"What's the big idea?!"
Nami's voice was tight with fury.
"You said your strength was that you're good at measuring things!"
"Is this your idea of measured?!"
Nami gestured at the fish-men sprawled on the ground, knocked out cold.
"Sure it is! I measured 'em! And they're all down for the count! Not a single one got away to warn Arlong!"
Nami was speechless. She'd told this guy to leave, over and over, but he was still sticking around, causing trouble!
"You think you're so tough 'cause you beat a dozen fish-men?!"
"Arlong's a hundred times stronger than those guys!"
"I'm done with you! Go fend for yourself!"
She spat out those words and stormed off.
Right now, the most important thing was getting the 100 million Berries to Arlong! Make sure there wouldn't be any more patrols in Cocoyashi Village!
Then, she'd figure out how to get Ignis to leave.
Genzo, the guy Ignis had just rescued, walked up to Ignis.
"I hope you can forgive her. She's doing this for the village."
Genzo bowed to Ignis. He knew Nami's words had been harsh.
"Don't sweat it, old-timer. I never blamed her."
...
Despair filled Nami's heart.
She got back to her house and found Captain Nezumi ransacking the place!
"We got a tip that there's stolen money here!"
The second Captain Nezumi spoke, it clicked!
Arlong's promise... It was a lie!
She was so smart! Why hadn't she seen this coming? Arlong was a freaking monster!
She didn't have the right to doubt him! Arlong was the strong one!
As long as Arlong dangled some impossible goal in front of her, she'd chase it for the village!
Even if that goal was a lie, she couldn't question it!
Nami felt dizzy watching those Marine thugs haul away boxes and boxes of her hard-earned cash! She almost collapsed!
She had to stay focused! She had to warn the villagers!
Even though her dream had just gone up in smoke, Nami forced herself to stay calm.
She turned and ran towards the village, her steps shaky and frantic.
The villagers would hear about the Marines searching her house! They'd grab their weapons and fight Arlong!
They couldn't fight! Fighting meant death!
...
Genzo was passing out the weapons from the crate to the villagers!
Years of fear and suppression exploded into rage! It burned in everyone's hearts!
The villagers had seen Nami's hard work, from when she was a little girl 'til now!
"Grab your weapons! Prepare for battle!!!"
Genzo's voice rang with passion! He was the protector of the town again!
The villagers roared in response, brandishing their weapons!
Nami ran up, her eyes red-rimmed.
Thank goodness! She'd made it in time! They hadn't gone to Arlong yet!
"Everyone, wait!!!"
Nami stood in front of the crowd, hands on her hips, a forced smile on her face.
"Just wait a little longer! I'll save up 100 million Berries again!"
Tears streamed down Genzo's face. He stepped forward and hugged the girl he thought of as his daughter.
"Enough."
Then, he grabbed his weapon.
One village's future shouldn't rest on the shoulders of one little girl.
Nami watched the villagers look at her with sadness, then walk past her, one by one.
She finally broke down! She sank to her knees, the ground under her feet soaking with tears!
Suddenly, a clear sound echoed through the air!
Everyone turned! A firework was exploding in the sky, bursting into a shower of sparks like some crazy celebration!
Ignis had lit his signal flare! He walked up to Nami.
Nami looked up, tears streaming down her face. She couldn't stop 'em, she'd bottled 'em up for too long!
The guy held out a tissue.
"Jeez, you guys are all the same! Never say what you're really feeling! Alright, here's the deal. I'm gonna help you out! There's a price, though! Don't carry this weight on your own! Pay me back when it's over!"
"The price? I'll tell you later! If you agree, just nod!"
Nami trembled. She took the tissue and nodded twice.
Ignis let out a sigh of relief.
Now it was his time to shine!
He picked up his massive anvil stand, grabbed his hammer, and started playing the tune he always hammered out on the ship!
The villagers were full of rage! They'd be reckless! And recklessness was a death sentence in a fight!
Ding!
The clear ring of the hammer, along with that freaky rhythm, echoed in everyone's heads!
The fear and anger in their hearts started to fade. All eyes were on the guy with the hammer.
Nami stared in a daze, her tears stopping. Her heart was filling with something like safety.
If it was this guy... They'd win, right?
It was smithing, but the sound was as clear as rain, as soft as velvet.
The hammering stopped. Ignis took a deep breath and yelled.
"Alright, listen up, everyone! I know you're all fired up, but our goal is to survive and win this fight!"
"From now on, all the strong young men and middle-aged guys grab a sword! The women grab the guns! The wounded and the old folks take care of the injured!"
"I'm strong! You all saw that, right?"
The crowd nodded. They still had the image of Ignis knocking those fish-men into orbit!
"So, my crew and I are gonna take on the Arlong Pirates' heavy hitters: Arlong and his officers! You guys take on the regular fish-men!"
"Remember, life's the most important thing! You can only win this fight if you stay alive!"
The villagers listened to Ignis, made a quick plan, and headed for Arlong Park, led by Genzo.
"Why'd you say all that?"
Nami had calmed down.
"I couldn't stop 'em! They're full of rage!"
"Rage that's been bottled up for ten years! They're gonna fight! Win or lose!"
"Rage makes you aggressive, but it also puts you in danger."
"What's the most important thing to you?"
Ignis didn't wait for Nami to answer.
"It's the villagers having a good life in the future! The most important thing for them is to survive this fight! Not kill a ton of fish-men!"
"If you don't give 'em a clear goal, they'll trade wounds for wounds! Lives for lives!"
"A pyrrhic victory isn't what I want! It's not what you want!"
Ignis always had to make things complicated!
"Hey, Ignis!"
"Why didn't you listen to me when I told you to leave?"
Nami stared at him.
She'd told him to go!
But he'd stuck around like glue!
Ignis pointed to Nami's chest.
"That charm. You're still wearing it, ain't ya?"
Nami looked like she was gonna cry again. Ignis's head started throbbing! He was running outta tissues!
Luckily, Nami choked it back. Her eyes just got redder.
Six figures were marching towards them on the road in the distance!
"Yo! Luffy! You must be itching for a fight after waiting so long!"
"You know it!" Luffy grinned like a freaking maniac!
The Straw Hat Pirates... Were gathering!