Nojiko's story hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. The full weight of Nami's eight-year-long, solitary war had finally settled upon the Straw Hat Pirates, and the silence in the small house was one of profound, heartbroken understanding.
Sanji's cigarette was crushed between his fingers, his entire body trembling with a rage so deep it was silent. Usopp was weeping openly, his face buried in his hands, crying for the lonely little girl who had to become a monster to save everyone. Zoro, who had woken during the tale, was quiet, his one eye shadowed, his hand gripping the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.
"So all this time…" Sanji finally growled, his voice a low, dangerous rasp. "She's been fighting all by herself…" He stood up, his face a mask of furious resolve. "That's it. I'm going to kill every last one of those fish-men bastards."
WHACK!
Nojiko brought the butt of an old rifle down hard on his head.
"Don't be an idiot," she said, her own eyes red from crying, but her voice was firm as steel. "What do you think you can accomplish by charging in there? You don't understand. Your very presence here, calling her your 'friend,' your 'nakama,' is the most dangerous thing in the world for her right now."
She explained the delicate, treacherous balance of Nami's existence. For eight years, Nami had meticulously built a wall of greed and selfishness, a mask of cruelty to survive among those monsters. She had made them believe she was one of them.
"If they even suspect she has real friends," Nojiko said, her voice trembling, "if they think for a second that her loyalty is divided, they will kill her without hesitation. Your good intentions will destroy her. Please… don't make her suffer any more than she already has."
As she spoke, a memory flashed in her mind: a younger Nami, her eyes cold and hard after returning from Arlong Park for the first time, showing Nojiko the tattoo that was both a brand of servitude and a symbol of her vow. She remembered her sister's quiet, determined words: "I will buy our village back." She was only seven million Beli away from that goal. So close.
Back at the now-quiet village, Genzo, the sheriff, arrived at Bell-mère's old house with a grim procession. Trailing behind him was the rat-faced Marine captain, Nezumi, and a squad of his men. Nami was inside, trying to find a moment of peace in the home she was fighting to reclaim.
Nezumi strode in without knocking. "Are you the criminal known as Nami?" he asked, his voice oozing a false sense of authority.
Nami looked up, her expression turning to one of cold annoyance. She pointed to the tattoo on her shoulder. "I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates. You should let me be if you value your life."
Nezumi just laughed, a high-pitched, grating sound. "Arlong? I have no idea what you're talking about. My report says you are a petty thief who has amassed a large fortune by stealing from other pirates. All of that money is now the property of the World Government."
He ignored Nami's renewed threats and ordered his men, "Search the premises! Find the money!"
The Marines started towards the tangerine grove. The one place she had thought was safe.
"GET AWAY FROM THERE!" Nami screamed, her staff a blur as she attacked the Marines, desperately trying to protect the one thing that mattered.
Genzo finally snapped. "NEZUMI, YOU BASTARD!" he roared at the corrupt captain. "That money is for this village! It's our hope! She's been fighting for eight long years to save us because you Marines have done NOTHING!"
He then turned to the stunned Nami. "We all knew, Nami. We've always known. Nojiko told us years ago. We kept silent because we didn't want to add to your burden. We didn't want you to feel pressured and run away from it all."
At that moment, Nojiko arrived at the scene, her face a mask of fury. "Get your filthy government hands off my sister's property!" she yelled at Nezumi.
But Nezumi just ignored them all, a confident smirk on his face.
And then, the final pieces clicked into place in Nami's mind. He knew where the money was. He's not afraid of Arlong. Arlong… sent him. The dawning horror was a cold, sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. The whole thing was a setup. A farce.
She ran. She ran all the way to Arlong Park, her heart a frantic drum against her ribs. She burst into the throne room, her eyes blazing with the fire of a promise betrayed.
"ARLONG! YOU BROKE YOUR PROMISE!"
Arlong, who was lounging on his throne, just looked at her with an expression of amused curiosity. He reached out with his massive, webbed hand and grabbed her by the face, his fingers easily encircling her head, lifting her off the ground.
"Break our promise?" he chuckled, his voice a low rumble. "I would never do such a thing. My honor as a Fish-Man is absolute when it comes to money."
He brought her face close to his, his sharp teeth glinting.
"I didn't take your money. The Marines did. It was a perfectly legal seizure of stolen goods by an officer of the World Government. What does that have to do with me?"
The loophole. The cruel, perfect, soul-crushing loophole.
He had never intended to let her go. He had let her spend eight years of her life, suffering, stealing, building a mountain of hope, only so he could watch it all crumble to dust at the very end.
Her strength gave out. Her anger, her hope, her eight years of iron-willed endurance… it all shattered. The sound of her spirit breaking was a silent, terrible thing.
She could only hang there, limp in his grasp, and curse his name, her face a canvas of pure, unadulterated despair.