Nami's question made Luffy curious. "Is a twenty-million Belly bounty really that impressive?"
Zoro answered, "How do I put it… Buggy's bounty used to be fifteen million. A bounty partly shows how much of a threat someone is to the World Government, and partly reflects strength and what they've done to civilians."
Nami nodded. "It's an overall assessment, but some pirates are stronger than their bounty suggests…"
Because Arlong bribed Captain Nezumi, his deeds and strength weren't fully reported to Navy Headquarters.
That's why his bounty didn't match how dangerous he really was.
Usopp blurted, "Twenty million Belly! That's huge!"
Luffy frowned. "Is it that big?"
Sandy explained, "Kuro's bounty was sixteen million Belly. After Luffy fought him, even though Luffy won, he was exhausted."
He reached over and poked Luffy's head, grinning. "Luffy, you say you'll be Pirate King—look at you. Fighting a sixteen-million man left you beat. What if you fought someone worth 1.6 billion? You'd get wiped out. All you do is eat and act dumb. Has all that training gone to waste?"
Luffy shot back, "You bastard! How dare you look down on me!"
Then he turned to Nami. "Nami, take us to that twenty-million Belly pirate. I'll beat him for sure! I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!"
Nami still looked unsure.
Sandy laughed and put a hand on Nami's shoulder. "Nami, what's with that face?"
Nami blinked at him.
Sandy snorted. "Your expression looks like you're constipated. It makes my stomach hurt just looking at it. Honestly, even if a two-hundred-million pirate showed up, I could chop him down. A mere twenty-million? That's nothing. If he's still standing after my glare, I'll add another slash."
Zoro made a sound of envy, while Luffy chuckled, "Heh—if it's Sandy, he can probably do it."
Usopp stared. "Is Sandy really that strong?"
Sandy rolled his eyes at Usopp, then watched Nami. She seemed to have made a decision.
She looked down at the tattoo on her arm; pain and resolve flickered across her face. Everyone grew serious.
"Listen," Nami began slowly, "there's something about my hometown—Cocoyashi Village. Eight years ago, a group called the Fish-Man Pirates took over my village. Their captain was Arlong. He forced everyone to pay a yearly protection fee."
Her voice grew thin. "My family couldn't pay. My adoptive mother, Belle-Mère, stood up to Arlong so my sister and I could survive… and she was shot."
Silence fell over them. Sandy didn't stop Nami as she gripped the tattoo on her arm, clutching that memory.
"She used to be in the Navy," Nami whispered. "During a mission she rescued me and my sister. She quit the Navy and raised us. But she… she—" Her voice broke.
Tears welled up and she began to cry.
They watched as Nami's shoulders shook. The pain in her voice made everyone feel it—this wasn't just anger; it was grief.
After a while Nami calmed and leaned against Sandy.
He murmured, "That's why you love money so much, isn't it? If you'd had enough back then, maybe she wouldn't have died. But what's past is past. You have to look forward."
Nami remembered Belle-Mère's last words, smiling in spite of everything: "Nami, Nojiko, I can't say you are not my children. Remember to face life with a smile from now on. I love you…"
The echo of the gunshot that followed—bang—and Belle-Mère falling—came back to her like a blow.
Sandy pulled Nami into his arms. "You can't bring it back, no matter how much you want to. But you have friends now. If you keep living in the past you'll lose the future. Be strong."
The hug was warm. For a moment Nami felt something like comfort.
But Sandy inwardly grumbled—wishing he could draw High Wind from his space backpack and slice Arlong long before he had to hear more speeches.
Luffy exploded, "Damn it! Where is that Arlong?! I can't stand it—I'll just punch him away! Nami, take us to him now!"
Zoro retorted, "How? The ship won't be ready for a few days!"
Luffy seemed to lose his mind. "I don't care! I'm gonna punch Arlong away this instant!"
Usopp muttered, "Hey, hey, listen to someone—!"
Nami, still raw, was pulled back to the present by Luffy's shouting. She realized, with a flush of embarrassment, that she'd been leaning on Sandy. She hurriedly stepped back.
"Luffy, calm down first," she said, cheeks red. "There's something else I need to tell you."
She steadied herself. "I made an agreement with Arlong. When I earn one hundred million Belly, I'll buy back the village."
Sandy couldn't help poking her on the head. "You greedy woman—one hundred million? You'd give that to the man who killed your mother?"
Nami whacked him and said through gritted teeth, "I couldn't help it. Arlong values agreements—even if he's a bastard."
Sandy stood up, incredulous. "Did you get your head stuck in a door? You might as well trust that Luffy doesn't like to eat as believe anything about that fish-man."
Smack. Nami hit him again. "Can you stop being such an ass when you talk?"
Sandy sighed. "I'm just saying—why daydream so much? Wake up."
He grew serious. "Nami, with Arlong's kind of character, do you honestly think he'd let you fulfill that promise? You said he's in cahoots with Captain Nezumi. Don't kid yourself. Trust us. Take us to Cocoyashi Village when you're ready and we'll take care of the Fish-Man Pirates ourselves."
He softened his tone. "Besides, that money—every Belly of it—you risked your life to get it, stealing it from pirates under terrible danger. Why would you hand it over to the man who made you suffer?"
Nami stared down at her hands, the weight of the past and the hope for the future warring inside her.
The others watched, silent, each thinking different thoughts—anger, resolve, and the same burning need: to help their friend reclaim what had been stolen from her.