Negotiation
"Listen," I said, cautiously approaching the dormitory. "We can work something out."
"WORK SOMETHING OUT?!" Nami's voice trembled with rage. "You tried to STRANGLE me!"
"It was an accident! The automatic system—"
"Liar."
I winced. She was right, of course. But admitting it wouldn't help me.
"Alright. Forget that. Let's talk business."
Silence. Then, calmer but still wary: "What kind of business?"
"I'll buy the key from you."
"Not for sale."
"Everything is for sale, Nami. Name your price."
I heard her let out a bitter laugh. "You really don't get it, do you? With this key, I can get ALL THE GOLD IN THE WORLD. Every vault, every bank, every treasure… they're all mine. Why would I sell it to you?"
"Because you'll never have the strength to protect that gold."
Silence.
"Think about it," I went on. "You steal a treasure. Great. But then what? Pirates hunt you down. The Marines chase you. People stronger than you come after you and kill you to take what you stole. In this world, Nami, gold without protection is just a target on your back."
"And you're different?"
"I can give you pure gold. Immediately. Without risk. And I can PROTECT you."
"How?"
"Because I have this."
I opened a door in front of me—the dormitory where she was hiding—and stepped inside. She immediately backed away, the key clenched tightly in her fist.
I raised my hands in a gesture of peace. "I'm just going to show you something."
I led her through the corridors, under her wary gaze, to a section I had never explored before: the vault room.
[VAULT CHAMBER: LEVEL 4][ACCESS AUTHORIZED]
The massive door opened with a hydraulic hiss.
Nami stepped inside… and froze.
Gold bars. Stacks of banknotes. Precious stones. Everything gleamed under the Foundation's cold lights. Not an enormous fortune, but more than enough to live comfortably for years.
"Is this… is this real?" she whispered.
"Completely real. Pure gold. Genuine diamonds. Whatever you want."
Her eyes shone, hypnotized by the wealth before her. Then she turned to me, wary.
"In exchange for the key."
"In exchange for the key," I confirmed. "And I promise you this: if one day you find a lock you absolutely MUST open, come see me. I'll lend you the key. Temporarily."
"Why should I trust you?"
"Because you don't have a choice. You can keep the key and stay stuck here forever, or you take the gold and leave."
A long, very long silence.
Nami clenched her fists. Her jaw tightened. I could see the conflict in her eyes—rage, greed, and pragmatism fighting for dominance.
Finally, she held out the key.
"If you don't keep your promise," she said in an icy voice, "I'll kill you."
"Noted."
Containment of SCP-005
After filling a bag with gold bars and banknotes for Nami—enough to satisfy her, but not so much that she'd be robbed immediately—I escorted her toward the exit.
But first, I had work to do.
I headed to the containment sector with the key. SCP-005. The Master Key.
[STANDARD CONTAINMENT CELL RECOMMENDED][PROTOCOL: SEALED SECURITY CASE][ACCESS: LEVEL 5 ONLY]
I placed the key inside a small reinforced metal box, which I locked with a biometric code. Then I placed it inside a standard containment cell—four meters by four, concrete walls, reinforced door.
Simple. Effective.
[SCP-005: CONTAINED][CLASS: SAFE][STATUS: SECURE]
I let out a sigh of relief. My first real capture.
Nami was waiting near the main entrance, the bag of gold clutched against her, her gaze still furious.
"Can we go?" she asked coldly.
"Yes."
I opened the dimensional door. Daylight blinded us for a moment. The ship's deck. Luffy snoring. Zoro asleep, sitting upright.
Nami stepped out without a word and walked away immediately, heading into the cabin and slamming the door behind her.
I closed the Foundation door and made it disappear.