A Sure Win

At Carina's words.

Nami's expression gradually settled, and her voice grew heavy. "That's right. I am a member of the Arlong Pirates."

"That's also why I tried to stop you from going to Arlong Park."

"Because I know exactly how strong those fish-men are, and just how cruel and cold-blooded they can be."

"In those fish-men's eyes, we're nothing but a vile, inferior race..."

At that point,

Nami seemed to have found a way to vent and unburden herself.

She told them some of the things she'd kept buried in her heart, as well as how she'd made a deal with the fish-man Arlong to buy her village back with money.

"What? You need to save up 100 million Berries?!"

Carina's pupils trembled, and she looked astonished.

"So that's why you've been stealing treasure everywhere..."

She'd never imagined that someone about her age could have been carrying such a heavy burden all this time.

Will, who had been listening quietly, remained calm. He spoke slowly.

"Everything else aside, there's one thing you've got wrong, Nami."

"Hm?" Nami looked over at him in surprise.

"You're not a member of the Arlong Pirates anymore."

Will looked straight into Nami's eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"You have only one identity now: my navigator."

At his words,

Nami froze for a moment, her gaze turning complicated.

Will paid no attention to that and continued, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"And since you already know very well that those fish-men are cruel and cold-blooded..."

"Why do you still think the fish-man Arlong will really honor his promise to you?"

"Especially when he made that promise to someone he considers an inferior race."

"..."

Nami's heart tightened at his words. Her eyes trembled, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

She wasn't stupid. Of course she'd thought about all of this.

But Nami didn't dare to think about it, and she didn't want to.

Because, to her,

fulfilling that promise was the only thing she'd been able to do, from the past until now.

It was also the pillar that had sustained her all these years.

The only glimmer of hope in her heart.

So Nami pushed down her tangled thoughts and forced herself to stay calm.

"Arlong has always kept his word when it comes to money."

"And all these years, he really has honored his promise to me. He hasn't done too much harm to the village."

"I'm already close to saving the 100 million. Once I have enough, I can buy back the village from Arlong..."

But before she could finish, Will cut her off.

"After you buy the village back, does that mean he can't take it from you again?"

"You need to understand: the fish-man Arlong is a pirate."

"And I'm sure I don't need to tell you what pirates do."

"Besides, from what you've said, the fish-man Arlong is an obvious racist."

"To him, people like you are an inferior race."

"Do you really think he'll be kind enough to let you and the village you care about go so easily?"

Those cruel words struck Nami's heart like lightning, shattering her defenses in an instant.

Her lips trembled uncontrollably. She wanted to argue, but somehow found herself at a loss for words.

Lies often didn't hurt. Only the truth was a sharp blade.

The more truthful his words were, the harder they were to refute—and the more frightened and helpless she felt.

Will saw the panic in Nami's eyes. He stopped pressing her and spoke with impatience.

"Forget it. I'm tired of talking about this. Those fish-men aren't worth this much thought."

"Whether you listen or not, whether you believe me or not, it doesn't matter to me."

"All you have to do is sail to Arlong Park. Leave the rest to me."

"And you should know very well that you can't stop me."

"So you have only one choice: trust me."

"..." His unyielding words left Nami looking utterly conflicted.

She knew perfectly well that there was no way she could stop Will from doing what he'd decided.

After spending this much time with him, she knew that once he made up his mind, nothing would sway him.

But that was exactly why Nami was caught in a dilemma. She bit her lower lip tightly.

Seeing her like this,

Carina felt sorry for her and spoke up.

"Will, are you really sure you can deal with those fish-men?"

Will picked up his sherry and took a sip, his voice calm.

"Don't worry. I spent more than two years killing fish in the East Blue."

"Compared to fish, those fish-men just have a few extra arms and legs and look a little strange. They're no different to me."

Seeing how little Will seemed to care about the fish-men, Carina felt much more reassured.

She knew he wasn't the type to brag. If he said that, then he clearly didn't consider the fish-men a threat.

Nami had heard him too. Her right hand clenched the tattoo on her left shoulder as she murmured to herself,

"Can humans really beat fish-men..."

"We can."

Will offered no further explanation. He simply replied in a tone that brooked no argument.

He didn't intend to keep trying to prove anything with words, nor did he pay any attention to Nami's emotions.

No matter how much he said, or how convincing he sounded, seeing was believing.

Will turned to look at the waves outside the ship and quietly continued drinking his sherry.

Now that Nami was aboard his ship, it was no longer up to her whether they went or not.

He thought Nami was smart and believed she'd figure that out soon enough.

"Nami..."

Carina gently laid a hand on Nami's shoulder, concern showing in her eyes.

Unlike Nami,

she didn't believe the fish-men could stop Will.

But seeing Nami like this, she didn't know what else to do. All she could do was quietly comfort her.

A moment later,

Nami gradually calmed down and quickly wiped her eyes with her arm.

Then she lifted her head and spoke to them solemnly.

"I understand. Our next destination is Arlong Park!"

With that, she immediately stood up.

She returned to the helm and swiftly adjusted their course, her gaze growing ever more resolute.

"If I can't stop him, then I can only take a gamble!"

Once Nami had made up her mind, she stopped hesitating and panicking.

Instead, she began thinking about how to help Will defeat Arlong.

She also needed to find a way to secretly move the villagers somewhere safe before the fight.

That way, they'd be out of harm's way if anything unexpected happened.

Nami thought it over as she steered the ship.

Will silently watched her expression change, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Carina noticed Nami's change of heart too and felt reassured.

The ship gradually turned and began speeding toward Arlong Park.