Kushina took out three bounty posters from a nearby drawer, treasures she'd been keeping for inspiration.
She liked to imagine the day she'd have her own bounty from the Marines, and she'd made up her mind: her bounty had to surpass Tsunade's.
"What's that?"
Nami leaned over and glanced at the three bounty posters. Two of the faces were ones she had just seen on deck earlier.
When her eyes instinctively moved down to the bounty numbers, the staggering figures made her doubt her own vision.
She rubbed her eyes and counted the zeros again and again, only to realize she hadn't been mistaken after all.
Her tongue nearly tied itself in knots as she stammered in disbelief, "Nico Robin, seven… seven hundred… ninety… ninety million Berries?!
Tsunade, seven hundred… and fifty… million Berries?! Arima, t-t-two… billion… Berries?!"
Seeing Nami's expression freeze in shock, Kushina quickly handed her a glass of ice-cold juice to help her calm down.
"How about that? Our captain's pretty valuable, huh? He's worth two hundred Arlongs! Pfft, no, no, can't compare that small fry to Arima!"
Kushina's tone dripped with disdain for that so-called villain.
It was then that Nami finally realized just whose ship she'd boarded.
This was the long-vanished vessel of one of the Five Emperors, the Konoha Senju. She never could've imagined meeting such a legendary figure.
Kushina, seeing Nami's shocked expression, wrapped an arm around her waist and grinned.
"So don't you worry about Arlong anymore. This time, we're going dragon-slaying, and we're going to give your hometown the justice it deserves!"
To Nami, those words were like a divine melody.
Back when she was just a child, she had prayed countless times for someone, anyone, to save her village.
But as the years went by, her people had grown poorer and hungrier. The hero from her childhood stories had never appeared.
It was as though her island had been forgotten by the world, and in that long silence, Nami had come to understand that humans could rely only on themselves.
Her heart ached with a storm of emotion. She threw her arms around Kushina and finally broke down in tears.
All the pain she'd buried for years came flooding out in those sobs, raw and unrestrained.
Leaning against Kushina's shoulder, she choked out between sobs, "Thank you… thank you all… thank you…"
Kushina held her gently, whispering soft words of comfort. In Nami's halting account of her past, Kushina gradually pieced together the truth.
By lunchtime, Kushina shared the story with everyone on board. They all listened quietly, each feeling a deep sympathy for Nami's suffering.
Kushina was the first to speak up. "Nami, don't worry. I alone can wipe those bastards off the map!"
Arima, the captain, looked up and asked calmly, "Nami, has the Navy never intervened in this?"
Nami shook her head helplessly. Every time the Navy came for inspection, Arlong's crew would vanish without a trace. Eventually, she had given up hope on them entirely.
"So," Arima said thoughtfully, "someone in the Navy must be protecting Arlong's gang."
Nami's eyes widened. "That's impossible! Belle-Mere used to be a Marine. She always told me the Navy stood for justice! How could they ever collude with monsters like Arlong?!"
Kushina slammed her hand on the table, indignant. "Arima, why don't we just take out those corrupt Navy rats while we're at it?"
Tsunade smirked. "Kushina, can't you just lift their whole base into the sky now?"
"If I caused a scene at a Marine branch," Kushina said with a gleam in her eye, flexing her hands eagerly, "do you think my bounty would go up?"
Arima tilted his head. "So you want to be wanted?"
"Of course! Tsunade's bounty is already seven hundred fifty million Berries, I can't fall behind!"
"You brat, even in this you want to compete with me?" Tsunade couldn't help laughing.
"Hehe, come on, Tsunade-nee, think about it! We're part of the Five Emperors' crew! How can we show our faces without a decent bounty to our name?"
Arima tapped the table lightly with his finger.
"Alright, enough. The Navy's corruption is Vice Admiral Garp's problem to fix. As for Arlong, he's yours to handle. Consider it a test of how much progress Arata and Yuna have made lately."
With the Konoha Senju sailing at full speed, it took less than two hours to reach the port just outside Cocoyasi Village.
At that moment, Arlong's pirates were drinking and feasting in their compound when a subordinate burst through the door, reporting a luxurious merchant ship anchored at the harbor.
Arlong grinned wickedly. "That little cat burglar sure is obedient, bringing us such a fat prize! Hahahaha! I'm starting to think I'll never let her go!"
His officer, Kuroobi, added slyly, "We could call Captain Nezumi. Have him confiscate Nami's savings.
That way, for the sake of those pathetic villagers, she'll still have to do whatever we say."
Arlong nodded approvingly. "Excellent, excellent! Hahahaha! Kuroobi, that's a brilliant idea!"
What he didn't know was that Tsunade had already overheard the entire conversation through her Observation Haki. She immediately relayed it to the others.
After hearing Tsunade's report, Nami felt a hollow ache spread through her chest.
She had never imagined that Arlong had never intended to free her, that the hope she'd clung to for years had been nothing but a lie.
In an instant, that hope shattered, replaced by seething rage.
Kushina patted her shoulder gently.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you get payback. If I don't beat him until he's running for his life, then I will massage Tsunade-nee's back every single day!"
Tsunade flicked Kushina on the head and muttered, "If it weren't for Nami's sake, I might actually let you do that just for fun."
Kushina immediately straightened up. "My dearest Tsunade-nee, how about I give you that massage later?"
Tsunade chuckled, clearly pleased. "Kushina, you're finally learning."
Arima silently watched the two banter without saying a word, while Natsuka giggled at her brother's calm, detached demeanor.
Before long, a crowd of fishmen led by Arlong arrived at the harbor, weapons in hand.
One of them shouted, "Listen up! This is Arlong Pirates territory! You've trespassed into our domain, so you'll be paying the head tax!"
Leaning lazily on the rail of the deck, Kushina called down, "Oh? And how much is that?"
The fishman glanced at Arlong, who made a small hand gesture. "Not much," the fishman sneered. "Your ship will do just fine!"
Kushina's smile widened. "Is that so? Then let me unfurl the sails first, you can tell me if you still want it after that."
The fishman snarled, "Enough talk! You filthy humans, get off that ship right now, or our captain will start killing!"
"You're threatening us?" Kushina's expression darkened; she didn't like his tone one bit.
Arlong could hold back no longer. He kicked his subordinate aside and bellowed, "Enough chatter!"
Kushina turned toward Arima, who gave her a single nod. At once, she leapt off the Konoha Senju, flanked by Arata and Yuna, ready for battle.