Colonel Nezumi

PS: Here's today's update. While I'm at it, please vote for Qidian's 515 Fan Festival. Everyone gets eight votes, and voting also earns Qidian coins. I beg for everyone's support and appreciation!

"Arlong Park collapsed?" Watching the Arlong Park building rapidly crack apart before collapsing, everyone was stunned. Outside, they had no idea what was happening between Luffy and Arlong inside. Filled with anxiety and worry, they prayed for Luffy. Even after witnessing Arlong's true strength, William did not dare guarantee that Luffy could win. Having experienced it firsthand, William knew Arlong was more than just a little stronger than Luffy.

"So who won?" Hearing Genzo's question, none of the Straw Hat Pirates answered. They were already prepared. If the person who stood up was not Luffy, William, Zoro, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp would attack without hesitation.

"It's Luffy!" When they saw that the person standing atop the ruins was Luffy, everyone breathed a sigh of relief. However, judging by his condition, Luffy had become the Straw Hat Pirates' third seriously injured patient.

"Nami, you're our companion!" Luffy, barely able to stand, loudly declared Nami to be a companion of the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Mm!" That soft reply affirmed all the Straw Hat Pirates' efforts. Everyone wore joyful smiles, except for one person. The moment Zoro learned Luffy had won, he immediately fell asleep.

Everyone knew his condition was terrible and that he needed rest and a doctor's care. No one was dissatisfied with him; if anything, they admired Zoro's willpower, because he was the only one who had joined the battle at the risk of his life. Although William was badly injured as well, his injuries only affected his ability to fight and were not life-threatening.

As the strategist, William felt it was necessary to find a doctor to join them as soon as possible. Otherwise, whenever they were injured, there would be no professional to care for them.

"Arlong Park has collapsed! We won!" When the villagers learned that Arlong, the last fish-man in Arlong Park, had been defeated, they cried out in delight.

"We have to tell the other villages!" After a full eight years, they had finally escaped Arlong's brutal rule today.

Seeing the villagers' joy, William felt somewhat moved. The Celestial Dragons had long since designated him as a slave who had to be captured. As long as the Celestial Dragons' rule existed, he could not be discovered.

"You're done fighting, right?" A rat-faced man approached with several Marines and said, "Today really is a lucky day. That battle just now was truly spectacular. I never expected you to defeat Arlong's crew."

This man was Colonel Nezumi of the Marine 16th Branch, the Marine bastard who had pocketed Nami's 970,000 Beli under the excuse of confiscating illicit wealth.

Who knew how someone like him had climbed to the rank of Marine colonel? In terms of strength, even in the weakest East Blue, he would at most be a lieutenant. Reaching major would already have been a blessing.

But no matter what, Nezumi was still a Marine colonel. William instinctively pulled the brim of his cap lower. He could not let the Marines discover him yet, or he would become the sinner who dragged down the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Why would the Marines show up at a time like this?" The moment Usopp spoke, everyone realized there was a problem, though they quickly guessed the reason.

"It's that bastard colonel!"

The 16th Branch was not close by, and the battle between the Straw Hat Pirates and Arlong's crew had lasted only a few dozen minutes. Even if Colonel Nezumi had come to stop the villagers, he could not possibly have learned about what happened here earlier than Arlong's crew, could he? Moreover, the number of soldiers Nezumi had brought revealed the issue. Last time, he had brought an entire squad just to confiscate Nami's treasure. This time, he had appeared at Arlong Park with only two subordinates. If he had come to arrest people, only an idiot would believe it.

Anyone with a functioning brain could see that Colonel Nezumi was definitely colluding with Arlong's crew. After discovering that Arlong's crew and the Straw Hat Pirates were fighting, he had come to profit from their conflict.

"But thanks to you, all the treasure Arlong left behind belongs to me. And the credit for your accomplishments will be claimed on behalf of the Marine 16th Branch by Colonel Nezumi!" Colonel Nezumi said shamelessly. Perhaps no one besides Colonel Nezumi could say such things so righteously and so openly.

"Don't come spoil things while everyone's celebrating!" William suddenly appeared behind Colonel Nezumi, grabbed the back of his neck, and gave him a vicious beating without giving him a chance to see his face clearly.

If not for Colonel Nezumi's identity, William would have killed him on the spot. But he did not do so. At the very least, something like this could not be tied to the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Wait, do you know who I am?" However, Colonel Nezumi's warning brought him no benefit. Still, he continued threatening them. "Remember this: if you dare lay hands on me, I won't let you off!"

"Now it's time to settle the score for hitting Nojiko and damaging Bellemere's Tangerine Grove!" Nami fiercely swung the staff in her hand at the battered Colonel Nezumi. "Remember, the treasure Arlong left behind belongs to this village, and give mine back! Give it back!"

"You utterly wicked pirates, remember this! That guy in the straw hat is your captain, right? I know your name is Luffy. I'll show you the consequences of angering me! Just you wait!" After leaving behind those harsh words, Colonel Nezumi fled Arlong Park covered in injuries.

"How did he know I'm going to become the Pirate King?" Luffy proudly asked, mistaking Colonel Nezumi's words for praise.

"Idiot, that's not what he meant!" Sanji simply could not understand how Luffy had taken a Marine's warning as praise. That had obviously been a threat.

"This is bad. The Marines are going to have their eyes on us!" After hearing what had happened with Colonel Nezumi, Usopp immediately panicked. However, he seemed to have forgotten one thing: from the moment he called himself a pirate, he had become one of the Marines' targets.

"That was bound to happen sooner or later! You're pirates, after all!" Nojiko felt that this group of self-proclaimed pirates did not seem like pirates at all. They were more like adventurers.

"Where did William go?" After teaching Colonel Nezumi a lesson, Nami realized William had vanished without anyone noticing.

Marine 16th Branch.

"Hello, this is Marine Headquarters!" The Marine Headquarters operator said after connecting the Den Den Mushi.

"Hello, hello. Is this Headquarters? I'm Colonel Nezumi of the Marine 16th Branch, Marine ID number seven." Colonel Nezumi shouted into the Den Den Mushi, "I wish to submit a request to Headquarters!"

"You don't need to shout so loudly. I can hear you!" The Headquarters operator was clearly annoyed by Nezumi's yelling. If Nezumi's identification number had not checked out, the operator would have thought someone was impersonating a Marine.

"Listen carefully. There's a pirate wearing a straw hat named Luffy! He has five accomplices under him. Given that they possess the strength to wipe out Arlong's crew, they are highly threatening and dangerous. I request that their captain be wanted! This kid is an utterly vicious pirate. Put him on the bounty list, dead or alive!" The agitated Colonel Nezumi continued shouting into the Den Den Mushi in his own way. "Please have Headquarters verify the facts and approve my request as soon as possible!"

"Don't you have a more proper photo?" The Headquarters operator asked speechlessly after seeing the photo Colonel Nezumi had transmitted.

"No, this is the only one!" Colonel Nezumi was equally speechless. He only had that one photograph.

"Colonel Nezumi, could you please return my navigator's treasure?" William appeared only after Nezumi had ended the Den Den Mushi call.

He had entered Colonel Nezumi's office long ago, but Nezumi had been communicating with Headquarters at the time, so he could only wait. He did not want to immediately draw nearby Marines over to investigate.

"You?" Although Colonel Nezumi had not clearly seen William's face, he recognized from William's clothes that he was the pirate who had beaten him earlier.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is William, former Marine Colonel William!"

"You're the missing Colonel William?" Although several months had passed since William's "disappearance," Colonel Nezumi still remembered William's name somewhat. After all, he was one of the central figures in an incident that had shaken every Marine base throughout the East Blue.

"Oh dear! You know my secret. What should I do?" William asked with an expression of nervous fear.

"Didn't you tell me yourself?" Colonel Nezumi had not been foolish to rise to his position. He deeply regretted going to Arlong Park today!

[515 is coming soon. I hope to continue climbing the 515 Red Packet Rankings. From now until May 15, red packet rain can reward readers while promoting the work. Even one yuan is love, and I'll definitely update well!]