One day later.
East Blue, Northwest Waters — Marine 16th Branch
As the saying goes, your face reflects your heart. A man with a face like a shady rat, hiding under a hood, sat comfortably in an office reserved for Marine officers of colonel rank. He was enjoying his afternoon tea leisurely.
"Colonel, something terrible has happened!"
A young sergeant barged in, panicked. "That infamous Fish-Man Arlong... he's been taken out!"
"Pfft—"
Colonel Nezumi spewed his tea in shock. His eyes widened in disbelief. "Nonsense! Are you kidding me?! That Fish-Man Arlong is the strongest pirate in all of East Blue! Who could possibly defeat him?!"
"Especially the man behind Arlong..." he muttered, pacing in panic. "That man is none other than Jinbei, the 'Knight of the Sea,' one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
The sergeant hesitated, understanding how unlikely it sounded. Marines knew the truth—Arlong had strong backing, and their intelligence was rarely wrong.
"Still... if Arlong really was taken down by some punk... maybe this is our chance."
Colonel Nezumi twirled his whiskers, a calculating glint in his eyes. "I remember Arlong once asked us to go to Cocoyashi Village and seize the treasure hoarded by a woman named Nami."
At the mention of treasure, greed flared in his gaze.
"But, Colonel, Arlong is dead. Do we still have to follow his orders?"
"Idiot!!" Nezumi roared. "What following orders?! That woman was part of Arlong's crew. She's a symbol of evil! As Marines, we must uphold justice by eliminating Arlong's remnants and confiscating the funds he extorted from the villagers!"
He slammed the desk. "Prepare to move! We can't let anyone else steal this credit!"
"Yes, sir!" The sergeant saluted and rushed off.
Cocoyashi Village
"Arlong... was taken out?!"
Nami, just back in the village, heard the shocking news from the local lawman Genzo and her sister Nojiko. She dropped her bag of gold without even noticing.
"A fisherman from a nearby village got caught in a storm and accidentally drifted into Arlong Park. He thought he was dead for sure... but there were no guards. Curious, he went deeper and found the entire park destroyed! Not a single Fish-Man remained, and even their pirate flag had been burned!"
Genzo, or Gen, recounted it vividly, years of bottled hatred spilling out. He had a life-long grudge against Arlong. The murder of Bell-mère, the years of torment... but he never had the strength to fight back. Now, someone else had done it.
"I don't believe it," Nami whispered. "Arlong is... invincible."
She knew better than anyone how strong Arlong was. Unless she saw his defeat herself, she wouldn't believe it.
"I'm going to Arlong Park. I have to see for myself."
"No need," came a cold voice.
Nezumi had arrived—with a pack of cronies masquerading as Marines.
"That trash Arlong and his park? Completely obliterated. I checked on the way here."
He sneered. "Arlong thought East Blue was weak just because he had Warlord backing? Fool. There are many in the Grand Line stronger than him."
He stood outside Nami's small house.
"Are you Colonel Nezumi? I'm Genzo, village lawman. What brings you here?"
Nezumi chuckled. "What do you think, officer? I'm here to arrest the remaining members of Arlong's crew—starting with Nami! And to reclaim all the treasure he stole from the villagers."
"What?!" Genzo and Nojiko were stunned.
"This must be a mistake! Nami was forced—" Genzo stepped forward.
"Are you the colonel, or am I?!" Nezumi snapped.
"Of course, you're the colonel..."
Genzo gritted his teeth—then charged. Tackling Nezumi to the ground, he shouted, "Nami, run! Don't come back! Ever!"
"You lunatic! Attacking a Marine?! I'll have you imprisoned for life!"
Nezumi screamed at his stunned subordinates. "Get him off me!"
"Y-Yes, sir!"
But his men, lazy and untrained, struggled against Genzo's fury.
"Nami, run!" Nojiko cried.
"Run? Run where?" Nami whispered, bitterly. She thought peace had returned... but Arlong's fall only brought in new vultures.
If even the Marines were this corrupt, then where was justice?
She had run once before... would she run again?
No.
Nami clenched her fists.
She was done running.
She was ready to fight—but she lacked the strength.
She looked up at the sky and asked:
"Someone... anyone... please save me. Save Cocoyashi Village."
Then a raspy voice came from outside the yard:
"Excuse me—this is Nami's place, right? Mind giving me an orange first? I need to wet my throat. Thanks."