"Hey look! I see an island up ahead!" Luffy shouted from the ship's figurehead, pointing wildly with both hands as the sea breeze whipped through his hair.
Nami, squinting at the horizon from beside the helm, snapped to attention. "Turn the rudder! Forty-five degrees to starboard!"
"Huh?" Luffy looked back, confused. "Nami, I thought we were going to Arlong Park. Why are we going around it?"
Nami's jaw clenched. "Arlong Park is completely surrounded by fishman pirates. If we try to go in directly, we'll be swarmed. It's better to regroup with the villagers first—make a plan and strike when we're ready."
She tried to sound confident, but the tremble in her voice was hard to miss.
That's when I stepped up behind her and placed a calm hand on her shoulder.
"You don't have to worry. Ever since I joined the fight directly, I've faced groups of pirates again and again. Numbers don't matter when they're weak," I said firmly. "The only real threat among them are Arlong's officers. The rest… are just thugs."
Her eyes flickered up at me, uncertain. I continued, voice steady, "But they can't beat us. Not Zoro. Not Luffy. Not me. So relax. This is a battle we can win."
Nami stared at me for a moment longer, and slowly—just barely—her shoulders loosened. Her clenched fists uncurled. Her heartbeat, which I could feel through the tension in her body, began to settle.
"…Okay," she whispered.
"So, are we going straight there?" Luffy grinned from the rigging above. "Let's go!"
"Not yet," I said, shaking my head. "We visit Nami's village first. She deserves to know if the people she's been protecting are ready to stand by her. This fight—it's not just a rescue mission. It's a war between two pirate crews. They should know the cost."
"Awww," Luffy groaned dramatically, slumping over the mast like a defeated child.
A few minutes later, we dropped anchor on the far side of the island. The shoreline was quiet, too quiet. We disembarked and walked along the forested path toward Cocoyashi Village.
That's when we heard it—footsteps. Several figures emerged from the trees, weapons drawn. Their clothes were torn, faces bruised, and arms covered in bandages. One man stood at the front, wearing a pinwheel-topped cap.
"Stop! Don't step on our land, pirates!" he barked.
"Genzo!" Nami gasped.
She broke into a sprint, eyes wide in horror as she reached the battered man.
"What happened? What's going on?!" she cried.
Before Genzo could answer, he pulled her into a tight embrace, arms shaking.
"I—I'm sorry, Nami…" he choked. "We… we couldn't protect it…"
"Genzo…" Nami froze, confused. Then another voice came from the side.
"Nami!"
It was Nojiko. Just like Genzo, she looked like she'd been through a battle. Her arms wrapped around Nami as tears ran down her cheeks.
"We couldn't stop them… they took it… all of it…"
"Wait, what are you talking about? What did they take?" Nami shouted.
A new voice answered—an older man in a white coat, walking forward with slow steps.
"The Marines," he said. "They came yesterday. Took every last berry. The treasure you saved… the one you risked everything for… it's gone."
"No…" Nami's knees buckled. She stared at the ground, eyes wide with disbelief. "No, no… I had it… I had enough… we were so close…"
She fell to her knees. Genzo and Nojiko tried to comfort her, but she wasn't listening. The world around her had gone silent.
That treasure had been her only lifeline. Her only chance to buy freedom—for herself, her sister, her people. The years of stealing, sneaking, lying… it was all gone in an instant.
I was reactionless, but Zoro must have felt that I was boiling with anger.
"Calm down," Zoro muttered beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder.
"I am calm," I replied.
I turned toward Luffy. My voice was steady, but hard. "Don't hold back. Destroy the Arlong Pirates."
I started walking. Straight to Nami.
Everyone watched as I stepped past Genzo and Nojiko and reached for Nami's hand. She looked up at me in a daze, confused, her face streaked with tears.
I gently pulled her to her feet and guided her forward—toward Luffy.
"Hey! Wait! Who are you?" Genzo shouted after me. "Where are you taking her?"
I didn't stop walking.
"We'll get the treasure back," I said calmly. "But from here on out, it's up to her crew."
I brought Nami to stand before Luffy. She looked so small in that moment, so lost.
"Luffy…" she whispered.
He looked at her quietly.
She hesitated. Her lip quivered. And then—
"Please help me!" she cried out, finally allowing herself to say the words. "Please… save my village… I have nothing left…"
Luffy stared at her for a heartbeat.
Then, without a word, he lifted his hat from his head and gently placed it on hers.
It wasn't just a gesture.
It was a vow.
"Of course I will," he said with a smile.
~~~
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