Chapter Fifty: Nami's Outburst

“Mr. Zoro, what’s going on here?” Just as Zoro was about to make his move, Aken suddenly appeared, silently putting a stop to everything.

“So you’re the sheriff of this village? We received a tip-off that pirates are causing trouble here. We’ve come to wipe them out, so take us to them at once.” Colonel Mouse completely ignored Zoro—a mere pirate hunter was beneath his notice. After all, he had connections with headquarters; if anyone offended him, a single phone call would send out a bounty notice. Pirate hunter or not, he could easily turn anyone into a wanted pirate.

“Alright…” Aken glanced at Zoro and finally understood why Mr. Zoro was arguing with the navy here. This shifty-eyed navy officer was obviously up to no good. If he saw all that money, would he really distribute it to the victims? But there was nothing Aken could do, faced with the authority of the navy. With a sigh, he led the marines toward Arlong Park.

“Heh heh heh…” As they advanced, Mouse let out a sinister laugh. Judging by the state of these people, Arlong must already be dead, and the money he left behind would naturally fall into his hands. As for revenge? What nonsense. Arlong had been nothing but a pawn.

After seizing the money under the pretense of returning it to the victims, Mouse would expose the true culprit behind the Gosa Town massacre, announce Arlong’s downfall, and wait for his promotion and fame. But he had no interest in transferring to headquarters; he preferred to stay in this backwater, where he could cultivate pirates and amass wealth.

Arriving at the park gates, Mouse’s eyes widened in greed, saliva dripping from his lips. Arlong, that sly fish, had secretly hoarded so much money, yet the protection fees he paid weren’t even a fraction of this sum.

“Ahem, ahem…” Colonel Mouse coughed twice, drawing the villagers’ attention. “We received a tip-off that the Arlong Pirates had established a base here, so we came to eliminate them. Who would have thought I’d arrive too late—all is already over. But don’t worry, from now on, we’ll handle things. The loot Arlong collected—we’ll take it to the navy base for you.”

With a greedy smile, Mouse twirled his long moustache, solemnly declaring his intentions.

“Are you kidding me?”

Nami burst out from the crowd, glaring furiously at the colonel. “All this money was extorted from Cocoyashi Village and the surrounding villages by Arlong. Why should it be handed over to you navy people?”

“Little girl, don’t get so worked up. I know you—quite a notorious thief, aren’t you?” Mouse shot Nami a glance and shook his head. “I haven’t bothered to settle your accounts yet, so don’t interfere with navy business. As for the loot you stole from pirates, I’ll dig it up from the village myself. After all, these things don’t belong to you—they’re to be confiscated.”

Hearing this, Nami gritted her teeth in frustration. If she still didn’t realize the navy was colluding with Arlong, there was no need for her to keep thinking. Only Arlong and Nojiko knew about her plan to buy Cocoyashi Village with the money she stole overseas. Now, a navy colonel suddenly arrived, claiming she had hidden loot in the village—who else could have told him but Arlong? Nojiko?

That single sentence made it clear: all her efforts to buy back Cocoyashi Village had been nothing but a cruel joke. Arlong never intended to let her succeed; he only wanted her to work for him for free. When she was about to reach the goal of one hundred million Berries, all it took was a visit from the navy for her efforts to come to nothing. And because one was a navy officer and the other a pirate, she could never suspect Arlong. Truly devious!

“What’s the matter? Didn’t you hear me?” Mouse pressed on. “The loot extorted by pirates, and the loot you stole from pirates, all must be handed over to the navy for safekeeping.”

Nami suddenly laughed, a bitter, self-mocking smile. “Is this the navy that Roran wanted me to join?” she murmured. “I really was foolish—to think that because of Roran, I could change my view of the entire navy. Roran is Roran, the navy is the navy. Shouldn’t I have understood that from the beginning? Even if Roran becomes a navy officer and upholds justice, the one upholding justice is Roran—not the navy.”

“Hey, girl, what do you mean by that? Are you questioning the justice of the navy?” Colonel Mouse’s face darkened.

“Navy justice?” Nami looked at him with scorn, arms folded, her voice dripping with contempt. “Do you even believe what you’re saying? You claim you received a tip-off and came to eliminate the Arlong Pirates, but that tip-off must have been sent over a decade ago. Why are you only showing up today?”

“Oh—perhaps you’ve been too busy counting your money all these years, with no time to come to this backwater and do the hard, thankless work of fighting pirates. Today, you’re here only because you caught the scent of loot, like a cat smelling fish. Arlong paid you protection fees for years, but given his greedy nature, I bet what he gave you was only a fraction of what he actually robbed. That’s why you rushed here as soon as Arlong died—to snatch the money from us ordinary people, isn’t it?”

Nami saw through Mouse’s schemes with perfect clarity; such navy trash deserved to be swept away. If Roran were in charge, she believed scum like this would be dealt with immediately and never allowed to run rampant.

“Girl, say whatever you like, but the justice of the navy isn’t something a thief like you can comprehend.” Mouse shook his head, unwilling to argue further, and gave the order for his men to seize Arlong’s fortune by force. A rough estimate put its value at over two billion Berries—a fortune he’d never leave for these lowly villagers.

Watching the marines move in, Nami was momentarily stunned, then suddenly sprang into action. She pulled three wooden sticks from her chest, snapped them together, and swung at the nearest marine. Though she hadn’t fought much since meeting Roran, her skills were second to none in Cocoyashi Village. She had to venture out to sea and deal with pirates; how could she survive without knowing how to fight?

Her blow sent the burly marine sprawling, screaming in pain. Without pausing, Nami charged another, clubbing him to the ground as well. After knocking down two marines, she expected Mouse to rein in his men, but to her surprise, he remained completely indifferent—as if the fallen marines weren’t his subordinates.

“Despicable! Is this really what the navy should be doing?” Nami, furious, rushed at Mouse, knowing that defeating the marines meant little; only by beating Mouse could she end this.

“Arlong destroyed a town just days ago—you did nothing. Now that Arlong is dead, you can’t wait to take the money he stole from the surrounding islands—the blood and sweat of ordinary people. Is this what the navy is supposed to do?” Nami grabbed Mouse by the collar, her eyes blazing with disappointment.

“Stop making such high-minded speeches. Since when is it your place—a mere thief—to meddle in navy affairs?” Mouse pushed her aside, straightened his jacket, and shot her a disdainful look before ordering his men, “Keep moving! All this is loot—none of it belongs to anyone here. It belongs solely to the navy.”