Chapter 70 - Negotiating with the Navy 02

[Chapter Size: 2646 Words.]

Third Person POV

Cocoyasi Village, East Blue.

...

...

When the marines arrived, the crew witnessed the scene of their captain knocked out and captured by the Straw Hat Pirates. Surprise and bewilderment dominated the faces of the marines as they saw Smoker in such a situation, and a tense atmosphere enveloped the surroundings as they processed the unexpected turn of events.

"Is that Captain Smoker?!" They shouted, even though they knew the answer, and quickly rushed to confront the pirates as the ship's ramp fell from the beach.

50 marines stood in front of Luffy like a dissatisfied crowd, ready to attack and retrieve their captain, even though they were quite scared since their captain wasn't someone in the East Blue who could be defeated due to his smoke Logia. Yet, here he was knocked out after a few minutes off the ship; this was unbelievable.

"Release Captain Smoker, you scum!" a girl yelled in front of the marines, leaving many Straw Hat pirates stunned.

"Hey, why am I seeing a Kuina dressed in the burden of the navy?!" Zoro asked incredulously and instantly looked at the ship, making sure Kuina was still there hidden.

Kuina herself looked equally shaken on the ship.

"She looks so much like me! Did I have a twin sister, and I didn't know?!" She wondered, but no one in particular answered.

"Incredible, Kuina-Sama has a sister!" Shirahoshi seemed amazed.

"Hello, Kuina's sister!" Yamato happily shouted.

"Kuina, you didn't tell me you had a sister in the navy!" Nojiko asked, looking at the Black Pearl.

"I don't have a sister! At least not that I know of." She replied quietly, and no one could hear her because she didn't want to draw attention.

"The sea is very mysterious, and it's all these mysteries that I seek answers to!" Luffy announced, gaining some curiosity about the relationship between the two, as it was never shown in the story.

"What are you talking about, pirates!? Release Captain Smoker immediately!" Tashigi growled, making all the other marines point their weapons at the pirates.

"Let's make a deal. I know you have a den den mushi that can contact the headquarters. I'll free your captain once I talk to them." Luffy said, and the marines looked surprised and skeptical.

"As if we could trust a pirate who killed dozens of navy soldiers! You are the worst scum in this sea, especially with Roronoa Zoro and Lami, two ex-bounty hunters who managed to fall even further to become pirates!" She spoke angrily.

"So you're not concerned about your captain, what fine navy soldiers you are! I expected that from Akainu, not from you..." Luffy mocked.

"What do you mean?!"

"Simple, give me the den den mushi; otherwise, forget about your captain. I'll invade another marine base and contact them there, or I can simply take you all down, so it's better to appreciate my courtesy, as I'm in a good mood today." Luffy simply said, although he could knock them down and board the ship, he still asked them before knocking all of them out.

"Damn pirate! Fine, bring the den den mushi!" In the end, Tashigi yielded for Smoker's safety.

After a marine returned and went to the pirates with the special den den mushi, Luffy took the initiative and dialed a specific number he obtained from Shell City's Base 153.

"That damn pirate! What do you plan to do?!" Smoker, waking up at that moment, growled like a madman, as he had been captured by pirates and saw Luffy using the navy's communication device.

*KATCHA*

"Hello, this is the communications room at headquarters. Are you speaking from Captain Smoker's personal phone from the base stationed in Loguetown? Am I speaking to him?"

"Oh no, I'm the pirate Monkey D. Luffy. Did I talk to you when I held Base 153 hostage a few weeks ago?" Luffy asked calmly.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"You're Garp's grandson, aren't you..." The man on the other end spoke, and the snail showed an expression of anger.

"That's right, can I talk to Sengoku for a moment? I have Captain Smoker as my hostage this time." Luffy said, smiling.

"..."

Suddenly, the den den mushi seemed to go off the line, returning 1 minute later with Luffy patiently waiting for the call to resume.

"GARP'S GRANDSON! YOU DAMNED, WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW!" Sengoku roared.

"Hello, Sengoku, it's been a while. Is my grandfather not there today?" Luffy simply asked, ignoring the rage of the highest-ranking man in the navy.

"No, he's not. Now answer me, what are you doing? You not only attacked Base 16 just now, killing many marines, but you captured Smoker? Do you know what will happen to you, and not even your damned grandfather can save you!" Sengoku shouted like a madman, causing many people around him to have various reactions.

The marines were surprised and stunned that this pirate managed to talk to the highest-ranking person in the organization so quickly, and now he was saying that this pirate was Garp's grandson, the hero of the navy? Even Smoker lying on the beach seemed stunned.

Meanwhile, on the Straw Hat side, their crew seemed to show fear, watching Luffy talk to the Fleet Admiral so casually.

Zoro: "Man, this guy is talking to the Fleet Admiral as if he's arranging a duel."

Reiju: "I hope this captain doesn't cause a problem too big for us."

Hugo: "Did he really say he's Garp's grandson? That explains a lot, but it also complicates everything."

Usopp: "What's happening? This is madness! Capture Smoker and talk to Sengoku so nonchalantly?"

Lami: "I think our captain really knows how to attract attention... in all the wrong ways."

Nami: "Will this end well for us? Luffy always surprises us, but this time... it's too much."

Yamato: "I don't understand any of this! Can someone explain what's happening?"

"Don't get so angry; I just defended myself against that captain, and about Base 16, I'm sure you'll want to execute all those marines after this little conversation in this call." Luffy smiled.

"What do you mean?!" The voice growled.

"Simple, I have documents from that base that will compromise the dignity of the navy. Morgan will love to publish how the precious navy became a criminal organization in some places in the world. Think about the scandal that this will bring to the world; even Morgan won't refrain from publishing something like this, despite all the threats you and the world government can make!" Luffy said, surprising everyone present.

"What do you have, what are you talking about?!" Sengoku didn't seem as angry now; he showed a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"I guess you won't believe me, so I'll send copies of some documents and show these marines how your organization is clean and always fights for justice," Luffy said, handing papers to the den den mushi, which were copies of the documents seized at Naval Base 16.

Meanwhile, he took another den den mushi used for recording and transmission and set it up for everyone to see. It was a snail that Nami held when Luffy saved Nojiko from Nezumi.

In the scene transmitted by the snail, everyone saw how several marines simply pointed their guns at two begging and unarmed civilians with their captain, Nezumi, giving the order, and they shot those civilians.

Of course, this shocked all the marines and those who were not present in the fight.

"This..." Smoker couldn't help but growl at this.

"Yes, your precious marines under the command of Base 16 kill and rob citizens through the justice of the navy. They even kept a batch of slaves. Didn't you see a navy ship full of them coming here?" Luffy mocked.

"This..." Luffy was interrupted when a voice echoed from the other side of the Den Den Mushi, shortly after receiving the documents by fax.

"Arms smuggling, illegal sale of navy equipment, bribery, blackmail, human trafficking, and collaboration with certain pirate groups. Captain Nezumi even had connections to the black market of the New World!" Sengoku shouted from the other side, revealing a shocking list of crimes.

"Had connections. He doesn't anymore because he's dead at the hands of the slaves he had imprisoned at that base. Can you believe it? A navy base has become a human trafficking depot..." Luffy mocked, the irony weighing in his words.

"Smoker, I want you to arrest all the marines from that base as soon as you leave there. It's a direct order!" Sengoku said, completely ignoring Luffy's taunts.

Even Tashigi seemed stunned. She was initially determined to bring justice to the pirates attacking the navy in this sea, but now she realized the terrible situation Base 16 had fallen into. Shock and perplexity were visible on her face as she processed the extent of the crimes that had occurred.

Smoker didn't issue a verbal response, but his silence clearly indicated his intention to comply with the received orders. The atmosphere became tense as everyone awaited the next developments.

After a brief silence, Sengoku directed his words again to Luffy, now with a harsher tone. "And what do you want? I'm sure you didn't do all this just to throw it in my face!" He snarled, evidencing his frustration.

"Very clever. I want the following: I have a crew member who suffered because of your Navy's incompetence. They were at the mercy of Fish-Man pirates for many years, losing many friends looted and killed. So, I want 1 billion berries for their hometown," revealed Luffy, his voice laden with determination.

"1 billion!!!" Everyone shouted simultaneously, expressing disbelief at the colossal amount.

"Luffy?! You're joking, right?" Nami exclaimed alarmed, unable to believe the audacity of the proposal.

"I'm serious, of course," replied Luffy, standing firm in his decision.

"No! This is impossible!" Sengoku said from the other side, clearly uncomfortable with the demand.

"Hm? I thought a billion wasn't that much money for the Navy. Ask yourself this: would you rather spend a billion on capturing Jack, dealing with Kaido's Beast Pirates, or on documents that would compromise the integrity of the Navy worldwide? If you had a choice, which side would you spend that money on?" Luffy asked calmly, throwing a direct and provocative challenge. The presented dilemma left everyone present in suspense, awaiting the response that would shape the future of the negotiation.

"..." Silence hung for a moment, laden with expectation and tension.

"Fine, I'll send that money to that village, and you'll hand over all the original papers to Smoker," declared Sengoku, his words echoing in the room. Luffy nodded, accepting the imposed condition.

"That's great, we have a deal. I hope you keep your word," replied Luffy, keeping a vigilant eye on Sengoku. The agreement was established, but trust between them remained fragile.

"Yes, the money will be sent as soon as possible," assured Sengoku. Luffy showed no concern, understanding that this village had suffered due to the organization's incompetence, and delivering the amount was the least he could do to correct this injustice.

"Anyway, goodbye." Luffy simply hung up the phone, ending the conversation abruptly. The tension in the air eased a bit, but the outcome was yet to be seen.

Next, Luffy released Smoker, turning his attention to the captain with a smile on his face. "Well, Smoker, it looks like we won't be fighting each other now. Still, I expect a fight the next time we meet!" Luffy spoke with a small smile, satisfied to see his plans unfolding as he had planned. The atmosphere in the room was charged with intrigue and expectations for the future encounters between these remarkable characters.

"You..." Smoker didn't hide his dissatisfaction, but even reluctantly, he complied with the order. He understood that facing this group could be a disastrous undertaking, especially after witnessing the presence of true monsters among them, like that tall woman with horns who stood out as a threat that could easily take him down.

"Let's go; we have an order to fulfill! Give me the papers and documents," declared Smoker, swallowing his pride in the situation. He returned to his crew, a frustrated expression on his face, and requested the documents from Luffy, who handed them over without hesitation.

As the Navy ship sailed away, accompanied by the captured but still living merfolk, Luffy observed the scene. His eyes fixed on the horizon for a moment before returning his attention to his own crew.

"Now let's depart. I have a few things to do before leaving the island and heading to Kuina's home!" announced Luffy, outlining the next steps of the journey. His companions nodded in unison, ready to follow the captain's orders.

Luffy's ship prepared to set sail, its sails extended in the wind. The ensuing silence was filled only by the sound of waves breaking on the shore. The group was heading toward their next objective.

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