As the villagers were dismantling the hated Arlong base, a Marines warship docked on the shore of Cocoyasi Village.
"So this is the place where those fishmen ruled?" one of the Marine officers remarked, his voice dripping with disdain. "What a backwater."
Stepping off the ship was a Marine officer with a rat-like, sleazy face. He glanced at the rundown village with a look of disgust.
"Let's go. Time to collect our money from that fishman, Arlong," the officer, Captain Nezumi, said to the Marines soldiers behind him, a greedy smile creeping across his face. "Hah, who would've thought a fishman could have the brains to cut a deal with the Marines?" he sneered.
Meanwhile, the villagers had gathered all of the treasure that Arlong had plundered over the years and piled it up at the entrance of his base—a mountain of wealth. Among the most eye-catching items was the large chest of Berries belonging to Sanders. Along with the treasure, they also brought out the detailed sea charts Nami had painstakingly drawn over the years.
Looking at the pile of maps, stacked higher than a person, Genzo walked over to Nami and gave her a big hug.
"All these years, you've suffered so much, Nami!" Genzo said, tears streaming down his face as he felt the weight of what Nami had endured for the sake of the village.
"It's... it's fine now. Everything's over," Nami replied, her eyes crinkling into a joyful smile.
"No wonder the captain wants you as our navigator," Robin commented with a chuckle, holding one of Nami's maps. "Such detailed and precise charts... your talent as a navigator is extraordinary."
As a knowledgeable archaeologist, Robin could immediately see the brilliance in Nami's cartography, recognizing her as a natural-born surveyor and navigator.
"Of course!" Sanders said with a grin. "The Thunder God Pirates only recruit top talents and geniuses."
Nami, who could sense and predict the weather like a prodigy, was leagues beyond even legendary figures like Shiki's expert meteorologists.
Blushing at the compliment, Nami looked down shyly. "Thank you, Sanders. Thank you for saving the village."
"There's no need to thank me. You became my navigator, and that made you one of us," Sanders replied with a smile. "For my crew, I'll always be there when they need me."
Then, he gestured toward Arlong's base. "Do you want me to destroy this place that has trapped you for so many years, Nami?"
Nami turned to face the base, her expression conflicted. Arlong's base had been like a giant stone pressing down on her and the villagers, suffocating them under its weight.
"Please," she said softly. It was time to destroy this evil place.
"Watch closely, Nami," Sanders said. "This is the true power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
With a snap of his fingers, he continued, "Earlier, you were like a child holding a gun but not knowing how to pull the trigger."
As soon as Sanders finished speaking, dark clouds gathered in the sky above Arlong's base. The world suddenly plunged into darkness as if a natural disaster was descending.
"What... is this?" Nami's eyes widened in shock as she looked up at the sky. Amid the storm clouds, lightning bolts crackled like silver serpents, lighting up the heavens with thunderous roars.
Even Robin tilted her head up, her eyes filled with awe. This was her first time seeing Sanders truly unleash his power. The sheer magnitude of the force in the sky made her shudder. So this is the kind of power that could defeat a Marine admiral—truly terrifying!
Boom! Several lightning pillars descended from the sky, striking Arlong's base with the force of divine punishment. The terrifying power obliterated everything in its path.
In an instant, the base was reduced to rubble. Buildings collapsed, dust filled the air, and the once tall structures were now nothing but ruins.
The villagers stared in shock at the destruction before them, their eyes wide and their mouths agape, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
"That's... amazing!"
Nami gasped in surprise. With a thought, Sanders made the dark clouds disperse, restoring light to the sky.
"Can I really have such power?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Of course. That's the power of the Devil Fruit. One day, you will be able to wield it too," Sanders replied with a smile.
"That Devil Fruit must be very valuable, right?" Nami questioned, intrigued. The thought of gaining such immense power made her feel hopeful—she wouldn't have to fear someone like Arlong anymore. Even though she was in the East Blue, she knew how rare and precious a Devil Fruit could be. Such power wouldn't just be worth a mere hundred million Berries.
"If it went to auction, it would definitely fetch a billion Berries," Sanders chuckled.
A billion Berries sounded like an enormous sum. But if the Rumble-Rumble Fruit was truly up for auction, both the World Government, the Marines, and pirates alike would be more than willing to pay that price. An elite rear admiral of the Marines could instantly gain the power of a vice admiral just by consuming the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. With the right talent and training, they could even become a major fighting force.
"A billion Berries?!" Nami's eyes immediately turned into Berries shapes, and she froze in shock. "I ate a billion Berries?!"
Her heart ached at the thought. She had never seen so much money in her life. The funds they had gathered from Arlong's base, plus Sanders' one hundred million Berries, still fell far short of that amount.
"If only I could sell it…" Nami muttered quietly.
Seeing her greedy expression, Sanders felt speechless, while Genzo and the others burst into laughter. Robin smiled gently at the little navigator.
"Well, why don't you sell me then? I'm worth way more than a billion!" Sanders quipped, lightly tapping Nami on the head.
"Ow!" Nami exclaimed, instinctively clutching her head and rubbing it in pain. Her adorable reaction elicited more laughter from the group.
Just as Nami was about to speak again, a sleazy voice came from the direction of the village.
"Has Arlong been defeated?"
Everyone turned to look, and there stood Captain Nezumi, flanked by five Marine soldiers as they strolled toward them. After wandering around the village for half the day, he had finally found this spot.
Genzo and the others had mixed feelings upon seeing the Marines. For years, they had hoped that the Marines would eliminate Arlong and his gang. However, aside from the initial defeat, they hadn't seen any Marines presence since then. Now that Arlong and his crew had been defeated, the Marines had finally arrived.
Captain Nezumi approached the entrance of Arlong's base and immediately spotted the pile of Berries and treasure.
Greed spread across his face. So much wealth! He had been a Marines officer for years but had never seen this much money.
His eyes glinted as he cleared his throat and proclaimed, "I'm the Marine branch captain. Since Arlong and his crew have been defeated, all this money is considered stolen goods and must be returned to the Marines!"
"Hah! The Marines's identity comes in handy. Not only can I take all this treasure and Berries, but I can also claim credit for defeating Arlong. This might even get me promoted to the rank of rear admiral!"
He thought to himself that he might just want to thank whoever had defeated those fishmen.
When Nami heard that the Marines intended to take the villagers' money, her anger flared. "That's all the villagers' money! There's no way we're giving it to you!"
The villagers echoed her sentiments, equally furious. This was their life savings that they had handed over to Arlong. Now that he had been defeated, that money rightfully belonged to them. How could it be taken away by the Marines? They remembered how the Marines had done nothing while Arlong had oppressed them.
"Oh?" Captain Nezumi looked at Nami with disdain. "You've got some nerve, don't you? Such a bold little girl!"
He waved his hand, and his soldiers aimed their guns at the villagers. "Everyone, put down your weapons!"
"Not only do these treasures belong to me, but I'll also take credit for defeating Arlong! Do you want to become wanted criminals in the Marines?" Captain Nezumi dropped his facade completely, revealing his true arrogance.
To him, they were just a bunch of lowly peasants from a remote village. The Berries, combined with the credit for defeating Arlong, would be enough to justify turning the Marines's cannons against them.
"Ha! If you don't comply, I'll just level this place!" he laughed maliciously, showing no regard for the villagers. "It's normal for a few civilians to die in the process of defeating pirates. The headquarters won't punish me; they might even reward me!"
The villagers were seething with anger but felt helpless. The cost of becoming wanted criminals was too high for them to bear.
"You bastard!" Nami shouted, ready to charge at the Marines, but Sanders pulled her back.
"Leave it to me."
"Mr. Sanders, they are the Marines!" Genzo said, worry written all over his face. He still held onto the idea that they shouldn't offend the Marines or the government.
"Uh, but we're pirates, right? Just ordinary pirates!" Sanders said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.
Genzo paused, suddenly realizing that the people who had saved their village were indeed pirates.
"Pirates?" Genzo exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with realization.
"That's great! Quickly, put down your weapons, they're all under arrest!" Captain Nezumi's face lit up with joy.
These villagers had allied with pirates, giving him the perfect excuse to claim all that treasure for himself. What a stroke of luck! Not only could he pocket a massive amount of Berries, but he could also gain credit for capturing pirates.
"Arrest me?" Sanders scoffed, appearing right in front of Captain Nezumi.
The captain felt his vision blur for a moment as Sanders seized him by the throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
"Even Sengoku wouldn't boast like that. You've got quite the nerve." Sanders's expression was cold as he watched the struggling captain.
"Y-you... you dare to challenge the Marines?" Nezumi's eyes widened in terror as he tried to pry Sanders's powerful hand from his throat. But it was as if a vise gripped him, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
"Let go of the Captain!"
The Marines soldiers behind Captain Nezumi instantly changed their expressions, aiming their guns at Sanders and pulling the triggers. The bullets passed straight through Sanders's body, causing him no harm whatsoever.
The speeding bullets continued toward the villagers, but in a flash, Sanders stepped in front of them, drawing his bamboo sword and effortlessly slicing the five bullets in half.
"Tsk, this small place is always a problem. In the Grand Line, not many Marines members would dare to be so brazen in front of me," Sanders muttered to himself, applying a bit of force to throw Captain Nezumi's corpse onto the ground in front of the remaining Marines soldiers.
"Take his body and get out of here! Tell the Marines Headquarters that the one who killed him is named Sanders!"
The remaining Marines soldiers stared in shock at Nezumi's lifeless body. "Captain Nezumi… has been killed!"
"It's so brutal!"
They were terrified and dropped their weapons, unable to comprehend that these pirates had the audacity to kill a Marines branch captain. Did they not fear the full wrath of the Marines?
The remaining soldiers didn't dare to speak, fearing that this vicious pirate would turn his wrath on them too. They quickly dragged Captain Nezumi's body away and fled the village, boarding their ship and sailing away without looking back.
"Is it really okay to just kill a Marines captain like that?" Genzo asked worriedly.
He didn't find Sanders's actions particularly cruel; after all, this Marines officer had tried to rob them of their hard-earned money, which he deserved. His main concern was whether there would be any retaliation from the Marines. To him, the Marines and World Government were colossal entities that one simply couldn't provoke.
"It's fine, Mr. Genzo. He was just a branch captain. The Marines Headquarters won't make a fuss about it. They won't send anyone for revenge either," Robin reassured him with a smile.
"Why not?" Nami asked, curious. After all, he was still a branch captain, overseeing a Marines unit.
"Captain Sanders is a pirate capable of defeating admirals, the highest fighting strength of the Marines. The Marines Headquarters won't start a war over a corrupt officer like him against the Thunder God Pirates," Robin explained with a grin.
"Defeating an admiral?!" Nami looked up in confusion. Coming from Cocoyasi Village, she had no idea what defeating an admiral truly meant.
"Admirals are the highest combat power in the Marines Headquarters; they are the strongest individuals in the Marines. It's precisely because of the admirals that the Marines can command such fear and respect across the seas," Robin elaborated. "Although the Thunder God Pirates have only four members, their strength is among the top in the ocean."
"If the Marines Headquarters wanted to wage war with us, they would need at least two admirals and meticulous planning. But the Marines only has three admirals and cannot afford to move two of them at once. So you don't need to worry about retaliation. They cannot withstand the revenge of the Thunder God Pirates," Robin concluded, her smile unwavering.
In the time they spent together, she had come to understand the strength of the Thunder God Pirates. With a captain capable of defeating admirals, a vice captain who was likely a top-tier fighter, and a ship that could fly, the Thunder God Pirates posed a far greater threat than the four Emperors of the Sea.
Thus, the Marines wouldn't act rashly, even if they were to kill a rear admiral.
"Wow! That's impressive!"
Upon hearing that the Marines Headquarters wouldn't dare engage the Thunder God Pirates lightly, Nami looked at Sanders with admiration.
"So you don't have to worry. Just enjoy the celebration of defeating the fishman Arlong," Robin said, ruffling Nami's hair.
At her words, the villagers, who had been worried, finally relaxed.
"The captain must be incredibly strong; his bounty should be very high, right?"
"Robin sister, you have a bounty of 93 million; the captain must be worth a lot more!" Nami asked with curiosity.
Ninety-three million?!
Genzo and the others looked at Robin in disbelief. They hadn't realized that this beautiful young lady was actually a pirate with a bounty of 93 million!
"Didn't the captain just say it? The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is worth a lot more than that. His bounty is 2.439 billion Berries," Robin smiled as she revealed Sanders's bounty.
"Two point four billion?!" The villagers and Nami's mouths dropped open in disbelief as they stared at Sanders. In the East Blue, a bounty of thirty to forty million was already considered a major pirate. But Sanders had over two billion!
"Two point four billion, that's an astronomical amount!" Nami gazed at Sanders with stars in her eyes, as if seeing a super treasure.
"Bang!"
Sanders, feeling a headache coming on, flashed next to Nami and lightly knocked her on the head.
"You're not thinking of selling me, are you?"
"Hey, how could I?" Nami's cheeks flushed as she rubbed her hands together, embarrassed.
In this moment, the group felt a mix of awe and amusement, having witnessed the formidable power and the even more astonishing bounty of their captain.
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T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my P@treon: p@treon.com/OneFic