43 Chapter 43

As you realized by now I use Marine and Navy interchangeably so don't get confused.

...

Zeff escorted Sanji and the other cooks, smiling as he saw Ron and his party off after their meal.

Observing Ron and his group board the Merry and sail away, Zeff wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed, "That was close; luckily, there wasn't any major trouble in the end!"

"Boss, so many navy officers, including a lieutenant, just died!" a chef whispered behind him.

"Those navy officers weren't killed by us. It was Ron who settled the score with the Marines!" Zeff spoke in a hushed tone, "I'm relieved that Ron didn't hold a grudge against Baratie Restaurant. With his strength, if he wanted to attack us, we wouldn't stand a chance of escaping!"

"Yeah, he's incredibly powerful!" The cooks nodded, recalling the terrifying moment when Ron wielded his sword. Their hearts trembled involuntarily, and they dared not speak further.

"Alright, Sanji, let's head back!" Zeff glanced at the blond-haired, curly-browed teenager beside him.

"Hmmm!" Sanji replied but continued to gaze at the distant Going Merry. There was an undeniable yearning in his heart. Such formidable strength had the ability to disregard all rules. When could he be as strong? If he were, he could protect himself from the Vinsmoke family and fulfill his mother's vengeance...

On the Merry, Ron sat on a deck chair, basking in the sun while sipping juice handed to him by Makino. The meals were prepared by Zeff beforehand, with the total cost reaching at least two or three hundred thousand Baileys. However, Zeff, generous as he was, only charged Ron a hundred thousand Baileys, including the cost of the meal, and Ron paid him without any fuss.

Considering the upcoming journey, Ron's main destination was the Grand Line. Only there could he acquire more skills, and with each new skill, his four-dimensional attributes would continue to improve.

"When I become the strongest in the world, I'll unlock the system's upgrade. The upgraded system is bound to offer more functions!" Ron's eyes sparkled with interest. When the system upgrades to the second level, the ability to allocate points to others will become available. This was a function he eagerly anticipated. "There's a third level, and possibly a final fourth level to the system. I wonder what abilities the fourth level will have. I believe it must grant the power of longevity or even immortality. That's the ultimate goal I'm aiming for!"

Besides Ron, Kaya was engrossed in studying a medical book, her meticulous appearance adorable. Meanwhile, Nami sat perusing the newspaper and checking on various information. Tashigi and Makino were busy in the cabin with other tasks.

"Nami, how much money do we have?"

Hearing Ron's question, Nami, who was sitting next to him, looked up and replied, "Our money is indeed not much. Along the way, we've had to replenish supplies several times. Although we didn't spend much this time, it still cost us more than a hundred thousand. The remaining total is almost only a million Baileys!"

"Such a small amount of money won't be enough for us to venture into the Grand Line!" Ron looked at Nami thoughtfully. He had the intention of finding a way to help Nami, allowing him to gain her trust. Arlong's Fishman Pirates must have accumulated a lot of looted wealth. Ron only had to defeat Arlong himself and rescue Nami and her sister Nojiko. So why not make the most of this situation?

Over the years, Nami had likely amassed a significant amount of money. As a skilled thief, she had stolen countless treasures and money from various pirate groups. The total amount raised could be close to 100 million Baileys. Of course, Ron wouldn't consider taking this money by force. Snatching from Arlong was a more suitable plan.

(T/N: You know something Arlong and his crew took over the island when Nami was a child and started to tax the people of the island to pay for their own lives. $100,000 baileys for Adults and $50,000 baileys for children MONTHLY. Conomi islands was not just a single island but an archipelago but the story was based on Cocoyashi Village and now imagine that multiple villages existed and Arlong taxed all of them for such a long time so imagine the amount of money Arlong collected over the years. BILLIONS if not hundreds of millions (it was stated that arlong wanted nami because of her Navigational skills and not the money) 

"Yes, less than a million. In the future, we'll need to repair the ship and replenish supplies in the Grand Line due to the harsh environment, we'll need to purchase expensive Log Poses. Those can be quite costly!" Nami, being well-versed in the information related to these voyages, expressed her concerns. At this moment, she realized that future voyages might not be as straightforward as she had initially imagined.

"Hmmm!" Ron nodded slightly and calmly said, "I heard there's a powerful Fishman Pirate crew in this area, led by someone named Arlong?"

Nami's delicate body trembled slightly, her face paling a bit. Biting her rosy lips, she glanced at Ron from the corner of her eyes, unsure if Ron was aware of her past. She responded casually, "Yes, it's a formidable pirate crew, and its leader, Arlong, is very powerful. Their influence in the entire East Blue is second only to Don Krieg!"

"Don Krieg!" Ron smiled and said, "I'm familiar with him. Before I reached a bounty of 100 million, he was the third highest-bounty pirate in the entire East Blue. I heard he has now headed to the Grand Line?"

"Yes!" Nami nodded cautiously and continued, "Don Krieg commands dozens of pirate ships and is invincible in the East Blue. Even the East Blue Marine Headquarters couldn't deal with him. After accumulating strength, he set sail for the Grand Line, and I don't know what he's up to now!"

"Leave him be!" Ron shook his head and said, "Let's focus on Arlong for now. We're short on funds, and Arlong should have a lot of treasure, right? Let's pay him a visit and 'borrow' some for our use!"

"Really!?" Nami was shocked, looking at Ron with undisguised surprise in her eyes. She didn't know Ron's specific strength before, and she had considered ways to escape. However, after witnessing Ron's capabilities, she hadn't thought about escaping lately. She even hesitated to ask Ron for help against Arlong to rescue the people of Cocoyasi Village.

Now, Ron was suggesting dealing with Arlong first, which felt like a windfall!

"Of course it's true!" Ron smirked at Nami and said, "You should know the location, right? You're a genius navigator after all! so lead the way there!"

"Okay!" Overjoyed, Nami didn't notice Ron's peculiar smile. She stood up energetically and began steering the Going Merry toward Cocoyasi Village!