Nami Returns Home, the Arlong Pirates Appear!

Perona’s umbrella tip pressed against Nami’s lower back, and a ghostly double was about to seep out from the shadow of the mast when the sound of slippers dragging across the deck suddenly rang out.

Fang Yu strolled into the moonlight, biting into an apple, and the core struck Nami squarely on the head.

"You’ve got some nerve, setting your sights on someone with a bounty of 4.5 billion Beli." He licked the juice from his fingertips, then suddenly grabbed Nami’s bundle. "Let me see how much you stole!"

But Nami clung desperately to the bundle. As the two struggled over it, it came apart, and photos of Cocoyasi Village drifted down onto the deck.

The sound of crashing waves exploded beside Nami’s ears. She seemed to hear the creak of the windmill turning when Bellemere was shot.

"I-I didn’t, I didn’t…" Her voice sounded like rusty gears grinding.

Fang Yu bent down and picked up a photo, his thumb brushing across its yellowed edge. "Orange Grove. Windmill. Cocoyasi Village."

With every word he spoke, Nami’s pupils shrank a little more.

"A great pirate with a 4.5 billion Beli bounty paying a visit…" Fang Yu suddenly leaned close to Nami’s trembling lashes. "Do you think the World Government would send a Buster Call fleet to escort me?"

"Boom—"

That final imitation of an explosion made Nami break down completely. "Don’t touch my village! I’ll return what I stole tenfold! A hundredfold!"

Ignoring Nami’s cries, Fang Yu stuffed the photo back into her collar. "We dock at noon tomorrow."

Nami’s eyes were filled with confusion. She watched blankly as Fang Yu returned to the cabin. The lifeboat was right there, yet she did not dare gamble on it.

The night tide slapped against the hull, carrying Nami’s stifled sobs. A "great battle" was about to begin.

At dawn, sunlight spilled across the deck. Fang Yu stretched lazily as he slowly emerged from the cabin, his face still bearing the grogginess of someone who had just woken up.

The moment Nami saw him, her heart clenched. After hesitating for a moment, she still balled her fists and gathered the courage to walk up to him.

With a thud, she dropped to her knees before Fang Yu. Her eyes were red, and her voice carried a sob. "Please, captain, don’t slaughter everyone on my island. I know I was wrong. I shouldn’t have had those awful thoughts. I shouldn’t have tried to steal something and run away."

Fang Yu raised an eyebrow and shrugged, asking with a faint smile, "You stole something, and there’s no punishment? Is that supposed to be okay? What kind of logic is that?"

Nami hurriedly looked up, her eyes filled with panic and pleading. "I’ll compensate you! I’ll pay back what I stole tenfold, a hundredfold! As long as you don’t hurt my village, I’ll do anything. Please!"

Fang Yu crossed his arms and shook his head. "That won’t work on me. My principle is that if you do something wrong, you have to accept the punishment! Besides, I need to take a look around the island too. I want to see what’s so special about the village you care so much about."

At those words, tears burst from Nami’s eyes. She sobbed so hard she could barely catch her breath, on the verge of completely falling apart.

Meanwhile, Carrot, Brook, and Vivi had abandoned their previous friendly attitudes toward Nami and stared at her coldly.

Carrot’s ears drooped, disappointment in her eyes, while Brook silently shook his head.

After all, no one liked a thief, especially when they had treated Nami sincerely, only for her to think solely about making money and betraying them.

Before long, the Ghost Radish slowly docked along the shore of Cocoyasi Village.

Once the ship had come to a steady stop, everyone disembarked one after another.

Nami followed behind them uneasily, her steps heavy. Every step felt as though she were carrying a thousand pounds.

She had no idea what Fang Yu would do in the village, nor whether the villagers would be harmed because of her actions. Her heart was filled with fear and unease.

With his hands in his pockets, Fang Yu spoke casually. "Oh, right. I need to hire a navigator to take me to the legendary Sky Island. No one knows how long this journey will take, so I plan to pay you an advance commission. That way, you can give your family an explanation. Besides, you need money too, don’t you?"

Nami froze on the spot when she heard that.

She stared with eyes wide open, her voice rising uncontrollably. "The commission you mean… it can’t be… it can’t be everyone’s lives, can it?" Her eyes were full of terror, as though she were looking at a demon ready to start slaughtering at any moment.

Carrot helplessly lowered her ears, sighed, and muttered, "What are you talking about? How could Captain possibly kill innocent people indiscriminately? A commission is just a commission, nothing else. Don’t make Captain sound so terrible." Her words carried a trace of displeasure at Nami’s misunderstanding.

Nami still looked dazed, her mind a tangled mess, completely unable to make sense of the sudden situation before her.

Just then, Nico Robin gracefully walked over and handed Nami a bag of jewelry.

Nami accepted it instinctively. The jewels inside felt cold against her fingers, but her mind was still in chaos. She simply could not understand why Fang Yu, a great pirate with a bounty as high as 4.5 billion, would suddenly give her money.

Fang Yu had already started walking ahead. Seeing everyone still dawdling, he turned back and urged them, "Come on. See what supplies we need and buy them. The sooner we get ready, the sooner we can set sail."

His tone was calm, as though the bag he had just handed over contained not precious jewels, but a few insignificant trinkets.

Carrot’s eyes lit up with excitement as she bounced after Fang Yu, shouting, "Let’s see if they have orange-flavored radishes! Maybe we’ll find some here!"

She had already forgotten the little incident from before, eagerly looking forward to discovering something new in the village.

Perona shot Nami a glare brimming with warning, then floated ahead with her parasol. Brook waved to everyone. "Then I’ll watch the ship and this lion! Yohohoho!"

Nami looked at the heavy bag in her hands, then at everyone’s backs ahead of her. After hesitating, she still lifted her foot and followed them, though her heart remained full of doubts. She had no idea where this unknown journey would lead, much less what the villagers would suffer.

With an uneasy heart, Nami followed closely behind Fang Yu and the others.

Along the way, the island’s villagers warmly greeted Nami. Those familiar calls filled her with mixed emotions.

She secretly watched Fang Yu and saw him carefully selecting supplies and haggling with merchants. There was not the slightest sign that he intended to begin a massacre.

Seeing this, Nami quietly breathed a sigh of relief. The enormous weight hanging over her heart finally eased.

Just then, Fang Yu stopped and turned to Nami. His expression was calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness. "I’ll give you half a day to prepare. Once you’re ready, we set sail."

"I’m telling you in advance: if you take the money and run, then I’ll…" He did not finish the sentence, but the implied threat weighed heavily on Nami’s heart like dark clouds.

Nami swallowed instinctively and nodded frantically, her voice trembling slightly. "Okay! I-I’ll go pack!"

The instant she finished speaking, she ran toward her home like a startled rabbit without looking back, her retreating figure full of panic and urgency.

Watching Nami hurry away, Perona stomped her foot in frustration and looked anxiously at Fang Yu. "You’re just letting her go? Aren’t you afraid she’ll take the money and run?"

The corners of Fang Yu’s lips lifted into a mysterious smile. Just as he was about to speak, Nico Robin beat him to it. "She won’t. This little girl cares deeply about this island and its residents. Didn’t you see them all greeting her? She knows that if she takes the money and disappears, pirates like us might take our anger out on the village. She won’t abandon all of Cocoyasi Village for this little bit of money."

Meanwhile, Nami ran off with the jewelry, heading straight for the villa where the Arlong Pirates were stationed.

Presumably, she was planning to hand the money over to the Arlong Pirates and buy back the island.

Soon, she would also face the greatest deception of her life being exposed, and her mentality would completely collapse.

Fang Yu glanced in the direction Nami had disappeared and said to the others, "I’m going to take care of something. I’ll be back soon."

(Tomorrow, five updates.)