"Bring them here! Arlong wouldn't waste his time on me for no reason. Those two bitches must've caught wind of something and moved the goods!"
Captain Nezumi barked the order furiously, and soon, Nami and Nojiko were dragged in by the Marines.
Today seemed to be the day Nami's despair reached its peak.
Arlong's promise had been a lie. The Marines didn't come to the tangerine grove for justice—they came for treasure. And now, they even intended to destroy the grove itself—the last thing their mother had left behind.
Even though they knew they couldn't stop it, Nami and Nojiko still tried to protect their mother's legacy.
Sadly, they failed.
There were only sixteen Marines—but sixteen armed, able-bodied men were more than enough.Men and women differed in strength, and these men had guns.
Even Nami, skilled with her staff, couldn't do much against that.
"Ladies, if you don't want trouble, be so kind as to tell me—where did the chest go?"
Captain Nezumi's smile was forced, his tone falsely sweet, as he questioned them about where his "little darling" had hidden the loot.
"Chest? You came here for that? You destroyed our tangerine trees for that?" Nojiko shouted, trembling with rage. "Those trees were my mother's last gift to us!"
Her answer was met with a sharp slap.
Smack!
Nezumi withdrew his hand, visibly annoyed. "Spare me the sentimental nonsense. I'm talking about the stolen property your little friend here took. According to regulations, all illegal gains must be confiscated.If you tell me where it is, maybe I'll let you two go without jail time."
"Heh… so you really are working together."
Nami struggled free from the Marines' grip, glaring at Nezumi and the unseen shadow of Arlong behind him.
"What are you talking about? Working together? I don't understand," Nezumi sneered, his eyes narrowing before he slapped her again. "I'm the one asking questions here! Maybe this will remind you of your place, girl!"
Nami fell to the ground, clutching her face. A dark, suffocating aura began to emanate from her as despair sank in.
Nojiko, however, stepped forward and answered calmly, "It's gone. Someone took it."
"I know that much," Nezumi snapped. "I'm asking who took it, and where they are!"
Before he could continue, a commotion rose nearby.
He turned his head—only to see a green-haired swordsman stride into the scene.
"Hey! This is Marine business. Civilians—clear out!" one of the guards barked.
The newcomer's reply was ice-cold."Arlong sent me."
Zoro delivered the line exactly as Ren had told him to. His gaze flicked toward Nami and Nojiko, and his expression softened slightly.
Ren had warned him beforehand to protect the two women. Zoro had been doing that—at first.
Both of them had left the grove and gone into hiding, so he hadn't shown himself. But when the Marines started cutting down the tangerine trees, Nami and Nojiko lost control and ran straight at them—only to be captured in less than a minute.
Zoro had just been about to report back to his employer when he was forced to turn around and intervene, using Ren's contingency plan—the very line he had just spoken.
"What do you mean? Bring him here," Nezumi frowned. Things were getting complicated.
Zoro walked closer, hand resting on his three swords. His tone was rigid, almost mechanical."Go to the usual place. You'll get your answer there… my friend."
"Damn it, Arlong… why does he have to make everything so troublesome?" Nezumi muttered under his breath, then quickly switched to a cheerful smile. "Ah, you should've said so earlier! Let's go, let's go—I'll visit him myself."
He moved as if to sling an arm around Zoro's shoulder, casually asking, "Say, when did Arlong start recruiting humans?"
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't," Zoro replied coldly. "And it's you who's going. I'll stay here and keep watch on them. You know why."
Nezumi studied him for a long moment, then, half-convinced, finally motioned his men forward and left.
Once the Marines were gone, Zoro stood silently beside the two women—an unmoving guardian, saying nothing.
Suddenly, Nami lifted her head, her tear-streaked eyes locking on him."Where is he? I've lost everything. I'll give myself to him if I have to. Just tell me—how's he going to deal with Arlong? If he can kill that monster, I don't care what happens to me!"
Zoro looked at her, and in her desperate gaze, he saw someone drowning—grasping for even a single straw to survive.
She had nothing left but hope in a possibility.
After a pause, Zoro turned away and answered quietly, "He's gone to kill someone—to settle a debt. He said he'd show the Marines what 'the blade of justice' truly means.As for whether he'll deal with Arlong or how… you'll have to ask him yourself."
That was why Zoro was here.
Ren had surprised him by considering his situation."If you're planning to keep traveling," Ren had said, "attacking Marines will get you a bounty, right?"
Zoro hadn't replied then—but he'd accepted the escort role.
Meanwhile, Captain Nezumi was still puzzled. Why would Arlong go through the trouble of sending someone after treasure, only to dig it up himself, and then send a human messenger to call him over?
Strange. Suspicious.
But that green-haired swordsman was too calm, too confident—and knew too much.
Nezumi didn't dare take the risk.Maybe Arlong was just in one of his moods, playing with him.
If that was the case… well, all Nezumi could do was laugh along.After all, the East Blue Marines didn't have the strength to oppose Arlong and his Fish-Man crew.
Maybe that so-called "hero of the Marines" could, though. He'd heard news that Garp occasionally came home for visits.
Too bad that hero always traveled through the Calm Belt. Officers like Nezumi had no way of contacting him.
"What a headache," he grumbled. "If Arlong gets nasty, I'll need to come up with a plan in advance."
Just as he was thinking that, one of the Marines at the front shouted angrily,"Who's there? Blocking the Marines' path? We don't have time for your nonsense!"
Before them stood a young man—no, a boy—head lowered, a faint smile on his lips. He carried a sword with a faint violet sheen and held a small bottle in his other hand.
The air turned heavy.
The man came with purpose—and not peace.
"I've come to collect a debt. Is Captain Nezumi here?" he asked calmly.
"Debt? What debt? I don't owe anyone!" Nezumi barked, drawing his flintlock pistol and pushing aside his men to face the stranger directly, gun raised.
The boy smiled faintly."Of course you don't know. It's not a money debt…"
His eyes turned cold."…It's a life debt."
Ren raised his hand and smashed the invisibility potion to the ground. The bottle burst open, scattering a spiral of shimmering bubbles.
As the foam faded, Ren's body vanished completely from sight.
(End of Chapter)