The fire continued to spread, carrying with it the acrid smell of burning wood and cloth.
Nami stared into the blazing flames until Norton finally said, “Let’s go.”
Only then did she snap out of her daze.
“Wait.”
She turned toward the burning building.
“Arlong’s treasure!
It’s still inside!”
She remembered the money and jewels Arlong had hidden away in his secret vault—the wealth extorted from the surrounding villages over the years.
Without another thought, she soaked a cloth, covered her nose and mouth, and rushed into the inferno.
The seven surviving pirates exchanged glances before tearing off pieces of their clothing, soaking them with water, covering their faces, and charging in after her.
Norton made no move to stop them.
He simply watched them disappear into the flames.
Leaning against a broken wall, Zoro snorted.
Inside, thick smoke filled every corridor.
The heat was so intense it was difficult to keep their eyes open.
Relying on memory, Nami found her way deep into the hallway until she reached a heavy metal door.
It was locked, though the intense heat had already begun to warp it.
For a master thief like Nami, opening such a lock was child’s play.
Within moments, she had dismantled it.
Beyond the door lay a stone vault.
The fire hadn’t reached it yet.
Inside were piles of chests, sacks, and scattered treasures—Berries, gold ornaments, and precious gems glittering brilliantly in the firelight.
“Hurry!
Grab everything you can!”
Nami seized several jewel boxes.
The seven pirates stuffed treasure into makeshift bundles fashioned from shirts and curtains.
The smoke grew thicker by the second.
The stone chamber began creaking ominously.
“Move!
It’s about to collapse!”
Hoisting an enormous sack onto her shoulder, Nami led everyone out.
The moment they escaped, the chamber behind them collapsed with a deafening crash.
The remaining treasure vanished beneath the raging flames.
All eight of them collapsed onto the courtyard, coughing violently.
Their faces and clothes were covered in soot.
Bundles of treasure lay piled beside them.
Norton walked over and examined both the treasure and the exhausted group.
“Is this all of Arlong’s wealth?”
He sounded slightly surprised.
Altogether, it was worth only a few hundred million Berries.
Certainly no more than a billion.
He had seen the wealth possessed by Furning’s father—the Duke.
Compared to that, Arlong’s fortune was insignificant.
And yet this was everything Arlong had accumulated by exploiting the surrounding villages for nearly ten years.
The gap between the rich and the poor was truly astonishing.
“We took everything we could…”
Still breathing heavily, Nami smiled brightly.
“We’re rich!”
Norton nodded.
After making a rough estimate, he separated part of the loot and pushed it toward the seven pirates.
“This share is yours.”
“About ten million Berries each.”
The seven pirates froze.
Then their faces lit up with disbelief.
The only reason they had risked their lives charging into the burning building was for money.
They had never expected Norton to reward them so generously.
If they had still been serving Redbeard, receiving even one million Berries would have been considered generous.
After all, Redbeard himself only carried an eight-million-Berry bounty.
Now, treasure worth ten million Berries sat before each of them.
It felt unreal.
“Really…
for us?”
Norton grinned.
“What?
Too scared to accept it?”
“Of course not!”
The seven pirates immediately gathered up their treasure, afraid Norton might change his mind.
“Thank you, Captain!”
Nami paid little attention to the division of the treasure.
Her gaze remained fixed on the distant village.
Toward the faint lights of the tangerine grove.
Her arm still hurt.
But the burden weighing on her heart had finally disappeared.
“Let’s go.”
She walked to Norton’s side.
“Come to my home.”
The group left the burning ruins behind and followed the path leading back to the tangerine orchard.
As the flames faded into the distance, the familiar scent of oranges grew stronger.
A light still shone inside the small house.
Nojiko stood anxiously at the doorway.
The moment she saw Nami, she breathed a sigh of relief.
But seeing the group behind her—and the flames rising from Arlong Park—left her stunned.
“Nami?
What happened to…
Arlong Park?
And who are these people?”
Nami rushed over and hugged her sister tightly.
“It’s over, Nojiko.”
She buried her face in Nojiko’s shoulder.
Her muffled voice trembled as tears finally streamed down her cheeks.
“Arlong is dead.”
“It’s all over.”
Nojiko froze.
The oil lamp in her hand trembled.
She gently pushed Nami back and gripped her shoulders.
“Wh…
what did you say?”
“Arlong is dead.”
Nami repeated the words.
“Our village is free.”
Nojiko stood motionless for several seconds.
Then her legs gave way.
Fortunately, Nami caught her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came.
Only tears.
“R-Really…?”
“Bell-mère…”
“Bell-mère…”
She couldn’t continue.
The two sisters embraced and cried together.
Norton and the others quietly stood nearby.
No one interrupted them.
Looking at the guests—especially the silver-haired man standing at the center—she quickly composed herself.
“I’m so sorry…”
“Please, everyone, come inside.”
She welcomed everyone into the house.
“We don’t have much, but…
I’ll prepare something to eat.”
Soon the little house became lively.
Nami helped prepare the meal.
Zoro found a corner, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.
Sanosuke silently disappeared into the shadows.
The seven pirates stood awkwardly near the entrance.
Nojiko served everyone hot tea and food.
Then she carefully removed a jar of orange marmalade from a cabinet.
“This…”
She spread the marmalade onto slices of bread before handing them out.
“This was Bell-mère’s specialty.”
“She always said that if guests ever came to our home, we should let them taste it.”
Looking at the jar, Nami’s eyes reddened again.
Then she turned toward the treasure rescued from the fire.
“Norton…”
“I’d like to distribute this money to the villages Arlong oppressed.”
“They’ve suffered enough over the years.”
Norton took a bite of bread and raised an eyebrow.
“You can really bear to give away your money?”
Nami blushed.
“I’ll keep my own share, of course!”
“But…
this money was stolen from everyone in the first place.”
“It belongs to them.”
Suddenly—
The front door burst open.
Aji, the village sheriff, rushed inside, gasping for breath.
“Nami!
This is bad!”
The room instantly fell silent.
Nami’s heart tightened.
“Uncle Ajii?
What’s wrong?”
“The Marines!”
“Colonel Nezumi has landed with a large force!”
Leaning against the doorframe, Ajii caught his breath.
“They’re coming straight here!”
“I knew something was wrong, so I took a shortcut to warn you first!”
The joyful atmosphere froze instantly.
Nami’s expression darkened.
Her fists clenched unconsciously.
Nojiko also stopped what she was doing, looking worriedly at her sister and the unfamiliar guests.
Norton calmly took another sip of tea.
His expression didn’t change in the slightest.
“What are they here for?” Nami asked.
Though deep down, she already knew the answer.
“What else could it be?”
Ajii clenched his teeth.
“They’re after you—and your money!”
“Those hyenas wearing Marine uniforms!”
…
About ten minutes earlier…
Colonel Nezumi had been patrolling nearby waters when he received a call through a Den Den Mushi from Kuroobi.
According to Kuroobi, Nami had likely returned to Cocoyasi Village carrying an enormous fortune.
He suggested Nezumi come and “confiscate the stolen goods.”
Eagerly, Nezumi rushed over.
Just as he arrived, he noticed thick black smoke rising from the direction of Arlong Park.
“Colonel…”
One of his lieutenants looked puzzled.
“Isn’t that Arlong Park?
It’s on fire.
Shouldn’t we…”
Nezumi narrowed his eyes.
He felt something was off.
But he quickly dismissed the thought.
Rubbing his hands together greedily, he grinned.
“Forget Arlong.”
“Our objective is to arrest that thief named Nami.”
“We’ll confiscate all the property she stole from innocent civilians.”
“Understood?”
“But Colonel…”
One of the soldiers hesitated.
“Didn’t Headquarters recently issue a confidential order?”
“They told every branch to stay alert for the wanted criminal known as the King Slayer.”
“Shouldn’t we ask the locals if they’ve seen anyone suspicious?”
“Shut up!”
Nezumi practically jumped.
His face turned pale as he hissed,
“You want to die?
Don’t drag me with you!”
“The King Slayer…”
“That’s a monster who murdered an actual king and slaughtered hundreds of royal guards and agents!”
“You think people like us can deal with someone like that?”
“If we ever do find him…”
“Our only chance to survive is to turn around immediately and report it!”
“Pretend we never saw him!”
“Got it?!”
The mere mention of that forbidden title made his heart pound.
After all…
The King Slayer carried a bounty of one hundred million Berries.
Rumor had it that the massacre in the Sarg Kingdom had enraged the World Government itself.
The farther away he stayed from someone like that, the better.
…
Almost the moment Ajii finished speaking…
Noisy footsteps echoed outside.
Villagers could be heard being driven away.
Looking through the window, they saw dozens of Marines in white uniforms surrounding the house with blazing torches.
Nami took a deep breath and opened the front door.
Norton set down his teacup and followed her outside.
The others came after them.
Outside, the torches illuminated the clearing as dozens of Marines aimed their rifles.
Standing at their head was a man with two thin whiskers resembling a rat’s—
Colonel Nezumi.
Seeing Nami emerge, Nezumi cleared his throat theatrically.
“You must be Nami.”
“We’ve received reliable intelligence that you’ve been stealing pirate treasure for years.”
“The amount involved is enormous.”
“As commander of Marine Branch 16, I hereby place you under arrest.”
The Marines behind him stared at everyone menacingly.
The surrounding villagers watched from afar.
They were furious, yet powerless to intervene.
Looking at Nezumi’s disgusting face, anger burned inside Nami.
But what she felt even more strongly…
Was cold contempt.
Just as she was about to speak—
A calm voice came from behind her.
“Her property has already been offered to me.”
Norton stepped forward and stood beside Nami.
His indifferent gaze settled on Nezumi.
Annoyed at being interrupted, Nezumi glared at him.
“And who the hell are you to interfere with the Marin—”
His voice stopped.
Dead.
His eyes fixed on Norton’s face.
His expression shifted from irritation…
To confusion…
Then careful scrutiny…
Finally…
Utter, indescribable terror.
That face…
There was no mistake.
In that instant, the image from a wanted poster flashed through his mind.
The highest-priority wanted notice distributed to every Marine branch after the Sarg Kingdom Incident.
The man who had slain the King of Sarg Kingdom…
And massacred hundreds of royal guards and government agents.
The infamous—
King Slayer.
Nezumi’s face instantly turned white.
His lips trembled violently.
Even his whiskers shook uncontrollably.
The next second—
The arrogant Marine colonel abandoned every one of his men and fled in blind panic.
Everyone stood frozen.
Most of the Marines stared at each other in complete confusion.
None of them understood why their commander had suddenly run as though he’d seen a ghost.
But once they came to their senses, they hurried after him.
In moments, the area in front of the house was empty once again.
Ajii, Nami, Nojiko, and the others stood there in stunned silence.
Even Norton looked puzzled.
Was he really that frightening?
Still, he had no intention of letting Nezumi escape.
Turning toward Sanosuke, he calmly ordered,
“Go deal with him.”
“Understood.”
Sanosuke bowed slightly.
His figure flickered before silently melting into the darkness as he pursued the fleeing Marines.
Ajii noticed a rolled-up document lying where Nezumi had been standing.
He walked over, picked it up, and unfolded it beneath the torchlight.
It was a brand-new wanted poster.
DEAD OR ALIVE
NORTON
Crime: Regicide
Bounty: 100,000,000 Berries
At the center was a colored photograph.
A silver-haired man smiled with fearless confidence.
Ajii’s hand trembled violently.
The wanted poster slipped from his grasp.
Slowly, he raised his head.
His eyes locked onto the silver-haired young man standing outside the house.
The torchlight illuminated Norton’s face.
It also illuminated the face on the wanted poster.
They were identical.
Norton picked up the wanted poster.
A grin matching the one in the photograph spread across his face.
“Oh?”
“So the World Government finally issued my bounty.”
“I’ve finally got my own wanted poster.”
After spending so long at sea, he finally had one.
“Although…”
“The bounty’s a little low.”
That was the only thing he found disappointing.
“My bounty poster?”
Nami leaned over.
“One hundred million Berries?!”
Even Arlong’s bounty had only been twenty million.
A first bounty of one hundred million Berries had never appeared anywhere in the East Blue.
It was unprecedented.
And this was only the beginning.
It would only rise from here.
“One hundred million…”
Zoro couldn’t help grinning.
“My swords are getting restless.”
As a former bounty hunter, he had never encountered a head worth that much.
Norton glanced at him.
Zoro coughed awkwardly, took a drink, and waved dismissively.
“Relax.”
“I don’t attack people who have helped me.”
Norton had rescued him from that deserted island.
Besides, he was currently serving as Norton’s swordsman.
“What exactly did this gentleman do?”
Nojiko couldn’t help asking.
“He’s…”
“He’s the King Slayer!”
Ajii shouted while pointing at Norton.
“He has hundreds of lives on his hands!”
He instinctively pulled Nami and Nojiko behind him.
Nami hurriedly explained,
“Don’t be afraid, Uncle Ajii!”
“Norton isn’t a bad person!”
“If it weren’t for him, Arlong never would have been defeated!”
Ajii’s expression became complicated.
“I truly am grateful, Mr.
Norton.”
“But…”
“For the safety of Cocoyasi Village…”
“Please leave the village with your companions as soon as possible.”
“You ungrateful old fool!”
The seven pirates immediately stepped forward, surrounding Ajii.
“If it weren’t for our captain…”