(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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"Captain Smoker!"
"Captain Smoker is here!"
The crowd stirred, and Colt glanced back with interest at the commotion.
A tall figure with long, silver-white hair and an unruly face approached, two cigars hanging from his mouth.
It was Captain Smoker, also known as the "White Hunter," a Marine officer from LogueTown and a Smoke-Smoke Fruit user.
"What's with that look?"
Smoker and Colt locked eyes for a few seconds before Smoker raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just curious, that's all," Colt replied with a grin, withdrawing his gaze.
'This guy's arrogance is wild… He thinks he can beat Roger…' Colt shook his head.
His interest in Smoker mainly came from watching the anime originally.
Before the two years time skip, Smoker was nearly unbeatable; and two years later, that was no longer true, it just wasn't enough anymore.
His relationship with Luffy was somewhat reminiscent of Garp and Roger, though Smoker wasn't as extreme as Garp.
In the beginning, Smoker's Logia powers allowed him to bully Luffy, but later on… yeah, it didn't matter that much anymore.
Also, at one point he would have even died… if it hadn't been for Aokiji's intervention, Doflamingo would have ended him.
Smoker studied Colt for a moment longer but said nothing. He saw as Colt was walking away, but didn't stop him.
'Who is this guy?'
Something about Colt's calm attitude didn't sit right with him, though he couldn't sense any malice.
"Tashigi," Smoker called, turning to his subordinate.
"Find out who that guy is." He whispered.
"Right away, Captain!" Tashigi responded and hurried off.
As the sun set, Colt, having wandered around town, returned to his ship.
Hogg and the others hadn't returned yet, leaving only a couple of crew members on board to stand guard.
However, something was off…
In the storage room, a certain figure was rummaging through the piles of debris.
It can be discerned that she was a female.
"How can there be so little money on such a big ship?" the girl muttered in frustration.
This was Nami.
Who was notorious for her thievery.
She had her eyes on this three-masted galleon from the moment she spotted it.
She assumed the ship, belonging to the former East Blue overlords, must be carrying some huge treasures from their Grand Line voyage.
She finally found her chance to sneak aboard when most of the crew left the port.
However, after searching, she only managed to find a few hundred thousand Berries.
'They must be hiding it somewhere else…'
Far too little for a ship like this.
"There's a hidden latch over there," a voice suddenly said, startling her. "You can try pushing it open."
Without thinking, Nami responded, "Thanks,".
But she froze immediately after saying that.
She slowly turned around to find a young man smiling at her.
'So, it's her…' Colt thought.
Ten minutes later, Nami, bound by vines, glared at Colt, who shook his head in disappointment.
"So flat," Colt said with a sigh. "Not much to look at. For now…"
Nami, her face flushing red with fury, snapped.
"Hey! What's with that look on your face?!"
She may have been bound, but even in captivity, Nami was sensitive to Colt's apparent disdain.
At only 15, she was still growing, and she couldn't believe the audacity of this guy.
"It's nothing," Colt replied coolly.
"But you might want to wear more clothes in the future."
Grabbing her chin gently, he lifted her face to meet his gaze.
Nami, confused by the sudden shift in mood, asked, "What… what do you want?"
Colt smirked.
"I've heard of you, Nami, the Cat Burglar. How about a deal?"
"What kind of deal?" she asked cautiously.
"I need a navigator. You help me, and in return, I'll help you deal with the Arlong Pirates."
"H-How do you know about that?"
"I mean, who are these pirates you are talking about?"
She was shocked at first, but quickly recovered.
"Look, I don't have all day, I know about your situation, and I can help you, that's all you need to know,"
"Arlong isn't that powerful at any rate"
Nami grew silent at that.
Given her situation at the moment she was left with no choice.
"Deal," Nami agreed then.
'It's a win-win for me,' even if he couldn't deal with them, then I'll be free once again…
Colt knew she was simply hoping that he would give up after seeing Arlong's power…
He could see through her desperate attempt at deceit.
In Nami's mind, Arlong was the most dangerous person in the world, someone only a fool would try to face.
Later, Hogg and the rest of the crew returned to the ship, carrying bags full of supplies.
"You guys worked hard," Colt greeted them as he led Nami onto the deck.
Then, with a casual wave of his hand, wooden spikes shot out of the ship, piercing Hogg and his men.
Nami gasped in horror as she watched Colt, stunned by his power and bewildered by his sudden attack.
Why would he kill his own crewmates? Weren't they all part of the same gang?
Plus, the scene was gruesome for her, she held her mouth and gasped in horror.
"Why…?" Sidon, one of the few still alive, choked out.
"I read your bounty in LogueTown," Colt said, holding it up.
"You massacred fifteen villages. You can't expect to do that and not die yourself? Right?"
Without waiting for an answer, Colt unleashed another wave of wooden spikes, killing Sidon and the rest instantly.
Colt looked down at the blood-stained deck with disgust, waving his hand to summon a wave of water that washed away the blood and bodies into the sea.
The deck was soon spotless again.
He then turned to Nami, who stood pale and trembling.
"We'll rest here for the night," Colt said, his voice calm.
"Tomorrow, we set sail for Cocoyasi Village."
Nami, still shaken, nodded.
"O-Okay."
Colt didn't say another word and headed back to his cabin.
His strength had waned, and the fact that killing a small-time pirate like Sidon had taken so much effort than expected left him feeling uneasy.
It seemed it was time to go back to his roots and return to being a healer.
As the night breeze swept across the deck, Nami stood there for a long time, her heart torn between fear and hope.
'This guy… could he really defeat Arlong?'
'That's right…' After all this time, she still didn't even know his name.