Chapter 118: Dejected Nami, Handling the Aftermath (Patreon)

"Captain!"

Just as Moren was using his Sand-Sand Fruit ability to lightly cover up the traces on the ground, Nami's urgent voice came from a distance.

Moren turned around and saw Nami running out from behind a sand dune, looking somewhat disheveled, her orange hair covered in sand and dust.

She quickly ran up to Moren. Only after seeing that he was completely unharmed did she finally let out a sigh of relief. Then she rushed straight into his arms, tightly clutching the front of his clothes.

"It's all right. Everything has been resolved." Moren smiled gently, reaching out to stroke her orange hair and brush away the sand stuck to it. "Don't worry."

"Mm..." Nami responded in a muffled voice.

After a while, she raised her head. The lingering fear from the ordeal had not completely disappeared from her face, but what remained more strongly was a deep sense of frustration and dejection.

"I... I just feel like I'm so useless." Nami lowered her head, staring at the sand beneath her feet.

"Just now, Robin, Baccarat, and you, Captain, were fighting those terrifying people up there, while I could only worry helplessly from below. I couldn't even escape from that damn trap..."

Her voice became quieter and quieter, filled with self-disgust caused by her own helplessness. It reminded her of how powerless she had felt when facing Arlong and his crew before.

"It's all right. Don't get discouraged. If you want, your captain can give you special training. I'll teach you until you master it, guaranteed!" Moren said with a reassuring smile.

"Really?!" Nami's eyes immediately lit up. "I want to learn! I want to learn!"

"But..." Moren suddenly changed his tone, a playful smile appearing on his face. "One lesson costs 100,000 Berries."

Back then, Nami had charged him a tuition fee for fishing lessons. Now he was charging her a tuition fee for special training. It was perfectly reasonable.

"One... one hundred thousand Berries?!" Nami's expression instantly collapsed. She had left all her money with the villagers, and she was still trying to rebuild her savings.

However, thinking about her desire to become stronger, she gritted her teeth and showed an expression of painful determination. "Fine! 100,000 it is! But Captain, you have to teach me properly!"

"Deal!" Moren looked at her adorable expression, where she was both reluctant to spend the money and unwilling to give up the opportunity, and couldn't help but laugh.

"Mr. Moren! Miss Robin! Are you all right?!"

At that moment, Princess Vivi came running over with Igaram, Pell, and a squad of guards who looked extremely battered.

Vivi's face was covered with sand, but her eyes were filled with excitement and enthusiasm. She circled around Moren, Robin, and Baccarat, chattering excitedly, her gaze shining with admiration.

"That was amazing! Mr. Moren! We heard everything from down below. The battle above was so intense! Are you all okay? Were all those bad guys defeated? That was incredible! Miss Robin was so cool too! Miss Baccarat was so brave..."

Robin smiled warmly as she spoke with her. Baccarat had already calmed herself down, and Nami had also temporarily forgotten about the pain of paying for her special training and joined Vivi in their lively conversation.

Nearby, Igaram and Pell looked at the bodies on the ground that were partially covered by sand, their expressions complicated.

They were supposed to be the guards, the commanders of the Alabasta Royal Guard. They should have been the ones protecting the princess's safety.

However, from the moment the ambush began, they had been trapped inside that damn sand pit ruins. Their numerical advantage and familiarity with the terrain had been completely unable to come into play.

Igaram's machine-gun fire had been easily avoided by the enemy. Pell had tried to transform into his falcon form and rush out through the entrance, but the opening was too small. The enemy simply blocked the exit, preventing him from fully utilizing his ability.

In the end, that man named Gale had even threatened them with Princess Vivi's safety, forcing them to stop fighting in frustration and humiliation.

They were like two spectators trapped inside a cage, only able to watch others fight desperately outside while they could do nothing but stand by.

Looking at those bodies, Igaram and Pell already had a guess about the identities of these attackers.

Well-trained, perfectly coordinated, and possessing such powerful strength...

They were most likely the same people who had secretly infiltrated Alabasta before. They were indeed World Government agents.

Fortunately, they still had some concerns about members of the royal family and had not truly attempted to kill Vivi. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Igaram glanced at Princess Vivi, who was laughing and chatting with Robin and the others, her face filled with excitement. He could not help but sigh inwardly.

These people had clearly come for Moren and his group. How should he describe it... Moren and the others truly were surrounded by trouble. Simply getting close to them was enough to get dragged into danger.

Princess Vivi was still too young and too naive. She had only seen the powerful side of Moren and his companions, seeing how they defeated the bad guys with such ease.

As for where these bad guys had appeared from, and why they had targeted them...

However, for the safety of the princess and the stability of Alabasta, perhaps it would be better to reduce contact with Moren's group in the future.

Although this might hurt the princess, who sincerely wanted to become friends with them, safety came first.

Thinking this, Igaram took a deep breath, suppressed the complicated emotions in his heart, and walked over to Moren. He said seriously:

"Mr. Moren, thank you for your help this time. We were unable to contribute much."

Moren shook his head and replied:

"The one who should apologize is me. I was the one who caused you to be dragged into this trouble. The most important thing is that no one was hurt..."

Moren truly felt somewhat apologetic. Vivi and King Cobra had always treated them kindly, and they had gotten along very well.

Originally, he had planned to take Vivi out on an adventure this time, but he never expected them to encounter these people and drag Vivi into danger as well.

"No, this was our failure." Igaram shook his head. "We were supposed to be the ones protecting the princess. From that perspective, we truly failed in our duty."

"We will handle the aftermath here. We will do our best to completely clean up the traces and dispose of the bodies."

"Although we definitely won't be able to hide this completely from the organization behind them, at least we can reduce some immediate trouble and buy you some time to leave Alabasta."

His meaning was obvious. The Alabasta royal family would use their power to cover up this incident and provide Moren's group with some assistance.

This was both a favor and a subtle hint that they should avoid causing further trouble for Alabasta.

Moren naturally understood the hidden meaning behind Igaram's words, but he did not say anything more. He simply nodded.

"Then we'll trouble you."

Igaram's worries and concerns were reasonable. With the Alabasta royal family stepping in to help conceal the incident, it would indeed reduce many problems for their next actions and allow them to leave this place more smoothly.

Seeing that Moren was not displeased, Igaram also relaxed. He immediately led Pell and the guards to begin handling the scene, while Moren took the others aside to rest.

Not long after, the traces were mostly cleared. The group no longer stayed and began their journey back to Alubarna.

Vivi was still excited. Nami was calculating the cost of her special training. Robin and Baccarat walked silently, while Igaram and Pell remained deep in thought.

Moren walked at the front, calmly looking at the outline of the city gradually becoming clearer ahead. His mind was already planning their next voyage.