13. Tom's Western Sword!

The folks from Cocoyasi village stood there, bewildered. They muttered, "What's going on?"

Al simply replied, "To put it plainly, if you want to take down Arlong, you gotta check if the club in my hand gives its consent!"

When the young girls from Cocoyasi Village witnessed Al's aura, their eyes sparkled with admiration.

Al's bold statement left the villagers in awe.

Though, if Al could actually remove that club, it might have a more dramatic effect.

But it didn't matter much. Al's strength spoke for itself; no one dared to argue.

Genzo stepped forward courageously and asked, "Can you give us a reason?"

As Al was about to respond, he suddenly pounded his chest.

Cough!

'Can't talk with a mouth full!'

After taking a big gulp of water to recover, Al spoke icily, "There's no need for reasons."

With that said, he gestured to Tom to haul away Arlong, who was bundled up like rice dumplings, and headed towards Nami's place.

Al's plan was straightforward: how could they eliminate the valuable assets he had secured?

Who would kill their EP source?

.....

They arrived at Nami's house.

After giving Nami a brief rundown of what went down, Al set Arlong aside for Nami to deal with.

But there was one crucial thing Al emphasized to Nami.

She couldn't resort to lethal force!

Tears welled up in Nami's eyes, and with a soft hum, she began to release the pent-up anger of over a decade.

Meanwhile, Tom, feeling drained from the constant battles, found a cozy spot and quickly drifted into a deep sleep. It hadn't taken more than three seconds for a bubble of snot to form at his nose.

Al grabbed the half-empty cup of coffee and settled back on the sofa, reflecting on his gains.

[Received 5800 EP from Arlong]

[Received 1604 EP from Nezumi]

[Received 16 EP from Kaneshiro]

Al roughly estimated that this time's haul was over 30,000!

"What a bountiful harvest!" he exclaimed, eyeing the five-digit number on the system page with excitement.

Yet, after the initial thrill, Al found himself in a dilemma.

Should he try his luck with the lottery or simply make a direct purchase from the system mall?

Contemplating the slim odds of winning the lottery, Al couldn't help but grimace, cursing the system once more.

Nevertheless, he decided to give the lottery a shot.

As the saying goes, you never know until you try!

"Lottery time, let's go all in!" he declared.

With bated breath, Al watched as the lottery machine spun, his heart pounding in anticipation.

[Thank you for your patronage.]

[Thank you for your patronage.]

....

One after another, these words flashed on the screen in Al's mind frantically!

Al's expression shifted from anticipation to seriousness to numbness as he processed each message.

Then, a hint appeared: [Obtained 1 western sword from Knight Tom.]

Al's expression softened considerably at this last piece of good news.

However, his mood quickly soured as he glanced at the system store.

The same western sword was available there, priced at 20,000 EP!

The motorcycle didn't materialize, leaving Al with the loss of two bicycle tires. (T/N: Making the bicycle to bike)

"It's like taking a loss to grandma's house!" he muttered.

But there was nothing to be done; the system couldn't cough up the EP.

If it were up to Al, he wouldn't settle for just getting back what was lost; he'd demand some interest too!

After stewing in his frustration for a while, Al nervously opened the item introduction, hoping it wouldn't turn out like that milk with obvious side effects.

[Knight Tom's Western Sword: Excellent quality, indestructible.]

"No durability value and still indestructible!" Al exclaimed, feeling a surge of excitement. This was truly a magical weapon!

Before he could fully revel in his discovery, a system prompt suddenly appeared:

10% off in the system mall, with a one-minute time limit.

Al glanced at his balance, then at Arlong and the three unconscious officers.

"Damn system, go to hell!" he cursed, frustrated.

After letting out his grievances, Nami returned to the house to find Al sitting on the sofa, cheeks puffed out, wearing a gloomy expression.

"What's wrong?" Nami asked cautiously as she approached Al.

In a foul mood, Al replied that he was fine, but cursed the system inwardly.

Nami paused for a moment, then asked again, "Are you hungry?"

"Hungry?" Al responded, confused.

Al responded automatically, then realized his mistake and quickly waved his hand, saying, "No no no, not really."

Seeing Nami's suspicious gaze, Al coughed twice and changed the subject, "Have you cooled off yet?"

Nami nodded, a blush creeping onto her face as she offered a kind smile, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. This was a deal between you and me. Now that it's done, you should hold up your end," Al said, his tone shifting.

The smile faded from Nami's face instantly as she stood up and headed towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, she chimed in, "Please wait a moment. I'll prepare a sumptuous dinner for you right away."

Al instinctively noticed that Nami seemed hesitant to fulfill her end of the deal. He retrieved the baseball bat from the system space, pointed it at Nami, and demanded, "Why? Are you trying to back out of your debt?"

Nami broke out in a cold sweat, stiffly turning around like a robot. "No, no, it's just that I don't have the money right now," she replied nervously.

"No money? Why didn't you say so earlier!" Al retorted.

"I did mention it..." Nami began.

"You did? I don't recall!" Al interrupted, suddenly realizing that he had indeed been informed.

This was a tricky situation...

Seeing the conflicted expression on Al's face, Nami smiled gently and said, "If you don't mind, you can take me along."

"If you're short on funds like this, I can repay you promptly, and I'd also like to show my gratitude for saving everyone," she added earnestly.

Al remained silent, prompting Nami to become a bit anxious. She changed her approach, saying, "I'm an excellent navigator. If you plan to set sail, I can definitely be of help!"

Nami's eyes glistened with moisture, as if she genuinely wished to accompany Al.

Al pondered her proposal. Nami was right; her navigation skills were exceptional. Plus, he hadn't intended to stay here for long anyway. After all, the New World was where he truly wanted to be.

"I agree, but there's a current issue that needs addressing," Al stated.

Seeing Al's agreement, a genuine smile spread across Nami's face, brimming with happiness.

Nami folded her hands neatly on her thighs and asked with a smile, "My esteemed captain, what's the issue?"

Al cleared his throat and replied solemnly, "I don't have a boat!"

Nami's smile froze instantly. "Huh?" she exclaimed, surprised.

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