couldn't declare he wanted to be a pirate inside a Marine branch either. He didn't believe he possessed the protagonist halo that Luffy had, allowing him to waltz through a Marine base.

Without having become a master swordsman, he would surely be gunned down if he were surrounded by the Marines.

"Let me consider it. I'd like to hunt a few more pirates and improve my strength a bit further," Lu Zhuo said calmly.

Hearing this, a trace of surprise appeared on the Major's face.

Even if Lu Zhuo wanted to be a pirate hunter, he would have tried to force him into the Marines; if he had chosen to be a pirate, he would have been executed on the spot.

But now, Lu Zhuo was being completely ambiguous, saying only that he wanted to kill pirates, which made it difficult for the Major to speak. He couldn't exactly stop someone from killing pirates, could he? Would the Marines protect pirates?

"Well... you can still hunt pirates after joining the Marines!"

Lu Zhuo frowned, feeling a bit troubled. Seeing the surrounding Marines subtly forming a perimeter, his brain raced. This looked dangerous; if he said the wrong thing, he might not make it out of here.

Beside him, Nami still had stars in her eyes, counting the money in her hands over and over, completely unaware that the situation around them had turned slightly ominous.

Internally offering a bitter smile, Lu Zhuo put on a look of disdain and said, "With my strength, Major is too low a rank. At the very least, it should be Rear Admiral. I don't think the Marines truly recognize my power yet. Let me take down a few more big-name pirates to prove it!"

"This..." The Marine Major stammered, all his subsequent words choked back.

Just then, someone Lu Zhuo knew all too well walked over.

"To be so confident—should I call you self-assured or ignorant? Forget it, go on then!" The man who approached had two cigars in his mouth, puffing out smoke as he looked at Lu Zhuo with a cold sneer.

Lu Zhuo's pupils contracted slightly. Maintaining his look of disdain, he grabbed Nami and turned to leave.

He felt danger radiating from this man.

This was a character from the original story who possessed immense strength. He was... Smoker the White Hunter!

Without Haki, he had no chance of winning against a Logia-type user!

Watching Lu Zhuo walk away just like that, the Major grew anxious and whispered to Smoker, "Commander, the higher-ups ordered that we must keep him..."

"It doesn't matter. He will join the Marines sooner or later. If he doesn't join and chooses to be a pirate instead, then I will be the one to drag him back."

Smoker wore an indifferent expression, took a deep drag of his cigar, and said, "I am being transferred to Loguetown soon. Even if this guy wants to be a pirate, I will arrest him and uphold justice!"

"Yes! Congratulations, Colonel Smoker!"

"Wow, Commander Smoker has been promoted again!"

"Of course, Commander Smoker is a powerhouse who ate a Logia-type Devil Fruit. He'll probably make it all the way to Vice Admiral!"

The nearby Marines looked on with expressions of envy and admiration.

Stepping out of the Marine branch, Lu Zhuo finally let out a sigh of relief. That had been a genuine crisis; although he could have been perfectly safe had he simply agreed to become a Marine, it would have shackled his freedom.

Sneering at the Marine branch, Lu Zhuo turned and walked away.

"Nami, that's twenty-three million Beli in total, right? Take the remaining thirteen mill—huh?" Lu Zhuo looked behind him to find no one there, startled.

After spinning around, he couldn't find a trace of Nami anywhere.

The girl had actually slipped away while he was distracted—in that split second!

A wry smile tugged at the corner of Lu Zhuo's mouth. Well, he'd finally been played by Nami.

Right, she must have headed back to Cocoyasi Village. I just need to wait for her there. Thinking this, Lu Zhuo took a few steps before a sudden realization hit him, and he broke into a sprint with a bitter laugh.

Upon reaching the shore, he saw only the vast, empty expanse of the sea. In the distance, Nami was steering Lu Zhuo's boat, flashing a mischievous grin and waving at the sullen-faced Lu Zhuo on the shore.

"Bastard, bye-bye!"

Smack!

Lu Zhuo slapped his forehead hard. Fine, one step behind meant every step behind; he had underestimated Nami. Or rather, he had spent too much mental energy inside the Marine branch, causing his thinking to slow down.

Now, without a boat or money, it seemed he would have to steal or seize another vessel to get to Cocoyasi Village.

Sigh, whatever. I'm going to be a pirate anyway.

After circling the docks, Lu Zhuo set his sights on a small sailboat a few meters long. This type of boat was best suited for solo sailing; if he had tried to steal a large ship, he likely wouldn't have been able to sail it without Nami as his navigator.

Setting sail in the small boat, Lu Zhuo looked at the nautical chart in his hands, his mind filled with thoughts.

So, the next step is to truly win that girl Nami over. Otherwise, how am I supposed to get to the Grand Line? And... if I'm not mistaken, this year should be when Nico Robin joins Crocodile's Baroque Works as one of the Shichibukai.

Imagining himself with Nami on his left and Robin on his right, Lu Zhuo chuckled to himself.