Novel Chapter
"I choose the second option!"
Nami didn't hesitate. The words came instantly, decisively.
Kai wasn't disappointed.
He'd expected this. Nami's navigation talent was exceptional—world-class, even—but she was still just a girl from a tiny East Blue village. Her worldview had limits. Narrow horizons shaped by narrow experiences.
For Nami, the terror Arlong represented was absolute. He'd spent years hammering one message into her skull: humans are inferior. She'd internalized it. Believed it. In her mind, no human could possibly defeat a fishman.
"The second option it is, then." Kai's smile remained easy. He glanced at his Commander. "Go get fifty million berries."
"Yes, Admiral Hakuryū!"
The Commander didn't understand why they were handing fifty million berries to some random castaway, but he didn't hesitate. Not for a single second. He turned on his heel and left to handle it.
Besides, fifty million berries was nothing. The warship's daily operating costs—fuel, food, soldier stipends, miscellaneous expenses—far exceeded that amount.
"Fifty million berries," Kai said, turning back to Nami. "Add that to what you've already saved. Should be enough, right?"
"Enough... yes, it's enough."
Nami's mind spun, trying to process the situation, but she wasn't stupid. Someone was giving her money. Who'd refuse that!?
She'd already scraped together over eighty million berries. With this fifty million, she'd have more than enough to buy back Cocoyasi Village—with over thirty million left over.
The thought made her laugh out loud.
Kai watched Nami's small boat disappear across the water, her strokes quick and eager.
He sighed.
Dealing with Arlong would be trivially easy. A single thought, and the problem would cease to exist.
But Kai wouldn't do it that way. He couldn't.
Because Nami needed this. The Arlong incident wasn't just trauma—it was transformation. Only after her hope shattered completely would she stop placing her faith in others. Only then would she become strong enough to fight for her own dreams.
So even though it hurt to watch, Kai had to let it happen.
The instant Nami's boat hit shore, she yanked out the Den Den Mushi connected to Arlong.
The call connected. Before Arlong could speak, she shouted: "Arlong! I've got one hundred million berries! I'm buying back Cocoyasi Village—right now!"
"Hm?"
The voice from the snail sounded surprised. Then it laughed. "Hehe... congratulations, Nami. Well then... bring the money to me, and I'll sell you the whole village."
"I'm bringing it to Arlong Park right now. Wait for me!"
Nami hung up in a rush, too excited to notice the mockery dripping from Arlong's tone. The disdain. The lie.
Arlong Park.
Arlong tossed the Den Den Mushi aside carelessly, then picked up another one. The call connected immediately.
"Captain Nezumi? That girl Nami from Cocoyasi Village just saved up one hundred million berries." His grin widened, showing rows of serrated teeth. "You know what to do, right?"
"Shahahaha... of course I know." The voice on the other end was oily, sleazy. "Don't worry."
"Good."
Arlong hung up. His expression twisted into something cruel and amused.
"How surprising. Didn't think she'd scrape it together so fast." He leaned back, laughing. "But can you really bring it to me, Nami? Shahahahahaha..."
Cocoyasi Village.
An orange grove at the village edge.
"Nojiko! I did it! I've got one hundred million berries!" Nami's voice rang out before she even reached the house, bright and breathless with joy. "I can buy back the whole village! Everyone's going to be free from Arlong!"
Nojiko—blue-haired, kind-eyed—burst out of the small house nestled among the orange trees. Her gaze landed on the massive sack slung over Nami's shoulder, and her face lit up. "That's wonderful! Belle-mère would be so proud!"
Nami's smile was radiant. She nodded hard, eyes shining. "I'm taking the money to Arlong right now!"
Then a sharp voice cut through the moment like a blade.
"Who is Nami!?"
Nami froze.
A short, rat-faced man in a Marine Captain's coat strutted into view, an entire squadron of soldiers at his back.
Captain Nezumi.
"I... I'm Nami." Her voice wavered. Something cold twisted in her gut. "Is there something you need?"
Nezumi's beady eyes raked over her, lingering in a way that made her skin crawl. Then his expression snapped into something harsh. "I received a report that you've illegally accumulated one hundred million berries. Is that true!?"
"No... no!" Panic flared in her chest. She stumbled back a step, her grip tightening on the sack behind her.
That movement—small, instinctive—was all Nezumi needed.
He lunged forward and ripped the sack open. Green berries exploded across the ground, scattering like leaves in a storm.
"Then what is this!?" His voice was venomous.
He spun toward his soldiers. "You two—collect this money. The rest of you, search the house. There should be more!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The Marines moved as one, boots thudding toward the house.
"No! Don't!" Nami's voice cracked, desperation bleeding through every syllable. She lunged forward, trying to stop them—
Two Marines grabbed her arms, holding her back.
"This is my money! I need it to buy back Cocoyasi Village! You can't take it! You can't!"
Her voice broke. Her vision blurred.
Everything she'd worked for—every lie, every theft, every sleepless night—was slipping through her fingers like sand.
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