"Nojiko, where are you going?!"
"We're going home!"
"Home? But didn't Bell-mère tell us to hide first? Our house is way too obvious!"
Nojiko didn't answer Nami's questions. She just fell silent and dragged her along, picking up the pace.
Eventually, the two of them arrived back at their home.
Nojiko rushed into her bedroom and pulled out the special kunai Kaito had once given her from beneath her pillow—the Flying Thunder God Kunai.
Nami stared at her in disbelief.
"At a time like this, you're still thinking about that kunai Kaito gave you?"
Nojiko shook her head, her mind echoing with the words Kaito had spoken before he left:
"If anything dangerous happens in the village while I'm gone, just hold onto this and call my name in your heart."
She clutched the kunai tightly to her chest. She didn't know if it would actually do anything, but right now, the only hope she had left was the image of Kaito in her heart.
Nami grew anxious, tugging at Nojiko's sleeve and shouting,
"Stop wasting time! Let's find somewhere to hide! Don't let Bell-mère down!"
Nojiko finally snapped out of it and nodded. The two of them turned to leave the house that no longer offered them any sense of safety.
But just then, the sharp crack of gunfire rang out.
They froze in place, paralyzed by fear.
After a moment, Nami spoke, her voice trembling,
"T-That was gunfire... It came from the village chief's house! Bell-mère is still there!"
Smack!
Nojiko grabbed Nami's hand again and bolted in the direction of the village chief's house.
...
At the village chief's home, nearly all the villagers had gathered, their faces frozen in terror as they stared at the horrifying scene before them—a group of Fish-Men grinning like devils.
Arlong stood with a gun in hand, pointing it at the villagers, one foot crushing down on Bell-mère's head. Around him lay the bloodied bodies of several villagers. Arlong threw his head back and laughed wildly.
"HAHAHA! Such a pitiful race! In front of the noble Fish-Men, you're nothing but ants!"
He then leaned down, pressing the muzzle of his gun against Bell-mère's blood-soaked head, and said coldly,
"You damn human wench. You dared to run and rebel against the noble Fish-Men? What's wrong? You don't welcome us glorious Fish-Men?"
Bell-mère coughed violently, blood gushing from her mouth, but her eyes burned with defiance.
"Noble Fish-Men? You're nothing but damned pirates. The Navy will hunt you down eventually and throw you all into Impel Down!"
At the mention of Impel Down, Arlong's face twisted in fury.
He had just escaped from that hell.
Her words dragged him back into the nightmare—the torture that had scarred his body and, worse, the crushing psychological torment.
Inside that prison, he was treated as less than a living being. That experience would haunt him forever.
And now, this woman dared to rip open that wound again? And she even brought up the Navy—his most hated enemy?
Arlong's foot pressed down harder.
Bell-mère let out a sharp, agonizing scream.
But she quickly bit her lip and forced herself to endure. Blood seeped from her lips from the sheer force of her resistance.
Arlong's fury grew. Her stubbornness wasn't just defiance—it felt like contempt from a human toward a Fish-Man.
Then a twisted thought entered his mind.
Hadn't this woman mentioned the Navy just now?
So that's where her hope lay?
How amusing.
He sneered, his shark-like face looking more monstrous than ever. Leaning down closer, he taunted,
"You've got a lot of faith in the Navy, don't you, human woman?"
Bell-mère forced her eyes open, glaring at him with resolve.
"Justice will come. And when it does, it'll be the end for all of you pirates."
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Arlong burst into crazed laughter, tears nearly coming to his eyes from how hard he was laughing.
After a while, he looked around at the villagers. He could tell Bell-mère's words had rekindled a bit of hope in them.
"Hmph."
With a cold snort, Arlong raised his voice and announced loudly to Bell-mère and the crowd,
"What a joke. Do you even know how I got here? Your Navy let me in! You know that rat bastard Captain Nezumi, right? A little treasure and a few threats, and he practically danced over here to show me which village to hit. And guess what? It just so happened to be yours!"
"What…?!"
Bell-mère's eyes widened in horror. She couldn't accept what she was hearing.
"Hahaha! Isn't it pathetic? The Navy you pinned your hopes on? They're the ones who sold you out! Disgusting, isn't it? But that's you humans—always betraying each other, like the filthy race you are!"
Tears streamed down Bell-mère's face.
Her faith had shattered.
Her body slumped, and the fire in her eyes faded away.
Seeing her sink into despair filled Arlong with twisted satisfaction.
Tiger, do you see this? I've avenged you. Now the humans will know what betrayal feels like!
To him, there was nothing more satisfying than breaking a human from the inside out.
Since this woman was finished, there was no need to drag it out.
With deliberate slowness, he curled his finger around the trigger, savoring the moment.
Bell-mère felt death approaching.
She wasn't afraid.
The only thing on her mind was Nami and Nojiko.
She closed her eyes and whispered silently in her heart:
Nojiko, Nami… I guess this is it for me. I'm sorry I couldn't be there as you grew up. I wasn't a good mother… But please, live. Live well. I love you.
But then—two young, desperate voices broke through her final thoughts.
"No! Let Bell-mère go!"
That was…
Nojiko and Nami?!
Bell-mère prayed frantically that she was already dead, that the voices were just hallucinations.
But reality, as always, was cruel.
Today would be her most hopeless day.
"Oh? Aren't those the two little brats from earlier? Almost forgot about them. Looks like they came straight to me."
Arlong stopped pulling the trigger. He twirled the gun around his finger playfully as he looked down at Nojiko and Nami, who had rushed to his feet.
Just as he was about to speak, Bell-mère suddenly exploded with strength, breaking free from under his foot and lunging at the girls.
Smack! Smack!
Two sharp slaps echoed. Bright red handprints bloomed on Nojiko and Nami's cheeks.
Blood and tears mixed on Bell-mère's face, giving her a terrifying appearance as she screamed,
"Why… Why won't you listen!? Why did you come back?!"
Nojiko said nothing. She clutched Kaito's kunai tightly, covering the side of her face.
Nami shouted,
"Because you're our mom!"
Bell-mère froze.
"Oh? So they're your daughters? That just makes this all the more fun, hahaha!"
Arlong wasn't angry about Bell-mère's sudden outburst. He had something even more entertaining in mind.
He walked over and grabbed Nami by the neck, lifting her into the air.
"Let... me go! Bell-mère, help me! It hurts!"
Nami flailed and slapped at Arlong's arm, but her strength was nothing to him.
Ignoring her, he smirked at Bell-mère.
"Want me to let her go? Then get on your knees, scream 'The Navy is garbage! Humans are the lowest race!' and kill yourself right in front of me. Sound fair? One life for two kids and a bunch of other humans. Not a bad deal. Don't thank me—I'm just that merciful."
"No! Bell-mère, don't do it!!"
Nami stopped struggling and screamed in panic.
Bell-mère looked at Nami, then at Nojiko and the surrounding villagers.
A look of quiet resolve filled her eyes.
She stood up and began walking toward Arlong.
"No! Bell-mère, please! Don't! Someone, save us! Please!"
Nami's cries rang out as Arlong watched Bell-mère approach with twisted anticipation.
Nojiko remained silent, her gaze locked on Bell-mère's back.
At some point, she had driven the Flying Thunder God Kunai deep into her thigh.
Just as Bell-mère picked up a pistol and began to kneel, Nojiko couldn't take it anymore.
She ripped the kunai from her leg—blood spurting out—and didn't even flinch.
She closed her eyes, threw her head back, and screamed with every ounce of her strength:
"Kaito!! Where are you!!!?"
Thud!
Before the last word had even faded, a thick, blue arm spiraled through the air and soared skyward.
Arlong let out a blood-curdling scream.
Nojiko opened her eyes, trembling.
In front of her stood a black cloak billowing in the wind.
A gentle voice rang out:
"It's been a while, Nojiko, Nami. You've both grown taller."
Tears burst from Nojiko's eyes as she threw herself into the figure's arms.
She melted into the warmth she'd missed for so long, her strength abandoning her all at once.
Burying her face into Kaito's chest, she whispered,
"It's been so long... Kaito!"
----------------
Pls Drop some Power Stones
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