Chapter 15
Outside Arlong Park's main building, the courtyard had gone silent. Everyone stared at the dark doorway where Luffy had vanished—like he'd walked into the mouth of hell.
"That idiot," Sanji muttered, lighting a fresh cigarette with shaking hands. His clothes still dripped from the pool fight.
"He just walked straight into Arlong's trap."
Zoro gritted his teeth, one hand pressed against his bandaged chest.
"Stupid captain. Should've let us soften him up first."
"We gotta help him!" Usopp wailed, legs still trembling.
"He's gonna get eaten alive in there!"
Silas checked his flintlock, red hair catching the dying light.
"Relax… our captain can handle one oversized fish. He doesn't need our help."
But his sharp eyes never left the doorway.
"Still… if he takes too long, I'm going in after him."
And Nami? Nami just stood there, clutching Luffy's straw hat, tears streaming down her face. She knew exactly what was in that room.
"The map room," she whispered, voice cracking.
"He took him to the map room..."
---
Inside, Luffy's sandals slapped against wooden floors. The smell hit first—seawater, old ink, and something else. Something sour. Something cruel.
The door stood open at the end of the hall. Light spilled out like a trap.
Luffy walked in.
Maps. Everywhere. Rolled in bins. Pinned to walls. Spread across tables. Navigational tools hung like surgical instruments. Ink bottles lined up like soldiers. And in the center—one desk. Stained. Scarred.
Arlong leaned against the far wall, saw-sword resting on his shoulder like a toy. His predator eyes gleamed.
"Welcome to my treasure room, rubber boy," he said, voice smooth.
"Eight years of the finest navigation work in the East Blue. All created by my talented little pet."
Luffy's fists clenched.
"Don't call her that."
"Call her what? My pet?" Arlong's laugh was nails on glass.
"That's exactly what she is. My brilliant, obedient little human who draws me maps to conquer the seas!"
He gestured to the walls.
"Every line she drew brought me closer to ruling these waters. Every chart is worth more than her pathetic life. She's been such a good girl, working day and night in this very room."
Luffy's eyes drifted to the desk. Scratches in the wood. Deep ones. Like someone had clawed at it for years.
"You see that desk?" Arlong's grin widened.
"That's where she sat for hours, crying into her maps while I told her how I'd destroy every village she loved. The tears made the ink run sometimes. Such a delicate little thing."
Something dark flickered across Luffy's face.
"Shut up."
"Oh, but I'm just getting started!" Arlong pushed off the wall, saw-sword scraping the floor.
"Want to know the best part? She actually thought I'd keep my word! One hundred million berries to free this dump of a village! GAHAHAHA!"
He pointed to a map of Cocoyasi Village.
"I was going to burn it all down the moment she handed over the money. Make her watch every house turn to ash. The look on her face would've been priceless!"
That did it.
Luffy grabbed the nearest table and hurled it across the room. Maps scattered. Ink bottles shattered. Black and blue explosions painted the walls.
"YOU BASTARD!" Luffy roared.
Arlong's eyes blazed.
"HOW DARE YOU TOUCH MY TREASURES!"
The saw-sword whistled through the air—Luffy ducked. The blade bit deep into the wall, splinters flying.
"These maps are worth more than your entire crew!" Arlong snarled, ripping the weapon free.
"I'll gut you for damaging them!"
But Luffy was already moving. The cramped room worked in his favor—he bounced off walls, swung from ceiling beams, turned every surface into a springboard.
"Gum-Gum Pistol!"
His fist shot out. Arlong deflected it with his saw. Both slid backward, maps tearing underfoot.
"This is MY domain!" Arlong swung again, blade slicing through tools and furniture.
"I know every inch of this room!"
He was right. Arlong moved like a predator in his den, cornering Luffy with every strike. The saw carved chunks from walls, ceiling, floor—turning the room into a deathtrap.
Luffy dodged a strike that would've taken his head off. Arlong's teeth snapped at his heels as he bounced off a bookshelf.
"Gum-Gum Bazooka!"
Both fists slammed into Arlong's chest. The fishman crashed through a cabinet. Maps flew like confetti.
"GAHAHA! Is that all?" Arlong wiped blood from his mouth.
"Your little navigator drew better battle plans than your fighting!"
He lunged, jaws wide. Serrated teeth aimed for Luffy's throat. Luffy twisted away, wind from the bite ruffling his hair.
Then he saw it.
Carved into the desk. Hidden under ink stains.
N-A-M-I.
And beneath it, smaller:
"I want to draw a map of the world."
Luffy stared. Something clicked.
This wasn't just a room.
It was her prison.
Every map on these walls was another day of suffering. Every ink stain—made with tears.
"This room..." Luffy said quietly.
"This whole room is her cage."
Arlong paused.
"What did you say?"
Luffy looked up. His eyes burned.
"You locked up her dreams in this place. Made her draw your stupid maps while she cried."
His fists stretched back—further than ever. Into the hallway. Into the past.
The air thickened. The walls groaned.
Outside, the ground trembled.
"Luffy..." Nami whispered, clutching his hat.
Inside, Arlong's grin cracked.
"Wait, you can't destroy my—"
"GUM-GUM GATLING!"
But it wasn't aimed at Arlong.
It was aimed at everything.
The walls. The ceiling. The maps. The desk. Every piece of Nami's nightmare.
Fists blurred. Wood splintered. Ink exploded. Paper shredded.
The building shook.
And then—
It collapsed.