WebNovels

Chapter 3 - Ch.3

In the morning, the sea mist slowly dissipated, and a light breeze picked up. Xinán, who hadn't slept well all night, was woken by Nami's shout.

"Xinán, get up quickly, or we'll be stuck in this area again!"

Xinán groggily opened his eyes to see Nami already bustling around.

"Nami?"

Nami, who was getting ready to sail, snapped back when she saw his sleepy state, "Hurry up! Otherwise, we'll be drifting on the sea again today."

With that, Nami handed him a piece of hard biscuit, suitable for long-term preservation at sea, and a water bottle.

Xinán, who had slept against the cabin wall all night, pushed off the blanket Nami had given him late the previous evening.

As Xinán took the biscuit and water, Nami instructed, "Eat quickly. You'll row the boat later. I've already lost a day saving you, and we have a lot to do today."

"Got it," Xinán replied, nodding while munching on the surprisingly good biscuit.

After they packed up, the two set off in the small boat.

The East Blue, which occupies nearly a quarter of the entire planet's surface, is vast. It's dotted with islands of all sizes; the Straw Hat Pirates only ever visit a few of them.

It was already midday when Xinán and Nami finally spotted a coastline.

The island was called Bahama. Though not large, it was quite famous in the East Blue. Its location was strategically special, situated along the connection lines of many other islands, serving as a transit point. Because of this, its commerce was very developed.

A bustling commercial hub naturally attracted pirates, followed closely by the Marines and Bounty Hunters.

This complex web of interests created a massive intelligence trading hub. If you could pay the price, you could buy most of the East Blue's information right here.

Nami brought Xinán here, of course, to gather intelligence and find her next target for a heist.

The streets of Bahama Island were packed with people, bustling with merchants and travelers.

Having lived in the 21st century, Xinán had seen skyscrapers hundreds of meters high and sprawling commercial streets. Bahama Island's prosperity was unremarkable to him, but the medieval-style bustle had a unique flavor.

Carrying a large backpack, Xinán followed Nami as they headed into a busy commercial street. Nami led him straight into a bar.

The bar was a mixed bag, and as soon as they entered, a group of fierce-looking pirates turned their attention toward the pair.

Nami was completely used to this and acted naturally, ignoring their stares. Xinán, however, was visibly nervous.

Seeing his reaction, Nami whispered a reminder, "Act natural. Don't look like that. Your nervousness will only make them think you're easy to bully. The Marines are stationed here, so they won't cause trouble."

The pungent smell of stale alcohol and other unsavory odors, combined with the sight of a group of menacing pirates watching them, made Xinán, who was accustomed to a lawful society, feel completely unsafe.

Since Nami had warned him, Xinán could only force himself to stay calm and quietly acknowledge her with an "Mhm."

Seeing Xinán like this, Nami regretted bringing him. She hadn't expected his courage to be so minimal. If she hadn't thought he was suffering from amnesia and had nowhere to go, she wouldn't have kept him around.

"Relax a little," Nami reminded Xinán again before walking toward the bar counter.

Xinán forcibly suppressed his anxiety and followed, pretending everything was normal.

The bar owner was a plump, middle-aged man. He was slightly bald with a round face and a small mustache. His face held a faint, simple smile, making him look rather amiable.

Seeing them approach, the owner asked gently, "What can I get for you, customers?"

"First, two bowls of noodles, please. And then two mugs of ale."

Nami sat down on a stool in front of the counter.

"Alright! Please wait a moment!"

The owner put down the mug he had seemingly been wiping for ages and turned to the kitchen.

Knowing that saying less was safer, Xinán, who understood nothing, sat down beside Nami, trying to look nonchalant.

Once they sat down, the pirates' gazes drifted away from them.

People were constantly moving in and out of the bar. The initial attention was simply because Nami was too attractive to ignore.

The reason the pirates merely looked and didn't attempt to harass her was likely because Nami, such a desirable prize, dared to show up in a bar like this, suggesting she had enough backing to protect herself.

Soon, the bar grew noisy again, filled with the pirates' coarse voices and vulgar jokes.

A skinny pirate said to a burly one, "Boss, I heard the Buggy Pirates attacked Orange Town. Should we go check it out?"

Hearing this, the man who was likely the captain cursed, "Idiot! Buggy the Clown has a 15 million Beli bounty; he's a fierce pirate! If you want to die, go by yourself, don't drag me into it!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

With their boss having spoken, the surrounding subordinates quickly chimed in.

"Speaking of Buggy the Clown, Butcher Bakal, who also has a 15 million Beli bounty, attacked Beckley Town just two days ago! I just saw the Butcher Pirates are resting up right here on this island!"

Gathering intelligence, unless it was highly sensitive, didn't require any deliberate effort.

Just grab a drink in a bar, and the drunken pirates would treat their exploits and local happenings as table talk.

While waiting for his food, Xinán, who had been completely ignorant of this sea region apart from Straw Hat-related events, had gathered a substantial amount of news.

The pirates mentioned Buggy's attack on Orange Town, which meant Luffy must have set sail these past few days. This also meant Nami would soon be heading off to steal Buggy's treasure. Memories related to the Straw Hat Pirates flashed through his mind.

Xinán looked at Nami beside him and saw that her eyes had turned into dollar signs ($$).

"Nami, you're not planning to...?" Xinán asked, a sense of foreboding creeping in as he saw her eyes.

Knowing Nami's greed for money—he had almost sold himself to her in just one day—and with the Butcher Pirates having just attacked a town, wasn't this the perfect time for a theft?

Clearly, Nami, whose eyes were full of Beli, didn't hear a word he said.

...

In the pre-dawn hours, the once busy and noisy port was quiet. Apart from drunken louts and a few streetwalkers, the streets were empty.

The crescent moon in the sky had grown dimmer, and the night was pitch-black. Under the cover of darkness, a small boat quietly approached the dock.

Due to the fearsome reputation of the Butcher Pirates, no other boats dared to come near. Fortunately, under the cover of night, the small boat silently drew up to the pirate ship.

Thud! Thud!!

Only one grappling hook successfully caught the ship's railing; the other fell back into Xinán's hand. Nami shot him a look of sheer distaste. Even in the darkness, Xinán could feel the contempt and could only offer an awkward laugh.

Quickly, using the rope from the hook, the two climbed onto the deck.

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