Chapter 34: Raking In the Cash — The Nightmare Ends!
Arlong was dead.
Nami had hacked him down, swing after swing of the axe. Blood spattered all over her.
The pirates nearby shivered at the ferocity in her eyes. Sure enough, they thought, when a woman goes ruthless, no man can compare.
"Captain, what about these ones?" Jango asked. "Do we chop them too?"
Not all the fishmen were dead. Hachi had only been cut down by Zoro and lay gravely wounded. Chuu, whom Jango's squad had beaten, was alive. Two others were breathing as well.
"Don't chop them. Not yet," Lister stopped them.
It wasn't overflowing mercy. It was because of Arlong's hoard.
Arlong had ruled over more than twenty villages here, taking plenty of head taxes every month. Some of it had gone to bribing Captain Nezumi, but some had stayed behind. Lister didn't know if Arlong had hidden money elsewhere. To be safe, he decided to keep a few fishmen alive—if they couldn't find Arlong's legacy inside the compound, they could beat the clues out of those mouths.
"Johnson, Rocky, Jango—take people in and search. Don't leave a single corner unchecked. Move out anything worth a Berry," Lister said, pointing at the red tower.
"Aye!"
The three led teams into the tower, combing floor by floor.
Before long, pirates came out shouldering sack after sack.
"That bag is mine! Give it here!" Nami shouted, seeing a pirate carrying the very sack of money she had brought to Arlong's compound.
She could let other things go, but not that money—ten years of scraping and clawing. She wasn't letting anyone lay a finger on it.
The pirate glanced at Lister.
"She said it, so give it to her," Lister nodded.
He loved money, but not enough to snatch it from Nami's hands. If he wanted it, there were other ways to make her hand it over willingly.
"Understood, Captain."
The pirate set the bag down. Nami immediately opened it and counted. Nothing was missing. She finally let out a breath.
Then the three battle captains came to report.
"Captain, the total haul inside Arlong's compound comes to three hundred and thirty million Berries," one said. "One hundred million of that is Sister Nami's, thirty million was found aboveground, and two hundred million was hidden in a secret chamber beneath, in false compartments."
"Good work," Lister said, pleased. "Next, interrogate those fishmen and see if Arlong stashed money anywhere else. Jango—this is your specialty. It's yours."
"As long as Arlong hid it, I'll make them spill every last Berry," Jango promised.
"Good."
Lister nodded, then added, "The Fishman Pirates are finished. No need to leave this tower standing. Blow it up."
"Aye!"
Johnson and Rocky returned to the ships, swung the turrets toward the tower, and took aim.
"Fire!"
Boom—
Under the barrage, the tower finally collapsed.
Standing on the path from Arlong's compound toward the village, Nami watched and couldn't hold back her tears any longer.
"It's over. It's finally over."
"Belle-mère, did you see? I've avenged you, and I've saved the village from Arlong's hands."
Just then, Nojiko came running with a group of villagers armed with farm tools.
"Nojiko? You all came?"
Nami blinked in surprise.
"Nami—are you okay?"
From a distance, Nojiko had seen Nami covered in blood. She ignored everything else, rushed to her side, and asked anxiously.
"I'm fine. What about you?" Nami asked.
"What's with all the blood?" Nojiko didn't buy it and pressed again.
"It's not mine. It's Arlong's. It splashed on me when I chopped him," Nami said, almost offhandedly.
"I see."
Nojiko exhaled, then suddenly started, as the meaning caught up with her.
"Nami, you… chopped Arlong?"
"That's right. Arlong is dead. I killed him with my own hands," Nami said loudly. "From today on, Cocoyasi Village won't ever be bullied by Arlong and those fishmen again!"
"Really, Nami?"
The villagers jolted, hardly daring to believe it.
"It's true. If you don't believe me, look."
Nami pointed to Arlong's headless corpse lying not far away.
Even without the head, the people of Cocoyasi recognized him at once.
"Arlong's dead—Arlong is really dead!"
They shouted themselves hoarse in sudden joy, and many broke down in tears.
A ten–year nightmare had finally ended today.
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