The sun was setting in the west.
Night shrouded the land.
After an hour of dawdling, under the cover of night, Nami finally steered the ship to the back side of the island.
"Follow this small path straight up, through the orange grove, and that's my house!"
Nami pointed at the brightly lit cottage on the mountain.
"Wow~ Is this orange grove yours, Nami?"
Kuina asked.
"No, it's not; it's shared by everyone in the village, but I can make the decision. You can eat as much as you want!"
Nami patted her chest, declaring confidently.
"Then let's pick oranges tomorrow. Tonight, let's go visit your house first, Nami!"
Thor said.
"Uh…"
Nami froze.
According to her plan, she intended to host Roland and the others under the cover of darkness.
Then pick enough oranges as a return gift and send them off before dawn tomorrow.
This was to maximize the avoidance of being discovered by the fish-man Arlong and his crew.
"What's wrong? Did we make things difficult for you, Nami? Otherwise, we can buy them!"
Kuina said with a slight unease, assuming Nami couldn't truly make decisions about the orange grove.
"No, no, no, not at all; feel free to pick as much as you want!"
Nami said, forcing herself.
Inwardly, she prayed that if their activities were limited to the orange grove, they might not be discovered.
Normally, the fish-men wouldn't specifically come to the orange grove, so they just needed to be careful.
"Alright, it's getting late; let's go home quickly!"
Nami pushed the three of them up the mountain while nervously looking around.
However...
Even though Nami was alert enough, she still couldn't detect the 'little tail' in the sea.
Soon after Nami and Roland's group went up the mountain.
Splash~
A blue head emerged from the sea.
...
...
Arlong Park.
Located at the main port entrance of Coco Yashi Village.
Seven years ago, the fish-man Arlong, exiled to the East Blue, invaded Coco Yashi Village.
He then used this village as a base, gradually occupying twenty surrounding villages, becoming the local emperor of this sea area.
Using the money extorted from the villagers, Arlong and his crew built Arlong Park, a pleasure ground for fish-men.
Tonight.
Arlong Park was still filled with singing and dancing, lively as ever.
At a certain moment.
"Boss, Nami is back!"
The carp fish-man Roland leaped out of the water and reported to the leader Arlong, who was devouring meat on a lounge chair.
"Nami is back? When? I've been fishing at the main port; I didn't see her!"
The fish-man executive Hatchan asked in confusion.
"Because Nami didn't come through the main entrance; she quietly steered the ship to the back side of the island, and this time, she didn't come back alone!"
The carp fish-man Roland said.
"Not alone? What's going on? Has Nami gotten more capable? Could it be that she found reinforcements outside and wants to fight us?"
The executive Kuroobi said.
"Heh heh, even if it really is some kind of outside help, it's probably nothing significant. Otherwise, they would have probably attacked head-on already! Roland, tell me, how many people are there in total?"
The executive Chew sneered.
"I only saw three people: one man, one woman, and a child!"
Roland replied.
Upon hearing this,
The fish-men exchanged glances, then burst into thunderous laughter.
A mere three people, and one of them a child, were no threat at all.
Trying to shake them with three humans was like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot or an ant trying to shake a tree.
"They might be Nami's friends, just visiting. No need to worry about them!"
Stupid Hachi speculated.
"Hahahaha"
Arlong, the leader of the Arlong Pirates, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly laughed.
"Whether they are foreign aid or friends, this island is my territory. Not just anyone can set foot on it. Once they step on this island, their lives will no longer be their own. We must let them know the price of trespassing!"
Arlong grinned, a cruel arc forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Big Brother Arlong is right!"
"We must make those humans pay the price!"
"Boss, I've thought of an interesting game…"
"Tomorrow morning, we…"
The Fish-men chattered.
By the end, all the Fish-men had a smug smile on their faces.
…
…
At this moment.
The orange grove house on the mountaintop.
Nami was unaware of the Fish-men's plotting.
She was currently being pulled into conversation by her older sister, Nojiko.
"Nami, I'm happy you've made friends, but how could you bring them back to the island? If Arlong and his crew find out…"
Nojiko was secretly anxious.
"I know it's dangerous, but… anyway, I came back very discreetly. The Fish-men won't know. As long as we get through tonight, I'll send them away tomorrow!"
Nami said.
The dining room.
A sumptuous feast was laid out.
However, neither Roland, Thor, nor Kuina had touched anything, waiting for Nami and Nojiko to be seated.
"Brother, that… is Nami's sister not very welcoming to us? And Nami…"
Kuina asked, her face full of conflict.
Although she was young, she had interacted with many people since childhood in the dojo.
She was much more perceptive and experienced in dealing with people than Thor, who was tens of thousands of years old.
"Don't think so much. You just need to know that Nami is our friend. When a friend doesn't want to talk, we shouldn't press them. Let's wait and see; the truth will come out tomorrow!"
Roland said with a smile.
"Oh, I understand!"
Kuina nodded obediently.
"Oh, right, Thor, after dinner, go to the ship and prepare…"
The night was pleasant.
Although they had many concerns, Nojiko and Nami still did their best to be good hosts.
The only slightly awkward part was in the latter half of the night, when Roland was pulled by Thor to experience the wild in the orange grove…
They got too carried away and were caught red-handed by Nojiko, who had come to patrol out of concern for the Fish-men.
Of course, everyone was an adult, so not much was said.
The next morning, everything was put aside.
Both sides had a tacit understanding and didn't bring it up.
"Let's go, everyone ~"
Nami, dressed in her fruit-picking outfit, was full of vigor, ready to let Thor and Kuina experience the joy of picking oranges.
However…
Before the three of them had gone far.
Ding-a-ling ~
Ding-a-ling ~
The bicycle bell rang.
On the uphill path on the other side.
A middle-aged man with a windmill on his head and a scarred face pedaled his bicycle with all his might, sparks faintly visible between the chains.
"Nami, quickly take your friends and leave! The Fish-men… the Fish-men got news from somewhere and are heading this way now!"
…