One Piece pirates salty life

"What a fortune!"

Leo looked at Nami with genuine surprise. She stood there proudly, arms crossed, clearly basking in his reaction. His eyes then shifted to the mountain of treasure piled up in front of him. He hadn't expected it to be this much.

"Hehehe, this is my lifeblood. I've been saving up for years."

Nami grinned, clearly pleased by the astonished look on Leo's face. She'd never seen him so wide-eyed before—it was immensely satisfying.

"Hahahaha! Usopp, we're rich!"

Luffy shouted with glee, totally ignoring everything else. With reckless enthusiasm, he dashed toward the treasure and pounced straight at it.

Bang!

Before he could land on it, Nami's stick came down hard on his forehead. A large bump instantly swelled up.

"This is mine! Luffy, don't even think about touching it!"

She glared furiously at him, then turned to Usopp, who stood nearby, still holding a shovel.

"Ahem… I-I don't know anything!" Usopp stammered, eyes darting all over the place as he quickly tossed the shovel behind him like it had betrayed him. He didn't even dare glance at the treasure.

Leo chuckled and walked up beside Nami.

"Okay, Nami. How do you plan to carry all this treasure?"

His eyes sparkled with playful curiosity, and he gave her a sincere smile.

"How about I help you collect it first?"

"What? Absolutely not! Don't even think about it!!"

Nami's mood changed instantly. She had thought Leo might say something useful, but here he was, trying to swindle her out of her fortune. Was she going to fall for such a transparent trick? No way!

"Come on, who are you traveling with~?"

Leo smiled and gently patted her on the shoulder, then pointed to the stick hanging on her belt.

"Look at that. I helped reinforce your stick, and I engraved a magic pattern on it. That alone cost you 200,000 Baileys."

He leaned in a bit closer, still grinning. "So how about this—let me hold onto the treasure for now. When you need it, just come and find me. It's a win-win, right?"

His voice was calm and persuasive, filled with a subtle charm that made her hesitate.

That… did make some sense.

The treasure was worth 100 million Baileys. Moving it on her own would be exhausting. Leaving it here was dangerous—Luffy might spend it all on meat, Zoro might steal some to buy sake, and even Usopp could sneak off with a portion for weapons.

Leo, among all of them, was probably the most reliable.

Could she… trust him?

Nami hesitated, her eyes bouncing between Leo and the treasure, her expression unsure. Leo noticed the internal struggle and knew she was close to agreeing. Just a little more.

He crossed his arms, tapped her gently again, and pulled out a small box from his pouch.

"I'm not trying to scam you. Here—take this. It's the 100 million Baileys, already exchanged and ready to use."

Nami's eyes widened slightly.

"Aren't you planning to confront Arlong? I'm lending it to you—for now."

"But…" Leo added with a small smirk, "you'll owe me a favor later. Of course, it'll be something that benefits you too."

"Really? It'll benefit me?"

She looked at him with suspicion, narrowing her eyes. Leo's expression remained warm and calm, not a hint of dishonesty.

After thinking it over for a moment, Nami finally nodded, albeit reluctantly.

"Don't worry! I'm not that kind of guy," Leo said cheerfully.

With a graceful wave of his hand, all the treasure on the ground vanished into a magical storage space. Nami's mouth dropped open slightly at the seamless trick.

"It'll be good for you. I swear," Leo added meaningfully.

Nami let out a small sigh, finally satisfied—just in time for chaos to arrive.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak. I'm Colonel Mouse of Marine Branch 16, and you must be the criminal Nami!"

A loud voice rang out as a large group of Marines marched into the orange orchard. Their leader was a short man with sharp teeth and beady eyes—he looked every bit like a rodent, down to the twitching nose.

"…Criminal?"

Nami turned around, unimpressed by the sudden intrusion.

"Of course I'm a criminal," she said mockingly. "After all, I'm a pirate."

She paused, then smirked. "And I'm a cadre in Arlong's crew. You, Colonel, should know exactly what that means. Are you sure you want to touch me?"

Her tone was cold and cutting. In the past, she might have flinched at the sight of Marines. But now, standing beside Leo, everything was different.

Leo had already told her—this man was working with Arlong.

"Squeak squeak! What nonsense are you spouting? I have no such information!"

Colonel Mouse's tone turned accusatory.

"The intel I received states that you're a thief who specializes in stealing pirate treasure. So, hand over the stolen goods. The government has a right to confiscate them!"

There it was—the truth behind their sudden appearance.

"Hah. As expected," Nami muttered bitterly.

She turned to Leo, her eyes burning with fury. "You were right."

When pirates invaded her town, the Marines didn't come. When Arlong enslaved her village and killed her mother, they didn't intervene. But now—now that she was on the verge of freedom—they finally showed up.

What kind of justice was this? What kind of government allowed such corruption?

Rage surged through her as she ripped the stick from her belt and charged forward. She struck Colonel Mouse squarely in the face.

The magic-enhanced blow sent him flying through the air, screaming like a dying pig. He disappeared over the orchard fence and out of sight.

"You people… might as well be dead!"

Her voice trembled with fury. The sky, once clear and bright, began to darken. Clouds swirled overhead, casting the orange grove in shadow.

Leo calmly stepped forward and laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Look at me," he said gently, his eyes glowing faintly pink. "Tell me—do you know the details of the deal between that rat and Arlong?"

His voice was like a soft breeze, warm and coaxing.

Even the Marines—who had been ready to charge in—began to falter. Some froze mid-step, others lowered their weapons entirely.

The truth spilled out like a broken dam. They confessed everything.

As it turned out, nearly all the Marines here were on Arlong's payroll. Even those who had once been decent had been silenced or eliminated.

Leo's eyes dimmed. The compassion in his face vanished.

"Alright," he said coldly, "you've sealed your fate."

He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

Boom!

Lightning tore down from the heavens.

Thunder roared as bolts of energy struck down the corrupt Marines. There was no time to scream. One by one, they fell—reduced to nothing but scorched corpses. The smell of ozone and burning fabric filled the air.

Silence followed. A heavy, solemn silence.

Luffy, who had been so cheerful earlier, stood still now, his eyes solemn. He said nothing.

Usopp trembled at first, but quickly regained his composure, understanding something important had happened.

Sanji calmly lit a cigarette. He didn't say a word, but the flicker of the lighter was louder than any speech.

Leo turned to Nami again and spoke softly, his voice breaking the tension.

"Still struggling to make sense of it?"

His eyes returned to normal, the pink glow gone.

Nami didn't respond, but the answer was clear in her expression.

Even Luffy nodded.

Øóffer going on for diamond tier

pàtreøn (Gk31)