Arlong (Please Follow!)

"How could this be? You're going back on your word?!"

Nami was burning with rage, but she instinctively lowered her head to look at her treasure chest.

There was nothing inside.

"That's impossible!"

"I checked it just now! It was right in here!"

Nami looked utterly lost, followed by overwhelming panic.

The chest should have contained treasure worth over 100 Million Berries. It was the 100 Million Berries she had scraped together over the years, after pouring in endless effort and nearly dying several times.

With that money, she could have bought Cocoyasi Village back from Arlong, and everyone would no longer have to live so painfully.

But now...

Everything was gone.

"Nami~"

Arlong grabbed Nami by the hair and lifted her up. Watching her struggle in agony, he felt an indescribable thrill in his heart.

Once upon a time.

Those humans on Fish-Man Island had seized his people in just this way, ignoring their cries and tears as they dragged them away to be sold across the world.

They either became materials on an experiment table, Slaves in pitch-black mines, or even had their limbs cut off and were turned into... works of art for others to admire.

What perfect works of art!

That was what Arlong thought, before lowering his voice and whispering in Nami's ear:

"I can let you off this time. But if there's a next time, the price for buying back your village will double!"

"It was you!"

Nami pressed her lips together and glared at Arlong furiously.

"You stole my treasure!"

"Have you lost your mind?!"

Arlong mocked.

"I've been with you the whole time, and earlier I was meeting with Rat. When would I have had the time to steal your things?"

"Think carefully about who it was!"

Nami froze. The next instant, she clenched her teeth and spat out a name she did not even want to believe.

"It was Carina!"

"It was her!"

The smile on Arlong's face widened. He gently patted Nami's cheek and said:

"I'll give you half a month. If you can't find it, then the next price for buying back the village will be..."

Arlong raised two fingers.

"200 Million Berries!"

"How could that be?!"

Nami froze and instinctively raised her voice. Arlong grinned viciously and extended a third finger.

"I've changed my mind. If you don't recover that money within half a month, the price of Cocoyasi Village will triple!"

"That is, 300 Million Berries!"

"I..."

"Four—!"

"I'll definitely get it back!"

Nami tightly pursed her lips. She did not even care about the pain in her scalp as she immediately agreed.

Because she had no idea how despairing a price Arlong would name if this continued. But did she have a choice?

This had always been an unfair deal!

But as long as she could not bear to watch the people of Cocoyasi Village die, she had no choice.

"Shahahahahahaha~"

Arlong let out his signature vicious laugh, then threw Nami into the dirt pit and slowly turned to leave.

A few minutes later, Arlong gradually disappeared into the distance, while Nami's heart-rending screams began to echo from the Orange Grove.

"Arlong!"

"Arlong!"

"Arlong!"

Nojiko rushed over at the sound, but stopped the moment she saw Nami. Even without knowing what had happened, she could feel Nami's despair.

Half an hour later.

Nami staggered to her feet and climbed out of the dirt pit, gritting her teeth.

Nojiko did not say anything. Amid Nami's startled gaze, she pulled her into her arms and said through clenched teeth:

"Nami~"

"If you're tired, then run away. After all, you'd only be leaving behind a group of people who hate you."

"We..."

"Aren't worth it."

Nami did not respond. She only held Nojiko tightly.

Nojiko patted Nami's back, but her body trembled almost imperceptibly as she felt dampness against her chest.

"Cry."

"You'll feel better once you cry."

The next day.

When Nojiko woke up, Nami was already gone. A letter with a smiling face and an orange drawn on the envelope lay by her bedside.

"I'll definitely get that treasure back, even if it means falling out with my best friend."

Seeing the contents of the letter, Nojiko felt as though she could not breathe.

She slowly put away the letter and went out to the constable's patrol office, raising her hand to knock on the door.

Bang!

Bang!

Bang!

A few seconds later.

A thin middle-aged man with a windmill on his head and scars all over his face opened the door.

The man was Akin, Cocoyasi Village's constable.

However, ever since Arlong's group had arrived and the Marines had colluded with the Arlong Pirates, the position of constable had become nothing but a joke.

Yet this man had never given up. Even if it cost him his life, he would protect the people of the village and the two girls he regarded as daughters.

"Akin, Nami still hasn't given up. I don't know what happened to her, but it feels like she lost everything overnight..."

"Do you think that even if she meets Arlong's demands, he'll really hand Cocoyasi Village over to her?"

Akin shook his head.

"How could he? How much can a pirate's words be trusted?"

"I'll find out what happened!"

"Be careful."

Nojiko nodded, but she could not stop herself from asking:

"I don't understand. Everyone knows what Nami is trying to do, so why do they still speak so harshly to her? I even saw children insulting her."

Akin paused.

"Nojiko, every bit of kindness we show her will only make the village more important in her heart."

"If one day she truly gets tired and wants to leave, how will she overcome the guilt in her heart?"

With that, Akin hurried away, leaving Nojiko standing dumbly at the door.

At the same time.

On the top floor of Arlong Park, a pile of dirt-stained treasure sat on the table before Arlong.

He picked up a handkerchief and wiped each treasure clean one by one.

Every time he set one down, Nami's expression from the previous night surfaced in his mind, and an inexplicable thrill welled up from the depths of his heart.

"Nami~"

"My navigator, my doll."

"If one day you discover that this was all nothing but a scam, that you can never buy back your village, what kind of expression will you make then?"

"Will it be like my fellow people, making others unable to help but feel pity?"

"But why don't humans have such feelings?"

Bang!

Arlong crushed the gemstone in his hand. His expression twisted to the extreme.

"Humans without feelings should be the lowest, most inferior creatures in this world!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Arlong's face was expressionless as he said:

"Come in!"

Kuroobi pushed the door open and said:

"Arlong, Rat sent word. He wants us to watch out for a pirate crew that's recently been active in the East Blue."

"Who?"

"The Gawain Pirates. Their captain, Gawain, already has a Bounty of 85 Million Berries. That figure isn't low even on the Grand Line."

"Shahahahahahaha~"