That night, the villagers of Cocoyasi gathered of their own accord, bringing out what little food they had left to hold a grand welcome feast for their benefactors.
Seeing their gaunt faces, Arima couldn't bear it. He took Kushina out to sea and caught several Sea Kings, then used the power of his Float-Float Fruit to easily send them ashore.
The villagers had never seen such enormous sea creatures before.
Having lived frugally for so long, they finally let themselves eat to their hearts' content. That evening, Cocoyasi Village was as lively as a festival.
For the first time in ages, Nami saw everyone's faces filled with genuine happiness, and she realized how wonderful true freedom could feel.
In the past, she had done everything she could to scrape together money to buy back the village from Arlong, even risking her life stealing from pirates.
Many times, she had nearly died for it. Back then, her greatest wish was to gather one hundred million Berries.
At that time, she lived for her sister Nojiko, for the orange grove left behind by their adoptive mother Bell-mere, and for the kind villagers of Cocoyasi.
Now that the villain had fallen, she finally saw things clearly. Nami wanted to sail the seas with Arima, she wanted to begin a new life of her own.
Nami walked up to Arima, bowed deeply, and earnestly pleaded, "Captain, please take me with you!"
Arima set down his cup and looked at the brave girl before him with satisfaction.
"Nami, I've always admired your talent," he said.
"But what I value most is your courage and the silent sacrifices you've made for your village. I formally extend my invitation, Nami, will you sail with us?"
At his words, Nami straightened up in excitement, nodding rapidly. "I will! I will!"
Kushina came forward and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Nami, I'll be counting on you from now on!"
Yuna came up beside them, smiling sweetly. "Nami, please take care of me too!"
Nami hugged Kushina tightly, gratitude written all over her face.
Then she knelt down and kissed Yuna lightly on the forehead. "Thank you, Yuna," she whispered.
Arima raised his cup high. "Then let's drink, to welcome Nami aboard!"
"Welcome to the family!"
The rest of the crew lifted their glasses as well, greeting Nami warmly.
At that moment, a young woman with blue hair walked over. She stood beside Nami and gave a deep, respectful bow to everyone.
"I'm Nami's sister, Nojiko. Please take care of her from now on. This girl won't let you down."
"Sister? So you're her sister! Nami, don't tell me you've been using your sister's name whenever you go out?"
Kushina, startled by the introduction, blurted out the question before she could stop herself.
Hearing that, Nojiko immediately gave Nami a playful karate chop on the head, then patted her shoulder.
"No wonder the last time I went to town and gave my name, people came looking for me afterward! So this was your doing, huh?"
"Hehe, Nojiko, it's not like you go out much anyway! I only borrowed your name when I really needed to!"
Nojiko waved her hand dismissively, laughing. "You're lucky, brat. You're about to set sail, so I'll let it slide this time!"
Seeing Nojiko's forced cheerfulness, Nami couldn't help but hug her tightly and whisper, "Thank you, sis."
Nojiko chuckled. "So you're finally willing to call me that?"
Nami didn't reply, she just leaned against her sister's shoulder, savoring the last few moments they had together.
Nojiko understood her well. She quickly adjusted her own mood and began chatting warmly with Arima and the others.
Watching her sister so confidently engaging with everyone, Nami smiled with pride, as if her expression said, See? That's my sister Nojiko.
The celebration lasted late into the night before the villagers finally dispersed.
Arima and his crew remained in Cocoyasi until Vice Admiral Garp's arrival.
It wasn't until noon on the ninth day that Garp finally showed up, late as ever, accompanied by Admiral Aokiji.
The moment Robin saw Aokiji, her pupils widened instinctively, her expression tense.
Arima immediately noticed. "Robin," he asked, "are you afraid of Aokiji?"
Hearing that familiar calm voice amidst her panic, Robin suddenly felt her heart steady. A warmth spread through her chest.
She looked across at Aokiji standing on the warship's deck and recalled.
"When Ohara was destroyed, he killed my only friend, Saul, right in front of me. He could've killed me too… but in the end, he spared me."
"I see," Arima said evenly. "Don't worry, Robin. On this ship, no one can lay a finger on you. Not even the Five Elders."
His tone was calm, but to Robin, every word struck with the weight of iron. That promise was heavy enough to crush her fears.
At last, she let go of the burden she had carried for years. For the first time in so long, she chose to trust someone completely.
After more than a decade, Robin laughed like that again.
Hearing it, Arima grinned. "Robin, why does your laugh sound so goofy?"
Robin smiled back. "I think so too."
Arima paused, then nodded thoughtfully. "Really? Funny, Saul laughed the same way. Robin, from now on, whenever you're sad, laugh out loud, alright?"
Robin froze for a moment, astonished. She gazed at him seriously, realizing he had spoken the very same words Saul once had.
She murmured, "So this… this is what it means to be protected."
With just a few simple words, this man had somehow unraveled the knot that had bound her heart for years. A strange, gentle feeling began to bloom quietly inside her.
Arima, of course, was unaware of this. His gaze was already fixed on the man across from him, Vice Admiral Garp.
"Vice Admiral Garp, why are you so late? You said three days. Then another three, and another three, you've nearly taken ten!"
Chewing noisily on a rice cracker, Garp replied with exaggerated seriousness, "Arima, I was busy catching bad apples in the Marines! The old man had to run all over the place!"
"I almost thought you were planning to summon the Navy to wipe us all out."
"Don't joke, kid! I'm not stupid. I used to be able to sense your presence, now, well… forget it. You're a monster, and these old fists can't deal with monsters anymore."
"You're too modest, Vice Admiral. Since you've handled things with the Navy, I won't interfere. I'll leave the captured Arlong Pirates to you."
"That's best. On behalf of all the villagers you saved, thank you for your help."
"No need to thank us. We of Konoha have our own code of conduct. …The village is yours to safeguard now, we'll be on our way."
"Where to next, Arima boy?"
"Loguetown first."
"Alright then, I'll give Smoker a call, tell him not to pick a fight with you. He's a stubborn one, so try not to take it personally."
"Smoker, huh? As long as he doesn't cross the line."
Arima nodded, taking note of the name Garp had mentioned.
After parting ways with Garp, the Konoha Senju set sail straight for Loguetown.
Meanwhile, Dragon was a guest at Koushirou's house in Shimotsuki Village, accompanied by several high-ranking members of the Revolutionary Army.
"Dragon, Arima will be reaching Loguetown soon, hee-ha!"
Ivankov leaned close, theatrically reporting the latest news of Arima's movements.
"Good," Dragon said simply. "Then we'll go there and wait for him."