Cocoyasi Village, East Blue.
Burgess cracked his neck, grumbling. "Man, I'm so bored."
He shrugged. "The captain never cares about anything. Doesn't give a damn about us!"
Lafitte adjusted his top hat, smiling politely at Baccarat. "Since the captain gave his orders, we might as well finish this quickly."
"These fishmen are just small fry. Wipe them all out."
Law rested Kikoku on his shoulder, his voice icy. "Then let's not waste time. Move out."
Nami, standing nearby, clasped her hands together, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.
"Everyone… thank you."
Kalina patted her back, grinning. "Nami, what's with the formalities?"
"We're a crew. Helping you is what we do!"
Monet giggled, floating in the air. "Exactly~ You're our precious navigator! We can't let anyone bully you!"
Burgess waved her off. "Tch. Since the captain said so, we'll handle it."
"Let's just get this over with. No point dragging it out."
With that, he stomped off toward the island.
Lafitte gave Nami a charming smile. "Your thanks are appreciated."
"After all, rejecting a beautiful girl's gratitude would be rude, wouldn't it?"
The crew began disembarking, with Nami leading the way.
Her face lit up as she gestured toward the village.
"Cocoyasi Village is a peaceful, beautiful place."
"The villagers are kind—they always help each other."
Her expression darkened.
"But after the fishmen came… everything was ruined."
"Those bastards force the villagers to pay for their lives—100,000 berries per adult, 50,000 per child every month."
"If they can't pay…"
Nami's fists trembled.
"They kill them."
"My mother, Bellemere… she died because of them."
Kalina placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Nami… it's okay. It's over now."
"Today, those monsters will pay."
Monet nodded. "We'll make sure they suffer before they die."
Just then—
"Nami! You're back!"
A woman's voice called out.
From behind a small grove of tangerine trees, a blue-haired woman stepped into view.
Nojiko.
She froze when she saw the group surrounding Nami, her eyes widening in alarm.
"Nami… who are these people?"
Nami beamed, rushing forward. "Nojiko! Let me introduce you!"
She turned to the crew. "This is my sister, Nojiko!"
"We're not blood-related, but she's family!"
Then, to Nojiko: "I've joined the Chris Pirates now!"
"They're here to help us—they're really strong!"
Baccarat and the others nodded politely.
Sweetheart Queen tilted her head. "Huh. You two don't look alike at all."
Kalina smirked. "Nami's cute, but her sister's gorgeous~"
Monet giggled. "Such a nice figure too~"
Nojiko, however, didn't share their enthusiasm.
She grabbed Nami's arm, her voice urgent.
"Nami, you can't bring outsiders here!"
"Arlong and his crew are too strong!"
"Do you want to get them killed? And the villagers will suffer even more because of this!"
She turned to the crew, her expression apologetic but firm.
"I'm sorry. Nami shouldn't have dragged you into this."
"Please, leave while you still can. If Arlong finds you here, you'll—"
Burgess scoffed, cutting her off.
"Tch. Annoying."
He cracked his knuckles, already walking past her.
"Just a bunch of fish. Quit yapping."
Doc Q chuckled darkly from atop his horse, Stronger. "Finally. Time to kill them all."
Nojiko paled. "Wait—STOP!"
She turned to Nami, frantic. "Nami, call them back! You don't understand—"
But Nami just smiled.
"Nojiko… you don't understand."
Her eyes gleamed with absolute confidence.
"Do you know how high their bounties are?"
"The lowest among them is tens of millions of berries!"
She clenched her fists, grinning.
"And their captain—Chris—has a bounty of 100 million!"
"Arlong doesn't stand a chance!"
Nojiko's breath hitched.
100 million?!
In the East Blue?!
Nami hugged her tightly, tears in her eyes.
"Today… we'll finally avenge Mom."
"The villagers… they'll be free!"
To Be Continued.
Next Chapter: The Fall of Arlong Park!