Meanwhile, back at Angel Beach
Nami was already moving before anyone could question her. The capsules were tucked safely in her pocket, her mind racing with possibilities. She had a plan. A good one. And she wasn't going to let anyone stand in her way.
She spotted Conis lingering nearby and walked over, her voice pleasant. "Conis. Where's the best spot to set up a stall around here? Somewhere with good foot traffic."
Conis blinked, clearly taken aback by the casual tone. "You... you're asking me for help?"
"Yes."
"After everything I did?"
Nami shrugged. "Not really, if anything—because of you guys, I finally got the moment I needed for god knows how long. I could finally be real with him. And he showed just how much he loves me." She paused.
"So why would I be angry at you? If it weren't for you, I would have still acted like a tsundere, pushing myself away from him for god knows how long."
Conis's eyes widened with cautious hope. "So everything is behind us?"
Nami's smile didn't waver. "That doesn't mean you can stop me from scamming them. You're spared. This island isn't." She tilted her head. "Now. Where's the best spot?"
Conis deflated but pointed toward the main path. "There. Near the center. Everyone passes through there."
Nami scanned the area and spotted the location—near the main path, visible to everyone passing through, with enough space to set up a proper stall.
"This spot," she announced. "We're setting up here."
Usopp blinked. "Wait, here? Right now?"
"Yes, right now."
"But we just—"
"Usopp." Nami's voice was flat. "Set up the stall."
Usopp hesitated. "Why me? Why not Vivi? Or Mira? Or Chopper?"
"Because you chose this," Nami said, her voice sharp. "You volunteered to be a bodyguard. Vivi is royalty and Takuya's wife. If he found out you were sitting around like an idiot, while she was working, he wouldn't just skin you alive—he'd take his time.
He'd make sure you felt every second of it. He'd probably start with your fingers, then your toes, then work his way up while explaining in excruciating detail exactly why you shouldn't have been so useless."
She paused, letting the image settle. "As for Mira, I'm not stupid enough to let her handle anything important. Chopper can't do this much stuff." She paused again, her eyes cold. "Plus, you're supposed to be a man. So get this job done."
Usopp's face went pale. "That's not—I didn't mean—"
"If you can't even do something this simple," Nami continued, her eyes narrowing, "maybe you should go to Upper Yard instead. Act like cannon fodder for the god."
Usopp opened his mouth to argue—and then Robin's voice echoed in his head: "The last man who made jokes like that around Nami? He's still missing an ear."
He imagined Nami holding a knife, her smile sharp, asking him which ear he wanted to keep. His blood went cold. His soul left his body.
And then Nami's expression shifted.
Her eyes went wide. Her teeth bared slightly. Her face twisted into something that shouldn't belong to a human being.
"Set. Up. The. Stall."
Usopp scrambled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Yes! Yes! Setting up the stall! Right now! Immediately! No questions!"
He grabbed the nearest piece of wood and started hammering with the frantic energy of a man trying to outrun death.
Conis's father stood frozen, his face pale, his wings pressed flat against his back. He had seen Nami argue with Takuya. He had seen her storm off. But this—this was something else entirely.
He made a mental note: 'Do not argue. Do not question. Do not even breathe wrong around this woman. Just obey. Stay alive.'
Nami turned to him, her face perfectly pleasant again. "You. Help him."
Pagaya nodded so fast his neck cracked. "Yes. Of course. Immediately."
He rushed to Usopp's side, grabbing a hammer with trembling hands.
Vivi watched the scene unfold, her expression caught between amusement and admiration. "You're terrifying when you're motivated."
"I'm motivated," Nami said simply. "I can't lose even a single second. I need to milk these people dry very soon."
Mira bounced. "What do I do? What do I do?"
Nami glanced at her. "You're the mascot. Look cute. Wave at people. Draw them in."
Mira saluted. "On it!"
Chopper looked up at Nami. "What do I do?"
Nami crouched down to his level, her voice sweet. "You act cute and attract as many people as you can. If you bring more people than Mira, I'll tell Takuya to make you lots of sweet stuff. Special. Just for you. We'll not let Luffy get even one bit of it."
Chopper's eyes went wide. His pupils dilated. He imagined mountains of candy, rivers of syrup, clouds of sugar. His legs started moving before his brain caught up.
"I'LL GET EVERYONE!" he shouted, already running toward the nearest group of sky people. "EVERYONE! COME HERE! THERE ARE COOKIES! AND SWEET THINGS! AND—"
"Yup, that's the spirit chopper," Nami said motivating him.
Vivi watched him go, then glanced at Nami. "That was almost too easy."
Nami shrugged, her tone matter-of-fact. "If a tangerine cookie could get me to do things, then Chopper's just like a 5 year old child. And children always want sweet things." She paused. "I know how it works. I've been on the receiving end of it enough times."
Vivi studied her for a moment, a slow smile spreading across her face. "You're way too smart all of a sudden. It's unsettling."
Nami grinned. "I've always been smart. I just didn't always use it enough."
"Well, you're using it now."
"Better late than never, don't you think?" Nami said with a wink.
Vivi just shook her head, but she couldn't hide the small smile tugging at her lips. It had been hard at first—this sudden sharpness, this awareness she hadn't asked for. Everything felt louder, brighter, more detailed.
She caught herself noticing things she would have missed before: the way people shifted their weight before speaking, the flicker of hesitation in their eyes, the subtle tells that gave away their true intentions.
It was unsettling. But now, she was getting the hang of it.
She watched Nami turn back to the stall, already barking orders at Usopp. And in that moment, something clicked.
'The homework. Takuya's homework.'
She had almost forgotten about it. The girls had been so caught up in the chaos, the drama, the revelations—but the homework was still there. Observation Haki. The foundation. The first step.
'I'll get it before them,' she thought. 'I'll master it first. And when I do, I'll use it to upgrade my gift.'
She made a mental note: 'Practice at night. When everyone's asleep. When no one's watching.'
She wasn't going to fall behind. Not again.
'I'll get the hang of it. And I'll get ahead.'
Her smile widened, just slightly. A secret. A plan.
And the first step started now.
Within minutes, the stall was set up. A hand-painted sign read: "Welcome to the Dark Side – We Have Cookies. Skypiea Branch. Lightning-Proof Gear Available."
Usopp stood behind the counter, still trembling slightly. Pagaya stood beside him, his hands still shaking.
Nami surveyed the setup, her eyes gleaming. "Perfect."
She turned to face the path ahead, her smile sharp.
"Now. Let the chaos begin."
Pagaya leaned toward Usopp, his voice barely a whisper. "Has she always been like this?"
Usopp sighed, his shoulders slumping. "She was always like this, but she hid it nicely. Ever since Takuya came to our crew, he changed her completely. Unlocked something."
He glanced at Pagaya. "I'd suggest you give up on your island. If anything, I think you guys were doomed from the beginning. Just let them do what they want, and you'll get away with your head still connected to your body."
Pagaya swallowed hard. "That's... that's not very reassuring."
"It's not supposed to be. Even my neck is on the line here, and I'm planning to keep my neck connected to my body."
"Smart."
"Very smart."
Nami glanced back at them. "I can hear you."
They both went silent.
She smiled. "Good."
Nami surveyed the setup, her eyes gleaming. "Perfect."
She turned to face the group, her voice crisp and commanding. "Alright. Here's how this is going to work."
Nami turned to Vivi. "Will you handle the finances?"
Vivi stepped forward without hesitation. "Yeah sure, I'll handle it."
Nami raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Nami studied her for a moment, then nodded. "Good. The money's yours to manage then."
Vivi's eyebrow rose, her voice carrying a dry edge. "You're trusting me with your money? That's a first."
Nami scoffed. "If I won't trust you, who else would I? It's not like Takuya's here—and even if he were, he'd just create chaos instead of counting coins. Plus—" She paused, her voice softening slightly.
"I trust you. And more importantly, we're both going back to him. Even if you try to keep the money, I'll just start crying and throwing tantrums in front of him. Tell him you took my toy. Like sisters do."
Vivi's lips twitched. "That's questionable, but fair."
Nami smirked. "Don't make me regret it."
Vivi matched her smirk. "Why would I do something with my own money?."
Nami didn't retort with anything, she simply snorted as if saying, 'Yeah yeah whatever you think.'
Nami turned to Usopp. "You're the trial guy. You show the product to everyone. Demonstrate how it works. Make them believe they need it."
Usopp blinked. "How am I supposed to do that?"
Nami's tone left no room for argument. "I don't know. It's your job. If God gave you a brain, use it."
Usopp opened his mouth, then closed it. He muttered under his breath, "That's... fair. Unfortunately."
Nami turned to Conis. "You're handling the packing. When someone buys something, you wrap it up and hand it to them. Make it look professional."
Conis nodded quickly. "I can do that."
Nami turned to Pagaya. "You handle everything else. If something needs fixing, you fix it. If someone has questions, you direct them to Usopp. If something goes wrong, you fix it before I notice."
Pagaya swallowed hard. "Everything else?"
"Everything else."
He nodded, his face pale. "I'll handle it. Whatever it takes. Whatever else you need."
Nami smiled. "Good. Don't make me regret trusting you."
Pagaya's face went even paler. "I won't."
"Excellent."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the small capsules—compact, smooth, no bigger than her thumb.
She turned it over in her hand, her brow furrowed. "Alright. Let's see what Takuya's actually given me."
She placed the capsule on the ground and pressed the small button on its side.
There was a low hiss, followed by a loud 'POP' that echoed across the clearing. A puff of white smoke burst outward, and Nami flinched back, her ears ringing.
Behind her, Usopp yelped. Chopper dove behind Mira's legs.
Then the smoke cleared.
A fully assembled warehouse stood before them.
It was about the size of a small room—wooden walls, a sturdy roof, shelves lining the interior, and a counter at the front. The structure looked solid. Practical. Like it had been there for years.
Nami stared at it. Her eyes went wide.
Her ears were still ringing from the pop. She shook her head, embarrassed for a split second.
"That's..." She walked around it, running her hand along the wood. "That's insane. It just—appeared. Out of nothing."
She stepped inside. The interior was neat. Organized. Boxes were stacked along the walls, labeled in neat handwriting. Supplies were sorted by category. Even the counter had a small drawer for coins.
'He thought of everything,' she realized. 'Every single detail.'
She ran her fingers along the shelves, her mind already spinning.
'Imagine what I could store in something like this. Money. All of it. No more hiding bags under floorboards. No more worrying about someone finding my stash. I could carry everything with me. Safely. Securely.'
She shook her head, forcing herself to focus.
'Later. Scam first. Then figure out how to get Takuya to hand me more of these.'
She stepped back outside.
Vivi stepped forward, her eyes wide. "That came out of a capsule?"
"A capsule small enough to fit in my pocket," Nami said.
"From your pocket."
"Yes."
Vivi stared at her. "You've been carrying around an entire warehouse in your pocket?"
Nami reached into her other pocket and pulled out three more capsules, holding them up. "Not just one. Four, actually."
Vivi blinked. "Takuya gave them to you."
"Of course he did."
Usopp was already inside, running his hands along the shelves, his eyes sparkling like a kid in a toy store. "This is—this is—" He laughed, giddy. "It's so cool! Look at this! It just—poof!—and it's here!"
"Focus, Usopp."
"Right. Right. Sorry." He kept touching the shelves.
Mira stood outside, her head tilted. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen."
Chopper was already exploring the back, his voice echoing. "There's so much space! We could fit so many cookies in here!" He paused. "Oh wait. I could store so many medicines in here. All of them. Organized. Everywhere."
Pagaya stared at the structure, his face pale. "That came out of a capsule?"
"Yes."
"From your pocket?"
"Yes."
"From a capsule small enough to fit in your pocket."
"Yes. Are you going to keep repeating the same thing?"
Pagaya shut his mouth.
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