Walking through the corridors of the Marine base, Garen silently steeled his emotions and got into character.
He fully understood Nami's intentions.
By the time Commander Hammer welcomed Garen and Nami with a beaming smile and led them into an elegantly furnished conference room, Garen already wore a lofty, stern expression that suggested superiority.
"Captain Smoker, please take a seat!"
Hammer, still all smiles, walked over to the long square table in the room and personally pulled out the chair at the head of the table for Garen.
Garen gave a small nod, keeping a straight face, and arrogantly sat down in the main seat, not bothering to hide his haughty attitude.
Commander Hammer didn't take offense. Instead, he walked over to Garen's left side and respectfully pulled out a chair for Nami as well, humbly inviting her to sit.
He had already seen through the "low-ranking Marine" disguise and realized Nami's true identity, so he naturally treated her with extra courtesy.
Nami played her part perfectly. Acting was, after all, her bread and butter.
She walked to Garen's side without so much as a sideways glance and sank lazily into the plush leather chair, shifting around comfortably with a casual air that completely defied the nervousness expected of a "low-ranking Marine" in front of a superior.
Her behavior only confirmed Hammer's suspicions, making him even more deferential.
Once the two were seated, Commander Hammer immediately placed a delicate leather briefcase on the table in front of them, bowing as he did so.
Now that he understood what kind of person "Smoker" truly was, Hammer dispensed with the formalities and got straight to the point:
"Captain Smoker!"
"This is a little local specialty I prepared to welcome you. I hope you'll accept it with a smile!"
Garen didn't react in the slightest—he didn't even lift an eyelid.
Hammer cursed inwardly but didn't let a single emotion show on his face.
Nami, on the other hand, slowly reached out and lifted the lid of the bulging briefcase. With a soft click, it popped open to reveal stacks of neatly packed Beli cash.
She quickly estimated the amount—about ten million Beli in crisp, new bills.
Under normal circumstances, Miss Nami would've already had stars in her eyes and would be drooling over that pile of money.
But now, she remained perfectly composed.
She gave the money a quick glance, then calmly closed the briefcase and said meaningfully:
"Commander Hammer, your kind gesture is duly noted."
"However, perhaps we should first talk about the security situation in Loguetown?"
As she spoke, she quietly dragged the briefcase a bit closer to herself.
Eventually, Nami simply took the briefcase off the table and placed it beside her seat.
Ahem.
Garen cleared his throat and put on a stern, bureaucratic air to match Nami's performance.
"Commander Hammer!"
"As the commanding officer of the Loguetown Marine base, you bear the responsibility to defend the territory, eliminate outlaws, and uphold order across the East Blue."
"Yet today, I saw rats and roaches swaggering through the streets of Loguetown as if they owned the place—what audacity!"
Garen's eyes narrowed as he radiated righteous indignation.
"Care to explain this situation?"
Hammer's heart sank. He could clearly tell they were gearing up to make outrageous demands.
"My deepest apologies!"
"I've been busy with the defense rotation and transition of duties lately, so a few unavoidable lapses occurred in our security work…"
He offered a half-hearted excuse that even a child wouldn't believe.
But he knew full well that "Smoker" wasn't looking for excuses—he was looking for a price.
Another ornate wooden box was carefully placed on the table by Commander Hammer.
"That earlier item was just a local specialty," Hammer said with a forced smile.
"I've also prepared a few cheap trinkets for Captain Smoker."
Garen's expression didn't change, but Nami's delighted smile put Hammer at ease.
She reached out without hesitation, pulled the wooden box toward her, and popped it open.
As soon as the lid cracked open, a dazzling gleam of gold and jewels sparkled in her eyes.
Jewels, gemstones, and gold coins were piled together, radiating a luxurious brilliance.
Nami casually picked up a sapphire ring the size of a pigeon egg and held it up to the conference room lights, her face breaking into a very satisfied smile.
There was so much treasure inside that even a professional thief like Nami couldn't estimate its total value at a glance.
But one thing was certain—this treasure far outweighed the ten million Beli in cash. This was the true jackpot.
Even Commander Hammer, who had kept a straight face all along, showed a flicker of pain as he watched Nami toy with the box of jewels.
"Excellent."
Nami hugged the box to her chest and smiled sweetly at Hammer.
"Commander Hammer, you truly are a devoted and dutiful officer."
"Seems like all those nasty rumors about you in Loguetown were nothing but baseless gossip!"
Veins bulged on Hammer's forehead.
Not only did this girl take the bribe, but now she was bringing up even more dirt on him? Clearly, she was greedy and trying to milk him for everything she could!
Nami, unfazed by Hammer's darkening expression, continued with a pointed comment:
"These 'local specialties' are lovely, but they're a bit too flashy."
"Keeping things like this on hand could damage Captain Smoker's reputation for integrity…"
"I wonder… does Commander Hammer have anything a little more discreet?"
This wasn't even a hint anymore—this was blatant extortion.
And Nami even specified the preferred form: not cash or jewels, but something lower-profile—like a bank check.
Sure enough, Hammer had come prepared. Among the various "gifts" he had readied for the aggressive "Captain Smoker," checks were part of the stash.
His face darkened even more, and the calm smile from earlier vanished.
Trying to blackmail me for even more? Hammer fumed inwardly but smiled bitterly.
Fine. I'll let you take the money… but you won't live to spend it!
Without a word, Hammer pulled out a pre-written East Blue bank note from inside his coat and silently placed it on the table.
This type of note was unlike a regular check. It had no payee or sender listed—just a security stamp and an amount. Anyone could cash it at a bank.
These difficult-to-trace, easy-to-carry notes were a special kind of black-market currency designed for pirates, corrupt officials, and underground syndicates in the absence of proper government oversight.
Nami shamelessly picked it up and immediately locked eyes on the number:
Fifty million Beli.
Even with all her acting experience, Nami was briefly stunned by the sheer size of the number.
The money had come so quickly and so easily that even a professional thief like her had trouble processing it.
She had only been tagging along with Garen for three days, and already, she'd hit a financial goal that had taken her years of hard work to even dream of.
"Commander Hammer, you are truly the backbone of the Marine Corps!"
Nami grinned from ear to ear, clutching the note tightly.
After all, this was all dirty money. Carrying around a box of cash and a box of jewels was far too conspicuous—and risky. If Smoker later confiscated everything, she'd end up with nothing.
So Nami deliberately acted greedy to score this discreet yet immensely valuable bank note.
"Now then, Captain Smoker—are you satisfied with how I've handled things?"
Commander Hammer, wearing a strained and ugly smile, leaned in toward Garen.
"Hahaha!"
Garen burst into loud, mocking laughter. "Very satisfied—more than satisfied!"
He truly was pleased with Hammer's generous "donation."
But… it was time to drop the act.
Garen mentally prepared himself to strike and end things with one swift move.
But before he could make a move, his eyes were drawn—almost unintentionally—to the luxurious watch on Hammer's wrist, glinting with diamonds.
Hmm… can't kill the pig without shaving it clean first.
Garen half-joked, "Commander Hammer!"
"As a clean and upright officer, don't you think wearing such an expensive watch sends the wrong message?"
"If the good people of Loguetown saw that, it might tarnish the just image of the Marines!"
"Y-Yes, of course!"
Hammer nodded and bowed, stepping even closer to Garen, making a show of unfastening the watch.
"Captain Smoker, you are absolutely right! I'll correct my ways immediately!"
But just as Hammer bent forward with the watch in hand, a small revolver slid silently from his sleeve and into his palm.
Bang!
A Haki-sea stone bullet blasted out at point-blank range and slammed into Garen's chest.
Garen collapsed instantly.
"MMP!"
Hammer, shaking with adrenaline, waved the smoking revolver and yelled angrily:
"You wanted the damn watch, too?!"
"You greedy bastard—you're worse than me!"