Hey there, good to see you again. First, let me thank everyone that supported this fic, it really means a lot to me, especially as a starting fanfic writer. Anyways, I won't drag it for too long. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Fulfilling a promise

"I'm going to pay someone a visit."

"Oh, I see." Sanji nods, though his expression changes when a thought crossed his mind. "Wait, is this someone your lover? Are you telling me you're taken, Nami-san?"

This made Nami giggle. "No. I'm going to Cocoyashi village to settle some things."

Upon hearing this, both Johnny and Yosaku gasped. "Cocoyashi? If I remember correctly, that's Arlong's territory! Nami-aneki, are you sure it's safe?"

She flashes them a sad smile. "Don't worry, Arlong and I are... acquainted." She slowly pulls up one of her sleeves to reveal a tattoo on her shoulder. The bounty hunting duo recognizes it as a symbol of Arlong's crew. The two simply nodded despite their confusion.

"Arlong huh. Isn't he that fishman pirate? And doesn't he have the highest bounty in east blue?" Sanji is also curious as to what the relation is between Nami and Arlong. Meanwhile, Usopp tries to conjure up an image of a fishman in his head. The closest thing he can come up with is an image of a tuna with legs and arms.

Nami nods. "He does. And he's currently staying in my hometown. But again, don't worry. I'll tell you about it once we get there." Luffy became quite interested in this. Frankly, he never knew why Nami was working with Arlong, even in their previous life. He decided that he would try to listen this time.

Sanji stretched his arms up, the comfortable sea breeze blowing on his face. "Well, I'm gonna prepare some snacks for our trip. It's a pretty good time for some tea." He says before heading to the kitchen.

Usopp and the bounty hunting duo resumed what they were doing earlier, leaving Luffy and Nami alone on the edge of the ship. Luffy remembers something from a few days ago. "Oh yeah. Nami. I guess you finally know how to use your color of armaments now." Nami looks at Luffy, confused.

"Wait, I did?"

"Don't you remember? When you whacked that tall armored guy back in Sanji's restaurant and his armor broke."

Nami's eyes widen in recognition. She was angry at the time that she wasn't able to remember it clearly. Although, now that she thought about it, even if she's stronger by this time when compared to the previous timeline, it's still difficult to break something like that with her relatively flimsy staff.

"Huh. I guess I did. Though it was a bit inconsistent and was a spur of the moment thing, so I need to train some more." She remembers something as well, which made her knit her eyebrows in annoyance. She pushes Luffy's straw hat further down onto the rubber man's head. "Oh yeah! Don't tell me to not interfere like that again." She reprimands.

Luffy laughs at this, although he still looked quite apologetic. "Sorry about that, but Sanji needed that push."

Nami sighs at Luffy's decisions. Even though she doesn't understand it at times, Luffy has a way of reading people's feelings and desires. "You know. I still don't understand how you can think of things like that. Even back then."

"I'm not an idiot, you know." Luffy pouts, which earns him a gentle nudge on the cheek from Nami's fist as she giggles.

Their journey was uneventful, save for some fishes caught by Usopp, which Sanji noted as rare and delicious, especially when baked. Deciding to take a break, Zoro joined the rest of the crew on the deck. He tells them that he needs to replace his swords that broke during his battle against Mihawk. Nami offers her a very "generous" loan, which he immediately declined. It was early in the afternoon when Sanji reemerged from the kitchen. He's carrying a plate of sandwiches in one hand and a tray for drinks in the other.

"Ah, here's your afternoon snacks, Nami-san~" He then looks at the rest of the crew, his enthusiasm draining away. "And here are yours too."

Zoro picks up a piece before eating it. "This tastes good."

"I'd be much happier if Nami-san was the one who complimented me."

Zoro's face turns sour. "The food looks good. Wish I can say the same about the cook."

Sanji immediately turns his way, angry at the swordsman's insult. "What did you say about me, dumb moss head?"

Zoro clicked his tongue in annoyance upon hearing the familiar insult. He thought of that one relatively early, Zoro thought. The rest of the straw hats just laughed at their banter as they began eating as well. It was a few minutes into their meal when suddenly, a creature emerges from the water. With its head above the water, it then looks at the food on their ship.

Usopp gaped at the sight. "What the heck is that?! Is that a sea monster?!" The bounty hunting duo had a similar reaction, putting their hands on their swords in reflex.

Sanji inspected the creature from top to bottom. "Hmm. Do you think it tastes good?"

"Momoo!"

"Huh?" Everyone except Luffy and Zoro turned to Nami.

"That's Arlong's sea cow, Momoo." When Nami was a child until the day they defeated Arlong, the sight of his monstrous pet used to terrify Nami. But right now, looking at it from a more experienced perspective, the creature actually looks quite adorable.

"D-Does it want food?" Johnny asked, his voice quivering.

Sanji then picks up a sandwich before waving it at Momoo. "Seems like it." As he did so, the creature's gaze follows the piece of food. It then opens its wide mouth, and Sanji throws the food inside. As he swallowed the food, stars appeared in Momoo's eyes, indicating that he liked the food.

"Jeez, good thing I prepared a lot more of these." Sanji says as he heads back into the kitchen. While waiting, Luffy hopped on top of Momoo's head, despite Nami's protest. Even Usopp had begun playing with the sea cow, his fear disappearing instantly. Sanji returns later with another plate of sandwiches, which the rest of the straw hats ate alongside Momoo.

"Hey sea cow, do you mind if you take us to Cocoyashi?" Luffy asked as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Momoo responds by nodding his head, eager to thank his new friends. The rubber man immediately jumps at the Going Merry's figurehead before wrapping his rubber arms around the sea cow's neck. This made Nami panic.

"Furl the sails, now!"

"Nami, what's wrong?" Usopp raises an eyebrow in confusion.

"Luffy's gonna ask Momoo to pull us to Cocoyashi! With how fast I think he will swim, it will cause a huge drag on the sails from the rushing wind coming from the front."

Usopp immediately understood. And with the help of Sanji and the bounty hunting duo, the sails were folded up. Just in time, too, as the ship suddenly accelerates to speed, which knocks most of them down onto the deck. A few seconds later, their travel speed settles, which allowed them to stand up properly without being wobbled. As the group ignored the potential danger of their way of travel, the feeling of the wind blowing on their faces as their horizon zooms past them made this an enjoyable, if not a thrilling, experience.

Their journey that was supposed to take almost an entire day was shortened, seeing as Nami spots the silhouette of Cocoyashi over the horizon. From the looks of it, it only took them under four hours to travel here. As the ship decelerates much more gently than earlier, Nami tells Luffy to let go of Momoo so they can sail there on their own without attracting too much attention. The group says their goodbyes to the sea cow before it dives down into the sea. They then unfurl the sails so that they can resume their journey normally.

As they got closer to the island, Nami steers the ship to the right. She plans on skirting the island's edges as to not attract the attention of the fishman, especially with their jolly roger proudly displayed. As the crew continued sailing, Usopp notices something from the corner of his eye. He turns around and was shocked to see a desolate village. What's more surprising is that the houses are overturned, and the central road is caved in.

"Nami, what's that." He points out to it, which grabs everyone's attention.

"That's Gosa. The village was probably raided by pirates..." she says, lying to most of them. In truth, she knows that this village was destroyed by Arlong and their new sea friend to set an example to the rest of the island. She questions herself; if they sailed here earlier, would she have saved the village from him? But eventually, she decided that such questions are useless. Deviating their course might've resulted in unwanted outcomes. Such as a future crew member dying before they can even set sail.

"But what could've done this? If this was a pirate raid, you'd expect that the houses are destroyed, not flipped.

"Maybe it's another sea monster around these parts." The two bounty hunters conversed with one another.

"Something larger than Momoo?" Usopp added. He tries to imagine a creature that's larger than the sea cow. The images he conjured made him shiver.

The crew lands right before sunset. They were lucky none of the fishmen saw them. Regardless of Nami's affiliation to Arlong, it would make things harder than they should be. They anchored the ship on the coast in the middle of Gosa and Cocoyashi, hidden by the dense trees. The crew begins disembarking.

"Nami. Do you need someone to watch the ship?" Zoro asks, fully intent on sleeping on the going Merry.

She shakes her head. "Don't worry. The ship won't be spotted. And if it was, we can deal with them." Zoro shrugs before following them into the village.

The villagers were preparing to settle in for the night, while most were already inside their homes. One of the residents spots something coming from the direction of the shoreline. When he looked closer, he was surprised to see Nami walking back to the village, carrying what seems to be a sack filled to the brim with various items. Another notable thing was that she wasn't alone.

"Nacchan..." he mumbled.

Suddenly, a man wearing what looks to be a police uniform exits from the town hall. He saw Nami from the inside and decided to talk to her. As Nami's group walks closer to the village, the man stands in front of them.

"You have some nerve coming back here." Most of the straw hats and the bounty hunting duo were surprised at this. Did Nami do something? Was she not welcomed here?

"Good to see you too, Gen-san." Nami smiles at him, unfazed by Genzo's bitter tone. She tries to walk past him when he blocks her with his outstretched arm.

"Why are you here?" He then turns his attention to Nami's companions. "And who are these people you brought into our town?"

"I'm here to honor an agreement. And don't mind them. These guys are my friends."

Genzo was left there stunned as they continue on their way. He looks at Nami's retreating form, surprised at what the girl just said. 'The agreement...does that mean that she can...' For the first time in a long while, hope swelled within his heart.

As the straw hats were out of view, one of the residents approaches him. "Gen-san, what was that? What happened to Nacchan?"

"I think I know where she's headed. I'll talk to Nojiko tomorrow."

"Oi Nami, what did you do here? You seem unwelcomed here." Usopp wondered what that entire thing was all about. Nami shrugs him off, telling him that it was no big deal.

"I'm more concerned with the way that man talked to Nami-san. It's always a man's job to forgive a woman's sin. "

Like what she did to Usopp, Nami waves him off. "He might be a bit of a hardass, but he means well."

The group walked for a few minutes before they arrived at their destination. Nami said that this was her childhood home. They were fascinated with the number of tangerines planted around the house. Nami drops the sack she was carrying on the ground before walking towards the door and knocking on it.

"Nojiko, are you around?"

The group can hear frantic movements from inside the house as if being startled. The door quickly opens to reveal a woman with blue hair. The woman's eyes focus on Nami for a while before looking around to the group. Upon seeing her, Sanji's happiness soared, hearts appearing in place of his irises.

"Nami, what are you doing here?" Nojiko was surprised when she saw Nami. She was just here a month or so ago to "deposit" her earnings. She was even more surprised when her sister brought along companions.

Nami scratches the back of her head awkwardly. "Uhm. Do you mind if we stay here for the night?"

"Sure thing. But we only have two beds in here."

"I can sleep on the ground. Or even outside." Zoro says, which was voiced by Johnny and Yosaku as well.

Sanji waves her off. "It's alright, Nojiko-chan. I'll guard you both with my life."

Luffy and Usopp raise their hands. "I can't sleep. I ate a lot of sugar." "The great captain Usopp will keep watch for the night." They said at the same time.

She smiles before opening the door wider for them. Once inside, they all put the stuff they brought down onto the floor.

"Nojiko-chan, can I use your stove? I'll make dinner." Sanji didn't wait for an answer before putting on an apron. The woman waves him off, telling him to go for it. She sits down on an empty chair to observe the group.

"Blue Nami lady, can I take some of your tangerines?" Luffy asks innocently.

"Oh, help yourselves out. Think of it as thanks for taking care of my sister." Without waiting for a reply, Luffy and Usopp run out of the house.

"Oi, leave some for me! I need them for my dish." Sanji looks back at the two before resuming his preparations. Meanwhile, Zoro sits down on the floor to sleep while Johnny and Yosaku began helping around the house, insisting that the two ladies sit back and relax.

"Mister cook. If you want to use some of the tangerines, there's a basket outside filled with them. I harvested them a while ago to sell, but you can take some if you like. Don't forget to tell those two, if you don't mind."

Sanji flashes Nojiko a sincere smile before heading out. She then looks at Nami, who is shaking her head at the group's antics. "You seem to be in good spirits."

"For now. Who knows what those idiots will do to Bellemere's tangerine groves." Despite what she said, Nami is still smiling, seemingly content and at ease. For Nojiko, it's like looking at a stranger wearing her sister's face. The last time she went here and told Nojiko that she's very close to a hundred million beli, she was excited but nervous and never at ease.

"It seems like you've found a nice set of friends if they made you like this."

Nami smiles at her. "Among other things. I already have enough."

Nojiko's eyes widen upon hearing this. Nami finally got a hundred million? That was good news, she thought. She can finally buy the village off and free the entire island. "Are... Are you certain?"

Nami simply nods. "I'll go to Arlong Park tomorrow to settle some things, and then we'll finally be free." She says in a whisper. They were interrupted, however, when they heard a snapping sound coming from the outside.

"Those idiots!" Nami's face transforms into that of comical anger as she immediately stands up from her chair, knocking it down. She stomps her way out of the house to confront her friends. Nojiko was left there, stunned and elated. Nami's hardship is finally over, and the village's dream of freedom is now within grasp.

"Sorry for the trouble."

She was knocked out of his stupor when she heard someone talk. She looks to the source of the voice to see the swordsman leaning on the wall.

"It's fine. I guess everyone's lively." She says with a wide smile. Although, once she looks closer, the swordsman does indeed look familiar. It took her a few seconds to finally recognize who he is. "Wait, aren't you the famous bounty hunter? So I guess my sister is in a bounty hunting group now." That would explain the rate at which Nami acquired these last few beli.

Zoro shakes his head. "We're not bounty hunters. We're pirates."

This surprised her even more. Pirates? Nami would never, in her entire life, associate herself with pirates of any kind. Even the mention of the word would make Nami tense, and now she's a part of one? And she seems happier for that, which is strange in of itself.

"Really? And you're the captain?"

Zoro shakes his head once again. "No. Luffy's our captain. The one with the straw hat."

"He is? He doesn't look like a pirate captain." Nojiko giggled at the thought. He gives off a feeling of childish innocence rather than a ruthless pirate captain, which was what she expected.

Zoro joined in with his laughter. "Yeah. He's childish, a bit whimsical, and just a pain in the ass most of the time. But he's a captain that I'd be happy to lay my life on the line for." He says, which earns a sincere smile from the woman.

Sanji goes back inside, carrying a few tangerines in his hand.

"Oi cook, what was that all about?"

"The shitty captain broke off a branch from one of the tangerine trees. And he managed to knock over a fence. Nami-san's giving him a piece of her mind." Zoro winces upon hearing that, remembering how valuable those things are for Nami. He can assume the same thing for her sister, so he looks at Nojiko to see her reaction. Surprisingly, she's not even angry.

Suddenly, Luffy slowly enters through the door with visible bumps on his face. Nami definitely gave him a piece of her mind. He faces Nojiko before bowing. "I'm so sorry for breaking your property." He says, although his manner of speaking is slurred due to the various bumps and bruises.

"Nami, you shouldn't be too harsh on Captain-san."

"Oh no. Not you too, Nojiko." Nami says with mock annoyance, which made everyone laugh.

It was early morning the next day. Those who slept woke up early, and the rest chose not to sleep at all. Nami woke up early to go to Arlong Park while the bounty hunting duo went out to fish for food upon Sanji's request. Meanwhile, the chef was busy preparing for their breakfast while the swordsman decided to start his training early. As punishment for yesterday, Luffy is trying to fix the fence that he wrecked yesterday. Wary for his captain's inability to repair stuff, Usopp stayed behind to help him under Nojiko's watchful eye.

"Luffy! Don't hammer the nail too hard, or you'll break-!" Of course, Luffy ignores the advice and continues to hammer the wood really hard, creating cracks on the wood where the nail was embedded. After a few minutes of mentoring from Usopp, Luffy can reliably hammer in the nails.

His craftsmanship was another thing.

"Usopp, is this good?"

"Captain. You were asked to repair the fence, not to make a small cross." Usopp said in mild annoyance. He's starting to question whether teaching Luffy some woodwork is an impossible task.

Nojiko exits the house, bringing glasses of juice for the two. Sanji insisted that she shouldn't be the one serving, in his own words, these bumbling nincompoops. But she felt kind for some reason. "Mr. Cook prepared some iced tea. You boys have been working hard now. Why don't you two take a break?"

Luffy and Usopp took the chance to get away from their task for a while. The two grabs the glasses, wholeheartedly drinking the juice.

"Captain-san, I'd like to ask you a question."

This grabs Luffy's attention. He finishes the contents of his glass before looking at Nojiko. "What is it?"

"How did Nami join your group?"

The question made Usopp curious as well, so he decided to listen in. Luffy, however, did not know what to tell her. He doesn't want to slip up any of the details. "Uhhh. I guess I tried to recruit her, but she said no. She tried to steal from me once, but I chased her and saved her. I think." Technically, Luffy didn't lie. He just told what happened with as much vagueness as possible.

Nojiko nods in understanding. "Yeah, that's my sister, alright. You know, before she met you guys, she has a particular distrust with pirates."

"Really? Come to think of it, when we got here yesterday, Nami wasn't exactly welcomed here." Usopp added.

"Nami's childhood was rough. You see-."

"Nojiko."

They were interrupted by someone calling Nami's sister. They turn to their side to see Genzo walking towards them. The man occasionally glances at Luffy and Usopp, wary of the strangers Nami brought to town.

"Do you mind if I talk to you privately?"

Nami arrives at the gates of Arlong Park. A couple of fishmen were guarding it. Once they recognize who she was, they open the gates for her, with one of the fishmen flicking his head as if to say to head in quickly. Once inside, Nami takes on the sight of the resort-like base of the fishman pirates. Some of them look at her with varying amounts of interest. While most of them didn't bother looking away from what they're doing. She has only one person in mind, and that is-

"Ah, Nami! Good to see you. To what do I owe this pleasure of being visited by my esteemed navigator?"

She tries her hardest to hide her disdain from the man's overly sweet tone. It's not yet time, she thought. Once she reveals his true motives, she'll savor the look on his face. "Long time no see, Arlong-san. I just came back to add to my stash. My previous haul brought in a lot."

She notices Arlong's slight surprise. And as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, replaced with an impressed look. "I see. I knew my navigator wouldn't disappoint. Your skills in thievery and deception are something."

"I only need seven million more. And I think I can get it on my next voyage." She says, her tone laced with a slight hint of excitement. "Well, our deal is still in effect, right?"

"Of course! When have I ever went back on my word?" He declares proudly.

Bullshit.

"Ah, that's good." She nods. "Anyway, I just came back here to ask if you have something else you want me to do. I am your crewmate, after all." As she says this, she flashes her shoulder with the tattoo.

Nami can feel the irritation rising inside Arlong. "No need. I won't need to bother you. You have people to rob, after all."

"Alright. I guess I'll be on my way then." With a practiced bow, Nami turns around to leave Arlong Park. Once she's far away, Arlong turns to one of his subordinates.

"Kuroobi, get my den-den mushi. I need to make some few calls."

Kuroobi moves in closer to Arlong. "Does it have anything to do with Nami?"

"I need to call my contact. I would like to report a certain thief on the loose." Arlong says with a malicious grin on his face.

Genzo pulled Nojiko away from the strangers and into the street. When he saw Nami yesterday and mentioned something about honoring an agreement, he decided to talk to her in the morning. He had to make sure that he was thinking the right thing.

"Nojiko. Nami slept in your house. Did she say something?"

The woman nods. "She said that she has enough to finally buy the town from Arlong."

Upon hearing this, Genzo's legs became weak. Tears threaten to spill from the corner of his eyes. Still, he manages to keep standing. "So... We'll finally be free. She'll finally be free..."

"I couldn't believe it too. I couldn't even sleep properly yesterday. For the first time in a while, we have hope. Everything was worth it." Nojiko says, looking back on everything they did to appease the fishmen. Despite the abuse, the threats, and the risk of Cocoyashi's destruction, they still held on.

From the corners of their eyes, they see Nami walking along the path back to the house. Genzo steels himself, removing any traces of emotion from his form before walking back to Cocoyashi. The two crossed paths without sharing any words as they continued walking past each other. As Nami walks by him, Genzo takes a peek to glance at the woman. Smiling to himself, he walks back to the village.

As Nami got closer to Nojiko, she notices the smile on her sister's face. "Gen-san was here? What did he say?"

"He just asked me if he can buy some of the tangerines from me." Nojiko replied. Nami can sense that her sister was lying, so she simply shrugs. The two then head back to their house, walking side by side.

It was a few minutes before noon when the group decided to have their lunch. Everyone was chatting amicably with each other, talking about various stuff when Johnny brings up a question.

"Nami-aneki. Yesterday, when we sailed here, we saw a village with overturned houses. I think you said it was Gosa. What's that all about?"

Nojiko's mood soured, answering the question for her sister instead. "Yeah, that's Gosa village. It was destroyed by the fishmen."

This shocked most of the people inside. "Wait. Destroyed by the fishmen?"

"Fishmen are said to be ten times stronger than a regular human. Feats like that are common to them. But if you want to ask why, it's to set an example. That's what happens when you don't give your village's monthly tribute to the Arlong pirates."

Usopp turns towards Nami. "Oi Nami. You said you were acquainted with Arlong. I can't believe you are friends with someone like that."

"Hey Usopp, are you insinuating that Nami-san is a bad person?" Sanji says to try to defend Nami. "Maybe Nami-san is a mermaid with feet, since she seems to have the strength of ten men."

"I'm not insinuating anything. I'm just surprised, that's all."

Nojiko was surprised when the cook mentioned something about Nami's strength. For all the years she's known the thief, she's been described as cunning, manipulative, sly, and stealthy. She decides to think about it later before interrupting their back and forth to try and reign in the situation. "There's a reason Nami is working with someone like that. Like I said, she's had a rough childhood."

"And it's a story that you should hear from me."

Nojiko stares at Nami with wide eyes, shocked that the girl is alright with talking about her past. "Nami. Are you sure you want to talk about this?"

"Of course. I trust these people with my life. They deserve to know." Nami says with a kind smile.

Nami proceeded to tell the group of her childhood. From growing up with Bellemere and Nojiko until the tragedy when Arlong first came into the island. She told them how she was coerced to join his pirate crew and her deal with the fishmen to free the island.

The group had different reactions. Zoro has heard this before in the previous timeline, so he didn't react too much. Usopp was sad rather than angry. Sanji was calling out for blood, telling everyone that he'll beat up the fishmen for hurting Nami like that. Johnny and Yosaku were furious, reminded that not every pirate is as kind as the straw hats. What surprised Nami, however, was Luffy's reaction. She expected her to be more like Zoro: nonchalant and mostly silent. But she did not expect Luffy to be this furious. Back then, Luffy never knew what exactly happened between Nami and Arlong. Zoro took a glance at their captain and wondered if this would change anything. Or will Luffy do something he's never done before.

Luffy's furious musings were interrupted when Nami flicks his forehead, making him yelp in pained surprise. He rubs his forehead before locking eyes with his Navigator.

"Remember Luffy. Don't interfere." She says with a slightly smug tone.

The two kept their eyes on each other before all the tension drains away from Luffy's face. "Shishishi. I guess you'll be the one dealing with Arlong."

"So I guess you met Luffy and this moss head sometime in your journey, Nami-san."

Nami ignored the protests from Zoro upon being called a moss head and simply pulls Luffy's cheek. "My crewmates might be idiots, but they've helped me a lot." She says. Unknown to almost everyone, she was talking about the entirety of the straw hats, even from her past life.

A knock on the door grabs everyone's attention. Nojiko stands up from her seat to check who their visitors are. When she opened the door, she was surprised to see Genzo accompanied by Marines, from the looks of it.

"Oh, Gen-san. Is anything wrong?"

"These Marines asked me to-"

Genzo was cut by a Marine officer moving in front of him. "My name is Captain Nezumi from the 16th Marine Branch. And I'm looking for a woman named Nami."

Upon being called, Nami walks to the front door to talk with the Marines. "Oh, hello there. I heard you were looking for me."

"Ah yes. I've received word that you are a thief. Is that true?"

Nami shrugs before exiting the house, followed by Nojiko. She crosses her arms before giving the Marine officer a neutral stare. "I am. And I'm stealing from pirates anyway, so it's not like I'm doing anything illegal."

The marine captain smirks. "But you see, it's my job to return valuables from their owners. Since you told me you were stealing from pirates, all charges will be dropped. But if you'd be so kind as to hand over the treasure, I'll leave you all to do... whatever it is you villagers do."

Upon hearing this, Genzo became furious, "You bastard! I thought you wanted to talk to her because she can be used as a witness for Arlong's crimes against this village!"

"And it will be done in due time. Unfortunately, we don't have the manpower to engage in a prolonged conflict with the fishmen, so we'll do finish matters one at a time." He orders his men to start searching the area. At this point, several villagers came to see what all the commotion is. Luffy and Usopp exit the house as well.

Meanwhile, Nojiko tries to stop the marines. "Why are you so concerned with a village thief when fucking pirates are murdering civilians on the daily?!"

"Are you interfering with the duties of the Marines?" As Nezumi says this, several marine soldiers point their guns at Nojiko. This stops the woman in her tracks. He looks at the marine soldiers around him. "If this woman interferes again, shoot her."

"Is this how the Marines operate? Pirates are enslaving this island, and you never did anything." Genzo grits his teeth in frustration.

"Again. We'll come back as soon as reinforcements arrive." Nezumi then looks at the marines searching the place. "You idiots! What's taking you so long? It's not a few coins. It's a hundred million beli!"

This ticked Nojiko off. "How'd you..."

"Lucky guess." The captain smirks maliciously. Suddenly, he was knocked down by a staff hitting him on the back of his head. The marines point their weapons at Nami. The captain sits up while rubbing the back of his head, his glare directed at the orange-haired woman.

"You know about the hundred million beli. Only a few people know about that." Her eyes narrow, and her glare intensifies. "Arlong is paying you, isn't that right?"

"Watch your mouth, thief. You're making a big accusation there." The marine captain looks at the marines and orders them to fire. They did not get the chance, however, before a sudden wave of power washes over them. Every single marine soldier collapsed, leaving Captain Nezumi looking around like a lost child.

"Wha-What happened?!" Everyone voiced the same opinions, wondering how a group of trained soldiers pass out. The marine officer then looks at Nami, feeling fearful for his life.

"You corrupt bastards need to be punished." She says, her expression turning dark before smacking him with her stuff, making the marine officer unconscious.

The villagers were silent for a while, unsure of what to do before Genzo approaches Nami. "Nami... what was that..."

"Those marines seem to work with Arlong."

This made everyone angry, especially Nojiko. "So that bastard did not have any plans on following through your deal?"

"Not exactly. He plans on stealing the money instead, so I won't be able to fulfill my promise. Unfortunately for him..." Nami looks back to the rest of the straw hats with a smile, seeing them pull out Nami's stash of money buried under an empty patch of soil. "He couldn't predict that we can defend ourselves."

This sent Genzo over the edge. "That does it. I'm going to kill that fishman bastard!" He says before turning to Nami. "Nami, I have a confession to make. Everyone-"

"I know."

This stunned the villagers, including Nojiko. Nami flashes them a goofy smile. "Did you think that I never expected Nojiko to spill some information?"

"Then you know what we need to do. After everything you've seen, you can't expect us to sit here and do nothing. You've carried the burden for us. It's time we carry the load this time." Genzo shouted, followed by cheers from the villagers as they pick up different farm tools to be used as makeshift weapons.

"Then allow me to be selfish and ask you to burden me some more."

"But Nami..." Nojiko protested.

"Arlong's crew will hurt you all. And... I'm tired of people fighting my battles for me. It's high time I try to protect those who I love."

The straw hats walk towards her while carrying some of the sacks they brought with them yesterday.

"That's amazing Nami-san, I'll protect you with my life!~"

"The great captain Usopp will help you too."

She then looks at both Luffy and Zoro before nodding at them, earning a smile and a grin from them, respectively. The group then walks in the direction of Arlong Park to cash in their deal. This left the villagers alone.

"We can't just let her do it alone again!"

"Yeah! We need to support Nacchan!"

Nojiko glanced at Genzo, seeing the similar resolved look etched on his face. "So I guess we'll follow our troublemaker."

"Definitely." Genzo says with a grin before leading the villagers to Arlong Park.

Arlong was having a small celebration with his crew. Sitting on his throne with a drink in his hand, he's feeling pretty good. All things considered. Upon hearing Nami getting close to that hundred million beli mark, he immediately called one of his marine contacts to try and help him. Knowing how weak she and the villagers are, she can't do anything about it.

"You sure are cruel, Arlong-san." One of his officers, Chew, said.

"I can't let someone like her go. A cartographer like that is rare, even if she's a pathetic human. But don't worry, I'll let her go. Once she's drawn me a map of the entire sea!" The rest of the fishmen laughed at Arlong's cruelty. Their peace was broken when the gates to the park suddenly crash open, creating a large puff of smoke.

"Arlong-san."

Arlong narrows his eyes. Emerging from the smoke is a group led by Nami. He noticed that all of her companions are carrying something big.

"Ah, Nami! Good to see you here. Want to join us in our celebration?" He says with as eager a tone as he can to hide his surprise.

"Oh no, I don't want to impose. Although I have to apologize, I think I made a huge mistake." As she said this, her companions drop everything they're carrying down to the ground in front of her.

"What is this?"

"Remember when I said that I only needed seven million more? It turns out my money senses were a bit too cautious. It seems that I'm actually three million over." She says while walking around the sacks to open them, revealing a bunch of money inside.

This left the pirates speechless and stunned Arlong into silence, his confident and celebratory mood evaporating.

"You know. Since you were a good boss, you can keep the three million as a token of appreciation. For keeping your end of the bargain."

"That's... That's amazing. I knew you could do it." Arlong was getting more and more irritated.

Nami nods with that smile on her face. "So. Why don't you take that hundred million beli and get the fuck off this island." She says in that overly sweet tone that kept on grating Arlong's ears.

Arlong stands up from his chair before walking towards Nami. The straw hats were wary of him, and the rest of the fishmen were unsure what to do. The villagers arrive in front of the broken gates of the park just as Arlong stood up, their posture tense and rigid. He stops in front of Nami, towering over the navigator.

"Yes. You did fulfill your end of the deal. However, whatever happens next is outside your control!" He looks up and raises his hands to try and intimidate the humans. "I'm going to kill everyone on this island until you agree to join my crew permanently." He then looks down at Nami with a malicious grin on his face. "You think I will let you go? I'll make sure that you serve me forever."

As he said this, the rest of the fishmen cheered while the villagers listening in started shaking in fear. Meanwhile, Nami just sighs, which Arlong did not expect.

"You really want to make this harder than it should be."

It was the last thing Arlong heard before he was sent flying back into the tower of Arlong Park.