Arlong

As she watched Nami head toward Arlong Park, Nojiko's face filled with worry. She knew Arlong was a terrifying pirate and was worried about Nami's safety.

Lott spoke up at just the right moment. "If you're worried about Nami, why not follow her and take a look?"

Nojiko glanced hesitantly at Lott and the others.

"Don't worry. We can pick these ourselves," Kuro said, reaching up to pluck an orange from a tree.

Nojiko nodded firmly to everyone, then left in the direction Nami had gone.

Lott straightened up and pounded the muscles around his waist. "Come on, let's go take a look too."

With that, he walked slowly off into the distance.

Ling'er and the other two exchanged glances, smiled, and followed.

Lott's pace remained slow along the way, without the urgency one might have expected. But his Super Mantra had already covered the entire island, with particular focus on tracking the electromagnetic waves of Nami and Nojiko.

If anything went wrong, he could appear right in front of Nami with a single Electromagnetic Instantaneous Movement.

Arlong Park.

"Oh, look who's back. Isn't this Nami, the navigator of our Arlong Pirates?" a fish-man seated at the head said with a hint of mockery.

He had a rather distinctive appearance: blue skin, fins on his back, yet long, thick black hair, a mouthful of sharp teeth, and an especially eye-catching sawtoothed nose.

He was none other than the leader of Arlong Park-Arlong the fish-man.

Hearing Arlong's teasing tone, a trace of self-mockery flashed through Nami's eyes before her smile quickly returned. Carrying the case, she slowly approached Arlong.

"Arlong, our agreement still stands, right?"

Arlong curled his lips, putting on a puzzled expression. "What agreement?"

Holding back the emotions threatening to erupt, Nami tried to keep her voice calm. "The one where I can buy Cocoyasi Village if I save up a hundred million Beli."

Arlong rubbed his head with his webbed left hand, frowning slightly. "Let me think. Hmm... I suppose there was something like that."

Then he looked up at Nami, a hint of ridicule in his eyes. "Don't tell me you actually saved up a hundred million Beli?"

Nami said nothing and instead pressed her hand against the case's latch.

With a click, the case opened, its lid falling down.

The fish-men looked inside the case, which was filled to the brim with Beli, and their mouths fell open.

"Here's a hundred million Beli. It's yours, and Cocoyasi Village belongs to me. From now on, you can't do anything to Cocoyasi Village, and you must never enter it again."

With that, Nami slowly set the case full of Beli on the ground.

Arlong stared at Nami with a scrutinizing gaze. He had not expected her to actually save up a hundred million Beli either.

"Shahahahaha! Nami, is there really a hundred million Beli in there?"

Then he tilted his head toward a fish-man lackey beside him.

The fish-man lackey walked up to the case full of Beli and began counting the money.

Nami stood quietly to one side without stopping him. She had counted it; there was exactly a hundred million Beli inside, no more and no less. So she was not worried.

After a long while, the fish-man lackey finished counting and nodded to Arlong. "Boss Arlong, there really is a hundred million Beli in here."

Arlong looked a little surprised, then clapped his hands. "Bring it over."

The fish-man lackey nodded, closed the case, and brought it before Arlong. But Arlong's hand slipped, dropping the case onto the ground. The Beli inside scattered everywhere, and several stacks even fell into the sea.

At this, Arlong spread his hands. "Whoops. Look, Nami, it seems there isn't a hundred million Beli in the case anymore."

Nami bit her lip and plunged into the sea in one swift motion, retrieving the Beli scattered across the surface. Then she picked up the Beli scattered on the ground as well, placing them back into the case one bill at a time.

Looking at Arlong sitting quietly in his seat, Nami held back her fury and said, "Arlong, the hundred million Beli is here now. Hurry up and give Cocoyasi Village back to me."

Arlong turned his head, his face full of indifference. "Sorry, Nami, but I don't want wet Beli. So you'll have to go collect some more."

"How is wet Beli not money?" Nami's voice had grown somewhat angry.

Arlong spread his hands. "Wet Beli tears so easily. So, you see, it doesn't count as money anymore."

"Arlong, you..."

Before Nami could finish, Arlong stepped forward, grabbed her by the throat, and lifted her up.

"Nami, that money is for me. If I say it doesn't count, then it doesn't count! So you'd better behave and draw my sea charts."

Nami struggled, trying to pry Arlong's fingers open with her hands. But how could a girl's strength compare to that of a grown man, much less a member of the Fish-Man Race?

"Arlong, did you never intend to sell Cocoyasi Village to me from the start?"

"What? I sincerely wanted to sell you the village. But you really haven't collected a hundred million Beli." Arlong extended his left pinky and idly twisted it in his ear.

"Arlong..." Tears filled Nami's eyes. She knew Arlong would not let her go easily, but there was nothing she could do, because she could only follow his arrangements.

How absurd that the weak could not choose freedom, or even choose death.

"Arlong, what have you done to Nami? Put her down right now!" Nojiko appeared in Arlong Park, holding a long staff.

With Arlong gripping her neck, Nami could not turn around, but she knew it was her older sister, Nojiko. Nami's somewhat urgent voice rang out. "Nojiko, hurry and leave..."

Arlong looked over, his eyes filled with murderous intent. In this village, aside from Nami's navigation skills having some use, everyone else was nothing but grass beneath his feet, lives he could take at any moment.

"Water Shot!"

"Don't!"

But before Nami's voice could fully ring out, a drop of water shot from Arlong's left hand, appearing between Nojiko's brows like a bullet in the blink of an eye.

Just as it was about to pierce Nojiko's head, it stopped in midair as though someone had pressed pause. The drop of water was only two centimeters from Nojiko's forehead.

The spray of blood Arlong had anticipated never appeared. "Hmm? What's going on?"

Then Nami, too, slipped from his grasp as though beyond his control and flew toward the entrance.

"Hey, Comrade Fishy, isn't that a bit of a poor way to treat two delicate beauties?"