Heading to Reverse Mountain

Chapter 34: Heading to Reverse Mountain

The villagers dispersed, each going their separate ways. Nezumi's face turned as dark as water, and the marines behind him trembled as they pointed their muskets at Rodney.

"Oh? Are you really going to do this? Are you truly going to shoot me? It will be miserable. You will die," Rodney remarked, his eyes turning scarlet as he stared at them.

He released his illusion, causing the low-spirited marines' bodies to stiffen, rendering them unable to move. It felt as if ghosts were pressing down on them, leaving them wide-eyed and immobile, forced to watch Rodney and the others.

"You, you..."

Nezumi could still move, which was exactly what Rodney intended—to frighten him.

"Don't try to run away," Rodney smiled and said, "Scum like you only bring trouble to others. Today, I will bring justice to the heavens!"

"No! Don't kill me! I, I have money. I can give you all the money I have!" Nezumi sat on the ground in fright, repeatedly backing away until he found himself leaning against an orange tree.

Trembling and pale-faced, he wet himself.

"You're quite the coward," Rodney sneered, his eyes still terrifying. In addition to his abilities, his Sharingan had an excellent appearance bonus and an overwhelming sense of oppression.

"Lord Rodney, what should we do with this man?" Sister Slug asked aloud.

"Get rid of him. I can't stay here forever. To prevent future complications, I'll just kill them. As for how he died, the people of Cocoyasi Village have never seen him," Rodney said with a smile.

Looking at Nezumi, he added, "After all, I'm not a devil. Let me run forty meters first."

"Then..." Seeing that Nezumi was almost running away, Rodney grabbed a handful of kunai and threw them at him.

"Ah!"

Nezumi screamed as his heart was pierced, falling to the ground.

"Is this... Mr. Rodney, is there really no problem?" Genzo asked.

"No problem. If anyone asks, just have the villagers say they haven't seen that guy. As for them..." Rodney walked towards the navy officers.

"Although you have done many wrong things, you don't deserve to die. Look into my eyes." 

The three-pointed jade on his eyes began to spin, and the marines gazed into them, becoming entranced before falling down one by one.

"What's happening?"

"Don't worry, it's fine. When these people wake up, they will leave on their own."

He used his illusion to alter the cause of Nezumi's death, creating the illusion that he had perished at sea after encountering a shipwreck instead of being killed by Rodney in Cocoyasi Village. He made it seem like Nezumi had temporarily sought refuge in the village to avoid the shipwreck, and the villagers had received him warmly.

Well, that should do it. Unless someone with the ability to undo hypnosis comes along, the illusion will persist and affect them. Over time, they will believe this version of events.

Rubbing his eyes, Rodney felt a slight soreness. Due to his depleted chakra, Sister Slug had dissolved Nezumi's body with acid, leaving no trace behind. Although Nojiko and Nami felt somewhat reluctant, they had no choice but to accept Rodney's decision.

Three days later, with his chakra fully recovered, Rodney was once again full of life.

He was headed to Reverse Mountain, as the mission points in the East Blue were insufficient for him to earn. He needed to enter the Grand Line, and he intended to use the Arlong Pirates' ship to leave this place.

Shark Superb.

It was an unsightly ship with a shark-shaped figurehead on the bow, lacking any aesthetic value. Under Nami's guidance and with the assistance of Rodney's shadow clones, they set sail on the ship.

It was fortunate that the ship hadn't been destroyed during the battle.

"Mr. Rodney, your ability is truly useful. It's as if one person is an entire pirate crew," Nami commented with a smile, holding a chart and compass in her hand to confirm their position.

Since they hadn't entered the Grand Line, the compass was still reliable for determining the directions of the four seas. The magnetic force in the Grand Line was much stronger, making compasses less accurate.

"It's nothing," Rodney replied, reclining on a deck chair with a parasol and a cold drink. He was quite comfortable.

The Shark Superb sailed through the waves, propelled forward by Momoo.

Momoo mooed as it swam, a Sea King that had been brought from the Grand Line by Arlong and his crew. It was considered strong in East Blue, but unfortunately, it had crossed paths with Rodney and had been knocked out by him. 

When it woke up, it found that the nefarious Arlong Pirates had disappeared. It had then indulged in the dried fish left by the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, only to be caught by Rodney and forced into labor.

With a bag over its head, Momoo was on the verge of tears. It had hoped to find something to eat, but why did it encounter such misfortune?

'Damn it, why am I so unlucky?'

Nami held the chart and said, "Mr. Rodney, let's first head to Loguetown to exchange Arlong's bounty. Then we can figure out a way to sell this ship and get a smaller one to take you to Reverse Mountain. That's roughly the plan."

Rodney nodded and said, "No problem. You can handle the arrangements."

If Nami weren't so weak, Rodney wouldn't have been able to take proper care of his teammates when facing formidable opponents at sea. He could only condense chakra in himself and couldn't teach it to others. 

Otherwise, he would have taken Nami with him. Having a navigator at sea would help avoid many dangers, and Nami would undoubtedly grow into a great beauty in the future... Oh well.

... 

Regrettably parting with several hundred million bellies could be considered building a good relationship. Rodney shook his head and continued to bask in the sun.

At noon, they enjoyed braised Sea Kings for lunch, with Momoo eating the most. After all, it had been doing physical labor and needed nourishment. They settled for dinner at the Baratie Restaurant.

They happened to run into it on the way and decided to have a meal together.

During the meal, Sanji, the perverted cook, prepared numerous delicacies for Nami, but most of them ended up in Rodney's stomach. Nami was a beautiful girl who couldn't handle physical combat, so she didn't require much energy. She couldn't eat as much as Rodney did. Thus, it all went to him.

Well, Sanji's culinary skills were impressive...

Sanji grew increasingly furious and held many grievances, almost engaging in a one-sided fight with Rodney. In the end, Nami mediated the situation.

"That was wonderful. Last night's dinner was delicious," Nami still reminisced about Sanji's meal.

Rodney held a pack of spicy strips in his hand. He had asked the chef at Baratie to make them for him last night. Though there weren't many of them, they were incredibly tasty. He handed them to Nami and asked, "Would you like to have some?" 

"Thank you," she replied.

"These are so spicy and fragrant..." Nami immediately fell in love with the flavor, and the two of them chatted, ate, played poker, and read newspapers and novels on the boat.

Life at sea was undeniably dull...

With Nami by his side, he couldn't engage in any romantic escapades. Besides, she was still underage...

And so, the two of them eventually arrived at Loguetown.

They exchanged Arlong's bounty with Smoker and sold the Shark Superb in the process. Since Nami couldn't handle such a large ship by herself, it was better to sell it. Rodney requested the sea chart to Reverse Mountain from Smoker and he reluctantly provided it. 

Smoker was concerned that Rodney might become a pirate upon entering the Grand Line, as he believed Rodney lacked a sense of justice and was primarily driven by a desire for money. If this guy turned pirate, he would undoubtedly be slippery and cause significant trouble for the Marines.

However, Smoker eventually relented. While such charts were scarce in East Blue, they were not completely unavailable. If he couldn't obtain one here, he could get it elsewhere.

With the chart in hand, Rodney and his party, guided by Nami, set out towards Reverse Mountain, the place now within sight.

Right here, Rodney instructed Nami to stop the boat. As they got closer, the current would carry them away, causing unnecessary trouble.

"Goodbye, Nami," Rodney waved from atop of Momoo's head to Nami on the boat.

"Goodbye, Mr. Rodney. In a few years, I'll head to the Grand Line to chart the seas. At that time, you'll be my backer," she replied.

"Okay!" He waved his hand and urged the manatee to swim towards Reverse Mountain.