Chapter 125: Stay and Be My Slave

Tang Shen was instantly overwhelmed with a wave of exasperation. Damn it, he wasn’t a maniacal killer—was there really any need to be so terrified?

Focusing his gaze, he realized it was none other than Koby. No wonder he hadn’t seen him earlier; he had thought Koby had fled, but unexpectedly, he had returned. Yet, this guy was rather clever—he actually came back to keep watch over the treasure for him.

However, his strength was too weak, and his head was swollen, still bleeding—a clear sign he had just been struck. If Tang Shen’s guess was correct, the one who hit him was the person he was currently holding by the arm.

Sure enough, Nami wore an awkward smile, her eyes darting away guiltily—it was indeed she who had struck him. After all, someone had dared to block her while she was pillaging the treasure.

Though she was a woman, Koby looked even weaker than her. In fact, he was indeed weaker; he collapsed with a single blow.

Nami thought to herself: she had never seen such a weak pirate before—today she had truly broadened her horizons.

“Alright, get up. I’m not going to kill you,” Tang Shen said, watching Koby keep bowing repeatedly with a silent sigh.

Before meeting Luffy, Koby had truly been timid—where did he find the courage to shout so boldly in front of all the big shots during the Marineford War?

Sometimes, appearances can be deceiving.

Of course, even now, Koby remained a coward—an extremely cowardly one.

Hearing Tang Shen’s words, Koby lifted his head, his face and eyes filled with fear and panic, tears and snot streaming down as he weakly asked, “Really?”

Tang Shen rolled his eyes, too lazy to repeat himself, and casually dropped Nami to the ground.

He then picked up the money pouch from her hand and opened it. His mouth twitched—there were even some loose coins. This little girl had been quite thorough in her pillaging.

Nami cried out in pain from the fall, but when she felt her hand suddenly lighten, panic surged through her, and she scrambled to her feet.

Seeing Tang Shen opening the pouch, she immediately lunged forward. “That’s my money! Give it back!”

At Nami’s shout, Tang Shen’s mouth twitched again. He’d seen shameless people before, but never this shameless.

Stealing his loot, and now claiming it was her money?

Damn! How could someone be so thick-skinned?

Even if you come from a tragic, oppressed hometown, you can’t be this shameless.

Clang!

With a grip on the hilt, Tang Shen drew his blade in a flash. The fine steel sword pressed instantly against Nami’s throat, not allowing her an inch.

Her whole body stiffened like a statue, cold sweat streaming down her face, her eyes wide with pure terror.

Only now did she grasp the gravity of who she was facing.

This was a man who had wiped out the entire Arlitta Pirates single-handedly.

Though that wasn’t entirely accurate—one pirate remained, the weakling beside her who couldn’t even defeat her and knelt in fear.

She didn’t want to die. If she died, no one would gather the hundred million berries needed to buy her hometown back from Arlong.

No one knew the hardships she had endured for that promise.

Tang Shen watched Nami’s glaring eyes with amusement, noting how, at this stage, she hadn’t yet become the smooth operator she would later be—her emotions were still plainly visible on her face: anger and resentment.

Though he sympathized with her plight, he had no intention of stepping forward to say, “I sympathize with you; I will save you and help defeat the fish-men.”

That kind of person was simply foolish.

Besides, who would believe that?

At the very least, Nami would never believe it.

Since the death of her adoptive mother, she had shed countless tears. In her worldview, the fish-men were utterly unbeatable—a permanent knot in her heart.

Unless she saw them defeated with her own eyes, she would never believe it.

Winning Nami’s trust was an arduous task—just as later, Luffy persistently begged her to become his navigator, through a mixture of determination, strange fate, mutual benefit, and the kindness still lingering in her heart, she temporarily became his companion.

Yet, when the time came at the Sea Restaurant, she left without a word because she didn’t believe Luffy and the others could overcome the fish-men.

Only a fool like Luffy would stubbornly insist on having Nami as his navigator and persist in pursuing her; anyone else would have given up long ago.

But now, Tang Shen knew this little girl’s story.

Nami’s navigation skills were exactly what he needed.

As for what would happen to Luffy later?

Well, he was the child of destiny; he would figure it out himself.

Changing the storyline was Tang Shen’s prerogative—otherwise, how would he earn achievement points?

For now, his focus was on taming this little wildcat.

“So, you tried to steal my loot. How do you suggest we settle this?” Tang Shen asked with a sly smile.

He gently flicked the fine steel sword against Nami’s jaw, forcing her to raise her head.

Nami was only sixteen or seventeen, but having drifted outdoors for so long, she was precociously developed, her body already well-formed yet still a bit tender—like a slightly unripe apple.

“B-Big brother, this is a misunderstanding. I didn’t know this was your territory. I’ve already returned it all to you. Let me go, and we’ll call it even,” she said with a forced smile, her life in the hands of another. No matter how angry or anxious she felt inside, she had to speak kindly. She truly feared Tang Shen’s blade.

If she died, all hope was lost. Staying alive meant there was still hope.

Especially since the man before her was a ‘pirate hunter’ who killed without blinking.

At least, that was how she saw it.

Though he looked handsome and young, she did not believe he was a good man.

“That’s not calling it even. If it weren’t for him holding you back, you might have taken off with my loot. There’s about three million berries in there. You can just pay me three million berries—that’s fair, right?” Tang Shen said cheerfully, wearing a smile that said, “See? I’m being fair and upright.”

Nami’s face darkened instantly. Fair? Fair, my foot!

This was no fairness—it was outright extortion.

She shot a fierce glare at Koby, because it was indeed his blocking that had prevented her escape.

Now not only was she caught, but she was also being made to pay compensation.

Koby shrank his neck, bitter at heart. Who had he offended now? He had only tried to protect himself.

Thinking back, the Arlitta Pirates—demons who had never resisted before—had been blasted away, and their vicious crew slaughtered one by one. In the end, his only plan was to continue doing odd jobs on the ship, just to survive.

“I have no money,” Nami said with frustration.

“Oh!” Tang Shen had been waiting for that very response, hoping she would offer money voluntarily. He figured it would be more painful than killing her, but that wasn’t what he really wanted. A brilliant smile blossomed across his face.

Nami felt uneasy, but when she saw Tang Shen’s radiant smile, she froze.

Having been accustomed to the ugliness of the fish-men and the harshness of pirates on the sea, this was the first time she had seen a man smile so brightly and attractively.

Tang Shen’s smile was incredibly handsome—the kind that caught a woman’s eye.

But Koby shivered even more at Tang Shen’s grin, because not long ago, he had seen that same smile—and it had been right before Tang Shen killed someone.