Inside the Marines's Sixteenth Branch, silence was suddenly shattered by the sound of hurried footsteps.
"Colonel Nezumi! Bad news!"
A young marine burst into the office, breathless and pale.
Behind his desk sat a rat-faced officer with long whiskers twitching in irritation—Colonel Nezumi himself.
He scowled. "What's the panic? Compose yourself, soldier!"
The marine swallowed hard and stammered,
"S-sir… there's a man outside… says he's a bounty hunter… and he's brought a bag full of—uh—heads!"
Nezumi's brows furrowed. "Heads? What kind of heads?"
"Sir, they're… they're the heads of Don Krieg and Arlong!"
Nezumi froze.
"What?!"
Just days ago, he had taken a generous bribe from Arlong.
And now someone had brought him Arlong's severed head?
Before he could recover from the shock, the base doors burst open.
With a single heavy kick, Ron strode inside, a massive sack slung over his shoulder.
Boom!
He tossed it to the ground, and with a dull series of thuds, a dozen bloodied heads rolled out across the floor.
Among them—Arlong. Krieg. And several other infamous pirates.
Ron's eyes swept across the room with calm disdain.
Then he looked directly at Nezumi.
"I'm here to collect the bounties," he said flatly.
"Make it quick. I don't have time to waste."
The arrogance in his voice made Nezumi's face twitch.
He was used to others bowing to him. Even Arlong had spoken politely when handing him bribes.
And now—this human hunter dared to speak down to him?
Rage burned in his chest, but the sight of those heads quickly doused it with fear.
Still, he forced a smile and began processing the bounty.
Yet in his mind, another thought was already forming.
The ninety million berries he had stolen from Nami's orange grove—what if Ron knew?
And how much could these pirate heads fetch on the black market?
His greed began to outweigh his fear.
When the count was done, Nezumi cleared his throat and spoke with false regret.
"Ah… I'm terribly sorry. The Sixteenth Branch doesn't keep that much bounty money in reserve."
He folded his hands and smiled slyly.
"How about this? You leave the heads here, and when the main office approves the bounty, I'll send someone to notify you."
Ron tilted his head slightly.
"Leave the heads," he repeated softly.
"Yes, of course," Nezumi said quickly. "A formality, nothing more. You'll get your payment soon enough."
His eyes glimmered with greed.
Leave the heads, take the credit, keep the money—he'd done it before.
After all, once the evidence was in his hands, who would stop him?
Ron chuckled quietly.
So this was the same coward who groveled before Arlong?
And now he dared try to cheat him?
"Are you sure that's the choice you want to make?"
Ron's voice was calm—too calm.
Nezumi smirked. "I'm a Marine officer. I don't make choices. I enforce the law."
He waved dismissively. "Now leave, bounty hunter. You're lucky I'm in a good mood."
The next sound was a sharp crack.
Before anyone could blink, Ron's hand shot out, grabbed Nezumi's arm—and tore it clean off.
"AAAAAHHH!"
The colonel's scream filled the hall.
But before he could collapse, Ron forced the severed limb into his open mouth.
Blood sprayed across the polished floor as Nezumi gagged and convulsed.
"Now," Ron said softly, his eyes glinting coldly, "you'll give me the bounty… and the ninety million you stole from Nami's orange grove."
He crouched down until their eyes met.
"And for the villagers' injuries and suffering, you'll pay three hundred million berries total."
Nezumi trembled, choking on his own blood.
Ron smiled faintly.
"In my world, money talks. Berries above all. People? Just noise."
He stood, his shadow falling over the trembling marines nearby.
"If even one coin is missing…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "I'll be back for the rest of you."
Not a soul dared move.
The marines stared, pale and silent, as Ron picked up the bounty bags and turned toward the door.
The moment he stepped out, someone collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
By the time the sun set, Colonel Nezumi was dead—and the Sixteenth Branch had been stripped clean.
When Ron returned to the Themis, the evening breeze carried the scent of salt and steel.
Nami spotted the heavy bag in his hand and rushed forward.
"You're back! Was everything alright?"
Ron smiled and handed her the money.
"Three hundred million berries. Your bounty, plus the compensation we were owed."
Nami's eyes widened. "Three hundred million? You didn't—"
She stopped herself, realizing exactly what he'd done.
Her expression softened with guilt.
"If you've attacked a Marine base… they'll brand you a pirate. We'll all be wanted."
Ron chuckled, brushing a lock of her orange hair aside.
"Nami, you still don't understand."
He looked at her gently but firmly.
"A bounty hunter doesn't only hunt pirates. He hunts Marines too."
Her breath caught. "Hunt… Marines?"
He grinned. "Of course. A pirate's bounty pays once. A corrupt Marine's bounty pays twice."
She opened her mouth to argue, but he raised a finger to her lips.
"Trust me, Nami. As long as you're with me, all you have to do is keep sailing forward."
The warmth in his voice melted her doubts.
Their eyes met—hers soft, his steady.
For a moment, time seemed to stop.
Her heart raced. The air between them trembled with unspoken emotion.
Then Ron leaned forward, closing the distance just enough that she could feel his breath.
At that moment—
Footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Nojiko appeared at the door, stopping dead in her tracks.
Her eyes widened as she froze on the spot.
She covered her mouth, afraid even a breath might disturb the tender scene before her.
For a moment, her gaze lingered on them—warm, teasing, and faintly wistful.
But as she watched Nami's blushing face and trembling lips, that teasing look slowly faded.
Something deep inside her chest stirred—an emotion she didn't want to name.
"...Nami really is lucky," she thought, smiling softly. "To have met someone like him on this vast sea."
Only when they finally parted did Nami notice her sister standing there.
Her face turned scarlet.
"Ah—Nojiko!"
Panicked, she covered her face and bolted into her cabin, leaving Ron standing there with a faint smirk.
Nojiko lingered a moment longer, her hand pressed to her flushed cheek.
Then, with a quiet sigh, she whispered to herself,
"Lucky girl."
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