"Did they recognize me?"
He curled his lips in boredom and lay back down on the rattan chair. "Well, at least they've got some sharp eyes. Looks like I can sleep well tonight—no need to fight."
"Captain, it seems like there are still two people who haven't left," Smoker beside him frowned. "And… they're heading straight toward us."
Boom!
Before he even finished speaking, the man in the distance raised his hand—and in the sea several dozen meters away from the Curtain Fall, a sudden explosion erupted. A towering pillar of water shot into the air!
"Hey, pirates."
Mr. 5 adjusted his sunglasses and said coldly, "Where's your captain, Shano? Tell him to crawl out. That shot was a warning. Surrender immediately, or the next one will blow your ship apart!"
An ambush right off the bat?
And calling out their captain by name? That was just too disrespectful!
The whole crew instantly flared up, rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight. Shano also let out a soft "Oh?" and looked the two newcomers up and down with interest.
These two, huh?
They ranked fairly high in Baroque Works—definitely more valuable than your average agent. As for strength…
"Small fries like these aren't worth the captain's time."
Smoker bit down on his cigar and stepped forward. "Leave it to me."
"And me too!" Nami raised her hand high. "I want to give it a try!"
Over the past few days, seeing everyone on the ship training hard, she'd gotten a little antsy herself.
She'd been experimenting with her abilities over the ocean, and had even come up with some flashy and powerful-looking moves—at least from her perspective.
Too bad no one had time to spar with her. She'd only been practicing with Silver, and after getting scorched a few times, even he didn't want to play anymore. So now, she was itching for action.
And what better time to test her power than now?
"No one's fighting over it."
Kuina, who had already drawn her Wado Ichimonji, sheathed it again and sat back down. "I'll leave it to you then, Nami. Do your best."
Nojiko had been ready to step in as well, but seeing Nami take the initiative for once, she simply smiled and stepped aside.
"Don't worry! That guy with the crazy afro and the explosions—he's mine! As for the girl, I'll leave her to you, Smoker!"
Nami clashed her fists together, brimming with excitement.
Hmph, hopefully there's a reporter or something hiding on the island taking pictures. Then the idiots at Marine Headquarters can see how strong she really is!
If they're gonna put a bounty on her, they better make it more than 8,000 Beli! That's way too stingy!
"Guess I should warn you then."
Just as the two were about to step ashore, Shano flipped open his newspaper, skimming for news about the Alabasta royal family as he spoke lazily, "That guy—he's a Bomb-Bomb Fruit user. Any part of his body can explode."
"So what?" Nami scoffed. "I can still burn—"
"That explosion just now—you probably didn't notice, but he used a booger as a bomb."
"…"
Nami's face froze.
"A b-booger?!"
Her eyes went wide, her voice rising in pitch. "You're saying that blast was… ugh—!"
The thought of punching that afro guy with her own fists made Nami go pale. She spun around and grabbed Smoker's sleeve:
"Smoker! I suddenly feel like that floating girl suits me better! Swap! We have to swap!"
"…"
Smoker sighed and shrugged. "Fine."
Booger bombs grossed him out too, but it wouldn't take long to deal with a guy like that. Better he handle it than make a girl suffer.
Swoosh! In the next instant, he turned into a puff of white smoke and shot straight toward Mr. 5.
Nami followed close behind, leaping from the ship as it docked, landing steadily on the shore—
Only for her expression to twist in pain a second later as she grabbed her ankle and hopped around, wailing, "Ow! Ow! My ankle's gonna snap!"
"You guys are underestimating me way too much!!"
Miss Valentine watched in disbelief. Finally unable to bear it, she bared her teeth and roared, "You send a brat like this to fight me?! What kind of pirate crew are you running?!"
"Fine then!" she stomped forward, raising her parasol high. "I'll throw this brat into the sea first, then you can send out someone more serious!"
"You're getting that close?"
Still crouched and hugging her foot, Nami suddenly looked up, a sly grin spreading across her face. "Wow, you're way too naïve..."
Before Miss Valentine could react, Nami shot up, her legs bending into a fighting stance as her hands pressed together at her waist, flames igniting between her palms.
"Flame—Blast—Pulse—"
This name came from a story her big brother told her when she was little. The move involved compressing fire over and over again until the energy was so dense she could barely contain it. Then, all at once—
"—Strike!!!"
BOOM!!!
A scorching fireball exploded between the two of them, shaking the entire Whiskey Peak!
Miss Valentine was hurled several meters away, crashing through a wall and shattering it. Her parasol flew to the side, instantly burned down to its metal frame.
"Cough, cough… You sneaky little brat!"
She struggled for several seconds before climbing back up, covered in soot like she'd been cotton picking. Furious, she shouted:
"You're a Devil Fruit user too, and you still use such dirty tricks!"
Nami smugly flipped her orange hair. "That's called tactics~! Nyeh! You fell for it, so it's your fault!"
"Grr!!" Miss Valentine stomped in rage. "Then it's time to show you my power too! Take this—!"
She leapt high into the sky, floating up thirty meters before her body suddenly became incredibly heavy, plummeting down at terrifying speed.
"—Ten-Thousand-Kilogram Crush!"
"…No Armament Haki?"
Nami glanced up, unmoving, as Miss Valentine plummeted toward her. She sneered.
Tch. Ten thousand kilograms? That's ten tons, huh?
Her big brother had been swinging trees that big like baseball bats years ago.
CRACK!
The ground split in spiderweb-like cracks—direct hit! Miss Valentine was just about to laugh in triumph when a circle of flames suddenly erupted around her.
And inside the flames, Nami's face emerged, grinning sweetly. "Sister Lemon~ That little trick of yours? Doesn't even scratch me."
What the hell kind of ability is this?!
Miss Valentine recoiled in fear, and suddenly her face changed drastically. Abandoning the fight, she floated rapidly upward—
"Hmph. Trying to run?"
Nami clapped her hands together. "I was waiting for this… Fire Phoenix!"
Whoosh!
The surrounding flames soared skyward, circling around her.
First came the long tail feathers, then the majestic wings, and finally a proud, fiery head—
In just two seconds, a phoenix over ten meters wide formed from the flames and took flight!
Cry!!!
The Fire Phoenix let out a clear cry, flapping its wings as it surged toward Miss Valentine.
She glanced back in horror, her face draining of color, desperately zigzagging through the air.
But she was no match for Nami's Fire Phoenix in speed.
All she managed to do was scream "Stay away!" before she was swallowed whole by the blazing flames and crashed to the ground, wailing.
Clap clap!
Nami dusted her hands. "Hehe, done! Hey, Smoker—how're you doing over there? I finished in under three minutes! Don't tell me you haven't even—eh?"
She turned her head and froze.
Smoker was already sitting atop Mr. 5, who was tied up like a rice dumpling, unable to move a single finger. Two spent cigarette butts lay on the ground by Smoker's feet.
"That's my third cigarette."
Smoker flicked some ash and checked his watch. "Took me about 20 seconds? Looks like I'm still a bit faster."
Damn it!
He got the cool finish again! They were both Logia users, but it was clear her mastery still had a long way to go!
"That was your first real fight."
A familiar voice rang out nearby.
"You beat a senior agent from Baroque Works in under three minutes. That's pretty impressive."
It was Shano and the others. They'd finished watching the quick fight and were now walking onto the shore.
"Bro!" Nami grabbed Shano's arm and beamed. "Hearing that from you makes me feel a lot better! So, what do you think? Can I be part of the main combat team now?"
You want to compete for a frontline role?
"If you're willing to start training in martial arts and Haki with the others now, then sure," Shano glanced at her.
"…Forget it."
Nami deflated. Martial arts training was brutal—she couldn't handle that, especially with her duties making sea charts and steering the ship. She didn't have the free time anyway.
"Captain, what about the guys hiding around us?" Smoker glanced into the distance.
He was the only one on the ship with Observation Haki, so he could sense people hiding behind walls or underground nearby.
"If they're smart enough to back off, we don't need to bother with them."
Shano shook his head slightly, his gaze shifting to Mr. 5.
The guy wasn't unconscious—just trembling in terror after realizing the gap in power.
"Don't you think he kinda looks like Aokiji? Even his hairstyle is similar."
Out of nowhere, Shano said to Smoker.
Kuzan?
Smoker blinked, then looked closely—thick lips, forehead lines, afro, round sunglasses… Huh, he did kinda look like him.
"Hey."
Shano squatted down in front of Mr. 5, gently patting his cheek as he smiled, "So, who sent you two after me? Was it Crocodile?"