Chapter 31: Nami Sold Herself!

A sharp splash!

The sound of liquid hitting the ground echoed through the tense air.

A warm current brushed against Nami's cheek.

The crushing pressure on her neck suddenly vanished.

"Gah—!"

She gasped, air flooding her lungs as she collapsed onto the ground.

"Cough! Cough!"

Violent coughs wracked her body as she struggled to steady her breath.

"What… happened?"

With great effort, she lifted her head, her mind clouded with confusion.

And then she saw him.

A man in strange clothing stood before her, gripping something in his hand.

A severed blue arm.

"Tsk. What garbage," he muttered in irritation before tossing the arm onto the ground in front of her.

Nami's pupils shrank.

It was Arlong's arm.

"AAAAAHHHHHHH! M-My hand!!!"

A bloodcurdling scream erupted from Arlong as he clutched the gaping wound where his right hand had once been. Blood spurted wildly, painting the ground beneath him in red.

His arm had been cut off.

"Boss Arlong!"

The fishmen, caught between horror and fury, rushed to their leader's side. Their glares bore into Nanashi with pure hatred, their bodies tensed with rage.

Arlong's own gaze burned with murderous intent. If looks could kill, Nanashi would have been reduced to dust.

"Damn human! Who the hell are you?!" he bellowed.

Despite his agony, Arlong did not recklessly charge forward. The sheer unknown of the situation restrained him—he had no idea where this man had come from, much less when he had struck.

Nanashi, however, paid him no mind.

Without a glance in Arlong's direction, he simply turned to Nami and extended a hand.

"Are you alright?"

Still shaken, Nami hesitated before allowing him to pull her up.

Her voice trembled as she asked, "You… Who are you?"

"Nanashi. Administrator of the chat group," he replied casually.

Nami's breath hitched.

"What?!" She stared at him in disbelief.

"But you said—you said you couldn't come to my world!"

Nanashi merely shrugged, spreading his hands.

"Well, you triggered a Doomsday Companion event. That's my ticket in."

Nami blinked in shock before frantically checking the chat group notifications.

Sure enough, the Doomsday Companion event had been activated.

Her heart pounded.

If Nanashi was as strong as he claimed, then—

Tears welled in her eyes.

She grasped his hand tightly.

"Please…! Mr. Administrator, help me!"

"Kill all the fishmen! Save Cocoyasi Village!" she pleaded desperately. "I'll give you everything I have—no, I'll give myself to you if that's what it takes!"

Nanashi raised an eyebrow, clearly amused.

A smirk played at his lips.

"You said it yourself."

Nami froze.

Nanashi's gaze deepened as he continued, "Actually, my mission is just to eliminate Arlong. But since you're offering yourself, I'll accept it wholeheartedly."

He tilted his head slightly. "From now on, you belong to me."

Nami's stomach dropped.

"Wait—!"

Something felt off.

Quickly, she scanned the mission details again.

Her face paled.

The only requirement for the mission was to kill Arlong?!

Her brain screeched to a halt.

"DID I JUST SELL MYSELF FOR NO REASON?!"

She was stunned.

Internally screaming.

But Nanashi had already moved on.

A beautiful woman willingly offering herself? He had no complaints.

He turned his attention back to Arlong, his previous amusement vanishing in an instant.

His cold, dismissive stare made Arlong's skin crawl.

The fishman clenched his teeth, rage and humiliation battling within him.

"Damn human!" Arlong roared, voice shaking with fury. "Kill him! Kill this bastard!"

"Kill! KILL HIM!"

"If you touch Boss Arlong, you die!"

The fishmen howled, brandishing their weapons as they charged at Nanashi in a frenzy.

Nami's blood ran cold.

"This is bad…!"

Years of oppression and fear paralyzed her instincts.

She wanted to run.

"Tsk. What a bunch of trash."

Nanashi barely moved.

He simply clenched his right hand.

Instantly, an invisible force swept through the air—unseen winds and crushing pressure closing in on the fishmen from all directions.

Their bodies trembled under the immense, unseen weight.

Then—

"A-AAAH—!"

BANG!

One of the fishmen's bodies gave out, unable to withstand the force. He exploded.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

One after another, they burst apart—like grotesque fireworks.

"Hiss—!"

Nami gasped, her entire body trembling at the horrifying sight.

A massacre.

The entire crew—slaughtered in mere seconds.

Arlong's eyes burned red with fury.

But his body?

His instincts screamed at him. Run.

Clutching the stump of his severed arm, Arlong bolted—not forward, but backward, retreating in sheer terror.

He was scared.

No—he was terrified.

He needed to escape.

If he could just make it back to Arlong Park—

"He's trying to run!"

Nami's voice rang out in alarm. If Arlong reached the sea, they'd lose their chance!

"Don't worry. He's not going anywhere."

Nanashi's words were calm, assured.

And the moment they left his lips—

He vanished.

Lightning-fast.

Panic seized Arlong as he sprinted, his voice twisting into a desperate, hate-filled snarl.

"Damn human! The moment you leave—I'll slaughter everyone in Cocoyasi Village!"

His voice echoed with venomous intent.

And then—

"You won't get the chance."

A voice, cold as death, sounded just behind him.

"What—?!"

Arlong's eyes widened in horror.

He turned—

Just in time to see a fist—

Rushing toward his face.

BANG!

A sickening crack.

His skull—shattered.

The explosion of red and white splattered the air like a crushed watermelon.

Yet—

Not a single drop touched Nanashi.

The blood, the bone, the brain matter—it all bounced away from his body as if repelled by an unseen force.

He glanced at his pristine right hand.

Nodded in satisfaction.

Then, without sparing another glance at the lifeless body, he turned and walked toward Nami.

THUD.

Arlong's headless corpse collapsed to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.

"Well, that's that."

He gestured lazily at the remains.

"Arlong's dead."

Silence.

"D-Dead…?"

Nami's voice was barely above a whisper, her wide eyes locked onto the fallen fishman.

The monster.

The demon who killed Bell-mère.

The tyrant who had tormented Cocoyasi Village.

The ruler of the Arlong Pirates.

Gone.

Just like that.

The weight of reality settled over her like a dream—too surreal to believe.

Before she could fully process it—

Nanashi swept her into his arms.

Because after all—

She sold herself to me, right? That means I can hold her whenever I want. Sounds reasonable to me.