Hearing the old woman's words, Kalifa frowned slightly.
This wasn't the answer she wanted.
Unwilling to give up, Kalifa asked several other people nearby.
But the answers she received were essentially the same.
Kalifa was puzzled.
Could it be that the villagers of Cocoyasi Village were just naturally expressionless?
Rat Shang Xiao approached Kalifa at this moment and said respectfully, "Ma'am, you see I wasn't lying, right? The villagers on this island are just like this. At first, I didn't understand and thought I'd done something wrong."
As soon as Rat Shang Xiao finished speaking, the surrounding villagers immediately chimed in: "No, no, this is just how we are!"
"Rat Shang Xiao is the best Marine I've ever seen!"
"If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be living so happily now!"
...
Rat Shang Xiao nodded repeatedly, quite pleased with the villagers' words.
He thought to himself: After that pigeon guy leaves, I'll take a little less money from them!
Rat Shang Xiao grinned, his six whiskers (three on each side of his face) making him look particularly sleazy.
He gave off the air of a petty man reveling in his success.
But just then, two girls stepped out from the crowd.
One had short orange hair and looked adorable.
The other had short blue hair and appeared quite handsome.The two girls stepped forward to stand before Roya and said, "Sir, he's lying! He's colluding with Arlong, constantly oppressing us. If we can't pay up, they'll kill us! That's how Bellemere died!"
Nami looked at the gentle Roya before her, her bright eyes filled with excitement.
Rat Shang Xiao was startled at the sight of the two girls, cold sweat nearly soaking through his clothes.
"B-big sir, y-you mustn't listen to these two! It's all just their mischief, especially this orange-haired girl called Nami—she's a compulsive liar! I've been tricked by her many times before!"
Rat Shang Xiao approached Nami with a forced smile, saying, "Nami, lying isn't a good habit. Go home now, and I'll pretend nothing happened!"
At this moment, everyone in Cocoyasi Village's marketplace was watching the scene unfold.
Among them, a man with a small mustache was particularly alarmed. His name was Kensuke, the village's constable—though under Arlong's rule, the title held little real meaning.
He noticed Rat Shang Xiao's increasingly sinister expression and immediately stepped beside Nami and Nojiko, addressing Rat Shang Xiao, "Rat Shang Xiao, I apologize for the disturbance. These two are just being mischievous. I'll take them home right away!"
With that, Kensuke glanced at Nami and Nojiko, signaling for them to leave quickly.
"Don't you want to live? What are you waiting for? Go home now! If you provoke Rat Shang Xiao, you two will—"
He trailed off, afraid he might lose control of his emotions.
But in response to Kensuke's words, Nami and Nojiko exchanged a knowing smile.
"Uncle Kensuke, you're a good person," they said, "but this is our only chance now!"
Then, Nami turned to Roya and pleaded, "Please, save us! Save this village! We beg you, Admiral White Pigeon!"
Other villagers might not understand the significance of Roya's identity, but Nami happened to know.
Not long ago, she had rescued an injured newspaper-delivery bird caught in a storm on the beach. As thanks, the bird had given her a newspaper. From it, she learned about the current state of the seas and the newly appointed three Admirals.
Recognizing Roya's identity, Nami and Nojiko had mustered the courage to approach him.
Seeing the situation escalate, Rat Shang Xiao's forced smile stiffened.
"Sir, you can't possibly believe their nonsense, can you?"
"Nonsense? If anyone's spouting nonsense, it's you!" Nami retorted, turning back to Roya. "Admiral White Pigeon, don't be fooled by him! He's in cahoots with the Arlong Pirates! They've even built Arlong Park along the coastal area of the island. Whether we're lying or not—Admiral, let me take you there, and you'll see for yourself!"
Nami spoke rapidly, her expression growing increasingly urgent.Seeing the situation, Rat Shang Xiao immediately said, "Sir, the sun is too harsh right now. Would you like to come to my office for a while? I..."
"Lead the way."
Seeing Roya interrupt Rat Shang Xiao, Nami and Nojiko immediately became excited.
"I'll take Admiral White Pigeon there right away!"
"Just call me Roya. White Pigeon is just a title."
"Okay, Roya!"
Rat Shang Xiao was drenched in cold sweat. "No, no, it's just a bit hot, just a bit hot!"
Though Rat Shang Xiao said this, he only felt bone-chilling dread: It's over, it's over! What should I do now? If we really go to Arlong Park and see all those pirate fishmen, then I'm truly finished!
Rat Shang Xiao thought to himself.
But after racking his brains, he couldn't come up with any good solution.
He could only follow behind Roya as they headed toward Arlong Park.
Soon, the group arrived at Arlong Park. Nami and Nojiko clearly didn't dare to push the door open themselves.
Seeing this, Kalifa slowly opened the door.
Rat Shang Xiao had already shut his eyes in despair by this point. He could already imagine how Admiral White Pigeon would deal with him upon seeing the Arlong Pirates.
But as Kalifa gradually pushed the door open, the scene before them left everyone stunned.
Children were playing in Arlong Park, with a few adults watching over them.
It was like an amusement park, filled with laughter and joy.
Nami and Nojiko were completely frozen at the sight before them.
"How... this can't be!"
"But... but this is where the Arlong Pirates live!"
At this moment, Rat Shang Xiao laughed. "Sir, didn't I tell you? These two little girls are pathological liars. You mustn't be fooled by them. This is just an ordinary park—where are the Arlong Pirates you mentioned?"
Hearing the amusement in Rat Shang Xiao's voice, Nami and Nojiko felt a wave of terror spreading around them...