A Girl Blocks the Way, the Last Hope

Kalifa frowned slightly at the old woman's words.

This was not the answer she had wanted.

Unwilling to give up, Kalifa asked someone else nearby.

But the answers she received were all basically the same.

Kalifa was puzzled.

Could it be that the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were habitually expressionless?

Captain Nezumi came over to Kalifa's side and respectfully said, "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 didn't understand and thought I'd done something wrong."

As soon as Captain Nezumi finished speaking, the surrounding villagers immediately chimed in, "No, no, this is just how we are!"

"Captain Nezumi is the best Marine I've ever met!"

"If it weren't for him, we couldn't possibly be living such happy lives now!"

Captain Nezumi kept nodding, clearly enjoying the villagers' words.

Once that White Dove leaves, I'll take a little less money from them!

Captain Nezumi curled his lips into a grin. Combined with the three whiskers on each side of his face, he looked exceptionally sleazy.

He gave off the air of a petty man drunk on success.

But at that moment, two girls stepped out from the crowd.

One had short orange hair and looked adorable.

The other had short blue hair and looked rather cool.

The two girls walked up to Roya and said, "Sir, he's lying! He's in league with Arlong, and they keep exploiting us! If we can't pay them, they'll kill us! That's how Bellemere died!"

Nami looked at the gentle-looking Roya before her, her bright eyes filled with excitement.

The moment Captain Nezumi saw the two girls, his heart lurched. Cold sweat nearly soaked through his clothes.

"M-My lady, p-please don't listen to these two. This is all just one of their pranks. Especially that orange-haired girl, Nami—she's a compulsive liar. She's tricked me plenty of times before!"

Captain Nezumi walked over to 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 Cocoyasi Village's marketplace watched the scene unfold before them.

Among them was a man with a small mustache, whose heart was pounding in alarm.

His name was Kensuke, and he was Cocoyasi Village's peace officer. But under Arlong's rule, that title no longer carried any real meaning.

He had already seen Captain Nezumi's expression gradually turn sinister.

He immediately hurried over to Nami and Nojiko, then said to Captain Nezumi, "Captain Nezumi, please excuse them. These two are just far too mischievous. I'll take them home right away!"

As he spoke, Kensuke looked at Nami and Nojiko and gestured for them to leave quickly.

"Don't you want to live? What are you standing around for? Go home, now! If you anger Captain Nezumi, the two of you will..."

Kensuke could not continue.

He was afraid he would lose control of his emotions.

Yet 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 turned to Roya. "Please save us. Save this village. Please, Admiral White Dove!"

The other villagers might not have understood what Roya's identity meant.

But Nami happened to know.

Not long ago, she had rescued a news-delivery bird on the beach that had been injured in a storm.

As if in repayment, the bird 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's identity, Nami and Nojiko had gathered their courage and come before him.

Seeing things reach this point, Captain Nezumi's false smile froze on his face.

"My lady, you don't really believe their nonsense, do you?"

"Nonsense? If anyone's spouting nonsense, it should be you!" Nami looked at Roya. "Admiral White Dove, don't let him fool you! He's working hand in glove with the Arlong Pirates. They've even built Arlong Park along the island's coast. Whether we're lying or not, you'll know as soon as I take you there!"

Nami spoke quickly, and a trace of urgency had entered her expression.

Seeing this, Captain Nezumi immediately said, "My lady, the sun is really harsh right now. How about coming to my office to rest for a while? I..."

"Lead the way."

When Roya cut Captain Nezumi off, Nami and Nojiko immediately grew 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. "N-No, it's nothing. It's just hot. A little hot!"

Though Captain Nezumi said so, 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, then I'm truly finished!

Captain Nezumi thought to himself.

But after thinking it over and 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 to push open the gate.

Seeing this, Kalifa slowly opened it.

Captain Nezumi had already shut his eyes in despair. He could already imagine how Admiral White Dove would treat him after seeing the Arlong Pirates.

Yet as Kalifa slowly pushed the gate open, 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 joy.

Nami and Nojiko were completely dumbfounded by what they saw.

"How can this be? That's impossible!"

"Arlong Pirates were supposed to be living in here!"

Captain Nezumi smiled at that moment. "My lady, see? I told you. These two little girls are addicted to lying. Don't let them fool you. This is just an ordinary amusement park. Where are these Arlong Pirates you speak of?"

Hearing the amusement in Captain Nezumi's voice, Nami and Nojiko felt terror spreading through the air around them...