In the orange grove.
Nami skillfully brushed away the soil covering the treasure chest. A thin sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead, yet she didn't care in the slightest.
Her eyes shone with excitement.
"The money is all here," she said as she opened the chest.
"Arlong, it's time for you to fulfill your promise! Give Cocoyasi Village back to me!"
Arlong didn't step forward.
Instead, he turned and shot a cold glance at his officer.
"Chew. Go take a look. Check carefully whether there's really one hundred million Berries."
Chew let out a strange chuckle and stepped forward.
The surrounding fish-men stared at the chest, eyes gleaming with greed at the sight of so much wealth.
Chew walked up slowly, lowered his head, and looked expressionlessly at the gold and jewels inside.
He didn't even bend down to count.
Suddenly—
He opened his mouth and spewed a torrent of flames.
The roaring fire instantly swallowed the wooden chest. The paper bills inside turned to ash in the blink of an eye.
"No—! My money! Arlong, you liar!!"
Nami screamed hysterically and rushed forward, trying to扑 out the flames.
But Arlong was faster.
With one hand, he grabbed Nami by the head and lifted her into the air.
"My dear navigator," Arlong sneered,
"I still need you to draw the world's maps for us. I won't allow you to die just yet."
Nami nearly lost her mind, pounding desperately against Arlong's arm.
But her strength against him was no more than a tickle.
"Chew," Arlong said coldly,
"I told you to count the money. When did I tell you to burn it?"
Chew scratched his head awkwardly and laughed.
"Sorry, boss. I lost control for a moment. My mistake—I'll accept any punishment."
Arlong ignored him.
With a flick of his arm, he tossed Nami aside and said indifferently:
"Let's see how much money is left in that box. If it's not enough, I won't hand the village over to you."
"Monster… You're a monster!" Nami screamed hoarsely.
The raging flames reflected in her pupils, and the light in her eyes slowly dimmed.
Eight years.
Eight years of risking her life—
all reduced to ashes.
Arlong ordered his men to count what remained.
Before long, a subordinate reported:
"Boss Arlong, the gold and jewels add up to at most fifty million Berries. There's nowhere near one hundred million."
"Hahahahaha!"
Arlong burst into wild laughter.
"Nami, looks like you'll need to keep saving!"
Nami collapsed onto the ground, utterly drained, her face ashen.
"Oh, and don't think about running," Arlong added casually.
"If you try to escape, I'll slaughter everyone in the village."
Nami suddenly stood up, shoved Arlong away, and ran toward the village.
The villagers were already waiting anxiously.
But the moment they saw Nami's tear-streaked face, they understood everything.
Genzo shouted loudly:
"Everyone—this is the end of it! It's time we picked up weapons and fought for ourselves!"
The villagers roared in response, grabbing whatever they could.
"That's right! We can't rely on Nami alone anymore!"
"Even if I die today, I'll take Arlong down with me!"
"Eight years ago, we swore that no matter how humiliating Arlong's rule was, we'd endure it—as long as Nami could live well!"
"But now—even after she saved the money—Arlong still broke his promise!"
"There's no reason for us to keep waiting for death!"
Genzo led the way forward.
Seeing the villagers rushing toward Arlong in fury, Nami wiped her tears and forced a smile, spreading her arms to block them.
"D-Don't be reckless… I still have a way! I can save the money again!"
"Don't be foolish," someone said firmly.
"Even if you save it again, Arlong won't keep his word."
"Nami, you've done more than enough. Now it's our turn to fight."
"Leave the village. You have your own dreams—don't burden yourself anymore."
Nami's face hardened. She pulled out a dagger and shouted:
"No! I won't let you pass—don't force me!"
Genzo grabbed the dagger blade with his bare hand, his expression resolute.
"We're going. We're going to take revenge on Arlong."
"Charge!!"
The villagers roared and ran past Nami one by one.
Nami stood frozen.
Then she collapsed to her knees.
Her gaze fell on the hateful Arlong tattoo on her shoulder, and rage exploded within her.
"Arlong!!"
She raised the dagger and stabbed down toward her shoulder without hesitation.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
It ran down her arm, dripping from her fingertips onto the ground, drop by drop.
Yet she felt no pain.
Her heart had already shattered.
She felt herself sinking into endless darkness.
"Arlong… Arlong…"
Each time she screamed his name, she stabbed again.
Soon, the ground was soaked in blood.
Suddenly—
Her hand wouldn't move.
It felt as though someone had grabbed her wrist.
She looked up.
A straw hat with a red band entered her vision.
Then—
A face so familiar it hurt to see.
But this face no longer carried its usual foolish grin.
Instead, it was deadly serious.
Silent.
Looking down at her.
Nami turned her head.
Usopp. Sanji. Zoro.
And—
The white-haired swordsman who had introduced himself yesterday as Luffy's brother.
They were all standing there, quietly watching her.
Tears poured from Nami's eyes as her voice broke.
"Luffy… you don't understand… these eight years… everything about the village… everything about Arlong… you know nothing…"
"I told you to get lost! All of you—Usopp, Sanji, Zoro… and you too, Logan—I told you to leave!"
"Why didn't you go?! Just go!!"
Her voice became hysterical.
No one spoke.
They simply stood there, silently letting her vent all the pain she'd bottled up for years.
Finally, Nami's voice faded.
She sobbed softly, lifting her head to look at Luffy.
"Luffy… help me…"
Luffy said nothing.
He took off his straw hat and gently placed it on Nami's head.
Then he looked up at the sky and spoke a single, matter-of-fact sentence:
"Of course I will."
He turned to Zoro and the others.
"Let's go."
Without a word, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp stood up and followed behind him.
From the back, Logan called out:
"Little brother, need big brother's help?"
"Big brother," Luffy shouted without turning around,
"you just take care of Nami. This fight is mine!"
Logan broke into a proud smile.
"That's my little brother."
He turned back to Nami and said smugly:
"Well? Not bad, right—my future Pirate King of a brother?"
Nami was already sobbing too hard to answer.
Logan thought for a moment, then spoke silently in his mind:
"System, exchange for Senzu Beans. I need them now."
[One million Berries per Senzu Bean. How many do you want, sir?]
"Ten."
[Understood, sir.]
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