Cocoyasi Village was not far from the 16th Branch. After about an hour's journey, the warship 16-PX04 arrived at its destination.
The warship slowly docked. Raymond stood on the deck, watching Captain Belluth stride towards the village with two soldiers, their figures exuding an air of swaggering authority.
"Just as I thought. Collecting protection money is also a highly secretive mission. That guy Belluth only brought two of his trusted men ashore..."
Raymond sneered softly, waved to the few subordinates behind him, and was about to lead them ashore when a notification suddenly appeared on the panel in his vision.
[After a fierce battle, you have conquered the standard Marine Warship 16-PX04!]
[Your physical constitution has received a small boost!]
At the same time, Raymond felt a warm current surge through his body. His muscle fibers trembled slightly, as if infused with new strength.
He subconsciously clenched his fist, his knuckles cracking loudly. He threw a few punches, and the sound of the air being displaced was noticeably sharper than before.
"I knew it. 'Pirate acts' also include 'conquering' a warship. I was just standing on the deck for an hour. If I had entered the inner command room, it would have surely taken less time... Although the system only says [small boost!], that must be by the system's standards. For a weakling like me, my strength alone has increased by a full one-sixth!"
A flash of pleasant surprise appeared in Raymond's eyes. This feeling of growing stronger was truly captivating.
He discreetly led his men towards Cocoyasi Village. As soon as they reached the entrance, he immediately gave an order:
"Listen up. You all split up. Ask everyone you meet about a girl with orange hair, around eighteen years old. Understood?"
His subordinates were confused, but they nodded in acknowledgment.
Raymond, however, stretched lazily, crossed his hands behind his head, and began to stroll leisurely through the village.
Walking along the country paths of Cocoyasi Village, the salty sea breeze carried the fresh scent of plants. In the distance, well-arranged wooden houses were painted in bright colors, and fishing nets drying on the roofs swayed gently in the sea breeze. A few villagers in straw hats were pushing wooden carts full of tangerines, the wheels creaking as they rolled over the stone-paved road.
Raymond made a few turns and, without realizing it, walked into a tangerine grove. He reached out, casually picked a tangerine, peeled it, and took a bite. The sweet and sour juice burst in his mouth, refreshing his spirit.
Just then, he suddenly heard a hearty female voice from ahead:
"Wendy, are you hiding? I'm coming to find you!"
Then, a girl of about six or seven suddenly darted out from behind a tree and ran straight into Raymond.
"Ah!"
The little girl fell to the ground, her small face already welling up with tears. Just as Raymond was about to help her up, a woman with short blue hair and a curvy figure hurried over, scooped up the girl, and looked at Raymond warily.
"Sir Marine, the child didn't know any better and offended you. Please be merciful!"
Raymond noticed the tattoo on her arm, similar to Nami's, and instantly recalled the woman's identity. He immediately put on an arrogant attitude:
"Damn it! How dare you offend a Marine of justice? Do you know the consequences?" Raymond deliberately flicked the hem of his uniform, his fingers pressing on his sword to make a threatening sound.
Nojiko's face turned pale in an instant. She subconsciously held the little girl tighter. "Please calm down, sir. The child really didn't mean it..."
Just then, Raymond's perception flared with a frantic warning, a sharp tingling sensation coming from the back of his head!
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly. His body didn't move, but his right hand had already drawn his sword like lightning.
"Clang!"
A wooden staff and a longsword collided with a crisp sound.
Nami's eyes widened in astonishment, clearly not expecting her foolproof sneak attack to be blocked so easily.
"Not bad, Cat Burglar!" Raymond's face showed no surprise. He had sensed the faint presence behind him the moment he stepped into the tangerine grove. His previous actions were all to lure Nami out.
"Bastard Marine, don't you dare bully little Wendy!" Nami reacted extremely quickly. As she retreated to dissipate the force, her left hand suddenly pulled a handful of lime powder from her waist and threw it at Raymond's face!
"Take this!"
The white powder spread through the air, forming a blurry cloud.
However, Raymond didn't even blink. His body dodged to the side as if he had foreseen it, the lime powder brushing past the corner of his clothes without a single speck landing on him.
"How is that possible?!" Nami's pupils shrank as she instinctively leaped backward, but Raymond was faster. He sent her to the ground with a whip kick, then lunged forward and stomped firmly on her back, pinning her to the ground.
"Cat Burglar, this is your punishment for yesterday's ambush!"
Raymond raised his left palm and slapped Nami's butt hard.
"Smack!"
A crisp slapping sound echoed through the tangerine grove. Nami's face instantly flushed red, but she clenched her teeth and didn't make a sound.
By now, Nojiko had moved Wendy to a safe place. She picked up a wooden staff from the ground and silently approached Raymond from behind.
"Damn you, let go of Nami!" Nojiko roared, the staff whistling through the air as it came crashing down.
However, Raymond didn't even turn his head. His right hand shot backward like lightning, accurately grabbing Nojiko's wrist. With a slight squeeze, Nojiko cried out in pain, and the staff fell to the ground with a clatter.
"I say, you two sisters, don't be in such a hurry. I'm not a bad guy!" A faint smile hung on Raymond's face, extremely satisfied with the outcome of the fight.
In half a minute, he had subdued both Nami and her sister!
Of course, even before, Nami would have been no match for him in a direct confrontation. But that girl Nami was truly cunning, with an endless supply of dirty tricks. Without Observation Haki, he would probably be the one on the ground right now.
"You're lying! You were going to sell that ammunition to the Arlong Pirates!" Nami, still pinned to the ground, stubbornly lifted her head, her orange hair stained with dirt.
"You corrupt Marines are all cut from the same cloth as Arlong!"
"Heh, don't be so absolute. I can't speak for other Marines, but I, Lieutenant Raymond, am an enemy of evil, sworn to be irreconcilable with all crime!"
After his righteous declaration, Raymond slowly backed away, releasing his hold on the two sisters.
"Shall we talk?"
"What is there to talk about with you!?" Nami rubbed her still-aching bottom, bared her small canine teeth, and glared fiercely at Raymond.
Nojiko, though silent, picked up the staff from the ground and stood guard in front of Nami.
"Fine, if you don't want to talk, so be it. It's just a shame your village's hard-earned money will end up in Captain Nezumi's hands again!" Raymond shrugged, putting on a helpless expression.
"Wait!" Nami suddenly called out to him, a flicker of conflict in her eyes. "What did you mean by that...?"
"You know, Arlong pays a regular protection fee to our 16th Branch... Heh, this time it's a full twelve million Beri!"
"You mean..."
"That's right. Let's cooperate. We'll hijack that money. When it's done, I want a sixty percent cut. And of course, you have to return that batch of ammunition to me!"
Nami instantly flew into a rage. "On what grounds!? I can give you back the ammunition, but that money is our villagers' blood, sweat, and tears!"
"On what grounds?" Raymond's smile vanished, his gaze becoming as sharp as a blade. "On the grounds that without my cooperation, you won't get a single Beri back! ...Of course, you can also think of it as an investment. When I get promoted, I guarantee I will help Cocoyasi Village regain its freedom! How about it? Instead of believing Arlong's lies, you might as well trust a Marine with a heart for justice!"
Hearing this, Nami's expression softened slightly.
Every time she went to sea, it was for at least half a year. This temporary return was kept completely secret; she hadn't reported it to Arlong. This was also a major reason why she dared to attack Raymond yesterday.
However, after a moment of thought, Nami was still hesitant. "But why? That money is for your superior. If you want to make money, there are plenty of ways. Why would you risk hijacking this protection fee?"
"Why?" Raymond's gaze suddenly deepened as he looked out at the distant azure sea. "Because I... I just really want to get ahead!"