Chapter 47: Colonel Nezumi

Under the gaze of the crowd, the warship slowly sailed into the dock.

A gangplank wide enough for three meters was lowered; two squads of marines lined up along the edges holding rifles, their expressions solemn, while a red carpet stretched from the very top of the gangplank directly to the shore.

Only then did a figure clad in a long white trench coat leisurely stroll down the ship.

He had a thin, long face, a goatee, and eyes squinted into mere slits.

"Tch, such a big show," Nami curled her lips. "I was getting all excited, only for such an ugly wretch to be the one coming down; at a glance, he's no good person."

"Shh, Nami!"

Nojiko hurriedly clamped a hand over her mouth. "That fellow is an incredibly important figure; don't speak recklessly, or you'll bring trouble upon Brother Siano!"

"Hmm?"

Nezumi squinted and glanced over; he hadn't clearly heard what the two little girls were saying, but they happened to be stepping on the edge of the red carpet, which looked very much in the way.

He lazily waved his hand as a signal; behind him, two marines exchanged glances, then helplessly stepped forward, intending to push Nami and Nojiko aside.

But before they could touch them, a sturdy and powerful arm reached out, blocking the two marines' path.

"Navy from the 16th Branch?"

Siano gently pushed the two marines aside, lifted his gaze to look up at Nezumi above, and asked, "Mr. Colonel, what brings you suddenly to our place?"

"Presumptuous! Does the Navy need to report its actions to you commoners in advance?"

Nezumi snorted coldly.

"Let me ask you: I heard that the Conomi Islands were attacked by the Arlong Pirates, and their last known location was Cocoyasi Village, so I specially brought my subordinates here to capture this band of pirates. You are a villager from this village, aren't you? Do you know which direction those fish-men went?"

"I don't know."

Siano shook his head.

"You don't know?" Nezumi smiled without reaching his eyes. "Why don't you think again?"

What he had said earlier was, of course, a lie.

More than half a month ago, Nezumi had received intelligence that Arlong, a fish-man formerly belonging to the Sun Pirates with a bounty as high as twenty million Berries, had led a large number of subordinates into the waters under the 16th Branch's jurisdiction.

How could this be someone he dared to provoke?

Filled with panic and fearing the other party would come looking for trouble, Nezumi specifically made a phone call to consult the superior who had once promoted him, requesting guidance.

His superior's attitude was highly ambiguous, hinting both overtly and covertly that he should turn a blind eye.

He even specially reminded him that Arlong's group had deep ties with Jinbe, the current Warlord of the Sea.

The legal right to plunder granted by the World Government to the Warlords of the Sea might also apply to Arlong.

Nezumi suddenly understood; thus, for over half a month, he had comfortably feigned ignorance, ignoring the continuous emergency distress signals received by the base.

It was only a few days ago that he suddenly heard rumors that the Arlong Pirates had perished in the Conomi Islands area.

Only then, overwhelmed with surprise and joy, did he urgently mobilize from the base.

At this moment.

Seeing that Siano seemed unwilling to cooperate, Nezumi clicked his tongue, waved his hand to signal his subordinates to drive away the other loiterers who had gradually gathered out of curiosity in the distance.

Then, staring at the sturdy young man before him who obviously appeared somewhat simple-minded and easy to deceive, he said with a grin:

"Forget it, I'll just say it straight: I just received intelligence stating that those fish-men have died on this island; haven't you seen their corpses?"

He held up two fingers. "Rest assured, as long as you cooperate honestly, I can give you this amount as a commendation reward for supporting the Navy's operations."

"Two million Berries?" Siano raised an eyebrow.

This fellow was far too stingy; wanting to embezzle the head bounty worth over eighty million Berries, yet only willing to give up such a tiny portion?

"It's twenty thousand Berries!"

Nezumi said irritably, "Looking at you, kid, you're not that old yet quite greedy; you really dare to dream big! Do you have any idea that for accomplishing something this huge, the bonus bestowed upon me by headquarters is at most a few hundred thousand?"

Siano sneered inwardly; only a fool would believe that this fellow would mobilize so extensively just for that meager bonus.

Most likely, in private, he had already found someone to falsely claim the bounty, planning to split the proceeds afterward.

He had little desire to waste time with this fellow and originally intended to simply leave, but fearing this man would enter the village to harass and threaten the villagers everywhere, he straightforwardly stated:

"I killed them."

"Hmm?" Nezumi paused, momentarily failing to react. "What did you say?"

"The Arlong Pirates, all sixty-seven members from top to bottom, were killed by me," Siano said indifferently, then turned his head and shouted, "Manba!"

"Here, Boss!" A rough voice of a burly man came from the ship.

"Line up all those heads one by one and let Colonel Nezumi here take a look."

"Yes, Boss!"

Before long, the fish-men's heads were arranged in a row along the ship's railing.

To prevent rotting and stench, they had been specially sealed with ice blocks; looking through the ice layer, each appeared lifelike, many with mouths agape and eyes glaring, filled with terror.

One could not help but wonder what exactly they had experienced in life that such expressions remained even after death.

"Th-this..." Nezumi was dumbfounded. "It really is..."

"Colonel," a lieutenant adjutant stepped forward. "Shall I take some men aboard to verify them?"

"No need!" Nezumi immediately reached out to stop him.

He had long drooled over these fish-men's wanted posters and knew them intimately; there would absolutely be no mistake!

This was indeed the Arlong Pirates; every single member with a bounty was present without exception.

"Unexpected, truly unexpected."

Nezumi burst into loud laughter, his attitude suddenly becoming enthusiastic as he reached out, attempting to put an arm around Siano's shoulder.

"Truly, heroes emerge from the youth; such formidable pirates were actually all eliminated by you alone. No wonder you were all waiting on the shore; are you preparing to set sail to claim the bounty?"

"Correct; I have already contacted the 77th Branch and am preparing to head over there." Siano shifted slightly, easily dodging the arm Nezumi extended.

The 77th Branch?

Rat's eyes bulged round; he hurried closer, lowered his voice, and said:

"Young sir, you may not know the ropes. Even famous pirate hunters find it exceedingly difficult to claim their full bounties, let alone a commoner like you. Don't trust the sweet talk from Branch 77; by the time you reach the scene, getting even thirty percent of the bounty would be a stroke of luck."

Siano watched him silently.

"Speak plainly if you have something to say; spit it out if you don't."

Rat's smile stiffened slightly, but he quickly recovered, cleared his throat, and said with a grin:

"No need to rush. My point is, since you've traveled so far, why not just hand over all these pirates' heads to me? Given our fortuitous meeting, I can make an exception and offer you a very generous split: fifty-fifty, half for you, half for me. How about that?"

"..."

Siano shook his head, too bothered to engage further, turned, and walked toward the ship. "Nojiko, Nami, let's go."

"Oh! Coming!" The two little ones, so engrossed in the spectacle, snapped awake and hurriedly scampered after him.

"Stop right there!"

A furious roar suddenly erupted from behind; it was Rat, flushed with shame and rage, drawing his pistol and aiming it at the trio's backs: "Lawless scum... Who gave you permission to leave!"

Siano turned his head, saw the dark muzzle of the gun, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

(End of Chapter)