"Look! Mr. Can Merchant!"
Nami pointed at the departing pirate ship, her voice as light as a bird.
"They're gone! They really left! I won! I won the bet!"
The dark clouds in her heart seemed to disperse completely along with that ship, sunlight pouring into her world without obstruction.
Renji Kuro looked at her smile, then at the villagers around them lost in celebration.
His lips moved slightly—
But in the end, he said nothing.
His gaze remained calm.
Almost… tinged with a trace of pity.
He shook his head lightly and murmured,
"It's not over."
His voice was soft, nearly drowned out by the villagers' cheers.
But as if to prove his words—
Before the celebration could fully settle—
A sharp-eyed villager suddenly pointed toward the sea and cried out in terror.
"The ship… the ship is coming back!"
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"You're seeing things!"
Everyone turned to look.
There—
The Shark Superb, which had only just sailed away—
Had turned around.
And was now heading back toward the dock at an even faster speed.
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Like being drenched in icy water.
Smiles still lingered on faces—
But their eyes were already filled with panic and disbelief.
The smile on Nami's face stiffened completely.
Color drained from her cheeks as a chilling sense of dread seized her heart.
The Shark Superb slammed roughly against the dock once more, the hull striking with a dull, heavy sound.
Arlong was the first to jump down, landing steadily.
Behind him, his officers and subordinates followed, their faces filled with undisguised mockery and cold amusement.
Arlong strode forward again—
Straight into the center of the crowd—
And stopped in front of Nami.
"Well, well, Nami. We meet again."
He grinned, his saw-like teeth gleaming coldly.
"Seems we really are destined to cross paths."
Laughter and jeers erupted from the fish-men behind him.
"A… Arlong…"
Nami's voice was hoarse, barely forming words.
"W-Why are you back? Did you… forget something?"
She clung to the last shred of hope as she asked.
Nojiko tightly grabbed her sister's hand.
She could feel how cold and trembling Nami's fingers were.
Suppressing her fear, she asked shakily,
"Arlong… what do you mean by this?"
"What do I mean?"
Arlong spread his hands, wearing a deliberately mocking expression.
"Didn't I just 'leave' earlier? According to our agreement."
"Now I've 'come back.'"
"What's the problem?"
He looked around at the villagers—
Who stood frozen, faces pale as death—
Savoring the moment as their hope shattered and despair swallowed them once again.
It brought him immense pleasure.
One of his favorite things—
Was crushing the fragile hope people had struggled so hard to ignite.
"You… you're shameless!"
A villager shouted, trembling with rage.
Arlong shot a cold glance in that direction—
And the man immediately fell silent in fear.
Arlong turned back to Nami, who looked on the verge of collapse, and spoke in a cruel, declarative tone.
"Listen carefully, humans."
"That agreement? That was in the past."
"Now, I, Arlong, hereby re-establish my rule over Cocoyasi Village—and the surrounding twenty villages."
"You will continue to work for me."
"And every month, you will pay a new 'protection fee.'"
He paused, enjoying the sight of their ashen faces, then continued:
"As for the money you just 'offered'—I'll generously accept it as a prepayment for the near future."
"But it's not enough."
"Starting next month, you'll start saving again."
"As for the target…"
He smirked.
"Let's set a small goal—another one hundred million Beli."
"If you fail… or dare to resist—"
His gaze turned icy.
"Every month, I'll randomly choose one village and kill one person."
"Starting with the elderly… and the children."
"Understood?"
Another one hundred million?
One death per month?
This blatant betrayal and extortion—
Struck like a heavy hammer into every villager's heart.
The hope that had just been born—
Was crushed into pieces.
Replaced by an even deeper, colder despair.
"N-No… this can't be… how could this happen…"
Nami murmured.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the ground.
Looking up at Arlong's cruel, triumphant smile—
The world seemed to spin.
Everything turned gray.
Five years of effort.
Five years of endurance.
All her hope—
And the joy she had just felt—
Had been nothing but a joke.
A joke played by a demon—
Then shattered without mercy.
The villagers were enraged.
Despair turned into grief and fury.
Many trembled violently, eyes bloodshot—
Yet none dared to act.
The gap in strength was too vast.
Nami's vacant gaze slowly shifted—
Landing on Renji Kuro beside her.
He still stood there.
Unmoved.
No surprise on his face—
Only a calmness as if he had expected all of this—
And a faint, deep sigh.
"Why…"
Nami's voice was hoarse, trembling with tears and helplessness.
"Why… why didn't he keep his word…"
"Isn't… a promise supposed to be kept?"
Renji Kuro crouched down, meeting her hollow, despairing eyes.
Then he spoke—
His voice steady, heavy—
Carrying clearly into her ears—
And into the suffocating silence around them.