I Will Become Hokage in One Piece

Chapter 25: Nami, The Cat Burglar

Nami lost her parents to pirates at a very young age. She was taken in by two sisters who raised her as their own, and they lived happily as a family of three.

However, their peaceful life was shattered when the Arlong Pirates invaded Cocoyasi Village, where Nami lived. The pirates took over the village and established their Arlong Park, dominating the entire East Blue. The leader of the Arlong Pirates, Arlong, killed Nami's adoptive mother and imposed a monthly payment on the villagers as a form of tribute.

Nami's once-happy life was destroyed.

Later, Arlong noticed Nami's talent for drawing nautical charts and used it as leverage to force her to work for him. They made an agreement that she could buy back the village and her freedom if she collected 100 million bellies. 

Thus, Nami began life as a thief, earning her the reputation of the "Cat Burglar." Her stealing skills were unmatched in East Blue, except for "Phantom Thief" Carina.

Her goal was to gather 100 million bellies to save everyone. She firmly believed it was possible.

However, Arlong was incredibly powerful, and he had connections with the chief of the nearby marine branch. Even the Marines's attempts to attack them were thwarted, with their ships sinking into the sea.

The mermen in East Blue had stronger bodies than humans, and there were few humans who could rival Arlong's power. This left Nami feeling desperate, and she had no choice but to abide by the rules set by Arlong and herself. She knew there was only one path she could take.

She was well aware of the high possibility of being deceived, but it was her only hope. She couldn't give up. Even if there was only a glimmer of hope, she was willing to try.

Slapping her cheek, she said, "Come on, Nami. We still have 23 million to go, and we can gather 100 million bellies to buy everyone back from Arlong." 

Although she is at the age of being a high school student from Earth, her body had developed well. It seemed that the nutrition in this world was better. Wearing the attire of a merchant ship attendant, she boarded a merchant ship, assuming the owner of the ship was wealthy.

With this in mind, she took light steps, pushing a food cart and heading towards the finest rooms on the ship. Since she had boarded the ship under the cover of darkness, she didn't know which room belonged to the captain, but it didn't matter. The people living in such rooms were undoubtedly wealthy.

She gently knocked on one of the doors, and a gentle voice responded, "Who is it?"

"Supper has been delivered from the ship's galley, sir. Would you like some?" Nami asked politely.

"Snack? I'm feeling hungry. Thank you for your trouble," the voice replied. 

Footsteps followed, and the door opened to reveal a young man with tanned skin and long, dark hair cascading behind his head. His handsome face appeared soft in the dim light of the cabin.

"Please come in," Rodney said, sweeping his eyes over Nami's face and welcoming her inside.

Something felt off about this woman, Rodney thought to himself. He was passing by Cocoyasi Village with the ship and figured he could take on a mission while he was there. However, he didn't expect to encounter pirates but a petty thief instead.

Nami pushed the food cart in and quickly glanced around the room. She focused on the pouch on the bed belonging to Rodney and then turned to him with a smile, asking, "Sir, what kind of food would you like to eat?"

The food from the galley was quite good, and it came with a side of red wine.

Unbeknownst to Rodney, Nami had already laced the wine and food with drugs. Once he consumed them, she would be able to steal his treasures.

"Thank you," Rodney said as he sat down to enjoy the food. Although it didn't compare to Sanji's dishes, it was still quite tasty. After all, not everyone could match the skills of the chef at Baratie.

Rodney devoured the food quickly, drinking a bottle of red wine like a thirsty man.

Yawning, he said, "Please close the door when you leave. I'm feeling sleepy."

"Of course, sir," Nami replied with a smile. She pushed the food cart away and closed the door behind her.

Standing outside the door, she pressed her ear against it, listening for any sounds coming from the room. Soon enough, as she expected, the sound of peaceful sleep emanated from within, indicating that the person inside was fast asleep.

With a smile, Nami easily pushed open the door. In the darkness, she relied on the moonlight filtering through the porthole to navigate the room and approached Rodney's bedside.

Her fair and tender hand reached out for the pouch on the bed.

'It's easy to grab it, huh? But why does it feel like something is tugging on the bag?'

Feeling an odd sensation, Nami's instincts told her that something was amiss. She was about to let go when a dagger-like object shot out from the shadow across the room. It sliced through the air with a strong gust, narrowly missing Nami's beautiful cheek.

'This... a knife? So close!'

However, Nami, the little burglar, wouldn't be so easily fooled.

Nami was quite pleased with herself, thinking that she had narrowly escaped the trap. Little did she know, there was another pull, and several kunai flew out from the opposite shadow. This time, they were different from before; their ends were tied with steel wires.

The steel wires formed a net that tightened around Nami, binding her tightly and causing her to fall to the ground in an unfavorable position.

"What... this is so tight! What is this?" Nami whispered, struggling to free herself. 

However, the more she struggled, the tighter the steel wire became. It constricted her chest, making it difficult to breathe. What was happening?

"Oh? It seems you've triggered my trap, Miss Snitch," Rodney said with a smile as he sat up on the bed. He was wide awake, showing no signs of sleepiness.

"You... you saw through my trick?" Nami asked.

"Of course. I'm used to dealing with tricks and even having an antidote for drugs. Let me tell you, drugs like those are best mixed with hard liquor. This kind of food and red wine are easy to consume, and the drugs still have a faint taste," Rodney explained, grinning.

Nami: "..."

Meeting an expert was truly unfortunate.

Wearing a pitiful expression, she pleaded, "I'm sorry, sir. It's my first time doing something like this. I had no choice but to resort to it for my livelihood. Please let me go. I have a family to support, and if the captain finds out, I'll lose this job."

Rodney put away the useless steel wire and slipped it into his pocket. He said, "Miss Snitch, do you think I'll believe your nonsense?" Leaning forward, he sniffed the air. "This smell... it's the scent of lies! You're lying!"

Nami: "..."

'You can smell lies? What do you have a nose of truth or something? Can lies really have a scent? What kind of joke is this?'

"Hmph, you don't believe me? Did you... cough cough, anyway, you're lying! Miss Snitch, you seem to be a repeat offender. So I won't show you any mercy," Rodney said, revealing a cold glint as he unsheathed White Fang.

Nami hurriedly exclaimed, "Wait! Please! Let me go! I can lead you to a hidden treasure of a pirate group!"

Rodney paused, intrigued by the mention of treasure. The temptation was strong.

"Well, you've managed to capture my interest, Miss Snitch. I do have a great interest in treasure. Very well, what's your name?" Rodney asked.

"Nami. Is there a problem?" Nami replied.

A big problem!