Ch-38 Arriving at Cocoyasi Village.

Cocoyasi Village, Arlong Park.

This is the residence of the Arlong Pirates. Many years ago, the Arlong Pirates arrived on this island. Due to the formidable strength of fishmen, several times that of ordinary humans, the local residents were powerless against the Arlong Pirates' invasion.

Soon, many villages, including Cocoyasi Village, fell under the control of the Arlong Pirates. In order to survive, the island's inhabitants were compelled to pay a monthly tribute, even children.

In the Arlong Park, Arlong, the captain of the Arlong Pirates and a Sawshark fish-man, reclined on his chair, soaking in the sun.

"Speaking of it, our navigator Nami has been away for quite some time."

"Perhaps she got caught by the navy for her thieving escapades, hahaha!"

"Unlikely. Nami is a human, but she's clever and won't be caught by those dimwitted navy soldiers."

"Besides, Nami has nearly accumulated 100 million Beli by now, and she won't let herself be captured."

"I see, Captain Arlong!"

The fishmen's conversation piqued Arlong's interest, causing him to open his eyes. He let out a chuckle.

"Hahaha, Nami is our vauable navigator. If by any chance she is apprehended by the navy, we must mount a rescue mission."

"Nevertheless, it's astonishing how quickly Nami has accumulated almost 100 million Beli."

Kuroobi, the Arlong Pirates' officer and a fish-man karate expert, approached Arlong.

"Arlong, once Nami reaches 100 million Beli, do you intend to return Cocoyasi Village to her?"

"Impossible, Kuroobi," Aaron replied, turning to face him. "In my view, Nami will never be able to amass 100 million Beli for me."

"Arlong, Arlong, Nami is back!" At that moment, a voice echoed from outside the gates of Arlong Park.

Arlong and Kuroobi turned to see Hatchan, an octopus man and member of the Arlong Pirates, racing towards them.

"Hachi, have you seen Nami return?" Kuroobi inquired.

"That's right, Kuroobi," Hachi affirmed, "While I was strolling along the beach earlier, I spotted Nami arriving at Cocoyasi Village in a boat."

She also brought several other humans with her."

Upon hearing this, Arlong perked up.

"Nami brought someone back? That's quite intriguing."

"It's not really like her character."

"Hachi, are they navy personnel?" Arlong inquired.

Hachi shook his head.

"From the looks of it, they appear to be regular humans, Arlong."

Arlong nodded with understanding.

"Now that our navigator is back, as the captain, I should express my interest."

Arlong glanced at two fish-men soldiers nearby.

"You two, go fetch Nami and bring her to my location. I'm curious to find out why she brought humans here."

"Yes, Captain Arlong!" The two fishmen acknowledged and promptly headed out of the gates of the Arlong Park towards Nami's house.

"Nami is back. She might genuinely have collected 100 million Beli. In that case, we should summon Captain Nezumi."

Arlong chuckled and remarked, "I'm eager to see Nami's expression when she discovers her hard-earned money has been taken away, haha."

...

On the other side, under Nami's direction, Li Fan and his group safely disembarked at Cocoyasi Village. They made their way to Nami's home, which left Nami's sister Nojiko astounded upon their arrival.

"Nami, who are these people?"

"Hi there, you must be Nami's sister, Nojiko." Li Fan boldly approached Nojiko before Nami could respond. "As Nami mentioned, you're quite the beauty."

"That's right. I'm actually a director, and Nami is currently working for me," Li Fan continued, "Nami mentioned that you have good acting skills. How about considering becoming one of my actors? We can discuss salary and other details."

Nojiko blinked in confusion. "Director? Actor?" She looked at Nami, puzzled. "Nami, is this the kind of work you're doing now?"

Nami smiled and replied, "Yes, Nojiko. This guy offers a handsome salary. I earned 10 million Beli just for starring in one of his movies."

"It's much safer than my previous line of work. It's the reason I returned a bit late this time."

"Nojiko, consider acting under him. I'm sure you can earn millions of berries in no time."

Nojiko nodded thoughtfully, "I understand, being an actor does seem much safer than what you used to do. But, Nami, you should know the Arlong Pirates are still here. It might not be safe to bring them here at the moment."

"What, there are pirates here?" Tashigi, who had a background in the navy, stepped forward and asked.

Nojiko looked puzzled and asked, "Nami, didn't you inform them?"

Li Fan reassured her, "Miss Nojiko, I'm aware of the situation. I've come here to address this issue. As her director, i can't let Nami continue living in fear of pirates."

.....