NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 45: "Justice, Late But Sure."
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"We need him to say it out loud."
After Bai Ye said that, he turned to the live Den Den Mushi nearby and added with a smirk:
"Otherwise, a certain old geezer who cares too much about the Navy's reputation might just pretend none of this ever happened~"
In the original story, Captain Nezumi was pretty clever. Aside from accidentally letting slip that he knew about the 100 million berries, he never flat-out admitted to working with Arlong.
That's exactly why Bai Ye had to control Ajian and Yanxiao—so they could show up at the right moment.
But maybe it was because Nami's acting was just too damn good—her performance showed off so many layers: despair, pain, helplessness, rage…
Or maybe things were going too smoothly, and Captain Nezumi got a little too full of himself.
After his men found the 100 million berries and brought it over, Captain Nezumi couldn't help but stroke his mustache.
Grinning at Nami, he said:
"Chichichi… You look so pitiful, I'll give you a free tip."
He crouched down in front of the still-crying Nami and said:
"Before I came here, I had a lovely little chat with Arlong, chichichi~"
"A hundred million berries… Arlong really handed me a sweet gift."
In Nezumi's head, Nami should've completely broken down after hearing that.
But what he didn't expect… was for Nami to suddenly pull a funny face at him.
"We got what we needed, right, Bai Ye?"
Nami wiped the tears from her face and proudly looked up toward the second-floor window.
"Well, that was one hell of a show."
White Night jumped down from the windowsill and landed smoothly.
He looked at Nami with a satisfied expression.
Huh, didn't expect the Cat Burglar to be such a good actress.
Then he turned to Captain Nezumi and started clapping.
"As expected of the famous Captain Nezumi! A Marine who's so tight with pirates—it's almost pioneering work, don't you think?"
"In a time where Marines and pirates are supposed to be mortal enemies, here you are, teaming up with pirates to bully innocent civilians. Truly impressive~"
Nezumi froze for a second, then realized what was going on.
Was this brat being sarcastic with him?
Just as he was about to question him, a deep, familiar voice suddenly rang out, freezing him in place like he'd just fallen into an ice bath.
"That's enough, brat. How long are you planning to keep slapping the Marines in the face?"
The voice was deep—and all too familiar.
Captain Nezumi could hardly believe it. He had heard that voice once before, back at Marine HQ.
He looked at White Night, and a suspicion flashed through his mind.
But just the thought of it made his legs start to shake uncontrollably.
Then, he saw White Night pull out a small Den Den Mushi from inside his coat, smiling like it was all a game.
"Aw, don't get so mad. I mean, I am telling the truth, right?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sir."
Yep. The whole reason White Night set up this performance was for this exact moment.
Back when he heard that Brian was about to be transferred to HQ, White Night had already started planning.
While heading to Cocoyasi Village, he'd called Brian and explained the situation with the Arlong Pirates.
Then he suggested, "How about we put on a little show for old man Sengoku?"
Brian didn't really get it, but after thinking it over, he agreed.
For one, Luffy's crew hadn't officially raised a pirate flag yet, so working with them wasn't illegal.
And for another, White Night had already saved Shells Town before—Brian owed him a favor. As long as it wasn't anything too crazy, he couldn't say no.
And finally, because White Night made it clear: this would be the last time he worked with the Marines.
After getting Brian's word, White Night was able to relax—and he made the call right when Captain Nezumi showed up.
To make things more dramatic, White Night even used a visual Den Den Mushi for a live broadcast.
Meanwhile…
Marineford – Fleet Admiral's Office
BANG!!!
Sengoku slammed his fist into his desk in rage.
Brian, standing nearby, flinched.
He couldn't help thinking:
Yup, that's White Night for you. Even with the highest-ranking Marine in the world watching, he still has the guts to throw shade like that.
This guy's wild…
And honestly, he was starting to worry for White Night.
Right after he got the call, Brian—being a HQ staff officer—had gone straight to Sengoku's office.
He gave him a quick summary, and then the two of them started watching the whole scene unfold.
When Nami and the others were explaining what had happened, both of them—especially Sengoku—were clenching their fists in rage.
And when they saw Nezumi smugly mocking Nami, like he'd already won?
Brian wanted nothing more than to punch that scumbag himself.
As for Sengoku, his face had gone completely dark.
He could tolerate useless officers—but a Marine colluding with pirates?
That was completely against everything he stood for as the symbol of justice in the world.
Then, when he heard White Night's sarcastic speech, Sengoku finally couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"S-Sengoku? T-The Fleet Admiral?"
Nezumi's legs gave out—he collapsed to the ground and tried to crawl toward White Night.
Even now, he was still clinging to a sliver of hope. Maybe this brat was just bluffing.
But the moment he saw that familiar face on the Den Den Mushi…
That hope was crushed.
"Hmph. A Marine working with pirates? You're going to military court, you bastard," Sengoku snapped.
He even swore, something Nezumi had never expected to hear from the Fleet Admiral.
But he knew it—his career in the Marines was over.
Then, Sengoku—who knew exactly how to win the people's trust—stepped in to play the part.
Now was the time to show the villagers that the Marines still cared.
He leaned in and spoke to the Den Den Mushi:
"To all the villagers who've suffered under Arlong and Captain Nezumi, don't worry. We'll be sending forces immediately."
"As Fleet Admiral of the Marines, I swear this: I will not let any of you suffer like this ever again. I promise—"
But before he could finish, White Night cut him off:
"That's enough, Fleet Admiral. Do you really think now's the right time for noble speeches?"
On Sengoku and Brian's end, the Den Den Mushi showed White Night's face—handsome as ever—but twisted into a mocking expression.
"The Arlong Pirates ruled this place for eight long years, you know!"
"If it weren't for us, who knows how many more years this would've gone on?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, tell me—do you really think justice that comes too late is still justice?"
The moment those words left his mouth, Sengoku's expression darkened.
"You little brat…"
"Alright, Fleet Admiral, no need to keep up the formal talk,"
Bai Ye chuckled and continued,"After all, we're the ones going to deal with Arlong now, aren't we?"
"Wanna stick around and keep watching the live broadcast?"
After saying that, Bai Ye didn't hang up the Den Den Mushi. He still needed Sengoku to see a few things.
He turned his head and shouted, "Luffy! Zoro! Time to get to work!"
The door swung open and the four of them came out, ready for action.
Luffy walked to the front, faced the direction of Arlong Park, raised both hands, and shouted loudly:
"Alright guys, let's move out!!!"
"Ohhh!!" ×5
With determined voices from Bai Ye, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji...
The entire Straw Hat crew moved out!
Target — the Arlong Pirates!!!
As for Captain Nezumi and the rest, they were already tied up by the villagers. All they had to do now was wait for Sengoku to send some Marines to pick them up.
The crew was fired up and full of energy, but it didn't take long for a few minor issues to pop up.
"HEY!!! Luffy! Stop running off ahead by yourself like that!!!"
"HEY!!! Zoro! You're going the wrong way again! Seriously! Everyone was right there, how the hell did you end up over there?!"
"HEY!!! Usopp! There's no such thing as a deadly curse called 'You Die If You Enter Arlong Park,' pull yourself together, damn it!!!"
"HEY!!! Bai Ye! Get off the fishman's back! That's way too embarrassing!!!"
Watching Nami shout and argue with them while still keeping pace with the group…
The people of Cocoyashi Village couldn't help but burst into laughter.
Looks like Nami has finally found her true crew~
"....."