Kalifa's brows furrowed slightly when she heard the old woman's words.
This was not the answer she had wanted.
Unwilling to give up, Kalifa asked several more people nearby.
But the answers she received were more or less the same.
Kalifa was rather puzzled now.
Could it be that the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were all habitually expressionless?
Captain Nezumi came over to Kalifa's side and said respectfully, "My lady, I didn't lie to you, did I? The villagers on this island have always been like this. When I first arrived, I thought I'd done something wrong."
As soon as Captain Nezumi finished speaking, the surrounding villagers immediately said, "No, no, this is just how we are!"
"Captain Nezumi is the best Marine I've ever seen!"
"If it weren't for him, we couldn't possibly be living so happily now!"
Captain Nezumi kept nodding, clearly enjoying the villagers' words.
Once that White Dove leaves, I'll charge them a little less money!
Captain Nezumi grinned. Combined with the three whiskers on each side of his face, he looked extremely sleazy.
He gave off the air of a petty man drunk on success.
But just then, two girls stepped out from the crowd.
One had short orange hair and looked very cute.
The other had short blue hair and looked rather cool.
The two girls came before Roya and said, "Sir, he's lying! He's colluding with Arlong and constantly exploiting us. If we can't pay, they'll kill us! Bellemere died because of them!"
Nami looked at the gentle-looking Roya, her bright eyes filled with excitement.
When Captain Nezumi saw the two girls, his heart skipped a beat. Cold sweat nearly soaked through his clothes.
"M-My lord, don't listen to these two. It's just one of their pranks. Especially that orange-haired girl, Nami—she's always full of lies. She's fooled me plenty of times before!"
Captain Nezumi approached Nami with a smile. "Nami, lying isn't a good habit. Go home now, and I'll pretend none of this ever happened!"
At that moment, everyone in the Cocoyasi Village marketplace was watching the scene unfold.
Among them was a man with a small mustache, and he was utterly alarmed.
His name was Kensuke, and he was Cocoyasi Village's peace officer. But under Arlong's rule, that title had no real meaning anymore.
He had already noticed Captain Nezumi's increasingly sinister expression.
He immediately went over to Nami and Nojiko and said to Captain Nezumi, "Captain Nezumi, I'm sorry you had to see this. These two are just too mischievous. I'll take them home right away!"
As he spoke, Kensuke looked at Nami and Nojiko and signaled for them to leave quickly.
"Do you two have a death wish? What are you standing there for? Go home, now! If you anger Captain Nezumi, the two of you will..."
Kensuke did not continue.
He was afraid he would lose control of his emotions.
But Nami and Nojiko merely exchanged a smile at Kensuke's words.
They said to him, "Uncle Kensuke, you're a good person, but this is our only chance now!"
Then Nami said to Roya, "Please save us. Save this village. I beg you, Admiral White Dove!"
The other villagers might not have known what Roya's identity truly meant.
But Nami happened to know.
Not long ago, she had rescued a News Coo on the beach after it had been injured in a storm.
As if in repayment, the News Coo had given her a newspaper.
From that newspaper, she had learned about the current situation on the seas and the newly appointed Three Admirals.
So after recognizing Roya, Nami and Nojiko gathered their courage and came before him.
Seeing that things had reached this point, Captain Nezumi's fake smile froze on his face.
"My lord, you don't really believe their nonsense, do you?"
"Nonsense? If anyone's full of nonsense, it's you!" Nami looked at Roya. "Admiral White Dove, don't let him fool you! He's in league with the Arlong Pirates. They've even built Arlong Park on the coast of the island. Whether we're lying or not, Admiral White Dove, just let me take you there and see for yourself!"
Nami spoke quickly, and her expression had already grown somewhat anxious.
Seeing this, Captain Nezumi hurriedly said, "My lord, the sun is truly scorching right now. Why not come sit in my office for a while? I..."
"Lead the way."
When Roya cut Captain Nezumi off, Nami and Nojiko immediately became excited.
"I'll take you there right away, Admiral White Dove!"
"Just call me Roya. White Dove is only a title."
"Okay, Roya!"
Captain Nezumi was drenched in cold sweat. "No, no, it's just hot. A little hot!"
Though Captain Nezumi said that aloud, all he felt was bone-deep cold. It's over, it's over. What do I do now? If we really go to Arlong Park and he sees all those Fish-Man Pirates, I'm finished!
Captain Nezumi thought to himself.
But after thinking it over, he could not come up with any better solution.
He could only follow behind Roya as they headed toward Arlong Park.
Before long, they arrived at Arlong Park. Nami and Nojiko clearly did not dare push open the gate.
Seeing this, Kalifa slowly opened it.
Captain Nezumi had already closed his eyes in despair. He could imagine exactly how Admiral White Dove would treat him after seeing the Arlong Pirates.
But as Kalifa slowly pushed open the gate, the sight before them stunned everyone.
Children were playing inside Arlong Park, while several adults watched over them.
Like an amusement park, it was filled with laughter and cheer.
Nami and Nojiko froze at the sight before them.
"How could this be? That's impossible!"
"Arlong Pirates are supposed to live in here!"
Captain Nezumi laughed. "My lord, see? I told you so. These two little girls are addicted to lying. Don't let them fool you. This is just an ordinary amusement park. Where would any Arlong Pirates come from?"
Hearing the amusement in Captain Nezumi's voice, Nami and Nojiko felt terror spreading all around them...