In the tangerine grove, the fruit hanging heavy on the branches waiting to be picked was disappearing at a pace visible to the naked eye.
Goku devoured the sweet, succulent tangerines one after another, finishing nearly one every second, until the fragrant scent of the fruit practically radiated from his mouth.
Sanji stood by the window of the house, peering inside once more. He spotted the large bag of treasure Nami had taken earlier tucked away in a corner, further confirming that this was indeed where Nami lived.
But where was Nami, and why wasn't she here?
Unanswered questions filled his mind.
While one was voraciously devouring tangerines and the other was lost in thought, an angry voice drifted in from outside the grove.
"Hey! Who do you two think you are!"
Nojiko stepped into the grove, casting a wary glance at Sanji before turning her attention to Goku and scolding him.
"Stop that right now!"
She was a kind-hearted soul and had always been gentle toward children of his age.
However, seeing Goku's gluttonous display—turning a grove that should have been bursting with tangerines into one where you could only see leaves—she could not help but feel a surge of anger.
Those were the tangerines Nami had entrusted to her care!
Nami would surely want to take plenty with her when she returned this time.
How heartbroken would Nami be when she came back to find only a few of her favorite tangerines left?
"Ah! We've been spotted!"
Goku, who had been focused entirely on eating, froze instantly as a flicker of panic crossed his face.
But then, he just held his head and shrugged. "Eh, whatever. So what if she saw us?"
He had already broken his promise about stepping onto the island; breaking the promise not to be seen didn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
As for Sanji, the moment he laid eyes on Nojiko, his eyes immediately transformed into red hearts.
"Ah... she is a girl as cute as Nami-san!"
Looking at the beautiful woman with short blue hair, large eyes, and a slender figure, he felt himself falling deeply in love.
"Oh, most radiant and charming lady, how should I address you?"
He appeared in front of Nojiko in a flash, clutching his cheeks with an infatuated expression.
"Nami? You just mentioned Nami?"
Nojiko ignored his question, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinized him.
"Cough, yes. Since you are here, it means your relationship with Nami-san must be quite special."
Sanji instantly switched to a serious mode, keenly deducing the connection between Nami and the woman before him.
"I'm her older sister, Nojiko."
"Her sister? I thought as much." Sanji raised an eyebrow.
"We are Nami's crewmates. We came here specifically to find her."
Since she was Nami's sister, he felt there was no need to hide the truth.
"Nami's crewmates?"
Nojiko looked stunned. She studied Sanji and Goku carefully—especially Goku—before asking, "You are really Nami's crewmates? The ones she is going to the Grand Line with?"
She found it hard to believe there was a child among Nami's companions.
Still, the number matched exactly what Nami had said—there were two of them.
Goku had stopped eating and trotted over to her, asking brightly, "Yep! We're Nami's crew. Do you know where she went?"
Sanji also looked at her and nodded. "We have urgent business with her."
Seeing the sincerity in their eyes, Nojiko believed them and gestured for them to head into the house.
"Nami is busy with something important right now and cannot be disturbed. Can you tell me what your urgent business is first?"
Sanji and Goku exchanged a look before Sanji spoke succinctly. "The Arlong Pirates have found us."
"What?!"
Nojiko, who was already inside the house preparing to pour tea, turned pale at the news.
Sanji then gave her a brief and concise summary of what had happened.
"Even though we knocked those two out and hid them, the Arlong Pirates will find out eventually. That's why we want to find Nami and have her get on the ship to leave this place as soon as possible."
Nojiko's brow was already furrowed tightly.
After pondering for a long while, she slowly shook her head. "Your decision is the right one, but Nami is currently working on something she must complete no matter what. Unless it is finished, she won't leave with you."
At that point, she seemed to remember something and stood up quickly. "That's right! You cannot stay here. You need to find a place to hide immediately, or you'll be in danger!"
She recalled Nami saying she was bringing Arlong over to count the treasure. If Goku and Sanji were found here, something unpredictable might happen.
Goku and Sanji did not fully understand, but they still chose to listen to Nami's sister and stood up to follow her out.
But just then, a voice echoed from the distance. "Nami, slow down! Wait up!"
Nojiko's expression shifted. She quickly shut the door and pushed the two toward the inner room.
"Quick, quick! You two hide! Do not come out!"
Goku scratched his head as he moved. "But isn't Nami right there?"
"I'll find a way for her to come in and meet you, but you absolutely cannot step out, and you must not make a sound!"
Nojiko looked dead serious.
After giving them strict instructions, she firmly shut the bedroom door, cleared the teacups from the table, and stepped outside.
Outside the grove, Nami was marching forward furiously with Hachi hurrying behind her. "Nami, slow down a bit. What is the rush?"
Having finally reached the grove, Nami whirled around and snapped, "Still talking! Do you have any idea how many times you've stopped for the restroom? And you are walking like a snail. Are you doing this on purpose!"
Hachi, feeling a bit guilty, scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. "Ahaha, I might have eaten something bad at lunch. I couldn't help it."
He really couldn't think of any better way to stall for time, so he could only keep using the restroom excuse.
"Hmph! Just get moving. My time is precious, and I'm sure you don't want to keep Arlong waiting!"
Thinking about her impending liberation from Arlong's control, Nami suppressed her anger and led the way into the grove.
"Nojiko, help me bring out that bag of treasure," she said casually as she saw Nojiko standing in front of the house.
To her surprise, Nojiko rushed over and whispered a few words into her ear.
Instantly, Nami's face froze. Her fists clenched as a surge of fury flared up.
'Why!'
'Why didn't they keep their promise?!'
Seeing her expression, Nojiko seemed to understand. Before Hachi could get closer, she whispered again, "Nami, they have very urgent business with you."
Phew!
Nami exhaled, forcing her anger down.
Glancing at the approaching Hachi, she stepped into the house, hauled out a large bag of treasure, and handed it to him.
"This is part of it. Take this first."
"Nojiko, take him to where the rest is buried. I'm going to the restroom."
Hachi took the treasure and peered into the house before looking back at her. "You need the restroom?"
"What? You are allowed to go, but I'm not?" Nami shot back coldly.
"Uh, sure, sure. Of course you can, haha."
"Then stop your babbling. Go with Nojiko. I'll head over as soon as I'm done."
"You got it!"
After watching Nojiko lead Hachi away, Nami re-entered the house. She grabbed the bedroom doorknob and twisted it open.
Immediately, two pairs of eyes—one large and one small—met hers.
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