Chapter 19 — The Corrupt Navy
When they met again the next day, Jack immediately sensed that something was off.
It wasn't just Nami.
Nojiko, and even some of the villagers were looking at him strangely—as if they were reassessing him from a completely different angle. Worse still, the looks weren't even consistent. Some were curious, some amused, some… oddly complicated.
The mixed signals left Jack feeling faintly uneasy.
After lingering in silence for a while, Nami was the first to break it.
"Hey," she said, glancing at him sidelong, "you're really not going to take Arlong's treasure?"
She looked far more refreshed than the night before. For the first time in years, she had slept deeply, without nightmares clawing at her consciousness.
What she hadn't expected was this guy.
He was strong enough to annihilate Arlong and his entire crew alone—yet he hadn't even touched the treasure.
If he truly thought he could do whatever he wanted just because she had been drunk last night, then he was seriously underestimating her.
The so-called Goddess of Drunkenness, who had outdrunk countless pirates and sailors, was not to be trifled with.
Without realizing it, Nami's impression of Jack shifted—just a little.
It wasn't love. Not even close.
But she didn't dislike him anymore.
And honestly, not disliking someone was already a rare and valuable thing.
While Jack was still pondering how to convince her to come with him, her question snapped him out of his thoughts.
"The Arlong Pirates' treasure…" he asked cautiously. "Was it worth much?"
"Quite a lot," Nami replied calmly. "I did a rough count yesterday after we cleared them out. At the very least—one hundred million Berries."
"That much?!"
Jack blurted it out before he could stop himself.
Nami immediately caught the reaction. A smirk tugged at the corner of her lips—half teasing, half probing.
"Ahem." Jack coughed lightly. "I just… didn't expect Arlong to hoard that much."
"Hoard?" Nami snorted. "That's only half."
She turned her gaze away, her voice turning colder.
"The other half was taken by the Navy stationed here."
If pirates and the Navy hadn't been working together, how else could Arlong have occupied over twenty villages in the East Blue and lived comfortably for years without consequences?
Jack found nothing surprising about that conclusion.
But Koby—who had been walking alongside them—stopped dead in his tracks.
"No… that's impossible!" he said, eyes wide. "The Navy is just and righteous! They would never accept bribes from pirates!"
Nami glanced at him, then tilted her head slightly.
"…Your son?"
"PFFT—! Cough—cough—COUGH!"
Jack nearly choked to death.
"That's crossing the line!" he protested. "Unless you're volunteering to be his mother—then I might reluctantly accept."
Nami's cheeks flushed faintly.
She shot him a sharp glare, teeth clenched.
With Arlong gone, it was as if her true personality had finally resurfaced. She showed no mercy—not even to her savior.
"Kid," she said, turning back to Koby, her tone serious now. "I don't know what kind of world you grew up in, but I have no reason to lie to you."
She reached into her chest—and from what looked like thin air, pulled out a thick, heavy ledger.
"This is the evidence we collected yesterday. Every 'tax' Arlong paid to Colonel Mouse is recorded inside. Dates. Amounts. Names."
"And there's more, Proof of the Navy covering up Arlong's crimes… and framing innocent people."
She tossed the ledger straight at Koby.
"If you don't believe me, then read it yourself."
"See how ugly your so-called 'justice' really is."
Koby fumbled as he caught it.
He hesitated, instinctively glancing at Jack, as if hoping for reassurance.
Jack said nothing.
Swallowing hard, Koby opened the book.
Page by page. Line by line.
The color drained from his face.
His brows knit together, his breathing grew uneven, and eventually—his expression went blank.
Even without Jack lifting a finger, the evidence Nami casually threw at him had already shattered half of Koby's faith in the Navy.
And the other half…
Probably wouldn't survive much longer.
"Bad news—!! The Navy is docking!!"
A villager came running, panic written all over his face.
Koby stared blankly.
Why… was everyone afraid?
Shouldn't the arrival of the Navy bring relief?
Unless—
Had the villagers already come to see the Navy as no different from pirates?
Even Nami stiffened.
With clear proof of collusion in her possession, if the Navy learned that Arlong's entire crew had been wiped out, they would do anything to bury the truth.
Including killing witnesses.
"What… what do we do?" she asked quietly.
Without realizing it, she had already turned to Jack.
He looked at her steadily.
"That's not my question to answer," he said. "It's yours."
"Are you prepared to resist?"
"If this turns into the worst possible outcome—will you keep compromising… or will you stand and fight?"
He paused.
"To fight means paying a price. You might have to leave this island. Leave your home. Leave your family."
"Can you accept that?"
Each question weighed heavier than the last.
Nami's expression grew increasingly conflicted, her thoughts tangled and restless.
Jack sighed softly.
Even two years from now, this decision would still be painful.
How much harder must it be now?
He reached out and gently placed a hand on her head.
"If you can't decide," he said with a small smile, "then don't force yourself to think. Everything that happens next will give you the answer."
"And no matter what you choose in the end—"
"I'll make it happen."
He raised his gloved hand.
"I swear it on this glove."
Nami bit her lip.
After a long moment, she nodded.
---
"The Arlong Pirates were completely wiped out? By one person?"
Colonel Mouse nearly leapt from his seat.
He had come to collect "taxes," not to hear something this disastrous.
"According to reports," the officer said nervously, "it was a pirate hunter escorting a merchant ship. The cause of the conflict is unclear, but his strength was overwhelming. He slaughtered Arlong's crew alone and is currently in the village."
Mouse's eyes flickered.
"What about the Arlong Pirates' wealth?"
"The villagers took it," the officer replied. "They claim it should be returned to its rightful owners."
Mouse slammed the table.
"Ridiculous! Any wealth plundered by pirates naturally belongs to the Navy for centralized management!"
"The Lord is right!" the deputy quickly echoed. "We'll make them hand it over immediately!"
"No need."
Mouse's lips curled upward.
"If they took Arlong's money, then it proves they were colluding with his crew."
His voice dropped, icy and decisive.
"Gather every villager in the square. Leave no one behind."
"When you write the report, record it like this—"
> 'The villagers of Cocoyasi colluded with the Arlong Pirates to attack the Navy. Under the leadership of the brave and mighty Colonel Mouse, the threat was completely crushed, restoring peace to the East Blue.'
He leaned back.
"Understood?"
"Yes!" the deputy replied hurriedly.
As he wiped cold sweat from his forehead, a chill ran through his spine.
He had underestimated his superior.
Asking for money was one thing—but leaving no survivors?
…Perhaps this was what separated the wealthy from the poor.
An hour later.
More than three hundred villagers were dragged into the square, surrounded by armed Marines. Terror and despair filled the air.
At the front stood Nami. Beside her—Jack. And opposite them—the stationed officer, Aken.
The treasures seized from Arlong's base were piled high between them.
"Is this everything?" the Marine officer asked coldly.
"Yes, my lord," Aken replied, bowing deeply. "Everything taken from the Arlong Pirates is here. Nothing has been hidden."
Koby, blending in with the crowd, clenched his fists tightly, his eyes burning with anger as he watched everything unfold.
Lord Jack had said before, he would witness the Navy's corruption with his own eyes.
And once this matter was over, it would be his turn to make a choice…