When Nami arrived at Arlong Park, the battle was already over.
The gate stood wide open.
Inside, Arlong sat arrogantly at the center of the park. His top lieutenants—Kuroobi, Chew, and Hachi—along with dozens of other fishmen, were gathered near the entrance, all watching Nami with an amused, predatory interest.
Outside the gate, the ground was littered with groaning villagers. Blood stained the earth, the red soaking into the soil like a curse.
Everyone was badly wounded, barely clinging to life.
Nami's gaze lifted—and her pupils shrank.
Genzo was impaled to the gate by a spear, unconscious. Blood ran slowly from a wound in his left shoulder.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
Arlong's slow, mocking applause broke her daze.
"Nami."
His voice—sly and smug—snapped her back to the present. She forced herself to look at him, trying to maintain a composed expression. But the rage and sorrow in her eyes betrayed her.
"I found the money," she said, voice trembling with both fury and desperation. "According to our deal, one hundred million Berries should free the village!"
"Of course," Arlong replied smoothly, his tone thick with mockery. "Then, as agreed, deliver the money to Arlong Park. Hand it over... to me."
Nami bit her lip and took a step forward. Just as she was about to enter the gate—
Bang!
The gunshot froze her in place.
She turned around slowly, woodenly, and saw the fishman Shioyaki holding a rusted flintlock rifle. Smoke curled from its barrel.
A villager in the distance collapsed, a clean bullet wound through the skull. Blood pooled beneath the body.
Shioyaki exhaled lightly. "Ahh~ That guy Genzo's gun is surprisingly effective—even after all those years of neglect."
Click.
He reloaded lazily.
"The game continues."
His eyes sparkled with cruel amusement as he looked at Nami. "Go on then, Nami~ Chase your dreams. You've waited so many years for this moment, haven't you?"
Nami clutched the suitcase so tightly her nails dug into her palms. Blood trickled down, unnoticed.
"This... is your idea of a promise to money?!"
She glared at Arlong. "You bastard!"
She couldn't believe it—not truly. Even after everything, she hadn't expected them to be so... despicable.
The entire redemption was nothing more than a twisted game for Arlong's amusement. Her hopes, her sacrifices—made into a joke.
"Shaahahahahaha!"
Arlong burst into a fit of laughter.
"What's wrong, Nami? Isn't this what you always dreamed of? Just cross that threshold, and everything in Cocoyashi Village is yours!"
He grinned darkly.
"Of course... a village without any living people is still a village, right?"
From where he stood, Arlong felt the resentment that had festered for years finally spill over—his satisfaction complete.
He walked toward the stunned girl, seized her hair like he had so many times before, and snarled:
"Your only worth is drawing sea charts for me in Arlong Park. You will give everything—so I can dominate the East Blue, the Grand Line... the entire world!"
"That's the meaning of your existence, you inferior human."
He leaned down and whispered against her ear, voice like venom:
"Let's make a deal."
"This money will buy the lives of everyone here—except Genzo. That bastard shot one of my men."
Shioyaki rubbed his chest with a grin. "Left a nice big red patch~"
Nami trembled, staring into Arlong's familiar face, the icy chill inside her growing deeper.
"What about the ones who aren't here?" she asked.
Arlong sneered. "Anyone who dares resist me... dies."
He snatched the suitcase from her and shoved her against the wall.
"So then... what's your choice?"
"I..."
Her mind reeled. Instinct urged her to speak—but a cold, cutting voice echoed behind her before she could form words.
"Oi Fish. What are you going to do to my navigator?"
Arlong's eyes snapped wide. He turned just in time to see a silver-white slash flying toward him. Instinctively, he raised the suitcase to shield himself—
Swish!
The flying slash cleaved the suitcase in two, flinging Arlong dozens of meters back and crashing him into a pool inside the park. Berries exploded into the air like confetti, fluttering down over Nami's frozen form.
Still stunned, she slowly turned around.
There they were.
Three familiar figures stepped forward.
"Captain Lancelot? How did you find this place?!"
"Arlong's a monster," Nami warned, panic rising. "Swords, poisons, guns, cannons—none of it works! You'll only throw your lives away!"
Gawain didn't answer immediately. Instead, he removed his cloak and gently placed it around Nami's shoulders.
His voice, low and tightly controlled, trembled with fury.
"Just tell me one thing—do you want him dead?"
Nami's lip quivered.
"Yes," she whispered. "Every day, every hour, every second—I've wanted him dead. But... I don't want you to die even more."
"Please... just leave!"
"Thinking about it is enough."
Gawain rested a hand on her shoulder. His eyes scanned the battlefield, darkening with every passing second.
"Gin. Kuro. Kill them."
Kuro's claw blades flashed cold light as they slid free, while Gin spun his iron crutch with such force that it stirred a whirlwind.
Both men stepped forward, grim and furious.
"Understood, Captain."
They launched into battle.
The moment they struck, a blood-soaked storm erupted.
Gin's iron crutch smashed through several fishmen, sending them flying into nearby walls. He reserved special punishment for Shioyaki—before the fishman could raise his weapon, his head was crushed by the iron ball.
Kuro became a blur, the invisible reaper dancing between enemies, slashing deep with every move.
Against ordinary humans, the fishmen's natural strength made them invincible—but now they faced warriors of another league entirely.
Kuro and Gin had awakened Observation Haki. They weren't just strong—they were elite.
Even the fishmen cadres—Chew, Kuroobi, and Hachi—were outmatched, overwhelmed in their first clash.
...
"Captain Lancelot, what are you—?!" Nami began, stunned.
But then—
Splash!
Arlong exploded from the pool, landing with a graceful yet deadly force.
He ran a hand over the fresh slash across his chest. Blood smeared his fingers. He smiled.
"That actually hurt a little~"
His eyes flicked toward Nami, lips curling in amusement.
"You really believed it, huh?"
"That bastard is not 'Lancelot.' You spend your whole life lying to others, and now you've been duped yourself."
He pointed at Gawain with a twisted grin.
"That's no mere captain. That's Gawain—the East Blue's top swordsman, bounty 85 million Berries."
"And that one—Kuro. Bounty: 16 million."
"The other: Man-Demon Gin. Bounty: 12 million."
Nami froze.
Suddenly, all the strange glances, the quiet whispers, the awkward reactions from before clicked into place.
"You... You were lying to me this whole time?!"