A few days later.
The wounded members of the Gawain Pirates had mostly recovered.
With help from the cat brothers and Jango in Raven Harbor, the nearby sea routes gradually returned to stability.
According to Grayza, over the past month, there had been a significant increase in merchant ships and traders from the East Blue.
Business in Raven Harbor was booming, and Jasmine now smiled like a little fox counting coins.
The support for the Gawain Pirates had also reached a new level.
The villagers' quality of life visibly improved. Even Sham, once gaunt and wiry, had grown noticeably rounder.
"I wonder if that'll affect his combat performance," Gawain muttered, eyeing the chubby Sham and the similarly plump Buchi. The two scratched their heads sheepishly.
Too lazy to lecture them, Gawain simply ordered,
"We've rested long enough. It's time to move. Go find Kuro and Gin."
"Yes, sir!"
The two saluted and rushed out the door.
A few minutes later.
Two lean, sweat-drenched figures—one tall, one short—walked into the great hall on Para Island. They were clearly fresh from training.
Kuro hadn't even removed the claw blades from his hands, scowling as he spoke.
"Gawain, what's the rush?"
Gawain, used to Kuro's attitude, ignored the jab and got straight to the point:
"It's time to reclaim the treasure that was stolen from us."
"Our current ships can't withstand the Grand Line's brutal weather. If we want to build something seaworthy—something strong—we'll need gold."
Kuro nodded, intrigued.
"Where's the target?"
Gawain unfurled a nautical chart of the East Blue and, after a moment of scanning, pointed to a specific island.
Gin peered at the location and frowned.
"If I'm not mistaken, that island and the surrounding villages are under the control of Arlong, the fishman."
"There are rumors that he's from the Grand Line. He won't be easy to deal with."
"Heh." Kuro sneered.
"In the East Blue, we don't have rivals."
Gawain looked at Kuro thoughtfully.
For a moment, a memory surfaced—of a certain old man in his seventies who could split mountains with his fists.
He muttered under his breath,
"If I remember correctly, Garp didn't return to the East Blue after leaving Luffy with Dadan… Right?"
"I hope I'm not wrong."
"Huh?" Kuro blinked. "What was that?"
"Nothing," Gawain said quickly. "If all goes as expected, there's no pirate crew in the East Blue that can stand against us."
"Krieg? Not a chance. Arlong? Same."
"And we're not just after treasure this time. The island of Cocoyashi also has someone far more valuable—a navigator."
"A navigator? Who?" Kuro's eyes lit up.
Their current navigator had recovered, but Kuro knew his limits. He was barely suitable for the East Blue. The Grand Line? A death sentence.
Their recent crisis had only reinforced how vital a capable navigator was.
Gawain gave a sly smile.
"You'll know who it is when we find them."
"Tch. Still playing mysterious," Kuro grumbled, but didn't press the issue.
Gin, as always, offered no objections. As the captain of combat, he trusted strategic decisions to the captain, vice-captain, and navigator.
With the plan in place, they set sail the very next day.
At the harbor, a modest pirate ship—packed with over two weeks' worth of supplies—pulled away from the docks and sailed out toward the horizon.
Gawain brought only twenty-odd crew members, whose sole job was to handle navigation. In a real fight, too many people would just get in the way.
The ship steadily made its way toward Cocoyashi Village, fading into the distance.
East Blue. Cocoyashi Village.
At the village outskirts, under a tall orange tree, Nami knelt beside a shallow pit, carefully calculating the value of the treasure inside.
As her fingers ran through the gold, her eyes sparkled.
"Even using the lowest exchange rate in the East Blue, this treasure's worth over 100 million Berries… enough to buy the village's freedom."
She still had a long way to go to reach her ultimate goal, but this latest haul—achieved with Carina's help—was far more than she had hoped for.
She'd faced pirates, nearly lost her life more than once, but looking at the gold, Nami felt it had all been worth it.
"As for the pirates who lost this stash—well, bad luck for them. This treasure was looted from innocent people anyway."
"Now the villagers won't have to work under Arlong's thumb anymore. No more 100,000-Berry 'protection fees.' Genzo won't have to keep risking his life to protect everyone. And Nojiko...
Her voice trembled.
Tears rolled down her cheeks, soaking into the soil beneath the tree.
Minutes passed.
Wiping her face, Nami reburied the treasure and camouflaged the spot with fallen leaves. Then she quietly slipped away.
She didn't notice the cold, mocking gaze of a fishman peeking from the water nearby.
BANG!
The door to Arlong's office was flung open.
Inside, Arlong was deep in conversation with Nezumi, the local corrupt marine officer. Both looked up at the sound.
Nezumi turned to Arlong.
"Well, I'll leave the rest to you. No need for me to stay."
"Mm." Arlong nodded. He ignored Nami as she stormed in, and gestured to his underling.
"Hachi, go see our guest out."
"Got it!" said Hachi cheerfully, waving to Nezumi as he left.
Now alone, Arlong finally turned to Nami, his lips curling into a shark-toothed grin.
"Well, well. If it isn't our navigator. Bold today, aren't we? Have you finally scraped together enough money to buy back your little village?"
"Yes!" Nami's voice rang out clear and determined.
"I've come to redeem Cocoyashi Village!"
Arlong's grin widened.
"Well, well. You know my rule—money talks. Show me."
He followed her back to the village outskirts.
There, Nami unearthed the treasure chest and opened it in front of him.
"Even at the lowest market rate, this is worth over 100 million Berries!" she declared.
Arlong peered into the chest.
Then his smile vanished.
His voice dropped, sharp and cold:
"Are you… kidding me?"