[Check Out My Patreon For +10 Extra Chapters On All My Fanfics!! For Only $5 and get chapters before publishing them here for free][https://p4treon.com/roooaaa]
====
500 Adventure Coins!
That's equivalent to 5 Life Fruits, or 5 years of life!
Could it be that he misunderstood something?
Recruiting and training crew members might actually be the main way to earn Adventure Coins?
With that thought, Mu Li ignored Nami's questioning glance and turned his gaze to Koby.
"You also have two choices," he said.
"Y-yes! Captain Luffy!" Koby was startled yet again.
[Crew Member Recruited: Koby. Qualification: Ordinary. Reward: 5 Adventure Coins.]
Mu Li: "..."
Hey, hey, that's a hundredfold difference.
Is Nami's talent absurdly high, or is Koby's just absolute trash?
"Forget it. You're fired," Mu Li said with a regretful shake of his head, decisively kicking Koby out.
A piece of junk worth 5 coins? Better for him to go be an admiral of the Navy instead.
"Huh?" Koby froze, dumbfounded.
Mu Li paid him no further attention and turned back to Nami.
The moment Nami, who had been planning to sneak away, noticed his gaze, she stopped in her tracks and tilted her head, flashing a cute smile.
"Captain Luffy, I definitely wasn't trying to run away!"
"If you ran, I'd just catch you again," Mu Li said with a sly grin. "I know your hometown is Cocoyasi Village, which is currently occupied by the Arlong Pirates, isn't that right?"
Nami froze as though struck by lightning.
Her attempt at cuteness faltered, and she returned to her natural self, glaring at him with wide eyes.
"How do you know that?!"
"A thief who specializes in robbing pirates? I've heard of you. To have made a name for yourself in these seas, you've done quite well," Mu Li said sincerely, even offering her a compliment.
This girl was being blackmailed by the Arlong Pirates, forced to save up 100 million Berries to buy back her village. Over the years, she had been scrimping and saving tirelessly.
"Well, since you already know, let's make things clear," Nami said, her tone shifting to that of a scheming woman as she crossed her arms and put on airs. "I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates. Sorry, but there's no way I can join your crew."
Oh, she's pulling rank now? Clever.
Mu Li couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"What are you laughing at…" Nami's face turned red with embarrassment, a hint of irritation creeping in.
Using Arlong's name to scare people off had always worked before. In the East Blue, the reputation of the Arlong Pirates was nothing to scoff at.
"What's so funny? You can't possibly not know who the Arlong Pirates are, right? Their captain, Arlong, isn't just ten times as strong as a regular human; he also has a bounty of 20 million Berries! He's nothing like that fat woman you just defeated!"
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!"
Mu Li couldn't hold it in anymore and clutched his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably.
He was used to hearing bounty amounts in the hundreds of millions, even billions, so suddenly hearing a mere 20 million had a quaint, old-school charm to it.
The more he laughed, the more annoyed Nami became.
Her entire demeanor soured as she struggled to understand what he found so amusing.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it. I wasn't mocking you," Mu Li said after a while, finally managing to suppress his laughter.
It wasn't intentional—maybe it was the influence of the Nika Fruit making his sense of humor more spontaneous.
Nami: "..."
She bit her lip, glaring at him furiously.
"You've misunderstood," Mu Li said patiently. After all, Nami was worth 500 coins—completely different from a 5-coin Koby. "Whether you're an officer of the Arlong Pirates or not has nothing to do with my invitation for you to join my crew. Even if you are, we can just destroy the Arlong Pirates. Problem solved."
Nami froze.
"What did you say? That's an all-Fishman pirate crew… except for me! You'd throw your life away for me?"
"Do you know who my grandpa is?"
Mu Li didn't bother explaining his strength.
If he did, she probably wouldn't understand anyway.
But mentioning his grandpa? That was a different story!
"Your grandpa?"
"The Hero of the Navy, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp. For a small pirate crew like this, my grandpa could destroy them a hundred times over with a single word."
What's the point of a powerful background if you don't flaunt it?
Nami was completely stunned.
A Navy vice admiral? From Headquarters?
That's a big deal!
If this guy was willing to help, the issue with her village might be resolved effortlessly!
Her eyes lit up, and her expression turned hopeful.
"Are you serious?"
"So, are you willing to be my navigator now?" Mu Li asked, teasing her slightly.
"..."
Nami's face twisted. "Wait, your grandpa is in the Navy, but you're a pirate? Stop lying!"
Damn it, I almost fell for it. Hmph, a man's words really can't be trusted!
Mu Li shrugged. "You don't believe me?"
"Nope!"
Mu Li pointed at the unconscious Alvida nearby. "That woman has a bounty of 5 million Berries. Let's take her to the nearest Navy base to claim the bounty. Once you meet the officers there, you'll know if I'm lying."
That… makes sense. But what if it's a trap? What if he takes her to the Navy base only to have her arrested?
No, wait. If he wanted to capture her, he wouldn't need to go through so much trouble. He's strong enough to take her down directly.
After weighing her options, Nami finally nodded. "If it's true, I'll join your crew. Unless you tell me to leave, I'll stay as your navigator and never betray you!"
"Then let's go," Mu Li said with a smile.
"Wait, where's your pirate ship?" Nami asked, glancing around and seeing no sign of one.
About that…
Mu Li opened the Adventure Store.
[Pirate Ship (Thousand Sunny)]: A high-quality pirate ship that comes with a stocked supply of food and water. Price: 1,000 Adventure Coins. Special 70% discount today: 300 Adventure Coins.
Buying it!
A discount like this? Not buying would be inhumane.
With 600 coins in hand, he could easily afford it.
As for why he had 600 instead of 605?
Because after kicking Koby out, the 5 coins originally rewarded had been deducted.
The system was airtight—no loopholes allowed!