Chapter 120: Afraid of Even a Dead Man**

Every time Raijin saw people like this, he couldn’t muster any interest.

These kinds of people didn’t even make Raijin want to bother getting rid of them.

They were like weeds by the roadside, not even worth a glance.

But some people just have no self-awareness.

They want to do stupid things that annoy others.

But idiots are common; there’s never a shortage of them on the ocean.

So... Xiao Ba ended up dying at Raijin's hands.

If he hadn’t jumped out, maybe Raijin wouldn’t have bothered with him, letting him destroy himself.

He could have even gone back to Fish-Man Island to inform Jinbei.

He could have lived well in this world.

But this guy chose to seek death…

Now, he can only lie on the ground as a cold corpse.

"This..." Nami instinctively took a step back.

She couldn’t get used to Raijin’s way of doing things.

Even though she had been sailing the seas for a while, she hadn't reached the point where she viewed human life as nothing.

Nami still saw human life as incredibly important.

"Are you scared? Afraid of a corpse? It's not even a human corpse."

"It's the corpse of a Fish-Man who oppressed your village. Shouldn't you stand up and kick him a couple of times now?"

"After all, if it weren't for them, you wouldn’t have been living in a hell all this time."

"Here, take this knife. Release the demon inside you and let out all the oppression they’ve inflicted on you."

Raijin watched Nami's expression and threw the knife in front of her.

Living in the cruel ocean means always being ready to pick up a weapon and fight for your life.

You don’t have to be ruthless, but at the very least, you can’t have any kindness in your heart.

If you even feel sympathy for your enemies...

Raijin wouldn’t give Nami another look; he’d just throw her into Dressrosa.

After that, she could either get a normal job drawing maps, and that would be enough.

There’s no point in thinking about anything else; thinking doesn’t change anything.

Anyone without willpower who rushes into the ocean is just going to die.

If you’re going to die, it’s better to be useful in Dressrosa.

"…"

Nami instinctively stepped back again.

Was her benefactor angry?

Why?

Because she showed weakness?

Is that why he’s angry?

Nami looked up and saw the seriousness in Raijin’s eyes.

At that moment, Nami was deeply shaken, not knowing what to do.

"Raijin, that’s enough!"

At this moment, a strong, firm voice rang out.

Nami saw a tall figure step in front of her.

She let out a sigh of relief.

At least she didn’t have to do something like that.

"By doing this, you’re only going to ruin this kid. She doesn’t have a strong heart like yours."

"If you push her too far, all you’ll end up with is a broken person."

Zephyr walked up to Raijin.

Only Raijin would make a young girl pick up a weapon…

This guy's personality is really over the top.

He’s right, but his methods are wrong.

This might be a way to pick out strong people from a young age.

And those with strong wills could be trusted with great responsibilities in the future.

"Then let her be broken!"

These words came from Raijin's mouth.

Nami suddenly looked up, disbelief in her eyes.

"Raijin!"

Zephyr frowned, surprised that Raijin would say something so harsh.

Raijin had always been pretty easygoing, even cheerful on the previous islands.

But who would’ve thought that on this island, he’d take such an attitude with a child?

This one isn’t like the others!

Ace and Luffy were trained by Garp from a young age, with strong hearts.

And that kid from the Frost Moon Dojo went through a lot too; he's strong-minded.

But this girl in front of him, she’s just an ordinary person with no background.

Shouldn’t push things to such extremes, right?

Did Raijin not come here to recruit people?

"If you're living in the harsh ocean and don’t have the courage to take up arms, then what's the point of living? You'll just end up being enslaved your whole life."

"She can’t spend her whole life in a greenhouse. She doesn’t need to be cruel and ruthless, but she has to be ready to kill."

"If she’s scared of her enemies who enslaved her, if she doesn’t even have the courage to fight back—"

"Well, Dressrosa already has enough people like that."

Raijin looked down at Xiao Ba lying on the ground.

Afraid of a corpse?

Then why bother coming here?

Raijin wasn’t here to do charity.

There are plenty of small fry in the ocean.

Raijin’s goal was to make the Uchiha stronger, to make Dressrosa stronger.

People like this, bringing them to Dressrosa would just be a burden.

After all, Nami didn’t have her original experiences; she’s a complete novice in every way.

Her heart hasn’t been hardened; there’s not much else to say.

Raijin’s first lesson was to toughen Nami’s heart.

"But…"

Zephyr was dissatisfied with Raijin’s extreme views and methods.

Why is this guy so radical, using such harsh measures to select people…

"Zephyr! During the war times, our ninja were sent to battlefields at four or five years old."

"And those who weren’t mentally prepared didn’t survive their first mission."

---

"If she wants to survive at sea, then..."

Reijin's words trailed off, as if he was stuck and couldn't continue.

Because in Reijin's line of sight, a girl was clutching a long knife that nearly reached her neck and was driving it fiercely into the merman's throat.

With that single stab, blood splattered, some of it landing on her face.

At that moment, the same smile was still on her face, but it had lost its innocence.

This made a smile appear on Reijin's face as well; he never expected that Nami would actually follow through.

"Benefactor, I can do it. These guys deserve to be cut into a thousand pieces."

"They're the ones who killed my mother with their own hands. I've long wanted to..."

Nami couldn't continue, and she fell to her knees, her eyes clouded as she stared at the pool of blood on the ground.

In that pool of blood, she could clearly see her own reflection.

Her face was full of fear, but she still had to do it.

Because Nami was afraid of disappointing her benefactor.

"Tsk tsk, that's just too harsh. It's a good thing Zephyr is the one teaching her."

Garp stood behind, clicking his tongue.

If Reijin were teaching his grandson, Garp was truly afraid of what kind of pirate might emerge.

That's right! A pirate.

Anyone Reijin raised would be grateful just to be a normal person.

This guy’s personality is even more extreme than Sakazuki's.

He doesn't have a single ounce of justice in his heart...

It's really a good thing this guy didn't become a pirate.

Tap, tap, tap...

A sudden rush of footsteps approached, and everyone looked up.

A group of civilians was rushing toward Arlong Park, holding the tools they used to work in the fields.

A man with a windmill on his head was leading the group.

"What the hell did you do to Nami?"

Ahken saw Nami kneeling in the pool of blood, and his eyes immediately filled with rage.

Ignoring everyone else's attempts to stop him, he charged at Reijin with weapons in hand.

"Wait, Ahken, I'm fine! He's the benefactor of our village!"

Nami quickly raised her head when she heard Ahken's voice and stood in front of him to block his way.

Even Nami didn't expect Ahken to bring the villagers of Cocoyasi with him.

She quickly started explaining to Ahken, revealing the news that the Arlong Pirates had been wiped out.

...

"Thank goodness you're here, sirs."

As Nami was explaining to the villagers, a sneaky voice echoed.

A figure crawled out from the ruins, his face covered in dust.

He crawled all the way toward Reijin and Zephyr, his face full of flattery.

But Zephyr could never mistake that navy uniform he was wearing.

"And you are?"

Zephyr narrowed his eyes, sizing up Captain Nezumi.

He had thought this guy had already run away, but he was still here.

However!

He knew they were Navy, yet he still showed up right in front of them.

This guy really wasn’t afraid at all!

"Ahem, I am Captain Nezumi of the 16th Branch of the Navy."

Captain Nezumi carefully observed Reijin and Zephyr.

Especially Reijin—Reijin's decisive slaughter earlier had completely terrified him.

So now, Captain Nezumi spoke very cautiously.

He was afraid that if he displeased this King of Hell, a blade might come down on his head.

"The 16th Branch... Captain Nezumi! What’s a Navy officer doing in pirate territory?"

Zephyr asked, looking at Captain Nezumi.

Hearing this, Captain Nezumi's eyes immediately filled with tears.

This sight startled Zephyr.

"Sirs! The Arlong Pirates have been causing havoc in the East Blue. I was captured by them."

"I’ve led naval fleets against the Arlong Pirates several times before."

"But this gang was too strong, and we were completely unable to compete with them."

"We were caught off guard and captured by the Arlong Pirates."

Captain Nezumi's face was full of misery, as he kept complaining to Zephyr.

It seemed like he had really suffered here.

In reality...

Aside from his dirty appearance, with some dust on him, nothing else had happened to him.

"Really? But I seem to remember seeing you getting quite chummy with the Arlong Pirates."

Zephyr squinted at him and asked.

"As a Navy officer, how could I ever get close to such heinous criminals?"

"I’m telling the truth! By the way, sirs, who are you?"

Captain Nezumi quickly nodded, constantly guessing who these people were.

Earlier, he had heard that young man being referred to as a Warlord of the Sea, but...

Captain Nezumi had been in the East Blue for so long.

He didn’t even know what a Warlord of the Sea was.

All he knew was that this guy’s strength was terrifyingly strong.

"Us? We’re from the Kingdom of Dressrosa, so don’t worry."

"But... I also happened to bring along a Navy officer!"

"Garp! Come over here!"

Zephyr called out to the man behind him.

Garp, who had been picking his nose, walked up to Captain Nezumi.

He gave the Navy scum before him a look of contempt.

He wanted to spit on him and walk away.

Zephyr, this guy, was also corrupted by Reijin.

He just loved messing with him...

"Ca... Captain Garp!"

Captain Nezumi was so terrified that he fell to the ground.

He had no idea that he’d attracted such a big shot.

Maybe some people in the Navy wouldn't recognize Zephyr, which was understandable.

Zephyr had always led Navy recruits at the Academy.

Or those who had the chance to visit Navy Headquarters might know Zephyr.

Other than that, a Navy officer from the East Blue would only know Zephyr from newspapers.

Perhaps a few months ago, there was still news about Zephyr being injured in the papers.

After all, Zephyr had retired and was focused on teaching Navy students and training new recruits.

He hadn’t been well-known on the seas for a long time, only remembered by a few veterans.

It was normal for Captain Nezumi not to recognize Zephyr.

But he couldn’t possibly not recognize the Navy hero Garp.

...

Reijin and Zephyr watched Captain Nezumi's performance, and both of them started laughing.

It was like watching a clown performing on stage.

"Alright, you two are too cruel. What do you plan to do with this guy?"

"Since you're going to handle it, I won’t be taking him back to the Navy."

"I’d rather not be embarrassed by bringing this disgrace back."

Garp looked at Captain Nezumi impatiently.

What a disgraceful piece of work, and in his East Blue, no less.

And so close to Foosha Village, too.

At that moment, Garp really wanted to crush this jerk.

"No! Let’s leave it to the villagers!"

Reijin smiled.

Now that the villagers of Cocoyasi Village heard that the Arlong Pirates had been eliminated, they were hugging each other and crying out loud.

After all, Arlong had nearly driven them insane with his torment.

These past days had felt like living in hell.

Reijin waved his hand, calling over Shiranui Kurokami, and pointed to the panicked Captain Nezumi at his feet.

Kurokami immediately understood, picked up Captain Nezumi, and brought him over to the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.

He revealed Captain Nezumi's crimes, letting them know why the Navy they had been hoping for never came.

When they heard the truth, the villagers’ eyes burned with anger, and they stared at Captain Nezumi with cold fury.

Smack!

One villager hit Captain Nezumi on the head with a farming tool.

In the next moment!

As if they had been given strength.

They swarmed over and completely surrounded Captain Nezumi.

Smack!

Smack!

Smack!

...

Captain Nezumi's screams didn’t last long.

Soon, his body was a bloody mess...

(End of Chapter)