In One Piece, as Hashirama Senju

[64] Arlong Pirates (2)

Chapter 64: Arlong Pirates (2)

—

It was already afternoon. The sun was in its lowest sky. After finishing the meal, Hashirama had to get something to drink. He didn't think he would find soda here, so he decided to try the nearby bar.

...Or at least that was the excuse Hashirama used. In truth, he was to meet up with Karoo and receive the scout report from her. When she went off into the bush, that was the mission Hashirama handed her.

Of course, Nami didn't accompany him despite his invitation for a drink. Nojiko wanted to come, to introduce him to the other islanders, but Nami didn't let her go with him. In the end, Hashirama went out alone and Nami took the opportunity to jump on her sister.

"Nojiko! What were you doing interrupting me every time I was about to tell him to leave? You know how dangerous it is for him! He can die!"

Nami shouted at Nojiko who was smiling as she stood near the door, just having finished seeing Hashirama off. Nojiko turned around and her smile vanished. She moved to the wardrobe, and opening a drawer, she threw a paper at Nami.

"I was right when I thought you didn't know who he was. Well, you're always traveling, so you probably missed it. Our island only gets monthly newspapers, and luckily that incident happened just before the paper was supposed to come. I don't know about the others, but I recognized that friend of yours right away."

Nami wanted to correct her that he was no 'friend' of hers, even if he was her benefactor. However, as she opened the newspaper right away, her voice caught on the end of her throat.

Senju Hashirama.

Bounty, 100 Million.

Nami's jaw slowly came hanging. She looked up at Nojiko, who shrugged her arms.

"I was worried about his intentions when I first saw him. But he doesn't seem like a bad guy at all."

Speaking of which, amidst the lunch and the flirting, they forgot to ask him why he was even here. Why did he save Nami and decide to drop her here? Why did he come here, in the first place, when he is such a big pirate from the Grandline?

"I think he is here after Arlong, Nami. Don't you remember what Bellemere used to say? Pirates often hunt one another. It's weird why he is all the way here from the Grandline, but that's not the point. Arlong is worth 20 million, so I think this guy is here for Arlong's head."

Nami heard Nojiko speak while she put the bounty poster to the side and started to read the news beneath it. The denying hope that was rising inside Nami's heart suddenly deflated.

"Hey, you didn't read the news related to it, did you?" Nami looked up with a frown. "The bounty isn't for his strength or anything. It says he kidnapped some kingdom's princess. The bounty is for that."

...If she continued reading, she'd find the feats that mentioned the defeat of a Warlord, but Nami didn't have the patience to read that far.

Nojiko suddenly paled. She truly hadn't read about it. Her previous hope that the villain that has been taunting this island will finally be taken out by a bigger villain vanished in thin air.

"...You think he was trying to kidnap me?" Nojiko asked, flinching as she recalled his flirting.

Nami scoffed. "No way. You're no princess. If he was here for kidnapping, he would have grabbed me when I was out in the night. I don't think he has any bad intentions. But it could be that he is really after Arlong."

Nami explained her theory. That maybe he was here to test his strength, by taking on this low-bounty pirate out in the wild that was Arlong. Since his 100 million bounty wasn't based on his strength, she theorized he was here to test how strong he truly was.