Arlong Park

The group quickly followed Nami into the Orange Grove.

As soon as they entered, they saw a girl with short blue hair confronting a group of Marines, appearing both anxious and angry.

"Nojiko, are you okay!"

Nami rushed forward. After reaching Nojiko, she immediately turned her gaze to the Marines opposite them.

Before she could even ask, a shifty-eyed Marine officer with three long whiskers on each cheek stepped forward.

"Hehehehe, I am Colonel Nezumi of Marine Branch 16."

"We received intelligence that stolen money is hidden here."

"Now, all this stolen money must be confiscated."

Colonel Nezumi had a cunning look on his face. As he spoke, he gestured behind him, where several of his subordinates were digging up a wooden chest filled with treasure.

Nami's face darkened, but she didn't make any rash moves, her mind racing with thoughts:

Why would the Marines know about this place? I've always been so careful.

No one but Nojiko knows where the money is hidden, and there's absolutely no way Nojiko would betray me.

Could it be…

Thinking this, Nami almost gnashed her teeth. She growled a few words through clenched teeth, "You scoundrels!"

"Hehehehe, what are you saying? This colonel doesn't quite understand?"

"Did Arlong's pirates send you?!"

"Hey, hey, hey, Arlong and his crew are a legitimate organization that pays taxes on time, not pirates."

"You… what kind of Marines are you?!"

Nami was so angry she could barely speak. Nojiko stepped forward and put an arm around Nami, fearing that Nami's outburst might lead to even more serious consequences.

"Screech—screech—!"

Just then, the grating sound of a chainsaw suddenly roared.

The attention of all the Marines was instantly drawn to it.

They saw a grotesque devil with three huge chainsaws on its body charging towards them at high speed.

"What is that thing!"

"Shoot it, quick!"

It wasn't just the Marines who were in a panic; Nami also turned to Reiner and the others, shouting:

"Wait! If you attack the Marines…"

"Pirates still care about that?!"

Luffy interrupted Nami, raging as he charged forward.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets rained down, but they had no effect whatsoever on the Chainsaw Devil or Luffy.

The two of them were completely unhindered and arrived in front of the Marines in the blink of an eye.

"Guns are useless against them!"

"Damn it, what kind of monster is this!"

"You fools, get up there and protect me!"

Colonel Nezumi cursed, retreating in a panic, trying to hide among the crowd.

However, the soldiers were completely ineffective at stopping them.

"Gomu Gomu no Muchi (Rubber Rubber Whip)!"

Luffy stretched his leg, sweeping away the Marines in front with a single whip kick.

The Chainsaw Devil headed straight for Colonel Nezumi.

"Screech—screech—!"

A sharp sound came from behind Colonel Nezumi, like fingernails scraping glass, its grating noise sending shivers down his spine.

"Wait—wait a minute!"

"Who exactly are you people!"

"I'm a Marine Colonel! If you lay a hand on me…"

Splish!

Before he could finish his sentence, the spinning chainsaw brutally sliced into his chest.

A shocking wound instantly appeared, gushing blood.

"Ah!!!"

"Colonel Nezumi!"

The Marines watched in a panic as their colonel lay on the ground, wailing, yet no one stepped forward to help him.

Colonel Nezumi's face was etched with fear. He scrambled backward on the ground, his feet kicking, while pleading, "Please, don't kill me! I'll give you money, lots and lots of money!"

However, the Chainsaw Devil remained silent, simply advancing step by step.

"Ah!"

"No!"

"Stop it!"

The two hideous, terrifying chainsaws ended Colonel Nezumi's life in a mix of pain and terror.

"Colonel Nezumi is dead!"

"Run!"

"It's a devil! He's a devil!"

Seeing the Marines scatter and flee, Reiner immediately recalled the Chainsaw Devil. He had no habit of killing for fun.

"Let's go. We'll head straight for Arlong. Lead the way, Nami."

Luffy pulled down his straw hat, speaking coldly. It was clear he was in a terrible mood.

"O-okay..."

Nami responded shakily. Everything had happened too quickly; she still hadn't fully processed it.

"You guys were too careless."

Zoro walked out of the orange grove, carrying two Fish-men.

They were likely sent by Arlong to secretly keep an eye on the Marines, to prevent Colonel Nezumi from secretly pocketing anything.

He dropped the two Fish-men directly onto the ground. Both had deep knife wounds and were lifeless.

"Not bad, Zoro. Your vigilance is impressive," Reiner praised with a smile.

Nojiko looked at the group, trembling uncontrollably. "Nami, who are these people?"

"It's okay, Nojiko. They're my friends. We've come back this time..."

A flash of determination appeared in Nami's eyes. "...to overthrow Arlong!"

"Wait, Nami!"

"Don't say another word, Nojiko! My mind is made up. I trust my friends."

"Luffy, Reiner, Zoro, let's go."

Nami released Nojiko's hand and walked away without looking back.

Nojiko was left standing alone, stunned.

"...Nami."

Nojiko watched the group walk off in the direction of Arlong Park, her expression complex.

***

Inside Arlong Park.

Beneath a tall, giant tower, a group of Fish-men laughed and played in a swimming pool.

Next to it, under a long sunshade, a row of lounge chairs was set up.

A purple-skinned strongman was lounging in one of them. He had a sharp, jagged long nose, a mouth full of sharp teeth, and a felt hat on his head, with his hair disheveled.

"Hahahaha, I wonder what kind of expression Nami will have on her face when she finds out all the money she saved up for years has been plundered."

Arlong roared with laughter, and the surrounding executives echoed his mirth.

"Boss, that was a brilliant move. But Nami will probably guess that we colluded with the Marines, right?"

"So what if she knows? Can she resist me? Hahahaha."

"We'll just let her save up another hundred million, and then we'll harvest her again."

"As long as the village is under my control, she can't possibly resist me, hahahaha."

Arlong's sinister laughter echoed throughout the park.

"Speaking of which, Hatchan sent Colonel Nezumi and them off a while ago, he should be back..."

Bang—

Before Arlong could finish his sentence, a loud crash resounded.

The park gate was violently blasted off, knocking down and pinning several nearby Fish-men.

"What happened?!"

"Hey, are you guys okay?!"

"Who is it?!"

The huge commotion drew everyone's attention.

Arlong frowned, his gaze cold as he looked over.

Through the thick smoke, a familiar orange-haired figure slowly walked in, accompanied by a few others.

"Hahahaha, it's Nami."

Arlong recognized Nami among them, then looked at the people with her and scoffed, "By the looks of it, you're not here for a friendly visit."

"You're Arlong, right?!" Luffy shouted, his face grim, walking directly towards Arlong, who was surrounded by several Fish-men.

Reiner's eyes gleamed as he surveyed the park. Various Fish-men in and around the pool were staring at them.

Two, four, eight, ten... Tsk tsk tsk, not bad at all.

He was already ecstatic. Fish-men were naturally excellent swimmers, and their arm strength was generally ten times that of humans.

They would be incredibly useful, whether as deckhands for odd jobs on a ship or as combat grunts.