The sea breeze swept through Cocoyasi Village as a pirate ship unfamiliar to the locals docked at the harbor, bearing a flag with a skull wearing a straw hat fluttering in the wind.
Before long, a group of people stepped onto the pier.
"I told you all—stop shouting and causing a scene!" Nami, with short orange hair, pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I've said it a hundred times—this village is under the control of a crew of Fish-Man pirates. Do you really want to provoke them?"
"No problem,Nami-san!" replied a man with blond hair covering half his face. He flashed her a smile as his twirly eyebrow twitched. Then he turned around and yelled at the others behind him, his face fierce: "Did you all hear what Miss Nami said? Quiet down! No noise!"
That man was Sanji.
Not long ago, Luffy and Zoro had suffered serious injuries from the battle against Davy Jones's crew and "Hawk Eyes" Mihawk. They were rescued by a passing floating sea restaurant.
Sanji was one of the chefs there. After spending some time with the crew, he decided to join the Straw Hats.
Though he often claimed it was because he wanted to protect the beautiful Nami, everyone knew—thanks to the restaurant's head chef Zeff—that his true motivation was to find the All Blue, the legendary sea.
But in this moment, no one was listening to Sanji.
"Where's the food?" yelled Luffy, full of energy as he threw his hands into the air. "I want meat! Meat!"
Zoro, his green hair spiked, looked around. "Any shops here sell swords? Two of mine were broken by Mihawk…"
"Hey, you guys! Be careful!" Usopp cowered behind Zoro, nervously scanning the surroundings. "Didn't Nami say there are Fish-Men in her hometown? They're Fish-Men! Brutal and terrifying!"
Having fought side-by-side with Luffy and survived death once, Zoro already trusted him deeply. He had officially joined the crew during his recovery, needing to continue his journey to the Grand Line.
After the battle with Davy Jones, Usopp had given up trying to be the captain himself and had also joined the crew.
The Straw Hat Pirates were finally beginning to take shape.
Sanji shouted even louder to drown out the others, "Quiet down, all of you! Didn't you hear what Nami-san said?!"
Nami frowned as she looked at the noisy group. She was starting to regret bringing them to Cocoyasi Village. With this much racket, they'd probably already drawn Arlong's crew's attention…
Though, in fairness, it wasn't entirely her choice to bring them. Luffy had insisted she become the Straw Hats' navigator and shamelessly chased after her. She was basically forced to lead them to her hometown.
She had even tried to sneak off with the Going Merry and return to Cocoyasi Village alone, but Sanji's "lady radar" caught her in the act. In the end, she had to bluff her way out of it.
Sigh… Whatever. They're already here. I'll just get them settled somewhere first. The rest can wait.
In truth, after seeing glimpses of their strength, Nami had considered asking them for help—to fight Arlong's crew.
But in the end, she chose the safer path.
After all, she was very close to collecting the 100 million Berries Arlong demanded.
Once I hand over the 100 million Berries, Arlong will leave our village alone… Then I can finally pursue my dream in peace.
He'll keep his promise, right?
At that moment, a group of people emerged from within Cocoyasi Village.
Nami jumped in surprise and quickly turned around. "You guys, hide! Now!"
"Why?" Zoro crossed his arms, the thick bandages around his chest still visible.
"I told you back on the ship, didn't I?" Nami said urgently, growing flustered. "This place is controlled by Fish-Men! Monsters—of the same species as Davy Jones! You won't be able to defeat them!"
"Oh yeah?" Zoro casually rested his hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji. "Now I'm even more curious to meet them."
Sanji lit a cigarette, his expression turning serious. "Honestly, I want to see the bastards who hurt Nami-san."
"I want meat!" Luffy shouted again, completely off-topic. No one paid him any attention.
Usopp trembled. "I think we should just listen to Nami…"
But Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji stood squarely in the middle of the path. No matter how much Nami or Usopp pleaded, they refused to move.
Nami had no choice but to compose herself, force a smile, and turn around—ready to deal with Arlong's crew.
Instead, what she saw stunned her.
"Nami, so it was you." The familiar voice belonged to Genzo, his face covered in stitches. Behind him stood Nojiko and several villagers. "Someone said they saw a pirate ship at the coast and freaked out. So we came rushing over. Didn't expect it to be you. And… who are all these people behind you?"
Genzo, Nojiko, and the villagers were all holding makeshift weapons—hoes, pitchforks, kitchen knives, frying pans, sticks. But once they saw it was Nami, they lowered them.
Nojiko smiled warmly and walked up to give Nami a hug, then gave a cautious glance at the strangers before pulling Nami over to stand with the villagers.
"Nami, what's going on?" Nojiko asked. "They're pirates, aren't they? I thought you hated pirates more than anything. Why are you with them?"
Nami had once told Nojiko why she had joined Arlong's crew. Nojiko had shared the truth with the villagers, so everyone knew the truth—how Nami had endured everything to protect them. They also knew how much she hated pirates.
So, seeing her among pirates now… was puzzling.
"Let's not talk here. It's not safe," Nami whispered, eyes darting nervously. "Arlong's men could show up any moment. It'll be big trouble if they do."
But then, to Nami's surprise, Nojiko smiled and grabbed her arm gently. "It's all right, Nami. You can say it here. It's really okay."
"Huh?" Nami stared in disbelief, wondering if Nojiko had lost her mind. But then she noticed the faces of Genzo and the other villagers—they were smiling too, unable to hide their joy.
"You… you guys…" Nami was bewildered, unable to grasp what was going on.
"I'll explain," Genzo said, stepping forward as the windmill on his hat spun gently. "Nami… Arlong's been taken down. The 'Arlong Empire' is gone."
At first, Nami was stunned. Her mind went blank.
Genzo began explaining everything—how they'd encountered three strange figures in Cocoyasi Village, how they went to Arlong Park together with the villagers, and how they confirmed that Arlong's entire crew had been defeated.
They were so overjoyed, they spread the news and held a massive celebration.
People from over twenty towns and villages once ruled by the Arlong Pirates came to join the festivities. It had been a grand event.
"Too bad we didn't know where you were," Genzo added. "Otherwise, we would've told you right away. But hey, at least we're telling you now. Still in time, right?"
Nami stood there, frozen. Even after hearing the whole story, it felt unreal.
The descriptions of the "strange figures" were so detailed, Nami and the others quickly realized they must have been Davy Jones and his crew.
Davy Jones… took down Arlong?
A storm of questions swirled in her mind.
Nami couldn't make sense of it. Her feelings toward Davy Jones's crew had suddenly become very complicated. She didn't know whether to fear them… or thank them.
Still deep in thought, Nami was suddenly pulled into another embrace—this time by Nojiko.
"Nami… You've suffered so much, all these years. But it's over now. It's really over. Bell-mère's death has been avenged."
Bell-mère was their adoptive mother, who had died protecting them at the hands of Arlong's men.
To protect the villagers, Nami had been forced to join Arlong's crew, drawing sea charts for them.
Only Nami herself knew how much pain that brought her.
And now, Genzo and Nojiko were standing there telling her that Arlong's crew had been destroyed?
That the nightmare… was over?
A sense of unreality gripped her—she didn't know what to do or how to feel.
In a moment like this, the ending she had dreamed of for so long, she thought she should cry.
But she couldn't shed a single tear.
All she could do was hold Nojiko tightly, bury her face in her sister's shoulder, and feel that warmth…
Just like back when Bell-mère used to hold them in her arms.
The Straw Hats, at last, fell silent—quietly watching the scene unfold.
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