Chapter 2 Luffy Wants to Join the Marines to Save Zoro"BOOM!"
A deafening roar of thunder, accompanied by blinding flashes of lightning, instantly engulfed Alvida's pirate ship.
The sturdy warship, under the power of the lightning, was like paper, instantly exploding into countless fragments.
The once arrogant pirates were now all charred corpses, floating on the sea with their eyes rolled back.
As for Alvida, worth 5 million Berries, she was directly electrocuted, foaming at the mouth, and unconscious, her body rolled belly up.
"Tsk tsk tsk, she's not even completely dead. The physical constitution of people in the pirate world is truly monstrous."
Luffy looked at the still-breathing Alvida and couldn't help but sigh.
Those on the nearby merchant ship who had luckily escaped were completely terrified, slumped on the deck, some even with their crotches soaked.
This scene was too impactful for them; it was practically a miracle.
Luffy, maneuvering the waves beneath his feet, gracefully landed on the merchant ship's deck with Nami.
Looking at the trembling crowd around him, he calmly waved to the captain.
The captain, shivering, trotted over, his back bent like a shrimp: "M-Sir, what are your orders?"
"Go, prepare a good meal for me. I want to invite this beautiful lady to lunch. Also, pull all those pirates out of the water and tie them up. If the Marines arrive, we'll have something to report."
"Oh, and keep a close eye on that fat woman. She's a walking 5 million Berries."
Luffy pointed to Alvida, who was still smoking on the surface of the sea.
"And also, all that treasure on this lady is her spoils. Anyone who dares to covet it won't be polite, understand?"
The captain nodded vigorously, not daring to utter a single word of dissent.
Hearing this, Nami was so moved she almost cried, her affection for him skyrocketing.
This was truly a perfect man!
Not only did he save her life, but he also helped her launder her money.
Before, she had to hide all the stolen money; now she could finally take it back openly.
"Thank you!" Nami said sincerely.
Luffy was overjoyed; this was a perfect move.
Soon, the two were led to the most luxurious private room, where the table was laden with steaming hot food.
Looking at this table of normal food, Luffy, who had been eating sashimi for a whole week, was moved to tears.
It had been so hard; finally, he could have a hot meal.
Before, to stave off hunger, he would occasionally use lightning to half-cook Sea Kings—the taste was indescribable.
Nami, seeing Luffy burst into tears before even touching his chopsticks, was somewhat at a loss: "Are you... alright?"
Luffy hastily wiped his face and waved his hand: "I'm fine, just too touched. I've never had a beautiful woman eat with me before."
Nami blushed, feeling even more guilty. Such a strong man, yet so innocent?
Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly intimate, and Nami was about to serve Luffy some food, the oblivious captain barged in with a man in a naval uniform.
"Mr. Luffy, this is Captain Joyce, the naval captain in charge of this area."
Joyce strode forward, a professional fake smile plastered on his face, and extended his hand: "Hello, I'm Joyce. Thank you for your help."
Luffy, equally unfazed, stretched his arm out like rubber and shook hands with Joyce.
This gesture startled Joyce: "You're a Devil Fruit user?!"
"Calm down, calm down, basic stuff," Luffy chuckled. "Didn't expect to run into a Colonel from headquarters in this backwater. You're with my grandfather, aren't you?"
In a place like the East Blue, a branch colonel is usually just a figurehead. Meeting a headquarters colonel is definitely not simple.
"Your grandfather?"
Joyce looked puzzled. "Excuse me, but your father is…"
"Monkey D. Garp."
Luffy mumbled, stuffing a chicken leg into his mouth.
Joyce's expression froze instantly, followed by a perfect attention salute, the movement so fast it was almost a blur.
"So he's Vice Admiral Garp's grandson! No wonder he's so powerful! Like father, like son!"
The captain and Nami beside him were stunned; this turn of events was too fast.
Luffy squinted and waved his hand: "Alright, alright, stop with the formalities. I don't have any military rank now, just an ordinary citizen. I can't accept such a grand gesture."
"Consider the Alvida Pirates my gift to you, but the bounty belongs to this young lady; she urgently needs the money."
Joyce didn't dare to object and quickly nodded: "No problem, no problem, I'll handle the formalities. The money will be delivered immediately, not a penny less."
Luffy nodded in satisfaction. This was the proper way to deal with a princeling.
With a background as solid as iron, why insist on becoming a wanted criminal like in the original story? That's just asking for a stroke!
"There's something else," Luffy swallowed the meat in his mouth, "Can you tell the old man for me that I want to join the Marines and ask him to give me a sinecure? Remember, a sinecure! If he doesn't agree, I'll become the Pirate King and show him!"
Joyce wiped the cold sweat from his forehead: "Yes, yes, yes, I'll contact the Vice Admiral right away."
With that, he ran out to make the call as if fleeing.
He knew very well Garp's fiery temper; if he didn't handle this well, he'd get scolded by both sides.
Meanwhile, far away in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters.
Garp was fighting with Sengoku over senbei when he suddenly received a call from Joyce.
After hearing the report, Garp jumped up from the sofa, spraying Sengoku's face with his senbei.
"What did you say? That brat wants to join the Marines? Not the Pirate King?"
Joyce's trembling voice came from the other end of the Den Den Mushi: "Yes, young master said that if you don't arrange a position for him, he'll really become a pirate."
"Pfft! Hahaha! Good! Good!"
Garp slapped his thigh and laughed wildly, tears streaming down his face. "That little rascal has finally seen the light!"
Sengoku wiped his face and asked with a dark expression, "What happened? Are you about to explode?"
"My grandson! Luffy! He's going to join the Marines! Hahaha!"
Sengoku was also stunned, remembering the revolutionary Dragon who gave the World Government a headache.
"Didn't your grandson keep saying he wanted to go to sea and become a pirate?"
"Who knows? Maybe he was influenced by some angel lady!"
Garp was ecstatic. "Sengoku, hurry up and get my grandson a commodore rank!"
Sengoku's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you crazy? A commodore rank right off the bat? You're just a vice admiral yourself!"
He took a deep breath, barely suppressing his anger. "What's his strength now?"
Garp picked his nose and thought for a moment. "Hmm... when I last saw him, he was probably only slightly stronger than a regular private."
Sengoku nearly flipped the table. "Are you here to cause trouble? Making a private a commodore rank? Do you think Marine Headquarters is your private property?"
Garp looked nonchalant. "That kid may not have learned the Six Powers, but he's still a Devil Fruit user; the foundation is there."
Sengoku looked at his old comrade with a sigh.
He knew Garp hadn't taught Luffy any real skills to avoid suspicion.
Little did he know, Luffy had already secretly learned the core technique of the Six Powers—Life Return, the legendary "meat-eating-to-heal-method."
Finally, Sengoku could only reluctantly compromise: "Fine, fine, for your sake, I'll give you a nominal position as a colonel. It's acceptable for a Devil Fruit user to have a higher starting point."
"Tch, just a colonel? So stingy." Garp curled his lip in disdain. "Alright, give me the uniform, I'll personally deliver it to him!"
Sengoku pointed at the door: "Get out!"
Back in the merchant ship's private compartment.
Nami was looking at Luffy with the eyes of someone looking at an alien.
"You really are the grandson of that Marine hero Garp?"
Luffy was still struggling with a giant lobster, not even looking up: "Keep it down, keep it down, it's all just empty titles."
In the East Blue, Garp's name was like a pillar of strength.
It was precisely because Garp frequently returned to visit his family that the East Blue was much safer than other seas.
Nami's heart pounded. For the first time in years, she truly saw a glimmer of hope.
If she could get Garp to help, that bastard Arlong would be utterly annihilated!
Thinking of this, she couldn't eat another bite. Staring intently at Luffy, she mustered all her courage and said,
"Mr. Luffy! I have a favor to ask of you! If you can help me, I'll repay you with my life, even if it means serving you like a slave!"
Luffy stopped what he was doing, looking at her in surprise.
Actually, he had been waiting for this moment, but he had to pretend he knew nothing.
Nami took a deep breath, her eyes red-rimmed, and her voice trembled as she began to recount the nightmare that had weighed on her heart for eight years.
"It all started eight years ago, on that nightmarish afternoon..."
As Nami recounted her story, the crimes of Arlong and his crew—how they seized the village, how they slaughtered the villagers, how they forced her to draw nautical charts—were revealed one by one.
Even though Luffy already knew the plot, listening to the victim's tearful accusations still ignited a surge of anger within him.
That Arlong, he deserves to die a thousand times over.
Using racial discrimination as an excuse to bully humans weaker than himself, this scum doesn't deserve to live in this world.
Luffy slammed the bone in his hand on the table, his eyes chillingly cold.
Looking at Nami, her face streaked with tears, Luffy felt a sudden, unprecedented pang of pain welling up inside him.
Even when forced to ask Luffy for help, Nami stubbornly refused to utter a word about the heavy bet involving 100 million Berries.
Clearly, she harbored a deep-seated hatred for being forced to join Arlong's crew, even harboring a resolute desire to perish alongside that devil when destroying Arlong's Paradise, thus appeasing Bellemere's spirit in heaven.
Luffy gently set down his gleaming silver knife and fork, the metal clinking crisply against the porcelain plate. His face was calm as still water, his gaze fixed intently on Nami.
"Don't worry, I've got this sorted out. As for that scumbag named Arlong? I promise you, I'll chop him up and feed him to the fish!"
Hearing this resolute promise, Nami's previously dim eyes instantly lit up with surprise. She had only said it casually as a last resort, never daring to hope that Luffy would actually agree.
In this world rife with pirates, high-ranking figures like Vice Admirals of the Marine Headquarters aren't people the common folk of the East Blue can just casually meet.
The Marine branches stationed in various locations are usually just branch captains wielding power at best.
To bump into a Marine Headquarters captain like Joyce this time is an incredibly low-probability event, like stepping in dog poop.
However, Nami couldn't have imagined that Luffy had never even considered asking that unreliable old man Garp for help.
Someone like Arlong is far beyond Luffy's current strength, far surpassing that of the original story.
Even following the normal plot development, that saw-tooth shark wouldn't be a match for Luffy.
Since Nami has directly stated her desire to eliminate Arlong, there's no need for her to waste time and effort building up her relationship with him in Orange Town.
The only thing he needed to do right now was to patiently wait for his violent grandfather to send over his military rank and title.
Then, he could legitimately raze Arlong Paradise to the ground under the guise of justice, without having to worry about the Navy plastering wanted posters all over the world.
But before heading to Cocoyasi Village, there was an important matter to attend to…
Luffy turned his head slightly, his gaze falling on Nami, and asked, "Do you know the route to Shells Town?"
"Shells Town?"
Nami was clearly taken aback, a hint of doubt flashing in her eyes: "I know the way, but what are you going to do in that godforsaken place?"
Luffy's lips curled into a playful smile, and he chuckled: "There's some hopeless directionally challenged idiot being tied to a cross like dried meat in the sun. I thought I should go and help him out. After all, even if I become a Marine, I need someone to do the odd jobs and clean up the mess."
"Tie to a cross?!"
Nami's beautiful eyebrows instantly furrowed into a knot upon hearing this.
"Are you trying to save a vicious pirate?"
Luffy seemed to have seen through her thoughts long ago, and reassured her in a relaxed tone, "Don't worry, he's not a pirate, he's a bounty hunter who specializes in catching pirates."
"Roronoa Zoro? That 'pirate hunter' who's famous in the East Blue?!"
Nami's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, her mouth agape.
"If no one had intervened on that stubborn idiot, he might have really died unjustly at the hands of a bunch of scumbags."
Luffy shrugged helplessly and shook his head slightly.
Zoro, to protect the family of the girl who ran the restaurant in Shells Town, foolishly made a bet with that spoiled brat Helmeppo, willingly spending a whole month tied to the execution ground and exposed to the scorching sun.
Unfortunately, Helmeppo, that treacherous scoundrel, never intended to keep his promise. If Luffy hadn't intervened, this future world's greatest swordsman might have truly perished in that obscure little town.