"Forty-three million five hundred and twenty thousand Beli…"
She muttered the number almost instinctively—the figure etched into her heart day and night.
The moment the words left her mouth, she snapped back to her senses, nearly jumping like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"How do you know?! About Arlong… and the ransom… who exactly are you?!"
This was the deepest, most painful secret in her heart.
Aside from the late Bellemere, her sister Nojiko, and the fish-men in Arlong Park, only a very small number of people she absolutely trusted knew the details.
How could this complete stranger reveal it in a single sentence?
Under his gaze, she felt as though she had nowhere to hide—her secrets laid bare.
That feeling of being completely seen through sent a chill down her spine.
Thinking of his ship… and those strange cans that clearly looked valuable…
A terrifying possibility surfaced in her mind.
Her voice turned sharp, filled with deep vigilance.
"You… you're a pirate too? From Arlong's crew? Or another pirate group trying to interfere?"
"No. I'm not a pirate."
Renji Kuro shook his head, his tone still calm.
He turned slightly and pointed toward the five cans on the deck.
"I'm a merchant. A merchant who sells cans."
"Selling… cans?"
Nami blinked, suspecting she had misheard.
She had traveled all over East Blue—stealing, deceiving, trading all kinds of goods—
But this was the first time she had ever heard of someone who sold cans for a living.
What kind of profession was that?
"That's right."
Renji Kuro nodded and began explaining, following the system's information and his own interpretation.
"These cans contain rare treasures from the depths of the sea… or even from all across the world. They could be powerful weapons, items that grant special abilities, priceless jewels… or just something unusual but not particularly valuable. Before opening them, no one knows what's inside."
"It's like a gamble. Or a treasure hunt."
He gestured toward the five cans.
"They come in different tiers, with different prices. The more expensive the can, the higher the chance of obtaining something truly valuable. The cheapest Bronze Can costs one hundred thousand Beli. The most expensive one…"
He paused briefly.
"One billion Beli."
"O—One billion?!"
Nami sucked in a sharp breath.
Her eyes drifted uncontrollably toward the dazzling Diamond Can again.
One billion Beli—
That was her ultimate goal.
But she quickly forced herself to calm down, her mind racing.
Selling cans?
Sounds nice, but—
From one hundred thousand to one billion… the pricing gap was absurd.
Who knew what was actually inside?
This could easily be a scam—using flashy containers to sell worthless junk at outrageous prices.
This wasn't just worse than stealing—
It was outright robbery!
And this man knew about her deal with Arlong… there might be something more going on.
Her vigilance deepened.
But on the surface, she forced a flattering smile, her mind spinning rapidly for a way out.
Using force wasn't an option.
He didn't look weak.
And she was the one at fault for sneaking aboard.
Refusing outright?
What if she angered him and he captured her—turned her over to the Marines or sold her as a slave?
Then her entire plan to save the village would be finished.
Just as her thoughts raced—
A flash of inspiration struck.
She suddenly remembered something in her backpack—
A "strange item" she had recently "acquired."
She had planned to sell it for money, but its bizarre appearance had made it hard to find a buyer.
"Um… Mr. Can Merchant."
Nami's tone became cautious, tinged with probing intent.
"You said your cans might contain all kinds of treasures… then… do you accept treasures as payment? I mean, can I trade something valuable for a can?"
As she spoke, she hurriedly removed the bulging backpack from her back and began rummaging through it.
Renji Kuro was slightly surprised.
He hadn't expected Nami to propose barter.
He nodded.
"Yes. As long as it has value, the system… I can appraise it and convert it accordingly."
Nami carefully took out an item wrapped in thick cloth from deep inside her bag.
She unwrapped it—
Revealing a fruit covered in strange spiral patterns, colored an unnatural deep purple, shaped somewhat like an oversized melon.
"This! This is my… uh… a family heirloom! It's said to be an extremely rare fruit. If you eat it, it can make you stronger!"
Nami widened her eyes, trying to make her story sound convincing.
"I'll trade this for a can, okay? That way I don't have to pay Beli! Please—people in my village are waiting for money to survive…"
She began her tearful act again.
But this time, beneath her eyes lay more tension and expectation as she stared intently at Renji Kuro's reaction.
The moment Renji Kuro saw the fruit—
His gaze sharpened slightly.
A Devil Fruit.
And a Zoan-type at that.
He hadn't expected Nami to have something like this.
It seemed that during this period, in her desperate efforts to gather money, she had truly "harvested" quite a lot—even obtaining such a rare treasure of the sea.
Almost the instant he recognized it—
The system notification sounded in his mind.
[Detected appraisable item: Zoan-type · Dog-Dog Fruit · Dachshund Form. System valuation: 30,000,000 Beli. Accept as currency for can transaction?]
Thirty million Beli.
Renji Kuro understood immediately.
This price was fairly reasonable.