One Piece: Starting With Flame-Flame Fruit

The attention of everyone in the restaurant quickly turned toward him, and murmurs rose up.

"Look at this guy… he's like a rich kid who just hit it big."

"Hmph, flaunting his wealth, trying to show off as if we'd miss how much money he's got."

"Damn, though… can't lie, I'm a little jealous."

This restaurant was a high-end place that most ordinary residents of Loguetown couldn't afford. Only the wealthier bounty hunters or prominent town figures typically dined there, and the dishes on Tony's table would cost at least 200,000 Berries.

Meanwhile, a young girl across the room watched Tony's every move, already plotting how she might steal his two cases of cash.

Before long, two bounty hunters, visibly irritated, couldn't hold back any longer and stormed over to Tony's table.

"Hey, kid, you're bothering us. Don't you know that?" one of them barked.

Tony ignored the bounty hunters, treating them as if they were invisible as he continued to enjoy his meal. His indifference made their faces redden with anger. One of them, now seething, drew a katana and pointed it at Tony.

"Kid! Don't be so full of yourself—I've taken down pirates with bounties over six million Berries!" he sneered. "The name's Jesse, bounty hunter."

...

Tony didn't let Jesse finish his words. He stood up and delivered a flying kick that sent the man crashing out of the restaurant and unconscious on the ground outside.

Jesse didn't even have time to react to what had happened before Tony grabbed him by the head and slammed it heavily onto the table.

"Crash!"

The table splintered apart, with plates and food scattering everywhere. The restaurant owner, terrified, immediately fled to a corner, hiding himself.

The other patrons who had previously taunted Tony swallowed hard and patted their chests, relieved they hadn't provoked him. Otherwise, they'd be the ones lying on the floor right now.

Tony could ignore insults, but anyone who dared to draw a weapon in front of him had to be prepared to either fall unconscious or face death.

After tossing the unconscious Jesse onto the ground, Tony calmly grabbed a nearby towel and wiped his hands, showing no sign of panic. He then turned to the restaurant owner with a composed attitude.

"Hey, boss, you'd better inform the Marines. Just tell them that someone dined and dashed in your restaurant, but was stopped by a good Samaritan who took care of it."

"You understand me, right?"

The restaurant owner nodded vigorously, terrified that Tony would destroy his business if he displeased him.

Afterward, Tony grabbed his black leather cases and casually threw down 1 million Berries as compensation for the damage caused by the fight.

Just as Tony was about to leave, something completely unexpected happened.

The entire 100 million Berries—one whole case of money—was gone! And more shockingly, his precious Zanpakutō, Ryūjin Jakka, was missing as well!

Tony stood there, dumbfounded. He had no idea when or how it had happened! Sweat began to bead on his forehead, and a sense of panic set in.

"Wait a minute! Someone managed to steal my cases and my sword without me noticing?" he cursed. "What the hell? This is messed up!"

Tony's mouth twitched in frustration, his fists clenched in anger. That money was his hard-earned reward—100 million Berries! How could he let someone steal it so easily? The worst part was the loss of his Ryūjin Jakka, a sword far more valuable than any amount of money.

If he lost the sword, Tony knew he'd never recover from the loss. It was a key part of his powers.

"If I find out who did this, I swear I'll make them scream for their mother!"

One of the patrons at a nearby table stood up and pointed toward the direction of the port.

"Just now, when you were dealing with those two, a girl with orange hair sneaked away with your black cases and your sword. She headed in that direction," he said, indicating the direction of Loguetown's port.

Tony wasted no time and immediately dashed toward the port. Based on the description of the thief, he already had a pretty good idea of who the culprit was.

This was East Blue, and her appearance here was entirely possible. The thief was none other than the little thief cat, Nami! No one else could've gotten so close to Tony without him noticing.

As a professional thief, Nami had no aura of malice, so Tony had been too distracted by his confrontation with the bounty hunters to notice her sneaking around.

Tony also understood why Nami would steal from him... It was to fulfill her deal with Arlong, the pirate leader of the Arlong Pirates.

Arlong had demanded that Nami gather 100 million Berries in exchange for the safety of her village, Cocoyasi Village. Once she met the target, he promised to leave and spare her village. This had been Nami's mission for years, constantly living in dangerous situations to steal money and protect her people's lives...

However, at her core, Nami was still quite naïve. She believed Arlong would keep his word, but the truth was, the pirate had no intention of honoring their agreement. Even if Nami managed to gather the 100 million Berries, Arlong wouldn't leave.

The world was a cruel place, and without power, one would never have an equal say in negotiations.

At that very moment, Nami had already reached the port.

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T/N:

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