The endless ocean stretched into the horizon.
The Going Merry sailed steadily in one direction as Nami stood at the bow, gazing at the piles of treasure on board, silently calculating in her heart.
With so much treasure, it should be enough to keep the orange grove running for a long time. That way, her family wouldn't have to suffer under the oppression of the Buggy Pirates anymore, and they could finally live peacefully and happily.
Holding onto that thought, Nami felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Thankfully, she had run into the Straw Hat Pirates. That man named Orin and his crew deserved to have their ship stolen by her—it was karma.
After all, it was because that guy liked oranges that her family had been threatened and controlled in the first place, wasn't it?
Humming a little tune, Nami steered the Merry toward Cocoyasi Village, the distance growing shorter and shorter.
But as the coastline came into view, something felt wrong.
"What... what is that?!!"
Cocoyasi Village looked abnormal today. Although it often suffered from the Buggy Pirates' harassment, people usually managed to live on, at most cursing quietly behind closed doors.
But now, everyone's faces were dark and heavy, as if they'd just heard something impossible to accept.
When the Merry docked, Nami jumped ashore and approached a nearby villager.
"Eh? Nami?! You—"
"You'd better hurry home! The Buggy Pirates are here again!!!"
Shock flashed across Nami's eyes.
She knew their routine—Buggy's crew only came on specific days of the month to collect oranges. But it wasn't that time yet!
Why were they here today?!!!
"Damn it…"
Clenching her teeth, Nami felt a terrible premonition surge up inside her. She immediately sprinted toward home.
Sure enough, the place was surrounded by pirates, leaving not even an inch of space. At the front stood a man dressed like a clown.
"Hey!!! Clown Buggy! Don't you dare push your luck any further!!!"
Bell-mère aimed her rifle, standing firm against the swarm of pirates, while Nojiko stood helplessly by the doorframe, her face pale and anxious.
But clearly, Bell-mère's gun meant nothing here. Her defiance only made the pirates' expressions grow uglier—especially Buggy's.
"Hah?! Who cares what you think?!!!"
Buggy opened his mouth wide in rage, his body instantly splitting apart into pieces.
Before anyone could react, a detached hand holding a dagger slashed Bell-mère's arm, making her drop her gun to the ground.
The pirates stared menacingly at the family, and Buggy's fury only grew.
"Things aren't like before anymore! Those measly oranges you've been growing aren't enough! I, the great Buggy-sama, hereby declare—from today on, the amount of oranges you'll be delivering will be doubled! And don't you dare lower the quality even a bit!!!"
Buggy-sama was no saint!
And those treasures and riches—he had dug them up and plundered them with his own hands. How could he possibly pay for anything?
Which meant, of course, that the massive "Perfect Orange" cultivation cost would once again fall entirely on Nami's family.
Even if the villagers wanted to help, such a huge amount was far beyond their means.
Just then, Nami pushed through the crowd, her face cold as ice.
She glared at Buggy and his men.
"Buggy!!! You should know how much it costs to grow those oranges, shouldn't you?!"
"I'm the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates. Every single one of my crewmates are juniors of Orin—you don't want to anger them and risk offending Orin, do you…"
After years of surviving on the seas, Nami had learned to act—and to think fast.
This was the plan she'd come up with on her way home—
To bluff her way out!
Based on what she'd gathered before, even that terrifying man known as [Hawk Eyes] showed respect toward Orin.
And Buggy, this small-time East Blue pirate, had always been sending oranges to Orin. That meant he was clearly trying to curry favor with him.
So, if she claimed that her captain and crewmates were close to Orin, maybe that could scare Buggy into backing off…
Her reasoning was solid, and she wore a confident smile, as if she already had Buggy cornered.
But the next moment—
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
After a brief pause, Buggy's crewmates all burst into raucous laughter, their loud voices instantly shattering the confident smile on Nami's face.
Her expression stiffened in confusion—what were they laughing at?
Only Buggy looked at her with a dark glint in his eye.
"Hah?! You dare say Orin's name like that? Call him Orin-san!!!"
"And besides… you're saying you want to compare your relationship with Orin to mine?!!!"
Buggy crossed his arms, a smug, wicked grin spreading across his painted face.
"I, the great Buggy-sama…"
"...am Orin's best friend!!!"
Those words struck Nami like a thunderbolt.
Her entire body froze—her strength, her wits, all gone. Despair and fury twisted across her tear-streaked face.
"Why?!!! Even the regular oranges we grow taste great! Why force us to grow these so-called Perfect Oranges—and now you want double the harvest?!!!"
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed, her voice cracking in anguish.
"You've stolen so many oranges already—just the juice from them could fill a swimming pool! It's enough for that Orin to drink until he throws up!!!"
She didn't understand.
What kind of person could possibly need such a ridiculous, endless supply of oranges—especially ones that had to be perfect?!
But Buggy's next words left her utterly speechless.
"The oranges from before???"
Buggy looked completely nonchalant, as if it were obvious.
"Of course they were thrown away when they expired! Orin hasn't come back for ages—I had to keep them fresh, didn't I? I can't exactly give him spoiled oranges when he returns, right~?"
"But now that Orin's back, of course we've gotta prepare even more!!!"
"Orin was amazed by my Perfect Orange Juice, you know? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"
Buggy roared with laughter, utterly ignoring the horrified faces of Nami's family.
All these years, they'd risked their lives cultivating high-quality oranges—only for them to be thrown away?!
All because Buggy wanted to keep a fresh stock waiting for someone who might return someday?!
There was no shared understanding between people's joys and sorrows.
Buggy couldn't care less about Nami's pain—he was only thinking about fulfilling his promise from years ago.
While Nami and her family… could only feel the crushing weight of their sacrifice, all for such an absurd reason.
What a cruel joke!!!
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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