Marine Base 16.
"Bru Bru~ Bru Bru~"
"Squeak, squeak, this is Captain Nezumi of Marine Base 16, what do you need to report?"
"Captain, the Krieg Pirates have been wiped out by another pirate crew."
"Oh? The Krieg Pirates, huh?"
Captain Nezumi stroked his mouse-like whiskers, deep in thought.
In his eyes, the Krieg Pirates were one of the strongest pirate crews in the East Blue.
Must be some up-and-coming pirate crew, then. Still, they must be pretty damn strong.
"What did they look like?"
"The leader, the captain, was wearing a straw hat."
Straw Hat Pirates, huh? Probably a fanboy of Pirate King Roger. Roger wore a straw hat when he set sail too.
"Okay, I got it. Anything else to report?"
He didn't really care how many pirate crews were in the East Blue. He wasn't gonna go after them anyway. He was more interested in money.
"There's one more big thing... The vice-captain on that ship... He took five slashes from Hawkeye and didn't even get a scratch!"
"Are you dreaming?"
"No, sir! I saw it with my own eyes! Hawkeye even admitted he lost!"
"That's getting ridiculous! You think I'm gonna believe a blatant lie like that? If there's nothing else, don't bother reporting."
Captain Nezumi hung up the phone.
No way that was true.
What would Hawkeye be doing in the East Blue instead of hanging out in the Grand Line?
And even if he did come, how could anyone in the East Blue take five slashes from Hawkeye?!
That was the world's strongest slash!
This grunt must've eaten something bad and hallucinated.
He didn't give a damn about this soldier's delusions. He had a collection to make at Arlong Park! Couldn't let some rambling Marine hold him up!
Arlong Park. Arlong, with his pale blue skin and saw-like nose, was having a friendly chat with Captain Nezumi.
They were hanging out at Arlong Park, on Conomi Island.
Conomi Island had a great climate, and the islanders grew a ton of fruit and rice.
Arlong and his fish-man crew controlled over twenty villages on Conomi Island, and every year, they squeezed the villagers dry with sky-high "management fees," or tribute.
100,000 Berries for every adult, 50,000 for every kid!
Villages that couldn't pay got a taste of Arlong's brutal "persuasion" tactics.
Some villages had been razed to the ground! Arlong was building his fortune and getting off on oppressing humans!
"Aiya, our best partner's here!"
"Squeak, squeak! If I wasn't so busy with official business, I'd have a drink with ya!"
The two of them sounded like old buddies, but their eyes were full of nothing but contempt and disgust.
They couldn't stand each other, but they needed each other for different reasons.
Captain Nezumi loved money, but the Marines weren't supposed to shake down civilians! Arlong's pirate status gave him a license to bleed the island dry!
Nami was back with the Arlong Pirates, watching the Marine and the pirate colluding, but there was nothing she could do.
This Marine-pirate alliance was the reason her village, Cocoyashi Village, couldn't get any outside help.
And she and her villagers couldn't take down Arlong, not with his 20 million Berry bounty!
Captain Nezumi and Arlong exchanged pleasantries before the deal, and Arlong ordered his men to fetch the cash.
"Squeak, squeak! My men were telling me that the Krieg Pirates got wiped out."
"The Krieg Pirates?"
Arlong remembered the Krieg Pirates. His bounty was 20 million Berries, and Krieg's was 17 million.
He wasn't as strong as Arlong, but he wasn't a pushover either.
"Hahahaha! Partner, you don't need to sweat it! The guy who told me said that one of the guys who wrecked the Krieg Pirates took five slashes from Hawkeye!"
Arlong had been a little curious, but that last line made him laugh!
"Hahahaha! Captain, you gotta train your men better! Reporting fairy tales now?"
Arlong hadn't seen Hawkeye in action, but he knew one thing.
He was a Shichibukai, the same league as Jinbe!
And Jinbe was the strongest freaking fish-man!
"Squeak, squeak! Just sayin'! If you see a pirate crew wearing straw hats, keep an eye on 'em."
"Straw Hat Pirates, huh?"
Hearing those words, Nami's body tensed! Straw Hat Pirates?
Could it be Luffy and his crew?
She'd snuck off with the ship while they weren't looking, she hadn't seen what happened after that.
Could they beat Krieg? Krieg was a big-time pirate with a 17 million Berry bounty!
Nami didn't really think Luffy and Ignis had what it took to beat a pirate like that.
But... what if they did?
She glanced down at the Doran's Shield charm hanging around her neck.
No! No way! Nobody could beat Arlong!
In the decades Arlong had ruled the island, countless people had tried to fight him! They'd all ended up dead!
Arlong had been a nightmare in Nami's head since she was a kid!
While Nami was lost in thought, Arlong's men handed Captain Nezumi the suitcases full of Berries.
Captain Nezumi cracked open a suitcase, gave the cash a greedy once-over, and slammed it shut! He and Arlong exchanged a knowing laugh.
"Squeak, squeak! Gotta run! Wouldn't want any other Marines to catch me here!"
"Aiya, why not stay for a drink? If any Marines report you, I'll gut 'em!"
Arlong made a half-hearted show of protest, then had Hatchan escort Captain Nezumi back to his ship.
"Yo-yo-yo! If it ain't Nami!"
After seeing Captain Nezumi off, Arlong finally noticed Nami had arrived.
Nami plastered a smile on her face, hiding the disgust in her eyes.
"Looking at your face, it was a good haul, huh?"
"Met some rich suckers who were happy to pay up."
"Oh! Oh! Looks like we're one step closer to fulfilling our promise!"
Nami didn't say anything. This was all her effort to protect her village! Get 100 million Berries, buy the village back!
People had to rely on themselves to get what they wanted!
She'd wanted to beat Arlong for years, but reality was a freaking bitch! The ruins of Gosa Village were proof of what happened when you fought Arlong!
Fighting together meant failure! Friends who tried to help got killed!
This was her war, and her war alone!
Arlong saw Nami looking all hopeful about the future, and he couldn't help but grin on the inside.
He'd never let Nami outta his clutches! He'd been playing her like a fiddle for years!
He waved his hand, summoning his fish-man crew.
"Let's throw a party for our Nami!!!"
His tone was friendly, but just as fake as always.