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["Aiya, squeezed it!"]
[On the periphery, Luffy, watching this grand dragon-slaying ceremony, suddenly slapped his forehead, exclaiming "Not good!"]
["What's wrong???"]
[Zoro instantly placed his hand on his sword; Observation Haki was immediately released.]
[Usopp, Sanji, and Buggy also became vigilant simultaneously.]
["Money! Lots of money!"]
[Luffy suddenly scratched his hair, grimacing and saying, "Ah! Should have let them keep a head! Arlong's head is worth 20 million Berries! Ahhhhh!!!"]
[Watching Arlong slowly turn to ash in the flames before him, Luffy's heart was bleeding!]
[Ever since learning pirates could be exchanged for bounties, Luffy finally dared to eat to his heart's content...]
[But if he didn't pay attention to "earning money" usually, then the family coffers would eventually be eaten empty!]
[The thought of 20 million Berries just gone like that made Luffy's heart ache terribly!]
["No, no, we have to hurry back to Arlong Park! The Fishmen heads are still there! Quick, pack them up, go exchange for money!"]
[Thinking this, Luffy quickly pulled everyone along to leave.]
[When they arrived at Arlong Park, they happened to find Nojiko also there.]
[Luffy told the others to quickly pack up the heads while he had something he needed to ask Nojiko.]
["Beautiful lady, shall we open a bottle of... Oof!!!"]
[Sanji sidled up to Nojiko, trying to flirt.]
["Luffy did that, what does it have to do with you for even half a Berry???" Zoro directly dragged Sanji away.]
["Why did you come here??"]
[Luffy came before Nojiko, asking somewhat puzzledly.]
[Logically, everyone should be participating in the celebratory banquet right now.]
[Nojiko appearing here was actually quite unreasonable...]
["Nami isn't in the village, so I wanted to come here and see. If she's not here either, then Nami might have gone out to sea again..."]
[Thinking that Nami still didn't know the entire village had regained its freedom, Nojiko felt immense heartache for Nami.]
[That silly girl... I wonder which crew she's targeted now.]
[I wonder if that pirate crew is difficult to deal with.]
["Oh right, I haven't properly thanked you yet! Luffy, thank you for saving all of us!"]
[Suddenly remembering Luffy's great kindness, Nojiko actually knelt directly before Luffy!]
["Hey! What are you doing!?"]
[Luffy quickly pulled Nojiko up.]
[He said seriously, "I eliminated Arlong's crew not because of your story, but because they deserved to die! Relax, you don't owe me anything."]
[However, Nojiko was very insistent. "No matter what you say, you are the great benefactor of everyone in the Conomi Islands."]
[Luffy waved his hand dismissively: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about this. Let me ask you something. I want to invite your sister Nami to be my navigator. Do you think she'll agree?"]
[Hearing this, Nojiko's eyes lit up: "She'll definitely be willing!"]
[Regarding Nami's dream, Nojiko knew it all too well!]
[Since childhood, this kid dreamed of drawing a map of the entire world!]
[Previously, because of the scourge of the Arlong Pirates, Nami's dream was completely locked away.]
[But now... the Arlong Pirates have been completely wiped out!!! Nami should go pursue her own dream!]
[And a captain as righteous as Luffy, isn't he exactly the perfect captain Nami ideally dreamed of???]
[Thinking this, Nojiko felt happy for Nami from the bottom of her heart!]
[She quickly told Luffy Nami's dream.]
["Er... so certain???" Luffy looked at Nojiko doubtfully.]
["Yes! Nami's dream since childhood was to become an excellent navigator..." Immediately, Nojiko recounted everything to Luffy.]
[After finishing explaining Nami's dream, Nojiko excitedly patted Luffy's shoulder: "So... you see? Isn't it a perfect match???"]
["The logic makes sense, it's just... I had some unpleasantness with Nami before. I don't know if she holds grudges..."]
[Luffy wore a miserable expression on his face, like a wilted eggplant.]
Nico Robin: "Fufufu~ See, what goes around, comes around."
Vinsmoke Sanji: "Serves him right for treating Nami-chan like that back then!"
Nami: "Hmph hmph!" Now you appreciate me? Why weren't you gentler when you attacked me back then?
Franky: "Gahahahaha!!!"
[Nojiko tilted her head slightly, a flash of understanding in her eyes. "Unpleasantness...???"]
["Very unpleasant..."]
[Thus, Luffy recounted how he fished Nami out, then knocked her out with Conqueror's Haki, and finally threw her back onto her small boat.]
["Phew..."]
[Nojiko rubbed her forehead. These two really are a pair of quarrelsome lovers...]
[She smiled and said, "Got it. You can rest assured a hundred times over. I'll be the peacemaker for you two!"]
["Aha! Then thank you so much!"]
[Hearing this, Luffy happily revealed a mouthful of pearly white teeth.]
[Subsequently, he thought of something and asked: "Oh, almost forgot. Where's the nearest Marine branch base around here?"]
["Marine base?"]
[Hearing this, an unpleasant expression immediately appeared on Nojiko's face.]
[Luffy observed her expression and roughly grasped some clues.]
[He had been thinking earlier, such outrageous things happened in the Conomi Islands, yet the Marines hadn't come to rescue them for five years? The only explanation was that the news here was completely blocked.]
[And the ones capable of doing such a thing must be the Marine branch responsible for the security of this sea area!!]
[Luffy asked calmly: "Are the Marines nearby actually in cahoots with Arlong?"]
[Nojiko was extremely shocked. "How did you know?"]
[Luffy spread his hands: "This kind of thing is easy to guess, right?"]
["Luffy!! You absolutely must not act foolishly!!!"]
[Thick panic suddenly surged in Nojiko's eyes. She grabbed Luffy's hand tightly, earnestly urging, "Listen to me! Eliminating the Arlong Pirates means Captain Nezumi lost his money tree. Although Captain Nezumi is very unhappy, he can't do anything to you alone!"]
["But if you dare to make a move against Captain Nezumi, that kind of thing is absolutely intolerable in the eyes of the Marines!!"]
[Nojiko wasn't defending Captain Nezumi; rather, she couldn't let Luffy face a massive Marine pursuit because of matters concerning their Conomi Islands!]
["Ahaha!! Relax, I'm not stupid enough to pick a fight with the Marines yet!"]
[Luffy laughed heartily, then pointed at the Fishmen heads in Arlong Park behind him. "I plan to exchange these Fishmen heads for bounty money!"]
[Hearing Luffy say this, Nojiko immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Oh, as long as you're not looking for trouble with the Marines, that's good."]
[The next day, Luffy's group temporarily left Cocoyasi Village with the packed Fishmen heads...]
[Nami hadn't returned yet, but with Nojiko around, Luffy wasn't too worried.]
[Thinking about how he coldly knocked her out back then, Luffy couldn't help but guiltily rub his nose...]
[That girl... she probably doesn't hold grudges, right?]
[Mm, a girl that pretty definitely doesn't hold grudges!]
["There, it's just ahead!"]
[Buggy pointed at a mark on the nautical chart, saying.]
[This mark was pointed out by Nojiko yesterday, representing the location of the Marine 16th Branch Base.]
["So many Fishman pirate heads, should be worth at least 100 million Berries!"]
[Usopp slung a sack full of Fishmen heads over his shoulder, excitedly rubbing his little hands.]
["Not so fast. Leave the Fishmen heads on deck first. Wait until we go to the 77th Branch to exchange them with Commodore Brannew." Luffy said.]
["Huh?" Usopp was instantly stunned. "The 77th Branch?"]
[Zoro was also slightly surprised: "Is that the same branch where we exchanged the Black Cat Pirates for bounty last time?"]
["Yes."]
[Mentioning Commodore Brannew, Luffy held him in high regard.]
[Last time after he, Zoro, and Buggy exchanged the bounty, the three ate at a restaurant in the town where the 77th Base was located and found that everyone spoke very highly of Commodore Brannew's reputation.]
[That really is a good person!]
["No... Since we're going to the 77th Branch, then why come here...???"]
[Buggy asked, very confused.]
["To kill people," Luffy replied calmly.]
Sengoku: "What!! Luffy over there really dares..."
Seeing Red Luffy speak such words with such a calm tone, Sengoku was instantly shocked!
Monkey D. Garp: "Damn it!!! Grandson over there, absolutely don't do anything stupid!!"
Tsuru: "Once you attack the Marines, there will be no room left for turning back..."
Sakazuki: "Originally held him in rather high regard, didn't expect him to also be a lawless creature..."
Gol D. Roger: "Hahaha! Even I can see that the lawless one is that Captain Nezumi, right!! What Red Luffy over there is about to do is clearly eliminating a scourge for the people...!"
Marco: "It's precisely because there are too many dog turds like Captain Nezumi that many people reluctantly become pirates."
Shiki: "Gyahahahaha!!! See? These Marine dog turds have already reached the point of confusing black and white!"
Rocks D. Xebec: "Hahaha! Kill! Kill all these dog turds!!"
Boa Hancock: "Luffy over there... is doing well..."
Usopp: "Why did Luffy over there suddenly change his mind??? I remember he just told Nojiko he was going to exchange bounty?"
Roronoa Zoro: "No... Luffy over there didn't change his mind. He was originally planning to deal with Captain Nezumi!"
Nami: "Yeah! The reason he said that to Nojiko was just so Nojiko wouldn't worry!"
Usopp: "Luffy over there actually likes to lie too?"
Nico Robin: "A white lie is warmer... Our Captain Luffy could learn a thing or two~~~"
Monkey D. Luffy: "Mmm???"
[When Luffy spoke the words 'kill people', the surrounding four were all utterly astonished!!!]
[Subsequently, Luffy recounted his speculations and what Nojiko had said verbatim to the four.]
[Sanji held a cigarette, exhaling a long ring of smoke: "These guys are indeed hateful!!! But... Luffy, have you really decided to make a move against the Marines?"]
[Zoro rubbed the hilt of his sword: "These Marines are scum. I have no objection to killing them. It's just, Luffy, you need to think clearly yourself. After killing Marines, you will become a wanted criminal by the World Government. At that point, you can only walk the path of a pirate. Your grandpa's side..."]
[Zoro was the earliest to become Luffy's partner. They trained together in the mountains, and would chat during breaks, so they knew a lot about each other's pasts.]
[Usopp: "Also... once we become pirates, we won't be able to exchange pirate heads for bounty anymore!"]
["Mm, what you've said, I've considered it all."]
[Luffy nodded, walked a few steps towards the middle of the deck to clear some space, then...]
[Did some stretching exercises.]
["Although attacking the Marines is a path of no return, but ah... I've thought about it carefully. The reason the Conomi Islands suffered under the Arlong Pirates for so many years actually stems from scum like Captain Nezumi!!!!"]
["Although we've eliminated the Arlong Pirates now, bringing temporary peace to the Conomi Islands, who can guarantee that other pirate crews won't come to harm this place in the future???"]
["As long as Captain Nezumi and his lackeys are still here, then today it's the Arlong Pirates, tomorrow it will be the Evil Tiger Pirates, Evil Leopard Pirates, Evil Dog Pirates!"]
["As long as any pirate crew is willing to offer tribute to Captain Nezumi, then the nightmare for the civilians here will never end!!!"]
[Luffy said these words while doing stretching exercises.]
[It seemed very casual, but everyone present knew this decision was actually very difficult for Luffy!!!]
[Once he attacked the Marines, Luffy wouldn't be able to face his grandfather!!!]
[Sanji pondered for a moment: "How about... we try reporting Captain Nezumi to his superiors???"]
["No need!!"]
[Luffy finished his stretching, turned his head to look at everyone, and smiled: "What if Captain Nezumi's superior is his protector?... Although it's just a possibility, it's still a gamble~~~"]
["We can afford to gamble, but the civilians of the Conomi Islands cannot!"]
["If we lose the gamble, although we won't be affected in the slightest, the civilians of the Conomi Islands will likely face even greater retaliation!!"]
["Since we've taken charge of this matter, let's see it through to the end! Otherwise, any subsequent backlash these civilians suffer will be because of us..."]
[Luffy spread his feet apart, struck another goofy pose, pointing a single finger to the sky: "Hahaha!! I! Monkey D. Luffy! Am definitely meddling in this matter today!!"]
[But just then, Buggy grabbed Luffy's hand and pushed it back down: "Luffy... It's not time for that yet!"]
[Huh?]
[Everyone looked at Buggy, bewildered. What was this now?]
[Buggy walked over to a nearby wooden barrel and sat down sideways on one leg.]
[He looked at everyone, shrugged: "You all aren't pirates yet. There's no need to embroil yourselves in the pirate mire because of this incident."]
["But me... it's different!"]
["I've been a pirate since twenty-five years ago! I've long been a wanted man by the World Government and the Marines..."]
["Luffy, you pointed out my training direction! This is very important to me!!"]
["But I haven't had anything I could repay you with."]
["Isn't it almost time for us to part ways? Then... it's also time for me to repay you!"]
["Luffy kid! This crime of killing Marines, let me bear it for you!!"]