Chapter 9: The Fallen Marine, X. Drake!
"Nok?"
Hearing the name Luffy shouted,
the bar owner Shakky was visibly stunned. It seemed this name was somewhat beyond her expectations.
Could she have guessed wrong?
Was that man truly afflicted by the World Government's deadly poison weapon, as described on the wanted poster—either dead or crippled?
What a pity.
Her friends in the Navy had mentioned more than once:
that young man might have been the one to guide the Navy's future toward the right path.
"Hey, Luffy, can you please remember people's names properly? It's really rude! Rok said if you keep getting his name wrong, he's gonna pound you!"
"Alright, alright, I got it! 'Nok Rok' or whatever—it totally sounds similar! Though, aside from Grandpa, nobody's ever managed to actually hurt me, hehehe!"
Just as Shakky was feeling regretful,
the follow-up exchange between Chopper and Luffy made her expression dramatically change.
"Rok? So it really is Rok? Douglas D. Rok?"
Shakky actually stood up in excitement, momentarily losing her composure.
She didn't personally know Rok,
but combining what Luffy had said earlier,
it seemed Rok's strength hadn't been affected at all.
After all, someone whom the 300-million-berry "Straw Hat" Luffy genuinely called "strong" couldn't possibly be weak.
Though she had no idea what exactly had happened or why that man had ended up traveling with the Straw Hats,
as long as he wasn't missing or ruined,
a massive storm was bound to sweep the seas in the future!
"Yohohoho! Lady Shakky, do you know Mr. Rok? He's truly a good person! He even told me what color panties Miss Nami was wearing last night—my heart is all aflutter, yohohoho!"
Seeing that Shakky seemed very interested in Rok, Brook immediately popped out to prove with one sentence that Rok was now on very good terms with the Straw Hat crew.
(Of course, Chopper and Robin had repeatedly warned that the poison in Rok's body might not be fully cleared and his condition was unstable, so it was best to avoid danger.
In truth, Rok had never actually told Brook the color of Nami's panties—though he desperately wanted to know.)
"Don't worry, I have no hostility toward that man named Rok. On the contrary, I'm very optimistic about him—just like I am about little Monkey here."
"Only… if we count Rok now, the rookies on the Shabondy Archipelago should be called the 'Twelve Supernovas,' right? After all, Rok's bounty has just reached exactly one hundred million berries!"
Shakky expressed her opinion and reassured the Straw Hats.
Moreover, she noticed that Rok seemed to get along quite well with the crew. Could it be that they shared the same ideals?
"Huh? So Rok's bounty is over 100 million now? Still not as high as mine or Zoro's though, hehehe!"
The Straw Hats weren't particularly surprised about Rok's bounty.
No matter his current condition, his previous strength had clearly been extraordinary. Add the crime of deserting the Marines, and honestly, 100 million berries was actually on the low side.
The Straw Hats didn't linger long at [Shakky's Rip-off Bar] and soon headed to the Shabondy Archipelago amusement park to look for a coating craftsman.
Unfortunately, Luffy had completely forgotten Rok's warning.
The mermaid Camie ended up going with them to the amusement park—and long before that, she had already been targeted by human traffickers on the island.
A high-grade female mermaid.
Thanks to the Celestial Dragons' obsession, they had always been the most dazzling jewel at the human auction houses on the Sabaody Archipelago.
Worth hundreds of millions!
…
Inside a bank on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"Thanks to these bubbles, otherwise moving all this gold and cash would've been impossible! We're rich! We're rich! Kyahahahaha!"
After a thorough search,
with Rok's help, Nami had finally located the bank's secret vault.
Between gold and cash berries, the total came to nearly 400 million berries!
That was twice the Straw Hats' entire current fortune!
Nami was absolutely ecstatic.
The moment she saw the glittering gold, she threw herself onto Rok and spun around happily several times.
Without wasting any more time, the two of them used the pre-prepared bubbles to sweep every last treasure clean.
On the way out, perhaps because she was simply too excited, Nami's little mouth never closed—she was the very picture of someone who had completely lost herself in triumph.
"Hey, Nami, calm down a little, okay? We're robbing a bank here! And it's only this much money?"
Seeing Nami's money-grubbing expression, Rok smiled warmly.
Then he couldn't help but imagine:
what would happen if Nami found out he actually had tens of billions of berries?
Buying a permanent bunk in her and Robin's cabin with berries wouldn't be too much to ask, right?!
Of course, that was just a joke.
Although they had successfully seized an enormous haul—practically emptying the bank's entire cash reserve—
now was clearly not the time to relax and celebrate.
Rok had already distinctly sensed it:
several uninvited guests were waiting at the entrance.
Sure enough.
When Rok and Nami walked into the bank lobby,
several key members of the Drake Pirates—including one of the Supernovas, the "Fallen Marine" Red Flag X. Drake—were staring coldly at Rok. Under X. Drake's leadership, they had completely blocked every escape route for Rok and Nami.
"Who are you people? Here to steal the money?"
Seeing the hostile stance of the other side, Nami grew nervous. She clutched several treasure-filled bubbles with one hand while quietly drawing her Clima-Tact with the other, ready to fight alongside Rok at any moment.
Her feelings toward Rok right now were complicated. She naturally didn't mind what had happened last night—only gratitude remained, plus a tiny bit of guilt.
Gratitude, of course, for Rok helping her strike it filthy rich.
Guilt because Rok's physical condition was still unstable. If it weren't for her, he wouldn't have had to fight so many times in such a short period.
"Straw Hat Pirates' 'Thief Cat' Nami—you may leave. I have no intention of making an enemy of the Straw Hat crew for the time being."
X. Drake glanced at Nami, thought for a few seconds, then decided to let her go. After all, the Straw Hats were not easy to deal with; there was no need to provoke them unnecessarily.
Then his sharp gaze locked directly onto Rok.
"My target is him—the former Navy elite Rear Admiral, once hailed as the greatest genius in the history of the Naval Academy, Douglas D. Rok!"
"Rok… do you still remember that title? Those were the words Teacher Zephyr often repeated with pride: you were his greatest pride. How could someone like you betray the Marines—betray justice?!"
At this moment, X. Drake's eyes burned with anger.
In truth, as a senior who remained a staunch believer in the Marines, he mostly felt that Rok was a terrible waste.
"This has nothing to do with you. Whoever you are—Rok is a friend of the Straw Hat Pirates. If you lay a hand on our friend, that means you're declaring war on the entire Straw Hat crew!"
Before Rok could even speak,
Nami refused to leave. Her beautiful eyes filled with determination as she stepped forward,
standing toe-to-toe with the Drake Pirates—for Rok's sake.
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