"I'm so weak??" Benson suddenly realized what Nami had just said—she called him weak.
If it had been a man who said it, that would have been fine, but the issue here was that Nami said it. A woman calling a man weak? That's a serious hit to his self-esteem!
Just when Benson was about to show Nami just how strong he really was, a scream suddenly came from the sky. A man was falling from the mouth of a large bird...
"Ahhh!!!"
"Wha...what?" Nami looked up into the sky, just as confused.
DuangDuang~
The man bounced off several houses before finally landing on the ground. Standing up, he quickly picked up his dropped hat: "Land! I'm so lucky, hahaha... but I'm so hungry."
The person who had fallen was none other than Luffy!
"Boss...Boss! You're here to save me!" Upon seeing Luffy, Nami's eyes lit up with a plan. She would use Luffy as her pawn, distracting Benson while she made off with the treasure.
"Huh?" Luffy glanced at Nami in confusion: "Who are you...?"
"Boss! Don't play dumb right now, he's trying to steal our treasure! Please help me!" Nami shouted, winking at Luffy repeatedly.
"You think I'm blind... or deaf? You don't even know him," Benson said, helplessly watching Nami's blatant act.
Luffy, still confused, ignored them: "I'm so hungry. Is there anything to eat?" He turned and began walking away. Ever since he had set out to sea, his boat had capsized, leading him to drift inside a barrel. Luckily, he had been picked up by a cruise ship.
That ship, however, was attacked by pirates. After managing to eat only a few apples, Luffy reached a Marine base, rescued Zoro, and had a full meal. But he spent the night at sea without anything to eat again, and now he had gotten separated from Zoro...
"Wait! Save me, and I'll treat you to dinner!" Nami called out desperately.
"Really?" Luffy immediately turned around, excited at the mention of food. "Okay, I'll save you and take care of this guy!" Luffy stretched out his hand, ready to strike Benson. "Gomu Gomu no..."
"Wait a minute!" Benson shouted. He still wanted to hang around with Luffy and his crew, maybe even meet some girls, not start a fight. "I can also treat you to dinner. In the house on your left, there's some fruit on the table and bread. You can help yourself."
"Really?" Luffy stopped his attack, walking directly into the house Benson had mentioned.
"Hey..." Nami was about to cry. The guy in front of her seemed to be her worst enemy. She had tried every escape tactic she knew, and nothing worked. Was this how it was going to end?
As Luffy entered the house, Nami's last hope vanished. She hadn't yet saved enough to buy back her village—she was still short of 100 million beli! She couldn't let things end here!
"I'm sorry! I know I was wrong. I'll return the treasure and the boat. Just let me go!" Nami finally surrendered, speaking sincerely to Benson while struggling to stay balanced on one foot.
Seeing this, Benson released Nami's ankle and her staff, letting her stand properly.
"Luffy!"
At that moment, a small boat came speeding toward them.
The two looked at each other in understanding, as a man with green hair was paddling furiously toward the port.
Just as he was about to arrive, the boat suddenly veered off course and headed elsewhere...
"Does he have some kind of obsession with getting lost?" Benson muttered, recognizing the green-haired man. Who else could it be but Zoro?
"What are you so scared of? I never intended to harm you. You were the one who stole my things and even ripped your clothes to seduce me," Benson said to Nami as Zoro paddled off.
"Well, I'm just a weak woman out here alone. When I run into a bad guy, shouldn't I try to escape?" Nami replied defensively.
"Really? A weak woman..." Before Benson could finish, another voice called from the sea.
"Luffy! Where are you?" Zoro shouted, paddling across the water again.
"You're a weak woman who steals things? You should feel better once you're caught." Benson spoke gently, causing Nami to freeze in disbelief at his sudden change in tone.
"Are you really not a pirate?" Nami asked, still suspicious.
"Really, I'm not," Benson said with a nod.
"Then..." Nami's gaze shifted reluctantly to the treasure behind him. "Finders keepers, right? You stole it from pirates, and it ended up in my hands. How about we split it fifty-fifty?"
It was a bold suggestion, but of course, that only applied if the treasure hadn't originally belonged to Benson...
"This is mine. What benefit would I get from giving you half?" Benson said mischievously, watching as Nami began to cover her chest shyly.
"You're not planning to do anything strange to me, are you?" Nami asked warily.
"Hehe, with such a little beauty in front of me, of course I..."
"Luffy!!!"
"Here you are, you bastard!" Just as the tension was building, Zoro rushed back again, circling the town so quickly that his strength was undeniable.
With Benson's shout, Zoro finally spotted him, stopping at the port and tying the boat to a nearby pillar.
"Do you know where Luffy is?" Zoro asked, looking straight at Benson.
"He's in that house," Benson replied, pointing to the room Luffy had entered.
"Thanks." Zoro nodded and headed for the house.
Meanwhile, Nami had untied the boat and attempted to flee while Benson was talking to Zoro. Luckily, Benson turned quickly and grabbed the rope just in time, forcefully pulling the boat back.
"Please, just let me go, brother!" Nami cried out in frustration, collapsing weakly on the boat.
Benson, having had enough, grabbed his treasure and walked back into the house where Luffy and Zoro were.
Nami, left in shock, hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow them.