I'll Help You!

Nami's expression hardened when she heard that. She knew she mustn't go over.

The tattoo of the Arlong Pirates was hidden beneath her T-shirt. If it was exposed, the Marines would surely arrest her.

And if she were caught, her agreement with Arlong would be null and void, leaving the villagers of Cocoyasi Village with no hope of ever being saved!

Thoughts raced through her mind. Without a moment's hesitation, Nami turned and rushed for the railing, then leaped over it toward the sea below.

The icy sea breeze whistled past her ears as the surface of the water rushed up to meet her.

Nami's taut nerves eased slightly, and a flicker of relief crossed her mind:

This way, they shouldn't be able to catch me, right?

But just as she thought that, she suddenly felt an irresistible force pulling at her. Her descent rapidly slowed, and she was forcibly dragged backward through the air!

When she recovered from her daze, Nami suddenly found a large hand resting on top of her head. She had no idea when it had been placed there.

But the hand brought her no warmth. Instead, it left her icy cold all over.

An exceptionally handsome, cold face slowly drew closer to hers.

In her field of vision, Major White Dove taunted her maliciously:

"Run. Can you get away?"

It's over. It's all over!

Nami's heart sank into despair.

In the captain's cabin, Ivan and Nami sat facing each other across a wooden table, their eyes locked. The cabin was so quiet they could hear the sea breeze brushing against the sails outside the window.

After a long while, Ivan cleared his throat.

Tashigi immediately caught on and slammed her hand on the table.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be dealt with severely. Tell us who you are!"

Nami put on a fawning smile. "You must be joking, sir. I'm just a law-abiding citizen!"

Ivan rubbed his fingertips together and snapped them sharply.

A gust of wind swept up, lifting the sleeve over Nami's shoulder.

The tattoo representing the Arlong Pirates was exposed before all three of them.

With a faint smile, he said, "So this is the law-abiding citizen you were talking about, Miss Nami of the Arlong Pirates?"

Nami's smile froze instantly. All the color drained from her face, and she felt as though she had plunged into an icy pit.

As I thought, I can't escape after all?

But suddenly, Ivan's smile faded. He raised a hand to adjust his slightly slipping non-prescription glasses and said solemnly:

"Miss Nami, I know you didn't join the Arlong Pirates of your own free will.

They threatened the lives of the villagers of Cocoyasi Village, leaving you no choice but to stay by his side.

I understand everything you've been through."

By the end, Ivan's tone was exceptionally gentle.

The girl's dim eyes suddenly lit up. She looked up and pressed him for an answer, her voice full of hope:

"So you knew all along. Then, then can you let me go?"

"Of course not," Ivan replied without a second thought.

The smile that had just appeared on Nami's face froze again.

"But as long as you agree to one condition, I can help you eliminate Arlong!" Ivan added.

"You?"

Nami was somewhat doubtful. She knew that not long ago, White Dove had been injured by Arlong and had fled in a sorry state.

White Dove was no match for Arlong at all. How could he possibly help her?

Ivan showed no displeasure at Nami's doubts and merely said calmly:

"I've eaten a Devil Fruit now, and I've become much stronger. I should be stronger than Arlong... Besides, you don't have any other choice now, do you?"

Nami's heart gradually sank.

That was right. Now that Ivan had caught her, she had no choice.

Having realized that, she immediately steeled herself and asked, "What do you want?"

"You!"

His words were like a thunderclap in the captain's cabin. Everything fell silent in an instant.

Both Nami and Tashigi looked at him as though he were a pervert.

Nami was furious.

So even the famous White Dove is still a pervert?

Just as I thought, I never should have trusted the Marines!

But for the villagers, I'm willing to sacrifice even myself!

Just as Nami was about to give her answer, Ivan noticed Tashigi and Nami's reactions and immediately realized that they had misunderstood.

He quickly cleared his throat twice and explained, not knowing whether to laugh or cry:

"Ahem, what are you two thinking?

What I want is for you to work for me as my navigator. After all, it would be hard to find anyone else with your skills in the entire East Blue.

I hope you'll join the Marines and serve under me. What do you say?"

So that's what he meant!

The unexpected turn of events allowed Nami to relax completely.

She had been prepared to accept even the original proposal, so what was working for Ivan?

Without hesitation, she said firmly, "As long as you can kill Arlong, I'll be yours from now on!"

Ivan smiled and held out his hand. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise!"

In the year 1512 of the Sea Circle Calendar, Arlong officially took control of the Conomi Islands and the surrounding waters.

Now, seven years later, his control over the Conomi Islands was deeply entrenched. The nearby residents had neither the courage nor the strength to resist him.

Of course, as a powerful pirate who had retreated from the Grand Line, he had not completely let his guard down, so he still frequently sent Fish-Men to patrol the waters around the Conomi Islands as scouts.

Thus, as soon as Ivan's warship appeared near the Conomi Islands, the Fish-Men spotted it.

In the shallow water, a cartilaginous Fish-Man saw the large warship approaching and said fiercely:

"That idiot Nezumi! We give him so much Beli for nothing every year, and in the end he can't even warn us in time!

"It was one thing when he failed to notice that Ensign White Dove back then, but now such a huge warship has sailed right under his nose, and he still hasn't made a move. What a useless bastard!"

Hachi the octopus comforted him from the side:

"Kuroobi, don't be angry. The most important thing now is to deal with these Marines.

"I'll go back and report the situation to Boss Arlong. Be careful."

Kuroobi thought nothing of it. "Don't worry, Hachi. They're just humans. I might have dealt with them all before you even find the boss."

Hachi nodded in agreement. After years of throwing their weight around in the East Blue, they had completely forgotten the merfolk's miserable plight on the Grand Line.

By now, they had long since been brainwashed by Arlong into believing that Fish-Men were a species superior to humans.

How could mere humans possibly be a match for Fish-Men?

After Hachi left, Kuroobi stared viciously at the approaching warship and shouted coldly:

"Brothers, charge! Let's finish them off quickly. We can't disappoint Boss Arlong!"

"Yes!" the other Fish-Men answered viciously.

At the edge of the deck, Ivan leaned against the railing with Tashigi and Nami standing beside him. The three stood shoulder to shoulder, gazing at the mist-shrouded Conomi Islands in the distance.

"We're almost at the perimeter Arlong has set up," Nami warned with a frown. "This whole area is full of Fish-Man scouts on patrol. I'm afraid they've already set their sights on our ship."

Ivan nodded slightly, his tone calm. "Yes, they've spotted us."