So that was it.
After Nami left the village, she lost all contact. No news of her ever came back. Because of this, the fishmen at Arlong park unleashed immense malice upon the villagers of Cocoyasi Village.
Right around then, a blond old man arrived at the village. He found Nojiko and handed her ten million beli from Nami, telling her to pass it on to the Arlong pirates.
With this money, the pirates assumed the young girl had not returned because she was out gathering the full one hundred million beli.
After all, those fishmen knew the truth. Nami had risked her life going out to sea since she was a child. She stole money from various pirate ships just to buy back the village.
Naturally, the fishmen saw this agreement as nothing more than a joke to trick a kid. But that did not stop the young girl from firmly believing in it. So, her handing over ten million beli to the crew made perfect sense.
However, neither Lius nor Nami expected the identity of this so-called blond old man. Based on Nojiko's description, he was none other than the legendary pirate, Golden Lion Shiki.
They never imagined such an infamous figure could show such a thoughtful side.
Lius felt a deep sense of awe after learning the entire story. In the original history, even if Shiki recognized her genius navigational skills, he never showed her any warmth. He was utterly ruthless and would kill without hesitation.
But now, the old pirate had shed his usual cruelty. He felt more like a grumpy but caring grandfather. Needless to say, if outsiders knew about this, their entire worldview would shatter.
"Alright, the old man was right. This is Lius. I have been with him for the past two years!" Nami glanced at the young man. She initially wanted to explain further but eventually gave up and just admitted to Shiki's words.
"Hehe, I knew it!" Nojiko breathed a sigh of relief. She patted her sister's shoulder before staring at Lius with wide eyes. She looked him up and down carefully. Her gaze lingered on his floral board shorts for quite a while.
"Ah, I forgot again! Let's find him a suitable set of clothes first!" Nami slapped her forehead. She quickly pulled her sister into the yard and called out without looking back, "Wait right here. You are not allowed to come inside."
Lius spread his hands helplessly as he watched the two girls walk away. He stood casually outside the yard in his floral shorts and waited.
Fortunately, Nami emerged with a set of clothes less than two minutes later.
He took the garments and put them on right in front of her without any hesitation. Nojiko only came out of the yard after he was fully dressed.
"What happened to this village?" Lius stretched his body and turned to ask the orange-haired girl.
"It is nothing major. The marines are coming today. Those fishmen gathered the villagers to pay taxes to them," Nami replied flatly, her brows furrowed tightly.
Over the past two years on Floating Island, she had not just kept him company. She had gained a deep understanding of the truth of this world. Simply put, her perspective had broadened. She was used to clashing with pirates holding bounties over a hundred million. Naturally, she looked down on petty thieves in East Blue with a mere twenty million beli bounty.
"Oh, that saves us even more time," Lius grinned. "Do we head out now, or wait for the marines and finish them all at once?"
"No. I do not want to wait another second when it comes to the fishmen!"
"Hahaha, let's go then!"
Lius looked eager to fight after sensing the anger in her heart. Two years of bitter training had nearly suffocated him.
"What? Head out where? What are you two trying to do?" Nojiko was completely dumbfounded by their conversation. She asked the question in a total panic.
"It is nothing. As a great Captain, I am naturally happy to help my crewmate solve her problems." Lius spoke carelessly. "Pretty lady, lead the way. We are going to flatten Arlong park!"
"Ha?! That is the Arlong pirates! They have a bounty of twenty million beli!" Nojiko spread her arms and blocked their path. "How could the few of us possibly be a match for fishmen! How about this? We can wait until the rest of your crew arrives. Then we can look for the right moment to act!"
"She is my only crewmate right now!" Lius said with a serious face.
"Hah!?" Nojiko's eyes widened. She looked at her sister in absolute disbelief.
Nami lowered her head slightly and gave an awkward but polite bitter smile.
Was this a joke?
Nojiko wanted to say more. Suddenly, Lius raised his hands and pressed them directly onto her shoulders. His gaze slowly turned serious.
"Arlong, right? He is not even qualified to be my warmup!"
"Just lead the way. I will handle all other problems!"
After saying that, he pushed with both hands and turned her body completely around.
The panic and fear in the delinquent girl's heart magically faded away after hearing those words. It was replaced by an inexplicable trust in the young man. This sudden change surprised even herself. Her body reacted on instinct. She began walking straight toward Arlong Park without realizing it.
Behind her, the Captain and navigator exchanged a smile before following closely. They walked shoulder to shoulder with Nojiko on either side.
Their conversation faintly drifted over from a distance.
"Arlong's twenty million beli bounty will be wasted if we take out the marines too."
"Then we just rob all the money from both the marines and Arlong."
"Are you guys really sure about this?"