One Piece: Starting With Flame-Flame Fruit

Tony naturally understood what kind of person this guy was. He had no good feelings for him whatsoever, and coldly replied,

"What do the Marines want with me?"

The residents of Cocoyasi Village laughed, thinking the Marines had come to award Tony a medal for his heroic deeds. They were ready to congratulate him.

"It's about the possibility that you might be hiding Arlong's treasure. The Marines is going to inspect your personal belongings, as well as those connected to you... just in case you're trying to protect each other."

The Rat Colonel stroked the small mustache on his lip, wearing a smug expression as if he had already won. With a wave of his hand, he signaled his subordinates to enter the homes of the villagers to search.

Kenjō immediately stepped forward to block them.

"Wait a minute, Colonel! Arlong's base has already been burned to the ground! What treasure are you talking about? We're just ordinary villagers! Isn't the Marines supposed to protect us? Why are you treating us like thieves trying to hide treasure?"

"Shut up!" The Rat Colonel snapped. "It's precisely because we the Marines, can't allow ordinary citizens to hoard treasure. These filthy treasures must be handed over to us to keep safe."

"You're just a mere village constable, daring to defy the Marines!" The Rat Colonel's fury was evident as he drew his pistol and pointed it at Kenjō.

He didn't care about shame anymore. He was ready to kill even a village constable. In East Blue, he thought of himself as an untouchable authority.

Kenjō broke out in cold sweat, suddenly being accused of a crime he hadn't committed. The residents of Cocoyasi Village began to realize that the Marines wasn't here to protect them—it was clear that, with Arlong's gang gone, they had come for the treasure.

Facing the gun, Kenjō thought the colonel was just trying to intimidate them, as he didn't believe the Marines would really kill innocent civilians. He steeled himself, knowing that as the village constable, it was his duty to protect his people and family, and he bravely confronted the Rat Colonel.

"How dare you claim to be Marines?" Kenjō seethed. "You're pointing a gun at unarmed civilians!"

"We didn't take any treasure! We don't even know what you're talking about!"

"You want to search? Fine, but I'll go to other towns and expose this filthy Marines that's after pirates' treasure!"

Bang!

Before Kenjō could finish, the sound of a gunshot made everyone tremble. Not just the villagers, but even the soldiers accompanying the colonel were shocked.

The Rat Colonel had really pulled the trigger, without hesitation, aiming at an unarmed villager.

"Colonel! Don't be impulsive! They're just civilians! This will blow up!"

One of the soldiers quickly tried to stop him. Although they were greedy, they didn't have the guts to actually kill ordinary people.

But the soldiers were stunned when their superior didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

Clang!

In that critical moment, Tony's Armament Haki enveloped his arm, and he rushed forward, deflecting the bullet away.

Kenjō's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, feeling his chest—he wasn't hurt, and he sighed in relief.

The soldiers, realizing what had just happened, breathed a collective sigh of relief. Thankfully, no civilians were killed; otherwise, they would have nightmares for the rest of their lives.

Tony's expression was cold, his Sharingan spinning into the three-tomoe form.

"You damn bastard, how dare you interfere with the Marines' business! What kind of look is that? I'm a Marine Colonel! If you dare lay a finger on me, the Marines' 16th Division will never let you go."

Inside, the Rat Colonel was actually terrified, because the person in front of him had the power to single-handedly take down Arlong and his entire crew.

But he didn't show any of that fear outwardly. In his mind, as a Marine officer, he believed no one in East Blue, the weakest sea, would ever dare strike a Marine officer unless they were insane. And clearly, Tony wasn't crazy in his eyes.

Before Tony could act,

Nami had already reached her boiling point. If Tony hadn't intervened earlier, Kenjō could've been seriously injured or even killed.

Seeing the Rat Colonel draw his gun, Nami couldn't help but recall the scene of Arlong gunning down Bell-mère.

The Rat Colonel's actions completely enraged this little "cat burglar."

Nami grabbed a wooden stick from the side of the house and charged at the Rat Colonel, smashing it right into his face.

Thud!

The Rat Colonel's face nearly twisted out of shape from the blow. You could clearly hear the sound of his nose breaking, his teeth shattering and falling to the ground. Fresh blood poured from his mouth.

The soldiers were wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were seeing. A girl had that much strength, and more importantly, had the courage to strike a Marine officer!

They had never imagined that such an event could happen, and for a moment, they were frozen in place.

"Whoa! Nice job, Nami!"

"She beat him to it!"

"Serves that damn Marines right!"

The mood among the residents of Cocoyasi Village was charged with excitement. They stood together with Nami, unafraid of the Marines in front of them.

The Rat Colonel covered his broken nose and growled, "You damn girl! Have you lost your mind? You really dared to strike a Marines Colonel! Don't think this will be easy to resolve."

Nami completely ignored his threats and coldly responded, "What kind of Marine officer are you, a scoundrel who waits for pirates to die and then comes to steal their treasure? You have no shame!"

"I'll tell you this: Arlong didn't have any treasure. The 100 million Berries were money I gave him! If there was treasure, it wouldn't be for you to take!"

"Because all that money was extracted from the people of Cocoyasi Village by Arlong's gang. It rightfully belongs to us!"

Upon hearing Nami's words about the 100 million Berries, the Rat Colonel's eyes gleamed with murderous intent. He was certain that the money was in her possession.

Otherwise, there was no way she would know those details.

100 million Berries—just the thought of it made him feel elated. He probably hadn't made that much in his entire life, and he definitely wasn't going to let this golden opportunity slip by.

The Rat Colonel hardened his resolve, drawing his pistol and aiming it directly at Nami.

"Heh, so you know about the 100 million Berries. Well, that makes it easier. Hand over the money, and I'll let you all go free."

"After we're done with this, each of you will be rich beyond your wildest dreams."

"It doesn't matter if we're no longer Marines! With money, we can go anywhere!"

After being brainwashed by the Rat Colonel, the dozen or so corrupt Marines soldiers raised their guns, aiming at Tony and the others. All that earlier talk about protecting civilians and justice was gone, replaced by nothing but their insatiable greed.

"You damn animals! For 100 million Berries, you're willing to kill us all!"

Nami gritted her teeth, her anger boiling. Just when Arlong was gone, another scoundrel from the Marines had appeared. She couldn't help but feel that fate was playing her unfairly.

Why did Cocoyasi Village have to endure such torment?

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T/N:

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