Rebellion in Progress, the Weeping Cat Burglar

Seeming to sense Dongze's dissatisfaction, Robin immediately flatly denied, "Sir, hasn't your performance been obvious over the past few days? It's just Nami, that little girl whose heart is entirely set on Belis, who hasn't noticed."

Dongze frowned and thought to himself, No way! Is it really that obvious? It shouldn't be! I'm a man who has witnessed true movie emperors, after all; could I have been influenced by those one-note hams who only know how to gawk?

There were only three people present at the time, and Dongze couldn't be sure whether his acting really hadn't been up to par. Seeing Robin's certain gaze, Dongze scratched his head and dropped the matter.

Seeing that Dongze finally stopped pressing the issue, Robin couldn't help but slowly let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing she wore these contact lenses; otherwise, she wouldn't have escaped the scrutiny of those eyes.

Yet the mere thought of what she had just said made her heart beat a little faster. Upon reflection, she had been truly bold just now, actually speaking her inner thoughts out loud right in front of him with such blatant disregard.

She had still not been found out by Dongze, and an unexpected thrill unexpectedly sprouted and took root within her heart.

She was growing more and more curious about the man before her, and she felt an ever-growing urge to probe into his mind. Just like this time, clearly intending to help Nami out, she had instead driven the little girl to jump with anger, itching to leap onto him and bite him twice.

"Let's go! We'll go take a look too!"

"Hehe! I'm afraid the sir will only provoke Nami's displeasure if he goes this time!"

"Who cares about her! Over the past few days she has eaten my food, drunk my drink, worn my clothes, and on top of that she slandered and cursed me behind my back. What's wrong with me spanking her bottom a couple of times? She actually stole one hundred million Belis from me in a fit of rage!"

"The sir has the nerve to say that! Nami is a girl, after all!"

"Nami!"

"Where have you been these past two days?"

"Nojiko!"

"Look what this is!"

Nami reached out and handed the leather case in her hand over.

Noticing that Nami was quite out of the ordinary today, Nojiko saw her usual gloominess swept completely away, her face wreathed in unbridled smiles.

Nojiko looked at the box in her hand, a trace of suspicion flashing deep within her heart—just what was it that made her younger sister Nami so happy?

She figured it must be on account of this box, and at the thought, she moved to open the leather case.

"Nojiko! Don't open it yet, wait until we get home!"

As soon as Nami had returned, she spotted those Fish-Man lookouts. Opening the leather case right here, if seen by those Fish-Man, would likely cause unexpected complications.

Moreover, the words Robin had spoken to her earlier were echoing in her mind at this moment.

If Arlong's crew went back on their word, what should she do then?

"They won't, Arlong said he never goes back on his bets!"

Seeing that Nami's expression was off—she had been fine just a moment ago, but in the blink of an eye her face had suddenly turned pale, as if frightened by something—Nojiko frowned.

"Nami! What's wrong with you?"

Nojiko's words pulled her back to her senses. She had been thinking that she had finally gathered one hundred million Belis and could buy back the village and Bellemere's orange grove from Arlong's hands. Yet for some reason, Robin's words kept hovering and refusing to leave her mind at this very moment.

"Nojiko! You think... what if I've gathered one hundred million Belis, but Arlong goes back on his word?"

Nojiko was taken aback; the focal point of her attention wasn't on the prospect of him breaking his word, but rather on, "You've gathered one hundred million Belis?!"

This one hundred million Belis was no small sum; she hadn't even heard of such a colossal amount of cash before.

Seeming to think of something, Nojiko's mouth twitched. "Hey, hey! The money in this box couldn't possibly be—??"

Shortly after, the two returned home. After opening the leather case, Nojiko's face was filled with joy—the contents were indeed one hundred million Belis, not a single coin more or less.

"Hey! Nami, where did you get all this money?"

Nojiko was somewhat curious, because the sum this time was simply too massive.

She knew about Nami going out to sea, and Nami had even told her about that agreement. During her previous trips out to sea, she had also helped cover for her.

Every time Nami returned, the money she brought back amounted to at most tens of thousands, or maybe a few hundred thousand at most, but this time it was a full one hundred million.

Even if they sold Cocoyasi Village off, it wouldn't fetch that much money.

At the thought of these Belis, Nami could not help but picture a certain person's figure in her mind. Compared to Dongze who played the bad cop, Robin unquestionably left a deeper impression on her, and even this final one hundred million Belis was a gift from her.

She thought, For all I know, Sister Xiao Yi might have already been driven away by that scoundrel by now! If she's all alone outside, then once this Fish-Man business is settled, I'll bring her over to live with us!

"This is black-hearted money from a certain scoundrel! I stole a little bit of it!"

When she said this, Nami could be described as full of righteous indignation. However, had Dongze heard these words, he undoubtedly would have retorted, "Black-hearted money! Uttering such insincere words, doesn't your conscience hurt?"

Meanwhile, Arlong also received reports from his underlings that Nami was back.

To this, Arlong didn't care in the least. As long as Cocoyasi Village remained in his hands, the navigator he had set his sights on could never escape the palm of his hand.

Before long, Robin and Dongze also set foot on this island.

Dongze released his Observation Haki, pinpointing the location of the Fish-Man crew, and then quickly locked onto Nami.

At this moment, Nami was surrounded by the villagers. Although Nami had joined the Fish-Man pirate crew, they knew she did it for them, and she had even made an agreement with the Fish-Men.

They all knew how much hardship the little girl had endured over the past few years.

"Everyone!!"

Seeing everyone's attitude, Nami suddenly felt a surging urge to cry.

It turned out that Genzo, upon hearing Nami's intentions, had shared them with the townspeople, and they had come to this place with one accord.

This wasn't just some young girl's personal affair; it concerned everyone in Cocoyasi Village. A young girl had endured countless hardships and shed buckets of blood just to gather one hundred million Belis. Now that the money was collected, how could they remain indifferent and watch the little girl's efforts go to waste? What face would they have to call themselves human beings if they did?

Witnessing this scene, the corners of Robin's eyes grew somewhat moist at some point.

"Mr. Dongze, are you not going to make a move?"

Dongze's gaze grew somewhat profound, and after a slight pause, he said, "Now is not yet the time. Without undergoing the bitterest cold, how can the plum blossom smell so sweet!"

Things that are obtained too easily are never truly cherished by people.

It is a common malady, and a stubborn disease at that; it needs to be cured.

Moreover, the gunshots of rebellion had yet to sound, which did not align with his original intention. Though he was moved by these people's actions, he would not violate his own principles.

Chapter 26: Rebellion in Progress, the Weeping Cat Burglar

"Arlong!! This is bad, those villagers from Orange Town have all come over!"

q"A bunch of Seedlings—so what if they all came? No need to make a fuss over nothing!"

Arlong was unconcerned. In his eyes, these people of the East Blue were practically slaves; devoid of those terrifying humans capable of destroying the world at every turn, it was simply his paradise.

Therefore, he didn't pay Nami's group any mind; instead, he opened the gates of Arlong Park and let them right in.

"Yo! My little navigator, you're back!!"

Looking at Nami, Arlong split his large mouth into a grin, a massive tongue licking across his sharp teeth as he laughed chillingly.

Nami got straight to the point, dispensing with idle chatter. "Arlong! I've come today to fulfill that agreement!"

Arlong and the Fish-Men were taken aback. "Huh? What agreement?"

They had long since forgotten about that agreement; it was merely an excuse Arlong had used back then to make Nami, a navigator with exceptional navigational talent, work for them.

"I'm going to buy back Cocoyasi Village!"

The Fish-Men stared blankly, and after a moment of silence, they burst into raucous laughter.

"Hahaha! Hahaha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

The laughter felt just like a tight slap, fiercely landing on the faces of the people accompanying her, making them burn with heat.

Since when did they have to buy their own village and town back from the hands of others?

"Nami, that's one hundred million Belis! Even we haven't plundered that much money, don't go getting delusions!"

Chew, a Fish-Man at the side, sneered derisively.

Over the years, raiding the nearby villages and towns hadn't yielded them that much money, let alone a half-grown little girl like Nami.

"That's right! If you don't have that much money and deliberately came to tease Lord Arlong, I guarantee you won't leave here in one piece!"

"Hachi! Go call Momoo over! It looks like someone has forgotten the terror of the Arlong Pirates!"

"Arlong! Could it be that you aren't going to honor your agreement?!"

Seeing the actions of Arlong and the other Fish-Men, Genzo on the sidelines felt a surge of anger flare up in his chest as they seemingly didn't take this matter seriously. Back then, he had harbored a deep affection for Bellemere, and when Arlong killed her, he had long since come to harbor a bone-deep hatred for him.

Now Arlong's attitude was once again so arrogant, and unable to hold back his fury, he shouted out loudly.

Perhaps prompted by someone taking the lead, the remaining villagers couldn't help but chime in with support one after another.

"That's right! Arlong, are you trying to break your promise?"

"Shut up!! A bunch of Seedlings, don't say Lord Arlong didn't give you a chance. If you can cough up one hundred million Belis, Lord Arlong doesn't mind giving you your freedom. If you can't fork it out, Lord Arlong will definitely make you regret it!"

Just as Chew had said a moment ago, Arlong didn't believe Nami could produce one hundred million Belis. That was no small sum; even with the combined might of their entire pirate crew, they hadn't amassed one hundred million Belis, let alone a little girl.

However, the scene that followed left Arlong dumbfounded.

"Arlong! Open your eyes wide and take a good look!"

Nami took the leather case from Nojiko and opened it in full view of everyone. One hundred million Belis lay neatly arranged inside.

Under the sunlight, this box of Belis dazzled the Fish-Men, and even the villagers couldn't help but swallow hard. Although they had previously heard that Nami had gathered one hundred million Belis, seeing it with their own eyes still left them deeply shocked.

Arlong and his fellow Fish-Men were also stunned, completely flummoxed by this sudden one hundred million Belis. A nearby Fish-Man even walked over, confirmed it, and then nodded blankly toward Arlong.

"Arlong! I've brought the money, fulfill the agreement!"

Nami looked up at Arlong, who towered over her by goodness knows how much, and shouted with a resolute gaze.

At this moment, the villagers naturally began to voice their support for Nami once again.

Watching the agitated and impassioned crowd, Arlong's eyes began to turn tyrannical and cold. Buy back the village? How could that possibly happen? They relied on collecting protection money to expand their pirate crew in the first place.

Besides, once he let go, would a supremely talented navigator like Nami still stay in the Arlong Pirates?

However, a brilliant idea quickly popped into his head.

"This agreement, Lord Arlong will fulfill it!"

The Fish-Men were taken aback, but out of deference to Captain Arlong's authority, no one dared to speak up and interrupt. Everything seemed to be going smoothly; unlike the joy of the villagers, a trace of cruel delight flashed across Arlong's eyes at that moment.

"Lads, go plunder Orange Town all over again! Lord Arlong never said I'd give up on that village forever!"

"I see! I thought Arlong was actually going to abandon Orange Town!"

"Arlong's idea is brilliant!"

"That's right! This way, it doesn't violate our original agreement at all!"

"Since you bought it back, we'll just pillage it again!"

"A bunch of Seedlings still want freedom?"

"Ha! Ha! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha..."

Hearing these undisguised words, Nami's face flushed crimson. "Arlong, you bastard!!"

"You're going back on your word! Didn't you say you wouldn't break your agreement?"

Arlong split his mouth full of sharp teeth, his arrogant voice echoing out, "Hahaha! Nami, did this violate our agreement? Wasn't the village sold to you?"

Driven to fury, Nami couldn't help screaming, "What about after that?! You despicable wretch!!"

A cold glint flashed in Arlong's eyes. "Nami, today Lord Arlong will teach you a truth: the law of the jungle is the only rule of survival in this world. Only the strong get to make the rules, while the likes of you can only obey! Because you lot are nothing more than a bunch of scum!"

"Ha! Hahaha! Ha-ha-ha!"

Watching Nami's helpless expression tinged with a hint of despair, Arlong felt all the more exhilarated. Back in front of the Celestial Dragons, he had been treated just like this, or even worse, so he also wanted to make these people taste that exact flavor to satisfy his already twisted psychology.

Arlong opened the leather case, sweeping his massive hand across those stacks of Belis, and laughed heartily, "Truly magnificent! Next time you want to buy back the village, Lord Arlong will give you a discount—2 billion Belis!"

Upon hearing Arlong's words, the crowd instantly erupted. That was the fortune Nami had painstakingly acquired through countless trials and tribulations. Cries of condemnation began to rise, and the scene threatened to spin out of control.

At this moment, Genzo's gaze gradually began to grow resolute. He was now certain that Arlong's crew of Fish-Men had no intention of letting them go. Back then, for the sake of the big picture, he hadn't made a move, but Bellemere's daughter, Nami, had suffered such treatment on their account, and he could no longer hold back.

If it was unendurable, there was no need to endure it any longer.

Just as a certain philosopher once said, "If you do not explode in silence, you will perish in it!"