Stone couldn't withstand Nami's fury. He had even prepared himself to die.
Ye Chen pointed at John beside him. "Nami, I just took down a pirate with an 80-million-berry bounty. I want to collect it first. We can't keep dragging a corpse around with us."
Ye Chen said nothing about the missing money. He didn't want Nami to worry.
Besides, he was certain he could get it back.
"What? You took down a wanted pirate? Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up! That's amazing! I love you guys!"
"Huh?"
Stone hadn't expected that. He had braced himself to face the full force of Nami's wrath, but with a few casual words, Ye Chen had swept the missing money under the rug.
Nami beamed and blew Ye Chen a kiss.
Ye Chen was secretly delighted. He urged the Bullfish to hurry, afraid the truth might come out. He and Stone practically fled from Nami.
If she found out, even Haki wouldn't keep Ye Chen from being beaten to a pulp.
After all, they had lost a full billion berries. Nami would explode!
"Don't you think something's strange?"
Perona watched Ye Chen and Stone hurry away, resting her chin on her hand. Her dark eyes darted back and forth. "They seem awfully nervous."
"Who cares? At least we're getting a huge bounty!"
The thought of money had driven everything else from Nami's mind.
Once he found the local Marine garrison, Ye Chen tossed John the Demon down in front of the Marines. "This is John the Demon. His bounty is eighty million. Sorry for the trouble, but please get the reward ready right away. I have something urgent to take care of."
Colonel Linander received Ye Chen in person. He checked the latest bounty list and confirmed the man was John.