Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 330 Taking Back What's Lost! (Fifth update, please subscribe)

In the garden, Nami clutched the bulging cloth bag in her hand and pulled it out of the deep pit in front of her.

The gold coins she had saved up over the years were damp underground. The coins, covered in dirt, reflected the midday sun. Nami forced a smile, just like the fake smile Arlong gave her when he first tricked her into drawing a sea chart and promised her freedom.

She shook off the dirt and used a larger bag to combine the gold coins and jewelry from the two bags.

The jewelry Fang Yu gave her and the gold coins she had just dug up from the orange grove jingled together, a sound that would delight any money-grubber.

Nami gritted her teeth, took the money bag, and headed towards the place she both feared and had to go to.

Nami saw the iron fence of Dragon Park appear, and she took a deep breath and pushed open the gate.

The fishman guard's jagged teeth flashed with a cold light. She instinctively protected the bundle, which was even larger than herself, but then she heard Ah Long's signature hoarse laughter coming from the poolside.

"Oh? Isn't this our little thief cat?" Arlong sat up from the recliner, his sunglasses reflecting Nami's pale face. "Why are you back in the village already? You've only been gone a few days. How much did you earn?"

Nami slammed the bag, which was filled with jewels and Berries, onto the stone table. The clanging of metal startled the seagulls under the eaves!

Her voice was calmer and more restrained than ever before: "One hundred million Berries! Buy Cocoa West Village as agreed."

The menacing, malevolent fish-men suddenly fell silent.

Hachi's six hands wrung nervously, and Croobi paused in his wiping of the longsword.

Ah Long slowly took off his sunglasses, revealing his reptilian vertical pupils.

He grabbed the cloth bag and poured out the treasure. The sapphire Fang Yu had given him rolled on the stone table, emitting a dazzling light. Yellowed banknotes from the treasure chest scattered like withered leaves.

"Interesting. Interesting." Ah Long picked up a gold coin, put it in his mouth and bit it twice. In the end, he actually bit the gold coin in two!
Nami's tense back was covered in cold sweat. She didn't dare to urge Arlong to take out the land deed and could only look at Arlong with longing eyes.

Suddenly, Ah Long sprang into action! The tabletop shattered into pieces under the fishman's immense strength, and the jewels tumbled into the pool with a splash.

He grabbed Nami by the neck and lifted her into the air, banknotes falling like snowflakes: "Your 'you think you can afford this' look disgusts me!" His foul-smelling spittle sprayed onto Nami's face. "I said it three years ago, it's 300 million Berries, not 100 million Berries!"

Nami, finally mustering her courage from her suffocating state, glared at Arlong and forced out a voice from her throat, "You! You never, never said that!"

"Hahahaha!" Ah Long laughed, his laughter extremely arrogant. "I may not have said that, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that the price has gone up now, three hundred million Berries, not a single penny less!"

As for your money...

"Take it now, you still owe me 200 million Berries!"

"I'll return the island to you once I've collected enough money!"

Nami's eyes widened, filled only with despair!

With only 200 million Berries left, how long will it take to steal them?
"I'll tell you a secret." Ah Long suddenly let go, letting her fall into the pile of gold coins. The touch of the gold coins, which she once loved so much, now felt so cold and piercing.
“Cocoyasi Village was never a real condition of the deal.”

"Hehehe, even if you manage to scrape together 300 million Berries, I still won't give you the village."

"What! What!"

Arlong chuckled mischievously, "Nami! You're so naive. How could I bear to let a genius navigator like you go? One hundred million Berries? Not even a billion!"

"We'll talk again when I no longer need you, village." "You! You—" Nami's world crumbled! She crawled towards the gold coins she had painstakingly stolen, her fingers tracing the money she had obtained by sacrificing her morals, a sharp pain shooting through her heart!
Much of that money was obtained by deceiving kind people!

Ah Long's laughter cut into her nerves like a dull knife: "No matter how hard you try, it's useless. In this life, you and Cocoyasi Village are just tools in my hands to make money!"

"No, no! No!" Nami was still trying to control her emotions, forcing a signature smile at Arlong. "You promised me you'd buy the village for 100 million Berries. You, you must have drunk too much and forgotten, forgotten."

"Long-winded!"

Arlong raised his hand and slapped Nami, sending her flying!

"Clap!"

Nami fell heavily to the ground, her body scraping against the rough surface, leaving several scratches. A trickle of blood slowly seeped from the corner of her mouth, sliding down her chin and dripping onto the dusty ground, leaving a small dark red stain.

She trembled as she pushed herself up, her hair disheveled and falling around her face, her eyes filled with emptiness and despair.

At this moment, her heart finally collapsed completely, like a dilapidated house.

Years of grievances, anger, and resentment surged within me like a turbulent tide.

She clenched her teeth, her cheeks puffing out slightly from the effort, tilted her head back, and tried to open her eyes wide, attempting to force back the tears that were welling up in her eyes.

She walked step by step toward the gate, each step heavy as if she were dragging a thousand-pound burden under her feet.

Behind her, Ah Long's piercing laughter and the sound of him casually tossing gold coins together mingled together, haunting Nami's ears like a demon's curse.

Each sound felt like a merciless trampling of her self-esteem, crushing her last remaining hope into dust.

Nami clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped marks, but she felt no pain at all.

Nami walked dejectedly onto the street. The sun was still shining brightly, but it seemed dull and lifeless in her eyes.

Her vision was blurred, as if the whole world had lost its color.

Just then, she spotted Fang Yu squatting on the side of the street.
Nami didn't speak, nor did she stop moving forward mechanically like a walking corpse.

Fang Yu seemed to sense something, raised his head, and stared directly at Nami, saying, "You're in trouble, aren't you?"

The voice was deep and calm, yet it stirred a ripple in Nami's heart.

Nami remained silent, offering no response, and continued walking, her eyes filled with confusion and helplessness.

However, Fang Yu did not give up and said again, "You took my money, so I shouldn't really ask how you spent it. Judging from your expression, it didn't go very well. But now that you're on my ship, even if it's temporary, I have to take responsibility for you to the end."

He took a deep breath. "Come on, take me there. I'll personally get everything you've lost back!"

Each word seemed to carry a tremendous weight, crashing heavily onto Nami's already shattered heart.

Nami abruptly stopped, her body trembling slightly. She slowly turned her head to look at Fang Yu. Her eyes flickered with a complex light—surprise, doubt, and above all, a long-lost glimmer of hope.

(End of this chapter)