It's a little later that I'd hoped, but the next chapter is finally out! About the mentioned chronology of the previous chapter and how it jumped around; I hope it wasn't too hard to follow. I had some trouble deciding how I wanted to handle all the events I ended up cramming into it while still keeping it as cohesive as possible. Yes, do keep an eye out for the 'Cleaver Pirates', and as for Aka-Mushi, even I'm a bit curious to see what happens with him!

Nami balked the moment she reached the landing. She'd distinctly remembered leaving the door closed as she eyed the cracked entrance to the cartography room. Warily, she crept forward and peered inside to find Arlong standing with his back to her while riffling through a stack of her most recent charts.

Having just gotten back from a marginally successful excursion (she'd robbed the Joy Pirates - a crew lead by a revolting "lady" of the same name) and now sporting a deep slash on her right palm from a saber, she'd come to drop off a few belongings before toting her loot up to the grove and receiving first-aid from Nojiko. The last thing she'd expected to find at such an early hour was the captain himself pawing through her things - especially since he generally respected her privacy: one of his only good qualities.

"May I help you," she said behind him.

He turned slowly around, raising an eyebrow at her. "You finally made it back, huh?" He turned his attention back to the maps in his hands, "You missed your quota by three."

"No, I didn't," she argued, "I always meet my quota!"

"Then somebody miscounted."

"It wasn't me."

"Well, it doesn't matter now," he tossed the stack aside, "because, starting today, I'm increasing it by five a day."

"Five!" She bellowed, "I can barely handle the work load you put on me already; I can't make twenty-five more maps a week!"

"Then you can work an extra day instead of traveling - you've been spending too long away from here as it is. No more of this showing back up whenever you're ready. You have a week at most before I expect you back - that's the arrangement we originally made."

"So, you can constantly demand more and more charts from me, but I'm not ever allowed to take a little more time when traveling - even when I can't always predict how long a trip will take?" She threw up her hands in disbelief. "How does that work into the original arrangement?"

"Make shorter voyages," he smirked. Brushing past her on his way out, he continued, "Don't worry, we have plenty of oil for your lamp so you can work through the night if need be."

Nami wanted to snatch her inkwell off the desk and hurl it at the back of his head, but wisely suppressed the urge. Instead, she merely watched him descend the stairs, praying he'd fall down all five flights and break his neck. During the three years she'd labored under him, she'd learned Arlong well enough to know he rarely changed his mind once he'd decided on a course. She glowered after him, wondering what the hell his problem was, all of a sudden.

'Starting today', he'd said, meaning he didn't intend to give her the rest of the day off. She rushed hastily to the groves to make her deposit. There was no time to visit with Nojiko. Fortunately, she had some gauze stashed on her boat and could treat her own wounds. Swearing under her breath the entire way, she rushed back up the stairs to the map room as she bandaged her hand. She'd be damned if she let his demands cut into her agenda. Of course, it also meant no time for breakfast - luckily there was coffee in her room.

Nami worked feverishly through the morning until she bled straight through her bandage. Wincing, she peeled back the gauze to examine the angry wound running diagonally across her hand. She knew she'd need fresh wrappings before she could continue, so reluctantly, she got up and headed down to the first floor to retrieve them.

"Looks like we have someone coming up short in Gosa," she overheard Kuroobi remark through the doorway leading out to the patio.

Along responded with a disgusted sigh, followed up with, "That fucking town..."

"This brazen woman even insisted on speaking directly to you, as if it would make any difference," droned Kuroobi, "If you'd like, I can rustle up some men; it shouldn't take more than an hour to level the entire place - unless you'd rather handle it yourself?"

"Eh, I'll go," the other grumbled in return. "Besides, I need a break from this ledger anyway."

Nami felt a chill run down her spine on hearing their casual discussion about destroying Cocoyasi's closest neighbor. She quickly wracked her brain for something she might do or say to delay them as she heard Arlong getting up from his chair to follow Kuroobi. Popping her head out, she opened her mouth and called after them: "Wait!"

Both fishmen turned toward her in surprise.

"Whaddaya want," demanded Arlong.

"I... I'm almost out of ink," she blurted.

Arlong and Kuroobi exchanged disgruntled looks. "That's not my problem," the shark-man shot back, "Don't bother me with stupid things!"

She chewed her lower lip, glancing pensively toward the horizon. "Also, there's a whopper of a storm coming just fifteen minutes from now! You don't wanna get caught in the middle of it!"

"Nami, shut up and get back to work," barked Kuroobi as the two of them turned to leave.

"Get bent," she muttered after him.

The ray-man whipped around fast enough to slap Arlong full in the face with his pigtail. "Come again," he spat.

"ENOUGH ALREADY," exploded Arlong, causing Kuroobi and Nami to immediately freeze. "Nami, if you don't want me to hurl that fishing boat of yours right against a cliffside, then I suggest you haul ass back up to that room!"

Nami didn't wait for him to finish yelling before she plunged back inside and disappeared.

After a tense pause, Kuroobi turned cautiously to Arlong. "Soooo, why don't you?"

"What?" Arlong rounded on his manta ray lieutenant.

"I just mean," flinched Kuroobi, "why don't you go ahead and smash her boat? Then you wouldn't have to worry about her leaving every few days and you could keep her making maps all the time. It only makes sense - what good is it to us if she spends more than half her time away doing whatever she wants?"

Arlong snorted. "Don't you get it? As long as she's got something to look forward to, she's motivated to be productive. You see how much work I get outta her in a week's time, and now I'm going to get even more." He turned and continued heading for the gate.

"Hmm," Kuroobi frowned, "I still think there are other ways to motivate her."

"I can explore those avenues in the future, if need be," shrugged Arlong, "but for now, the system is working fine as is."

Kuroobi paused just outside the compound. His eyes narrowed as he watched the captain continue down the path ahead of him. "I think you've got too much of a soft spot for that brat," he grumbled.

000

She hadn't completely lied; the part about the coming storm had been largely true. A loud crack of thunder shook the tower and rattled Nami's cup of coffee as she hunched over her desk. The sky from her window was a sickening green as rain pelted the panes. Nami got up to light her lamp. Her hand throbbed worse than ever and she'd never gotten the chance to properly treat the wound following her shakeup downstairs.

She wondered if Arlong had gotten caught in the storm after all, but the more likely case was that he or any other fishman could simply head for deep waters if need be. Meanwhile, she feared a tidal wave might crash into the fort at any moment, bursting through the walls and glass and sweeping her out to sea with all the other debris. All Arlong's precious maps - gone forever! He'd search through the wreckage, desperately trying to collect the tattered pieces in vain. A macabre chuckle escaped her lips. She'd laugh her head off at him as a ghost.

After the wind didn't blow the roof off her room and eventually subsided, Nami gradually drifted off to the steady patter of rain against the window. When she awoke a few hours later, her right palm was so swollen and tender she could scarcely stand to hold her pen.

Out of desperation she went in search of Renado, the ship's doctor, but found the infirmary as well as most of the compound empty. Nami did her best to treat and bandage her own wound before heading to the galley. Only scraps from the crew's breakfast remained, which she greedily devoured. Her thoughts soon turned to her boat, her only lifeline, and how it had faired the storm.

Nami hurried out toward the dock, pausing to survey the minor damage to The Park's facade and surrounding wall. Seemingly, the fishmen's structures were as sturdily built as they themselves were. To her great relief, she spotted her vessel still moored and apparently intact in the distance. She recalled Arlong's earlier threat, and a shiver ran down her spine. She had no doubt he'd smash her boat if she crossed him, remembering all the maps she still needed to complete before the end of the week.

Before she could reach the dock, a loud burst on her left sent Nami to the ground in a startled heap. A fishman, shooting from the water like a cannon, came crashing down in front of her, followed seconds later by another fishman who landed on top of the first and began raining blows down on him. A whole crowd soon spilled out of the ocean around the two, shouting and cheering them on.

"Come on, I've got 10 thousand berries riddin' on this fight!"

"Kill 'im! Kill 'im!"

"Get up, ya sea cucumber! You're as useless as a human!"

Clambering hastily backward to avoid getting caught up in the fray, an appalled Nami quickly forgot about her boat and retreated once again back to her room to continue where she'd left off.

Work was painfully slow for the rest of the day and deep into the night. Nami didn't bother to stop for meals - determined as she was to push through her daily quota despite the agony in her hand. When she finally glanced up to find dawn breaking out her window, the girl at last surrendered herself to a restless sleep. However, the throbbing from her wound would not allow her to get comfortable. After a couple of hours, she gave up on slumber too.

Nami sat up and started to climb back into her chair again, but no amount of will power could force her to pick up her pen or crack open one more tome. She had nothing left in her. She already knew she was not going to be able to meet her quota by the end of the week and it was only Tuesday. Blinking the tears of frustration from her eyes, she resolved to think of some sort of solution. She couldn't let Arlong win this one, and she couldn't think clearly on an empty stomach.

Nami slipped down to the patio (it was still too early for anyone to be around) grabbed the entire bowl of fruit off the table and carried it out to the beach where she ate everything except for a cantaloupe and a pineapple, which she decided to take home to Nojiko.

She was relieved to see her home and the surrounding orchards had suffered only minimal damage from the previous evening's winds, though the same couldn't be said about some of the larger structures in town. Of course, it meant costly repairs which many residents could scarcely afford and still meet their monthly tribute. Quality of life on the island had dropped steadily each year since Arlong's takeover.

"Good morning, I brought you something for breakfast," she grinned, holding up her offerings as her sister opened the door.

"Well, this is a surprise," remarked the fifteen-year-old, motioning her inside.

"I can't stay long," apologized Nami, "I have a ton of work to do today - I just had these old things lying around and thought you might like some variety with your oranges!"

Nojiko offered a knowing smirk at her show of exuberance. "I was just making some eggs and toast; sit down and have some."

"No thanks! I've already feasted like a king."

Nojiko started to reply but stopped short when she noticed Nami's bandaged hand. "What happened there," she demanded.

"Oh yeah, I was also hoping you might help me out with some more bandages?"

Nojiko took out the first aid kit and immediately got to work. She gasped as soon as she pulled the old dressings off. "This is getting really infected!"

"I haven't really had a chance to properly treat it," the younger girl winced.

She gritted her teeth as Nojiko cleaned the cut and applied an ointment. She then re-bandaged the hand. "Now just rest it for a day or two and maybe it'll start getting better."

"Eh, I wish I could, but I've really gotta get back - Arlong suddenly decided to up my production and I can't leave the island again until I'm finished."

"So what happens if you can't finish by the end of the week?"

"It cuts into the week I'm allowed to sail."

"Well, okay." Nojiko shrugged.

Nami turned sharply to her. "No, NOT okay; I need all that time to steal treasure!"

"But it's just for one week until your hand heals."

"It's not just missing a week that's the problem - Arlong can change the rules whenever he wants. I'm afraid he's going to try and make it impossible for me to even leave anymore!"

Nojiko frowned. "You know, the village has been having some real problems with the fishmen recently."

Nami's eyes widened in consternation, "What sort of problems?"

"Well, while you were away last week a pack of them went rampaging through a farm, killed a bunch of livestock and destroyed the crops."

The younger girl jumped to her feet. "What? Why?"

"No reason," supplied Nojiko, "It wasn't like the people had broken any rules - they just did it because they could."

"No, they can't," Nami insisted, growing angrier by the second, "They aren't allowed to just abuse villagers for no reason - that's why the people pay them every month!"

"Well, I guess it's like you said - they can change the rules whenever they want," mused Nojiko.

"Arlong hasn't changed any rules about that!" She stared hard at her sister, "What else have they done?"

"Don't get so riled up about it; what else do you expect from pirates - at least no one was killed," Nojiko attempted to downplay.

"I'm not riled up." She sat back down, affecting a casual look, "What else have they done?"

"Not much, but a couple of them did come through town while we were having the market yesterday and helped themselves to a bunch of free wares..."

"Even to Belle-Mere-san's oranges?"

"To everything," shrugged Nojiko, "but other than that, it wasn't too bad."

Nami was silent for a long moment. "I see. Well, I really do have to get back now, but thanks for the first aid."

"Take it with you," insisted Nojiko, pushing the kit toward her sister, "Apply that ointment at least three times a day!"

000

She was beside herself as she raced back to Arlong Park. To think those filthy bastards believed they could not only destroy people's livelihoods, but even steal her own sister's sole source of income without any consequences made her sick. Why the hell was Arlong suddenly so obsessed with micro-managing her while allowing his men to do anything they wanted? She was probably naive when she believed he'd finished settling his two-year grudge with her.

Her pace slowed as she passed near the path leading to the doc. Something made her stop and turn toward the water. Nami let out an involuntary shriek as she saw her boat lilting crazily to one side in the water where she'd moored it.

Seconds later, Aka-Mushi's head burst through the surface beside the sinking vessel. "Don't worry, I can fix 'er!"

"What happened," she demanded angrily, running toward him.

"It was the wildest thing," he panted, his face extra bright and agitated. "He swam right up and started punchin' the hull!"

"Who did?"

"I says to 'im, 'what the hell're you doin'?' an' he starts goin' on about how you tried to kill the captain...Anyway, he wouldn't stop busting up the boat, so I busted his nose!"

"Who? Who?," cried Nami, clenching the air with her balled up fists.

"That fat, purple-faced sonofabitch," Aka-Mushi tossed out a description that could've applied to at least a dozen different fishmen on the crew.

No matter, Nami sank despairingly to her knees on the bank, the boat was useless - at least for the foreseeable future.

"Now don't cry - I told you I could fix it," insisted the youth.

"I'm not crying," she said through gritted teeth before looking imploringly at him, "How long will it take?"

"If I can get started on her today, maybe a week or two," he shrugged.

"I see." She wanted to die. Suddenly her head jerked up, "He said I tried to kill Arlong?"

Aka-Mushi climbed up onto the bank and flopped down beside her, "Yeah, there's been some rumors going around; I think Kuroobi-san is the one spreading 'em. That's why some're listening."

"Of course it would be him," she growled, pulling her knees to her chest.

She turned to see the betta still staring at her. "You want to ask me if it's true, don't you?"

"I ain't gonna ask," he insisted, "I think I already know the way you feel, and I understand why. We can just leave it at that."

"Thanks," she replied gloomily, "...for everything."

Nami returned to work soon afterward, doing her best to ignore the growing knot in her gut. Now that it seemed she would certainly not be making her voyage next week between her slow progress and smashed boat, her thoughts began to turn to darker subjects. Her conversation with Nojiko played over in her head repeatedly; this coupled with the devious Kuroobi's ongoing efforts to destroy her, whipped the young teen into a silent rage.

Taking frequent breaks to rest her sore hand and occasionally to sneak some food from the galley, Nami managed to crank out a dismal number of charts before the sun went down. She awoke sometime late the following morning, uncertain of when she'd actually fallen asleep.

Blearily, she reached for her small coffee pot, filling it with water from her basin before setting it atop the candle burner. While waiting for it to reach a boil, she gazed moodily out the window at the sight of crewmembers erecting some sort of large wooden post near the eastern wall.

She scowled. God's spicy house cat! What are they up to now?

She brought out a couple of oranges from Nojiko for her breakfast and, after giving herself a brief bird bath with the remaining water and changing clothes, checked the pot and added the coffee. By the time she'd taken it off the burner to cool, she could hear Arlong's voice carrying from the courtyard and glanced out again to see what looked like the entire crew congregating outside.

What were they up to? Nami peered toward the spot where they all were facing and gasped. She saw a fishman, shirtless, bound to the post with his back toward the crowd. Even without seeing his face, she recognized the wavy brown hair and long, drooping fin that belonged to Aka-Mushi. Gil, her former guard, stood directly in front of the smaller fishman with the other pirates giving him a wide berth as he flung back his arm and swung what appeared to be a thick leather strap against the shackled teenager's back.

Without thinking, Nami flew out the door and down the stairs. She reached the courtyard, panting heavily, just as the strap struck down yet again, bringing up a horrible welt. Blood ran down the broad red shoulders.

"STOP," she screamed, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

While the crew turned in amazement to the livid girl, Arlong, standing nearby, appeared completely unfazed by her sudden appearance on the scene.

"Doing? I was just in the middle of disciplining my insubordinate nakama. Was there something you needed, Nami?"

"What did he do to deserve this," she demanded.

"What concern is it of yours," retorted Arlong coldly.

"I'll tell you what he did," shouted a voice near the front of the crowd. Nami recognized the aptly described fat, purple-faced sonofabitch Aka-Mushi had described to her yesterday. "He attacked me for no reason! Everyone here knows the consequences for assaulting a fellow fishman!" Ugly black bruises spreading from the bridge of his nose and below his eyes vividly attested to the betta-man's solid punch.

Not only a son of a bitch, but an utterly dickless one, thought Nami. "No, he didn't; you destroyed my boat!" She whirled back on Arlong, "Why is Aka-Mushi the one chained to that thing instead of him?"

"Nami, just go," rasped the youth over his shoulder at her, "It ain't none of your concern - just like Arlong-san said."

"But this is wrong," she cried.

"I'm fine," he shouted back, "now get outta here!"

The girl recoiled at the reproach even as a wave of murmurs passed through the gathering of pirates.

"Alright Nami, if you're done meddling, I'm sure there are still plenty of maps that could use your attention even more than Aka-Mushi," snarked Arlong, pivoting his attention back to Gil, still holding the whip. "Now where were we?'

"That was six," stated Kuroobi, standing nearby. He offered the girl a nasty smile.

"Six more to go, then," The captain declared. Gil raised the strap yet again.

Nami turned away, hurrying back inside to the sickening snap of leather.

000

Her stomach hurt. Her hand hurt. With hours left to go before dawn, it seemed this day from hell would never end. Nami rolled sleeplessly over, her mind racing with the day's events. Not long after her rebuke from Aka-Mushi, nature had offered its own little insult to her: she'd become a woman as Belle-Mere had phrased it when the same thing happened to Nojiko about three years prior.

What a fine time to be alive, thought the girl (woman!) acridly.

She'd naively fantasized in the past that maybe it would never happen to her - that the universe somehow owed her a favor because she was forced to cohabitate with a bunch of pirate assholes and already had enough to put up with. How quickly reality robbed her of that delusion! Fortunately, the much more pragmatic side of her had been preparing for this moment for almost a year now, so at least she wasn't caught flatfooted.

When she couldn't stand lying on the floor any longer, she got to her feet and snatched the lamp off her table.

The cloud cover remained thick with no moon or stars visible in the night sky. Nami made her way by lantern light and sheer directional memory down the path leading to the beach Aka-Mushi had used to repair her boat previously. Not surprisingly, she didn't find him currently there; she did, however, notice her boat back in the same old place as before. Her guts clenched as she ran her light along the gaping holes in the hull. The Old Girl was already so worn and beaten-up, Nami saw no way for her to be successfully restored again - despite the betta-man's optimism.

Remembering the reason she'd come, Nami stepped up and placed Nojiko's first-aid kit in the sand directly in front of the boat, sure he'd find it and hopefully use it to treat his wounds.

Walking back, she realized she hadn't felt this utterly hopeless and defeated since the time Arlong came down on her for drawing that fake map. Aimlessly, she wandered along the perimeter of The Park. No sentries were posted anywhere along the walls or beside the gate - none ever were - so secure were the fishmen in their invincibility against any would-be assailants. Nami crossed unobserved through the East Gate where not even a lock existed. Indeed, Arlong welcomed any insurgent that was stupid enough to try, to barge inside and challenge him at any time.

Once inside the fort again, Nami paused at the foot of the stairs. She didn't feel like climbing them back up to her room to lie down on the floor until the sun came up. Her gaze instead followed the flickering light of her lamp toward the entrance to the armory. The firelight gleamed off the sharp objects within as they winked encouragingly back at her. Nami promptly accepted their enticing invitation.

She wondered why she'd never stopped to consider how much the Arlong Pirates' hoard of weapons had grown since first the armory was established. They might soon need to expand if they planned to amass very many more.

Nami's eye landed almost instantly on Kiribachi, the crown jewel of the collection, resting prominently on the wall for Arlong's easy access. Below the enormous saw-toothed sword, however, sitting innocently on a desk just like a common letter opener, she spotted a small, simple dagger. Her bandaged hand slid comfortably over its hilt, and she immediately felt an eerie but undeniable connection with the blade.

The girl took no time to analyze her following actions. Like a sleepwalker, she slowly climbed the stairs only to pause on the second floor. Then, almost as if someone or something else prompted her, she walked up to the closed door of Arlong's suite. After listening outside while nothing stirred within, Nami set her lamp on the ground and slowly turned the knob.

The door made no sound as she pushed it open and slid inside, leaving a small sliver through which the soft light from the hall seeped in to illuminate the shadowy forms occupying the room. Nami saw the shape of Arlong's beside table and the indistinct articles cluttering it. At her feet, darker shapes - mounds of discarded clothing - littered the floor directly in front of the massive bed. Squinting further into the darkness, a very recognizable shark fin slowly rose and fell with the fishman's steady breathing. Nami's hand tightened around the dagger's handle, her heart thudded as the full realization of her intentions gripped her psyche.

She could still turn back - go upstairs and wait for morning when her mind would be clearer, and she could come up with a far more sensible plan. Arlong was fast asleep and would never even know she'd been there.

Maybe it was just her raging hormones or the horrible week she'd been having, but for whatever reason Nami had no interest in being sensible. She was tired of waiting and biding her time and hoping for things to get better. Her chances of killing Arlong were just as likely in this moment as they would be if she cautiously waited for a 'better' idea to come along.

Even IF you somehow succeed at this idiotic attempt, what are you gonna do afterward? YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PLAN! Her rational mind bellowed urgently.

You're just being a coward - SHUT UP AND DO IT! the maniac inside her shrieked back.

Amidst her inner turmoil, Nami's feet made the final decision, stepping gingerly over a pile of clothing toward the slumbering Arlong. He was on his stomach, with his head turned toward her. Although his neck was partially blocked by his hair and right shoulder, slicing the vital arteries wouldn't prove too difficult so long as she plunged the knife deeply enough. She'd only get one shot.

Nami raised her dagger high, taking aim. The adrenaline coursing through her seemed to amplify her senses - suddenly her vision sharpened, and her periphery expanded in the darkness. Nami imagined she could see almost the entire room at once. Arlong's prone body lay above the sheets, and she realized he was naked. Even more disturbing, however, was that a woman was lying next to him on the other side of the bed.

Sudden terror gripped Nami as her breath involuntarily hitched in her throat. Immediately, the woman's eyes flew open as she sprang like a panther out of bed, dashing past Nami while snatching clothes off the floor. The girl gazed stupefied after her as she bolted naked out the door and down the stairs.

"Uhh," groaned Arlong, shifting onto his elbow in bleary confusion.

Panic-stricken, Nami dove under the bed.

She watched, trembling uncontrollably beneath the mattress as Arlong's feet hit the floor. The springs creaked as the fishman stood and plodded to the open door, then paused there. A moment later he pivoted back toward the bed and Nami saw his feet freeze before the spot where she lay motionless among the dust bunnies. All at once, a large head ducked into view, peering at her in the darkness.

Nami shrieked.

A hand shot out, grabbing her by the arm. The dagger fell from her grasp as she was yanked firmly up between Arlong's enormous palms, staring him directly in the eye.

She sucked in a breath and his hand slammed over her mouth. "Shut up," he hissed serpent-like into her ear.

"Arlong-san?" A voice presently called from the hallway, "Is that you? What's going on?" The crew also had a collective sleeping quarter on the second floor, Nami randomly remembered.

"Nothing! Go back to sleep," he snarled back.

Moments after the door down the hall clicked shut again, Arlong lunged through his own entryway and snatched Nami's lamp inside. Kicking his door closed with a slam, he turned his ire back to her. "What in the fu-" he began, then stopped as his glance hit the floor.

"What's this?" Still holding Nami by the head, Arlong bent down and retrieved her dropped dagger. Her blood ran cold as a jagged smile split his face and the fishman's entire body shook with a malevolent chuckle.

"Shahahahahahaha! Oh Nami, what am I going to do with you," he tsked, holding the knife to her face and pressing its cool blade firmly against her cheek, "You just never learn your lesson. Am I really going to have to break you?"

Nami quickly discovered a new ability, when pushed beyond all terror to the brink of despair, to gain an almost Zen-like clarity. She now felt an inexplicable calm wash over her even while Arlong threatened to slice pieces of her face off.

Grabbing his fingers, she pushed his hand away from her mouth in order to speak. "Who was that woman who just ran out of here," she heard herself ask flatly.

Arlong paused, the sneer on his lips faltering slightly. "Huh?"

"Was she at my party that one time?" It was a reach for Nami, but not much of one. She recalled his moody expression while eyeing the girls Hitchin had 'invited' to the celebration two years ago - perhaps he'd even singled one of them out.

"But Arlong, I thought you didn't approve of fraternizations between humans and fishmen," she went on when he didn't immediately respond. "As I remember, you made it very clear to the crew in that speech of yours on fishman superiority. I wonder what they would think if they knew you'd bedded a human after all that."

She couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth. Any moment now and Arlong would jam that dagger right into her skull. However, her newfound clarity continued handing down uncanny revelations. She suddenly thought of Gosa Village and the conversation she'd overheard about a woman who'd come up short on her tribute. The pieces rapidly began falling into place: as far as she knew, nothing had ever happened to Gosa on account of their lack of funds - but why? Did the shark-man accept some other form of payment after all?

For Arlong, it was a huge scandal: he'd loose face with his entire crew if they ever found out about his dalliance - much less if he'd violated his own ironclad rule for those who couldn't pay tribute. Even to Nami it hardly made sense for him to behave like this - she knew Arlong well enough to know he fully bought into his own blather about human inferiority. If his behavior all week was any indication, he must have really needed the lay.

His mouth caught somewhere between a smirk and a snarl, he regarded her for an agonizingly long moment, his fingers tightening ever so slightly along her jaw and neck as he continued holding her suspended above the ground.

"I'll deal with you tomorrow," he finally growled, opening the door and tossing her out into the hall.

Nami's tailbone hit the ground with a painful thud. She caught a glimpse of Arlong's backlit silhouette in the doorway just before he slammed the door shut.

Because fleeing Arlong Park was pointless, the girl made her way instead up the stairs clutching the rail in both hands until she reached the map room again. The fact that she still had use of her legs at all was proof enough she'd gained some valuable dirt on him. Nevertheless, Arlong's reaction made her wonder. She'd certainly seen him angrier; rather he appeared almost amused by her attempt to stab him to death. Only when she brought up blackmail did she truly see his ire rise, and even then, the amusement never fully vanished. What made him so smug if she'd supposedly won?

I'll deal with you tomorrow...

It was already tomorrow.

Tired as she was, sleep was out of the question as she entered her cell. Nami sank to the floor with a sudden wave of nausea and stomach pangs. Lunging for the chamber pot, she doubled over and hurled.