In the back hills of Cocoyasi Village, at the Arlong Pirates' private dock, Bane and Zoro stood together.
Only one ship was moored in the harbor. It was huge, magnificent, and vicious-looking, radiating an untouchable air.
The entire ship was shaped like a massive shark, while its figurehead resembled the sawtoothed nose of someone like Arlong. One look was enough to tell that it could double as a ram.
Zoro curiously examined the ship, while Bane's gaze fell on a takoyaki cart that had toppled over on the dock.
"He probably ran off, huh?" Bane chuckled and stopped dwelling on it.
That takoyaki cart was probably Hatchan's livelihood. When Bane had been slaughtering his way through Arlong Park earlier, he had not seen Hatchan anywhere. He was likely absent at first, then fled after realizing something was wrong.
But Bane had no intention of wiping them all out, nor could he be bothered to chase him down.
"According to the specifications, this ship can hold six hundred and forty people and carries seventy-two cannons. It requires at least one hundred and fifty people to operate," Zoro muttered after reading through the ship's documents they had found in Arlong Park. Then he looked at Bane. "Where are we supposed to find the remaining one hundred and forty-seven people?"
"What? It takes one hundred and fifty people to sail it? The Arlong Pirates don't even have that many altogether. How did they usually sail this thing?" Bane was dumbfounded as well.
He had only been thinking about how big and imposing the ship was. It was a large three-masted sailing ship with excellent performance, capable of crossing the Grand Line, which was why he had wanted it.
But he had forgotten that the larger the ship, the more sailors it needed to operate. Their little group of three simply could not sail such a ship. Even if he got it, he would not be able to use it!
"How would I know? Maybe fish-men have some special technique for sailing ships?" Zoro shrugged.
Just as Bane and Zoro were discussing how to deal with the ship, they heard movement behind them. Before long, the orange-haired girl Nami approached with a smile.
"Did you discuss it with Nojiko? Are you coming to sea with us or not?" Bane turned and asked Nami.
"Although Nojiko was reluctant to let me go, and the villagers were worried too, but..." Nami playfully leaned close to Bane before continuing, "but my dream is to draw the most accurate and comprehensive sea charts in the world. Besides, I consider myself the most talented navigator in the East Blue. It would be such a waste not to put my talents to use, so in the end, everyone supported my dream~"
Having said that, Nami proudly raised her chin. "So be proud. Your new companion is the greatest navigator in the East Blue!"
"You should be the proud one, because you're about to join a team that has the future World's Greatest Swordsman." Zoro spoke with equal pride.
Bane smiled. "Welcome, Miss Nami, greatest navigator."
After chatting for a bit longer, Nami seemed to remember something. "Oh, right. The Marines came by earlier. They said Commodore Smoker has already locked up that bastard Nezumi, and he'll be properly tried afterward."
"Oh." Bane responded indifferently. He had no interest in Nezumi.
But he quickly remembered something else and looked at Nami. "If I remember correctly, Smoker said the Marines who came this time would bring Arlong's twenty-million-Belly bounty with them. So where's my money?"
Nami's eyes spun several times as she looked like a pretty little fox, then she righteously said, "Hey, hey, don't ignore the facts, okay? I was clearly the one who personally took down Arlong, so his bounty naturally belongs to me~"
"You really are shameless," Zoro said, looking at Nami with disgust.
Nami ignored Zoro completely and even pressed her advantage. "Come to think of it, you might not know this, but not only am I the greatest navigator in the East Blue, I'm also the most talented financial manager in the East Blue. Bane, you should still have a huge fortune of three hundred and sixty million Belly, right? You look like a man who's bad at managing money. Why not let me keep it for you?"
"Heh." Bane found Nami, who had fallen into the abyss of greed, rather amusing. Then he said, "Sorry, but I donated two hundred million Belly of it to the Marines for free, so they can better contribute to peace and stability in the East Blue. So I only have a bit over one hundred and fifty million Belly left."
"What?!" Nami nearly jumped up in panic. Heartbroken, she said, "That was two hundred million Belly! How could you just give it away? Do you know what two hundred million Belly means? How much it could do—"
"Maybe those two hundred million Belly can reduce the number of unfortunate people who suffer like you did," Zoro suddenly cut in from the side.
His words struck straight through Nami's defenses. After a moment of silence, the little thief cat who had money on the brain shook her head. "Forget it. What's past is past."
Then she pulled herself together and held out her hand to Bane. "Then let me keep the remaining one hundred and fifty million Belly for you?"
"Hehe, maybe I'll consider it when you manage to put me in a good mood." Bane refused without mercy.
At once, the little thief cat put on the face of a servant girl. She leaned before Bane and began massaging his arm. "Lord Bane, does this put you in a good mood?"
"So-so." Bane casually brushed her off, then said, "There's a problem bothering me right now. I captured such a large ship, but I can't sail it away. Do you have any good suggestions, my navigator?"
"Of course, I'd be delighted to serve you, Lord Bane~" As she spoke, Nami took a whistle from her Nami Valley.
"Arlong's ship isn't operated by sailors or anything like that. It relies on..." At that point, she suddenly blew the whistle.
At the same time, Zoro noticed that something huge seemed to be rising from beneath the dock.
In barely ten seconds, the water around the dock became turbulent. Soon, a gigantic Sea Beast with a cow's head emerged from beneath the water.
"Momoo." Nami introduced it, "This is Arlong's pet, and it's also this ship's source of power. When there aren't enough hands, it's responsible for towing the ship. And I happen to know how to train it!"
"So that's how it is!" Seeing the gigantic Sea Beast, Bane immediately understood.
That worked too. It was equivalent to having an extra emergency food supply along the way.
Still, he could not have Momoo towing the ship forever. And considering his status, he really ought to recruit some underlings. Otherwise, he would have to handle every trivial matter himself.
When he got the chance, he needed to recruit some ordinary crew members.
With the ship problem settled, Bane cleared his throat and put on an act. "Alright, since you have a way to deal with things here, I'll leave it to you. Now then, I'm a little hungry. Whoever can present me with a lavish dinner might earn a reward from my one hundred and fifty million Belly!"
"Got it~" Nami immediately perked up at those words. She diligently pounded Bane's lower back as she served him, saying, "Lord Bane, come with me. Please let me treat you properly!"
Seeing this, Zoro naturally added, "I don't have any requests for food, but I want two bottles of the local specialty liquor."
"Lord Zoro, may I ask if you have any money?" Nami rubbed her hands together, looking more than willing to serve him.
"No." Zoro answered instinctively.
"Alright, then this has nothing to do with you. Drink more hot water; it's good for your health." Nami instantly changed her face, waving Zoro off with utter disdain.
Zoro???
No, was this woman really that snobbish?
Before you continue