A Forced Invitation

Hearing Luffy's name, Makino paused, then asked with surprise and delight, "Really? Are you one of Luffy's good friends too?" At the mention of Luffy, Dadan and the others also became interested and looked at Rafe expectantly. Typical Luffy.

He had only just gone out to sea and had already made a good friend. Rafe looked at Makino with a faint smile and shook his head.

"I know Luffy, but that doesn't mean we're friends."

"If we meet again, I might kill him myself."

One calm sentence plunged the bar into a strange silence. Makino's expression changed, and her smile vanished completely. Dadan shot to her feet, smashed the mug in her hand, and glared at Rafe.

"Kid, I watched Luffy grow up. You trying to pick a fight with him?"

"If you don't explain yourself today, you're not leaving."

Sensing that things were going wrong, Dadan's men rose from their seats, ready to fight at the first wrong word.

"Dadan, calm down."

Makino quickly grabbed Dadan's arm and stopped the conflict from escalating further. Then she walked up to Rafe, her voice sincere.

"Sir, Luffy does cause trouble, but he isn't a bad kid."

"If he offended you before, I apologize for him. Please don't hold it against him."

Her voice was gentle, and the feeling in it was real. She really was the kind of woman who tried to take care of everyone. A completely different temptation from Nami. Rafe had made up the part about wanting to kill Luffy.

But it was true that he did not have much goodwill toward him. Setting aside the Impel Down incident, the One Piece world seemed to have a certain rule. Anyone connected to Luffy could be redeemed by association, no matter what evil they had done before. Hatchan was the perfect example.

He had followed Arlong for eight years, tyrannizing civilians and helping terrorize who knew how many ordinary people. By the end, Nami had forgiven him, and he had even become friends with the main crew. Absurd.

Of course, Rafe disliked Luffy, but he did not plan to fight him to the death. As long as Luffy did not provoke him. Otherwise, Rafe would not mind making the so-called Sun God fall early. As for being afraid? The Nika fruit might be broken, but was it more broken than a System?

Looking at Makino as she pleaded for Luffy, Rafe's mouth curved with satisfaction.

"I came here for you."

"Join my pirate crew, and I won't make trouble for him."

Makino looked at him with a complicated expression and hesitated. If she agreed, she would have to leave the village where she had lived for years. And deep down, she feared pirates. As for Shanks, that was different.

She had only come to understand his character after spending a long time around him. But Rafe? Who knew what kind of man he really was? If she refused, though, she was afraid he might truly go after Luffy.

As far as she knew, Sabo was already dead. She truly did not want to see Luffy make too many enemies. Dadan, already on the edge of fury, stepped directly in front of Makino and said in a low voice, "Kid, you've gone too far."

"Do you know whose turf this is?"

The fierce-looking men around her grabbed their weapons at once and surrounded Rafe. They might laugh and joke around Dadan and Makino, but they were mountain bandits. None of them were good men.

"You dare come here and throw your weight around? I think you..."

"Enough noise."

Rafe cut him off with a cold look, and an overwhelming pressure erupted from him. An invisible force swept outward at terrifying speed and covered the entire bar in an instant. Tables and chairs collapsed. Cracks split across the floor. The air itself seemed to shriek.

Dadan and her men took the impact first. Their eyes rolled back, and more than a dozen people collapsed in ugly heaps across the floor.

"Dadan! Everyone!"

Makino covered her mouth in shock, terror written across her face. What had just happened?

"Huh? Why are you fine?"

"Wait, why am I fine too?"

Nami looked at Makino in surprise, then down at herself. The two women had not been affected because Rafe had deliberately controlled the range. Otherwise, everyone in the bar would have fallen.

"Dadan!"

Once Makino recovered from the panic, she immediately ran to Dadan and checked her condition.

"Relax. She's only unconscious."

Rafe's explanation made Makino let out a breath. As long as Dadan was not in danger, that was enough.

"Can you accept my invitation now?"

"If you refuse again, I can't promise what will happen next."

"My patience is limited, and what they did just now has already put me in a bad mood."

Pressure. Nami had been baited. Makino was being forced. In the end, a method only mattered if it worked. Rafe's casual words sent a chill through Makino. She could not watch him hurt Dadan and the others. After a long silence, Makino finally raised her head, her voice choked.

"As long as you don't hurt Dadan or the others, I'll join your pirate crew."

Rafe clapped once.

"Smart decision."

He looked at Makino, and his smile returned.

"Let's go. Next destination."

Rafe reached out with practiced familiarity and slipped one arm around Nami's waist and the other around Makino's. Nami had already grown used to it and merely rolled her eyes. Makino stiffened at the warmth against her waist. Already? A bad feeling rose in her heart.

If Nami knew what Makino was thinking, she would have given her a thumbs-up. Congratulations. Correct answer. Makino was about to fall into Rafe's grasp. Still, Nami was secretly relieved. With Makino aboard, her poor pussy might finally get a chance to recover.

...

Several hours after Rafe left. Dadan and the others gradually woke up.

"Makino? Where's Makino?!"

Dadan shouted through the bar, but Makino was already gone. There was no need to guess. Rafe had taken her.

"That bastard!"

"Boss, what do we do now?" the second-in-command asked.

Dadan stomped in fury and snarled, "Contact Garp. Tell him to catch that brat."

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