Nami, hiding among the female soldiers, felt nervous as they were about to enter the construction site.
Loguetown currently offered countless business opportunities.
But she had never forgotten her true purpose for coming here.
The thought of soon meeting Reddy filled her with unease. She wasn't sure if Reddy would accept her request.
"It's Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Onigumo was the first to see Bartolomeo leading Tsuru and her group into the construction site, and his spirits lifted immediately.
The work at the construction site wasn't physically demanding for him, but it was deeply humiliating.
Soon, Doberman and the others also noticed Tsuru's group.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
Doberman strode toward Tsuru's group.
Crack!
The whip snapped through the air!
Bartolomeo flicked his whip and snarled, "Do you want another taste of my whip?"
The hot-tempered Doberman had been subjected to Bartolomeo's whippings before.
He wasn't afraid of the pain, but he couldn't bear the humiliation.
So he had no choice but to stop in his tracks.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this."
Tsuru gently reassured the frustrated Doberman before turning to Bartolomeo. "Don't keep Dr. Reddy waiting."
Bartolomeo immediately nodded.
Making his idol wait was unacceptable!
Before leaving, Bartolomeo threw out a final threat: "Wait till I get back, and I'll beat you to death!"
"You..."
Doberman was furious, but under Tsuru's gaze, he could only shut his mouth.
Reddy had arranged to meet Tsuru's group at the abandoned Marine base.
Half of the base had been destroyed during Garp's battle with Golden Lion Shiki.
Reddy had spent most of his recent time at the Punk Hazard research facility accumulating energy, so he had only done minimal cleanup here.
This base had its own dock, which in his plans would become the main entrance to the future entertainment city, artificially separated from Loguetown's old district.
Led by Bartolomeo, Tsuru's group entered the base and soon met Reddy.
"Jinbe the First Son of the Sea, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock..."
Tsuru's attention was immediately drawn to Jinbe and Hancock, who stood on either side of Reddy.
Speculation was one thing, but seeing it with her own eyes was another.
Two of the Seven Warlords of the Sea had joined Reddy's faction.
This was not good news.
At the same time, Nami, hidden among the female soldiers, also saw Jinbe, and a flash of regret crossed her eyes.
This was reckless!
She hadn't expected Dr. Reddy to have such close ties with the Fishmen!
Nami felt despair.
She was afraid that her request to Reddy would reach Arlong's crew and bring disaster to Cocoyasi Village.
For a moment, Nami just wanted to leave immediately.
She didn't realize that Reddy had already noticed her.
"Cat Burglar Nami?"
Reddy's expression turned odd.
When had this genius navigator infiltrated the Marines?
It wasn't just Reddy who noticed Nami.
Hancock, who had been secretly observing Reddy, noticed him staring at a girl among the Marine soldiers and immediately scrutinized her. Then she relaxed.
After assessing her figure, she concluded that the girl wasn't much competition.
Meanwhile, Jinbe also sensed an uncomfortable gaze. When he looked over and saw Nami among the female soldiers, a question mark popped up in his mind.
"Did I offend this girl somehow?"
Nami only left Jinbe slightly puzzled, but soon Tsuru's words made him refocus.
Tsuru sighed. "I didn't expect our first meeting to be under these circumstances, Dr. Reddy."
Reddy smiled but didn't respond.
When he had freeloaded off the Marines before, he hadn't gone to Marineford but was taken directly to Punk Hazard.
"Let's get straight to the point, then."
Seeing that Reddy wasn't interested in small talk, Tsuru cut to the chase and stated their purpose: "Marineford wishes to ransom the prisoners."
Reddy became interested.
She only mentioned Marineford, not the World Government or Mary Geoise... That was very telling.
Was this an attempt to maintain the Marines' independence?
Reddy thought to himself and stated his price: "200 million Berries for a Vice Admiral, 100 million for a Rear Admiral, 80 million for a Captain, 50 million for a Commander, 30 million for a Lieutenant..."
When Nami heard the amounts Reddy was quoting, her eyes turned into Berry symbols.
So much money!
It wasn't until someone nudged her that she snapped out of it and remembered her original plan—to immediately step forward and make her request to Reddy as soon as she saw him.
But after discovering Reddy's connection to the Fishmen, she didn't dare speak up.
The female soldier behind her, seeing that Nami wasn't following their earlier agreement to negotiate on the Marines' behalf, nudged her again.
"What should I do?"
Nami's mind went blank with panic.
Tsuru turned and saw the panic in Nami's eyes. She smiled wryly, assuming the girl was just a fan of Reddy who had lied to get a chance to meet her idol.
Fortunately, she hadn't relied entirely on Nami.
Tsuru said helplessly, "That price is too high for Marineford."
The previous punitive expedition had sent ten Marine Vice Admirals, including Kuzan.
Eight of them had been captured.
The ransom for them alone would be a staggering 1.6 billion Berries.
And below the Vice Admirals, there were dozens of Rear Admirals, hundreds of Captains... The lowest rank among the prisoners was Lieutenant.
Added up, the ransom for 50,000 prisoners would be in the trillions.
"Marineford can't afford it, but Mary Geoise can."
From the start, Reddy had never expected Marineford to pay. His target had always been the Celestial Dragons, who had exploited the world for centuries.
A sum in the trillions was nothing to the Celestial Dragons, but it would definitely sting.
"The Celestial Dragons won't agree."
Tsuru sighed. "This ransom will be paid by the World Government, meaning it will be passed on to the member nations."
She left the rest unsaid, but she believed Reddy understood her implication.
The Celestial Dragons could represent the World Government, but the World Government couldn't represent the Celestial Dragons.
If this sum was passed on to the member nations, it was obvious the nobility would shift the burden onto the common people.
If Reddy accepted these terms, with a little manipulation, he would become the demon in the eyes of the people of the member nations.
The World Government would win twice—retrieving the 50,000 elite Marine prisoners and turning Reddy into a universally despised figure.
"Don't agree!"
Nami couldn't help but blurt out from among the female soldiers.
As soon as she spoke, she regretted it.
Almost everyone's gaze fixed on her, making her feel immense pressure, as if she could barely breathe.
In that moment, she hadn't been able to think clearly. All she heard was Tsuru saying the ransom would be passed on to the member nations, which reminded her of Cocoyasi Village's suffering under Arlong's crew.
It struck a chord with her.
Reddy looked at the nervous Nami and chuckled.
Honestly, he hadn't expected the World Government to be so malicious, openly setting a trap that he couldn't avoid.
This ransom was like a noose.
If he stuck his neck in, the World Government would hang him with it.
"I'm done for!"
Nami realized Reddy was staring at her and felt utterly hopeless. Her mind raced as she tried to think of a way to save herself.
Meanwhile, Tsuru was also watching Nami.
In her eyes, the moment Reddy demanded a ransom, he had already lost.
But Nami's ability to see the implications behind the ransom impressed her. She admired this young girl's intelligence.
Under everyone's gaze, Nami felt like she was suffocating.
What should I do?
I've doomed Cocoyasi Village!
Wait—
An idea flashed through Nami's mind, and she quickly shouted, "I have a solution..."
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