Little Thief Cat Nami

Little Thief Cat Nami had lost her parents to pirates when she was very young. She and her adoptive sister Nojiko were taken in by an outstanding female Marine named Bellemere, who raised the two sisters as her own daughters. The family of three lived together in perfect happiness.

She had a happy family, but the Arlong Pirates shattered the peaceful life of her family and the entire village.

The Arlong Pirates occupied Cocoyasi Village, where she lived, and prepared to establish their own Arlong Empire from it and rule the entire East Blue. Arlong, the leader of the Arlong Pirates, killed her adoptive mother and demanded that everyone in the village pay a monthly fee for their lives.

Her happy life was destroyed.

Later, Arlong took an interest in her mapmaking ability. He threatened the lives of the villagers and forced her to work for him, promising that once she gathered 100 million berries, she could buy back the village and her own freedom.

And so, amid the villagers' "hatred," she began years of thievery. The name Little Thief Cat started spreading, and her thieving skills were virtually unmatched in the East Blue. Only that Fox Spirit, Carina, could rival her.

Once she gathered 100 million berries, she would be able to save everyone!

She definitely could! She definitely would be able to save everyone!

That was what she believed. Arlong was simply too powerful. He had colluded with the nearby Marine branch commander, and even the Marines who came to attack them had their warships sunk, dying in the sea in the end.

Fishmen were considerably stronger than humans. In a place like the East Blue, it was rare for particularly powerful humans to be born. Compared to Arlong, they were no match at all.

This left Nami utterly desperate. She could only silently follow the rule she and Arlong had agreed upon, because the only path before her was this one.

She knew there was a strong possibility that she was being deceived, but this was the only hope she had—her only chance to grasp at something.

She could not give up. Even if there was only the slightest sliver of hope, she was willing to try.

She patted her cheeks and said, "Come on, Nami. There are only 23 million berries left. Once I gather 100 million, I can buy everyone back from Arlong."

Although she was only around high-school age by Earth's standards, her figure had developed quite well. It was probably because the nutrition in this world was better. Wearing the clothes of a merchant ship's waitress, she thought, This is a merchant ship, so the owner must have quite a lot of money, right?

Thinking this, she walked with graceful steps, pushing the food cart to several of the best rooms arranged aboard the ship. She had slipped aboard under cover of night and did not know which room belonged to the owner, but she was certain that anyone staying in these rooms was very wealthy.

She gently knocked on the door. A voice that sounded very gentle came from inside. "Who is it?"

"The ship's kitchen sent over some late-night snacks, sir. Would you like some?" Nami asked politely.

"Late-night snacks? Perfect, I was getting hungry. Sorry for the trouble." Footsteps approached, and then the door opened. A young man with bronze-colored skin stood there, his ink-black hair draped loosely down his back. In the dim light of the cabin, his handsome face looked exceptionally gentle.

"Sorry for the trouble. Please come in." Rodney's gaze swept over Nami's face as he ushered her inside.

There's something wrong with this woman.

Rodney thought that his ship would be passing through Cocoyasi Village, so it was on the way, and he could also take on a mission. Why not? He had not expected to encounter any unusual pirates on the journey, but instead he had run into a little thief.

Nami pushed the food cart inside and quickly scanned the room with her eyes. Then she focused her gaze on the waist pouch Rodney had placed beside the bed. Turning around with a smile, she asked, "Sir, which dish would you like to eat?"

The kitchen's food was decent, at least good enough in terms of appearance, aroma, and flavor. A bottle of red wine sat beside it.

Nami had already put something in the wine and the food. Once he ate it, she would be able to steal his treasure.

"Sorry for the trouble." Rodney sat down and enjoyed the food. The taste was acceptable, though inferior to the dishes made by Sanji and the others. But that was only natural. Not everyone could compare with the chefs of the sea restaurant Baratie.

He devoured the food, then drank an entire bottle of red wine as if he were guzzling water.

Yawning, he said, "Please close the door when you leave. I'm tired."

"Yes, sir." Nami smiled as she pushed the food cart away and closed the door behind her.

Standing outside the door, she pressed her ear against it and listened to the movements inside.

Before long, just as she had expected, even snores came from the room. The person inside seemed to have fallen deeply asleep.

With a sly grin, she easily pushed the door open. In the darkness, she used the moonlight shining through the porthole to see all the obstacles in the room, then made her way to Rodney's bedside.

Her hand reached toward the waist pouch beside the bed.

She picked it up with ease. Huh? It seems like something is pulling on the pouch.

Sensing that something was wrong, Nami immediately felt uneasy and was just about to let go when something shaped like a dagger shot out of the shadow opposite her, slicing past her beautiful cheek with a fierce gust of wind.

What...

A trap?

That was close!

But she was Little Thief Cat Nami. How could she fall for something so easily?

Nami felt secretly pleased with herself, thinking she had passed the trap. Who would have thought that another tug would send several more kunai flying from the shadow opposite her? This time, unlike the last, steel wire was tied to the ends of the kunai.

The steel wire formed a tightening net that bound Nami completely, leaving her sprawled on the floor in an extremely awkward position.

"What is this? It's so tight. What is this?" Nami whispered. She struggled with all her strength but found that she could not budge the steel wire at all. Instead, it seemed to grow tighter and tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe. What's going on?

"Oh my? Looks like you triggered my trap, little thief." Rodney sat up on the bed with a smile, showing no sign that he had been asleep moments ago.

"You—you weren't affected?" Nami asked.

"Of course not. I use this sort of thing often, so naturally I carry the antidote." Rodney chuckled. "And let me tell you, this stuff works best when mixed into strong liquor. Food like this, or red wine, is easy to taste, and it leaves a bit of a flavor."

Nami: "..."

I actually ran into an expert. My luck is terrible.

She put on a pitiful, heart-wrenching expression. "I'm sorry, sir. This is my first time. I had no choice but to do this to make a living. I'm sorry. Please let me go. I still have a family to support. If the captain finds out, I'll lose this job."

Rodney gathered up the useless steel wire and put it into his waist pouch. "Little thief, do you think I'll believe your nonsense?" He leaned over and sniffed. A delicate fragrance filled his nose. "This smell... it's the smell of a lie! You're lying!"

Nami: "..."

You can smell that I'm lying just by sniffing? What kind of nose do you have? And lies can be smelled? Are you kidding me?

"Hmph, you don't believe me? I didn't lick... Ahem, anyway, you're lying! Little thief, you're obviously a habitual offender! So I won't forgive you."

A flash of cold light flickered across White Fang as it stabbed straight into the space before Nami's eyes. She could even see her terrified gaze reflected in the blade.

Am I going to die?

No, I absolutely cannot die here!

Absolutely not! If I die, who will save everyone?

I have to save everyone!

To protect her beautiful memories and save the villagers who were like family to her, she had to stay alive, no matter how much suffering she had to endure!

"Please, let me go! I can't die yet!" Nami shouted.

"Oh? Give me a reason." Rodney remained completely composed. He did not know that the woman before him was Nami; he only thought she was a beautiful female thief.

"I—I have to save everyone in my village! Please! I can't die yet!"

"Hm? Another lie? Little thief, I like deceiving people, especially clever ones, but I don't like being deceived. So, little thief..." He pulled White Fang free.

Nami hurriedly cried out, "Wait! Please! Let me go! I can take you to treasure! I know where a pirate crew hid its treasure!"

Rodney's hand paused. Treasure, huh... That's pretty tempting.

"All right. You've successfully moved me, little thief. I do want the treasure. Very well, what's your name?"

"Nami."

"What? What did you say your name was? Please say it again!"

"Nami. Is there a problem?"

There was a huge problem!