You think this is funny?" he snarled. "Killing you won't satisfy my rage!"
From the shadows, Kuroobi stepped forward, arms crossed over his broad, scaled chest.
"But how did he escape?" he muttered, glancing at the battered remains of their subordinates. "Maybe Nami brought him here on purpose. Maybe she helped that swordsman. Zoro's a known bounty hunter after all."
Arlong's eyes narrowed. "Nami…?"
Kuroobi nodded slowly, his tone sharpening with suspicion. "She's always been good at betraying people."
That was when Nami entered.
She walked through the gates of Arlong Park like a storm ready to break—shoulders stiff, eyes cold. But her voice was clear and sharp as a blade.
"That's enough! Don't go spinning your own failures into fairy tales."
Kuroobi stepped back instinctively.
"Eight years ago," Nami said, stepping further into the courtyard, "I made a deal. I joined your crew. I followed your orders. I did what I had to do."
She stopped in front of them, just out of Arlong's reach. Her eyes didn't flinch.
"And I've nearly gathered the full amount—100 million berries. Why," she added bitterly, "would I throw it all away now for some stupid pirate?"
Arlong watched her with interest and smiled wickedly.
"Then this will make it easy," Arlong growled, his voice razor-sharp.
"Show me you're loyal."
He tossed a jagged dagger to the ground between Nami and Mario.
The sound of the blade hitting stone echoed like a death sentence.
Nami's jaw clenched. Her eyes didn't move. Her fingers twitched at her sides.
Mario, bruised and barely able to lift his head, stared at her — not with fear, but with sorrow. He could see her crumbling from the inside.
"Nami… I know how much you're hurting. I know what you've been through," he said, his voice raspy. "But you don't have to do this. Luffy can help you. We can help you. We will hel—"
His words were cut short.
Nami lunged.
The dagger flashed — and for a terrifying moment, Mario thought she had stabbed him.
But then — blood dripped.
From her own hand.
She'd driven the dagger into her palm.
The Fish-Men gasped. Even Arlong blinked, surprised by the sudden motion.
The blood fell in small, steady drops onto the stones, painting the ground in crimson.
She knelt beside Mario, hands shaking, eyes never meeting his.
"Stay down," she whispered under her breath. "I'm sorry."
Then, with a sudden shove, she pushed him backward — toward the edge of the courtyard pool.
Mario, too weak to resist, tumbled over the side.
SPLASH!
Water closed over him like a curtain.
Through the blur and bubbles, he saw her face above — the dagger still in her hand, the act complete.
And then… he drifted.
***
Mario burst to the surface, gasping for breath.
He swam with what little strength he had left, kicking against the tide, dragging his battered body toward the distant shoreline of Conomi Island.
The salt burned his eyes. His muscles screamed. But he didn't stop until his fingers clawed against dry land.
He collapsed onto the rocky beach, coughing, soaking wet, blood trailing from his side.
"Damn… she's too kind…"
He rolled onto his back, staring up at the cloud-dappled sky, his chest heaving.
Poor Nami...
She probably still doesn't trust anyone. Not really. Not after everything.
He sat up slowly, shoulders shaking with frustration, fists clenched in the dusty sand.
"Damn it."
With a sudden yell, he slammed his fist into the ground, a puff of dust rising around him.
"If those fish bastards hadn't dragged me off— I could've stopped that rat Lieutenant Nezumi. I could've helped her keep the money— all of it!"
He punched the ground again, teeth gritted.
"I could've convinced her to join us. She was right there! We could've ended this already— all of it. But no—!"
He doubled over, breath ragged. His frustration wasn't just at the situation. It was at himself.
At being weak. At being too slow.
The path back was brutal. Sand turned to mud, roots snatched at his ankles, and every inhale felt like broken glass. But Mario didn't stop. His body screamed, but his heart beat louder.
***
By the time he reached the outskirts of Cocoyasi Village, he was soaked in sweat, gasping, barely upright.
Then — in the distance — he saw them.
Luffy. Sanji. Usopp. Zoro.
They were there.
"OIIIIIIIII, GUYS!!!"
Mario waved both arms like a madman, stumbling as he ran down the hill.
Usopp turned first, squinting. His eyes widened.
"OH LOOK! I TOLD YOU HE'S ALIVE!"
Before anyone could react, Usopp charged at him like a cannonball, flailing.
"BUAAAHHH! I KNEW YOU WOULDN'T DIE!"
"I was just—just about to go rescue you! Had a plan and everything! Explosives! Smoke bombs! I even made a flag!"
Mario barely had time to brace before Usopp collided with him, knocking them both into the grass in a messy pile.
"Oof— Usopp, you're choking me—!"
Sanji strolled over, hands in his pockets, cigarette dangling from his lips.
"Tch. You really took your sweet time, huh?"
Zoro stood with his arms crossed, eyeing Mario with his usual stoic calm — but there was the faintest hint of a grin at the corner of his mouth.
"Guess you're not completely useless after all."
Luffy stepped forward, straw hat casting a shadow over his eyes.
He grinned.
"You're just in time."
Mario tried to catch his breath, his chest rising and falling rapidly.
"Okay, guys. We need to talk. I need to explain everything about Nami."
Luffy plopped down onto the ground with a tired sigh.
"I already told Nami I'm going to sleep."
Mario couldn't help but chuckle. This airhead of a captain... He never imagined Luffy could be such a meathead sometimes. But that was just Luffy—through all their adventures, somehow he always knew what people wanted, what they needed, and acted purely on instinct.
"That's Luffy for you," Mario thought with a smile.
But now, Mario shook his head, more serious.
"I know. But all of you need to understand who Nami really is."
He paused, locking eyes with each of them.
"She's not a thief. She's not a traitor. She's been forced to live under Arlong's control, making her do things she never wanted to do. She's been carrying a heavy burden — protecting her village and her family in the only way she could."
Mario's voice grew steadier, filled with conviction.
"She's been planning to buy her freedom — gathering the money Arlong demands — but it's a trap. She's stuck between saving her home and the people she loves, and fighting back."
Luffy frowned, looking toward the horizon where Arlong Park loomed like a dark shadow.
"We'll save her," he said simply. "And then we'll take down Arlong."
Sanji lit a cigarette, exhaling smoke slowly.
"I don't care what kind of deal she made. Nobody's gonna force my love into anything."
Usopp nodded vigorously.
"We're a crew. We stick together."
Zoro cracked his knuckles, eyes sharp.
"Then let's end this. Fast and clean."
Mario smiled, feeling a renewed fire in his chest.
"Alright. Let's move."
They walked together in unision. He could feel their determination burning in their eyes.
After ariving in the village. There she was Nami kneeling on the ground stabing herself with a dagger on the soulder tying to erase the marko f the Arlong crew.
„ARLONG! ARLONG! ARLONG!" she creamed tears in her eyes.
Marios chest hurt: No
Soru!
In a flash, Mario appeared right beside her, catching her wrist just before the dagger could pierce her skin again.
"Nami, stop!" His voice was firm but gentle.
Her body trembled violently, struggling with the pain and torment, but she didn't pull away.
Luffy stepped forward, his shadow falling over the cracked road.
But Nami turned sharply, her voice breaking with rage and pain.
"WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" she shouted. "YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING! DIDN'T I TELL YOU TO LEAVE THE ISLAND?!"
Her words struck like daggers. Mario stood still, silent. He could feel the weight in her voice—the years of fear, guilt, and loneliness all exploding at once.
"You're right," Luffy said simply, his voice low. "I don't know."
Nami's hands clenched, trembling. She dropped the dagger, and her fingers scraped the dirt beneath her.
"Go away! Leave! Get out!"
She shouted, screamed at them with all the force her broken heart could muster. But her voice cracked between the cries, losing strength with each word.
Mario didn't move. None of them did.
He watched her collapse forward onto her knees, gasping for air between sobs. Years of silent suffering unraveling all at once.
And then—slowly—she turned.
Her eyes found Luffy. Her body shook. And finally, finally…
"Luffy…" she said, barely a whisper. "Please… help me."
The moment froze.
Luffy didn't hesitate.
He crouched down and carefully placed his straw hat—the one he cherished more than anything—gently on her head.
Then he stood.
Without turning back, he spoke, loud and clear.
"OF COURSE I WILL!!!!!"
He took a step forward, gave the pointing toward the towering coral fortress just visible past the trees.
"Let's go beat the crap out of Arlong."
Zoro cracked his neck.
Sanji lit his cigarette.
Usopp adjusted his goggles with shaking hands—but stood firm.
Mario's fists tightened. This was it.
No more running. No more suffering.
They were going to finish this.