Even though Grimm and his crew had killed Sloan — the man Nami had dreamed of killing herself — she did not see them as heroes.
They were just another pack of villains; it was nothing more than two gangs of thieves tearing each other apart.
Glancing around the room, Nami gritted her teeth and slipped into the large wardrobe.
She was on the fifth floor — jumping out the window was impossible, and the whole area below was already swarming with the pirates who had just finished off the Fish‑Men.
Within two minutes, the door was kicked open.
The rough, unrefined pirates paid no attention to the maps and drawings spread across her desk.
They rummaged through every drawer, smashing open every box and chest that might hold valuables.
"Found anything yet?"
"Nothing so far!"
"Guess there's no money in this room then?"
Inside the wardrobe, Nami trembled, terrified they would find her.
"Move on to the next one!"
Relief washed over her — until another voice rang out: "Hey, there's a wardrobe over there. Check it!"
In less than five seconds, the doors were thrown wide open. The pirates spotted Nami huddled in the corner, knees pulled tight to her chest.
"A little human girl?"
More crowded around, and Nami's eyes began to well up with tears.
"Drag her out. She might know something."
"Got it!"
One pirate reached in with a hand larger than her head, grabbed her arm, and hauled her out.
"Where's the treasure hidden, kid? Speak up!"
Thinking fast, Nami's eyes darted left and right. "I‑it's downstairs… I'll show you! Just don't eat me!"
Eat you?
The pirates exchanged confused glances.
Why would they eat her? But they let it pass — finding the treasure was far more important.
"Motak, what's this little brat doing here?" the men below asked as they came down the stairs.
"Found her hiding in a closet. Says she knows where the loot is!" Motak replied.
The moment they reached the bottom of the staircase, Nami suddenly twisted around and sank her teeth deep into Motak's arm.
He roared in pain and loosened his grip.
Nami seized the chance, leaped from the second‑floor landing down into the open courtyard, stuck her tongue out at the furious pirates, and sprinted toward the main gate.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a chill ran down her spine, and her legs froze mid‑step.
She felt as if an invisible giant hand had clamped around her, holding her completely still.
She swallowed hard and turned slowly. There, sitting in Sloan's old throne, was a man dressed in a fox‑themed coat — Grimm.
He had not even moved, just sat with his legs crossed, smiling calmly. Yet the sight alone was enough to make Nami's blood run cold.
THUD!
Motak and his companions came flying down the stairs, kicked hard and sent crashing to the ground behind her. Mattheus jumped down after them, scowling in exasperation.
"You fools! That's exactly the kind of sloppy work that needs more training from Master Z. Getting tricked by a little girl — when we get back, he's going to run you ragged!"
Motak and the others groaned in despair. "Come on, Captain Mattheus — don't tell Z about this!"
They shot resentful glares at Nami. If it weren't for this little witch… Just thinking about the brutal training Z put them through made them want to dig a hole and hide.
"Useless idiots — embarrassing the whole crew!"
Mattheus kicked them again before stepping up behind Nami, lifting her by the back of her shirt like a rabbit.
"Captain, what should we do with her?"
"P‑please spare me!" Nami stammered.
Then, in a desperate attempt to bargain, she squeezed her face into a flirty, exaggerated expression — the same awkward face later used by Duval — and batted her eyelashes.
"I‑I can… make it up to you in other ways!"
Grimm: …
Mattheus: …
Motak: …
The entire crew: …
She certainly has a strong will to survive… or is this just another trick? Even the most hardened pirates felt the cringe.
After telling them everything she knew about where Sloan had hidden his wealth, Nami watched them leave.
Only then did the crushing pressure lift, and she collapsed onto the floor, her legs giving way completely.
That was terrifying…
Of course, she had no idea that her desperate face‑making was so awful that even Duval himself would have admitted defeat.
---
About ten minutes after Grimm's crew departed with half the treasure, a girl a little older than Nami with bright blue hair came running over, followed by Genzo and the rest of the villagers.
It was Nojiko, Nami's older adopted sister.
She knelt beside her, rubbing her back and holding her shoulder.
"Nami! Are you alright? What happened here?"
Glancing around at the chaos, the broken furniture, and the heavy stench of blood, Nojiko fought back her nausea.
"Where are all the Fish‑Men? What about Sloan?"
Nami stared blankly ahead, looking completely drained. "They… they got eaten."
"Eaten?" Nojiko blinked, confused. Eaten? Like raw fish sashimi?
But it was true — and the image of Mannolos chewing Sloan up would stay burned into Nami's memory forever.
Sloan had spent a fortune building his "Arlong Park," yet the pirates only found five billion Berries in total. They took two billion as their "fee" and left the rest untouched.
The villagers were not only grateful but also puzzled. Are these really pirates?
They act more like Marines… but even the Marines would have seized every coin for the government.
Even Nami, still trembling from fear, could not help but wonder — were they actually good people?
---
Back on the open sea, Grimm sat on his throne atop Mannolos's back, sipping beer and letting the warm ocean wind blow over him.
A few hundred meters away on the flagship, the navigator finished checking the charts and called out to Planck:
"Captain Planck — we'll reach our destination in just a few more days. Windmill Village."
Planck took the map and stared at the tiny spot marked with a windmill symbol in the far corner.
"I don't get it… why come all the way out here? It's nothing but a forgotten corner of the weakest sea."
"Just a few dozen miles west of Windmill Village lies Goa Kingdom — the richest and most prosperous nation in the East Blue, and a member state of the World Government," the navigator added, pointing to another city marked on the parchment.
"Richest kingdom, eh?" Planck scratched his nose, grinning.
"I can practically smell the gold already!"
"Any orders from the Captain?"
The navigator shifted awkwardly. "He said we're heading for Windmill Village — not Goa Kingdom."
__________________
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