Recently, their orange fields had been affected by the weather. The oranges were low quality, the taste was off, and the buyers stopped coming.
Whenever Nami thought of the way Bell-mère stared at the orange grove every day, frowning so hard it looked like the wrinkles would never leave her face, her chest tightened.
She wanted to help.
Especially now, with the merchants rarely purchasing their fruit, life at home had become more and more difficult by the day.
To make sure Nami and Nojiko could eat until they were full, Bell-mère had started skipping meals entirely.
Day after day she lived off oranges as if they were rice, chewing them like it was nothing, pretending she was fine.
Nami could not bear to watch it anymore. That was why she had run out in the first place.
So when Amon said these Jars could actually produce something that would improve the quality of their oranges, Nami's heart stirred immediately.
When Nami asked the price, Amon knew there was a chance. He smiled and said, "Only one hundred thousand Beli."
"One hundred thousand Beli!"
Nami sprang up as if she had been stabbed.
"You want one hundred thousand Beli for a single… jar?"
Their family's savings, in total, was only about one hundred thousand Beli left.
And when Arlong came to collect rent, it was because Bell-mère had no extra Beli to save herself that she was killed by him.
No wonder Nami reacted so violently. To her, this was not just expensive, it was impossible.
One hundred thousand Beli was basically a month's living expenses for the three of them.
"Heh heh, how many times do I have to say it? These aren't broken jars. Everything inside is priceless."
Amon leaned forward, pressing the point with a calm smile.
"Don't you want to help Bell-mère open something that can improve the orange grove's quality?"
"But… I don't have that much Beli right now…"
Nami really was tempted.
But she was only seven or eight. She was not a rich child. Where would she get one hundred thousand Beli?
"Ah, wait!"
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She looked at Amon with a sly little expression.
"Mr. Amon, I heard you say you came to Cocoyasi Village to buy oranges, right?"
"Then how about this? You pay first and buy oranges from our family, and then I'll have Beli to open a Jar!"
It had to be said, Nami's mind was sharp.
Amon had only mentioned it casually, and she remembered it immediately, then turned it into leverage for a deal. Even at this age, her business instincts were already obvious.
"Uh… that…"
Hearing her proposal, Amon hesitated and considered it.
"Please, Mr. Amon, can't you?"
Nami leaned in closer, adding another condition in a hurry.
"I can even move some of our orange trees onto your ship. That way you can eat fresh oranges every day!"
Seeing Amon still wavering, she pushed harder, desperate to make him agree.
Amon sighed, as if defeated.
"You really leave me no choice. Fine. I was planning to buy a few orange trees anyway."
He was not agreeing purely to help Nami. He truly had wanted to buy orange trees in Cocoyasi Village.
Sailors at sea often could not get fresh vegetables and fruit. Without vitamin C, it was easy to develop scurvy.
His body had been strengthened, but it was always better to be prepared.
Besides, oranges were useful for more than just eating. He could squeeze juice, use them as seasoning, even preserve them.
"That's great! Thank you so much, Mr. Amon!"
She grabbed his hand and bounced on her feet, practically glowing with joy.
"Then I'll take you to buy the orange trees right now! Bell-mère will definitely be so happy!"
As she spoke, Nami clung to Amon's arm tightly, like she was afraid he would change his mind.
"Uh…"
Amon understood what she was thinking, so he did not pull away.
And so, under Nami's eager guidance, Amon walked deeper into Cocoyasi Village.
Step by step.
But as they walked, Amon suddenly realized something was off.
At this time of day, the villagers who had gone out to work should have returned. The children should have been playing in front of their homes, waiting for the warm smell of dinner to drift out.
Yet along the road, he did not see a single villager returning home.
He did not see children playing either.
Almost every roof still had cooking smoke rising, but there was no sound of life. No laughter, no chatter, nothing.
Only silence.
"What's going on?"
The further into the village they went, the more wrong it felt.
Even Nami sensed it. The village was far quieter than usual. She could not help glancing left and right, uneasy curiosity rising in her chest.
Amon's curiosity sharpened into something colder.
He activated his Observation Haki.
In an instant, he understood.
On the main street of Cocoyasi Village, hundreds of villagers were crouched close together, packed tightly like a field of bowed heads. Old and young, men and women, all of them holding their hands over their heads.
Standing neatly in front of them were more than a dozen strange figures, half-man and half-fish.
On their bodies were tattoos shaped like the sun.
Just one look at their appearance was enough for Amon to know exactly who they were.
Arlong's crew.
So it really was that kind of "coincidence."
They had arrived at Cocoyasi Village on the same day.
Only Amon had landed from the east, while Arlong's group came from the west. Otherwise, Amon would have sensed them earlier.
If he remembered correctly, Arlong's gang had only just landed. They were announcing ownership of the island, and collecting "rent" from the villagers, money meant to bribe the Marines and keep them from causing trouble.
Seeing this, Amon did not hesitate anymore. He grabbed little Nami's hand and quickened his pace toward the main street.
Nami did not know what was happening, but a terrible feeling had already begun creeping up her spine.
She hurried after him.
"None of you move!"
At the front of the street, a fish-man leader carried a long spear. He paced back and forth in front of the villagers, barking coldly.
"Anyone who dares to move even once will be killed on the spot."
At the same time, Genzo and the others, the village police, were crouched with their hands on their heads, trembling with fear.
"Arlong, we already paid you everything. Why won't you leave?"
Genzo's voice shook. After Arlong's group collected the money, they still did not go. That only deepened the dread in his heart.
Because these were not all the people of Cocoyasi Village.
Bell-mère's family had not arrived yet.
They lived in the hills behind the village, and so far Arlong's group had not discovered them.
"Why the hurry, Mr. Policeman?"
Arlong grabbed Genzo by the collar, his grin sharp and unpleasant.
"Could it be… your village still has other people?"
"Arlong, we spotted cooking smoke in the back mountain!"
The moment Arlong finished speaking, one of his fish-man subordinates stepped forward and reported it.
The instant those words fell, every villager's face changed.
Because they all knew who lived in the back hills.
Bell-mère's family.