One Piece: Star Sea Legend

Chapter 10: Landing Separately

East Blue, a certain sea area. On a small lifeboat, Qin Ming, rowing the boat, had a large bump on his head, making it look like he was wearing a big round hat from a distance.

After the unfortunate incident, Nami immediately went into a furious rage and mercilessly pummeled the unsuspecting culprit.

If it weren’t for the Marines chasing them, forcing them to focus on escaping, Qin Ming might have been beaten so badly that even Luffy wouldn’t recognize him.

Those familiar with Luffy know that he’s the kind of guy who could mistake the real Zoro for a zombie Zoro.

With Luffy’s terrible eyesight, even he was having trouble recognizing Qin Ming now. You can imagine just how badly Nami had beaten him.

Remembering how Nami’s ears had turned a tempting shade of red, Qin Ming sighed. There was no doubt that her face had been flushed at the time.

“Damn you, Luffy!”

Qin Ming had already cursed Luffy a thousand times in his mind. If it weren’t for that guy suddenly slapping him, he wouldn’t have gotten into this mess.

While some might call this a stroke of luck, Qin Ming hadn’t intentionally tried to take advantage of Nami. It was all due to external factors.

Being violently abused by Nami and unable to blame her—since she was also a victim—while the person he really wanted to punch wasn’t even here, Qin Ming felt incredibly frustrated.

Facing the vast, endless sea, Qin Ming had no way to vent his frustration except to row the boat with all his might. Was he supposed to punch Nami instead?

If Nami had beaten Qin Ming to a pulp for no reason, he definitely wouldn’t have taken it lying down. He would have punched her without hesitation.

Unfortunately, Nami’s violent outburst was justified, and Qin Ming was slightly at fault. There was no way he could retaliate.

Earlier, when Luffy had stretched his arm but failed to grab Qin Ming, he missed the chance to bring Qin Ming back because his boat with Koby was already too far away.

And so, after briefly seeing Luffy from a distance and being thoroughly screwed over by him again, Qin Ming was separated from the crew once more.

Now, Qin Ming was on a small boat with Nami, heading towards Shells Town. Nami said she wanted to find a map of the Grand Line there.

Looking at Nami, who was sitting on the other side of the boat, still sulking, Qin Ming could never have imagined that on the very first day he met Nami, such a thing would happen.

On the very first day of knowing Nami, Qin Ming had fully experienced the terror of her iron fists. It was an unforgettable experience, one that left him trembling and never wanting to go through it again.

What surprised Qin Ming even more was that after the incident and Nami’s brutal beating, the first thing she said to him, her face flushed and breathing heavily, was just four words:

“One hundred million berries!”

Nami’s sharp eyes gleamed with a cold light as she spoke to Qin Ming, who was still dazed from the beating. Her tone was filled with murderous intent.

Looking at Nami’s beautiful face, now flushed red, Qin Ming couldn’t tell if it was from the exertion of beating him or from the embarrassment and anger of what had happened earlier.

But those four words struck a chord in Qin Ming’s heart, making it impossible for him to stay angry at Nami. He remembered Nami’s tragic past.

Others might not understand the significance of Nami casually mentioning one hundred million berries, but Qin Ming, as a transmigrator, knew exactly what that amount meant to her.

A ten-year-old girl, risking her life countless times over the next eight years, stealing from dangerous pirates, all to save the people she cared about.

A girl who should have been spoiled in her parents’ arms was forced into a life of theft, all to gather one hundred million berries to save her village.

In a way, one hundred million berries represented Nami’s hope for the future.

Although Nami’s words stirred Qin Ming’s sympathy, he wasn’t foolish enough to admit he owed her that much.

“Which direction should we go now?”

Qin Ming looked around at the endless sea. Without Nami’s guidance, his half-baked navigation skills were useless. He had no idea which way to go to reach their destination.

Earlier, under Nami’s direction, Qin Ming had managed to outpace the Marine ships in their small boat.

This truly showcased Nami’s exceptional navigation skills and gave Qin Ming a sense of accomplishment.

“Sure, the Marine ships are big, flashy, and well-equipped, but with Nami here, I can outpace them in a tiny wooden boat.”

The Marines on the pursuing ship watched as the small lifeboat, with just two people—a man and a woman—pulled further and further away, eventually leaving them far behind.

The Marines were dumbfounded. How could a small wooden boat outpace their entire ship? It was as if the boat had some special power source.

What the Marines found hardest to accept was the stark contrast between the man rowing the boat and the beautiful woman with orange hair sitting beside him. It was like a pairing of beauty and the beast.

To be fair, Qin Ming had just been beaten up by Nami, so his appearance was rather rough.

“Left!”

Nami’s reply was short and to the point, not even glancing at Qin Ming.

Qin Ming was fine with Nami ignoring him. It was better than accidentally offending her and getting beaten up again.

At first, Qin Ming had been upset about being separated from Luffy. Normally, he should have been with Luffy, rescuing Zoro and recruiting him to their crew, bringing their total to three members.

But now, Qin Ming was with Nami, which made him feel like he had stepped out of the main storyline. However, since he was with Nami, he figured they would eventually reunite with Luffy.

With this in mind, Qin Ming wasn’t too worried.

After several days of uneventful sailing with Nami, they finally arrived at Shells Town.

During this time, Qin Ming and Nami only spoke when necessary, mostly about navigation. Nami’s strange looks made Qin Ming wonder what she was thinking.

Though they shared a small boat, they were like strangers. Qin Ming, however, didn’t mind. He adopted Luffy’s carefree attitude, completely forgetting the incident from days ago as if nothing had happened. He even resumed his intense training on the boat.

Qin Ming thought to himself: “Nami asked for one hundred million berries, but she didn’t ask for anything else. Since what’s done is done and neither of us wants to take it further, it’s better to just forget about it and avoid making things awkward.”

When Qin Ming got tired from training, he would lie down on the boat and fall asleep. Sometimes, he would wake up to find a blanket covering him.

Curious, Qin Ming once asked Nami where the blanket came from, but she completely ignored him.

“Listen, we’re going to infiltrate the Marine base and steal the map of the Grand Line.”

Nami whispered to Qin Ming as they secured the small boat.

As she spoke, she leaned in close, and Qin Ming caught a faint whiff of her hair’s fragrance.

“Wait, you said there’s a Marine base here?”

Qin Ming asked, surprised.

“What about it? Are you scared just hearing the word ‘Marine’?”

Nami’s face remained cold, as if Qin Ming owed her a fortune. She stared at him intently and continued, “That day, I heard you shouting something about being a trash fighter. Is that your old nickname?”

Hearing Nami’s words, Qin Ming was instantly embarrassed.

“Damn, what do you mean I’m scared of the Marines? And now you’re guessing my old nickname is ‘trash fighter’? That’s a complete insult.”

Qin Ming snorted. “Never mind that. Tell me, is there a man named Zoro being held at this Marine base?”

Just then, a few passersby overheard Qin Ming’s words and immediately backed away in fear, as if they had seen a ghost.

“Idiot! Don’t mention Zoro, the notorious pirate hunter, here. Look how you scared those people.”

Nami scolded Qin Ming sternly, then turned to a nearby vendor with a bright smile. “Don’t be afraid. We’re not bad people. We just want to ask if the Marine base here is led by Captain Axe-Hand Morgan?”

Upon hearing Nami’s question, the remaining residents in the area fled in terror, leaving the place deserted.

The residents found it strange. Not long ago, a straw-hatted boy and a short, chubby kid with pink hair had come asking about Zoro and Captain Morgan. Now, two more outsiders were asking the same questions. Today was truly bizarre.

Nami’s friendly smile froze awkwardly on her face, and Qin Ming nearly burst out laughing.

“Silly girl, you told me not to mention Zoro, but you ended up scaring everyone away yourself.”

Qin Ming thought to himself, glancing calmly at Nami, who was still processing what had happened.

“The people here are so strange. It’s understandable that they’d be scared of Zoro, the infamous pirate hunter, but why are they even more afraid of the Marine captain’s name?”

Nami said, puzzled.

“Who knows? It’s none of our business. Weren’t you planning to go to the Marine base? Let’s hurry up.”

Qin Ming shrugged, urging Nami. He was eager to get to the Marine base and meet Zoro.

“Once Zoro joins, maybe Luffy will stop screwing me over and start messing with Zoro instead.”

With this thought, Qin Ming smiled happily. Nami, seeing his expression, felt a chill run down her spine. She raised her fist and shouted, “Stop smiling like that, you idiot!”