"Nami, what happened?"
Usopp whispered into the shadows. Ahead of him, Nami stood frozen near the edge of a tall stack of crates, her head peeking out into the alleyway.
"Hey! What's going on?" he pressed, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"They found him," she muttered, her voice dropping to a tense hush.
"The cops?"
"Yeah. They've got Luffy... and they're dragging him toward the square. Come on, move!" Without waiting for a response, the two scrambled deeper into the dark, slipping past scurrying rats and roaches as they wove through the narrow maze of towering cargo boxes.
"What are we doing?" Nami asked.
When they reached a giant wall, she stopped.
"Alright, Usopp, aren't you a street performer?"
"Uh... yeah. Wh—" Before he could finish, Nami cut him off. "Listen. This is it. We're going to follow Luffy out there and act like we were just scrambling around in the alley." She looked at him through the darkness and placed both cold hands on his arm. "I want you to look as confused as possible. If the cops ask you anything, just answer like you don't know a thing."
"B-but Inspector Vance is a talented officer! He'd see right through—"
"LISTEN TO ME!" Her grip tightened. "I don't care who he is or what he's like. Just... be an actor!" Usopp could see the stress in her eyes through the pitch-black warehouse. "Yeah. I'll try."
"Don't try," she said, turning toward the heavy wall. "Do it." She grabbed the metal handle of the massive iron gate and hauled it open, but the mechanism jammed midway as iron chains rattled against the frame. Only a narrow gap formed. Nami squeezed through, forcing her slender body through the tight seam as flakes of coarse rust scraped across the greasy jumpsuit she was wearing and inside her shirt and pale skin.
Outside, she moved with catlike speed, snatching Usopp by his collar and yanking him into the open. "Wha—"
"Shhh! Keep your voice down!" Usopp nodded sharply. Together, they shoved the gate shut just enough to conceal the opening, then sprinted into the shadow of a narrow alley between two stone houses.
While running, Nami ripped off the heavy, grease-stained work jumpsuits they had taken earlier, tossing them onto the low roof of an adjacent shed. As they sprinted against the harbor breeze, she frantically scrubbed at her arms and cheek, trying to smear away the streaks of rust and dark oil that had clung to her skin and clothes.
"Dammit," she muttered, ducking into another alley between the stone walls. She lifted her arm and glared at the dark reddish-brown smears clinging to her skin, shirt, and pants. Up ahead, a wooden cart clattered along the cobblestones, pulled by a plodding donkey. Nami stopped mid-stride. Her eyes locked onto the cart, especially what was peeking atop it—coal.
"Watch for anyone watching us," she whispered to Usopp. Before he could even ask or turn around, a sharp CRACKechoed behind him. Usopp spun around as he saw a cart's wooden side door hung off its hinges. Black coal lumps spilled across the street, burying Nami up to her knees. Her pale skin and clothes were completely coated in soot, leaving only the whites of her wide, surprised eyes visible through the dark, grim mask.
"What happened?!" Usopp gasped, jogging over to help her hoist the collapsed plank.
"Hey! What did you do?!" a voice wailed. The cart driver, an old man wrapped in a threadbare brown coat, scrambled down from his bench. He panicked, fumbling with a makeshift wooden clamp to secure the broken side rail. "A-Are you alright, young lady?!"
Nami waved her soot-covered hands frantically. "I-I'm so sorry, mister! I tripped and bumped into your cart! It's entirely my fault—" Usopp stared at her, then at the frantic driver, and something in his mind clicked. Finally, all this time, he got it. He cleared his throat, threw his head back, and erupted.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" the two snapped. Nami was shocked, almost about to break her performance as she uttered What are you doing?! under her breath.
"WHAT WOULD YOUR BROTHER SAY ABOUT THESE?!" Usopp roared, stepping between them with spraying saliva. "WHERE DO YOU BUY YOUR CLOTHES, NOW?! YOU TWO ONLY STAY IN MY HOUSE, AND I DON'T HAVE ANY FEMALE CLOTHING!"
"P-Please, young man, don't yell at her!" the old driver stammered, bowing repeatedly. "It was an accident! Your friend didn't mean to—"
"No, mister, it's her!" Usopp cut in, marching up to Nami. He snatched her by the wrist—his grip tight enough to pull a genuine squeak of surprise from her—and began dragging her down the street. "FATHER IS GOING TO SKIN YOU ALIVE FOR THIS!"
"J-Just wait there!" the old man called out, reaching toward them as they moved away. "I'll fetch someone to clean this! I'll buy the lady a new dress—" The driver turned to grab his rope, but when he looked back a second later, the street was completely empty. High above the slope, Nami and Usopp were already sprinting down a narrow side avenue, away from the harbor.
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!" Nami snapped, wiping a smear of coal from her nose.
"I was helping your performance!" Usopp argued, grinning proudly.
"I HAD IT UNDER CONTROL!" Nami yelled, though her scowl softened just a fraction. "...Even if your acting wasn't completely terrible. But still!"
The two had arrived at the main square. The people were as many as when they went earlier. Nami's eyes scanned through the crowd until she saw something in the distance: a familiar Straw Hat. The two followed it, and there it was—Luffy, flanked by local officers. As they slithered into the crowd like snakes, people looked at Nami with fierce, judgmental eyes.
"Nami! Everyone's looking at you!" whispered Usopp, eyeing the stares, but Nami kept tracking Luffy.
"Let them be," Nami muttered, her eyes narrowing as she caught a flicker of grey wool in her peripheral vision. Inspector Vance and Djan were already fanning out, their gazes cutting through the sea of heads like searchlights. "They're sweeping the perimeter. They know someone slipped past the warehouse gate."
"They're going to spot us in five seconds!" Usopp hissed, his knuckles whitening around his sling. "You look like a chimney sweep, and I look like I'm escorting a runaway chimney!"
"Then we don't hide," Nami whispered, her voice dropping into a deadly, calculated calm. "We give them exactly what they think they're looking for, but on our terms. We let them catch us."
"Are you insane?!" Usopp hissed back, his eyes bulging. "I don't want to end up behind bars! I have a legacy to fulfill—I'm going to become a brave warrior of the sea like my dad!"
"We aren't getting thrown in a cell," Nami snapped quietly, rolling her eyes. "They don't have a shred of solid evidence to convict us. This is going to be an interrogation, nothing more. When they question us, you stick to the story and trust your gut. Tell them Zoro and I are adoptive siblings who came from a village, and we came to Syrup Town to celebrate his release from Shells Town. Got that? Shells Town."
Usopp blinked, the dots connecting in his head. "Wait... the green-haired guy? The one Captain Morgan captured?! Is he really the legendary 'Demon of the East' everyone talks about?!"
"In short, yes," Nami said, keeping her eyes glued on the approaching officers. "Now, on my mark, you start screaming about how furious you are that I got us both covered in coal dust. Just play into the angry house owner because his guest got covered with coal dust situation we used earlier. Are you ready?"
"Y-Yeah... I'm ready," Usopp muttered. He closed his eyes, took a long, steadying breath, and opened them with newfound resolve. "Let's do this."
Meanwhile, as they were assisting the Straw Hat boy, Vance heard the faint, sharp noise of the murmurs of people at his side. Curious, he snapped his neck, scanning through the crowd for any source of that noise. There, in the distance, he saw something that wasn't normal in this town: A girl covered in pitch-black powder, as her orange hair gleamed through the powder, and beside her was a long -nosed boy.
He stopped mid-track, which Djan, Luffy, and the other officer quickly noticed. "What's wrong, Inspector Vance?" whispered Djan.
"Follow me." He began parting the crowd with heavy, deliberate footsteps. Shoulder checking some of the crowd as whispering "Excuse me" into their mouth, except Luffy. Vance used his slender body to pass through the crowd rather easily. Then, he quickly went behind Nami and Usopp, leaving the three behind him as Djan called him, but he ignore.
"Excuse me." A gravelly voice rang behind the two, as the shadow of looming towers fell behind them. The two slowly turned around and saw Vance. His wrinkled face hid behind the shadow of his ear-length hair. His long brown coat swished in the air, and the smoke of his heavy cigar choked the two.
"I'm sorry to disrupt your stroll... but I believe I have business with you two," Vance said, his cold eyes sweeping over Nami's soot-covered body. Before Vance could ask another question, Usopp's eyes stretched into an annoyed, angry look.
"See?! We should have stayed and helped that poor old man! Now look! He called the police on us!" Nami shrieked, her voice echoing dramatically across the cobblestones as she kicked off their act, rounding on Usopp and shoving his shoulder with furious energy. Inspector Vance stood unaffected, exhaling a thin trail of smoke.
"I am no cop, Miss," he said, his gravelly voice cutting through the air. "I am the Lead Investigator for Syrup Town, currently heading the murder trial of Roronoa Zoro. Which... I assume you know quite a bit about."
"Y-Yes... he's my brother," Nami blurted out, wringing her soot-stained hands in an attempt to look terribly shaken. "Is he alright? Why are—" Before Vance could respond, a wild shout split the air from down the street.
"NAMI! USOPP!" Luffy came hurtling through the crowd like a cannonball, launching himself into the air toward them. Nami's instincts kicked in instantly; she took one clean step to the side, letting Luffy crash face-first onto the hard cobblestones with a dull, heavy thud.
"Are you alright, young man?" Vance asked dryly, looking down at the sprawled boy before extending a gloved hand to haul him up by his collar.
"We picked up your companion wandering near the perimeter of the Sailwind Warehouse," Vance continued, glancing around as the murmuring crowd closed in, turning the scene into a public spectacle. Deciding against a scene in the open plaza, Vance reached inside his dark trench coat and produced a silver-embossed badge from a leather wallet. He held it out, letting the metal glint in the overcast light. "I am officially requesting your presence at the precinct... for questioning."
Nami and Usopp exchanged a brief, tense look before nodding in unison.
"Hey, Nami!" Luffy muttered loudly, tilting his head as they fell into step behind the officers. "Why are we following this weird coat guy?"
"Shh! Keep your voice down!" Nami hissed under her breath, leaning in close. "When they interrogate you, tell them Zoro and I are siblings."
Luffy blinked, his brow furrowing. "Huh? But Zoro doesn't have a—"
"Just do what I say if you want to get out of here without going to jail!" Nami snapped quietly. Luffy grinned and flashed a quick thumbs-up.
Ahead of them, Vance paused and turned his head, his sharp eyes catching the three of them clustered together like a tangled ball of yarn.
"Pardon the interruption," Vance said smoothly, waving a hand to break their huddle. "Mr. Straw Hat, walk up here beside me. And Mr. Usopp, if you would kindly fall in next to Detective Djan?" The trio halted. Catching Usopp's nervous glance, Nami gave him an almost imperceptible nod. She then locked eyes with Luffy, offering a cold, firm stare until Luffy gave her a silent nod back. They continued walking until they were in front of the large precinct again.
Inside, the police offered Nami a shower at the station, along with spare clothing, soap, and shampoo. The four guys waited as she stepped into the bathing stall. As cold water sprayed over her skin and the rusty iron pipe groaned overhead, thoughts flooded her head alongside the torrent. She pressed both palms against the damp stone wall, letting the chill settle her pulse while her mind stitched together every lie, ledger, and detail she had gathered since stepping onto this island.
Water streamed over Nami's face, washing away the grime of coal dust and harbor salt, but her mind was racing, connecting pieces of a picture that had been hiding in plain sight.
She closed her eyes, and as the bubbles started to grow into her hair like a wildfire, her mind drifted back to the day. During the museum visit, as they were analyzing the murder suit, her gaze hadn't just lingered on the murder evidence, but it had caught a brass-framed document on the adjacent wall: The Syrup Town Maritime & Trade Decree of 1512. Beneath the heavy ink lay the real story. Syrup Shipbuilding Corporation once held an absolute monopoly on regional medical transport, along with syrups used as medicine. What Usopp had said began to echo in her head. Kaya has been buying up the dying assets of Syrupy Co.
Why? Nami's thoughts raced, connecting the dots. If Kaya was quietly buying out the island's founding enterprise, Totian would have been the exact attorney brought in to oversee the takeover or dispute the transfers. But that raised an even darker question: Who benefited enough from stopping that audit to kill him? Her mind sank into different information like an ocean under another ocean. She deduced that, based on all the information she had, the syrup business and the Sailwind company was thonesne that ruled this town like two kings in harmony, but how did it collapse?
Nami pushes her brain; her head starts to shake as, suddenly, a sharp pain struck her head as someone had stab him. She released a loud scream as her foot slipped into the wet marble below, and her body crashed into the floor, hitting her arm on the iron rod. Luckily, she prevented it by quickly snapping her hand into another rod. She slowly pivoted herself up as she began to clamp her head. "This fucking crime will kill me..."
Despite the throbbing in her arm and the sharp pain behind her eyes, she refused to stop. She plunged back into the dark web of details, sinking deeper into the mystery like a diver descending into an abyss.
Deep in that silent depth, a memory surfaced—Kaya's frail, trembling voice echoing in her mind:
"Look here... My father wrote that he had a scheduled consultation with Dr. Hugwart that morning, and later that evening, he noted their plans to share a drink at the local tavern."
Nami froze under the freezing spray.
Why would a quiet village physician ambush his lifelong friend in a dark alley? Why murder his own benefactor, ruin his own livelihood, and construct a mechanical suit just to terrorize the town? Questions swam around her, but she aggressively filtered them out, discarding the dead ends that threatened to trap her in an inescapable cave. Then, as her mind finally touched the ocean floor, the absolute truth locked into place:
He wouldn't. It was a complete frame-job.
But who? A conspiracy like that required two things: control over the victim's all automation and control over the police investigation. A country doctor couldn't pull that off alone. Someone had to manipulate him, plant the evidence, and feed the story to the press. Nami's jaw tightened as the freezing water hit her shoulders.
A Devil Fruit, perhaps? She asked. Earlier in the precinct... Djan had been hovering right behind Vance. If I assumed Djan had handled the original investigation three years ago and was the doctor of this island, I needed to tell him something. Whatever it takes. Nami reached up and violently shut off the tap. Drying off in seconds, she pulled on the stiff, oversized precinct uniform the officers had provided. She slid her coin, her lockpick wire, and her concealed Den Den Mushi deep, wrapping it in a brown cloth labeled MEDICINE written in red ink, into her sleeves and pockets, then pushed open the door to the station hall.
Her wet orange hair was slicked back, her eyes cold and unreadable. Across the room, Luffy sat casually picking his nose, Usopp was sweating bullets on the bench, and near the doorframe stood Detective Djan—leaning quietly against the wall like a shadow waiting to fall.
Catching Usopp's eye, Nami offered a glance so sharp it grounded him instantly. She announced herself to the group as they resumed their walk to the interrogation room. As they walked, Vance, behind his hidden eye, peeked through Nami. There, he saw Nami looking at Django from behind. He could not see her eyes, but could feel it.
The five continued to walk until they were in front of a room with large letters etched atop it: INTERROGATION. The interrogation room was smaller than the holding corridor below—four cold stone walls, a single iron-framed table bolted to the floor, and two oil lamps casting overlapping shadows across the ceiling. Vance gestured with a quick wave for the three to step inside.
Before going in himself, Vance turned to Djan, who was leaning heavily against the outer wall.
"Do you want me to go in?" Djan whispered. Vance offered no immediate response, quietly measuring his partner from head to toe. "I can handle this. Thank you for your assistance, Detective."
Djan gave a single nod and began to walk down the hall. Vance stepped inside, closing the door behind him. He paced in a slow, deliberate circle around the room, resting his lit cigar against the edge of the iron table before opening a thick leather folio. He came to a stop at the far wall, his back partially turned as he flipped through the documents. Across from the empty chair, Nami, Usopp, and Luffy sat in a line, watching the detective's every move.
"We'll keep this brief," Vance said, still not turning. "Three travelers arrive in Syrup Town on the same night a prominent estate lawyer is murdered. One of them ends up in our holding cell by sunrise. The other two are found near the town plaza, covered in coal soot." He turned. "Many reports have suggested that they saw you approaching Miss Kaya's mansion earlier, as some also saw you all going into the harbor district." he paused, slowly turning around, a paper still obscuring his face. "You can see why I might want to have a conversation."
"We were just exploring the town," Nami said immediately, her tone striking the perfect balance of tired frustration and helpless vulnerability. "We only arrived last night and barely know our way around. Usopp was kind enough to give us a tour, and we were trying to find our way back to the harbor to check on our boat."
Vance didn't flinch, his cold gaze shifting over to her. "And why would a group of travelers need to hire a local just to navigate a basic seaport?"
"They didn't hire me!" Usopp interjected, his voice cutting through the heavy silence of the room. "I was performing near the harbor bar when I saw them wandering around like lost tourists. I just offered to show them around and let them crash at my place!"
"I know you're a good man, Mr. Usopp, and I appreciate what you do for the people in this town," Vance said softly, taking a slow, deliberate step toward him. "Which is precisely why it concerns me to see you getting dragged into a murder conspiracy."
"Does your father want to hear his son getting involved in this giant conspiracy?"
"L-Like we just said, we are lost, ok?" Nami repeated, her voice trembling as her eyes darted everywhere. A silence. Vance slowly pulled out a notebook from his pocket, along with a pen, and wrote something. Nami watched the pen move and catalogued every letter she could make based on the motion of the pen: Su....pe
"Your companion in holding," Vance said, not looking up. "He claims you're his sister."
"I am."
"Mm." Vance turned a page. "Different surnames. Different islands of origin, based on your accent and hair color. Does your twin have different mothers or fathers?"
"We're adoptive siblings," Nami said. "Our village took him in when we were children. We came here to celebrate his release from Shells Town Marine custody — which I assume you've verified, because Commander Ripper's records would confirm it."
Vance's pen stopped. He looked up.
"Commander Ripper? You know him?" Vance stopped writing. His head lifted, and his small eyes peeked through nami. "Commander Ripper is the only one who can assist with the paperwork of the Marine branch. Captain Morgan is the one who would allow Zoro to get out. How's a commander who is below the authority to release one of the famous criminal on East Blue?
"When I went to the island, Captain Morgan had been dethroned by Commander Ripper," Nami said. "I was worried about him! We compiled paperwork, and thanks to god, they eventually released him"
Another silence. Longer this time. Vance set the pen down and finally sat, leaning back in the chair with the ease of someone who had sat in this specific chair for a very long time.
"Miss Nami... isn't that right?" He laced his fingers together. "I've been doing this for nineteen years. And in nineteen years I've learned that there are two kinds of people who answer questions the way you do. The first kind are liars. The second kind are liars, too, but they are too talented that even someone like me can be fooled by them." He tilted his head. "Which are you?"
Nami held his gaze. "I-I think I am a third kind"
Vance studied her for three full seconds. Then raises his eyebrow. "Fair enough"
"You're Yasopp's son."
Usopp straightened involuntarily. "Yes, sir."
"I knew your father. Before the red-haired crew came through." Vance picked up his cigar. "He was a good shot and a terrible liar. You seem to have inherited one of those qualities." He let that sit, then looked at Luffy. "And you."
Luffy was staring at the ceiling with genuine absorption, apparently counting something.
"Young man."
"Hm?" Luffy looked down.
"Where were you at one thirty-eight in the morning, the night of the murder?"
"On the boat," Luffy said.
"Which boat?"
"Our boat."
"Where is this boat now?"
"I don't know, Nami drives it."
Vance looked at Nami.
"Docked at the east inlet," she said. "Private mooring.... I think. We have the receipt!" Vance wrote this down. Then he looked at Luffy again with the expression of a man who has decided to change subjects.
"Did you know Attorney Totian?"
"Who's that?"
"The man your companion allegedly murdered."
"Oh." Luffy thought about this with apparent seriousness. "No."
"Did your companion know Attorney Totian?"
"Zoro doesn't know any lawyers," Luffy said. "He hates Marines, though!" Vance set his pen down again. He looked at Djan. Djan made a small, almost imperceptible movement with his shoulders that might have been a shrug.
Nami had been watching Djan since they sat down. He hadn't spoken. He hadn't moved toward anyone. His hands stayed folded. Her face was still contorted, like a helpless girl. But her mind was coming up with a different plan and trying to solve the crime. All of the same. She filed this and kept her face exactly where it was.
"Uh, um... I-Inspector," Nami said, turning back to Vance. "I-I want to ask you something... and I'd like a direct answer."
Vance raised an eyebrow. "Go ahead."
"The evidence against my brother. The forensic report, the wound characterization, the witness accounts — was all of it processed by Dr. Djan?"
The room temperature dropped approximately two degrees. Vance did not look at Djan. He looked at Nami. "Dr. Djan is our lead forensic consultant. He processed the scene according to standard procedure."
"B-But that's not what I asked," Nami said. "I asked if all of it went through him." A pause that lasted exactly long enough to mean something.
"The investigation followed standard protocol," Vance said. Nami nodded slowly. She looked down at the table. Then back up. "How do you know that?"
"I've seen them!"
"But we aren't publicizing that part."
"No, I saw the investigation that night! Your one officer saw me there!"
"U-umm... Inspector Vance. You've been investigating the Beast of Port Wagon case for three years?" Usopp's voice broke through the tension. "You know this town. You know who Totian was, what cases he was handling, who his clients were." He paused, leaning forward against the iron table. "Do you... know what he was actually looking into before he died?"
Vance slowed his pacing, turning his head slightly so the low oil lamps caught the sharp line of his jaw. He blew a quiet stream of gray smoke toward the ceiling. "Attorney Totian was reviewing long-term estate transfers and corporate trust filings for the harbor district," Vance replied dryly, his voice flat and unreadable. "Nothing that concerns a local handyman, Mr. Usopp. Why such a sudden interest in a dead lawyer's paperwork?"
Usopp clenched his fists under the table, his knuckles turning white as he pulled his trump card. "Because I don't buy what the precinct is selling! None of us do! You guys are calling this an open-and-shut case, but Roronoa Zoro isn't the one who killed those people, and everyone in town knows something stinks about the estate transfer... including Kaya!" Usopp exploded. he quickly stood up, breaking Nami's performance, as her eyes bulged. She slowly slid her feet and stomped Usopp's thumb. But Usopp didn't resist. He stared at Vance with fierce eyes. Vance's eyes narrowed, the cold composure on his face tightening by a fraction.
"Miss Kaya and I have had several private conversations regarding her family's affairs," Vance said smoothly, tapping the ash off his cigar. "I can assure you, the investigation into her parents' estate and Totian's death is still very much active. In fact, Miss Kaya herself has been cooperating directly with my team."
"If you wish to participate in this ongoing case, please cooperate. " Just say whether the truth is and bout this lady and this gentleman here... and we are going to wrap this up... is that clear?"
Usopp's mind is crashing. A giant gamble is happening to his head. He remembers his friend, Kaya. He saw the pain on her face as a memory of them talking on her balcony window. But his new friend. He knows the two are innocent. He closes his fingers; his leg begins to shake, but in one gulp, he lets his lips whisper. "U-uh... I'm not a criminal, Inspector... I'm just terrified. Kaya is sick, her family is dead, and everyone in town is whispering that Totian was killed over her money. If your precinct is handling it, then tell me she's actually safe."
Vance's hand remained motionless over his notebook, the glowing tip of his cigar hovering inches from his lips. For four agonizing seconds, the only sound in the room was the low, rhythmic hum of the precinct's gas lamps.
His eyes slowly drifted from Usopp's trembling hands up to his face, evaluating the sheer panic written across the young man's features.
"She is safe, Mr. Usopp," Vance said, his voice dropping into a flat, measured baritone. "Miss Kaya is under twenty-four-hour watch by her private estate security. The precinct has no reason to believe her life is in immediate danger." He leaned forward, resting both forearms on the cold iron table. "What I do have reason to believe is that a young local with a romanticized sense of duty is running around town letting himself get swept up in rumors."
Nami saw the window.
She let her shoulder drop, instantly letting her posture crumble into that of a terrified, overwhelmed girl—yet she tilted her head just enough to catch Vance's line of sight, her wide brown eyes shimmering with a mixture of fear and calculated sharpness.
"H-He's not the only one who's terrified, Inspector," Nami stammered, her voice thin and breathy as she wrung her wrists in her lap. "We... we aren't here to cause trouble. I swear it! But when my brother was locked up for a murder he couldn't have committed, I couldn't just sit in a tavern and wait for a rope to be tied around his neck."
Vance didn't interrupt. He merely raised one eyebrow, motioning for her to continue.
"I've been... looking into things," Nami whispered, her lower lip trembling slightly as she leaned closer to the table. "I asked around the harbor. I asked the dockworkers who Totian is. I'm not trying to obstruct your job, Inspector! I'm just a nobody here trying to save my brother. And anyone with eyes can see that Attorney Totian's work on those estate trust filings is the real reason he died! My brother has caused severe harm to people... but he is a changed man now! Vance stared at her. His face still unmovable, like they were talking to a mannequin.
"So," Vance said slowly, picking up his pen once more and tapping it twice against the open folio. "A protective local boy crying over his childhood friend, and a desperate sister playing amateur private investigator because she thinks our forensic consultant misread a blade wound."
"I-I just want the truth," Nami murmured, dropping her gaze back to her lap, perfectly executing the retreat before she pushed him too far. "That's all." Vance let out a long, heavy breath through his nose, blowing a ring of gray cigar smoke that drifted across the iron table. He closed the thick leather folio with a firm, decisive thud.
"Here is how this is going to work," Vance said, rising from his chair. The heavy oak frame groaned under his weight. "You three are going to sign a temporary clearance log at the front desk. You will not leave Syrup Town. You will keep your boat docked at the east inlet, and if I find out any of you snooping around the place where private investigation was conducted without any police supervision..." He paused, his small, sharp eyes locking onto Luffy, who was still idly tracing a water stain on the ceiling.
"...I will personally process the paperwork that puts all four of you in the lower cell block until the trial date." Vance tucked his notebook into his coat pocket. "You're released on conditional supervisory bail. I hope we attain the justice we are searching for... and catch the perpetrator. May god help us all." The detective walked past them with measured, heavy steps, his looming shadow casting a cold chill over the room before he turned the knob and pulled the door shut behind him.
Nami leaned back into the seat, her gaze fixed blankly on the stained ceiling of the interrogation room. The heavy door had just clicked shut behind Vance, leaving the room in a heavy, suffocating quiet. She could hear every small sound in the room: Usopp's shallow, nervous breathing beside her, Luffy's aimless, quiet humming, and the low, rhythmic hum of the oil lamps flickering on the stone walls.
She began to re-run everything she had calculated earlier—shuffling through the clues, arranging the timeline, stitching together the dark web of Syrup Town. The fake bear suit in the museum... the drydock chemicals... the forged medical registries... Djan handling the evidence three years ago...
She kept pushing and pushing. She can see it—the light at the end of the tunnel. But as she was about to reach it, suddenly, her mind went blank. She snapped out, seeing the ceiling again. Then, she plummeted into it back there, but again, a giant wall stopped her.
This didn't make sense! She thought. Her deduction is right. Her investigation is right. But why did she reach the truth? The conclusion of everything? She identified it. Djan was behind it all. Yet, she cannot prove it. Her guts telling her he is the one, but her mind whispers that he isn't. She tried to pivot, creating another tunnel. Trying to calculate a different path—bypassing the police entirely, using Kaya's testimony, leveraging the maritime trade decree to expose the shipping monopoly. She reached for the next move, but the moment she turned, another wall crashed into place, blocking her off.
A sudden, sharp spike of agitation flared in her chest. The stabbing ache behind her eyes flared back to life with terrifying force, pulsing against her temples until her vision blurred. Is this the end? No, it can't end like this! I'm smarter than a bunch of backwater town cops. I've lied my way out of worse than this—there has to be an answer! She tried to backpedal even more. Her mind began to create plans, lies, and destruction. But it was rendered useless.
How about focusing on Djan? she thought, yet another contradiction came out; The police and the legal team are in front of her, ready to attack her.
What about sticking to the plans? Investigate everything? Yet the same contradictions appear: The time is running out. With a soft, heavy thud, Nami slumped forward onto the iron table. She buried her face in her arms, her fingers clutching at her orange hair in a tight, desperate grip as her shoulders began to tremble.
She reached for something. A door—a lie, a distraction, a bribe, anything—and heard the lock click shut. A sudden, sharp spike of agitation flared in her chest. The stabbing ache behind her eyes flared back to life with terrifying force, pulsing against her temples until her vision blurred.
"N-Nami?" Usopp whispered, leaning in nervously. He reached a hand out, terrified by the sudden collapse of the girl who, just minutes ago, had everything under control. "Nami, hey... what's wrong? We got out! We passed the interrogation—"
A low, pained groan escaped her throat before she cut him off with a harsh, raspy whisper.
"Shut up..."
"B-but Nami—"
"I said shut up!" Her voice cracked, loud but thin and strained. She didn't lift her head, her fingers digging deeper into her scalp as if trying to physically hold her throbbing head together. The silence settled over the room again, heavier this time. Luffy stopped his humming. He tilted his head, his dark eyes shifting from the locked iron door down to Nami's slumped figure on the cold metal table.
Slowly, Nami pushed herself up. Her face was pale beneath the lingering traces of coal dust, her wide brown eyes dazed and completely stripped of their usual sharp brilliance. She began to circle the whole room, biting her nail, staring at something, but nothing at the same time.
"Whoa! What happened to her?" Luffy jolted, then clutched Usopp to his shoulder. "Hey, Usopp! This room's hot! We should—"
"Not now, Luffy." The voice echoes in the room as Usopp slowly removes Luffy's hand while watching Nami. Luffy looks at Usopp like a confused dog. His eyes narrowed at him, then glances nami. His head didn't understand what was happening, but his heart did, and it didn't look good. He slowly lowered his arm, and slowly retrieved it back.
Nami continue to circle the whole room. Her leg ached, but she ignored it. She had thought this was just a simple murder mystery. She was wrong. She was staring straight into an abyss. Every clue she had found wasn't a path to freedom, but another bar in a cage that had already closed around them.
"Nami, what's wrong?" Luffy asked quietly, his usual lighthearted tone replaced by a rare, grounded stillness. She stopped, as she then leaned her head into the glass window that led to the outside and slowly slammed her head against it, her eyes completely shut.
"...Luffy," she whispered, her voice trembling barely above a breath as her shaking hand reached out to clutch blindly at his sleeve. "I'm sorry, but..."
She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat, her eyes shimmering with raw frustration as she slowly lifted her head to Luffy.
"...I don't think we can get your friend out of this."