OPJ Chapter 28: Hand Over the Stolen Goods

Nojiko wiped her mouth and smiled awkwardly. "If you're really that strong, then I guess everything I just did was pointless," she said.

"But I do have a favor to ask of you. There's a girl named Nami in the Arlong Pirates. She's the only human member of the crew, and she was forced to join in order to protect our village. If you happen to cross paths with her, please don't harm her. I beg of you."

Saitama nodded. "Okay, I'll make sure to remember that."

"Thank you," Nojiko said, visibly relieved. She then tilted her chin up and narrowed her eyes. "It's good to know there's a man we can count on," she added.

As she spoke, a voice suddenly echoed from outside the door.

"I'm back, Nojiko," a voice called out from outside.

The sound of crisp footsteps soon followed, and a girl with orange hair appeared at the door. "I thought I heard a man's voice. Do you have a boyfriend?" she asked.

Nojiko and Saitama both turned their heads towards the door, curious about the newcomer.

The girl who appeared at the door was none other than Nami, the little thief cat who had recently become acquainted with Saitama.

"It's about time you showed up," Nojiko exclaimed happily, rising from her seat to greet Nami. "We were just talking about you. This marine officer here has been entrusted with taking care of Arlong and his crew, and he's incredibly strong."

Saitama simply nodded, acknowledging the compliment. Then waved. "Hi, my name is Saitama. Nice to meet you."

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Marine officer ? What do you mean?"

As she looked at Saitama, recognition suddenly dawned on him. "Wait a minute... It's you! The perverted exhibitionist!" she exclaimed in shock.

Saitama looked at Nami blankly. "Sorry, have we met before?" he asked, clearly confused.

"Hey, it's only been a few days! Have you already forgotten about me?" Nami exclaimed, rolling up her sleeves and walking aggressively towards Saitama.

She slammed her hands onto the table and continued, "I'll admit that you seem like a good person, but you're a bit too full of yourself, aren't you? You tricked Nojiko... If you really like her, why did you have to deceive her by pretending to be part of the marines and give her false hope?"

Saitama was completely bewildered. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Nojiko noticed that Nami might have misunderstood something and quickly explained, "Nami, are you mistaken? He's really not a bad person with ulterior motives. Just earlier, in the town, he effortlessly defeated a high-ranking member of the Arlong Pirates..."

"You...!" After hearing Nojiko's explanation, Nami's expression changed from anger to fear. "Oh no! What have you done? If Arlong finds out that you've killed one of his subordinates, not only will you be in trouble, but our town will also suffer the consequences!"

Saitama watched as Nami paced back and forth anxiously. He handed her his tea cup and said, "Why don't you have a sip of tea and calm down?"

"Uh, thanks," Nami said, taking the cup.

But the next moment, she realized what she had done and angrily slammed the cup on the table. "Who wants to drink tea that you've already drank from?! Do you even understand the seriousness of the situation? You bald exhibitionist!" she yelled.

"Relax..."

Nojiko stood beside Nami, her eyes fixed on Saitama with an unmistakable recognition of his incredible strength. She placed her hand on Nami's shoulder and said with a smile, "Please show him some respect, Nami. He is one of the most powerful fighters out there."

But Nami remained skeptical. "Oh, come on, Nojiko," she sighed. "How could a guy who runs around the world naked be a marine? That's just too ridiculous to believe."

Saitama felt a bit flustered and scratched his head, trying to come up with an explanation. "Well, actually..."

"....."

As Saitama opened his mouth to explain, the commotion outside shattered their peace. The villagers were scrambling out of their houses, shouting "The Marines are here!"

Nojiko furrowed her brow in confusion. "But isn't he a Marine? Are these his subordinates?"

Saitama shook his head. "I came here alone, so it can't be my comrades."

Nami was quick to point the finger at Saitama. "You impostor! The real Marines have arrived. If you don't want to be captured, you better run now!"

Saitama was still scratching his head in confusion. "Why should I run?"

Nami rolled her eyes at his obliviousness. "You're hopeless. I only warned you because I thought you were a good person. If you're interested in Nojiko, that's fine, but don't try to deceive her..."

Saitama interrupted her, surprised. "Wait, wait, wait. Pursue Nojiko? Sorry, Nami, but she's just not my type." He turned to Nojiko with a friendly smile. "No offense."

Nojiko's cheeks flushed with relief as she giggled. "I'm glad to hear that."

Gradually, the noisy voices outside the house grew louder and louder. A group of marine officers dressed in their uniforms were walking towards the house.

"That's... Mr. Genzo!" Nami recognized the police officer leading the way among the group. If he was the one leading the way, it meant that the marine officers behind him were the real deal.

Before she could ponder any further, a marine officer arrived and stopped in front of the gate of the tangerine orchard.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak, I'm Captain Nezumi from the 16th division of the marine..." The righteous and gallant captain Nezumi approached them with his hands behind his back and a smirk on his face. "We received a report that a criminal named 'Nami' is residing here. Surrender her now, or we'll have to go in and catch her ourselves. Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

"Nami?" Nojiko asked, confused. "What's with her?" she furrowed her brow and asked the marine officers, "Weren't you guys here to help us after Arlong?"

Nezumi faked a look of confusion. "Arlong? Who's that? I haven't heard of anything like that before," he scratched his head, "We were just following orders to apprehend the criminal 'Nami'." said Nezumi, snapping his fingers.

The Marine soldiers behind him quickly surrounded the house, their guns raised and aimed. "Don't even think about resisting the government. We have our reasons for doing what we do. If you want to resist, go ahead, but don't be surprised if we get rough. Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

"Sister, let me handle this!" Nami stepped out and said with courage.

"Arrest me? Ha-Ha-Ha... You must be mistaken. I'm a high-ranking member of the Arlong Pirates, and I'm not afraid of you weaklings. Let me remind you that if you lay a finger on me, Arlong won't hesitate to seek revenge! So... are you still going to arrest me? Because if you are, I hope you're ready for what's coming to you!" Nami threatened him with a sly grin, knowing that she had some tricks up her sleeve.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak... Pirates? Are you serious?" Nezumi burst out laughing and spread his arms wide, "We got a report that you're a 'thief'!"

Nami was bewildered, "What?! That's absurd!"

"I've heard that you've swiped a bunch of loot from pirates..." he smirked and continued, "But since the other party is a pirate, we won't hold you accountable. However, that money you stole belongs to the loot, and it's not yours to keep! Got it? Be a good girl and hand it over to the World Government. Squeak, squeak, squeak..."

Without waiting for Nami's response, captain Nezumi immediately ordered, "Go in and search! Find the stolen goods!"

"Nuts to that!" Nami pulled out three short sticks and combined them into one to block the doorway. "No one's coming in! That stuff is mine! You're all part of the navy, don't you have more important things to do? Arlong enslaves us, you know that! Why...why!?"

Nezumi sneered, "Oh, how cute! But it's not up to you to decide what's important or not. Hand over the loot, and maybe we'll go easy on you."

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