Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Office of the Fleet Admiral.
Onigumo slammed his fist on the desk, his long hair flying wildly like the writhing legs of a spider.
He said, seething with rage, "Mr. Sengoku, Luo Chen is simply too arrogant! He dares to say he'll make the Marines regret it! Who does he think he is, one of the Four Emperors? Even the Four Emperors will one day be brought to justice by the Marines!"
Sengoku sat upright in his office chair, his expression stern.
Having been a Marine Admiral and now the Fleet Admiral for many years, no one had ever dared to curse him.
Luo Chen, this Branch Major, had left a deep impression on him.
Sengoku said sternly, "Vice Admiral Onigumo, you will be fully responsible for the pursuit and capture of Luo Chen."
"As a traitor to the Marines, his influence is extremely detrimental. He must be brought to justice in the shortest possible time!"
Upon hearing this, Onigumo snapped to attention and saluted, his hand gripping the hilt of his sword. He said solemnly, "Yes, sir! I will depart for the East Blue immediately!"
Sengoku nodded. "Luo Chen was able to kill Gal Locke, so he has considerable strength. Remember not to be careless."
"Every Vice Admiral is a precious elite of the Marines. Stay safe."
"In addition, you may mobilize the East Blue Branch Marines to assist in searching for Luo Chen's whereabouts."
Onigumo accepted the order and turned to leave.
Sengoku leaned back slowly in his chair. Behind his black, round-rimmed glasses, his eyes flickered as he pondered something.
On a sofa nearby, the Great Staff Officer of the Marines, Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had witnessed the entire exchange, frowned and said:
"Sengoku, I still think we should investigate Onigumo. Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we must investigate it clearly."
Sengoku shook his head. "Onigumo hates evil as if it were his enemy. It's impossible for him to condone a subordinate colluding with pirates."
"Tsuru, I believe in the Marine officers I lead."
The silver-haired, elderly Vice Admiral Tsuru reminded him, "Sengoku, there are many examples of corruption and depravity in the Marines..."
"But never a Vice Admiral," Sengoku interrupted. "Every single Vice Admiral has undergone rigorous testing and holds a firm belief. They would never become corrupt and depraved."
He waved his hand. "Tsuru, regarding Luo Chen's crimes, you will be responsible for drafting a notice to be communicated to every Marine, so that everyone may take it as a warning."
Sengoku's voice was cold. "Regardless of military rank, anyone who dares to collude with pirates and prey on the populace must be severely punished, with all sentenced to death."
"Luo Chen's future execution will be held at Marineford."
Tsuru's expression changed slightly. She wanted to say that if Onigumo really was a problem, Sengoku's actions would be putting himself in a very difficult position. He would lose all prestige throughout the entire Marine force.
But considering that this possibility was extremely remote, Tsuru sighed and agreed, "Alright. I hope my worries are unfounded."
...
In a dimly lit room, Onigumo opened a secret chamber behind a wall.
He looked at the Berries and glittering jewels that filled the secret room, his eyes glazed over. Then he cursed,
"That useless Gal Locke! He couldn't even take care of a single Branch Major!"
"Only when Luo Chen, the scapegoat for Captain Nezumi, is dead, will the investigation into the embezzlement stop."
"Otherwise, if they conduct a detailed investigation into Captain Nezumi's financial dealings, it will sooner or later lead to me."
Onigumo picked up a bundle of Berries and sniffed it obsessively, then turned to leave.
"A shame about a talent like Nezumi. He contributed at least a billion Berries."
"Killing Luo Chen can be considered revenge for him."
Onigumo's regretful voice echoed in the secret chamber as his figure receded into the distance.
...
Cocoyasi Village.
Luo Chen arrived here the next day.
The fire had already extinguished on its own.
The village had become a patch of charred black earth, devoid of its former vitality.
More than five hundred wooden coffins were laid out on the ground.
Genzo, Nojiko, Nami, and the others had sorted through the belongings of the deceased.
"Luo Chen, please, bury everyone for us," Genzo said in a low voice.
Luo Chen placed his palm lightly on the ground. The charred earth was overturned, and trees grew one after another, forming a lush, green forest.
Under each large tree, a wooden coffin was buried. This was what Genzo had arranged with him beforehand.
A short while later, Cocoyasi Village was no more, transformed into a dense, verdant forest.
Nami, Nojiko, and the dozen or so surviving villagers scattered the flower seeds in their hands.
"In a few years, this place will be covered in flowers."
Nami's eyes were red, her face tragically beautiful, with clear tear stains.
Genzo clutched the crumpled hat in his hand and forced a smile.
"They didn't get to live a good life. This is the best environment we could provide for them after death."
"I hope no one will blame me."
He looked at Luo Chen. "Leave with us. The Marines will definitely send more people."
"No," Luo Chen shook his head. "The Marines will probably issue a wanted poster for me soon. It would be easy to implicate you."
Genzo's expression changed. He asked, "The Marines know you're still alive?"
Luo Chen nodded. "I had a chat with them."
He looked at the worried faces of Genzo, Nami, Nojiko, and the others.
"After you leave this island, remember not to reveal your origins."
"I told the Marines that everyone in Cocoyasi Village was massacred. They shouldn't hunt you down anymore."
Genzo opened his mouth and finally said with gratitude, "Thank you, Luo Chen."
Luo Chen shook his head, not knowing what to say.
Without him, so many people in Cocoyasi Village would not have died.
His desire to kill Onigumo was also a form of atonement for his own guilty conscience.
Nami suddenly spoke up, "Luo Chen, you're wanted by the Marines. You'll have to flee to the sea, right?"
"Yes." Luo Chen did indeed have to run.
It was foreseeable that the next enemy to arrive would be stronger than a Headquarters Captain like Gal Locke. He had to escape to the sea first, earn money, and develop his strength.
Nami said seriously, "I'll go with you."
As soon as she said this, Genzo, Nojiko, and the others immediately became anxious.
Nami spoke before they or Luo Chen could:
"Luo Chen, do you know how to sail a ship? Do you know how to read the weather at sea? The sea is no joke. If you go out rashly, there's a very high risk of your ship being destroyed and you being killed."
She said earnestly, "You saved me twice, and you also saved Mr. Genzo, Nojiko, and many other villagers."
"So, please let me help you escape the Marines' pursuit and repay your kindness."
Nami looked toward the sea, and for the first time in two days, a brilliant smile appeared on her face, sparkling in the sunlight.
"I also want to go out to sea myself."
"I want to travel the seas and draw a map of the entire world."
"So, Luo Chen, let me go to sea with you."
Nami's reasons left Genzo and Nojiko unable to say anything to dissuade her.
They had no right to stop Nami from repaying her debt to Luo Chen.
They also knew her dream deep down.
Going out to sea was perhaps the best of both worlds.
Their only worry was that Luo Chen was facing pursuit from the entire Marine force, and they were very concerned for their safety.
Luo Chen looked at Nami's beautiful smile and fell into a thoughtful silence.
He really didn't know anything about navigation; he couldn't even read a nautical chart. Before transmigrating, he had always used GPS; how would he know about this kind of thing?
If Nami was willing to go to sea with him, Luo Chen naturally wanted to agree.
It was just the pursuit from the Marines that made him hesitate.
Unlike the Straw Hat crew in the original story, he was about to face a pursuit led by a Marine Vice Admiral. The danger was too high.
'Should I agree, or not?'
As Luo Chen weighed the pros and cons, Nami spoke again. "Actually, even if you don't let me go with you, I'm going to become a pirate anyway."
Everyone's face showed astonishment.
"Nami, don't you hate pirates the most?" Nojiko was surprised, unable to understand her decision.
The harm that Arlong's crew of pirates had inflicted on Nami was extremely deep.
Nami looked at the villagers' graveyard and bit her lip.
"I also want to get revenge for everyone. I want to find out who the Vice Admiral behind Gal Locke is, and I want to kill him."
"To do that, the only way is to become a pirate!"
Genzo said in a low voice, "Didn't we say that was enough? Revenge... A Marine Vice Admiral is a major figure far beyond our reach."
Nami shook her head. "Mr. Genzo, don't you want revenge? I saw you picking up a lot of the Marines' bullets and weapons."
Genzo stiffened, at a loss for words.
He sighed. "I'm just an old man. If I die, I die. You are all still young."
Luo Chen spoke up at this moment. "Leave the matter of revenge to me. I've basically figured out who the Vice Admiral behind Gal Locke is."
"Nami will go to sea with me."
"Genzo, Nojiko, you and the others should find another island to live on."
He smiled. "Remember to keep an eye on the newspapers. The day you see the news that I've killed a Vice Admiral, that will be the day the villagers' blood feud has been avenged."