When the Arlong Pirates went to Cocoyasi Village to terrorize its people, the villagers had naturally used a Den Den Mushi to ask the Marines for help.
It was bad enough that the Marines had ignored their plight. Now that they had finally defeated the Arlong Pirates, this Marine captain actually wanted to pocket their bounty as well. Bellemere, who had once been a Marine herself, found that hard to stomach.
Compared to Bellemere's shock and anger, Yang Cheng was much calmer.
He had long known exactly what sort of man Captain Nezumi was.
In a sense, this bastard deserved to die even more than Arlong did!
In the original story, he had even colluded with Arlong to dig up the hundred million Beli Nami had buried beneath the Orange Grove to save her village. Getting off with nothing more than a beating had been far too lenient.
"Captain, we really were the ones who defeated the Arlong Pirates.
"And I was once a Marine lieutenant myself. No matter who defeats a wanted pirate, they should receive the corresponding bounty as long as they hand that pirate over to the Marines, shouldn't they?"
Hearing that Bellemere had once been a Marine lieutenant and knew how the system worked, Captain Nezumi's expression darkened. "Since you were once a Marine lieutenant, you should understand that fighting pirates is a righteous duty the Marines are supposed to fulfill.
"Yet now you're exchanging these wanted pirates for money. Are you trying to sully the justice you once stood for?"
Captain Nezumi might have been weak, but he certainly never ran out of sanctimonious arguments.
Bellemere clenched her cigarette between her teeth and was just about to speak when Yang Cheng cut in first. "Bellemere was indeed a Marine lieutenant, but she retired a long time ago.
"And to be precise, I was the one who defeated the Arlong Pirates. I've never been a Marine, so there's nothing wrong with me asking for the bounty, is there?"
"Besides, some Marines might genuinely stand for justice, but does scum like you even deserve to talk about it?
"When Arlong fought me earlier, he said calling the Marines would be useless, because he'd already bought off Captain Nezumi, the man in charge of this area.
"Thanks to Bellemere, I used to admire the Marines. But if their so-called justice is upheld by Marines like you, I'd rather become a bounty hunter."
Naturally, he had made up the part about Arlong saying he had bribed Captain Nezumi.
The main reason Yang Cheng had bothered arguing this much was Momousagi, who stood beside Captain Nezumi. Otherwise, he probably would have attacked already!
Had he been alone, he would never have given Captain Nezumi a chance to throw his weight around. At worst, he could kill him and set sail as a pirate.
But to avoid implicating Cocoyasi Village, Yang Cheng had thought up quite a few ways to deal with Captain Nezumi before coming here.
He simply hadn't expected Momousagi, a future Admiral candidate, to appear in a backwater like the East Blue.
Hearing Yang Cheng's words, Captain Nezumi immediately panicked. He hurriedly turned to Momousagi beside him and explained, "Rear Admiral Gion, you mustn't listen to this brat's nonsense.
"Arlong is a notorious pirate with a twenty-million-Beli bounty, after all. How could some brat from the East Blue possibly defeat him?
"He's clearly a little liar. I suggest arresting him immediately. He might even be in league with the Arlong Pirates."
Faced with their conflicting accounts, Momousagi first glanced at the visibly uneasy Captain Nezumi, then at the boy before her. Finally, she asked, "Do you have any way to prove that what you're saying is true?"
Hearing Momousagi's question, Yang Cheng knew his chance to bring Captain Nezumi down had arrived.
He couldn't stay in Cocoyasi Village forever. Although the Arlong Pirates had been dealt with, leaving Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Branch here to do as he pleased would never give Yang Cheng peace of mind.
"Arlong is dead, but a few of his officers are still alive. A little questioning should reveal the relationship between him and Captain Nezumi.
"And, Rear Admiral, why not ask around the nearby islands about the reputation of Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Marine Branch?
"As for proving that I defeated the Arlong Pirates, that's even simpler. Just let me fight Captain Nezumi, and you'll know, won't you?"
By the time Yang Cheng finished speaking, Captain Nezumi had gone ashen.
Seeing his expression, Momousagi already had her answer.
"In that case, you and Captain Nezumi can have a match."
Although she had more or less guessed the truth, Momousagi ultimately chose to let Yang Cheng prove himself through a sparring match with Captain Nezumi.
For one thing, she was curious about just how strong this boy from the East Blue was.
For another, she wanted to use Yang Cheng to teach Captain Nezumi a lesson for disgracing the justice of the Marines.
Captain Nezumi didn't refuse Momousagi's order to spar with the brat before him.
Instead, he accepted while glaring viciously at Yang Cheng.
The things he had done in these waters would never stand up to investigation. But even if he went down, he would at least drag the brat who had ruined him down to hell with him.
Captain Nezumi still refused to believe that a mere brat like Yang Cheng could possess the strength to defeat the Arlong Pirates.
Since he's so determined to die, I'll grant his wish!
Yang Cheng had no idea where this "weakest captain," whom Nami had thrashed single-handedly in the original story, found the courage to think he was courting death.
Still, he certainly wasn't going to pass up a chance to beat the man senseless.
As soon as the fight began, Captain Nezumi drew the two pistols at his waist and fired repeatedly at Yang Cheng.
Unfortunately for him, Yang Cheng's body became as light and supple as paper, allowing him to evade every bullet with ease.
Watching from the sidelines, Momousagi showed a trace of surprise. "Is that Kami-e from the Six Powers?"
"Rear Admiral Gion, Yang Cheng is my adopted son, so I taught him some of the Marines' training techniques.
"I studied the Six Powers myself once, but I never managed to master them. Yang Cheng, however, is incredibly gifted. I only explained some of the theory and techniques, and he mastered them on his own."
Even as Bellemere explained this to Momousagi, Yang Cheng vanished from Captain Nezumi's sight.
"Not just Kami-e-he's mastered Shave from the Six Powers too?"
Yang Cheng was fast, but only from the perspective of Captain Nezumi, Bellemere, and the others.
To Momousagi, Yang Cheng's movements, which they could barely follow with the naked eye, were perfectly clear.
"This is bad! That brat is actually trying to kill Captain Nezumi!"
(Slacker's diary: Another old-timer in the group is getting married. Thinking about how I'm already thirty and still single leaves me feeling a little melancholy.
I shouldn't have turned down that wealthy woman back then just because she was too young. Looks like I'll have to visit masseuse No. 88 tonight to soothe my wounded soul. (￣∇￣)
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