Author: Xiao Yifeng
Translator: PapaSmurf0700
Nami, with fire in her eyes, exclaimed, "That's my treasure!!"
As Bai Ye scooped up the treasure she'd worked (well, okay, stolen) so hard for, Nami forgot all about pirates, danger, and reason. All she saw was her sparkling loot in the hands of a stranger. With a wild hiss, she lunged toward Bai Ye, only to be met with a...
[Secret Art of Daoism - Golden Light Curse]
BOOM!! Nami recoiled, rubbing her nose in pain. "Ouch!!"
She gazed at Bai Ye's glowing aura, holding her head, "What kind of sorcery is this?"Heck, even glowing, this guy's rather good looking, Nami couldn't help but think.
"No magic here, just a secret Daoist technique," Bai Ye replied, his smile gleaming as brightly as his aura.
In the original tale, Nami is considered the big sister on the ship, meting out her tough love (and fists) to Luffy and the others when needed. Bai Ye, however, had no plans to be on the receiving end of those fists.
"If you don't want to be our navigator, your treasures are our prize now," he stated, hefting the heavy bag.
Peering into the bag, Bai Ye mused, "Looks like about two million Belly. Not a king's ransom, but enough for a feast for Luffy and a decent sword for Zoro."
Nami's teeth clenched as Bai Ye coolly appropriated her treasure. He's not handsome, she tried to convince herself.
The word "Banquet" had Luffy's eyes lighting up instantly.
"A new sword? Sounds good to me," Zoro chimed in, not looking up from his drink.
Nami's thoughts raced, a mix of disbelief and indignation: Are they serious? That's MY treasure! I was so close to buying my village's freedom! Memories of her village, suffering under Arlong's rule, filled her thoughts, and she could only manage to look at the trio and say, "I can help navigate, but I won't be part of your crew."
She wasn't ready to abandon her principles. Not yet.
"Why?" A confused Luffy tilted his head, trying to understand.
Nami sighed, "Because pirates are the worst, that's why."
Before Luffy could continue, Bai Ye gently clapped a hand on his shoulder, "Let's leave it for now, Luffy."
Luffy, trusting Bai Ye as his first mate and the one who convinced Zoro to join them, nodded in agreement, "Alright."
Turning to Nami, Bai Ye graciously returned the treasure to her, "Congratulations, Miss Nami, your treasure is yours once again." He knew from the original story that Nami would only be truly free once Arlong was defeated. So, no need to argue – he would let her stay on the ship.
"Consider this a payment for your navigation services on the part of our journey," Bai Ye declared.
"Alright, just give me..." Nami began, then hesitated, suddenly realizing how the tables had turned. Wait a minute. Wasn't this MY treasure just a moment ago?
Now feeling rather played, Nami huffed, "You've got to be the poorest pirates I've ever seen!!"
Before, she slipped into the ship's treasure room. Inside, Nami was taken aback by the desolation. If other thieves happened upon this sad sight, they might pity-leave some Belly behind. No way, no how! Not a single coin!
"Oh, I think we need a bit of insurance," Bai Ye said, reclaiming the bag, removing half the treasure, and returning it to Nami, while the other half disappeared into his own space.
"To ensure our navigator doesn't vanish mid-journey, we'll start with half," he reasoned.
Nami fumed silently. This is MY treasure, you... you... ARRRGGH!
Inside her mind, a tempest raged, but she hadn't even noticed the slick maneuver Bai Ye had pulled, making half of the treasure simply vanish into thin air.
Bai Ye, glancing around at the trio before him, remarked, "It's been some time since I've been to sea. Navigator now seem to be acquainted with this ship, so let's chat about our next stop, shall we?"
Navigating in the East Blue was notably different from the Grand Line; without a fixed point toward an island, they were free to pick their destination. An adventure in and of itself!
"Don't care where, as long as there's some good enemies to chop" Zoro, ever the warrior, piped up first.
Luffy, bubbling with anticipation, exclaimed, "I want to find new crewmates and then head to the Grand Line!!"
Nami shrugged, "I'll steer the ship wherever. Just tell me where."
During their travels, Nami had put two and two together about her companions. Surprisingly, they were the very heroes who had saved Sheels Town! By sheer coincidence, she'd arrived there just after Luffy and co. had departed, learning about the trio of self-proclaimed pirates who'd ousted the brutal navy captain.
Initially skeptical, Nami was swayed by the townspeople who enthusiastically recounted the trio's heroic feats. Could pirates like this actually exist? Nami pondered, never imagining she'd meet them in person mere days later.
After spending time with them, she formed some opinions: Luffy, bless his heart, was a bit of a goof, while Zoro seemed singularly focused on either exercising or drinking. And Bai Ye, who'd audaciously taken half her treasure, was the absolute worst.
Bai Ye's voice snapped Nami back from her thoughts. "Uh, yeah?" he remarked. Oblivious to Nami's internal tirade, he continued, "So, I've got a suggestion."
"I had a deal with the Navy Branch in Sheels Town a while back. They handed me a Grand Line sea chart. But, someone nicked the chart before I got my hands on it." Flipping his wrist, Bai Ye revealed a blueprint, displaying a clown skull pirate symbol and the words [Accept with a Smile].
"There's a 15 million Belly bounty on a notorious pirate known as Buggy the Clown," Bai Ye informed, opting not to mention Buggy's ties to One Piece Roger and his 'best friend' status with the red-haired Shanks.
Zoro crossed his arms, murmuring, "That immortal Buggy? A bounty over ten million makes him interesting."
"Let's do it!" Luffy's face turned serious. "Our next mission: find Buggy and get that chart back!"
"Woah, woah!" Nami interjected. "Buggy's got a 15 million Belly bounty and is said to be unkillable, regardless of how much you slice and dice him!"
Nami inwardly deemed Zoro a bit psycho and Luffy a fearless, naive leader. Facing such an opponent seemed unwise, even if she harbored dreams of crafting a grand navigation chart. That's an immortal we're talking about!
Bai Ye clarified, "He's not exactly immortal. Buggy the Clown just ate the Chop-Chop Fruit, giving him similar abilities to Luffy."