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"What are you doing?"
That bizarre, long neck startled Nami, and she instantly punched him.
Then, looking at the straw-hatted boy before her and the lazy guy holding three swords, she said irritably, "I just started reading it. How would I know?"
"Alright."
Rubbing his head, Luffy didn't mind the punch at all. He still grinned and said, "Nami, won't you really be my navigator? I'm the man who's going to become the King of the Pirates!"
"Sorry, I don't want to be a pirate!"
Nami rejected him without hesitation.
After all, she was currently the East Blue agent for Sibia Green Grape Wine, earning money diligently. How could she have time to accompany these guys to play pirate?
If that despicable clown hadn't captured her and forced her to become his subordinate to steal her agent rights, she wouldn't have been saved by this strange boy.
While reading the newspaper, Nami said: "We already have an agreement, you'll send me back to Cocoyasi Village, and when we get there, I'll treat you two to a big meal!"
"You really won't come? We really need a navigator!"
"What's that got to do with me?"
Nami shot back mercilessly, not even lifting her head as she continued reading. "Don't cling to me. I'm the rich Miss Nami who can earn millions of belly in minutes. I don't have time to play your pirate games."
"Alright..."
Hearing that Nami really wouldn't come, Luffy lowered his head in disappointment.
But he quickly bounced back, raised his hands, and said with a grin: "Zoro, set sail! We're going to Nami's house for a feast!"
"I know. Also, you bastard, can't you help out a bit?"
Just as the two were about to set sail…
"Wait!"
Nami, who had been reading the newspaper, suddenly stopped them.
Luffy and Zoro: "...?"
Before Luffy and Zoro could react…
"You wanted me to be your navigator, right?"
Nami's impatient tone suddenly vanished, replaced by a sweet, friendly smile. "I can agree to be your navigator for a while!"
"Really? That's great!"
"Hey, hey, hey, you brainless idiot, calm down!"
Unlike the excited Luffy, Zoro snorted coldly and looked at Nami with suspicion. "You money-grubber, suddenly changing your mind, what are you plotting?"
"Actually, I also have a dream of going out to see the sea!"
"Heh!"
"Fine, fine!"
Under Zoro's cold laugh and Luffy's curious gaze, Nami finally gave in.
Thinking of how she'd need their help next and probably couldn't hide it, she sighed and raised the newspaper in her hand, her eyes sparkling. "Let's go find this, the Dark-Dark Fruit!"
At that time, she'd at most give these two guys a few billion... A few million... A few hundred thousand... No, just a few tens of thousands of belly!
…
A bounty carnival was about to begin in the East Blue, while the West Blue remained as calm as ever.
Of course, the astonishing news of the ten-billion-belly bounty had still spread to the West Blue.
"Ian, Ian, we're rich!"
For example, when Zephyr, who was already getting on in years, received this news, he immediately became excited, his face full of joy as he said, "Where's Aria? The Dark-Dark Fruit is still with her, right? Do you know? Someone in the East Blue put a bounty on the Dark-Dark Fruit, over ten billion belly! Too bad those guys don't know that the Dark-Dark Fruit is in our—"
"I know."
But before Zephyr could finish, Ian, who was sunbathing in front of him, nodded and directly said: "I'm the one who posted that bounty."
Zephyr: "...?!"
Zephyr, who had been excited just a moment before, instantly froze. Everything he wanted to say got stuck in his throat as he stared blankly at Ian. "Huh? You posted it?"
After that, he directly pulled over a chair and sat down. He seemed to have figured something out, and the confusion on his face disappeared, replaced with suspicion. "Isn't the Dark-Dark Fruit with Aria? Why would you suddenly offer a bounty like that? And a ten-billion bounty? Don't tell me you're hiding some plan from me?"
"I'm not hiding it from you. I'm just testing something."
"Testing? Testing what?"
"Just so happens an old client came to me."
Faced with Zephyr's questions, Ian's eyes flickered slightly as he squinted and said, "So I thought I'd take the chance to see what choice a certain ambitious man would make."
"Ambitious man? Who?"
"Teach."
"Teach? Who's that?"
"A member of the Whitebeard Pirates."
"A member of the Whitebeard Pirates?"
Hearing Ian's answer, Zephyr furrowed his brows, thinking hard. He recalled the Whitebeard Pirates in his mind, but couldn't place anyone by that name. "None of the sixteen division commanders of the Whitebeard Pirates are named Teach!"
"Of course. After all, he isn't a division commander."
Ian nodded. "He's just a member of the second squad on Whitebeard's ship, but..."
His tone shifted slightly as he narrowed his eyes again and continued without hiding anything: "He's Rocks's son."
Zephyr: "...?!"
The moment those words dropped, Zephyr, who had been about to ask why Ian cared about some random Whitebeard Pirates crewmember, had his pupils shrink sharply.
His eyes narrowed as he muttered a name no one on the seas dared mention lightly: "Rocks D. Xebec!!!"
Rocks D. Xebec, the captain of the Rocks Pirates, a pirate who once nearly dominated the seas, was ultimately defeated when Roger and Garp joined forces against him.
Zephyr's tone carried a heaviness. "I didn't expect Rocks' son to appear... And he actually hid inside the Whitebeard Pirates' crew. Back then, Whitebeard was a member of Rocks's crew, and now Rocks's son claims Whitebeard as his father. Is this what they call fate?"
Ian: "..."
That's nothing.
If that old man, Garp, hadn't meddled, even the King of the Pirates's son would have ended up calling Whitebeard dad.
Ian rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything, Zephyr spoke again while looking at him seriously. "So your target is Rocks's son? Don't tell me you want him to join the Umbrella Corporation?"
"No. That guy's ambition is too big."
Ian shook his head. "He's not suitable for our Umbrella Corporation."
"Tsk, so secretive."
Seeing that Ian wasn't planning to explain further, Zephyr complained but didn't continue the topic.
Instead, he sighed and shook his head. "You let me get excited for nothing. I thought we somehow picked up a Devil Fruit worth ten billion. Forget it, say no more. As long as you know what you're doing. Since you won't talk, I won't pry."
120 more chapters on my Patreon/SweetestDeath