Usopp stared at the blue-haired woman, his mind struggling to process her words. Nami… is her sister? A member of the Arlong Pirates? It didn't make any sense.
"This house… this orange grove…" Nojiko said, her voice a soft, melancholic whisper. "This was our home. Nami's and mine. We grew up here together." She looked out at the trees, a shadow of an old pain in her eyes. "Our mother… she's dead."
The weight of the revelation was crushing. But for Usopp, the grief was quickly overshadowed by a hot, confusing anger.
"Then she's a traitor!" he burst out, his voice cracking. "How can she be a member of the very pirates who control her own hometown?! She betrayed you! She betrayed her entire village!"
Nojiko just looked at him with a sad, weary expression. "What exactly is your business with Nami?"
"I… I don't know anymore," Usopp admitted, slumping onto a chair. He was completely lost. He recounted their adventures, her obsession with treasure, her strange betrayal. But then he remembered something else. "But she saved my village. She fought alongside us. She… she looked happy. Why would she do all that if all she wanted was money?"
"Happy?" Nojiko's voice was barely a whisper. "Are you sure she was truly happy?" She shook her head. "Listen to me. You shouldn't get involved with the Arlong Pirates. It will only lead to your death. Leave this island."
"I will!" Usopp said, standing up. "I just need to find our ship and get my friend back!"
Nojiko simply pointed out the window. Down in the hidden cove, the smiling sheep figurehead of the Going Merry was clearly visible. "Is that your ship?"
The sight confirmed it. They had landed right next to Cocoyasi Village. And that meant…
"Oh no…" Usopp's face went white with terror. "Zoro! Our crewmate! He was captured by those Fish-Men! He's in critical condition!" He began to panic, the full weight of their disastrous situation crashing down on him.
Indeed, Zoro was in a very critical condition. He had been dragged to the heart of the enemy's stronghold, Arlong Park, and thrown before the throne of the saw-nosed Fish-Man himself.
Arlong lounged on his throne, a picture of absolute power and racial arrogance. "So, you're the human who was left behind. Tell me, why are you on my island?"
Zoro, though wounded and disarmed, had lost none of his defiant grit. He glared up at the Fish-Man. "I'm looking for a girl. Not that it's any business of a half-fish mutant like you."
The other Fish-Men in the room gasped, their hands flying to their weapons. But Arlong just laughed, a deep, guttural sound.
"'Mutant'," he mused. "Such an ignorant, inferior word. I will forgive your insolence this once, human, because you clearly do not understand the natural order. We Fish-Men are the superior species. Stronger, faster, better in every conceivable way. You humans are nothing but weak, land-crawling insects."
As he spoke, Nami walked into the room.
Zoro's eyes widened in pure, unadulterated shock. She was here. Walking freely. Unharmed.
"Nami is an exception, of course," Arlong purred, gesturing to her. "She has a talent that transcends her pathetic human lineage. She is the official cartographer of the Arlong Pirates."
"Nami… what is this?" Zoro demanded, his voice a low growl. "Why are you with them?"
"Do you two know each other?" Arlong asked, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
Nami didn't even look at Zoro. Her voice was as cold and hard as ice. "Never seen him before. He was just another foolish pirate I targeted for his treasure."
Zoro stared at her, searching for any sign of the girl he had sailed with. "Is this… your true self?"
"Yes," she said, her voice unwavering. "This is me. I have been aligned with Arlong all along."
Arlong roared with laughter. "See? A cold-blooded witch, I tell you! She'd sell out her own family for a pile of gold!"
Zoro saw it then. A brief, almost imperceptible flicker in her eyes. A tightening of her jaw as she hid a scowl. It was a crack in her perfect, icy facade.
He made a split-second decision. He would test her.
With a defiant yell, he threw himself sideways, right into the deep pool of water that surrounded Arlong's throne.
It was a suicide move. The water instantly sapped his strength, his body feeling like lead as he began to sink. The Fish-Men just laughed.
But Nami didn't laugh.
With a gasp that was pure, instinctual panic, she dove into the water without a second's hesitation. She swam down, grabbed the sinking swordsman, and used all her strength to drag his heavy body back to the surface.
She hauled him onto the edge of the pool, coughing up water. "WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU DOING, YOU IDIOT?!" she screamed at him.
Zoro just looked at her, a knowing smirk on his face. "I should be asking you that question," he said, his voice quiet. "You shouldn't be acting so tough if you can't keep it up."
Nami's face was a whirlwind of conflicting emotions. Fear, anger, and a desperate sadness. "Stay out of my business," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I don't want you involved in this anymore."
She then stood up, her cold mask snapping back into place. She turned to the Fish-Men. "Lock him up. I'll kill him myself later."
Just then, another Fish-Man rushed in. "Arlong-san! The long-nosed human, he got away!"
Arlong just grinned. "He's probably in Cocoyasi Village. It doesn't matter. I have business to attend to there anyway."
A short while later, the villagers of Cocoyasi heard the dreaded sound of Arlong's approach. A palpable fear spread through the streets.
"What does he want now?" someone whispered. "It's not time for the tribute yet."
The village sheriff, a tough-looking man with a pinwheel on his hat named Genzo, stood his ground. "He must have found my weapons," he said grimly.
Arlong and his top officers strode into the village square. He stopped in front of Genzo. "I heard a rumor, Genzo. A rumor that you've been collecting weapons."
"It's a hobby," Genzo replied, his voice steady.
"A dangerous hobby," Arlong said, his smile never reaching his eyes. "Humans with weapons only leads to one thing: violence. And I cannot allow violence to disturb the peace of my island."
From a hidden alleyway, Usopp watched, trembling. "He's not human…"
"He's a Fish-Man," Nojiko whispered beside him. "And Nami… she must still be at Arlong Park."
Arlong then loomed over Genzo. "Do you remember what happened to Gosa Village, Genzo? They thought they could defy me. They couldn't pay their tribute."
Nojiko explained to the horrified Usopp. "A tribute. That's the price of life here. 100,000 Beli for every adult, 50,000 for every child. Every single month. If even one person in a village can't pay, the entire village is destroyed as an example."
Arlong turned to leave. "Tribute time is approaching," he called out to the terrified villagers. "You'd all better work hard."
Back at Arlong Park, in the dark, damp dungeons, Nami rushed to the cell where Zoro was being held.
She looked around frantically, making sure no one was watching. She pulled a hidden key from her pocket.
"We don't have much time," she whispered, her voice filled with a desperate urgency. "You have to get out of here before Arlong gets back."