"So, since you have so much faith in Luffy and the others, aren't you going to put a wager on it?" Nami teased, subtly trying to lure Vivi into placing a bet.
Asking for Vivi's support was just a ploy. Nami's true goal was to make Vivi place a bet. She had become desperate to not leave empty-handed, and she wasn't even sparing Vivi's pocket money.
Apparently, even King Cobra and the others had fallen for this trap earlier. While they knew Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji didn't have great odds of winning, it didn't seem right to bet against the people who had saved their kingdom.
"This sounds interesting. May I place a bet as well?" Robin, who had been quietly observing the Straw Hat crew's antics, finally spoke up. Her gaze had been particularly focused on Nami.
Ever since Robin had learned that Wood knew Nami's measurements, she had been quietly harboring a grudge and was curious to see if Nami had any special qualities.
However, Robin soon realized that the younger girl wasn't taller than her, her chest wasn't larger, and aside from being a bit more bubbly and youthful, there didn't seem to be any advantages Nami had over her.
Wood couldn't have been interested in her just for her youth, right? After all, when Robin had first met Wood, she had been around twelve or thirteen years old.
Excluding the age factor, the only other difference was their personalities. Nami was more cheerful and energetic… Was that what she was missing? Should she try to change her personality? That didn't seem easy to pull off.
"No way. This betting pool is only for Alabasta personnel," Nami said, shaking her head vigorously when Robin expressed interest in joining.
Robin was with Wood, and if she placed a bet, it was obvious she would bet on her boss to win. Moreover, guilt-tripping tactics only worked on Alabastans, not on someone like Robin.
Clearly, Nami herself didn't think the trio had much of a chance of winning, which is why she had set up this sure-win bet.
"They're your crewmates, right? Do you really have that little faith in them?" Robin smiled sweetly, turning Nami's own guilt tactics against her.
However, Robin had underestimated Nami's sense of priorities. When it came to choosing between supporting her crewmates and getting more money, Nami would choose the latter every time.
"Well, what if I bet that our captain will beat your entire trio in under a minute? Would you still refuse that bet?" Robin asked, her smile never wavering.
"A minute to defeat all three of them?" Nami was taken aback by Robin's bold claim.
While she believed Wood could defeat Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—especially after seeing him easily overpower Smoker and sensing how cautious Crocodile had been around him—defeating them in under a minute? That was harder to believe.
Nami hadn't known the Straw Hats for that long, but it was long enough to understand their incredible tenacity. Sanji aside, Luffy and Zoro always pushed themselves to the brink of death in every fight.
Sure, beating them was one thing, but knocking them out so they couldn't get up again? That was a whole different challenge—especially in under a minute.
"So, what do you say? I'm willing to bet one billion Berries that our captain can defeat all three of them in under a minute," Robin said calmly.
"One billion Berries?!?" Nami, Usopp, and Chopper all gasped in unison.
Nami's eyes instantly turned into "Berry" symbols. One billion Berries! Even all of Alabasta probably couldn't scrape together that much money. Yet, from the way Robin spoke, it seemed like that sum was nothing to her.
"Don't worry about whether I can actually pay. Wood's weapon company does business across the entire sea, and the wealth we've accumulated far exceeds what you can imagine.
"And besides, I manage all the finances for the company. Even if we disregard the company's funds, Wood alone is worth one billion Berries. If I lose, I could hand him over to the Navy to cash in the bounty."
Hearing Robin's casual explanation, Usopp and Chopper swallowed nervously.
Good grief, both of these women were terrifying. Just like Nami, Robin was the type to consider selling their captain if the price was right.
The temptation of one billion Berries was hard for Nami to resist, but if they lost, their crew would be in debt by the same amount.
Yes, if she won, all the money would go into Nami's personal stash. But if she lost, the entire crew would have to share the burden of the debt.
That's how Nami always did her calculations—it was just her style.
After a moment of hesitation, Nami finally gave in to temptation and agreed to Robin's extravagant wager, despite the objections of Usopp and Chopper.
"Miss Nami, Miss Vivi, Miss Robin—I swear I'll win this for you!" Sanji called out, his eyes brimming with affection as he prepared for the fight.
Nami, however, ruthlessly dashed his hopes. "No, I don't need you to win. You just have to hold out for more than a minute before losing.
"Listen carefully, Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji—no matter what happens, even if every bone in your body gets broken, you have to hold out for at least a minute before you get knocked out!
"And especially you, Zoro. If you don't last at least a minute, your debt to me will double."
Zoro's face darkened at Nami's harsh ultimatum. Unlike the lovestruck Sanji, Zoro was more irritated at Nami than anyone else in that moment. Forget fighting Wood—he wanted to use his swords on the greedy navigator.
"She's definitely going to hell," Zoro muttered, casting a dark look at Nami.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the trio couldn't help but feel insulted by Robin's confident bet. Sure, they acknowledged Wood was strong, but being underestimated like this was still infuriating.
"Gomu Gomu no… Pistol!"
Luffy was the first to charge at Wood, launching his signature stretching punch to signal the start of the fight.
For the Straw Hats, there was no point in planning tactics. It was just too hard for them, and Luffy could never remember strategies anyway. Zoro and Sanji were rivals who would never cooperate, so the crew always fought their own way, relying on unspoken teamwork to cover each other.
Luffy's fist, powered by the elasticity of his rubber body, shot toward Wood with the speed and force of a bullet.
But in the world of One Piece, medieval-era pistols weren't exactly the fastest weapons.
For most people, Luffy's attack would seem fast, but to Wood, it was almost slow-motion.
Without even moving his feet, Wood simply tilted his head to the side, easily dodging Luffy's punch.
But before the fist could snap back, Luffy pulled hard on his outstretched arm, launching a follow-up attack.
"Gomu Gomu no Gatling!"
This time, Luffy's fists flew wildly, attacking from every angle as his arm swung around in unpredictable arcs. It was an overwhelming flurry of punches meant to overwhelm his opponent.
However, to Luffy's shock, not a single punch landed.
No—more accurately, every punch missed, as Wood effortlessly dodged each one without moving from his spot!
"One-Sword Style: Lion's Song!"
As Luffy's punches fell short, Zoro dashed in from the side, drawing his sword in a flash, aiming for a deadly strike with his newly mastered "Iron Cutting" technique—learned in his battle against Mr. 1.
"Clang!"
But instead of the satisfying sound of a successful cut, Zoro's sword stopped dead.
He looked down, stunned. His blade hadn't even left its sheath!
Somehow, Wood had managed to press down on Zoro's sword with his own scabbard, preventing the blade from being drawn at all.
"A successful 'Iai' strike requires utmost speed. Your blade should leave its sheath before your foot even touches the ground," Wood remarked calmly, barely acknowledging Zoro's efforts. "Your swordsmanship is promising, and you may indeed become a great swordsman one day, but your draw speed still needs work."
Zoro gritted his teeth, frustrated but unwilling to back down. Letting go of his sheathed sword, he instead drew his other two blades—"Tenku" (Cursed Blade) and "Astsuyu"—using the momentum from Wood's block to spin in the air.
"Two-Sword Style: Bull Demon!"
Zoro's two swords slashed through the air in a brutal arc, a spectral bull's horns appearing behind him as he unleashed his powerful attack.
But once again, Wood deflected the strikes with his scabbard, and before Zoro could react, a sharp pain erupted from his chest. Blood sprayed into the air as Zoro staggered backward.
"There's no doubt you'll become a great swordsman someday, but right now, you're still too green," Wood said, his voice calm. "This blade, Tenku, is a cursed sword of incredible power, and Astsuyu is a Great Grade Sword—one of the 21 O Wazamono. Both are just as deadly."
Zoro, always determined, tried to say something, but the pain overwhelmed him, and he collapsed, unconscious.
"Dammit, moss-head! Pull yourself together!" Sanji shouted, shocked to see Zoro—who had once taken a direct hit from Mihawk and survived—taken down so quickly.
"Koshi Kuda Shoot!"
Sanji leapt into the air, appearing behind Wood, and aimed a powerful kick at the back of his neck, confident that he had found an opening.
Wood had just defeated Zoro—he couldn't possibly block this, could he?
Sanji's kick sliced through the air, creating a sharp wind that tore through the space between them. But just as Sanji was about to land his blow, Wood smirked and effortlessly twisted his body, delivering a counter kick from below.
"Using a spinning technique to amplify your kicking power… not bad. I like using that move myself," Wood said, his eyes sharp. "But your technique is unrefined, and my strength far surpasses yours."
"Boom!"
Their legs collided with an explosive crack, and the air around them seemed to rupture from the force.
But in that instant, Sanji heard a sickening "crack" echo through the air. Pain shot through his leg as the bones in his shin gave way under the pressure.
In the next moment, Sanji was flying backward, his body skidding across the ground as he crashed into the dirt, leaving a deep trail in his wake.
"Gomu Gomu no… Rocket!"
As Sanji was launched away, Luffy made his final charge, stretching his body forward like a slingshot, propelling himself straight at Wood with tremendous speed. His fists trailed behind him, ready to deliver a crushing blow to Wood's abdomen.
This was Luffy's strongest attack in his current arsenal. However, for Wood, it was no more of a threat than the others.
"Six Powers: Iron Body (Tekkai)!"
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Next bonus 600
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 400+ at p@treon.com/Betek (@->a)