Chapter 117: Ralph: What a Cool Weapon!
At the top floor of the central tower on Clockwork Island, Nami was tightly bound and thrown onto the large bed.
The golden short staff was being toyed with in Honey Queen's hands.
"Tsk tsk, the craftsmanship is truly excellent."
Honey Queen turned the golden weapon over in her hands, her fingers tracing along its surface.
She pressed a hidden protrusion, and a small bouquet of plastic flowers popped out from the top of the staff with a soft "pop."
Twisting a certain knob, a fine mist sprayed from the side.
Pressing another mechanism, choking smoke billowed from the end.
"Flowers, water, smoke... your Straw Hat Pirates' craftsman certainly has a sense of humor."
Honey Queen sneered but then frowned.
"But what about the most important mechanism? How does the Seastone part extend?"
She tried several methods, but the staff only kept popping out various small gadgets, never transforming into its long staff form.
Nami twisted her body on the bed, trying to sit up as much as possible.
Biting her lower lip, her expression struggled for a moment before she suddenly spoke:
"If... if you agree to one condition, I'll tell you all the secrets of the golden short staff."
At these words, everyone in the room turned to look at her.
Bear King sat on his exaggerated throne, his three-meter-tall body leaning slightly forward, a look of interest on his large face:
"Oh? You dare to negotiate terms in this situation? Let's hear it, what do you want?"
Nami took a deep breath, as if steeling herself with great resolve:
"Untie me, and... give me a chance to join the Trump Pirates. If you agree, I won't just tell you all the mechanisms of this staff.
I'll also tell you the abilities, weaknesses, combat habits... all the information about every member of the Straw Hat Pirates."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then, another figure standing in the corner, one of the Trump Pirates' officers, Pin Joker, grinned.
His face was painted with exaggerated makeup, his smile stretching from ear to ear.
"There's an old saying in the East Blue: 'He who eats food is a hero!' Is this woman trying to betray her comrades to save her own life?"
Nami: "..."
Her face darkened, and she couldn't help but correct him:
"It's 'A wise man knows when to yield'... If you don't know how to use proverbs, don't say them!"
Pin Joker's smile froze on his face, his complexion visibly paling beneath the makeup.
Nami immediately realized she had misspoken and quickly tried to smooth things over with a forced smile:
"Th-that... what I mean is, isn't it normal to go with the flow on the sea and follow the strong? A powerful figure like Lord Bear King, who has ruled Clockwork Island for seven years, is truly worth following!"
These words clearly struck Bear King's vanity.
He leaned back into his throne, stroking his chin with a large hand, and laughed heartily:
"Well said! However..."
His eyes turned cold:
"How can I trust you?"
Nami immediately replied:
"To show my sincerity, I am willing to offer this intricately designed golden short staff to Lord Bear King!"
"This staff was made by dismantling the golden armor of Krieg, the Pirate Admiral, after we defeated him. It incorporates many of the deadly weapons from Krieg's armor."
"Later, we added Seastone to counter Devil Fruit users. It can be said to be one of the most precious treasures of our Straw Hat Pirates!"
She spoke with genuine emotion, even tears welling up in her eyes.
Half of it was acting, half of it was genuine nervousness.
At that moment, Sanji, who had been tied up all along, suddenly became agitated.
He struggled desperately, his face etched with "disappointment" and "pain":
"Miss Nami! How could you betray us?! How could you face... face my sincere feelings for you?!"
His voice was heart-wrenching, his expression perfectly acted.
Nami: "..."
The corner of her mouth twitched as she inwardly screamed:
Sanji, are you overacting?! We're just pretending to surrender to find a chance to escape, but you're taking this way too far!
But the show had to go on.
Nami steeled herself and continued speaking to Bear King:
"I-it can't be helped... On this great sea, whether it's powerful weapons, precious treasures, or stunning beauties, they only belong to the strong! And Lord Bear King is exactly that kind of strong man!"
She felt a bit sick saying it herself.
But the effect was outstanding.
Bear King, Pin Joker, and Honey Queen exchanged glances, then burst into triumphant laughter.
"Hahaha! Well said! Well said!"
Bear King laughed so hard his whole body shook,
"In that case, Honey, untie her!!"
Honey Queen hesitated:
"Boss, what if she..."
"What's there to fear?"
Bear King waved his hand dismissively,
"On this tower top, with the three of us watching her, what trouble could she possibly cause? Untie her!"
Only then did Honey Queen reluctantly walk to the bedside and untie the ropes binding Nami.
"Now," To prevent Nami from attacking after getting the golden short staff, Honey Queen didn't hand it to Nami but directly asked:
"Tell me the mechanism."
Nami raised her head and looked at Bear King:
"My lord, the most crucial mechanism of this staff is here—"
She pointed to the middle section of the staff, "You need to twist it three times to the left first. After hearing a 'click' sound, twist it two and a half times to the right. Then it will transform into its long staff form, and the Seastone part will pop out."
Honey Queen eagerly followed Nami's instructions.
Without any suspicion, she operated according to Nami's steps:
Twist left three times—"click";
Twist right two and a half times—
The staff suddenly began vibrating violently!
"Huh?"
Honey Queen was stunned.
Not just her—everyone present fell into a brief silence!
Just as the three members of the Trump Pirates were staring strangely at this vibrating short staff—
Nami suddenly ducked, throwing herself flat on the ground, protecting her head with her hands.
"What are you doing—"
Honey Queen didn't finish her sentence.
"BOOM——!!!"
The golden short staff exploded.
That was the self-destruct system Ralph had asked Usopp to install in this golden staff!
Back then, Nami and Usopp had asked Ralph why he wanted to add such a device to a weapon.
Ralph, who usually had a reason for everything, thought for a long time, his face turning red, before coming up with one:
"Don't you think weapons that can self-destruct are really cool?"
Usopp thought for a moment, his eyes lighting up in agreement.
But Nami didn't understand back then—because she was the one using this staff!
What if it exploded while fighting an enemy?
Now she understood!
Weapons that can self-destruct really are cool!
Especially when they fall into the enemy's hands!
However, this self-destruct had one drawback: it was impossible to predict the power of the explosion.
The golden short staff integrated many weapons from Krieg's armor and was originally made to deal with the Fish-man Arlong.
Thus, Usopp had not reduced the amount at all, resulting in an astonishingly powerful explosion when the golden staff self-destructed.
The intense blast engulfed Honey Queen's upper body, while the shockwave spread outward, sending Bear King and Pin Joker flying.
The various hidden weapons integrated into the staff—shuriken, darts, and steel needles—sprayed in all directions like a celestial maiden scattering flowers!