Funing nodded and pulled a tiny black Den Den Mushi from her soft bosom.
"Yesterday, I used this wiretapping Den Den Mushi to listen in on nearby Navy communications. The Buggy Pirates and the Krieg Pirates are both active in the waters up ahead!"
"Excellent!"
Norton's eyes lit up. "This is an opportunity we can't afford to miss!"
Finding a pirate crew out at sea was incredibly difficult. Without a reliable intelligence network, it came down to pure luck.
And with Sanosuke aboard, the White Pearl clearly had little to do with the word "luck."
"Where did you get that Den Den Mushi?" Seeing Funing produce one, Nami took a sip of her drink and moved closer.
"It was a present from my dad before he left!"
Funing opened her palm, holding the tiny black Den Den Mushi out before Nami.
These snail-like herbivores had never faded from the world stage since humans discovered they could be used for communication.
Among them, the Black Den Den Mushi was a peculiar subspecies that liked exchanging information with its own kind, so it was often used as a wiretap. It was rarely seen on the market and hardly ever traded, making it exceptionally rare and valuable.
"Den Den Mushi communicate by converting human voices into radio waves. They mimic their users' appearances to establish a targeted transmission. But Black Den Den Mushi exchange information with their own kind, which allows humans to intercept communications..." Funing explained to Nami.
"That's amazing!" Nami eagerly took the Black Den Den Mushi. "Do you have a spare? I want one too!"
At least on the island where Cocoyasi Village stood, Den Den Mushi were expensive, and rare varieties weren't necessarily available even if you had the money. This was the first time in Nami's life that she had handled something as valuable as a Black Den Den Mushi.
Kuro adjusted his glasses. "The price of Den Den Mushi varies greatly from island to island. Transporting goods across the sea is no easy task."
"Islands are separated by vast stretches of ocean."
"But in a few years, once shipbuilding technology advances and sailing becomes easier, the price of Den Den Mushi may start to fall."
Kuro offered his analysis calmly.
"In the end, it's all because the islands aren't connected!" The corners of Norton's mouth lifted slightly. "That's why I'm going to build an empire connected from end to end! The sea will no longer stand in our way!"
"Things like this..."
Norton took the Black Den Den Mushi from Nami's hands. She pursed her lips, looking a little unhappy.
"I'm going to make them affordable for ordinary people! Valuable goods shouldn't be monopolized by the rich and powerful!"
Kuro coughed, seemingly startled by Norton's declaration, and hurriedly changed the subject.
"Anyway, weren't we talking about the Buggy Pirates and the Krieg Pirates? I've heard of both crews. Their captains are a devil fruit user with a fifteen-million bounty and a pirate admiral with a seventeen-million bounty, respectively..."
"What's your bounty?" Funing suddenly asked.
"Sixteen million," Kuro answered, adjusting his glasses.
"Then neither of them sounds easy to deal with!" Funing nodded. "Norton will have to handle them himself!"
"Strength isn't measured by bounty. A bounty only reflects how much attention the World Government pays to a pirate... As a bounty hunter, I know that better than anyone."
At some point, Zoro had released Sanji's collar and returned to his seat.
"A bounty hunter? The way I see it, you'd just end up getting killed by the pirates you hunted!" Sanji immediately shot back.
"You perverted cook!!"
Amid the cheerful chaos, the Norton Pirates reached the waters mentioned in the Navy communications Funing had intercepted-the area where Buggy and Don Krieg were operating.
However, even after cruising around the area several times, the Norton Pirates encountered neither the Buggy Pirates nor the Krieg Pirates.
"Could we be in the wrong place? Or have they already left these waters?" Kuro speculated, adjusting his glasses.
"No." Funing shook her head. "They should still be around here. Even if Don Krieg has left, Buggy won't have."
"Because according to what I overheard, the Buggy Pirates are looking for a turtle carrying treasure on its back!"
A turtle carrying treasure on its back?
At those words, Norton pictured a sea turtle with gold piled all over its shell.
"Carrying treasure?!" Nami practically wished she could turn her eyes into the shape of treasure.
"Hey, are you talking about that?" Zoro suddenly pointed toward a patch of sea.
Everyone looked in the direction he indicated.
What they saw was a... turtle carrying treasure chests?!
The turtle was roughly three meters long, with nine treasure chests chained to its back. It was floating on the surface, basking in the sun.
Noticing their stares, the turtle lazily glanced back at them, then sank beneath the surface and swiftly swam away.
"Follow that turtle!" Norton ordered at once.
"Huh? King, aren't we looking for the Buggy Pirates anymore?" Funing looked taken aback.
"Catch that turtle first!" Norton pointed at its shadow. "Aren't you curious about what's inside those nine treasure chests?"
"I mean, I am curious..." Funing muttered.
"Then chase it!!"
"Listen to Norton!" Nami patted Funing's shoulder and pointed in the direction the Treasure Chest Turtle was swimming.
The White Pearl changed course and set off after the Treasure Chest Turtle!
The Treasure Chest Turtle was astonishingly fast. For a while, even the White Pearl couldn't catch up.
The Black Cat Pirates and Baratie followed behind the White Pearl, but could do nothing except fret.
Over ten minutes later, the Treasure Chest Turtle dove deep underwater, disappearing without even a shadow left behind.
"Norton! What are you doing?!" Nami turned around, then suddenly blushed and covered her eyes.
Norton took off his shirt, revealing his powerful physique, and grinned. "Chasing it, of course! I'm not letting something that unusual get away!"
Boom!
Everyone suddenly heard cannon fire.
"What's going on? Did a cannon go off by accident?" Funing frowned.
"No! It's another ship! There's a ship nearby!" Nami suddenly pointed in one direction. "Over there! Norton! Forget about that turtle! It could be the Buggy Pirates or the Krieg Pirates!"
"I'll leave it to you! Nami! You're in command of this ship now!"
With that, Norton jumped straight into the sea, leaving everyone exchanging bewildered looks.
"That impulsive idiot! He's completely reckless!" Nami complained under her breath.
"That's King for you, actually doing something like that..." Funing shook her head and sighed.
"What do we do now?" Kuro adjusted his glasses.
"Didn't my lord already tell us? Follow Miss Nami's orders." Sanosuke's expression was cold.
"What do you think?" Kuro looked at Zoro.
As far as Kuro was concerned, aside from Sanosuke, Zoro was the only person aboard who could pose a threat to him.
Zeff, meanwhile, was still cooking aboard Baratie.
"Whatever..." Spotting the restless intent in Kuro's eyes, Zoro bared his white teeth. "Unless you're looking to cause trouble?"
Kuro adjusted his glasses, the reflected light concealing his eyes.
"No. It's simply my first time taking orders from a young girl. I'm not quite used to it," Kuro said flatly.
"All right! Whatever you're thinking right now, there's only one thing we need to do! Find the source of that cannon fire!" Nami glanced at Kuro. "Norton said he was leaving it to us! We can't let him down!"