Under Cross's leadership, Lu Yu soon received his reward.
Oh, and he also casually used a warship to haul away a full load of supplies.
Keeping his word, Lu Yu didn't continue his assault on the navy.
As the terrifying black and red ship faded into the horizon, many naval officers collapsed onto the deck, their legs weak.
"We survived..."
Looking at the bodies of Captain Morgan and another officer nearby, the surviving marines had only one thought echoing in their minds.
Just then, a voice broke the silence.
"Cross, you actually assisted the pirates. Prepare for a formal investigation by headquarters!"
"I'll be reporting everything to them immediately!"
"Captain Morgan is dead, and Shells Town currently has no commanding officer. I, Captain Nezumi, will take temporary control!"
Out of nowhere, Captain Nezumi popped up—opportunistic as ever—with a bold declaration of authority.
Technically, with Morgan dead, Captain Nezumi, as another branch officer, had the right to temporarily take charge.
But then—
"Where were you just now?"
The question came in a deep voice.
"Who's there?! Who dares talk like that to me?!" Nezumi snapped, turning red with fury.
After all, he was the highest-ranking officer on-site now, yet someone dared to question him.
"When Lu Yu killed Captain Morgan and was about to wipe us out—where the hell were you?"
"If it weren't for Lieutenant Cross, we'd all be dead right now!"
"You stayed silent the entire time, and now you want to send Cross to military court?"
"I don't agree with this crap!"
"I support Lieutenant Cross! We're people too—not cannon fodder to be thrown at a monster!"
"I don't recognize you as our leader, Captain!"
Voices of protest rose one after another.
Cross's courage had moved them deeply.
He risked his life, reputation, and even his future in the Navy to keep them alive.
Now this bootlicker Nezumi wanted to use the situation to grab credit and throw Cross under the bus?
Hell no.
As tension boiled over, Captain Nezumi began to panic.
Sure, he was stronger than the average officer—but going up against an entire unit? That was suicide.
Click-click-click...
Suddenly, countless rifles were aimed at him.
"W-What are you doing?!"
Before things could go sideways, Lieutenant Cross stepped forward and shouted.
"I did what I had to do to save all of you!"
"But that doesn't mean you should point your guns at fellow marines!"
"Put them down!"
"Captain Nezumi, I'm willing to accept whatever punishment is handed to me."
Cross walked calmly to the front, a relieved expression on his face.
"This is what he wants... Let's go."
Captain Nezumi, trembling, took Cross into custody.
But a group of marines followed closely behind.
If he dared do anything shady to Cross, they'd react instantly.
Back at the port, the remaining marines began sorting through the aftermath and awaited new orders from Navy Headquarters.
That's when two figures approached.
"Why were you released?"
"Is that guy a pirate?"
Yep, it was Luffy and a tied-up Zoro.
To the marines in Shells Town, Zoro was still a criminal.
"Huh?"
"Have we been found out?"
"Coby, we're leaving!"
Luffy's arm snapped out like a whip, grabbing hold of a ship. With his other hand, he snagged Zoro and launched them both out of sight.
His Devil Fruit powers left the marines stunned. After all, Devil Fruit users were rare in the East Blue.
Luffy didn't know it, but thanks to Lu Yu, his future journey would become a whole lot smoother.
A week later, Lu Yu and his crew reached the waters off Cocoyasi Village.
With Captain Nezumi too busy and Arlong severely injured by Lu Yu, the village was enjoying a brief period of peace.
"Brother Lu Yu, there's someone floating in the water up ahead!"
Akame pointed toward the bow.
A young, orange-haired woman was lying unconscious on a piece of driftwood.
"Nami?!"
Lu Yu's eyes narrowed. The moment he saw her, her name popped into his head.
They were near Cocoyasi Village, so it made sense she'd be here.
Clearly, she was eyeing their ship.
And it made sense—their current warship looked badass.
For a money-hungry thief like Nami, this was prime loot.
But with her lack of power, she had no choice but to resort to tricks.
Gotta admit—she was smart.
"Pull her aboard," Lu Yu ordered. "Let's see what she's up to."
He already knew why Nami was doing this.
She was trying to buy back Cocoyasi Village from Arlong, which pushed her down the path of thievery.
But Luffy was already on the move. Her days of struggle were nearing their end.
As for recruiting her?
Nah, Lu Yu had no interest.
She was Luffy's crew, not his.
Under Akame's guidance, Roelki fished Nami out of the sea.
No sooner had they laid her on the deck than she coughed up a mouthful of seawater and slowly opened her eyes.
"Where... am I?"
She asked, blinking with an innocent, almost naive expression.
"A pirate ship," someone replied flatly.
The moment she spotted their flag, terror spread across her face.
"Alright, enough acting," Lu Yu said, crouching beside her.
"Nami, from Cocoyasi Village. Navigator of the Arlong Pirates. In charge of drawing sea charts."
"I'm heading to Cocoyasi Village now—planning to slaughter everyone there and move on."
His voice was cold, and his eyes gleamed with a twisted sense of humor.
The murderous aura around him was so dense it felt like a physical weight crashing over Nami.
She was terrified.
She'd only boarded the ship to steal something—but now, she realized she'd boarded the wrong damn vessel.
What kind of monster was this guy?
Seeing her so scared, Lu Yu's inner troll was thoroughly satisfied.
Nami was still too green—whether in strength or acting.
And clearly, her fear response was hardwired in.
She was nearly in tears from just a few words.
"Brother Lu Yu! A merchant ship just appeared ahead!" Akame called out from the deck.
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