One Piece: Legend of the Star Sea

"What are you all standing around for? Get rid of them now!"

Captain Morgan barked furiously after hearing Alex shout. Spotting that Alex was immobilized—still wrapped in the arms of a short-haired orange-haired woman—he realized this was the perfect chance to finish him off. While ordering the Marines to continue attacking Luffy and Zoro, Morgan began moving toward Alex himself.

"Zoro, duck down—now!"

Luffy noticed Morgan changing course and instantly realized his target was Alex. He lifted his right foot and gave Zoro the signal.

The Marines—still paralyzed with fear by Zoro's demonic aura—tensed the moment they saw Luffy raise his leg. They remembered how that same foot had once launched an entire row of Marines skyward with a single swipe.

"Check out my Gum-Gum Whip!"

The moment Zoro ducked slightly, Luffy's rubber leg stretched out and whipped sideways like a lashing storm.

More than a dozen Marines behind Zoro never saw it coming. One moment they were standing—next, they were flying through the air like discarded trash.

Zoro, though he'd already seen this "Gum-Gum Whip" move, still stared at Luffy in awe.

"What even are you...?"

"I ate the Gum-Gum Fruit. I'm a rubber man!"

Luffy casually retracted his long leg, the elastic limb wobbling slightly as it snapped back into place.

"Ru... Rubber man?" one of the Marines stammered.

"We don't stand a chance, sir! These guys are monsters!"

"They're just too strong. We can't even beat Zoro, let alone all three of them!"

"And a bunch of us already got wrecked by that guy with the weird weapon earlier. There's no way we're winning this fight!"

The morale of the remaining Marines finally shattered. Just Alex alone had mopped the floor with them. Now with Luffy and Zoro backing him up? No one had the guts to charge again.

Morgan, in the middle of attacking Alex and Nami, overheard their mutiny. His already swollen, pig-like face contorted with fury. With a swing of his axe, he forced Alex back and then turned to his trembling subordinates.

"I am your commanding officer, and I order you—anyone who dares speak defeatist trash, blow your brains out! That's a direct order!"

His voice thundered across the battlefield. "I don't need weaklings like you!"

The Marines were stunned. Alex's punch had left Morgan looking like a monster—and now he sounded like one, too. And he wasn't done yet.

"Whoever just said those cowardly things—kill yourselves. That's an order!"

The Marines' faces twisted in fury and disbelief. But none dared to speak out. And after a moment's hesitation, some of them actually began raising their rifles... turning them on themselves.

Alex, finally not under attack for a moment, watched in stunned silence.

"What the hell kind of Navy is this?!"

He wasn't the only one thinking it. Zoro, still biting one of his swords, growled, "What's wrong with this military?!"

Even Koby, standing beside Zoro, looked like he'd seen a ghost. His hands trembled. He'd always dreamed of joining the Navy—of fighting for justice. But now... he saw officers who couldn't tell right from wrong. Who treated human life like garbage.

Koby's glasses began to fog. His eyes turned red.

This... this isn't the Navy I dreamed of.

The betrayal of that dream left his heart aching.

Just then, Nami finally released Alex and stepped away.

"Well then... goodbye. If we ever meet again, you'd better pay me back what you owe," she said gently.

Tears stained her face, yet a soft, radiant smile bloomed on her lips. It was the kind of smile that warmed hearts, tender and sincere.

Before Alex could respond, she turned and bolted—never looking back.

Alex stood frozen.

What the hell just happened? She cried all over me, soaked my shirt, and then said I owe her money?! I don't owe her anything!

He could still feel the damp warmth of her tears on his chest.

Damn, her tears are actually kind of hot.

As she neared the exit of the Marine base, Alex suddenly remembered something important. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted:

"You still owe me a few hundred Berries! You better pay that back next time we meet, don't you dare try to worm out of it!"

Nami, mid-run, stumbled at his words. Nearly face-planted.

From behind, Alex muttered to himself, "Geez, this woman's so clumsy. Can't even run without tripping. She should learn from me—my steps are always steady. I've never tripped once!"

What Alex didn't know was that Nami had only brought up the "debt" in the hope that he might remember her later. She had no idea that it would be the few hundred Berries that stayed burned in his brain. She instantly regretted planting that seed.

Out on the vast ocean, it wasn't unusual for people to part ways forever. That's why, for once, Nami had shown a very different side of herself.

Just then, Luffy launched himself forward with lightning speed. In a blink, he stood before Morgan, fist cocked back.

"I'm your enemy now! Come on, give me the death sentence!"

His punch was filled with rage. Luffy couldn't forgive someone who ordered his own men to kill themselves like livestock.

As the two clashed, Alex suddenly saw a familiar flash of orange—Nami had returned.

Delighted, he waved at her. "You back to pay me?"

Nami shot him a dark look, walked right past him, and picked something off the ground—her nunchaku, the weapon Alex had crafted for her.

"You're not even good with these. I'll take them back."

"Hey, at least let me hold onto them," Alex protested.

"You idiot! These are mine, mine, mine!"

Nami screamed, shaking the nunchaku like a club and spraying Alex with spit. Her voice was pure rage—her earlier warmth completely gone.

It was an exact mirror of the earlier scene when Alex had shouted at her, spit flying.

Back then, she'd been gentle and warm like sunshine. Now? She was the devil incarnate. The sheer hostility in her eyes made Alex flinch.

He took a defensive stance, wary. "Look, if you're just gonna attack me, we don't need to—"

Suddenly, Nami smiled.

It was charming. Mischievous. Almost... seductive.

"I changed my mind. You can keep them. Come take them," she said sweetly, holding the nunchaku out.

Her eyes sparkled with sincerity.

Alex, hesitant, asked, "If I take them... you're really not going to hurt me?"

"Of course not. Why would I hurt you?"

She beamed innocently.

"Swear it."

"Fine. I swear—if I hurt you after you take these, then may I owe you money for the rest of my life. How about that?"

That promise was all Alex needed. For someone like Nami, owing money forever was the worst fate imaginable.

He dropped his guard and reached for the nunchaku.

But just as his fingers brushed the weapon—WHAM!

Nami's iron fist, powered by "pure fury," smashed down on his head. She grinned wide, shark teeth bared:

"All the money is mine! You dared ask me to pay you back?! TAKE THIS!"

"WAAAHHHHHHH!!!"

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