Chapter 381: Nami’s Bargain and the Alabasta Plea

“Where did Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy go?”

Ye Fan was the first of the group to come to. As soon as he was awake, he found the entire town’s residents armed with machetes and muskets, about to attack them. He launched the first counterattack and, in the chaos, hurried to wake up Nami and the rest.

“Bang, bang, bang!”

“I don’t know either.”

Usopp replied to Ye Fan’s question while aiming his sniper rifle.

Standing atop a building, Usopp could take in the whole situation, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn’t spot any sign of Luffy and the others. For all he knew, they might have been captured by these thugs in front of them.

Either way, dealing with these attackers came first.

“Lightning Strike!”

As the only girl in their crew, Nami had started daily training under Ye Fan’s guidance during this time.

Just thirty or fifty pirates were no match for her. Wielding her staff with practiced precision, she more than lived up to her ten-million-berry bounty.

Johnny and Yosaku flanked Nami, each with a large machete, fending off waves of attacking pirate hunters.

“Never thought that after so long as pirate hunters, one day we’d be ambushed by our own kind.”

“Less talking, more helping! Get over here!”

Gin lost focus for just a second and ended up surrounded in the crowd. Blocking one blade after another, he was starting to struggle.

The three of them were only a bit stronger than normal folks—not by much.

They could hold off a bunch of pirate hunters for a while, but as time dragged on and their strength waned, it was clear they wouldn’t last.

“Hang in there, Gin! I’m coming!”

Ye Fan charged through the chaos, fists at the ready, and quickly reached Gin’s side.

He grabbed a burly pirate hunter with one hand, hurling him right into the crowd behind Gin, clearing a gap at Gin’s right rear. Gin seized the opening and withdrew to Johnny’s side.

Ye Fan, for his part, made sure no hunter could get close to Usopp above and kept his other strengths hidden.

“One Sword Style—Lion Song!”

“Devil’s Wind Kick!”

“Gum-Gum Gatling!”

Just when things turned dire, people in the distant mob started flying through the air in waves.

“That’s Luffy and the others!”

“Hey, Luffy! Over here!”

Spotting Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji approaching, Usopp grabbed his telescope, waved frantically, and called out to them.

With Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji joining the battle, the pirate hunters quickly fell into disarray. A few managed to escape, but the rest met their end on the spot.

“Thud, thud, thud!”

When the dust settled, big red welts had formed on each of the trio’s foreheads.

“You three! Did you forget about us? You just ran off!”

Nami, eyes blazing, fangs showing and hands on hips, laid into the three of them, her lecture fierce as ever.

If they’d come back just a bit later, people might’ve been seriously hurt or worse.

Off to the side, Johnny, Yosaku, and Gin were filled with guilt. Deep down, they blamed their lack of strength. If only they were stronger, even without Zoro and the others, they could’ve held out longer instead of barely making it a few dozen minutes.

The three exchanged a quick look and steeled themselves. With their newfound resolve and a supportive environment, they swore they’d reach a higher level next time. They wouldn’t go down so easy ever again.

Ye Fan watched the team becoming more united and determined by the minute. Satisfied, he nodded quietly.

Not long after, Nami wrapped up her scolding.

Looking at the ruined town, no one had the heart to clean up. They quickly gathered their belongings and set off for the shore.

“Wait, hang on!”

“Could I ask for your help?”

Miss Wednesday—Princess Vivi—had been secretly watching Luffy’s group and the mysterious man’s showdown.

With the intel she’d gathered, she knew Luffy and his friends stood apart from average pirates. Hoping for aid from them was her only choice.

She was out of options. Back when she first arrived on the island, she’d seen a fresh newspaper headline: rebellion in Alabasta was reaching new heights.

The rebel leader had united nearly a million troops, preparing to storm the entire kingdom. Unless she found help, everything would be lost.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Nefeltari Vivi, from Alabasta…”

Vivi finished her explanation in no time, and before anyone could react, she fell to her knees.

“I beg you… please, help me!”

“Hold on! You can’t just dump this on us without offering anything in return,” Nami protested the minute she saw Luffy waver.

They were pirates now—and as the one handling their money, Nami knew full well how low their funds had gotten. With Luffy’s massive appetite, it made sense for her to start pinching every penny.

Otherwise, if they kept sailing island after island, they’d run out of food money soon enough.

If that happened, they’d have no choice but to turn to robbery. But none of their crew were the type for that, so Nami refused to let it happen.

Vivi lifted her head and said, “You won’t be working for free. Solve Alabasta’s crisis, and I guarantee you’ll get 200 million berries as a reward.”

Vivi knew that if she couldn’t make it worth their while, there was no reason for the Straw Hat Pirates to help.

But two hundred million berries—that kind of money was sure to get their attention. As for where it came from? Never underestimate the wealth of a kingdom. For Alabasta, two hundred million berries was nothing.

‘Two hundred million berries?’

The moment she heard it, Nami could barely hide her joy. That much cash would keep them afloat for ages and fix their money troubles instantly.

Just as expected, everyone’s eyes went wide when Nami looked around.

Back in Loguetown, Zoro and the others had each stashed around a million berries for themselves—nothing more.

The rest had been handed off to Ye Fan, who gave it all to Nami for safekeeping, with a grand total of fifty million.

Fifty million berries might sound like a lot, but just one shopping trip in Loguetown cost them ten million—and that only stocked their ship for twenty days at sea.

It’s all Luffy’s fault. No one could keep up with his endless appetite—the food he ate every day was insane.

Their once-heavy ship had started riding higher in the water over the past few days. Luffy must’ve eaten a serious chunk of their supplies. Nobody knew where he put it all!