Nami, I Have Something to Tell You

"Bastard! Damn pirates, always picking on me! Waaaah..."

Lu Zhuo realized he'd gone too far with his teasing. He hurriedly set down his sword and rushed to her side.

He gently stroked her golden hair and said softly, "Don't cry. There, I was only teasing you. The chart drawn by the great navigator Nami is worth twenty-one million Beli. Once we get to the Marine Branch and collect the bounty, I'll give you ten million."

"Really?"

As soon as she heard the word money, Nami stopped crying and lifted her head to look at Lu Zhuo's smile.

But Lu Zhuo had made such a bad impression on her that she looked completely unconvinced.

Seeing her expression, Lu Zhuo reached out and gently wiped the tears from her face. Looking into her eyes, he said, "Don't worry. If I say I'll give it to you, I will. I like you, so I won't lie to you."

His sincere expression left Nami momentarily stunned. Then her cheeks flushed red. She pushed Lu Zhuo away and ran off.

Watching her retreating figure, Lu Zhuo still wore the same smile. The seeds he'd planted over the past several days had begun to take root and sprout with that confession.

Nami, you can't escape me now...

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 for the Marine Branch.

But Nami seemed a little afraid and clearly didn't want to go. Lu Zhuo wasn't about to let her slip away, so he forced her to come along.

Looking at the Marine Branch before him, Lu Zhuo suddenly felt a little emotional.

He could have climbed to the top in this world by joining the Marines. But in his opinion, the Marines had too many rules, and their members had to obey orders. It was far too restrictive. He might have been able to learn the Six Powers, but it would have been difficult to keep track of the story.

As they entered the Marine Branch, Nami was visibly flustered behind him. She was a pirate from the Arlong Pirates, and pirates always felt as though they were facing their natural enemies when confronted with the Marines.

Of course, the more important reason was Lu Zhuo, who had forcefully broken through her defenses. She didn't even know how to face him. She'd been avoiding him for the past two days, but the seeds in her heart had only taken deeper root.

His mischievous teasing, his comfort when she was sad, and the occasional words of concern—all of it lingered in her mind.

Lu Zhuo dropped two nearly rotten heads on the ground and said with a smile, "I'm here to collect the bounty. One of these heads belongs to the Flower Blade Captain, and the other to Captain Kuro."

The Marine Branch's major had already heard about Lu Zhuo. The Marines were well informed, after all. But when he saw Lu Zhuo, he was still surprised that someone so powerful could be so young.

"Excellent! The young are truly impressive!" Lu Zhuo didn't recognize the major at all. The man wasn't even important enough to count as a bit player.

Lu Zhuo took the stack of bills the major handed him. Nami, standing behind him, had stars in her eyes. With a slight smile, Lu Zhuo handed her the money.

Just as they were about to leave, the major suddenly stopped him and said with a smile, "You're very strong. Why not join the Marines? The higher-ups have already given instructions. If you join, you'll be made a major, my equal!"

"This..."

Lu Zhuo was a little surprised. Had the Marine high command noticed him just because he'd made a couple of casual moves?

He couldn't possibly join the Marines. Of course, he couldn't say in a Marine Branch that he wanted to become a pirate, either. He didn't think he had the same protagonist's aura as Luffy, letting him storm into a Marine Branch without consequence.

Without having become a swordsman, he'd surely be shot dead if the Marines surrounded him.

"Let me think about it. I want to hunt some more pirates and improve my strength first," Lu Zhuo said calmly.

The major looked surprised.

Even if Lu Zhuo wanted to become a Pirate Hunter, he would have forced him to join the Marines. If Lu Zhuo chose to become a pirate, they would have eliminated him immediately.

But Lu Zhuo wasn't making his intentions clear at all. He'd only said he wanted to kill pirates, which made it hard for the major to respond. He couldn't exactly stop him from hunting pirates. Were the Marines supposed to protect pirates?

"Um... you can hunt pirates as a Marine, too!"

Lu Zhuo frowned, feeling a little troubled. He could see that the people around them were subtly closing in. His mind raced. This looked dangerous. If he said the wrong thing, he might not make it out alive.

Nami still had stars in her eyes. She counted the money in her hands, then counted it again, completely unaware that the situation around them was turning ominous.

Lu Zhuo smiled wryly inwardly, but his face took on a look of disdain. "With my strength, major is too low a rank. I should be at least a rear admiral. It seems the Marines still don't recognize my abilities. I'd better take down a few more big-name pirates to prove myself!"

"This..." The Marine major immediately stammered, swallowing all the words he'd been about to say.

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

"So confident. Does that make you self-assured or ignorant? Never mind. You can go," the newcomer said with a sneer. Two cigars were clenched in his mouth as he watched Lu Zhuo through the smoke.

Lu Zhuo's pupils narrowed slightly, but his expression remained disdainful. He grabbed Nami and turned to leave.

He sensed danger from this man.

In the original story, this man had been very powerful too. He was... Smoker, the White Hunter!

Without Haki, Lu Zhuo had no chance against a Logia user!

Watching Lu Zhuo simply walk away, the major grew anxious. He leaned toward Smoker and said quietly, "Vice Admiral, the higher-ups ordered us to make sure he stays..."

"It's fine. He'll join the Marines sooner or later. If he refuses and becomes a pirate instead, I'll just bring him back myself."

Smoker looked unconcerned. He took a deep drag from his cigar and said, "I'm being transferred to Loguetown soon. Even if this guy wants to become a pirate, I'll arrest him and uphold justice!"

"Yes! Congratulations, Captain Smoker!"

"Wow, Captain Smoker got promoted again!"

"Of course! Captain Smoker ate a Logia Devil Fruit. He might even rise all the way to vice admiral!"

The Marines nearby looked at him with envy and admiration.

Only after leaving the Marine Branch did Lu Zhuo finally relax. That had definitely been a close call. He could have stayed safe by agreeing to join the Marines, but that would have restricted his freedom.

He sneered at the Marine Branch and turned to leave.

"Nami, that makes twenty-three million Beli in all, right? Give me the remaining thirteen million... Huh?" Lu Zhuo looked behind him and saw no one.

He turned around, but Nami was nowhere to be seen.

That girl had taken advantage of the moment he was distracted and slipped away. Just like that!

Lu Zhuo smiled bitterly. Well, Nami had finally gotten the better of him.

Right, she must have gone back to Cocoyasi. He just had to wait for her there. With that in mind, Lu Zhuo took a few steps, then suddenly remembered something. He grimaced and hurriedly broke into a run.

When he reached the shore, he found nothing but open sea. In the distance, Nami was sailing away in Lu Zhuo's ship. She flashed him a mischievous smile and waved at him from the water, while he stood on the shore looking thoroughly dejected.

"Bastard, bye-bye!"

Smack!

Lu Zhuo slapped his forehead hard. All right, he'd been a step behind the whole time. He'd underestimated Nami. No—he'd spent too much time thinking back at the Marine Branch, and it had slowed him down.

Now he had no ship and no money. To get to Cocoyasi Village, he'd probably have to steal another boat.

Sigh. He was going to take the pirate route anyway.

After walking around the dock, Lu Zhuo picked out a small sailing boat a few meters long. This kind was best suited for a single person to sail. Without Nami, a navigator, he probably wouldn't be able to handle a large sailing ship.

As he sailed out to sea, Lu Zhuo looked at the chart in his hand, his thoughts swirling.

So, his next task was to truly win Nami over. Otherwise, how would he make it to the Grand Line? And besides... if he remembered right, this was the year Nico Robin joined Baroque Works, under Crocodile, one of the Shichibukai.

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