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In Arlong Park, the air was thick with the scent of salt and lazy arrogance. Arlong reclined in a massive chair, his right hand propped against his face as he basked in the afternoon sun. Around him, the Fishmen of his crew were scattered in various states of repose—playing cards, sleeping, or chatting idly.
The peace was shattered when Nami strode into the courtyard. Before she even reached the center of the park, she made her declaration loud and clear: "Arlong! I've come to buy back my village!".
Arlong's half-closed eyes snapped open. He sized up the navigator, a predatory grin spreading across his face to reveal rows of jagged, razor-sharp teeth. "Hahahaha! Isn't this Nami-san? You've been gone for quite a while this time".
"Didn't we agree?" Nami pressed, forcing her voice to remain steady despite the bone-chilling coldness of his gaze. "As long as I earned 100,000,000 Berries, I could buy back the village. I have the money now".
Arlong's fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest of his chair. "Oh? You've already earned 100,000,000 Berries?".
"That's right," Nami said, meeting his eyes. When asked for the location of the treasure, she explained it was at her home, too heavy to carry alone. Arlong smirked and gestured for Hachi, the six-armed octopus Fishman, to climb out of the pool.
"Hachi, go help Nami-san bring the 100,000,000 Berries over," Arlong ordered. Then, leaning in where Nami couldn't see, he whispered, "Walk slowly. Drag it out as much as possible".
The Betrayal
Once Nami and Hachi had departed, Arlong's lazy demeanor vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. "I didn't expect her to collect the sum so quickly," he muttered.
His executives, Chuu and Kuroobi, were equally concerned. They knew that if Nami fulfilled her end of the deal and freed the village, they would lose the only person capable of drawing their world-class nautical charts.
"Hmph! How could I let her escape now?" Arlong sneered. "As for the agreement... if she loses the means to fulfill it, the problem disappears". He turned to Kuroobi with a calculating glint in his eyes. "Find Colonel Nezumi immediately. Tell him Nami has 100,000,000 Berries. If he confiscates it before she reaches me, I'll split half the gold with him".
Kuroobi relaxed, a cruel smile touching his lips as he realized the brilliance of the trap. If the Marines "stole" the money, Arlong's "promise" would remain technically unbroken, yet Nami would remain his slave. Kuroobi dove into the water and swam rapidly toward the Marine branch.
The Scent of Home
Meanwhile, Goku and Sanji had secretly landed on the island. After tying up and hiding the two Fishmen from the dock, they bypassed the main roads and entered the dense forest to avoid detection.
"Goku, are you sure you can really smell Nami-san?" Sanji asked, his teeth gritted in a mix of anxiety and jealousy. Goku had suggested they find her through her scent—a prospect that drove Sanji into a frantic spiral of "what-ifs" about how Goku became so familiar with her perfume.
Goku, oblivious to Sanji's inner turmoil, pointed toward a solitary house surrounded by a lush grove of tangerine trees. "Nami-san's scent is very strong there".
They approached the house, but found it empty. Sanji correctly surmised it was Nami's childhood home. Suddenly, Goku's stomach let out a thunderous rumble.
"I'm hungry again," Goku complained, his eyes lighting up as they landed on the ripe oranges hanging from the branches. "Since this is where Nami-san lives, I'm sure she won't mind!". He pounced on a tree, shoving two unpeeled oranges into his mouth. "Ah! So sweet!".