Nami's Tears

"Chirp, chirp, chirp! Are you all too naive? A hundred million berries isn't just a single orange. Can't you find it? Anyone who tries to interfere other than Nami will be shot on the spot!" The Captain Nezumi grinned with a sense of victory, giving orders to the navy.

Upon hearing this, Nami jolted, exchanging a worried glance with Nojiko. She recalled the stranger who had claimed to be part of the navy and said that the mouse captain was colluding with Arlong. She had just sent him away.

"Don't touch that treasure!" While Nami was lost in thought, the navy finally uncovered the hidden stash she had buried. Nojiko tried to intervene but was shot by the marine soldiers.

"Nojiko!" Nami rushed over to check on Nojiko's injury.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp! Since you're stealing from pirates, I won't pursue your theft charges. However, we will take these spoils!" Captain Nezumi looked down at Nami, who was crouched beside Nojiko, tending to her wounds.

"You bastard! It's Arlong! He never intended to keep his promise! He sent you here, didn't he?" Nami glared at the mouse captain with hatred.

"What are you talking about? Who is Arlong? I don't know him at all." Nezumi flinched instinctively, avoiding Nami's gaze.

At that moment, Nami was filled with anger and guilt. If she hadn't chased that navy away earlier, they might have already dealt with Nezumi. For some reason, she felt that the man from before had the ability to resolve this issue.

Villagers who rushed over in response to the commotion began asking what had happened, and a doctor was called to bandage Nojiko's wound, but all Nami wanted was to confront Arlong.

"Hey! Nami! Need any help?" Luffy, who was out for a stroll, saw Nami and happily approached her.

"What are you still doing here? Didn't I tell you to leave? Get out of here!" Nami's anger flared, and she grabbed Luffy by the collar, shouting loudly before pushing him away and heading straight for Arlong's territory.

Luffy, puzzled, pouted and muttered, "What? I was just saying hi."

Meanwhile, at the port of the town, Ryu was overjoyed to discover the Sixteenth Division's warship and boarded it, planning to wait for a good opportunity.

Before long, the mouse captain returned with a squad of navy soldiers, happily chatting with his subordinates about their haul for the day.

"Chirp, chirp, chirp! I can't stop laughing! We found 93 Million berries! And I get 30% of that!" The Mouse captain's annoying voice reached Ryu's ears.

"But captain, this money is covered in blood and mud; it's all dirty!" a navy soldier reported while inspecting the money.

"Idiot, money is money! Chirp, chirp, chirp!"

"It looks like they've been robbed!" Ryu said to himself as he sat in the cabin surrounded by tied-up navy soldiers.

However, the Mouse captain, counting the money on deck, didn't notice anything unusual about the warship.

"Where is everyone? Captain, the soldiers we left behind are missing!" One soldier finally realized that something was amiss with today's warship.

"Are you looking for them?" Ryu happened to come out of the cabin and, hearing the question, paused for a moment before opening the door, revealing the bound marine soldiers inside.

"Who are you?" The Nezumi was taken aback, staring at Ryu.

"Greedy fool! I am here to deliver justice upon you!" Ryu declared dramatically.

"Justice? Chirp, chirp, chirp! I am Captain Nezumi of the Sixteenth Division. It is us who—"

"Bang!"

Before Nezumi could finish his sentence, Ryu punched him, sending him flying.

"Don't insult the Marines, you trash! You collude with the pirate Arlong and oppress the surrounding villagers. Now I am here to arrest you. Do you have anything to say?" Ryu looked at the mouse captain, who was lying on the ground with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, his expression one of disgust.

" Chirp, chirp, chirp! Just because you say so? Shoot him!" The mouse captain's eyes were filled with malice.

"What's wrong? Have all of you navy soldiers become corrupt like this Mouse?" Ryu shouted.

"Don't listen to his nonsense! Chirp, chirp, chirp! Just get rid of him, and we can still serve as navy if we pin this on Arlong!" The mouse captain said with a sinister grin.

The Marine soldiers hesitated for a moment but began raising their guns toward Ryu.

"Hmm~ I gave you a chance. This is your choice!" Ryu sighed, having initially thought that not all the soldiers from the Sixteenth Division had fallen as low as the mouse. It seemed that at least the ones accompanying the mouse on this outing had already been corrupted by money.

"Fire!" Nezumi, sensing something was off, shouted loudly.

"Shave! Sixteen-Pound Pistol!"

"Come here, let's clean up!"

In less than three minutes, Ryu was sitting on a pile of captured soldiers from the Sixteenth Division, contacting the warship anchored not far away through a transponder snail.

"All the soldiers from the Sixteenth Division have been apprehended, and we've gathered all the evidence!" A sergeant from Smoker's team saluted Ryu.

"Leave that 93 million berries untouched. That is the blood and tears money of the villagers of Cocoyasi. Return it to them. Leave a few men to guard the ship; the rest follow me. There's no need for Arlong's territory to exist any longer!" Ryu stood up, glancing toward the noisy entrance of Cocoyasi Village, speaking softly.

"Yes, sir!" The navy soldiers saluted in unison.

At that moment, in Arlong's territory, Nami was anxiously running back. From her earlier conversation with Arlong, she understood the gravity of the situation, but she was even more afraid—afraid that the villagers would recklessly come to their deaths!

"Everyone, although we had an agreement that as long as Nami hasn't given up, none of us can give up, today—today! Those damn bastards are playing with her kindness like this; we absolutely cannot forgive them! Is there any dissent?" Aken stood at the village entrance, loudly addressing the assembled villagers.

"Of course not! Let's go!" "How can we continue to endure their rule?" "The whole village is ready to fight at any moment, let's go!" "We won't allow them to bully our Nami anymore!"

The villagers shouted angrily, venting the frustration that had been building inside them.

"Everyone, everyone, wait a moment, just a little longer! I'll try one more time; with the experience I've gained, it'll be much easier!" Nami smiled, hiding her inner turmoil, speaking to the villagers.

"Nami!" "Little Nami!"

The villagers looked at Nami with complex expressions, tears gradually blurring their eyes. They understood her feelings, but—

"That's enough! You can't bear the lives of the entire village on your shoulders any longer. You've fought hard for us! For you, joining them must hurt more than cutting yourself with a knife! Just leave the village," Nojiko stepped forward, hugging Nami's head, gently stroking her as he spoke softly.

"Wha- you all—" Nami tried to say something, but the injured Nojiko smiled and said, "You've got a belly full of bad thoughts and dreams too! Go on, go fulfill it!"

"Don't say that! I can't stand to see anyone else get hurt by them! It will lead to death!" Nami cried.

"I know!"

"It's useless, Nami; we've made up our minds!" The villagers said cheerfully to Nami.

"Nami, step aside! Everyone, we're setting off! Even if we can't win, we must show them our determination!" Aken led the way, weapon in hand, pushing past the nearly dazed Nami.

"Oh~~~ Let them see the consequences of bullying our little Nami!" The villagers shouted passionately.

Nami, sitting on the ground, powerless to stop the villagers, looked at the dagger and saw the tattoo of Arlong's gang on her arm. In a fit of rage, Nami raised the dagger to stab her arm, but as she did, someone grabbed her hand.

"Why haven't you left? Didn't I tell you? It has nothing to do with you! Just go! Go!" At that moment, Nami felt like a wounded little beast, trying to hide her pain as she licked her wounds alone.

Luffy's appearance seemed to lift her veil of hiding, causing her to panic and fear, not wanting anyone to see this vulnerable side of her.

Luffy quietly stood behind Nami, waiting until she calmed down before moving.

"Luffy, help me!" Remembering the wonderful journey with Luffy and the others, even though Nami didn't want to pull Luffy into this, the villagers' actions left her feeling utterly exhausted.

Luffy took off his treasured straw hat and placed it on Nami's head before shouting with all his might, "Of course~~~~!!"

As Nami held the straw hat, she recalled Luffy saying it was his most treasured possession, a flood of emotions washing over her.

"Let's go!" "Oh~~"

Luffy charged forward toward Arlong's territory with fierce determination, and the Straw Hat crew got up in unison, following behind Luffy.

Tears streamed down Nami's face like a dam bursting!

"Ahah you look just like a captain now!" At some point, Ryu appeared behind Nami, watching Luffy lead the charge while draping his "Justice" cloak over Nami and smiling.

"It's you?" Nami was startled, turning to see Ryu in his colonel's navy uniform.

"I heard there was a little cat that lost something, so I came to return it. And look, I'm a Marine! This is my uniform!" Ryu tossed a chest containing Nami's treasures to her, then proudly displayed his navy outfit to Nami.

........

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