Thud!
Nami closed the door, suppressing the urge to punch the two guys in front of her. She spoke with a blank expression:
"Speak up. Why did you break your promise and come looking for me here?"
Ah! Even an angry Nami-san is so cute!
Sanji's eyes instantly turned into hearts as he thought to himself.
Then he snapped back to being serious in a split second. "Nami, something unexpected happened."
He then explained that a giant beast had attacked the Dream Chaser, forcing him and Goku to intervene, which led to them being spotted by two fishmen.
After hearing the explanation, Nami's expression finally softened.
She wasn't an unreasonable person; knowing that Goku and Sanji had a valid reason, she no longer held onto her anger toward them.
"So, you want me to leave with you right now, is that it?"
With her sharp wit, she had guessed their intention.
"Yeah, yeah!" Goku and Sanji nodded in unison.
Seeing this, Nami bit her lip, her expression shifting between hesitation and resolve.
"I can't leave with you right now because I'm not finished with my business yet."
"But I'm just one step away. Once this final step is complete, I'll be able to go with you."
Sanji opened his mouth to speak but ultimately decided not to ask what she was actually doing.
"Nami, you..."
Goku was about to ask what the last step was, but he immediately covered his mouth, remembering his promise not to pry into her secrets.
Seeing their expressions, Nami suddenly gave a bright smile.
"Oh, don't worry, it'll be over soon. I'm going out in a bit to settle this once and for all. Then I'll come back as fast as I can and leave this place with you."
"Until I get back, stay here and don't go outside, okay?"
Goku and Sanji looked at each other before nodding at Nami.
"I understand, Nami. Come back quickly, okay?"
"Nami-san, we'll definitely be waiting for you here."
...
In a hidden spot within the tangerine grove, Hachi was busy digging into the ground with a shovel.
Before long, a large buried treasure chest came into view.
"Is this it, Nojiko?"
He turned to look at Nojiko, who was standing behind him.
"That's it. All of Nami's savings from over the years are inside," Nojiko nodded.
"Then step back a bit."
After signaling Nojiko to move back a few paces, Hachi set down the shovel and leaned over. His six arms gripped the top, middle, and bottom of the chest before he gave a sudden heave.
"Up you go!"
Without showing any signs of struggle, he lifted the chest, which was a good two meters long.
Watching this, Nojiko sighed inwardly.
Fishman strength really was terrifying. If it were the adult men from her village, it would probably take four or five people to lift this chest, and even then, they would struggle.
After picking up the chest, Hachi freed one hand to take the bag of treasure Nami had given him earlier. "Where's Nami? Isn't she here yet?"
"I'm here, I'm here."
Just as he finished speaking, Nami's voice drifted over from a distance.
"I found a cart for you; it'll make things easier."
Nami arrived, pushing a cart she had found somewhere.
"You're always so thoughtful, Nami." Without hesitation, Hachi placed the chest onto the cart.
After all, even though he could carry the chest, it completely blocked his line of sight, making it impossible to walk properly.
"Let's head back then. I just remembered I have something urgent to tell Arlong," Nami urged, her eyes flashing.
Nami's eyes shimmered as she prodded him.
She was no fool; Hachi's frequent bathroom breaks earlier had made her sense that something was wrong.
Although she hadn't figured out what the trickery was, it didn't matter. As long as they reached Arlong Park soon and she gave Arlong the hundred million Berries, everything would be fine.
To ensure this, she deliberately claimed she had urgent business with Arlong. Hachi, being simple-minded and honest, wouldn't dilly-dally like before.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Hachi immediately forgot Arlong's previous instructions. He grabbed the handles of the cart and started pushing it out right away.
"Urgent business for Brother Arlong? Then let's hurry!"
After giving Nojiko a quick look, Nami followed after him.
Soon, the two of them disappeared around the bend in the road.
After watching them leave, Nojiko returned to the house and opened the bedroom door.
"They're gone. You can come out now."
Once Goku and Sanji stepped out, she poured them both another cup of tea.
"Wait here for Nami to return. If everything goes smoothly, I think she'll be back soon."
Goku nodded innocently and took a sip from his teacup.
"Gah—it's so bitter!!"
He immediately started grimacing.
Nojiko looked at him with a smile. "Sorry, my tea leaves are quite ordinary, so the flavor might not be great."
"Tea leaves? This is tea?"
After taking two more small sips and still grimacing from the bitterness, Goku looked up curiously.
"Of course. Is this your first time drinking tea?" Nojiko was somewhat surprised.
"Yeah! I knew what it was before, but I've never actually drunk it."
Goku set the teacup down and nodded.
To him, this stuff tasted terrible. He didn't want another drop.
At that moment, Sanji, who had been silently pondering something, looked at Nojiko. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and then finally spoke. "The person Nami just left with... was a fishman, right?"
When Nami and Hachi were leaving earlier, he and Goku had peeked out from behind the curtain out of curiosity and saw Hachi with his six octopus arms.
It didn't take much thought. Any fishman on this island could only be from the Arlong Pirates.
That meant Nami had just left with someone from the Arlong Pirates, and whatever she was doing was undoubtedly related to them.
Nojiko paused, then nodded. "So you saw him."
"It seems Nami didn't tell you anything about her situation."
Sanji pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and put it in his mouth.
"No, Nami-san didn't tell us. She said it was her secret."
"I'm not trying to pry into her secret now, but I want to know... will she be in danger going with him?"
At those words, Goku looked over.
"Danger? You think Nami is in danger?"
He trusted Nami implicitly, believing she would handle her business quickly and return to them.
This trust wasn't born out of thin air; it had been built up bit by bit through her actions during their time together.
So even though he knew Nami had left with a member of the Arlong Pirates, he hadn't considered that she might be in danger.
In his mind, Nami would surely handle it.
Sanji didn't answer the question, simply staring at Nojiko in silence.
Nojiko frowned, and after a long silence, she let out a soft sigh.
"I don't know, but I can't help but feel uneasy."
"It's true that Nami calls this her secret. But it's more than that; it's a pain she's carried forever. That's why she doesn't want to tell you."
Her gaze swept over the faces of Goku and Sanji as she continued.
"Since you are companions Nami has acknowledged, I think I should tell you her story on her behalf, so you can understand her better."
With that, she began to tell them the story of what happened eight years ago, and the burden Nami had carried ever since.
...
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]