“Shahahahaha!”
Arlong’s laughter exploded across the courtyard like a blunt weapon striking stone.
“You’re saying there’s a hundred million Berries in that chest?”
“Nami…”
“I think you’re bluffing.”
He deliberately dragged out the last words, baring his jagged shark-like teeth.
Nami’s chest rose and fell violently.
Something icy crawled up her spine.
But an even hotter fire burned inside her heart.
“Then count it!”
The words were practically forced through clenched teeth.
How many years had it been?
She had imagined this moment countless times.
Imagined finally standing proudly before Arlong.
Throwing down enough money…
And buying back her village’s freedom.
Now…
She really was standing here.
Yet the stone beneath her feet felt colder than she’d ever imagined.
“Fine.”
Arlong’s laughter stopped.
“Then let’s count.”
He tilted his head.
His gaze swept across the fish-men gathered in the courtyard.
Finally settling on Chu.
“Chu.”
“You count it.”
Chu folded his arms and lazily walked over.
As he passed Nami…
He deliberately bumped her with his shoulder.
The shove wasn’t hard.
But it was enough to make her stagger.
Nami bit her lip.
She said nothing.
Only stared fixedly at his back.
Chu crouched beside the treasure chest.
Silence settled over the courtyard.
Even the distant sound of waves became clear.
Every fish-man’s eyes were fixed on the open chest.
The mountain of treasure glittered brilliantly beneath the setting sun.
Chu began counting.
Bundle after bundle of banknotes.
Gold ornaments weighed in his hands.
Jewels clinked softly together.
Time passed…
One second at a time.
Nami’s heartbeat rose and fell with every movement.
Finally…
Chu stopped.
He looked up.
His face wore a strange expression.
Surprise.
Greed.
And a trace of guilt.
“Well?”
Arlong narrowed his eyes.
His voice carried unmistakable meaning.
“Enough?”
“Think carefully before answering.”
Chu glanced at Nami.
Then…
Looked toward Arlong.
Nami’s heart sank.
“…Not enough, Chu!”
Chu suddenly shouted.
“Boss!”
“There’s only…”
“Ninety-five million Berries!”
“It’s still way short!”
He hurriedly stood up.
Avoiding Nami’s eyes.
Even pretending to fan himself as though the courtyard were unbearably hot.
“That’s impossible!”
Nami exploded.
“I counted it over and over!”
She rushed forward.
Grabbing Chu’s shoulder.
“You’re lying!”
“You didn’t count properly!”
“Those jewels are priceless!”
“And the antiques—”
“That’s because…”
Another calm voice interrupted.
“…you never converted everything into cash.”
Nami turned.
Kuroobi stood nearby.
Arms folded.
Expressionless.
“Those broken bottles don’t look valuable.”
He casually glanced toward the elegant porcelain vase…
The jeweled boxes…
The intricately crafted golden ornaments…
Then dismissed them with a shrug.
“Maybe…”
“They’re not even worth ninety-five million.”
“Maybe only you think they’re valuable.”
For a moment…
Nami stopped breathing.
She immediately knelt before the treasure chest.
Lifting out a delicate blue-and-white porcelain vase.
Its glaze was flawless.
Its intricate lotus design seemed almost alive.
“This antique alone…”
“…is worth eight million Berries!”
“Eight million!”
“It came from the Duke’s personal collection!”
She had specifically chosen it from the Duke’s gift to Norton.
It was unquestionably one of the most valuable pieces.
“…Can you prove it?”
Arlong asked lazily.
Nami stiffened.
She turned around.
Without noticing…
Arlong had already descended from his platform.
Now…
He stood less than a meter behind her.
“Can you prove…”
He leaned down beside her ear.
“…that this broken bottle is worth eight million?”
His warm breath brushed against her ear.
Every hair on her body stood upright.
Then…
He straightened.
Spread his arms wide.
And loudly addressed the surrounding fish-men.
“Everyone!”
“Take a look!”
“She says this worthless bottle is worth eight million Berries!”
“Who would believe that?”
The fish-men burst into laughter.
“Looks just like my chamber pot!”
“Humans sure love exaggerating!”
“Shahahahaha!”
The laughter stabbed into Nami like needles.
Her hands shook around the vase.
Not because it was heavy.
But because something much deeper…
Was collapsing inside her.
She looked at Arlong’s mocking smile.
Chu’s guilty eyes.
Kuroobi’s cold expression.
The fish-men’s ridicule.
Everything suddenly became perfectly clear.
Like fog lifting…
To reveal jagged reefs beneath.
“…I understand now.”
She slowly looked up.
Her eyes burned with hatred.
“You’ve been playing me from the very beginning.”
Anyone could tell this antique was priceless.
Yet Arlong shamelessly called it junk.
Even if she’d exchanged everything for cash…
He would simply have found another excuse.
At that moment…
She finally believed Norton.
He hadn’t lied.
Arlong had never intended to honor their agreement.
“When did I lie?”
Arlong’s smile froze.
Then…
Without warning…
His enormous hand clamped over Nami’s mouth.
The crushing strength nearly shattered her jaw.
Her vision immediately darkened.
She couldn’t breathe.
A loud ringing filled her ears.
“Hm?”
Arlong leaned close.
Savagery filled his eyes.
“When did I lie?”
Nami desperately struggled.
Her fists pounded uselessly against his arm.
Her legs kicked wildly.
But…
Human strength meant nothing before a fish-man.
Consciousness gradually faded.
Her lungs burned.
Only Arlong’s icy eyes remained.
Like a predator lurking in the deepest sea.
Just as she thought she was about to suffocate…
Arlong released her.
She stumbled backward.
Gasping desperately for air.
Her vision still blurred.
“Shahahahaha!”
Arlong burst into laughter.
As though his previous fury had never existed.
“Go work harder, Nami!”
“Take your money home!”
“Save up one hundred million Berries…”
“Then come see me again!”
The fish-men erupted into laughter once more.
Nami stood motionless.
Breathing heavily.
Her eyes slowly swept across Arlong’s twisted grin.
The mocking fish-men.
The treasure she’d sacrificed everything to obtain.
Then…
She quietly bent down.
One by one…
She placed every treasure back into the chest.
Finally…
She closed the lid.
Click.
The lock snapped shut.
She lifted the heavy chest onto her shoulder again.
“You’ll regret this…”
She spoke quietly.
“Arlong.”
Arlong blinked.
Then laughed even harder.
“Shahahahaha!”
“Did you all hear that?”
“Nami says I’ll regret it!”
The fish-men roared with laughter.
This time…
Nami showed no emotion.
She simply turned around.
Leaving Arlong…
Leaving every fish-man behind her.
Step by step…
She walked out through the gates.
Only after she’d disappeared…
Did the laughter finally fade.
Kuroobi approached Arlong.
Frowning slightly.
“Arlong.”
“We’re just letting her leave?”
“What about the hundred million Berries?”
“I know.”
Arlong’s smile had vanished.
“Contact Colonel Nezumi.”
“Have the Marines confiscate Nami’s money.”
“We shouldn’t push her too far.”
“She still has some use.”
Kuroobi nodded.
“And Nami?”
“Once she realizes she’s lost everything…”
Arlong sneered.
“…she’ll crawl back.”
“Humans are all the same.”
“They have to be crushed by reality…”
“Several times…”
“…before they learn to kneel.”
Nami didn’t go far.
Following the familiar path…
She returned to the orange grove.
The last rays of sunset painted the orchard a warm golden orange.
Heavy fruit bent the branches.
The sweet citrus fragrance filled the air.
She stopped where she’d buried the treasure.
The hole remained.
Fresh earth surrounded it.
She knelt.
And silently pushed the scattered dirt back into place with her hands.
Mud filled her fingernails.
Sharp stones scraped her palms raw.
She never stopped.
When the final handful of earth covered everything…
She remained kneeling beneath the tree.
Both hands pressed against the ground.
Head lowered.
Her breathing trembled.
She had bitten through her lower lip.
Still…
She refused to make a sound.
Her shoulders shook.
Until tears…
Finally dripped into the soil.
Memories flashed endlessly through her mind.
The cold sweat from stealing her first wallet.
Drawing charts beneath unfamiliar starlight.
Sneaking home to bury treasure.
Bellemere’s final smile…
Before the gunshot.
Then…
Arlong’s mocking face.
She violently wiped her eyes.
The skin reddened.
The tears stopped.
Deep within the orange grove…
The lights inside the little house had already been lit.
Nojiko’s silhouette moved behind the paper windows.
“…Nojiko.”
Nami stood there for a long time.
Finally…
She rose.
Brushed the dirt from herself.
Straightened her clothes.
Lifted the treasure chest once more.
Looked one last time…
At the house.
At the orange grove fading into twilight.
Then…
Walked toward the shore.
Night had fully fallen.
Nami returned to the bay where the White Pearl was anchored.
Carrying the heavy chest…
She walked aboard.
Several crew members looked at her curiously.
No one asked questions.
The captain’s cabin door stood slightly open.
Warm lamplight spilled outside.
Nami paused.
Took a deep breath.
Then pushed it open.
Norton stood before a sea chart.
Lost in thought.
Sanosuke silently guarded one corner.
Furning quietly read a thick book.
Zoro…
Curled up on a sofa with his three swords…
Appeared to have drunk himself to sleep.
Nami walked into the center of the room.
Thud.
She set the heavy chest onto the floor.
The dull impact echoed through the quiet cabin.
“…I lost.”
She kept her head lowered.
Orange hair hid most of her face.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Then…
She suddenly looked up.
Her eyes were red.
“Take it.”
“All one hundred million Berries.”
“Norton…”
“I only ask one thing.”
She stepped forward.
Both hands slammed onto the table.
“I want revenge for Bellemere.”
“I want Arlong…”
“…to repay everything he owes me.”
Tears poured freely down her face.
But these weren’t tears of sadness.
They were molten iron…
Forged from rage…
And hatred.
Norton turned.
A fierce grin spread across his face.
“I’ll gladly accept…”
“…this hundred million Berries.”
He smiled.
“Welcome back.”
“Our navigator.”
Arlong Park.
The bonfire still smoldered.
Fish-men gathered in small groups.
Drinking.
Still savoring the pleasure of humiliating Nami.
Arlong lounged comfortably upon his throne.
Toying with an empty wine glass.
His familiar cruel smile remained.
Nearby…
Kuroobi was reporting on Colonel Nezumi.
“…That idiot already agreed.”
“Tomorrow he’ll bring Marines to ‘search’ the place where Nami buried her money.”
“Shahahaha!”
Arlong laughed.
“Excellent!”
“Let humans deal with humans.”
“We’ll simply collect the money…”
“And wait…”
“For our little cartographer to come crawling back.”
He could already picture Nami’s despair.
His mood grew even better.
Then—
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion shattered the night.
As though lightning had struck the center of the courtyard.
The massive iron gate…
Along with part of its frame…
Twisted violently.
Ripped completely from its hinges.
Then crashed inward.
The enormous doors slammed into the ground.
Dust exploded everywhere.
The entire courtyard shook.
The bonfire swayed violently.
Fish-men leaped to their feet in shock.
Cups.
Food.
Everything scattered.
As the dust slowly settled…
Cold moonlight poured through the destroyed entrance.
Silhouetting a tall figure.
Short silver hair gleamed beneath the moon.
His perfectly sculpted face wore an utterly fearless grin.
Hands still tucked casually into his pockets…
Norton slowly lowered the leg he’d used to kick the gate apart.
Then stepped into Arlong Park…
Walking across the twisted iron doors.
To his left…
Zoro rested three swords against his shoulder.
To his right…
Sanosuke stood with expressionless eyes.
Like twin guardians flanking their lord.
Behind them…
The twelve former Redbeard Pirates gripped their weapons.
Surrounding…
A cold-faced orange-haired girl.
“…Nami?”
Arlong frowned in surprise.
His gaze shifted between Norton…
And the others.
Then realization dawned.
“So…”
“You brought reinforcements.”
“You don’t seriously think…”
“…this handful of people can beat me?”
“You really think Arlong Park…”
“…is somewhere any stray mutt can come causing trouble?”
“You even brought outsiders here!”
Arlong spread his arms.
Displaying the many fish-men surrounding him.
His eyes dripped with contempt.
“The Marines who came last time…”
“You saw what happened to them.”
“Looks like you’ve forgotten.”
“I’ll remind you.”
“Enough talking!”
Chu roared impatiently.
“They dared invade our territory!”
“Tear them apart!”
His cheeks inflated.
A high-pressure water bullet shot toward Norton like an arrow.
Before it could arrive—
A flash of green appeared first.
Zoro moved like a phantom.
A cold gleam flashed as Wado Ichimonji left its sheath.
The water projectile split cleanly in two.
Falling harmlessly to the ground.
Zoro stood before Norton.
All three swords were already drawn.
“Your opponent’s me…”
He clenched Wado Ichimonji between his teeth.
“…ugly fish.”
At the same moment…
Kuroobi silently slid forward.
His Fish-Man Karate stance generated fierce wind.
Aimed directly at Sanosuke.
Sanosuke didn’t even blink.
His body shifted slightly.
The strike hit nothing.
Alarm exploded inside Kuroobi’s mind.
He spun around—
Only to find the tip of a kunai resting silently against his throat.
Like a venomous snake.
Sanosuke’s icy voice whispered behind him.
“Don’t move.”
In an instant…
Arlong’s two strongest officers…
One had been intercepted.
The other…
Already subdued.
Norton smiled.
“Boys.”
“OOOOOH!!”
The twelve pirates behind him roared.
Weapons raised high.
“Attack.”
“YES!!”
The twelve former Redbeard Pirates charged.
Blades flashing.
Roaring straight into the fish-men.
As former members of Redbeard’s crew…
They were far from weak.
Despite being outnumbered…
They fought the fish-men to a standstill.
Steel clashed.
Roars echoed.
Screams erupted.
The entire Arlong Park descended into chaos.
Arlong’s expression finally changed.
The mockery disappeared.
His face slowly darkened.
Becoming grim.
Savage.
His jagged teeth clenched tightly.
His gaze crossed the battlefield…
Locking onto the silver-haired man…
Who had done nothing after kicking open the gate.
Standing there…
Simply watching everything unfold.
Still smiling.