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That afternoon.
Arlong Park—now officially renamed 'King's Park'—was quiet. Outside, Nami and Carina peeked cautiously around a corner.
"Maya..." Nami called out in a hushed voice. The three girls were close in age and had quickly become good friends over the past couple of days.
"Nami? Carina? What is it?"
Maya's Observation Haki was powerful. Jin had instructed her to keep it active within a small radius at all times—a constant exercise to help her master it.
"Um..." Nami began, "I was hoping I could see the king."
"Is something wrong?" Maya asked, curious.
Nami nodded, offering a hopeful smile. "Please? I brought some of the tangerine cakes Nojiko made."
"Wait here," Maya said.
She went inside. Jin was studying a map of the East Blue, his focus on the location of Elegia.
He'd been interested in Uta's awakened Sing-Sing Fruit for a long time and wanted to have a little "chat" with its demon. He hadn't sought it out before out of caution, but after his latest evolution, he was confident he could handle it.
Maya entered, her voice soft. "Your Majesty, Nami and Carina are outside. They'd like to see you."
"Hm? Let them in."
Maya went back out and returned with Nami and Carina.
"Your Majesty," they said, bowing.
Jin turned to them. "Is there something you need?"
"Nojiko made you some tangerine cakes," Nami said, placing a small box on the table.
Jin smiled. He could tell Nojiko had taken a liking to him. "Please thank her for me."
"And, um..." Nami added with another ingratiating smile, "there's one other small thing. A very, very small thing."
"Go on," Jin said. He had already read her mind, but some things needed to be said aloud. That was the point of communication.
"Because of my talent for cartography," Nami began, "I... joined Arlong's crew. I had a mapping room here. All of my sea charts are in there. I was just wondering if they're still there. And if they are... could I take them home?"
She looked at him with a hopeful, almost pleading expression.
"That mapping room was yours?" Jin asked. "I thought it belonged to some master navigator. I've seen those charts. They're incredibly detailed and precise. For a sailor, a good chart is everything. You have a real gift."
He paused, then continued, "I haven't touched anything in there. You want to take them? Of course."
"Really?" Nami's face lit up. "That's wonderful! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"However," Jin added, "you don't have to. You could continue to use the room, come and go as you please."
Nami shook her head. "I don't want to draw anymore. I want to take them so I can burn them. To finally leave the past behind."
That room held too many of her tears, too much of her pain. Even with Arlong gone, the memories were still raw.
Jin's smile was gentle. "You can do that, too. Do what you need to do. Life is full of choices."
"Then... can I learn to fly a plane?" Nami asked, her voice suddenly bold.
"You can."
"Me too!" Carina chimed in.
The roar of the jets that day had captivated them. At fifteen, they were curious about everything.
"Alright," Jin said. "Go find Reiju later. She's already learned how. If you ask her nicely, I'm sure she'll teach you."
"Really?" they both squealed with delight.
Maya, watching from the side, thought, 'The king seems to really like them. Then again... he probably likes all cute girls.'
Seeing their excitement, it occurred to Jin that Nami and Carina, having been around, might know their way around the East Blue.
"Actually, there is something I wanted to ask you two."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever heard of the famous Island of Music Elegia? I've looked through a lot of charts, but I can't seem to find it."
"Elegia?" Carina said. "Isn't that the kingdom that was destroyed by one of the Four Emperors, Shanks, a few years ago?"
"Yes," Nami added. "I've heard of it, too. I think the World Government erased it from the maps after it was destroyed. There's also a rumor that a demon has taken over the island and devours anyone who gets too close."
"Do you know where it is?" Jin asked.
Nami shook her head.
"I know the general area," Carina said.
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"DAMMIT! TRICKED AGAIN!"
The sun beat down on a strange-looking pirate ship as it sailed toward Orange Town.
Buggy was standing on a crate, practically vibrating with rage.
"A fake treasure map! We wasted a whole month on that deserted island!"
The clown, his arms crossed, was a riot of color. A white skull was painted on his forehead, his eyes were crossed, and two blue lines were drawn down his face. A massive red nose dominated his features, and a small, skull-emblazoned clown hat was perched on his head.
Buggy had been an apprentice on Roger's crew. After the crew disbanded and he had witnessed Roger's execution alongside Shanks, he had decided to form his own crew.
His goal was to find the treasure of Captain John.
A short while ago, he had gotten his hands on a treasure map and had rushed off to find it, only to spend a month digging and come up empty-handed.
He'd been forced to return when his supplies ran out.
"But Captain Buggy," Cabaji said, balancing on his unicycle, "don't you think it's strange? We haven't seen a single other pirate ship on our way back."
"Who knows?" Buggy grumbled, still smarting from his failed treasure hunt. He couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters.
Little did he know, that treasure hunt had saved his life.
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After the demonic carrier's upgrade, Jin stayed in Cocoyasi Village for another half a month.
Part of the delay was due to the flight experiments and the construction of a flight training base.
The other part was tying up the loose ends of the treasure rumor. He couldn't risk attracting unwanted attention and bringing harm to the Conomi Islands.
He had Genzo and Nami ostentatiously deliver the heads of several pirate captains—including well-known figures like Krieg and the Bear King—to Smoker, parading them through Loguetown for all to see.
Mr. 3, who was already in Loguetown, was then tasked with spreading the word that there had never been any treasure. It had all been a ruse, a brilliant scheme concocted by Smoker to lure in Arlong's crew and their collaborator, Captain Nezumi.
And, in the process, he had managed to ensnare and wipe out nearly every pirate crew in the East Blue.
The evidence of Nezumi's corruption had been delivered to Smoker, who had promptly made it public.
The news, the evidence, and the sudden disappearance of a dozen pirate crews all combined to create a "truth" that was quickly and widely disseminated by Galdino.
The entire East Blue was in an uproar.
The civilians cheered.
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