XX-level Hokage

"Don't touch it...don't touch it...don't touch it," Nami whispered as she watched the money she had worked so hard for being held by Colonel Rat, and then walked step by step toward the group.

Don't touch it!

Nami roared and rushed over.

Just as she rushed forward, Colonel Rat drew his gun. Seeing this, Ken and Nojiko also rushed forward and pulled Nami back. But it was too late.

Colonel Rat pulled the trigger, and a bullet was fired, hitting Nojiko in the back. Nojiko's eyes narrowed instantly, and she collapsed to the ground.

This sudden turn of events left Nami and Ken wide-eyed in shock. "Nojiko!" Nami quickly knelt down and helped Nojiko up.

"In that case, I'll spare you this time. Let's go." With that, Colonel Mouse picked up the box and turned to leave.

This time, Nami didn't stop her; she grabbed Nojiko and ran quickly towards the village. In the village...

The villagers surrounded the three of them.

Nojiko lay on Nami's lap, and the village doctor was treating her. Ken, meanwhile, explained everything that had just happened to the villagers.

As for Nami, she kept her head down and didn't say a word, holding Nojiko tightly.

"...Arlong has been colluding with the Navy all along. He's been planning to deceive Nami for eight years and has no intention of keeping his promise." Arlong clenched his fists, suppressing his anger, and said.

"What did you say?!"

"How could this happen? Wouldn't that mean..."

"That bastard, how could he treat Xiaona like that?" "Xiaona..."

The villagers were all furious and berated Ah Long and the Navy.

Nami gently placed Nojiko on the ground. She trembled all over, her fists clenched, and her determined eyes seemed to hold a firm resolve. "Do you need help?" Just then, a clear and melodious voice rang out.

Nami turned her head and saw Mashiro standing not far away. "What are you doing here?" Nami asked.

"Perhaps it's fate. Anyway, do you need any help?" Mashiro continued to ask.

"I'll pay you back. This has nothing to do with you. Leave now." With that, Nami quickly ran off in one direction. Wow, she's really strong. Mashiro didn't chase after her, but quietly approached Nojiko.

He reached out his hand to her, and a green light began to flicker.

Arlong! Arlong! Arlong! Nami ran quickly towards the Arlong Pirates' hideout. Arlong's promise still echoed in her ears.

"Any agreement involving money, I'll never break it, even if it kills me. It doesn't matter how many years it takes, I'll keep my promise." Ah Long!!!

Chapter Ten: The Weeping Orange Tree (Part Two)

Upon arriving at Arlong's base, Nami walked straight toward Arlong. "Arlong!" Nami shouted angrily.

"What's wrong? Our talented surveyor is so furious." Arlong said with amusement, looking at Nami's gloomy expression.

"The navy you sent stole all my money! Didn't you promise that you would keep your promise about money until you died? Why?!" Nami shouted angrily, twisting Arlong's collar.

"When did I break my promise?" Arlong said calmly to the agitated Nami.

"Stop playing dumb, you're colluding with the Navy..." Before Nami could finish speaking, Arlong reached out and grabbed her by the neck. "When did I break my promise? Tell me," Arlong said in a threatening tone.

Nami looked at Arlong, tears streaming down her face. "Hahahahaha..." Arlong suddenly burst into laughter.

Then, the other members of the Arlong Pirates burst into laughter.

"Oh, I see. The money got stolen. That's really bad luck. But an agreement is an agreement. I can't give you back the village unless you have 100 million Berries ready in front of me," Aaron said with a smile.

"You beast!" Nami struggled, letting out a hoarse voice.

Upon hearing this, Aaron burst into laughter again, saying, "Hahahaha, it's just 100 million Berries, you can just deposit it again. Or do you want to escape from here?"

If you dare to run away, I will kill everyone in Cocoyasi Village.

Nami froze as Ah Long's threatening words fell. Ah Jian's words rang in her ears.

"Nami, we've been pretending not to know because we were afraid that if you wanted to escape from Arlong, our hope would be to be your stepping stone."

Nami abruptly broke free from Arlong's grasp and ran towards the village. Arlong paid no attention, knowing Nami's personality perfectly well.

"Shouldn't we go after her?" Hachi, one of the Arlong Pirates' executives, asked.

"Chase her? Why? How could that woman possibly escape? She's not the kind of woman who would just stand by and watch the villagers die." Arlong said indifferently. "But you're really cruel." Kissing Fishman Chu, a member of the Arlong Pirates, said.

“Cruel? I don’t want such an excellent surveyor as Nami to escape unnoticed. However, I’m not a devil. Once she has surveyed all the oceans in the world, I will give her her freedom,” Arlong said.

"Hahahaha..." Upon hearing Arlong's words, all the members of the Arlong Pirates burst into laughter.

"That's decades from now; it might take a hundred years to measure it all," he said with a laugh. Nami was running anxiously towards the village.

She knew what the villagers might do, but it was impossible for them to succeed.

"Ah Jian, everyone, don't act rashly. If we die, it's all over," Nami prayed incessantly. Meanwhile, in the village, Ah Jian was organizing the villagers.

"Eight years ago, we swore not to sacrifice our lives easily. No matter how painful or humiliating their rule was, as long as Nami was doing well, we could continue living like this. However, this is the answer they gave us. Now that the breakthrough to liberate the village has been blocked, we have no hope."

Moreover, we absolutely cannot forgive those fish-people who toyed with that child's kind heart. Any objections?! "Ah Jian urged. "How could there be?"

"We were ready a long time ago."

"Those murlocs must pay the price."

The villagers all responded.

"From the towns of the North Sea to the towns of the East Sea, I originally thought that the common people of this world would live well, but I didn't expect that they are still suffering from oppression and pain." Looking at the villagers who had been mobilized not far away, Mashiro said with some emotion.

"Judging from your appearance, you must be a young lady from some noble family. In this world, people at the center and the periphery of the ruling power will naturally be protected by the World Government and the Navy."

But in remote villages like ours, the light of justice never falls. "Nojiko, who had recovered from her injuries, said with a very complicated expression."

“You should know that if those people are really as you describe them, these villagers are just going to their deaths,” Mashiro said calmly. Hearing this, Nojiko was taken aback.

"Although I'm not exactly a good person, I don't mind playing the savior for a bit." With that, Mashiro walked lightly forward. When Nami rushed into the village, the scene she had anticipated didn't appear, and Nami couldn't help but breathe a slight sigh of relief.

But when they reached the center of the village, they saw all the villagers lying on the ground, their fates unknown. Instantly, Nami's pupils contracted sharply, and her legs gave way, causing her to collapse to the ground.

"Don't worry, they're fine. I just stopped them from going to their deaths." A clear and familiar voice came from behind. Nami turned her head, looked at Mashiro, and then saw Nojiko next to Mashiro. She breathed a sigh of relief and struggled to her feet.

"Since you're here, then..." he muttered to himself, glancing at the villagers on the ground. The illusion dissipated, and Ken and the others stood up in confusion.

"Where are we?" Before they could even ask themselves, Nami appeared before them.

"Nami, are you alright?" The villagers rushed over. "I'm fine." Nami suddenly smiled, a very bright smile.

"Don't worry, everyone. Just wait a little longer. I'll try again and save the money again. It'll be much easier this time. I'm used to it now. Don't worry about the tape. Compared to that time... I don't care about this at all. I really don't care," Nami said with a smile.

As Nami spoke, all the villagers' expressions became unusually calm.

Even Mashiro, who had always maintained a spectator's mentality, was inexplicably moved. She had considered Nami's various states. Under normal circumstances, it would be quite remarkable to be able to pretend to be calm in such a situation, but she walked over with a smile on her face.

Mashiro had never encountered a woman with this kind of personality before, and for a moment, she fell silent. Suddenly, Ken stepped forward and hugged Nami tightly, tears streaming down his face.

He was the village's guard and a friend of Nami's adoptive mother; he should have borne all the pressure of the village.

But perhaps because Nami is so reliable, she always brings joy and hope to the village, and so they all vaguely overlook the fact that Nami is actually only 18 years old.

The entire village of Cocoyasi resolved to protect Nami after Bellemere's death, but it seems that they have always been protected by Nami.

"That's enough. You know it's useless. Thank you for carrying our names on your shoulders and fighting until now. For you, joining them is more painful than being torn to pieces. You've already tried your best. Thank you all this time," A-Jian said in a low voice.

"You should leave the village," A-Jian said calmly as he released Nami.

“That’s right, Nami.” Nojiko walked over as well. “How can you?” Nami shook her head.

At that moment, all the villagers looked at Nami with gentle eyes.

"Nami." "Little Nami."

"Nojiko, everyone, I won't let you pass! No, everyone, I don't want to see anyone else get hurt by them. They'll really die!" Nami spread her arms, blocking everyone's way, and said anxiously.

"We know," Ah Jian said calmly.

“We’ve made up our minds,” a villager said.

"Even if we can't win, we'll show them our determination. Come on, Nami!"

After saying that, all the villagers rushed towards Arlong's stronghold. Only Nami was left kneeling helplessly on the ground.

Thinking of the Arlong Pirates and the villagers, Nami's tears flowed uncontrollably. She picked up her knife and frantically clawed at the Arlong Pirates' symbol on her arm. At that moment, she had no other choice.

"You all seem to always forget I exist." Just then, Mashiro appeared behind Nami without her noticing and grabbed Nami's hand that was reaching for her arm.

Nami looked up at Mashiro. "Mashiro..."

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t leave this island,” Mashiro said with a smile. A long silence followed.

"Help me," Nami suddenly said.

She and everyone in Cocoyasi did not want Mashiro to get involved in this, fearing that Mashiro would end up in the same situation as them.

For Nami, the Arlong Pirates were too powerful. She was afraid, afraid that something might happen to Mashiro, and she didn't want to implicate others. But at this moment, despite the selfishness, Mashiro was her only lifeline.

"Yeah, I know, don't cry, little wildcat." Mashiro chuckled, patted Nami's hair, and then turned and walked towards the Arlong Pirates' hideout.

[Nami's approval rating +50]

Chapter Eleven: The Spring

Ah Jian was leading the villagers rapidly toward the Arlong Pirates' stronghold. Suddenly, a clear voice rang out.

"You can go back now. Leave the rest to me." Zhen Zi appeared in front of them without them even noticing, smiling gently.

"This is a matter for our village, and it has nothing to do with you. We are very grateful for your help, but we cannot involve you in this." Nojiko was startled when she saw Mashiro suddenly appear, and then said solemnly.

“Sometimes being too kind is foolish. Since you can’t handle it yourself, you have to learn to ask others for help. Don’t worry about whether it will cause any trouble. Sometimes, only by being a little selfish can you achieve a good result,” Mashiro said calmly.

"You..." Nojiko strongly disagreed with Mashiro's words and was about to say something when she suddenly stood up. "Let's go back," Mashiro said softly.

As Mashiro finished speaking, all the villagers' expressions became blank, and they turned and walked back towards the village.

Seeing this, Mashiro smiled and continued flying towards the Arlong Pirates' base. Meanwhile, at the Arlong Pirates' base...

Arlong is dividing Nami's ransom with Colonel Rat.

"Hahaha, Mr. Alon really has a keen eye for talent. I never expected that guy could actually get so much money." Colonel Rat said excitedly after receiving his share.

"I just said it casually, I didn't expect her to actually do it. She truly deserves to be the genius surveyor I chose." Ah Long said with a smile. Just then, screams suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterward, a blood-covered merman ran over. "Boss, enemies!"

Upon hearing this, Ah Long's eyes instantly turned fierce, and he led the cadres outside.

"Is this a fish-man? It looks a bit like Kisame's relative." Mashiro said with interest, looking at the fish-man's body on the ground. Suddenly, several water spheres rushed towards Mashiro.