Nami's Sorrow, The Rat and Arlong Colluding in Disgrace!

Cocoyasi Village.

Genzo chatted with Natsuya at the dining table, appearing calm, yet he could not hide the nervousness in his eyes.

He had enthusiastically invited Natsuya to eat just moments ago.

But as he looked at Natsuya's handsome face during the meal, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally realized something!

He finally understood why he felt a sense of familiarity when he saw Natsuya.

Because he had seen this face on a wanted poster not long ago!

As the sheriff, Genzo paid close attention to such things.

Given that Natsuya's bounty was so high, it was impossible for Genzo to overlook it; in fact, it had left a deep impression on him!

Therefore, even though he couldn't recall it at first, it didn't take long for him to remember.

As it turned out, the Natsuya before him was a criminal with a bounty of 100 million Beli!

Realizing this, Genzo didn't know whether to be happy or worried.

He was happy because Natsuya seemed capable of helping them with their current predicament.

This man's bounty was even higher than Arlong's; if he could help them deal with the Arlong Pirates, perhaps their long-standing plight could finally be resolved!

He was worried because, why would such a person help them?

Natsuya had already done Nami a favor, so they should be the ones repaying him—how could they possibly ask him to do more for them?

Furthermore, with such a high bounty, it was hard to say what kind of character he truly had.

What if he was just another villain, as wicked as Arlong?

Thinking of these things, Genzo naturally could not remain calm.

However, Natsuya's expression remained unchanged, as if he hadn't noticed Genzo's tension at all.

Just like that.

After the meal, Genzo settled Natsuya in.

Only then did he have the opportunity to quietly share the news with Nojiko and Nami.

"What? That Natsuya is a criminal with a bounty of 100 million Beli!?"

Nojiko's mouth fell open in shock.

Nami, however, remained expressionless.

Seeing Nami's reaction, Genzo immediately understood that she had known Natsuya's identity all along.

So, Nami had brought Natsuya here to deal with the Arlong Pirates?

Thinking of this, Genzo couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache for this young girl of only eleven or twelve.

She carried far too much on her shoulders.

Just then, Nami suddenly said coldly, "Genzo, if that Natsuya is a wanted criminal, we should notify the Navy immediately!"

Genzo was stunned upon hearing this.

Nojiko's eyes widened as well.

Nami continued on her own, "If we report him to the Navy, we should receive a significant reward. By then, we might be able to buy the village back from Arlong."

"If the Navy can't catch him, that's fine too. I'll just tell him I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates and goad him into wiping them out!"

Hearing this, Genzo fell silent.

Sure enough, Nami had brought Natsuya back with the intention of dealing with the Arlong Pirates.

No, it would be more accurate to say she intended to resolve their predicament.

If the Navy could deal with Natsuya, they would receive a massive bounty and could buy the village from Arlong.

Of course, it was more likely that the Navy wouldn't be able to handle Natsuya, and if Natsuya then turned his anger toward Nami, she would use that opportunity to shift the disaster onto the Arlong Pirates.

As long as the Arlong Pirates were wiped out, their village would naturally be free from suffering.

However, just as Genzo was thinking this, Nojiko said, "Nami, that won't work. Didn't you say that man saved you?"

"We haven't even had a chance to repay him; how could we harm him?"

This time, it was Nami's turn to be stunned.

She suddenly recalled the events of the past few days, the way Natsuya had saved her from Olig and his men.

Afterward, Genzo pondered for a moment and agreed, "Nami, doing that is truly not right. Besides, you would be in danger if you did."

He said this primarily because even if Natsuya were to go after the Arlong Pirates, he would very likely turn against Nami first.

If something were to happen to Nami, it wouldn't matter if Cocoyasi Village were liberated or not.

He believed the other villagers felt the same way.

Therefore, Genzo also opposed Nami's plan to report him.

Nami was completely stunned upon hearing this.

She had assumed that Nojiko and Genzo would be overjoyed to learn there was a possibility of saving Cocoyasi Village.

But now, why were their reactions like this!?

Thinking this, Nami's small face suddenly turned cold: "If you won't report it, I'll go myself!"

As soon as the words left her lips, Nami dashed out.

Nojiko cried out: "Nami!"

Caught off guard, Genzo failed to stop Nami either.

Watching her sprinting figure, he simply gave up on trying to intercept her.

He knew that saving Cocoyasi Village was Nami's obsession.

For the sake of this obsession, the young girl had put in efforts beyond what anyone could imagine.

Since that was the case, he would let her go.

If Nami were truly in danger when the time came, he would lead all the villagers to stand before Natsuya and fight to the death.

And so, Nami ran all the way out.

Yet, in the end, she did not go to report it; instead, she stopped halfway, crouched down, and tears like pearls fell in large drops.

The young girl kept it suppressed, covering her mouth so she wouldn't cry out loud.

What the young girl didn't know was that, inside a different dimension, a figure in a suit was silently watching it all.

Time passed.

Soon, three days had gone by.

At the Marine branch, Colonel Mouse hung up the call with Arlong.

Over the phone, Arlong had expressed strong dissatisfaction.

The reason for his dissatisfaction was precisely that three days had passed, and Colonel Mouse still hadn't dispatched his troops.

Recalling this, Colonel Mouse couldn't help but feel a bit depressed.

It wasn't that he didn't want to send troops, but after he reported the news, his superiors said they would notify Vice Admiral Garp, who was vacationing in the East Blue, to deal with Natsuya!

In other words, they just needed to move out alongside Garp when the time came.

But to his surprise, three days had passed, and he hadn't even caught a glimpse of Vice Admiral Garp.

When he tried calling, he couldn't get through at all.

Of course, given Vice Admiral Garp's status, no one would dare blame him even if he arrived late.

But the problem was, if they dragged this out any longer, there was a high chance Natsuya would leave Cocoyasi Village!

And this was likely the main reason for Arlong's dissatisfaction.

If they kept stalling like this, what would happen if Natsuya left!?

Colonel Mouse also felt this was a major issue.

If Natsuya left, his 100 million berry bounty would fly away!

If Natsuya wasn't in this area, he would have no reason to dispatch his troops at all!

Therefore, after much deliberation, Colonel Mouse made a bold decision.

That was to stop waiting for Vice Admiral Garp and instead dispatch his troops to deal with Natsuya first!

Of course, Colonel Mouse knew the combat strength of his own Marine branch.

Trying to deal with a criminal with a 100 million berry bounty was absolutely wishful thinking!

So, he quickly came up with the same solution as Arlong: to borrow the other party's strength!

Arlong wanted to borrow the Marines' power, while Colonel Mouse wanted to borrow the power of the Arlong Pirates.

Driven by the same idea, these two guys quickly colluded, hit it off, and then each gathered their men to head toward Cocoyasi Village.