บท 28: Chapter 028
When they arrived back in the ruined town, the sight of Nojiko talking with the other two Straw Hats and the bounty hunter duo greeted them. She noticed them and spoke up, "Hello. I was just about to talk to your friends here. There are a few things you should know about my sister Nami. Would you like to sit down and listen?"
Luffy nodded. He hadn't listened to Nami's past the first time on the grounds that he didn't need to know her past in order to help her, as he could see her suffering either way. But now, he wanted to know the full story. "How did you find us?" he asked.
"Due to its destroyed state, Gosa Village is the only place on the island that Arlong doesn't keep tabs on. So, if I were to give you any credit, this is where you'd be." Luffy nodded; it made sense. So they listened to the story of Nami's childhood, of a person named Bell-mère, and of the arrival of the Arlong Pirates 8 years ago. Through it all, the only person who kept a straight face was Zoro. By the end, Johnny and Yosaku were looking down in shame, Usopp was trembling in anger, and Sanji was screaming bloody murder. He was intent on challenging the Arlong Pirates right then and there, only to be hit over the head by Nojiko.
"You're all missing the point. I came here to tell you that what you've been doing could mean the death of our village. Nami is so close. She's worked so hard these past 8 years, and she's suffered alone. Can you imagine the pain that a 10-year-old girl must have endured to come to that decision?" Everyone was silent at this. "If you do anything to anger Arlong on the grounds that you are helping Nami, everything will be ruined. I'd imagine he's already suspicious of her. So I came to tell you not to do anything stupid," she said firmly.
Suddenly, Luffy stood up. His head was turned to the ground, and his hat shadowed his eyes. He started walking away without saying a word. "Where are you going?" Nojiko asked worriedly.
"Don't worry. I'm just going for a walk." Zoro watched him leave. Luffy had been absolutely livid in the previous timeline, and he hadn't even heard the full story. Hearing it now when he was already restraining himself from splaying Arlong's blood over the walls of Arlong Park couldn't be easy. He sighed. Zoro hadn't been planning on killing Arlong. Maybe just crippling him for life. It was always morality, not naïveté, that caused Luffy to refrain from killing his enemies, but sometimes he wondered what it would take to push his captain over the edge.
When Luffy said he was going for a walk, he meant it. He walked from the ruins of Gosa Village all the way to Cocoyasi Village without even realizing it, until finally a familiar scarred face broke him out of his thoughts. Genzo.
"What exactly do you want from Nami?" he asked hesitantly as he led a group of Marine soldiers into the village.
"It's just Marine business. I'm not at liberty to discuss it," the Marine captain answered with a smirk. They arrived at a tangerine grove where they found Nami, who had a wary look on her face as they walked up to her.
"Are you the outlaw named Nami?" the Marine captain asked, knowing full well that she was.
"Outlaw?" she asked. "I guess you can say that. I am an Arlong Pirate, after all." Her jaw seemed to clench as she said that.
"Pirate?" he asked in feigned confusion. "Well, I didn't know anything about that. I'm here to address the issue of your thievery."
Nami narrowed her eyes at him. "Thievery? I don't see how that's an issue at all. I only steal from pirates."
"True," he conceded. "But that doesn't change the fact that the money has original owners. My job is to confiscate it and return it all to them." At these words, Nami's expression turned menacing. There was no way they could possibly figure out who the individual owners of everything she stole were. They just wanted to keep it for themselves. This was why she hated the Marines. Corruption was so common among them.
"Do you really think you can walk away with my money just like that? Arlong won't forgive you if you make a move against one of his officers." She almost choked on the words. She hated using Arlong's name as leverage, but if they confiscated her money now, it would ruin everything.
"The Marines do not acknowledge pirates as authoritative figures, so I'm afraid your point is irrelevant," he replied readily. It was only a minute later that Nami realized the hypocrisy of that statement. The Marines had started searching the premises, and that was the last straw for Nami.
"What kind of Marines are you!?" she screamed. "8 years! Arlong has had this village enslaved for 8 years, and you haven't done jack shit about it! Now when you finally show up, it's to confiscate the money of one petty little thief!?"
"The Marines also do not take advice on how to do their jobs from petty little thieves," the Marine captain replied with practiced ease.
"Sir! These tangerine groves look suspicious," one Marine reported.
"Well, don't just stand there. Dig it up," he ordered. The Marine began to comply before he was knocked over by Nami's staff, which struck him in the face smoothly. "Don't touch Bell-mère's grove with your filthy hands!" she seethed. "I won't let you take any of it! That money is—"
"That money is the salvation of this village! What right do you have to lay a finger on it, fucking Marine!?" Genzo shouted at the top of his lungs.
Nami froze. "Gen-san...how did you know?" she whispered.
"We've always known, Nami," he said quietly. "We only feigned ignorance so that our hopes wouldn't pull you back into this if you ever wanted to leave." He looked her dead in the eyes. "But you never did. You've struggled and suffered for our sakes all this time. You endured. For that reason alone, we've endured as well." Nami choked on a sob.
"Oh, so you're saying you're all accomplices, then?" Captain Nezumi asked. He was taunting them now.
"We're saying that we've had to fight by ourselves all this time because you Marines can't do your jobs!" a new voice shouted.
"Nojiko…" Nami was having trouble keeping her composure.
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