Shortly after Nami's departure, Captain Nezumi stormed into Arlong's presence, his face burning with fury. "That little thief didn't have a hundred million Berry!"
"Huh?" Arlong snarled, his own anger flaring. Nami's despairing expression had clearly shown she'd been robbed. "You think you can double-cross me, Marine? In your dreams!"
He grabbed Nezumi by the face, hoisting him into the air. "Fifty million of Nami's hundred million Berry belongs to me! You think you can steal from me and get away with it? A Marine Captain can't threaten me! Return my fifty million untouched, and get out!" With a final shove, he sent Nezumi flying.
Meanwhile, Nami and Orochimaru had infiltrated Nezumi's office while Luffy and the others went to confront Arlong. Nami cracked the safe, her eyes gleaming with greed. "$_$ Mine! Mine! All mine!"
After emptying Nezumi's vault, the duo swiftly returned to Arlong Park, arriving just as Luffy's battle was nearing its climax.
As Luffy demolished Arlong Park, the villagers erupted in cheers. Nami couldn't help but wipe away a tear. "Thank you, everyone," she whispered.
Usopp, bruised and battered, limped over. "Nami, I fought bravely too! I defeated one of their officers!"
Orochimaru treated Usopp's injuries, and Nami's face lit up with a radiant smile.
"Thank you, Usopp!"
Usopp turned away, wiping a stray tear from the corner of his eye. "Geez, no need to be so formal."
Just then, Nezumi arrived with a group of Marines, eager to seize Arlong's treasure for himself.
Orochimaru subtly signaled to Zoro, who nodded and hefted the heavily wounded Arlong over his shoulder.
"I'm Roronoa Zoro, the Pirate Hunter. I defeated Arlong to claim his bounty."
Nezumi sneered. "Pirate Hunter... more like a pirate yourself! Who would have thought Arlong would fall to nameless scum like you? But thanks to you, the Arlong Pirates' fortune is all mine now. Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch will take credit for your efforts."
Zoro's face darkened as he beat Nezumi into a bloody pulp.
Orochimaru, of course, filmed the entire scene.
Later, Nami and the others took turns beating Nezumi as well.
As he was thrown into the water, Nezumi swam away frantically, shouting threats. "You hat-wearing punk! Luffy, right? You're the captain! You're in big trouble now! Too late for regrets! Remember this!"
Luffy tilted his head, puzzled. "Huh? How did he know I wanted to be King of the Pirates?"
The rest of the Straw Hats rolled their eyes. Orochimaru walked by and patted Luffy on the head. "Don't worry about it. Just stay the way you are."
The others followed suit, mimicking Orochimaru's gesture and expression.
Luffy, his face contorted into a shark-like grin, glared at them. "What are you all doing?! I bet you're hiding something from me!"
The crew waved their hands in unison. "Nope, you're just imagining things."
Back at the Marine base, Captain Nezumi roared into the Den Den Mushi, ranting about Straw Hat Luffy's "atrocious crimes" to Headquarters. They promised to investigate and issue a bounty.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hats were celebrating with a lively feast, singing and dancing. Nami got a new tattoo, washing away the last of her gloom.
Orochimaru busied himself organizing photos and videos of their exploits, adding captions and editing the footage with a Visual Den Den Mushi. "Why bother?" he mused. "Does a pirate need a reason to mess with the Marines?"
He packaged everything up, paid a news gull to deliver it to Morgans' news department, and slipped the bird a tip. "He'll love this embarrassing news," Orochimaru chuckled.
The good times always flew by. The next morning, as they prepared to set sail, Nami swiped everyone's wallets. Amidst the villagers' grumbling, she grinned brightly as their ship left the harbor.
A news gull flew by, and Nami paid for a stack of newspapers that tumbled to the ground. Luffy's bounty poster was on the front—thirty million berries! That made him a big shot in the East Blue, and Luffy puffed up with pride. But the news stories inside were even more explosive, with shocking photos to match.
Headline: "Luffy and Orochimaru Rescue Little Girl, Branded Rebels by Marine Captain Morgan, Forced to Defeat Him, Then Labeled Pirates, Forced to Leave in Disgrace!"
Photo: A crying little girl, Morgan's smug son with his ridiculous chin, his dog, a shattered statue of Morgan, and Marines erecting a new one.
Headline: "One of the Seven Warlords of the Sea uses Black Blade as an Oar, Spotted by Sous Chef at Renowned Restaurant, Leaves in Tears to Protect Restaurant's Reputation!"
Photo: Hawkeye's tiny boat and the Baratie's shattered deck.
Headline: "Marine Captain Exploits Village, Steals All Their Money, Destroys Family Orange Grove!"
Photo: Crying Nami, Nojiko lying "injured" (faking it), and Marines digging up orange trees.
Headline: "Famous Pirate Hunter Defeats Rampaging Pirates, Denied Bounty, Branded as Pirate!"
The newspaper featured a photo of Zoro holding Arlong hostage, with Marines pointing their guns at him. Each photo had captions detailing the scene, and Morgans, the president of the World Economic News Paper, had confirmed their authenticity with video evidence. The headline screamed: "We didn't choose to be pirates! The Marines forced us into it!"
The crew stared at the newspaper with the same blank expressions as elderly subway riders glued to their phones. They glanced at Orochimaru, hesitant to speak, but Luffy, completely oblivious to the photos' origins, burst out: "What's this crap?! I chose to be a pirate! I'm going to be King of the Pirates! What's with this 'forced' nonsense?!"
Orochimaru stood up, punched Luffy on the head, and dragged him away. "Excuse us," he said curtly.
Luffy rubbed his throbbing head indignantly. "Why'd you hit me? I was telling the truth!"
Orochimaru glanced down at him. "The photos and captions are real... and in a way, the story is too."
Luffy looked frustrated but didn't know how to respond. Orochimaru sighed in exasperation.
"We're heading to the Grand Line soon. Do you know what that means?"
Luffy tilted his head. "Huh?"
Orochimaru's face darkened. "This means we might run into the Old Man anywhere. You want to die? I sure don't. Do you think we'd survive another beating from him?"
Luffy swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
"So! Even though your dream is to become the King of the Pirates, we were forced into piracy before we even planned to! Got it?!"
Luffy nodded. Grandpa was truly terrifying, and his punches really hurt. Then something clicked. Orochimaru was the one in real trouble. Grandpa had been itching to beat him up for ages, just waiting for an excuse, seething silently all the while.
Luffy even remembered seeing Grandpa practicing air slaps, his face twisted with frustration. A chill ran down his spine. Poor Orochimaru... Luffy decided it was best not to tell him. He breathed a sigh of relief—Grandpa preferred hitting him on the head.
Orochimaru opened the door to find a group of people outside, whistling and gazing at the sky, feigning ignorance. He stared at them in disbelief.
"We didn't hear a thing," they insisted, which was true. They'd only arrived moments before, catching just the tail end of the conversation: "We were forced to become pirates!"
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed his fist on the table in fury. It wasn't just the news stories that had humiliated the Marines; it was that all-too-familiar surname on the bounty poster.
"GARP!!!"
To be continued...