"Nojiko, where are you going?"
"We're going home!"
"Home? But didn't Belle-mère tell us to hide first? Our house is too big a target, isn't it?"
Nojiko didn't answer Nami's question. Instead, she fell silent and pulled Nami along, speeding up their pace.
Finally, the two returned home.
Nojiko rushed into her bedroom and pulled out the Flying Thunder God Kunai that Chiga had given her from under her pillow.
Nami looked at Nojiko in disbelief. "At a time like this, you're still thinking about the kunai Brother Chiga gave you?"
Nojiko shook her head, her mind replaying what Chiga had told her when he left: "If anything dangerous happens in the village while I'm gone, hold this and call my name in your heart."
She hugged the kunai tightly to her chest. Although she didn't know what good it would do, at this moment, the only one who could bring hope to Nojiko was her Brother Chiga.
Nami was getting anxious. She stepped forward, grabbed Nojiko's sleeve, and shouted, "Don't waste any more time! Let's find a place to hide first! Don't let Belle-mère down!"
Hearing Nami's plea, Nojiko nodded as if waking from a dream. The two turned to leave the house, which could no longer provide them any sense of security.
However, just then, several gunshots rang out, freezing the two girls in fear.
After a moment, Nami said, trembling, "It's… it's gunshots. They're coming from the Mayor's house. Belle-mère is still there!"
Whack! Nojiko grabbed Nami's hand again and ran frantically towards the Mayor's house.
---
At the Mayor's house…
Almost all the villagers had gathered here. At this moment, they were staring in terror at the grinning, devil-like fish-men before them.
Arlong held a gun, its muzzle pointed at the villagers. He had his foot on Belle-mère's head and was laughing maniacally. Around him lay several dead villagers.
"Hahaha, what a weak race. In front of the noble Fish-Man race, you truly are just a bunch of ants!"
After speaking, he bent down, pressed the gun to Belle-mère's bloodied head, and said coldly, "You damned human woman, how dare you try to escape with these people and resist the noble Fish-Men? What? You don't welcome the great Fish-Man race?"
Belle-mère, with a gun pressed to her head, spat out a large mouthful of blood and coughed violently. She said fearlessly, "What noble Fish-Man race? You're just a bunch of damned pirates! The Marines will catch you all eventually and lock you up in Impel Down!"
At the mention of Impel Down, Arlong's expression turned grim. He had just been released from there.
Belle-mère's words reminded him of terrifying memories from his time in prison. It wasn't just the physical torment of cruel punishments—but the mental toll that truly broke him.
Inside, he constantly felt as if he were on the verge of death. No one treated him like a living being. His time in Impel Down had become a lifelong nightmare he couldn't shake off.
How dare this woman reopen that wound and mention the Marines, the ones he hated most?
Arlong pressed his foot down harder. The pain made Belle-mère let out a piercing scream.
Yet she quickly endured it, biting her lip so tightly that blood seeped out.
Arlong's rage surged at her resilience. In his eyes, the more she resisted, the more it felt like humans were mocking the Fish-Man race.
Then, a twisted idea struck him. Hadn't this woman just mentioned the Marines? Was that where her hope came from? That was laughable.
A wicked smile spread across Arlong's face, making his shark-like features all the more grotesque. He bent even lower.
Looking into Belle-mère's eyes, he said playfully, "Human woman, it seems you have a lot of faith in the Marines, don't you?"
Belle-mère struggled to open her eyes, squinting at Arlong. "Justice will surely come, and that'll be the end of you pirates!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Arlong threw his head back and laughed, even shedding tears. Then he looked up and scanned the villagers. He could see that Belle-mère's words had rekindled their hope.
"Heh."
With a sneer, Arlong raised his voice and taunted, "How ridiculous. Don't you know I'm only here because your Marines allowed it? You wouldn't be unaware of Captain Nezumi, would you? Just a small box of treasure and a few threats—he happily pointed me to a village, and that village happened to be yours!"
"What did you say?!"
Belle-mère's eyes widened. She couldn't accept the truth.
"Hahaha, how pathetic. The Marines you placed so much faith in are the ones who sold you out! What a disgusting race, humans. Aren't you just a bunch of traitors who stab each other in the back?!"
Two clear streams of tears rolled down her cheeks. The collapse of her beliefs drove Belle-mère into despair. Her body slackened. She no longer had the will to fight.
Seeing her spirit break, Arlong felt immense satisfaction. "Tiger-sama, do you see? I've avenged you! I'll make them taste betrayal too!"
To him, nothing was more pleasurable than psychologically destroying a human.
Since Belle-mère had given up, Arlong decided not to waste any more time. He slowly tightened his finger on the trigger, dragging out the moment to torment her one last time.
Belle-mère sensed the approach of death. She wasn't afraid. All she cared about now was Nojiko and Nami.
Closing her eyes, Belle-mère silently prayed:
"Nojiko, Nami… this might be it for me. I'm sorry I won't get to see you grow up. I wasn't the best mother… but I love you. Please, live."
Suddenly, two desperate cries shattered her thoughts.
"No! Let Belle-mère go!"
Those voices… Nojiko and Nami?! Belle-mère's heart dropped. She hoped she was already dead and that these voices were only hallucinations.
But reality was cruel.
"Oh? Aren't these the two brats from earlier? I almost forgot about them. And now they've delivered themselves right to me."
Arlong stopped, twirling the pistol in his hand, looking at Nojiko and Nami with twisted amusement.
Before he could speak, Belle-mère erupted with strength, breaking free from under his foot and rushing to her daughters.
Whack! Whack! Two sharp slaps landed on Nami and Nojiko's cheeks, leaving bright red marks.
Her face bloodied and streaked with tears, Belle-mère roared, "Why—why are you so disobedient?! Why did you come back?!"
Nojiko clutched the kunai from Chiga, covering her cheek silently. But Nami shouted, "Because you're our mom!"
Belle-mère froze.
"Oh? I didn't expect these two brats to be your daughters. That's even more interesting, hahaha!"
Arlong slowly approached and grabbed Nami by the neck, lifting her into the air.
"Let… let me go! Belle-mère, save me! I feel sick!"
Nami clawed at his arm, but her strength was nothing to him.
Ignoring her, Arlong looked at Belle-mère and sneered, "Do you want me to let her go? Then kneel down, scream that the Marines are trash and that humans are scum—then kill yourself right in front of me. One life for these two brats and the rest of the villagers. Quite a bargain, right?"
"No! Belle-mère, don't!"
Nami stopped struggling and begged her not to agree.
Belle-mère looked at Nami, then at Nojiko and the villagers. A determined gleam flickered in her eyes.
She slowly stood and walked toward Arlong.
"No! Belle-mère, please don't! Somebody save us! Please!!"
Nami's screams pierced the air. Arlong licked his lips in anticipation as Belle-mère stepped forward.
Nojiko, who had been silent, stared at Belle-mère's back. The Flying Thunder God Kunai had been buried in her thigh this whole time.
Now, she pulled it out.
Blood sprayed from her leg, but she didn't care.
Closing her eyes, Nojiko screamed toward the sky with all her might:
"Brother Chiga, where are you!!!"
Pfft!
At that moment, a thick, blue arm flew into the air—twisting violently—followed by Arlong's agonizing scream.
Nojiko opened her trembling eyes to see the hem of a black robe fluttering in the air…
A gentle voice rang out, "Long time no see, Nojiko, Nami. You've grown quite a bit."
Tears gushed from Nojiko's eyes. She desperately threw herself into the figure's embrace.
Feeling the long-lost warm embrace, she seemed to lose all her strength in an instant.
Nojiko buried her head in Chiga's arms and whispered, "Long time no see, Chiga!"
__________________
How's that? The suspense tho, whew.