Seeing Buggy get back up and continue attacking Nami, Luffy reached out with both hands without hesitation and held him tight as though hugging a child. Then he spun around and hurled Buggy backward with all his strength. With a thunderous bang, Buggy slammed into the ground like a cannonball, sending up a cloud of dust.
"Gum-Gum Scythe!" Luffy seized the opportunity to attack again. His arm stretched rapidly like rubber, then curved into a scythe and slashed straight at Buggy.
Startled by the sight, Buggy hurriedly used his signature technique, "Chop-Chop Emergency Escape." His body instantly split into countless pieces that scattered like a swarm of frightened bees, successfully avoiding Luffy's attack.
However, just as Buggy was about to use "Chop-Chop Festival" to put his body back together, he suddenly discovered that all he had left was a head, two hands, and two feet!
"What's going on?" Buggy cried in terror.
While he had been dodging Luffy's attack, Nami had quietly circled behind him. Holding a large burlap sack, she had taken advantage of his inattention to swiftly stuff all his scattered body parts into it and securely fasten the opening.
"Nice work, Nami!" Luffy shouted excitedly when he saw this.
Then he turned toward Buggy, who was stuffed in the sack, and flashed a sly grin. "Get ready to fly, Buggy! Gum-Gum Rocket!"
With that, Luffy kicked off the ground like a rocket, shooting toward Buggy like an arrow loosed from a bow. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Buggy, then struck him with all his strength and sent him flying.
Watching Buggy fly away, Luffy took the hat off his back. He looked at the cuts in it with a sorrowful expression.
Seeing the grief on Luffy's face, Nami could not help feeling a surge of pity. She slowly walked over to him and said gently, "Luffy, give me your hat. I can mend it for you. I'll give it back once I'm finished."
At Nami's words, Luffy's dejected face suddenly lit up with a brilliant smile. Without hesitation, he handed the battered hat to her, as though it were his most precious treasure.
Just then, hurried footsteps rang out. Everyone turned toward the sound and saw Orange Town's mayor running over, panting for breath. With anxiety all over his face, he asked, "I'm the mayor of this town. What on earth happened here? Did you fight the Buggy Pirates? I saw the explosions in town from another island far away, so I hurried over to see what was happening."
Luffy answered proudly, "That's right, Mr. Mayor! We just defeated the Buggy Pirates!"
At his words, the worry on the mayor's face instantly gave way to delighted surprise. He said excitedly, "Really? You really defeated the Buggy Pirates? That's wonderful! Ever since Buggy came to our town, we've been unable to return to our own homes and have lived in fear. Now you've finally driven that evil force away for us, and we can finally go home without worrying!"
"Our saviors, please wait here in town. I'll go call everyone back. We don't have much to offer as thanks, but tonight we'll hold a banquet to thank you for driving away the Buggy Pirates. Sit down for now. I'll go get them right away."
Having said that, the mayor left without a moment's delay.
Seeing that everyone was now free, Liu Qing walked over and said, "Should we take another look in Buggy's Treasure Room and see if there's anything left? Don't we need the Sea Chart of the Grand Line? Should we go in and look for it?"
Before Luffy could answer, Nami eagerly cut in. "I have the Sea Chart! When I went in to steal the treasure earlier, I brought it out too. If you want it, I can give it straight to you. And I'm willing to share half the treasure with you!"
Before she had even finished speaking, Nami quickly held the Sea Chart out to Luffy, then picked out half the pile of treasure and handed it to Liu Qing for him to carry.
Luffy happily accepted the Sea Chart and shouted excitedly, "Wahaha! This is great! We finally got the Sea Chart of the Grand Line!"
Standing nearby, Zoro calmly reminded him, "Luffy, we may have the Sea Chart, but we still don't have a suitable ship. I think we should get a better ship first so we can sail the Grand Line more easily."
After giving it a little thought, Luffy said, "Yeah, you're right, Zoro! Then let's hurry up and find a good ship! But I don't think we need to wait for the mayor and everyone else. Let's head straight to the next island!"
Before long, everyone arrived at the place by the shore where the boats were moored.
Nami smiled slightly and said softly, "Well, there really isn't anywhere else I particularly want to go right now. I was planning to go home, but it's quite a long way. So I'd like to sail with you for a while and serve as your navigator in the meantime, so you don't lose your way out on this vast sea and end up starving to death."
Hearing this, Zoro looked at Nami with interest. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he teased, "Oh, so you're a navigator? That's great. We happen to need one. Why don't you just join us? That would make our team even more complete!"
At Zoro's words, Luffy immediately chimed in excitedly, "Yeah, Nami, join us! With an amazing navigator like you, we'll definitely reach our destination faster!"
However, faced with Zoro and Luffy's enthusiastic invitation, Nami shook her head and explained with a smile, "I can't join you yet. There's still something very important I need to do."
"Let's go. We can talk on the way," Liu Qing said.
A short while later.
On the route to the next island, Liu Qing looked at Nami and said, "Nami, you're worried about your village, aren't you? I visited your village once while traveling for fun, so I know what's happening there."
Then his gaze slowly shifted to Luffy and Zoro, and he continued, "Many years ago, a terrible disaster struck Nami's hometown. A band of vicious Fish-Man pirates suddenly invaded her village. Relying on their immense strength, these Fish-Men quickly took control of the entire village."
At this point, his voice grew a little lower, as though he was filled with emotion over that history. Then he described in detail how the Fish-Man pirates oppressed the villagers. "Under the Fish-Men's rule, life became extraordinarily difficult for the villagers. They were required to hand over large amounts of Beli every month in exchange for their lives. If anyone failed to pay on time, the Fish-Men would kill them without mercy."
Liu Qing took a deep breath and continued, "That's why Nami is so obsessed with treasure. She's determined to save enough money to buy the entire village outright and free the villagers from the Fish-Men's enslavement. However, the Fish-Men demanded as much as 100 million Beli. For an ordinary person, that's undoubtedly an astronomical sum."
Finally, Liu Qing turned his gaze back to Nami and said earnestly, "Nami, you've been making your way across this vast sea for so long. You should know full well that pirates who commit every kind of evil will never keep their word. Even if you endure countless hardships to gather 100 million Beli, I don't think the Fish-Man Pirates will readily agree to let you buy the village. They'll very likely use all kinds of methods, whether stealing or robbing, to take your Beli for themselves so you can never meet their demands."
With a serious expression, Luffy said, "Nami, just wait. We'll go back with you. We'll beat the Fish-Men and save your village, and then I'll invite you to join us again."
With killing intent on his face, Zoro said, "Don't worry, Nami. We'll help you cut down those Fish-Man pirates."
Nami said sadly and fearfully, "It's impossible. You can't beat the Fish-Men. They're dozens of times stronger than humans. You'd only be going to your deaths."
Liu Qing stood up and said, "I wanted to get along with you as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was distrust. I'm done pretending. I'm laying my cards on the table. I'm invincible."
"Nami, Luffy, Zoro, today I'll show you just how powerful the top strength on the seas is, and give Nami a little confidence in us. Our captain wants to become the Pirate King, and he still needs your help, Nami," Liu Qing said with a smug look.
Before you continue