Time passed slowly. The sun had begun to descend, tinting the sea with shades of orange and blood-red. Inside the small house, the atmosphere had grown heavy, almost suffocating.
Nami sat at the table with her arms crossed, staring at a map she was no longer really looking at. From time to time, she cast discreet glances toward Yogiri, who remained perfectly still on his chair, as if he were part of the furniture.
Outside, the sounds of the village had changed. What was usually a resigned silence had turned into a muted agitation. Heavy footsteps could be heard, deep voices barking orders, doors being forced open. The fish-men had noticed their comrade's absence.
"He should have already returned from his patrol on the beach," one of them growled loudly enough for the sound to carry to the house.
Another replied with irritation:
"He's not the type to linger. Something's wrong. Search the area. Start with the houses near the coast. And ask the humans if they saw anything. They'll talk… they know what happens when they stay silent."
Nami clenched her jaw. She recognized those voices. They were Arlong's usual patrollers, the ones who enforced daily terror. The disappearance of one of their own was no small matter: for the fish-men, losing a member meant weakness, and Arlong hated weakness.
She stood up silently and approached the window, parting the curtain slightly. In the street, she saw two groups of fish-men splitting up: one headed toward the center of the village, while the other was clearly moving toward the area where her house stood.
"They're actively searching," she murmured. "They're going to come here. No doubt about it."
Yogiri didn't react immediately. He simply turned his head slightly toward her.
"They're going to ask questions," Nami added as she returned to the table. "Stay calm. Let me do the talking. And above all… don't do anything unless I tell you to."
"Alright."
A few minutes later, heavy footsteps stopped right in front of the door. An oppressive silence settled, then three violent knocks struck the wood—far more insistent than the first time.
Nami took a deep breath, put on a mask of forced calm, and opened the door.
Three fish-men stood there, their expressions already hostile. The largest one, who seemed to be leading the group, immediately scanned the interior.
"We're looking for our comrade," he declared without preamble. "He was patrolling near the beach this afternoon. No one has seen him since. You two… you were outside earlier, weren't you?"
Nami kept her voice steady, almost casual.
"We were here. But we didn't see anything unusual."
The fish-man narrowed his eyes and took a step forward, almost forcing his way in.
"Really? Some villagers said they saw someone hanging around the beach at the same time. A stranger."
His gaze settled directly on Yogiri, who was still seated.
"Him."
Nami felt the tension rise, but she didn't back down.
"He's my partner. He's helping me gather the money for Arlong. He's new to the island, that's all."
The fish-men exchanged a cold look. One of them growled:
"We're going to check that ourselves."
They entered without waiting, their massive figures filling the modest space of the house. Their eyes scanned every corner with methodical precision, searching for the slightest suspicious trace.
One of them slowly approached Yogiri, towering over him.
"You. Stand up. We have questions."
Yogiri slowly raised his eyes toward him without moving.
The fish-man lost patience. He suddenly reached out to grab him by the collar, ready to lift him by force.
"I said stand up, you filthy human!"
The instant the thick fingers were about to touch Yogiri, the boy spoke calmly:
"Death."
The fish-man collapsed instantly, like a dead weight, his body hitting the floor with a heavy thud.
The other two stepped back, shocked.
"What the…?! "
They reached for their weapons, rage quickly replacing surprise.
"You're going to die for that!" one of them roared as he lunged forward, fist raised to strike Yogiri in the face.
Yogiri looked at him without emotion.
"Death."
The second fish-man collapsed mid-charge.
The last survivor, terrified, backed toward the door, trembling.
"What the hell are you?! A demon?!"
Yogiri answered in a flat voice:
"I don't like being touched."
The last fish-man tried to flee, but before he could even reach the threshold, he collapsed as well without a sound.
Silence fell brutally inside the house.
Nami remained frozen for several seconds, eyes wide, staring at the three bodies lying on the floor. Her heart was pounding.
Then, slowly, she turned toward Yogiri.
This time, her expression was no longer just fear and anger. There was something new in her gaze: a mix of understanding and astonishment… and the beginning of real confidence.
"You… you killed them. All three. In a few seconds. Without even standing up."
Yogiri looked at her calmly.
"They were going to hit me."
Nami ran a hand through her hair, still in shock, but her voice had lost most of its previous panic. A small, almost admiring smile appeared on her lips.
"…I see."
She took a deep breath, then let out a nervous laugh that now carried a hint of relief.
"You're completely crazy… but you're also incredibly strong."
She approached the bodies, observed them for a moment, then raised her head toward Yogiri with a more assured, almost determined look.
"Arlong is going to be furious when he finds out. Really furious. But… for the first time in a long while, I'm starting to think we might actually have a real chance."
She locked eyes with Yogiri, more confident than she had been since their first meeting.
"From now on, you stay with me. And this time… I won't tell you not to do anything. I'll only tell you when to do it."
Yogiri gave a slight nod.
"Alright."
Nami took one last look at the three bodies, then headed toward the back door of the house with a firmer step.
"We can't stay here anymore. We're leaving tonight. Follow me."
For the first time since she had met him, she walked with her head held high, almost confident.
Yogiri stood up and followed her into the darkness without a word.
Behind them, the village slept on, still unaware that death had just struck three times in silence.
Nami quietly closed the back door behind them. The night was cool and silent, disturbed only by the steady sound of the waves in the distance. She moved quickly but carefully through the dark alleys of the village, with Yogiri following her without a sound, like a silent shadow.
She glanced over her shoulder, checking that they weren't being followed. Despite the new confidence growing inside her, a lingering worry still tightened her stomach. Arlong wasn't just any fish-man. He was a monster. His strength, his cruelty, and his overwhelming charisma had broken the will of an entire village for years. Even if Yogiri could kill with a single word, she knew Arlong wouldn't fall so easily.
"We'll follow the coast eastward," she murmured without slowing down. "There's a small hidden cove about an hour's walk from here. We'll be safe there for the rest of the night. Tomorrow… we'll figure it out."
Yogiri simply nodded.
"Alright."
Nami kept moving, her orange hair swaying lightly in the sea breeze. She held the small bag she had brought tightly against her. For the first time in a long while, she felt less alone, less powerless. Yogiri's presence beside her changed everything. This strange boy who could bring down fish-men with a single word… he was an unimaginable weapon.
Yet she couldn't stop herself from frowning.
"Listen, Yogiri…" she said softly as they walked. "What you did back there was impressive. Really. But Arlong… he's not like the others. He's much stronger. Way stronger. Even if you manage to kill him with your power, he probably won't be alone. He has his whole crew with him, and they're all dangerous."
She turned her head slightly toward him, her violet eyes shining in the darkness.
"I'm confident. For the first time, I really think we can do something against him. But I don't want us to rush in blindly. We have to be smart. We have to set the stage first."
Yogiri walked beside her, hands in his pockets, looking as detached as ever.
"Alright. You decide when."
Nami couldn't help but smile slightly, even though the worry didn't completely disappear.
"Good. Because if we mess this up, Arlong won't give us any chance. He'll destroy everything. The village… and us along with it."
They continued their walk in silence for a while. The moon faintly lit the coastal path. In the distance, they could still hear muffled shouts coming from the village: the fish-men had probably discovered the bodies. Panic was beginning to spread.
Nami quickened her pace a little.
"They're going to go crazy," she murmured. "Arlong will launch a manhunt. But as long as we stay hidden tonight, we should be able to buy ourselves some time."
She stopped for a moment near a rock to catch her breath, then turned fully toward Yogiri. Her expression was a mix of determination and slight apprehension.
"I don't know where you come from or what you really are… but right now, I'm glad you're here. Really glad. Just… don't kill anyone unless I tell you to, okay? Except if we're in immediate danger."
Yogiri looked at her calmly, without the slightest trace of emotion on his face.
"Alright. I'll only kill if you ask me to… or if they try to touch me."
Nami let out a small, nervous laugh.
"That works for me. As long as you don't turn the whole island into a graveyard before we have a plan."
She resumed walking, her head held a little higher despite the worry still gripping her chest. Arlong was a living nightmare, but for the first time, she had someone by her side who might actually change the game.
The hidden cove finally appeared around a bend in the path, small and sheltered by rocks. Nami slipped into it carefully, closely followed by Yogiri.
Once safely inside, she sat down on a flat rock and let out a long sigh.
"We'll stay here until dawn. After that… we'll start thinking seriously about how to deal with Arlong."
She looked at Yogiri, a confident but cautious smile on her lips.
"This time, it won't just be about surviving. This time, we might finally be able to fight back."
Yogiri simply settled down beside her, his gaze turned toward the dark sea.
"Alright."
Nami stared at the horizon for a long moment, the sea breeze brushing across her face. The worry was still there, very much present… but for the first time in years, it was accompanied by real hope.