Five or six days passed quietly.
Good times are always short, and their relationship never crossed the final line.
She wasn't ready, and Ye Fan wasn't in a hurry.
Once she was ready, everything would fall into place naturally, without any obstacles.
Ye Fan guessed it was because of the village, and also the tattoo on her arm.
Today, finally, there could be a perfect ending.
Standing on the ship's deck, he gazed at the coastline gradually becoming clear before his eyes.
Sunlight spilled from the sky, shining on the shimmering sea, and waves gently lapped against the ship's hull, making a pleasant sound.
A breeze swept across the sea, raising faint waves and blowing the seawater into a silvery-white foam.
The sea breeze gently brushed Ye Fan's cheek, bringing a hint of coolness that made him feel refreshed and happy.
Looking at the familiar place, Nami was reminded of bad memories and couldn't help but feel nervous.
Her body trembled slightly; this place held her beautiful childhood memories, but even more, it held the painful memories of Arlong.
Ye Fan noticed her small movements. He tightly gripped her cold hand, pulled her into his embrace, and said warmly, "It's okay. I'm here for you. I'll always be by your side to protect you, to love you..."
If he didn't hold her now, he might not have the strength to hold her in two years.
"Mm!"
With Ye Fan by her side, and now that she had also gathered 100 million Berries, she could buy back the village.
Such a large ship approaching the coast naturally attracted the attention of the Arlong Pirates.
So, they immediately sent someone to inform Arlong, while the remaining people continued to monitor.
Nami knew that the Arlong Pirates were all Fishmen, and she also knew that she had been discovered by them.
"Go back and tell Arlong, I've gathered 100 million Berries. I'll come to him this afternoon to redeem the village."
Standing at the bow, Nami stood at the very front and shouted loudly, as if to vent all the grievances she had accumulated over the years.
Her powerful voice was very infectious, echoing across the vast sea.
After that shout, Nami also felt much more relaxed.
"Wuwuwu!"
For all these years, she had cheated and swindled to earn 100 million Berries. When this day finally arrived, she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.
She knelt on the ground, covering her face and weeping. The grievances in her heart finally dissipated, and she felt much better. These were tears of joy.
Seeing his kind-hearted and emotional wife, Ye Fan stepped forward and patted her back.
Then Nami told Ye Fan everything, and at the same time, she was a little worried that Ye Fan would think she was a bad girl.
"What are you talking about? If you're a bad girl, then there are no good girls in this world."
"In my heart, you will always be a beautiful, broad-minded, and kind girl."
Seeing Ye Fan's serious expression, Nami laughed.
"However, I don't think the Arlong Pirates will let things go so easily. They won't let you leave so simply. After we leave, who knows if they will exploit the village again?"
Ye Fan pretended not to know what was going to happen next, and expressed his views as a guess.
Sure enough, after hearing Ye Fan's words, the smile on Nami's face disappeared again, replaced by worry.
She calmly thought about it, and indeed, it was true.
How could she trust pirates like them? They must have been deceiving her.
And Ye Fan was right; what if they turned against her after she left? At that time, the villagers would still be oppressed by them.
Her sister, Nojiko, would not be able to live happily with her and Belle-Mere as they did when they were young.
"Didn't I say?"
"Don't worry, I'm here. We'll just drive them out and make sure they never dare to come back, or even directly..."
Ye Fan was not as merciful as Luffy, who kept leveling up by fighting monsters but never actually killed any of them.
Luffy had the protagonist's luck, and Ye Fan didn't want to leave himself any unnecessary trouble.
Nami had seen Ye Fan's strength before and believed him.
"Thank you!"
"Thank me for what? Didn't you already thank me last night? There's no need for us to say 'thank you' to each other."
It was really too formal. Ye Fan felt that at this point in their relationship, 'thank you' seemed too distant.
This, however, made Nami cover her face, hiding her blush, feeling completely flustered.
Arlong Park.
With a long, sharp, serrated nose, wearing a short-sleeved Hawaiian shirt, a muscular body over two meters six tall, the blue Sawshark Fishman lay there leisurely, sunbathing.
He had a pair of gills on his shoulders, a Sun Pirates tattoo on his chest, and an Arlong Pirates tattoo on his left wrist.
He looked very imposing.
"Brother Arlong, that woman is back. She says she has gathered 100 million Berries to redeem the village."
This was a Fishman subordinate reporting to Arlong.
"Huh?"
Arlong stood up, his massive body casting a long shadow.
Arlong was well aware of Nami's importance; her powerful navigation skills were what their Fishman race needed.
They, the Fishmen, were like fish in water, which was their great advantage.
Coupled with her abilities, their Arlong Pirates would be an invincible existence.
"Shahaha!"
The surrounding subordinates didn't know what their boss was laughing about.
Kuroobi then spoke, "Brother Arlong, are you really going to let that woman go?"
As an executive of the Arlong Pirates, Kuroobi was a Minnow Fishman.
In fact, underwater was when the Arlong Pirates were most formidable. In the original story, fighting the Straw Hat on land was the worst strategy.
So, losing was inevitable.
"I, Arlong, am a man of my word. I naturally do what I promise others."
"But if Nami doesn't have enough money, then it's not my fault."
Arlong revealed a sinister smile that sent shivers down one's spine, but it didn't scare his subordinates around him. Instead, it left them puzzled.
He was a racist, believing that "Fishmen are naturally stronger than humans" and "humans rebelling against Fishmen is like defying the laws of nature." He imposed high-pressure rule on the humans under his governance, treating human lives as dirt.
For his own kin, he was exceptionally good.
He was greedy and cruel, obsessed with money, believing that money was "the best thing, the most reliable thing."
Then he took out a Transponder Snail from his Pregnant and dialed a number.
Meanwhile, on a Marine ship patrolling the waters near Orange Town in the East Blue.
A man who looked like a mouse, wearing a mouse hat and a Marine Colonel's uniform, felt the Transponder Snail in his Pregnant.
"Purupurupuru."
This item can be used for communication. It looks like a snail, with spots or stripes or a solid color on its body, and a walkie-talkie or buttons on its shell. It sleeps when not connected, wakes up when connected, and makes a "purupurupuru" sound.
During a call, the Transponder Snail's mouth moves like the speaker's, and it also understands human emotions and speech. Its working principle is to convert human voices into the Transponder Snail's voice for long-distance transmission.
"Shahaha!"
The Transponder Snail on the other end also took on Arlong's fierce expression, which made Colonel Nezumi very wary.
Although he colluded with Arlong, he was still wary of his strength. Otherwise, he would have sent people to capture him long ago.
Then all of Arlong's treasures would be his.
"Zhizhizhizhi!"
The two scoundrels conspired together over the 93 million Berries Nami had buried in the tangerine grove.
That was Nami's hard-earned income of eight years, and the bloodstains on it were enough to show her hardship.
"Don't worry, I'll handle this."
Hearing that there was money to be made, the sharp-faced Colonel Nezumi immediately ordered the ship to turn around and head towards Cocoyasi Village.
All the Marine soldiers on this ship were of the same ilk.
They knew that going to Cocoyasi Village this time would allow them to collect many good things.
The meager Marine subsidy each month was simply not enough. Ever since they followed Colonel Nezumi, they had been living in luxury every day.
Life was good and carefree. It truly was a case of the rotten upper beam corrupting the lower beam, a den of vipers.