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Under the velvet cover of night, Igaram remained on the rooftop, but a different shadow now stood beside him.
"That woman can certainly hold her liquor," Miss Monday, the muscular Barbie, remarked as she exhaled a heavy breath of alcohol. She was still reeling from Nami's astonishing endurance. "What's the next move? Do we kill them? There's a child among them..."
Miss Monday glanced toward the house where Satori was sleeping. Despite her life as a cold-blooded agent of Baroque Works, she felt a flicker of hesitation. Killing a child was a line she preferred not to cross.
Igaram crossed his arms, staring into the dark streets. "No," he said slowly. "Tie them up and bring them to me. I promised Vivi I wouldn't harm them."
It wasn't just a promise; Igaram's own compassion played a role. However, he was no fool. Letting them go with their ship and skills was too risky. His plan was to relocate them to a distant island on a different route using an Eternal Pose. By the time they found their bearings, they would be too far away to seek revenge.
"Tie them up? Fine by me," Miss Monday nodded. She didn't care for the details; she trusted Igaram's judgment. "I'll send the boys in now. That man was supposed to be their muscle, yet he fell for a few smiles and some cheap wine. To think he dared to challenge the Grand Line with a woman and a child..."
She scoffed with disdain before jumping off the roof to mobilize the Million and Billion officers lurking in the shadows.
The Great Escape
The plan hit a snag almost immediately. Two subordinates scrambled out of the "guest" house, frantic. "Madam! It's bad! The woman... she's gone!"
"What?!" Miss Monday's muscles tensed. She stormed into the room where Nami had been "unconscious," finding only an empty bed. "Where are the others?"
"The man is tied up and still snoring," the guard reported quickly. "The child woke up while we were tying him, but he's still in the room."
"As long as the others are secured, we have leverage," Monday barked. "Now, gather everyone! Search every alley! That woman cannot leave this island!"
In the room where Satori was being held, the young Saiyan tilted his head, looking at the two "big brothers" who had served him meat earlier. "Hey, why are you tying me up?" he asked, curiously eyeing the hemp ropes around his chest.
The long-haired guard smiled nervously. "It's nothing, little fella. It's just a game. Go back to sleep."
They lied because they didn't want to deal with a crying child. They were hardened mercenaries who had seen blood, but a screaming kid was an annoyance they wanted to avoid before handing him over to the higher-ups.
"Oh? A game? Okay!" Satori chirped. To their absolute bewilderment, the boy flopped back onto the mattress and immediately began snoring again.
The two guards stared at each other, stunned. Is this kid for real?
Nami's Realization
While they were baffled by Satori, Nami had stealthily reached the docks. Her heart sank into her stomach when she searched the Dream Chaser. The 34,500,000 Berries she had carefully hidden in the floorboards were gone.
"Igaram... and those 'hospitable' villagers... they really were after our treasure!" Nami's teeth ground together in a fury. Her intuition was right—the feast was a trap.
"Steal my money? You'll regret the day you met me!" she hissed. She slipped back into the town, intending to wake Satori and Sanji so they could act as the "enforcement team."
But as she crept through the backstreets, she rounded a corner and ran straight into a patrol of Million officers. "It's her! Catch her!" they roared.
Nami turned on her heel and sprinted into the darkness. They don't just want the money; they want us! She weaved through the labyrinthine alleys of Whiskey Peak, heading for the house where Satori had been taken. Between a drunken Sanji and the powerful Satori, she knew which one was more reliable in a pinch.
However, the town was a hornet's nest. Every "villager" was an agent. Doors flew open and shadows converged on her from all directions.
"Waaah! There are so many of them!" Nami cried, her face pale. Realizing stealth was no longer an option, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Satori! Satori, save me!!"
Inside his room, Satori's eyes snapped open. The grogginess vanished as he heard Nami's distress. He tried to rub his eyes, but the ropes restricted him. With a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders and a slight flex of his chest—Ripppp!—the heavy ropes disintegrated into fibers.
The two guards at the door jumped in fright. "What the—?!"
"Nami's calling me!" Satori's expression turned fierce. He grabbed his Ruyi Jingu Bang, strapped it to his back, and blurred past the guards before they could even draw their weapons.
"Nami, I'm coming!!"
The guards stood in the doorway, frozen, before one finally slapped his forehead. "He's gone! After him, you idiot!"