Natsuya silently watched Nami approach.
Meeting his faintly amused gaze, Nami found herself unable to make up her mind.
Did Natsuya believe her, or did he believe Olig?
But in the end, Nami gritted her teeth and climbed aboard Natsuya's pirate ship.
Just as she had said earlier, she had nowhere else to go.
Whether Natsuya believed her or not, she could only turn to him.
Otherwise, once Olig caught up and captured her, she would be in an even more passive position.
Watching this scene, Olig was also uncertain.
What exactly did this Natsuya mean!?
Hesitating, Olig did not leave immediately.
Just like that, the two pirate ships drew closer and closer.
As the distance narrowed, Olig and the others' expressions gradually turned strange.
They had not been able to see clearly before, but now that they were closer, they finally realized that Natsuya was injured.
His upper body was wrapped in thick bandages, and his injuries seemed quite serious.
His slightly pale complexion also seemed to confirm it.
At this moment, Nami noticed it as well, and her expression could not help turning ugly.
Natsuya had a suit jacket draped over his upper body, but beneath it, he was tightly wrapped in bandages stained with a great deal of blood. One look was enough to tell that he was seriously injured.
Nami suddenly came to her senses.
Right!
Natsuya had been wanted, so he must have done something to warrant it.
And his bounty was an astounding one hundred million Beli. That alone showed that whatever he had done had been earth-shaking!
With that in mind, it was perfectly normal for him to be injured.
Only a few days had passed since the wanted poster was issued, so it was hardly surprising that his injuries had not healed yet.
But that was clearly very unfavorable for her.
An injured bounty criminal's bounty might not decrease, but the question was, was his strength still worth one hundred million Beli?
Realizing this, Nami's expression grew even uglier.
As for Olig and the others, their expressions were strange as well. The panic they had felt upon recognizing Natsuya earlier had invisibly dissipated by more than half.
An injured powerhouse and an uninjured powerhouse were naturally two different matters.
Yet Natsuya acted as though he had not noticed the changes in their expressions. After Nami came aboard, he turned to Olig and crooked a finger. "You come over too."
Oh?
Olig's expression shifted.
Because Natsuya was injured, he had become much calmer.
After hesitating for a moment, he went directly onto Natsuya's ship as well.
Of course, to be safe, he remained in Monkey Form.
Seeing this, Nami's pretty face changed at once. She instinctively clutched the bag of money and retreated into a corner.
"Brother Natsuya, what do you say?"
Olig shot Nami a vicious glance before asking Natsuya.
The corner of Natsuya's mouth curled up. "Between the two of you, I can't tell who's lying, and I don't feel like figuring it out either."
"How about this? Let's make a deal."
A deal!?
Olig froze.
Nami blinked as well, utterly confused.
This Natsuya did not seem to be playing by the rules.
Ignoring their reactions, Natsuya continued, "You probably know about my ability. I only obtained it recently, so I need some people to cooperate with me while I test and develop it."
"How about this? Whoever cooperates with me in testing and developing my ability, I'll help them."
Hearing that, Nami, Olig, and the nearby Beast Pirate Crew members all froze.
They had seen Natsuya's wanted poster, so they all knew about his ability.
A Paramecia Door-Door Fruit ability.
But what did Natsuya mean now?
He wanted someone to cooperate with him in developing his ability?
Whoever cooperated, he would help?
Coming back to her senses, Nami hurriedly cried out, "I'll cooperate with you, Big Brother Natsuya! I'll cooperate!"
As she spoke, Nami gave Natsuya a sweet smile.
Natsuya immediately smiled and looked at Olig.
Olig's expression instantly turned ugly.
Nami was already desperate, but he was not.
If it were another type of Devil Fruit ability, cooperating in its development might have been manageable. But Paramecia abilities were bizarre and carried no small amount of danger!
He had no intention of throwing away his life for that money.
"Brother Natsuya, I can't cooperate."
After replying, Olig's expression became uncertain.
In that case, it seemed he would have to leave.
But he was still unwilling to accept it.
Nami was right before his eyes, yet he could not make a move.
And Natsuya seemed to be injured. If they fought, could he really not defeat Natsuya?
Olig hesitated endlessly. In the end, he still did not dare make up his mind to attack and could only say resentfully, "I'm leaving first."
"Wait."
But at that moment, Natsuya called out to stop Olig again.
"What?"
Olig was puzzled, only to hear Natsuya say, "Your name is Olig, right? You can't leave."
Hearing that, Olig froze.
Nami found it strange too. She could not wait for Olig to leave, so why was Natsuya stopping him again?
Natsuya continued with a faintly amused smile, "If you won't cooperate, then I can only help Nami."
"And to keep you from causing her trouble later, I can only deal with you."
Hearing this, Olig was completely dumbfounded.
What kind of logic was that!?
Nami was stunned too, but once she reacted, her eyes immediately lit up.
She had not expected Natsuya's help to mean more than merely intimidating Olig. He intended to get rid of Olig!
Naturally, that was a good thing for her!
The Beast Pirate Crew members were dumbfounded as well. Could things be handled like this!?
After Olig recovered from his shock, his expression naturally became as ugly as could be.
He began to suspect that Natsuya was deliberately making things difficult for him!
And in truth, that was exactly the case.
Because Natsuya had suddenly realized that, just like Nami, Olig could be used to test and develop his ability. Compared to her, Olig was even more suitable!
Since that was the case, Natsuya naturally could not let him slip away.
So he used the matter as an excuse to keep Olig here.
Olig's expression darkened bit by bit.
"Natsuya, don't push people too far!"
At that moment, he suddenly growled.
Natsuya's smile remained unchanged. "How am I bullying you? You're the one who said you wouldn't cooperate."
Seeing this, the Beast Pirate Crew members all took on vicious expressions.
It seemed this matter could not be settled peacefully.
Fortunately, Natsuya was already injured, and seriously so. If they truly fought, they might not be at a disadvantage!
Olig thought so too. Gritting his teeth, he lunged at Natsuya!
"Let me show you what I'm capable of!"
Seeing this, the Beast Pirate Crew members could not help perking up.
Their captain had not earned the title of Beast for nothing.
When his brute strength erupted, it would definitely give this Natsuya a huge shock.
But just as they were thinking that, a thunderous crash suddenly rang out.
BOOM!!!
Olig, transformed into a monkey, had his head seized in one of Natsuya's hands and was violently smashed into the deck.
Seeing this, Nami was instantly dumbfounded.
Before you continue