"How could you?! Are you defaulting your promise?!"
Nami was furious, but her eyes instinctively dropped to the treasure chest.
It was empty.
"This can't be!"
"I just checked it—it was right here!"
She froze, then panic overwhelmed her. That chest should have held over 100 million berries—money she'd scraped together through years of pain, hardship, and near-death encounters.
With that money, she could've finally bought back her village from Arlong. Her people wouldn't have to suffer anymore.
But now...
It was all gone.
"Nami~"
Arlong grabbed her by the hair and lifted her into the air. She writhed in pain, and his smile deepened with sadistic satisfaction.
Years ago, on Fishman Island, he'd seen humans treat his kind the same way—dragging his people away in chains, ignoring their cries and selling them across the world. Some were cut apart in labs, others shackled and displayed like art.
What beautiful art it was.
Arlong sneered, then leaned close and whispered in Nami's ear:
"I'll let you off this time... but if it happens again, the price to buy back your village will double."
"You..."
Nami clenched her teeth, glaring at him. "You stole my treasure!"
"Are you delirious?"
Arlong chuckled.
"I've been with you this whole time—just now I was with Nezumi. When would I have had time to take your little hoard?"
He leaned back, grin widening.
"Think harder. Who else knew?"
Nami's eyes widened. A name rose to her lips, bitter and reluctant.
"...Carina. It was her."
"Very good."
Arlong's grin grew ever more smug. He gave her cheek a condescending pat.
"I'll give you half a month. If you don't recover the treasure by then—"
He raised two fingers.
"—the price becomes 200 million berries."
"That's insane!"
Nami shouted, trembling with rage.
Arlong laughed and held up a third finger.
"I changed my mind. Let's make it three hundred million!"
"I—"
"Four—"
"I'LL GET IT BACK!"
Nami screamed, cutting him off. She ignored the pounding in her skull, her voice hoarse with determination.
Because she had to. Because Arlong wasn't bluffing—and she didn't want to see how far he would go.
This was never a fair deal. But if she wanted to keep the people of Cocoyasi Village alive...
She had no choice.
"Shahahahahaha~"
Arlong laughed and tossed her into the pit like garbage before sauntering away.
A few minutes passed before Nami's heart-wrenching cries echoed through the grove.
"Arlong!"
"Arlong!!"
"Arlooooong!!!"
Nojiko came running at the sound. She stopped the moment she saw Nami, not knowing what had happened—but the pain on Nami's face was unmistakable.
Half an hour later, Nami crawled out of the pit on trembling limbs, covered in dirt and defeat.
Nojiko said nothing at first. Then, without warning, she pulled Nami into a tight embrace and whispered through gritted teeth:
"Nami... if you're tired, just run away. The only thing you'll lose is a bunch of people who don't understand you anyway."
"It's... not worth it."
Nami didn't answer. She just clung to her sister, and Nojiko felt the dampness spreading on her chest.
"Go ahead and cry," she said softly.
"It'll hurt less afterward."
The next morning.
When Nojiko awoke, Nami was gone.
Left behind was a folded note with oranges and a smiling face drawn on the front.
"I will get the treasure back—
even if it means breaking with my best friend."
Nojiko read the letter in silence. For a moment, she couldn't breathe.
She folded the note gently, tucked it into her chest pocket, and walked to the sheriff's office.
She knocked.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Moments later, a thin middle-aged man with a windmill hat and a scarred face opened the door.
Genzo—the sheriff of Cocoyasi Village.
Though Arlong's rule and the Marines' corruption had long made his title meaningless, Genzo had never stopped trying to protect his village. Not even when it put his life on the line.
"Genzo... Nami hasn't given up. I don't know exactly what happened, but it's like she lost everything overnight..."
"Do you think, even if she meets all of Arlong's demands, he'll really hand over the village?"
Genzo sighed.
"Of course not. How much is a pirate's word worth?"
He grabbed his coat.
"I'm going to find out what happened."
"Be careful," Nojiko said quietly, then hesitated.
"I don't get it. Everyone knows what Nami's doing... so why do they still talk behind her back? I even saw a child calling her names."
Genzo paused at the door.
"Nojiko... every act of kindness we show her only tightens the bonds between her and this village."
"If the day comes that she truly wants to run away, the guilt in her heart might hold her back."
With that, he left, leaving Nojiko staring after him, her heart aching.
At the same time.
On the top floor of Arlong Park, a pile of dirty, freshly dug-up treasure sat on the table in front of Arlong.
He picked up a handkerchief and began polishing the jewels one by one.
Each time he wiped one clean, he remembered Nami's face the night before. Her anguish. Her disbelief.
A dark pleasure bubbled inside him.
"Nami... my navigator. My puppet."
"If one day you find out that this was all a lie... that you can never buy your village back—"
"What will your face look like then?"
"Will you cry like my people once did, begging for mercy?"
"But... why don't humans know how to cry like that?"
CRACK!
Arlong suddenly clenched the gem in his hand, shattering it. His voice turned into a snarl:
"Creatures without true emotion... humans like that are the lowest, most pitiful scum in this world!"
A knock came at the door.
"...Come in."
The door creaked open.
Kuroobi stepped in and reported,
"Arlong. Nezumi sent a message. He wants us to watch out for a certain group of pirates active in the East Blue."
Arlong raised an eyebrow.
"Who?"
"The Gawain Pirates. Their captain's bounty just reached 85 million berries."
Kuroobi hesitated.
"That's not a small number... even in the Grand Line."
"Sharkhahahahaha~"
Arlong burst into laughter.