"Gurahahaha!"
Arlong's laughter burst across the courtyard like a blunt instrument striking stone slabs.
"You say there's one hundred million Beli in here? Nami, I'd say you're just blowing hot air." Arlong deliberately dragged out the end of his tone, his mouth parting to reveal jagged, stark-white teeth.
Hearing this, Nami's chest heaved violently as something cold crawled up her spine, yet a far more scorching fury burned within her ribs.
"If you don't believe it, you can count it!"
This sentence was practically squeezed out from between Nami's teeth.
How many years had it been? Countless times she had imagined this scenario, pictured herself finally standing tall before Arlong, tossing out enough Beli to buy back her village's freedom.
And now, she really stood here, only to feel that the paving stones beneath her feet were colder than she had imagined!
"Fine!"
Arlong stopped laughing. "Then I'll count it!"
Arlong tilted his head, his gaze sweeping over the Fish-Man officers in the courtyard before finally locking onto Choo the Kissing Fish-Man.
"Choo! You go tally it up!"
Choo crossed his arms and strolled forward leisurely, deliberately bumping his shoulder against Nami as he passed her.
Though it wasn't heavy, it was enough to send the slight Nami stumbling half a step.
Nami bit her lower lip, uttering no sound as she simply glared at Choo's retreating back.
Choo squatted down in front of the treasure chest.
The courtyard fell silent, so quiet that even the distant sobbing of the sea waves was clearly audible. Every Fish-Man's gaze converged on the open treasure chest, those mountains of accumulated wealth shimmering with alluring luster in the setting sun.
Choo extended his thick, stubby fingers and began counting piece by piece. Banknotes were picked up and put down in bundles, goldware was weighed in the palm, and jewelry was nudged to produce crisp clinking sounds.
Time ticked by second by second, and Nami's heartbeat rose and fell with Choo's movements.
At last, Choo halted his actions and raised his head, a bizarre expression fixed on his face-a mixture of astonishment, greed, and a trace of a guilty conscience.
"Well? Choo," Arlong narrowed his eyes, his voice carrying a certain implication. "Is it enough? Think before you answer."
Choo first glanced at Nami, then turned his head to look at Arlong on the high platform.
Nami's heart plummeted violently.
"Choo! It's not enough! Arlong! There's only... only ninety-five million Beli! We're still way short!"
Choo stood up, his eyes guiltily darting aside as he exaggeratedly fanned himself with his hand, acting as though the courtyard were sweltering.
"How is that possible! I counted it myself several times!" Raging with anger, Nami lunged forward in a single bound and clamped her hands tightly onto Choo's shoulders.
"You're lying! You didn't count it properly at all! Every single one of those pieces of jewelry is worth a fortune! And those antiques-"
"When it comes down to it, it's because you didn't exchange all of it into Beli."
Another voice cut in, calm and detached, like a basin of ice water poured over Nami's head.
She turned her head to see Kuroobi the Cartilaginous Fish-Man standing to the side with his arms crossed, his face devoid of any expression.
"Those battered old jars don't look like they're worth anything at all."
Kuroobi looked down at the treasure chest from his superior height, his gaze sweeping over the exquisite vases, gem-inlaid jewelry boxes, and intricately carved goldware before curling his lip.
"Maybe there aren't even ninety-five million there; you just assumed they were worth that much."
Nami's breathing stalled for a fraction of a second. She whipped around, lunged at the treasure chest, and scooped up a blue-and-white porcelain vase from the pile of riches.
The vase body was delicate as fat and its glaze warm as jade, while the winding lotus patterns upon it were so exquisite they seemed to sway in the breeze.
"This antique alone is worth eight million Beli! Eight million! This was a collection of the duke's!"
This was a priceless treasure Nami had personally picked out from the riches the Duke had gifted to Norton.
"How do you prove it?" Arlong refused to acknowledge it.
Stiffly, Nami turned around to find Arlong had already stepped down from the high platform and was standing less than a meter behind her.
"How do you prove this broken jar is worth eight million? Huh?" Arlong leaned down, pressing close to Nami's ear as he spoke.
Warm breath puffed against Nami's auricle, causing every hair on her body to stand on end instantly.
Immediately afterward, Arlong straightened up, spread his arms wide, and surveyed the surrounding Fish-Men as his voice abruptly spiked:
"Take a look, everyone! Just this broken jar here, and she says it's worth eight million Beli? Who would believe that?"
The Fish-Men obligingly burst into raucous laughter.
"That's right! It looks just about like the piss pot in my house!"
"Humans just love to brag!"
"Gurahahaha!"
The laughter drove into Nami's skin like needles, and the hands holding the porcelain vase began to tremble!
It wasn't because of the weight, but because something far deeper was collapsing inside her.
She looked at Arlong's face written all over with mockery, looked at Choo's guilty, darting eyes, looked at Kuroobi's detached expression, and looked at the faces of the surrounding Fish-Men laughing brazenly.
Abruptly, Nami felt everything become clear. It was like a thick fog clearing away to reveal the vicious reefs beneath.
"I get it..." She suddenly raised her head, glaring viciously at Arlong. "You're just playing with me!"
An antique as precious as this could be recognized as immensely valuable at a single glance, yet Arlong had deliberately gone against his conscience to call it a battered, worthless jar!
Even if she converted the antiques into cash, Arlong would just find all sorts of excuses to renege, wouldn't he?
Suddenly, Nami believed Norton's words. Norton hadn't lied to her!
Arlong had never intended to honor the agreement at all!
"When did I ever renege?!" Arlong's smile froze for a split second before he violently thrust out his hand, his massive palm slamming over Nami's mouth!
Rough scales scraped against her cheek, and immense force squeezed her jawbone as if about to crush it. The sensation of suffocation surged into her brain instantly, her vision began to darken, and a buzzing rang in her ears.
"Say it again? Huh?"
Arlong leaned in close to Nami, murder flashing in his eyes.
Nami struggled desperately, her hands beating uselessly against Arlong's arm while her feet kicked wildly at the stone paving.
Yet a Fish-Man's strength was simply not something she could contend with.
Her consciousness began to blur, her lungs burned with fiery pain, and only Arlong's pair of cold eyes wavered within her field of vision like deep-sea predators.
Just when Nami thought she was going to suffocate to death, Arlong abruptly released his grip. Staggering backward, Nami dragged in huge breaths of air while her vision danced with black spots.
"Gura hahaha!"
Arlong burst into loud laughter, as if the explosive fury of a moment ago had never happened.
"Keep trying harder! Nami! Take your money back! Save up properly! Come back to me when you've saved up another hundred million!"
The Fish-Men roared with laughter once more.
Nami stood frozen in place, panting heavily as her gaze swept over Arlong's twisted smiling face, looked at the mocking expressions all around, and looked at those treasures in the chest she had traded everything for.
Abruptly, she grew calm, bent down, and began putting the treasures back into the chest one by one. She continued until she closed the lid and latched the lock, the crisp click of the metal clasping shut ringing out.
Straightening her back, Nami hoisted the heavy treasure chest back onto her shoulder.
"You'll regret this, Arlong," Nami said in a low voice.
Hearing Nami's words, Arlong first blinked in surprise before bursting into loud mockery.
"Gura hahaha! Did you all hear that clearly? Nami says she'll make me regret it!!"
The remaining Fish-Men roared with laughter again as well.
Nami showed no more emotional agitation. Quietly turning her back on Arlong and all the Fish-Men, she took a stride and walked step by step out of the gates of Arlong Park.
The laughter of the Fish-Men gradually subsided after Nami left.
Gazing at Nami's departing back, Kuroobi walked over to Arlong with a slight frown.
"Arlong, you're just letting her leave like that? That hundred million Beli..."
"I know." The smile on Arlong's face had already vanished.
"Contact Captain Nezumi and have the Marines confiscate Nami's money. We can't afford to fall out too bitterly with Nami just yet; she still has some use."
Kuroobi nodded. "Then what about Nami... how should we handle her?"
Arlong sneered, "When she realizes she has nothing left, she'll naturally come crawling back obediently. Humans are always like this... they have to have their bones broken by reality a few times before they learn how to kneel!"
Nami didn't walk far. Following the familiar little path, she returned once more to the orange grove.
Before the setting sun sank completely beneath the horizon, its final rays dyed the swaths of orange trees a warm orange. Heavy with fruit that weighed down the branches, the air was saturated with the sweet, fresh fragrance unique to citrus.
Nami walked to the spot where she had buried the treasure chest.
The pit was still there, the surrounding dirt fresh and damp. She squatted down and began pushing the scattered earth back into the hole with her hands.
Her fingernails were packed with dirt and the bases of her palms ached from being bruised by sharp gravel, but Nami didn't stop.
When the final handful of soil leveled the ground, she knelt beside the tree, palms pressed against the ground with her head hung low as her breathing began to tremble.
Her lower lip had been bitten raw without her realizing it, but Nami still forced herself not to make a sound.
She let her shoulders heave until liquid, no longer able to be held back, welled from her eye sockets and dripped into the dirt.
Images flashed through her mind.
The cold sweat on her palms when she stole her first wallet; the starlight outside the window while she charted sea maps on unfamiliar ships; the tension every time she returned to the village to secretly bury treasure in the dark of night; Bellemere's final smile before being shot to death...
And Arlong's face from just moments ago, that undisguised contempt.
She raised her hand and viciously wiped across her eyes with the back of her hand. Her skin was rubbed red, but the tears stopped.
Deep within the orange grove stood the little cabin. The lights were already lit, and Nojiko's moving silhouette was cast upon the paper window.
"Nojiko..."
Nami watched for a long time before standing up. She brushed the dirt from her hands, straightened her disheveled hair and clothes, hoisted the treasure chest, cast one final glance at the small cabin and this orange grove gradually blurring in the twilight, and turned to walk in the direction of the coast.
The night was as black as ink.
Carrying the treasure chest, Nami returned to the bay where the White Pearl was moored, making her way straight into the ship's cabin.
The people on deck cast curious glances at Nami's return, but no one asked any questions.
The door to the captain's quarters was left ajar, spilling warm yellow light.
Nami paused before the door for a moment, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open to step inside.
Norton was standing before the sea chart in a daze, Sanosuke stood like a shadow in the corner, Funing was flipping through thick books off to the side, and Zoro sat curled up on the couch clutching three swords, looking as though he had drunk his fill of alcohol.
Nami walked to the center of the room and dropped the heavy treasure chest onto the floor with a thud.
The dull impact of the metal chest bottom against the wooden floorboards was exceptionally clear in the silent room.
"I lost."
She looked at no one, simply keeping her head lowered as her short orange hair obscured most of her face, her lips tightly pressed together and her shoulders trembling slightly.
Yet immediately afterward, Nami abruptly raised her head, her bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at Norton.
"I'm giving all of this one hundred million Beli to you! Norton! I only ask that you do me a favor!"
She took a step forward and pressed her hands against the edge of the table.
"I am going to avenge Bellemere! I'm going to make Arlong pay back everything he owes me!"
Tears finally welled uncontrollably from Nami's eye sockets, but these were not tears of sorrow-they were molten iron forged from anger and hatred!
Norton turned his head, a wild, arrogant smile spreading across his face.
"I'll gladly take this one hundred million Beli."
"Welcome back, our navigator."
Arlong Park.
The bonfire in the courtyard was not yet fully extinguished. The Fish-Men gathered in twos and threes, the smell of alcohol and the thrill of mocking Nami moments ago still lingering in the air.
Arlong sat upon his high seat, toying with an empty wine glass while a habitual, cruel smile hung at the corners of his mouth.
Nearby, Kuroobi was reporting on the progress of contacting Captain Nezumi.
"...That stupid captain has already agreed to bring men to 'search' the place where Nami hides her money tomorrow," Kuroobi stated.
"Gura hahaha! Excellent!"
Arlong laughed loudly. "Let humans deal with humans; we only need to wait to collect the money, and... wait for our stray surveyor to come back crying and begging me."
He seemed to already picture Nami's desperate face, and his mood grew all the more pleasant.
However, before the smile at the corners of his mouth could fully expand-
"BOOM!"
A deafening roar suddenly exploded, as if thunder had split directly across the center of the courtyard!
The heavy iron gates, along with a portion of the door frame, deformed and twisted as though struck by a massive sea beast. They broke free from their hinges and crashed inward with a thunderous roar!
The heavy door panels smashed into the ground, kicking up a sky-full of dust and shaking the entire courtyard.
The bonfire swayed violently, and the Fish-Men jumped up in shock as wine glasses and dishes clattered across the ground.
As the dust slightly dispersed, the cold moonlight poured in from the blown-open gates, outlining a tall, straight figure.
Short silver hair cast a chilling sheen in the moonlight, and on his sculptural, handsome face, the corners of his mouth split into a swaggering, unbridled grin.
Norton stood with his hands in his pockets, maintaining the posture of a side kick. He slowly withdrew his leg, stepped over the twisted iron gates, and entered Arlong Park.
Zoro, clutching three swords, and Sanosuke, with his cold gaze, stood like left and right guardian deities flanking Norton!
And behind the three of them, twelve pirates of the Redbeard Pirates brandished weapons, clustering around an orange-haired girl with an icy expression.
"Nami?" Arlong wore a bewildered expression, looking over Norton and the others as if he finally understood something.
"Where did you dredge up these reinforcements from? You surely don't think you can beat me with just a few people like this, do you?"
"Did you really think Arlong Park was some place where any stray cat or dog could come run wild?"
"You actually brought men from the outside to come cause trouble!!"
Arlong grinned, spreading his arms wide to display the numerous Fish-Men subordinates in the courtyard, and looked at Nami with disdain.
"You saw the fate of that batch of reckless Marines last time. It seems you forgot the pain and need me to refresh your memory!"
"Why waste words with them?! Since they dared break in, tear them to pieces!"
Choo could no longer hold back. His gills bulged, and a high-pressure jet of water shot like a sharp arrow straight toward Norton at the lead.
Yet before the water arrow could arrive, a green blade-light arrived first!
Zoro's figure flashed like a phantom, the cold flash of the Wado Ichimonji being drawn slicing through the air and vanishing instantly.
The water arrow was cleaved down the middle, transforming into powerless little droplets that spattered away.
Zoro stepped in front of Norton, all three of his swords drawn before anyone noticed.
"Your opponent is me, ugly fish," Zoro said, biting down on the Wado Ichimonji as his voice came out muffled yet brimming with excitement.
At the same time, Kuroobi the Cartilaginous Fish-Man on the other flank slid forward silently.
The opening stance of Fish-Man Karate carried a fierce, cutting wind as it aimed straight for Sanosuke.
Sanosuke did not even lift his eyelids. With a flicker of movement, he made Kuroobi's sure-hit strike miss!
Alarm bells screamed in Kuroobi's mind. He whipped his head around, only to find the tip of a kunai already resting silently against the side of his neck like a venomous snake!
Sanosuke's icy voice sounded behind his ear. "Don't move."
In an instant, of the two officers Arlong relied on, one had been intercepted and the other subdued!
"Boys!" Norton said with a smile.
"Yeah!!" The twelve pirates behind him brandished their blades and shouted.
"Get them!"
"Aye!!"
The twelve pirates roared, waving their swords as they charged into the crowd of fish-men!
As Redbeard's former subordinates, these pirates were no weaklings. For a time, they actually fought the more numerous fish-men to a standstill!
The clash of metal, furious roars, and screams instantly filled all of Arlong Park.
Arlong's expression finally changed. For the first time, a crack appeared in his mocking, contemptuous look. His face slowly darkened, turning grim and savage.
His serrated teeth clenched tightly as his gaze swept past the chaotic battlefield and locked onto the silver-haired man who, ever since entering, had done nothing beyond kicking down the gate, merely watching it all with an amused smile.