'It's done.' said Luffy, nodding.
In front of him, the Fish-men had been tied up with ropes, and some, like Arlong and his two executives, had been shackled in chains.
'Now, which Marine base should I take these Fish-men to?'
'Nami, how about the nearby Marine Branch?' Luffy asked.
'The Marines around here are from Branch 16, led by a man named Nezumi. But he's a bit problematic because he collaborated with Arlong to cover up all his crimes.' Nami replied.
'No wonder he dared to build a base out in the open like this. Of course, there had to be someone covering for him. Looks like I'll have to take these Fish-men to someone trustworthy.' said Luffy.
'So, Nami, do you have anything you want to take from that building?' Luffy asked.
'Eh? Why?'
'I'm going to destroy it!'
'Wait, Luffy-san! There are lots of things I want to take from there.' said Nami, who then ran and quickly entered the Arlong Park building.
'She must be going to take Arlong's treasure.' Luffy thought, shaking his head and following her into Arlong Park.
But unlike Nami, who went to the treasure room, Luffy went to one of the rooms on the top floor.
After a while, Luffy arrived in that room. It was a room filled with papers. But these weren't just ordinary papers—they were maps that Nami had drawn over the years.
As Luffy looked around the navigation room, Nami had finished collecting all the valuables from Arlong Park.
But when she came out, she didn't see Luffy anywhere. Thinking he had also entered the building, Nami put down the valuables and went back inside.
After a while, she finally found Luffy in one of the rooms on the top floor.
'Ah, so you saw it, huh?' said Nami.
'All these maps… did you draw them, Nami?' Luffy asked.
Nami nodded and said with a hint of sadness:
'This is the reason I was with the Arlong Pirates. He saw my talent and forced me to draw maps based on their voyages.'
'Luffy-san, you're planning to go to the Grand Line, right? Take these maps. They might help you on your journey.'
'You're giving all of these to me?' Luffy asked.
'Yes. Now that Arlong is defeated, these maps are useless. Rather than letting them go to waste, it's better if you take them, Luffy-san.' Nami answered.
'In that case, I'll take them.' said Luffy.
Luffy then pulled out a gas lighter from his pocket—one he usually used to light the small stove on his boat. He lit it and tossed it onto the stack of papers.
'Luffy-san?'
'I don't need records of his journey. It's better if they're burned.' said Luffy.
'Besides, these maps weren't created from your own will. And I can see it—you must've suffered a lot while drawing them.' said Luffy as he held up a blood-stained quill.
Luffy broke the quill and threw it into the stack of burning papers. Then he looked at Nami, who had her head bowed.
Though she tried to hide it, Luffy could still see the tears streaming down her face. He walked up to her and gently placed his Straw Hat on her head once again.
Luffy hugged Nami and let her cry in his arms. Then, he kicked the window and jumped down.
The fire quickly spread through the navigation room, devouring the stacks of paper. It soon reached other parts of the building, including the lower floors. Before long, Arlong Park was engulfed in flames, just waiting to collapse.
Still carrying Nami in his arms, Luffy brought out the valuables and escorted the Fish-men outside one by one.
When everything was done, he looked for a place to sit a little farther away from the Fish-men and stared at the burning remains of Arlong Park.
Nami, now somewhat calmer, felt embarrassed for crying in Luffy's arms. She wanted to pull away because she didn't want to be seen as a weak woman who would lean on just any man.
But at the same time, she didn't want to let go—being in Luffy's arms made her feel incredibly safe. And she was intoxicated by that feeling. Nami wasn't sure about other men, but the thought of anyone else made her feel disgusted.
After a while, Nami decided not to pull away from Luffy's embrace. Still, she wanted to say something to him.
'Luffy.'
'Yeah?' he replied.
'Do you want to hear a story?'
'Of course.'
Still resting in Luffy's arms, Nami began to tell him her story—starting from the death of her foster mother, how she was forced to join the Arlong Pirates, and the deal she made with Arlong to buy back her village.
Luffy listened in silence. When Nami finished, he gently patted her head, which was still covered by his straw hat.
'You've fought so hard all this time, Nami. Not many women could endure what you've gone through. I truly admire you.'
'Now that it's all over, you must be tired. Get some rest—because when you wake up, a new day will be waiting for you.' said Luffy.
'Yeah.' Nami answered softly, and after a moment, she peacefully fell asleep in Luffy's arms.
Some time later, people began arriving at the scene. They were from the nearby village of Cocoyashi Village, where Nami lived.
It was impossible to hide the smoke rising from Arlong Park. The villagers had already heard explosions earlier but didn't dare to come close. However, upon seeing the massive smoke, they finally decided to investigate.
When they arrived, they were stunned to find the Fish-men beaten and tied up.
'Am I dreaming?'
'Arlong and his men have been defeated?'
'Who could have done this?'
But among all the shocked villagers, two people were focused on something else.
'Gen-san, I don't see Nami anywhere.' said a short-haired blue-haired woman—Nojiko, Nami's foster sister.
'She hasn't come back. If she were here, she'd be overjoyed... the source of her suffering has finally been destroyed.' said a middle-aged man with several stitch marks on his face—Genzo.
'Yes, her suffering is finally over.' Nojiko replied.
As the crowd grew more restless, a voice suddenly called out.
'I know you're all happy, but can you quiet down a bit? She just fell asleep.'
Luffy emerged from the forest, carrying Nami in a princess carry.
His voice wasn't loud, but it made the entire crowd fall completely silent. He had released a small amount of his Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) to draw their attention.
'Nami!' Nojiko cried out when she saw Nami in Luffy's arms.
'And you are?' Genzo asked cautiously, holding Nojiko back to stop her from doing anything reckless.
He had noticed Nami being held by this stranger, and since he didn't know who Luffy was, he didn't want to provoke him and risk Nami's safety.
'I'm Monkey D. Luffy.'
'Right now, I'm just a bounty hunter. Oh, also—do any of you know where Nami's house is?'
'Sleeping in this position for too long will hurt her body. So I want to lay her down in a proper bed.' said Luffy.
Hearing Luffy's request, the villagers instinctively turned their eyes toward Nojiko.
'Sir Luffy, she's her sister. You can follow her to take Nami.'
'But before that… Sir Luffy, were you the one who defeated all of them?' Genzo asked, pointing at the tied-up Fish-men.
'Yeah. I plan to turn them in for the bounty later. Also, could I ask you to watch over them for now?'
'Don't worry. None of them will be waking up anytime soon. And… I'll pay you for your trouble.' said Luffy.
Genzo looked at the villagers, and they looked back at him. As the village sheriff, in situations like this, he was the one who always made the final decision.
For years, he had done everything he could to keep the village safe and avoid conflict with the Arlong Pirates—just to ensure no villagers lost their lives.
'It's not a problem, Sir Luffy. We'll watch over them. And there's no need for you to pay us.'
'In fact, it's we who should be paying you. But since we're a bit short on money, allow us instead to provide for your needs while you stay here.'
'And Sir Luffy, thank you so much for defeating the Arlong Pirates and freeing our village.' Genzo said, bowing slightly, followed by all the villagers.
'Thank you, Sir Luffy!' they shouted.
'Didn't I already say… don't be so loud.' Luffy replied.
'Alright then, I'll count on you. Nami's sister, let's go.'
'Ah, yes.' answered Nojiko.
She then led Luffy to their house. It didn't take long. Nami and Nojiko's home was a modest one, nestled in the middle of a tangerine orchard.
After laying Nami in her bed, Luffy returned to the living room, where Nojiko had already prepared a cup of tea for him.
'Sir Luffy, once again… thank you for defeating Arlong and his crew.' said Nojiko.
'It's nothing. After all, I'm a bounty hunter.' Luffy replied.
'And just call me Luffy.'
'Then, Luffy-san… may I ask what kind of relationship you have with Nami?' Nojiko asked.
'Relationship, huh… Right now, she's my client.' Luffy answered.
'I see. So Nami found you out there and asked for your help?'
'No. I came to Arlong Park on my own. And that's where she asked me for help.'
'Eh? What do you mean?' Nojiko asked.
Luffy then explained what had happened at Arlong Park.
'So that's how it was…' Nojiko murmured.
She understood why Nami offered all the money she had saved. If she hadn't made that offer, there was a chance the man in front of her might have accepted Arlong's offer instead—after all, he was after money.
'But after hearing Nami's story, I decided to refuse his offer. Besides… the bounty on Arlong and his crew is more than enough for me.' said Luffy.
'Eh?'
'Are you serious?!' Nojiko exclaimed in shock.
'That was 70 million Berries!' she added.
'She saved that money with so much effort to buy this village from Arlong. I may need money, but I'm not heartless. Besides, the villagers promised to pay me back with food, didn't they?' Luffy said with a smile.
'You…'
'Anyway, I'll go talk to that sheriff now. I'm getting kind of hungry.' said Luffy as he stood up and left the house.
As he walked through the tangerine orchard, he grabbed one of the fruits and peeled it.
'It's been a while since I've had one of these.' Luffy murmured as he continued toward the village.
In the center of the village, all the residents had gathered to prepare a feast. The party was to celebrate their freedom from the Arlong Pirates.
'Sir Luffy, you're here.' said Genzo.
Luffy nodded. 'Will it be ready soon?' he asked.
'Not too long. But if you want to eat first, I can ask someone to prepare a meal inside.' Genzo offered.
'That would be great. I'm a bit hungry.' Luffy replied.
'Alright, please follow me, Sir Luffy.' said Genzo.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Nighttime
Nami, who had been sleeping in her room, slowly opened her eyes. She looked around and murmured,
'This is my room.'
She got out of bed and stepped outside. The house was dark, and from afar, she could faintly hear the sounds of celebration coming from the center of the village.
Nami turned on a lamp and saw some bread and a note on the table. She picked up the note and read it.
(If you're awake, come to the center of the village. The villagers are holding a party there.) — Nojiko
Nami washed her face and ate the bread left on the table. Then she stepped outside, intending only to watch the party from a distance.
'You're awake?' a voice suddenly called out.
Nami was startled for a moment but quickly calmed down after recognizing the voice—it was none other than—
'Yeah. Luffy, do you want to go to the party with me?'
'Of course. Let's go.' Luffy replied.
The two then walked side by side toward the village center.
'Luffy, about the money I promised you... I'll give it to you tomorrow morning.' said Nami.
'Ah, about that—you don't have to.' Luffy replied.
'Eh?'
'Why not?' Nami asked.
'Well, I changed my mind. Besides, the villagers have already paid me—with food.' Luffy said.
'You refused 70 million Berries just for food?' Nami asked again.
'Yep.'
'You're seriously weird.' said Nami.
'Hey, Luffy… when you take Arlong and his crew away, can I come with you?' Nami suddenly asked.
'Hmm? Why?'
'You already know, right? I gathered all that money to buy this village from Arlong. But the villagers don't know that—they think I joined the Arlong Pirates of my own will.'
'That's why… they hate me. So I don't really have a place here anymore. But at the very least, I want to see it all one last time.' said Nami, a bit sadly.
'Nami, maybe it's time you explain things to them.' Luffy said.
'I've been with the Arlong Pirates for almost six years. Do you think they'd even listen to me now?' Nami replied.
'I'm sure they will. Come on, let's walk a little faster.' said Luffy, then grabbed Nami's hand to pull her along.
'Wait, Luffy—I'm not ready yet!' Nami protested.
But Luffy didn't stop, and after a short while, the two reached the edge of the village. They kept walking until they reached the village center.
There, they saw the villagers in the middle of a celebration. Some were toasting, others dancing, and some playing instruments.
'Hey everyone, Nami's here!' shouted one of the villagers who spotted them.
The once lively party immediately fell silent. The sudden quiet made Nami nervous. Luffy, noticing this, gave her a gentle pat on the back.
Nami looked toward Luffy, and he looked back at her. He gave her a small nod, encouraging her to speak.
Nami was a little annoyed at Luffy, but in the end, she decided to address the villagers. She took a deep breath to calm herself and said,
'Hello… everyone.'
'I… I…' Nami tried to explain why she had joined the Arlong Pirates, but her nerves overwhelmed her again.
Seeing that Nami couldn't continue, Genzo stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder.
'There's no need to go on, Nami. We've known the reason you joined those Fish-men for a long time.'
'None of us have ever hated you, Nami. All we've ever felt… is gratitude. For bearing our lives on your shoulders and giving us hope.'
'Now, that hope has been fulfilled. Thank you for fighting so hard, Nami.' said Genzo.
'Thank you, Nami!'
'Nami, you're our savior!'
'Nami, we are truly grateful to you!'
After Genzo spoke, the villagers began shouting words of thanks to Nami. This brought tears to her eyes once more.
Then Nojiko gently pulled Nami to join the celebration. Meanwhile, Luffy walked over to where Arlong and his crew were being held. There, a few villagers were standing guard.
As soon as they saw Luffy approaching, they stood and saluted him.
'Sir Luffy!'
'Sir Luffy!'
Luffy nodded at them and asked,
'So, no problems so far, right?'
'Just as you said earlier, Sir Luffy, none of them have shown any signs of waking up.' one of them replied.
'Good. But if anything happens, send a signal immediately—then run.' Luffy instructed.
'Understood, Sir Luffy.'
'Sir Luffy, aren't you joining the celebration?' one of them asked.
'I already did. For now, I just want to take a walk and get some fresh air.'
'Oh, by the way—do you know where the Marine Branch 16 base is located?' Luffy asked.
'Branch 16?'
'If I'm not mistaken, it's to the northeast from this village.' one of them answered.
'Are you planning to bring Arlong and his crew there, Sir Luffy?'
'No. I'm going to take them all to Loguetown. As for Branch 16, I'm just a bit curious, that's all.' Luffy replied.
'Well then, I'll be on my way again.' he added.
Luffy then walked toward the beach and pulled out a compass to check the northeast direction. Once he was sure of the direction, he jumped into the air and began kicking the air, starting to run across the sky.
Right now, he was using Sanji's technique called Sky Walk, but Luffy had modified it to suit himself. With each kick in the air, Luffy's legs compressed intensely, like springs.
This allowed every airborne kick to launch him roughly 100 meters or more into the air. Originally, this technique could only be used while he was in his Gear Fourth mode.
But after the awakening of his Devil Fruit, Luffy could control his rubber body much more easily. Things that previously could only be done while in Gear 2 through Gear 4 could now be performed effortlessly without needing to enter those forms.
After about 30 minutes, Luffy finally arrived at an island where the Marine Branch 16 base was located. The building was shaped like a semicircle, with a giant rat's head on top.
Luffy then activated his Kenbunshoku Haki (Observation Haki) to locate the Marine Captain who resembled a rat.
Luffy remembered him—this was the captain who took the money Nami had worked so hard to gather. He was also the one responsible for Luffy receiving his first bounty.
Honestly, considering that all of this happened around 500 years ago, it would be natural for Luffy to have forgotten. But ever since the two versions of himself merged in that white room,
his memories had become stronger. He began to recall many long-forgotten moments—like the one involving this rat-like Marine Captain.
Using his Observation Haki, Luffy found the captain. He was currently in his office, counting money. His office was at the very top floor—located in the 'rat's head.'
'That makes it easier for me to kidnap him.'
Luffy landed silently on the rat-shaped roof, then unleashed a burst of Haoshoku Haki (Conqueror's Haki) to knock the captain unconscious. He entered the room through the window and carried the captain off into the mountains on the island.
Once they reached the forest, Luffy threw the captain to the ground and kicked him.
The captain immediately woke up from his unconsciousness and screamed in pain.
'Argh!'
The rat-faced captain looked around at the changed surroundings and then saw a young man in front of him.
'Did you kidnap me?'
'How dare you do that to a Navy Captain!' he said.
But Luffy's answer was a kick to his stomach.
'Ugh!' he screamed again.
'Hah..hah..hah.'
'Wait, wait, I am Captain Nezumi of the 16th Navy Branch. You can't treat me like this.' he said after a moment.
Luffy ignored Nezumi's words and kept punching his face, which eventually caused some of his teeth to fall out from the blows.
Nezumi, who was being hit again by Luffy, started feeling a crisis. He finally realized that the young man in front of him did not care about his identity as a Navy Captain.
'Sir, I beg you, please forgive me. I will give you anything.' he pleaded.
Once again, Luffy ignored his words and kicked Nezumi hard in the stomach, throwing him back and smashing several trees.
After feeling satisfied from beating Nezumi, Luffy returned to Conomi Island the same way as before. But would Luffy release Nezumi? The answer was definitely no.
Before his grandfather returned to the Navy Headquarters, Luffy had asked for a way to contact him. His grandfather gave Luffy his personal Den Den Mushi number.
After arriving at Conomi Island, Luffy went to his sailboat and took the Den Den Mushi stored in a small cabin. He then dialed his grandfather's Den Den Mushi number, and after a while, the call was connected.
'Hello, who is this?'
'Grandpa, it's me.'
'Oh Luffy, what is it?'
'Have you missed your grandson?'
'No, not yet. Grandpa, I want to tell you something serious.'
'Oh, what is it?'
'This is about...' Luffy said while explaining the cooperation between the Arlong Pirates and the 16th Branch Navy Captain Nezumi.
'There's something like that in East Blue? So what about both of them now?' Garp asked.
'I have defeated the Arlong Pirates and intend to exchange them for a reward. As for that Navy Captain, I just beat him up.' Luffy replied.
'You didn't destroy the 16th Navy Branch, did you, Luffy?'
'No, I didn't do that.'
'Good, because if you did, I would be the one to capture you myself.' Garp said.
'Then Luffy, about the Arlong Pirates. Do you want to wait for me to exchange the reward?'
'No, I will exchange it in Loguetown. I heard there is a strong and trustworthy Navy Captain there.'
'Loguetown? Oh, that's where Smoker's kid works. You can hand them over to him, Luffy. He's someone you can trust.'
'I understand. Well then, see you, Grandpa.' Luffy said and ended the Den Den Mushi call.
After that, Luffy walked back to Cocoyoshi Village, where the party was still going on. Seeing Luffy's arrival, Nami, who was drinking with Nojiko, immediately approached him and asked,
'Luffy, where have you been?'
'I was just taking a walk. Why, Nami?'
'I want to invite you to toast.' Nami said, handing over a cup of drink.
'You know I'm only going to be 15 years old.' Luffy said.
'I'm not saying toast with alcohol, this is juice.' Nami replied, playfully sticking out her tongue at Luffy.
'Hahaha, if it's juice, let's toast.' Luffy said while laughing.