One Piece, Volume 9

Chapter 72
Genzo is found to possess several weapons - which are forbidden by Arlong's rules. He announces to the crowd that weapons may be seen as the start of rebellion. As a result, Genzo shall be made an example of the inferiority of humans against fish-men and be executed in front of all the villagers. While the villagers of Cocoyasi Village attempt to save the life of their friend, Genzo begs them to stay quiet as it would mean that what they have endured for the past 8 years would have been for nothing.

When Arlong is about to deliver the final blow to Genzo, he is struck by an explosion. Usopp laughs from the top of the buildings and delivers brave words of having 8,000 hardened killers ready to strike against him. Arlong go berserk, and as an answer to Usopp's insult, he destroys the house on which he is staying. Afraid that their leader will destroy all the village which they need to get money, the Fish-Men restrain him and promise to catch Usopp and take him back to Arlong Park.

After Arlong's departure, and while the Fish-Men are trying to capture the running Usopp, Nami appears in the village. Everyone ignores her besides her sister. She has come to deposit flowers on a grave. She tells Nojiko that she only needs 7,000,000 more until she can buy the village.

Meanwhile, in Arlong Park, Zoro who has been freed by Nami, has defeated every Fish-Man at the park and awaits Arlong's return.

Chapter 73
Hatchan finishes preparing Momoo's meal and makes a trumpet sound to lure Momoo to his dinner. The sound alerts Zoro who finds Hatchan sitting on the shore. Hatchan asks who he is, and Zoro responds that he is a guest. Hatchan responds that Arlong is away at Cocoyasi village and offers to transport him.

Meanwhile Luffy, Sanji, and Yosaku are confronted by the large sea creature, Momoo. Yosaku suspects he is hungry and suggests to give Momoo. Luffy responds by punching Momoo. Sanji then berates him for hurting the beast just because it's hungry and offers Momoo food. However, Sanji suddenly kicks Momoo for trying to bite his hand. He then knocks him out when he tries to retaliate. The group then proceed to eat their lunch.

Meanwhile, Zoro arrives at Cocoyasi village. Arlong returns to Arlong Park to find his crewmates have been injured. When asks who did this, he finds out it was Zoro. At first angered, he pacifies himself after learning that Usopp has been captured. Some of his crew hypothesize that Nami was the one that let him escape, saying that betrayal is her specialty. To which Nami responds that she would never betray the crew. She reminds the crew of her promise to buy back the village fair and square, and Arlong believes her. He says they need to take care of Usopp and Zoro, while Zoro finds out Usopp was captured and heads back toward Arlong park, as wells as Luffy and company.

Chapter 74
Realizing it has been Zoro in their grasp all along, Arlong explains that since he has the highest bounty in all of East Blue, it's natural that a bounty hunter would want to take him out. He wonders where Zoro could be, to which Usopp responds that he doesn't know and asks to be let go. Though his lie doesn't fool anyone, Arlong then gets the idea to kill Usopp to get Zoro to show up, but Usopp tells them that this won't work and asks Nami for help. Causing more doubt among the crew about Nami's loyalty, and Usopp berates her for betraying Luffy saying that even now he still trusts her, to which Nami calls him an idiot.

Hatchan then returns, and is surprised that Arlong is back and that his comrades are hurt, and is even more surprised to learn that it was Zoro who did it, telling the crew that he just gave him a ride to Cocoyasi Village because he was looking for Arlong and he thought Zoro was Arlong's guest. Which makes Arlong happy that Zoro is looking for him, Hatchan then asks who Usopp is. Nami, in order to prove her allegiance, attacks Usopp. She announces he will kill him and appears to stab him from Arlong's point of view. Johnny watches unseen from the bushes. Nami then pushes Usopp into the pool which solidifies the crew's trust of her, and she reminds them again of her goal - to purchase back her hometown village.

Luffy, Sanji, Yosaku, and Zoro all arrive at Arlong Park and are pulled ashore by Momoo.

Chapter 75
The sea monster, Momoo, pulls Sanji and Luffy's boat at full speed onto the shore. Luffy and Sanji are then sent flying into the sky. Momoo crashes into the shore head-first and sinks into the sea in pain. At the same time, Zoro is urgently trying to find Usopp. He hears a loud noise but pays no attention to it until he is caught in Sanji and Luffy's unconventional landing. Zoro explains that they have to hurry in order to save Usopp, who has been captured by Arlong, before he is killed. Zoro is about to run off when Johnny appears and informs him that Usopp has already been killed by Nami. Everybody is in shock after hearing this.

Meanwhile, the survivors of Gosa Village observe a Marine ship approaching the shore. It is led by Commodore Pudding Pudding with the intent of liberating the inhabitants of the island. The Commodore tells his men that their goal will be to rescue the survivors of the island as well as take out the pirates inhabiting it, as their sense of justice prevents them from overlooking a pirate base.

Arlong questions the existence of the 77th Branch of the Marines as he has never heard of them before. He concludes that they must be new, so he tells his lieutenants to either buy them off for 2,000,000 or to dispose of them if they turn down the bribe. Just as he finishes talking, his crew warns him of an impending cannonball coming towards him. Arlong then catches the cannonball with his open mouth and crushes it with his monstrous jaw strength. He spits out the remains and tells Kuroobi to cancel the negotiations. Arlong's top officers, Hatchan, Chew, and Kuroobi, offer to get rid of the Marines. Moments later, Chew jumps onto the deck of the Marine ship and attacks everyone on board. At the same time, Kuroobi tears off the ship's rudder, and Hatchan pushes it into the reef. The combination results in the creation of a massive whirlpool that sucks in the ship, presumably killing everyone on board.

As the officers return, Arlong apologizes for making the three go through all the trouble. They reply that it was nothing due to their fish-man strength and the maps Nami has drawn while claiming themselves to be "invincible." Chew then asks Arlong whether he would let Nami go once she pays off her 100 million belly debt since she is an invaluable member of the Arlong empire. Arlong replies that he would rather die before he breaks a promise regarding money. Back to Luffy's side, Luffy yells at Johnny while grabbing him by the collar, telling him that what he is saying is nonsense and that Nami would never hurt one of her crewmates. Just then, Nami appears and asks Luffy who he is calling a crewmate.

Chapter 76
When Luffy refers to Nami as his crewmate, she tells him that he is no more than a nuisance. She says that she only stayed with them because of their money. Zoro argues with Sanji that he is making things more complicated with his romantic advances toward her. Sanji responds by saying that love is like a hurricane.

Johnny interrupts their quibbling when he yells at Nami, calling her a witch. He says that all she cares about is getting all the money hidden in Cocoyasi Village, where she is willing to join the Arlong Pirates and will go so far as to kill people in order to do so. He follows up by calling her a witch again and saying that she is cold-blooded. He swears that he saw her killing Usopp. Nami is unfazed, and asks Johnny what he is going to do about it. Johnny is taken aback by surprise.

She also tells them that if they want to live, they better stay out of Arlong's business because he is infuriated by Zoro's stunt. Nami says that Luffy and his crew may be monsters, but they are no match for the real monster. Zoro responds by saying that he couldn't care less and asking where Usopp is. Nami tells him that he is at the bottom of the ocean. Irritated, Zoro tries to attack Nami, but Sanji stops him. The two of them begin to argue. Zoro tells him to not interfere when he has no idea what is going on. Sanji ignores him and tells him that he is just irritated after his loss with Mihawk. Zoro gets mad and points his sword toward Sanji's neck. Sanji taunts him and tells him to just try. Yosaku tells the two of them to stop because they are in a serious situation right now.

Nami tells them to leave and go fight elsewhere, and she couldn't care less, bidding them farewell. Luffy then immediately falls asleep on the spot, announcing that he is sleepy and could not care less about what is happening on the island. Nami then yells at him, saying that he can die for all she cares. Afterwards, Johnny and Yosaku decide to part ways with Luffy and the others because they are afraid of getting hunted down and killed by Arlong. They tell everyone that they will meet again one day.

Meanwhile, Usopp, who is revealed to be alive, wanders through Cocoyasi Village. He wonders and asks himself why Nami would pretend to kill him but stab her own hand instead. It then occurs to him that Nami was actually trying to save him from being killed by Arlong, and he comes to the conclusion that she is not a witch. Following this realization, Usopp decides to look for Zoro. He remembers that the octopus guy told him that Zoro was looking for Arlong earlier. Terrified, he assumes that Zoro could have returned to Arlong Park to search for him. He decides to run straight for Arlong Park in order to save his crewmate. However, he spots Zoro in the distance as he is running.

At the same time, Sanji asks Zoro if he thinks that Nami killed Usopp. Zoro tells him that it is a possibility, as she got pissed after Usopp called her "small" last time. Sanji gets angry, thinking that Zoro was referring to Nami's breast size. Sanji and Zoro then clash, but Usopp gets into the crossfire and gets his face injured.

Meanwhile, Nojiko is out in the tangerine fields and hears the house door slamming shut. She goes inside and notices Nami with her head on the desk. Nojiko comments on the mess of thrown furniture and broken glass on the floor, which Nami has made, and asks her if anything is wrong. Nami says that she was only taking a little rest at first before opening up to her sister. Nojiko then understands that her friends have come to take her back, and she understands why she is upset, as nothing upsets Nami more than having to say the word "friend."

Back with the Straw Hats, Luffy is shocked by Usopp's face. He asks him if Nami was responsible for it; Sanji and Zoro take responsibility for it. Usopp tells Luffy that Nami had saved him, and he feels that Nami had joined the Arlong Pirates for another reason. Nojiko then appears and tells them that it's useless and that there is no way that they could change Arlong's rule. She then agrees to tell the crew about Nami's past, but they must leave after she is done.

Back at the village, 16th Marine Branch captain, Nezumi appears with his team and asks Genzo to lead them to Nami's house.

Chapter 77
8 years ago, a 10-year-old Nami lived with her adoptive sister Nojiko and their adoptive mother Bell-mère who was raised them on an orange farm. One day, Nami was caught by a local policeman, Genzo, when she attempted to steal a book. She explained they were poor and could not afford to buy the navigation book she desired. She needed the book to accomplish her dream, to travel around the world. Genzo took pity upon the young girl and bought the book for her. Upon returning her to Bell-mère, Genzo demanded she be taught respect. Bell-mere stood up for the girl and told him she'd pay him back with love when she could. As she shut the door, she explained that Nami should have asked for the book. Bell-mère would have purchased it for her. With the book, Nami was soon able to draw her first map of their island.

One night, while Bell-mère gave Nami an old dress of Nojiko's. Nami complained that it was a hand me down and how the three of them were not blood related. She yelled in a fit how she wished she had been adopted by a family with more money. Angry, Bell-mère slapped her and told Nami that she could leave the house and live the life she wanted.

Nami took refuge in Genzo's house. He explains to her how Bell-mère found her and Nojiko. Bell-mère served in a war as a Marine, and was heavily wounded during a battle, when she returned with the two little girls who they had lost their parents. She collapsed and in her potentially final breath, she begged for her village members to save the children. As she looked down at the infant Nami, Nami could only smile as she was unaware of her surroundings and only knew joy.

In the present, upon hearing the story Nami came to realize that the love bond between the three of them was stronger than blood. She returned with Nojiko who had been searching for her.

However at the same time, pirates accosted the island. Sea-pirate Arlong and his fish-men had arrived and they declared that the land now belonged to them.

Chapter 78
In order to stay alive, every villager had to pay 100,000 and 50,000 more per child to the Arlong Pirates. Everyone in Cocoyasi Village was able to pay and they were preparing to leave. However, one noticed Bell-mère's isolated house when he noticed smoke coming up from a chimney in the trees.

Genzo knew very well that she could not afford to pay such a high price. He asked her two adoptive daughters, Nami and Nojiko, to flee and hide. When the fish-men arrive at Bell-mère's house, she attacked them. However, she was no match against their brute force. When Genzo told her about the pirate's demands. She agreed and gave Arlong 100,000. The pirates believe she was paying for herself, as one adult. But, as they are about to leave, she told them that the money was for her two adoptive daughters. She could not abandon them and after expressing her love to the two, they attempted to run to her side. She accepted her fate as Arlong raised his gun to her head and told them it would be a warning to all villagers who could not pay. A loud bang erupted and the two children buried their crying faces in horror as their mother was executed.

Chapter 79
After Bell-mère's death, Nami was kidnapped when Arlong discovered her ability for drawing maps. All the villagers decided to fight to take her back, but she suddenly came back by herself, revealing that she was now part of Arlong's crew. She even showed that she could earn all the money she wanted. Disgusted by this selfish behavior, the villagers rejected her. But when Nojiko went to her mother's grave, Nami was already sitting there. She explained to her sister that in order to accomplish their mother's last wish and live, they could not rebel against Arlong who was too strong for them. Instead she decided to draw maps for him, revealing that she would be able to buy her village back for 100,000,000.

Chapter 80
Nojiko continues to tell the Straw Hats the story of why Nami joined the Arlong Pirates. She tells them that Nami sacrificed herself at a young age so that no one else in the village would get killed by Arlong, like their mother did. Sanji and Usopp are infuriated by this. Meanwhile, Zoro sleeps through the story. Sanji exclaims that he would kill those pirates, but he gets hit on the head by Nojiko. She warns him not to speak in such a manner. Nojiko tells the crew that by going around and calling Nami their friend, they are putting her eight years of hard work in jeopardy by making the Arlong Pirates doubt her. She tells them not to make Nami suffer any more than she already has. In the meantime, Nojiko continues telling her stories of her and Nami's past. Flashbacks show Nami entering Arlong's crew so that she could earn 100,000,000 and buy the village's freedom back along with her own. She remembers just how recently Nami only had 7,000,000 more to collect before her goal would be realized.

Back at the village, Genzo arrives at Nami's house with the company of the Marine captain of the 16th Branch, Nezumi. The Marine captain asks her if she is the criminal he heard about. Nami replies that she guesses she is, noting that she is working for Arlong. She tells him that she is part of his pirate crew and that he should let her be. Nezumi laughs and says that he has no idea what she is talking about. He denounces Nami as a petty thief and says that the money she stole from many pirates is property of the government. Nami threatens Nezumi once again that she is part of Arlong's crew, but he remains unfazed. Nezumi orders the Marines to ignore her and search the premises for the money. Nami angrily yells at them to get away, and attacks them with her staff. Genzo yells at Nezumi, telling him that the money was being used to save the village since the Marines wouldn't do anything about their current conditions under Arlong. Nami is surprised that Genzo knew about the money. Genzo reveals that he and the villagers knew about the money and what Nami was trying to do all along. They learned about it from Nojiko and never told Nami that they knew, because they were afraid of pressuring her, and ended up making her run away from it all. At the same moment, Nojiko also arrives at the scene and denounces the Marines for their actions and for failing to save the village. Once again, Nezumi ignores the accusations.

Nami is suspicious of Nezumi because he knew exactly how much money Nami was hiding and laughed when Nojiko said that Arlong would attack his ship if he lingered around too long. Nami finally understands that Nezumi is a corrupt Marine and that he has been sent by Arlong to take her money. Nami then goes to confront Arlong for breaking their agreement. Annoyed, Arlong grabs Nami by the mouth and laughs, telling her he did no such thing. He says he technically never broke the agreement. Nami curses him for deceiving her by way of using a loophole.

Chapter 81
On the Marine ship docked outside Cocoyasi Village, Nezumi gleefully examines the money he stole from Nami, laughing at her stupidity to work for Arlong for her freedom this long. Meanwhile, Nami confronts Arlong in Arlong Park over her money being stolen, and Arlong acts as though Nezumi stealing it was out of his control, saying Nami will just have to start saving 100,000,000 again from scratch. He reminds her that if she tries to run away, he will kill the residents of Cocoyasi Village, and Nami remembers Genzo telling her that they had kept this threat secret to her in case she wanted to run away. Nami breaks free and runs out of Arlong Park, followed by Arlong's jeering. Back in Cocoyasi Village, a furious Genzo tells the villagers to prepare to take up arms and fight the Arlong Pirates, while Nami is desperately running back to stop them, as she knows they'll die if they fight, and that would be the end of everything. Genzo tells the villagers that they promised each other eight years ago that they would endure the fish-men's cruelty as long as it took for Nami to buy back the village, but they can no longer keep living under these conditions if Arlong has no intention of ever letting them go. However, he shouts that they'll never forgive the fish-men for toying around with Nami's good heart, and all the villagers agree with him, stating that they are more than ready to fight, and have been for eight years. However, Nami reaches them and tries to assure them that she is readily willing to save up the money again, even saying it would be easier this time. The villagers are shocked and deeply moved by her efforts. In Arlong Park, Chew laughingly comments that Arlong can be pretty heartless, with Arlong replying that he's not just going to let a navigator of Nami's ability get away from him. However Arlong replies he isn't completely heartless and that he will let Nami go eventually, but only after she has made a map of the entire world, as he and the other fish-men roar with laughter upon realizing that will take decades.

Meanwhile, Genzo does not listen to Nami's assurances, telling her that she knows it would be in vain. He embraces her, commending her for the efforts she has made to liberate them, which almost moves Nami to tears. Genzo then tells her to leave the village, and Nojiko backs him up, encouraging her sister to go and pursue her dream. Now desperate, Nami pulls out a dagger, declaring that she does not wish to see any of them hurt again, and telling them they'll die, but Genzo displays his dedication by grabbing the dagger, cutting his hand in the process, and the villagers say their hearts are set. Genzo shouts at Nami to get out of the way, and the villagers race past her toward Arlong Park, declaring their will to fight even if it is likely they will lose, leaving Nami kneeling in the middle of the street. Driven to her breaking point by rage, grief and despair, Nami grabs the dagger and begins to psychotically stab herself in the shoulder where her tattoo is, repeatedly screaming Arlong's name as tears run down her face. However, Luffy comes and grabs Nami's arm before she can harm herself further. Keeping her back to him, Nami tells Luffy that he doesn't know anything about what's happening here, and that she already told him to leave the island because this has nothing to do with him, throwing a few handfuls of dirt in his direction. Luffy acknowledges both these points, but he doesn't move or say anything further. Nami finally breaks down in tears, turns to face Luffy, and begs him to help her. Luffy responds by silently putting his straw hat on her head, before he walks forward and declares extremely loudly that he will help. Nami is shocked to have the straw hat on her head, knowing Luffy's attachment to it, and is moved to fresh tears, as well as when she watches Luffy walk toward the rest of his crewmates, who were waiting just ahead and tells them to come with him, to which they immediately agree. Meanwhile, the villagers have reached Arlong Park, only to find a battered and bloodied Johnny and Yosaku sitting in front of the gate. The pair mentions how they heard Nami's backstory from the woods, and ashamed at having doubted her character, went to confront the Arlong Pirates, but were defeated. The two bounty hunters do not intend to let the villagers pass them, as they have no chance of winning, and instead are waiting for another group of men, to the villagers' confusion. Inside Arlong Park, Arlong wonders if Johnny and Yosaku were part of Zoro's crew, and Kuroobi doubts it, saying they were too weak for that. Just then, Luffy punches the gate off its hinges and asks which of the fish-men is Arlong, much to Arlong's shock and chagrin.