19: Chapter 19 The Torn Agreement

East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.

The golden-red sunset dyed the entire grove of orange trees a warm, tangerine hue.

The windmill creaked as it turned in the sea breeze, releasing the distinct, sweet, and slightly tart scent of ripe oranges.

"Look... that thieving cat who steals money is back."

"Hmph, that lackey of the Arlong Pirates actually has the nerve to return to the village..."

As Nami walked with her head down, dragging her heavy steps along the smooth, muddy path of Cocoyasi Village, the villagers on both sides stepped aside.

There was no joy of reunion in their eyes, only coldness, disgust, and biting insults.

In everyone's eyes, Nami was a traitor who had sold her soul for money and even acknowledged a thief as her father by joining the Arlong Pirates.

Nami gripped the short wooden stick in her hand so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

The cold mockery and insults cut into her heart like knives, but she merely bit her lower lip and silently quickened her pace.

"Endure a little longer... Nami, just endure a little longer, and everyone will be free."

She desperately comforted herself in her heart.

For these entire eight years, to prevent the villagers from throwing away their lives in vain by resisting Arlong, she had been willing to bear all the misunderstandings and insults, struggling alone in the darkness.

And now, in her arms, she was clutching that black iron box containing 105 million Berries!

As long as she handed over this 100 million Berries to Arlong, this eight-year nightmare could finally end.

...

Outside Cocoyasi Village, Belle-Mere's orange grove.

This was the home where Nami had lived with her sister Nojiko and foster mother Belle-Mere, and it was the only safe haven where Nami could feel warmth.

"Nami... you're back."

Nojiko, the girl with short blue hair who was watering the orange trees, dropped her watering can with a clang the moment she saw Nami.

Nojiko's eyes turned red, and she ran over, throwing her arms around her sister, whom she hadn't seen for days.

"Sister... I've collected it all."

Nami clutched the cold iron box and sobbed silently on Nojiko's shoulder.

"100 million Berries... you really collected it all?!"

Nojiko covered her mouth, tears falling uncontrollably.

Nami wiped her tears, took out the special Den Den Mushi from her coat, and with trembling hands, dialed that deep voice that had terrified her for eight years.

"La-hahaha! Nami, I heard you've returned to the village?"

From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came Arlong's cruel and triumphant laughter.

"Arlong, I have brought the 100 million Berries back to the village!"

Nami gripped the Den Den Mushi tightly, her voice clear yet trembling,

"According to the agreement from eight years ago, spare Cocoyasi Village!"

"Oh? That really is exciting news."

Arlong, on the other end of the Den Den Mushi, grinned wide, revealing his white, sharp teeth, and laughed with a hypocritical and cold tone:

"Bring the money to Arlong Park in a while. As soon as the 100 million Berries are in my hands, our agreement will be officially wiped clean."

"It's a deal!"

Nami hung up the Den Den Mushi, and in that instant, she felt as if thousands of burdens that had been pressing on her shoulders for eight years had been lifted.

As long as she walked through this orange grove now and delivered the box to Arlong Park, everything would be over!

However, before Nami could pick up the box and walk out of the orange grove, a noisy and disgusting sound of footsteps suddenly erupted from the dense thickets surrounding the estate.

"Squeak-squeak... We have received a report that there is evidence of pirates stealing a large amount of illicit money here. The 16th Marine Branch has been ordered to conduct a search!"

A man with two rat-like whiskers, looking as sleazy as a giant, upright rat, surrounded by a group of Marine soldiers, emerged from the shadows of the woods with a sinister grin.

The 16th Marine Branch—Colonel Nezumi!

"Colonel Nezumi?!"

Nami's face turned pale in an instant. She threw herself to the ground almost reflexively, desperately using her body to protect the iron box on the ground:

"No! This is my money! This is the money to buy back the village! You can't take it!"

"Buy back the village? That's utter nonsense!"

Colonel Nezumi let out a sharp, grating, and strange laugh, pointing at the iron box and shouting to his subordinates:

"These are clearly stolen goods from a thief! Confiscate everything for the Colonel!"

"No! Don't take it! Arlong... you lied to me... you and them are in cahoots!"

Nami cried out in despair, but she was roughly pushed into the mud by several Marine soldiers.

Watching the box containing 100 million Berries being carried away by the Marines and listening to Colonel Nezumi's triumphant, treacherous laughter, Nami's mind went completely silent in that instant.

Arlong had promised her.

Arlong had indeed not "broken" his promise.

But Arlong had turned around and revealed the location where she hid the money and the clues about her carrying the huge sum to the scum of the Marines who were colluding with him, letting the Marines play the role of the villainous highwaymen!

Eight years of blood and tears, the insults and misunderstandings from the whole village for eight years, the betrayal of Rice and Makino last night, all hope and dignity—in the second before she was about to be completely liberated, everything was torn into abyssal shards by this shameless collusion!

"Wuu... Aaaaaah!"

Despair, pain, and utter hopelessness completely engulfed Nami.

She screamed, and like a madwoman, she drew a small defensive knife from her waist, bit her lower lip hard, and crying, frantically stabbed the sharp blade into the Arlong Pirates tattoo on her left arm that represented her nightmare!

"Arlong! Arlong! Arlong!"

With every shout, she gouged another deep cut into her arm with the blade.

Blood sprayed like a fountain, completely dyeing the originally blue tattoo a tragic, crimson red.

"Pfft!"

Just as the blade was about to pierce her flesh again—

"Clap!"

A thick, scorching hot palm reached out without warning in an instant, gripping Nami's jade-like hand that held the knife with precision and strength.

The blade stopped abruptly less than half a millimeter from her skin.

The familiar warmth, accompanied by the scent of tobacco and sea salt, instantly enveloped Nami completely.

Nami's delicate body trembled violently, and she looked up in disbelief.

The sunlight dappled down.

Rice was bare-chested, his sturdy, powerful torso reflecting a cold, bronze-like luster in the sunlight.

In those deep, pitch-black eyes, there was a bone-chilling tenderness as he watched her quietly.

Makino, with red-rimmed eyes, ran over and heartbrokenly pulled Nami into her arms, carefully and gently bandaging her bleeding shoulder.

Rice took the short knife from Nami's hand, snapped it in half with one hand, and slowly straightened his body.

"Rice... I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

Nami wailed in Makino's arms, crying out all her grievances and guilt.

"Leave it to me, Nami."

Rice turned around, his deep, pitch-black pupils instantly freezing into an eternal, unmelting tyranny the moment he looked at Colonel Nezumi and the surrounding Marines.

"Where did this wild brat come from, daring to obstruct the Marines in the execution of their official duties!"

Colonel Nezumi stepped back and shrieked:

"Fire! Fire now! Shoot him into a sieve for the Colonel!"

"Bang bang bang bang!!"

Over a dozen Marine soldiers fired, and countless lead bullets whistled as they poured toward Rice.

Rice stood in place, not moving an inch.

The surface of his skin instantly took on a metallic texture like blue-black pig iron.

"Ding ding dang dang!!"

The lead bullets struck Rice's chest and abdominal muscles, sparks flying, but they flattened and deformed like toys, falling powerlessly to the ground.

Not even a white mark was left on Rice's skin.

"This... is this really a human?!"

Colonel Nezumi was so terrified that the whiskers on his face were trembling violently.

"Richie."

Rice didn't even lift an eyelid as he patted the head of the large lion beside him.

A cruel, cold sneer curled at the corner of his mouth:

"See that trash that looks like a rat? Play with him nicely, just like a cat catching a mouse."

"Remember, don't kill him; I still need to send him to the old man as a gift."

"Roar—!!"

The giant beast Richie let out an excited roar upon receiving the order.

Although it had been tamed by Rice, it was one of the most ferocious beasts in the East Blue.

As a feline predator, Richie walked toward Colonel Nezumi with elegant, heavy steps, its copper-bell-sized eyes flashing with the cruel, sadistic light of a feline playing with its prey.

"Fire! Quickly, stop this lion!"

Colonel Nezumi was scared out of his wits, scrambling backward in a panic.

"Swish!!"

Richie's figure was as fast as lightning; a giant paw slammed into Colonel Nezumi's backside like it was swatting a ball, sending him sliding more than ten meters across the ground and snapping several orange trees.

"Aaaaaah! Help!"

Before Colonel Nezumi could crawl up, Richie had already appeared before him like a ghost.

Its massive, sharp claws pressed lightly on his chest, and no matter how he struggled, he couldn't move an inch.

Richie extended its tongue, covered in barbs, and licked Colonel Nezumi's face, which was covered in cold sweat and dirt, letting its foul-smelling drool drip down.

Then, it opened its blood-stained maw.

"No! Don't eat me! Aaaaaah!!"

"Snap! Pfft!!"

A crisp, teeth-gritting sound of bones shattering, accompanied by Colonel Nezumi's hysterical, inhuman screams, instantly echoed through the entire orange grove.

Richie was in no hurry to crush his throat.

Like a house cat playing with a mouse, it tilted its head, and its massive steel-like teeth precisely clamped onto Colonel Nezumi's right arm, tearing it off with a violent yank!

Blood mixed with white bone fragments sprayed out, and Richie tilted its head back, swallowing the entire bloody right arm whole as if it were a sausage!

The surrounding Marine soldiers collapsed to the ground in terror, many of them losing control of their bladders on the spot, not even having the courage to move.

"Snap!! Snap!!"

The bloody slaughter continued.

Richie pressed its paw down on Colonel Nezumi, who was screaming until his vocal cords tore, fully displaying the cruelty of a feline predator playing with its prey.

Under Colonel Nezumi's gaze of utter terror, Richie tore off his left arm, right leg, and left leg one by one, then, right in front of Colonel Nezumi, swallowed them all whole!

In just a few minutes, Colonel Nezumi was in a pool of blood!

"Ah... ah... kill me... kill me..."

Colonel Nezumi's eyes were almost splitting from the pain, his mouth wide open, screaming weakly in the bloody mud.

"Rice... if this continues, he won't last a minute before he dies."

Makino walked over, and although she was somewhat uncomfortable, her expression remained calm.

"Don't worry, before the old man receives my gift, it'll be hard for him to even die."

Rice cast a cold glance at the Marine soldiers kneeling on the ground:

"You lot, you have the medical corps' hemostatic spray and tourniquets, right? Go over and bandage your Colonel's wounds; don't let him die from blood loss. If he breathes his last, I'll have the kitty swallow you all as well."

"Yes! Yes!"

Several Marine soldiers rushed forward in a panic, scrambling to stop the bleeding and bandage Colonel Nezumi's bloody, severed limbs.

The once arrogant Marine Colonel was now bandaged up like a bloody Rice dumpling, eyes wide, lying on the muddy ground, gasping for breath, with even the slightest movement becoming an impossible luxury.

Rice lifted the iron box containing 105 million Berries with one hand and tossed it casually at Nami's feet.

He turned his head to look at Nojiko and the village policeman Genzo, who were standing in the shadows of the orange trees, pale with fright.

Rice drew the short knife from his waist; his expression was exposed, but the killing intent in his eyes made the surrounding air almost freeze:

"Nami, wipe away your tears."

Rice strode forward, heading toward the distant Arlong Park.

"In this world, those who provoke my woman don't even have the qualifications to be dogs."