East Blue, Cocoyasi Village.
The village's only clinic was packed with people, and the entire ward was filled with an air of despair.
Dr. Nako, the only professional medical practitioner in this remote village, was well-educated compared to the ignorant villagers. His advanced age and wisdom also made him highly respected. Though he held no official position, his words carried great weight among the villagers.
At the moment, Dr. Nako was speaking with a man wrapped in bandages like a mummy, lying on a hospital bed. "Those Fish-Men destroyed all the boats in the village. We're completely cut off from the outside world now. We can't even escape if we wanted to."
The man, who was wrapped in bandages, was Genzo, the village's sheriff. Hearing the doctor's words, he struggled to speak. "This village... no, this entire island... is unlikely to escape the rule of the Arlong Pirates. Even if we had boats and could call for help from the Marines, the East Blue's Marines are no match for pirates from the Grand Line. Only the Marine Headquarters could handle them, and they're too preoccupied in the Grand Line to come here. The chances of them intervening are almost zero."
"Then what are we supposed to do?" Dr. Nako rubbed his forehead in frustration. "Ten thousand Beli per adult, five thousand per child. If they keep extorting us like this every month, how are the villagers supposed to survive?"
"We must resist," Dr. Nako said fiercely, despite his old age. "At this point, we have no choice but to rely on ourselves. If we're doomed either way, we might as well fight back!"
Sheriff Genzo hesitated, expressing his opposition. "But we still don't know where they're based. And Nami is still in their hands. Even if we resist, we need to rescue Nami first. She's only ten years old. Bellemere has already been killed—I don't want anything to happen to her too."
Genzo lowered his voice and added, "Besides... we're not entirely without hope. If we can't count on the Marines, there are always the pirates."
Dr. Nako looked at Genzo in confusion. "Pirates?"
"Do you remember what the sailors from that merchant ship told us a few months ago when they docked here?" Genzo asked.
"You mean... the legendary Morgan Pirates?" Dr. Nako asked.
Genzo nodded. "Exactly. We're near the Navia Kingdom, which is said to be their territory. If we can get a message to the Morgan Pirates, with their reputation among the people, they surely wouldn't ignore our plight."
"But you said even the East Blue's Marines are no match for the Arlong Pirates. How could the East Blue's pirates stand a chance?" Dr. Nako asked skeptically.
Genzo fell silent. In truth, he wasn't entirely convinced that the Morgan Pirates could defeat the Arlong Pirates, but he still said, "If they're as formidable as the legends say, they should have no problem dealing with the Arlong Pirates. Either way, we have to try—be it the Marines or pirates, as long as we can be saved! And most importantly, we need to rescue Nami."
Several days later, thanks to the relentless efforts of Dr. Nako and the villagers, they finally discovered the Arlong Pirates' base. They even noticed signs that the pirates were planning to settle on the island long-term.
This discovery filled the villagers with anxiety. They gathered in the open space at the village entrance to discuss their options: whether to fight to the death, passively wait for the Marines, or hope for a potential rescue by the Morgan Pirates.
As they debated, a villager suddenly noticed a small, staggering figure approaching the village entrance. Squinting for a better look, he exclaimed, "It's Nami! Nami's back!"
Hearing this, the adults hurried over, surrounding Nami with concern. They bombarded her with questions, asking if the ten-year-old girl, who had just lost her foster mother and endured such a traumatic ordeal, had been mistreated by the Arlong Pirates.
Nami stood silently in the middle of the crowd. After a long pause, she finally looked up and forced a faint smile. "I've decided to join the Arlong Pirates as their navigator and help them draw maps."
The crowd fell silent. None of them had expected Nami to say such a thing, especially since her foster mother, who had raised her for years, had just been killed by the Arlong Pirates for failing to pay their ransom.
Sheriff Genzo knelt before Nami, his face tense with worry. "Why would you say that, Nami? Did they threaten you?"
He shook Nami's small shoulders repeatedly, his face filled with disbelief. The surrounding villagers sighed. Genzo's unspoken feelings for Bellemere were no secret in the village, and he had always treated Nami like his own daughter. Hearing Nami say she wanted to aid the enemy was naturally hard for him to accept.
Watching this scene, the villagers couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sympathy for Genzo and Nami's tragic circumstances.
Nami's lips trembled as she prepared to deliver the words she had rehearsed in her mind.
Just as the atmosphere grew increasingly emotional, one of the villagers, unable to hold back his tears, looked up to prevent them from falling. This action made him the first to notice something unusual in the sky—a red object floating toward Cocoyasi Village.
"What's that?" The villager gaped at the sight. Having recently been terrorized by the Arlong Pirates and witnessed the strange Fish-Men, he had become easily startled. Realizing what he was seeing, he began shouting to alert the others, pointing to the sky.
Everyone except Genzo and Nami's sister, Nojiko, looked up. If any residents of Kalmar City in the Navia Kingdom had been present, they would have immediately recognized the object floating in the sky.
It was a hot air balloon.
Such flying devices had become commonplace in Kalmar City, and many areas within the Navia Kingdom were now familiar with them. However, in a remote and impoverished village like Cocoyasi, where residents had little exposure to the outside world, the sight was both unfamiliar and unsettling.
The person in the balloon's basket seemed to notice the crowd below and began maneuvering the balloon to descend slowly.
The basket landed gently on the ground. Even those who had been immersed in the emotional scene earlier, such as Nami, Nojiko, and Genzo, were now staring in stunned silence as a flamboyantly dressed man clumsily climbed out of the basket.
Once out of the hot air balloon, the man adjusted his slightly wrinkled jacket, cleared his throat, and politely addressed the villagers. "Greetings. My name is Zango. I am a traveling troubadour wandering the world. May I ask, what is this place?"
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