Every one of his beautiful crewmates was precious to him—
Reno would never play favorites.
Equal affection for all!
As the three girls cried out in surprise, a certain rhythmic "mahjong" symphony echoed from within the ship's quarters...
And slowly... the Going Merry drifted off course.
...
One week passed.
Up in the sky, the Merry was flying smoothly, carried by a cloud island that Nami had created using her newfound Weather Fruit abilities.
Reno was finally relieved from helm duty.
On deck, Kaya was drenched in sweat, diligently pushing through her physical training.
Her flushed cheeks gave her an adorable look.
As for Nami—
In preparation for her coming battle with Arlong, she had been training like mad.
So hard it made her nauseous.
So hard she wanted to throw up.
Every time she pushed herself to the brink of collapse, Kaya would remove her fatigue using her Healing Fruit ability, and Nami would dive right back into developing her weather techniques.
Kaya was genuinely distressed for her.
Sure, she could remove the side effects—
But not the pain Nami endured during training.
Yet Nami only offered a fearless smile.
Compared to the nightmare of the past eight years, this kind of pain was nothing.
As long as she could destroy Arlong, free Cocoyasi Village, and avenge Bell-mère—
No price was too high.
These past few days, Nami had focused on developing two elements: cloud and lightning.
Lightning: pure offense.
Cloud: defense and mobility.
She'd gone from summoning flickering sparks and puffs of mist to unleashing robust bolts of thunder and summoning entire cloud islands to carry the ship.
She never stopped pushing her limits.
Whenever she reached exhaustion, Kaya would heal her, and she'd go again.
A relentless cycle.
Watching her conjure and unleash increasingly destructive lightning, Reno couldn't help but smile in admiration.
"Nice job, Nami. You've really come a long way."
Nami turned back, hands on hips, raising her chin confidently.
"Just wait—Arlong's about to learn what payback tastes like."
Reno gave her a nod of approval.
That's the spirit.
In just a few days, her progress had been astounding.
Nami and the Weather Fruit were a match made in heaven.
Her sensitivity to wind, rain, thunder, and clouds marked her as a natural-born genius.
No wonder even Shiki the Golden Lion once tried to kidnap her as a navigator.
Reno had originally planned to slow their travel speed, to give Nami more time to train.
After all, the root of all fear was lack of firepower.
The stronger Nami became, the less Arlong would haunt her mind.
But clearly, she didn't need extra time.
Fueled by vengeance, Nami's potential exploded—
Her strength soaring.
At this point, she was more than capable of taking down Arlong.
Now, when she heard that name, her eyes showed nothing but burning hatred and cold, murderous resolve.
Seeing Nami drenched in sweat, Kaya quickly came over and gently restored her energy.
"Thanks, Kaya." Nami offered a sweet smile.
"No problem." Kaya smiled back. "But we're almost at Cocoyasi Village. You should rest."
Nami wiped her face with a towel and gave a nod.
Just then, Reno reminded her:
"Nami—when you face your enemy… show no mercy. Make sure to eliminate them completely."
Don't be like that idiot who only ever punches his enemies into the distance...
"I know," Nami replied coldly.
Show mercy?
Unless she turned the Arlong Pirates into sashimi, the rage in her heart would never fade.
Not long after, the cloud island reached the skies above Arlong Park.
"Nami—this is your moment. I'll cover you from above."
Reno took control of the cloud island and suspended it in mid-air.
"...Alright."
Nami took a deep breath.
Her lower half transformed into a whirling cloud, and she dove straight down toward the park below.
...
Inside Arlong Park—
Arlong himself sat opposite a man with a face that resembled a rat.
They were sharing a hearty laugh.
The "rat-like" man, Captain Nezumi, grinned as he fondled a chest brimming with beli.
"A pleasure doing business, Arlong."
"Hahaha! With you on my side, Captain Nezumi, this whole sea belongs to the two of us!"
Arlong had ruled these waters for years—pillaging, extorting, killing—yet no one dared touch him.
All thanks to his partner's Marine status.
Sure, the guy was greedy beyond belief—
But compared to the fortune he brought in?
He was worth every coin.
Captain Nezumi chuckled with satisfaction.
A lowly captain—how much could he possibly earn on salary?
That one chest alone beat several years of pay.
As for the villagers who'd been murdered? Who cared?
There'd always be more.
As long as his income stayed untouched, everything else was background noise.
Just as the two scoundrels continued laughing, a sudden shadow fell over the park.
"Disgusting trash..."
A cold, cutting voice rang out from above.
Arlong and Nezumi both froze and instinctively looked up—
And saw her.
A young woman floating above them, lower half swirling in cloud, her expression ice-cold and furious.
"Nami?! What the—?!"
Arlong's eyes bulged as he recognized the figure.
That form—
That presence—
A Devil Fruit?!
A Logia user?!
His face darkened instantly.
He didn't have Haki.
Which meant he couldn't even touch a Logia-type user!
That witch—Nami—had somehow eaten a Logia Fruit?
This was bad.
Really bad.
As dozens of fish-men looked up in shock, Nami slowly descended—her clouded form solidifying into human limbs again.
Arlong stood, his face a mask of killing intent, fists clenched.
"Nami! What are you doing here?! Have you got the one hundred million yet?!"
"Heh... 100 million?"
Nami's frosty gaze swept over Arlong's crew one by one—
Until her eyes landed on Captain Nezumi.
"So… even the Marines are in on this."
Suddenly, everything made sense.
"No wonder…"
Her voice dropped, turning colder than ever.
"If that's how it is…"
"Then all of you… can die."