Nami dragged the large suitcase to Arlong's base.
"Oh, isn't this our talented cartographer? What's with the big suitcase?"
"Need some help?"
As soon as Nami stepped into the base, Arlong noticed her.
"Arlong, I've got the money!" Nami wiped the sweat from her forehead, looking at Arlong with hopeful eyes.
"Huh? What did you just say?" Arlong asked, a bit puzzled.
Nami dragged the suitcase in front of Arlong and his crew and said,
"Our agreement from before, to buy back Cocoyashi Village... You'll keep your word, right, Arlong?"
Hearing this, Arlong burst into laughter and said,
"Of course! When it comes to deals involving money, I keep my word—even if I die."
Arlong suddenly stopped, narrowing his eyes at the suitcase.
"Did you just say you've got all the money?"
"Yes! I've gathered the full 100 million Berries!" Nami's voice was filled with excitement.
She was so close to gaining freedom for herself and Cocoyashi Village.
She quickly opened the suitcase, displaying the Berries inside for Arlong to see.
"One hundred million Berries, not a Berry more or less! Now you can give me back the village!" Nami declared loudly.
"Is this really 100 million Berries?"
"Where did she get all this money so quickly?"
The fish-men began whispering among themselves, casting suspicious glances.
Arlong stood up from his seat, picking up a stack of Berries and holding it in his hands.
As he flipped through the bills, the smell of ink wafted through the air.
"Arlong, the 100 million Berries are yours now. It's time for you to keep your promise," Nami said once again.
Her words caused the fish-men to fall silent, exchanging glances and then looking at their leader.
The fish-men all knew that their boss had never intended to keep his promise.
Nami, the cartographer, was far too valuable to them.
With the maps Nami made, they could rule the seas even more effectively. Their dream of dominating the East Blue was within reach—letting her go was out of the question.
"Arlong, you're going to keep your word, right?" Nami looked at him hopefully.
"Of course, I'll honor our agreement."
Arlong snapped the suitcase shut, a cold smile creeping across his face.
At this, the other fish-men grew anxious.
How could he keep the agreement? Without Nami, their dream of building Arlong's empire and ruling the East Blue—and even the Grand Line—would be impossible.
Before the fish-men could speak, Arlong continued,
"But all of this money is fake."
"You've tried to deceive me with counterfeit money, so how could I possibly keep our agreement?"
Upon hearing this, Nami was completely stunned, frozen in place.
The fish-men instantly understood Arlong's game.
A moment later, Nami snapped back to reality and shouted,
"That's impossible! I checked every single Berry myself—they're real!"
No one knew money better than she did. She had already verified the authenticity of every bill back at Nojiko's house.
"But it really is fake. I don't know where you got this money from, but it seems you've been scammed, our little genius cartographer!"
Arlong spread his hands, smiling mockingly.
"No way!"
Nami couldn't believe what she was hearing and stepped forward, trying to retrieve the Berries to verify them again in front of Arlong.
But before she could touch the suitcase, Arlong had already moved it out of her reach.
"These are all fake bills, just worthless paper. Go ahead and burn them."
Arlong tossed the suitcase to a muscular fish-man, giving him a meaningful glance.
The fish-man immediately understood his boss's intent and quickly echoed,
"Yeah, these are all fake! I'll go burn them right away."
Speaking, he carried the box of money and walked to the side.
The fish-men immediately understood their leader's intentions.
They followed, shouting that all the money was fake.
"Don't take it! That's real money! Don't take it!" Nami saw the money being taken away and immediately rushed forward to chase after it.
Arlong grabbed her and held her down.
Nami stretched her arms towards the money box, but Arlong's strength was no match for hers. She could only watch helplessly as the box was taken away.
"Nami, are you trying to deceive me with fake money?"
"That's real money, Arlong! I'm not lying, it's all real money!" Nami argued.
"It's all fake."
"Real! It's real! I verified every single one!"
"When I say it's fake, it's fake!" Arlong, showing his true colors, grabbed Nami's head with his large hand, glaring at her menacingly.
Hearing this, the fish-men couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter.
Nami stood frozen in place, eyes wide in shock, her mind completely blank.
"Ha ha ha, it's all fake money, my little surveyor."
"Damn it! Damn it!"
"You swore on the money! You said you would keep your word, even if it killed you!" Nami struggled, shouting angrily at Arlong.
"When have I ever not kept my promises?"
"The money you brought was all fake!"
"Of course, I won't sell Cocoyashi Village to you, ha ha ha!" Arlong laughed maliciously.
The fish-men all laughed along with him.
At that moment, Nami finally understood.
Arlong had never planned to let Cocoyashi Village go.
Nor had he ever intended to let her go.
Despair filled her heart.
"You beast!"
"Ha ha ha, it's only 100 million Berries. If you work hard, you'll gather it soon enough. Next time, you won't need to use fake money to fool me, ha ha ha." Arlong laughed heartily and then turned to look at Nami.
"Or are you planning to run away from here?"
"But if you dare to escape, I'll kill every last person in Cocoyashi Village immediately!"
"Ha ha ha." Arlong threatened viciously.
Seeing Nami's tear-streaked, pitiful face, Arlong laughed without a trace of guilt. Instead, he reveled in the cruelty.
Tears flowed uncontrollably from Nami's eyes. She turned and ran towards the village.
"Oh, is she finally going to run away? Ha ha ha!" Arlong continued to laugh, showing no intention of chasing after her.
"Shouldn't we go after her?" a fish-man asked.
"Chase? Why chase?"
"She would never let the villagers die without helping them."
"You're quite cruel, aren't you?" another fish-man commented.
"Ha ha, do you think I'd let such an excellent navigator escape that easily?" Arlong said with a sinister grin.
"Once she's mapped the entire ocean, I'll grant her freedom!"
Hearing this, the fish-men laughed again.
"That could take decades, ha ha ha!"
"Ha ha ha, measuring every part of the sea might take her a lifetime!"
"By the way, how did Nami get so much money?" After laughing, one fish-man asked curiously.
A hundred million wasn't a small amount.
By their estimates, it would have taken Nami close to a lifetime to gather that much money.
"Who cares where she got it from."
"The better she is at getting money, the happier I am."
"In the end, it's all going to be my money anyway." Arlong showed no interest in how Nami gathered the money.
As long as it was real, that's all he cared about. Where it came from didn't matter to him.
--------------
T/N:
Access 30 chapters in advance on my P@treon: p@treon.com/OneFic