"Cocoyasi Village… what a twist of fate."
Jin froze the moment he heard the village's name. It felt as if destiny itself was pulling the strings. He had never planned to visit Cocoyasi Village—not yet. He didn't want to alter too much of this world's flow. The more he interfered with One Piece's story, the more uncontrollable it would become. That was the nature of his system, his golden cheat—something he didn't want to break.
But as he looked closer at the woman with fiery red hair and a cigarette between her lips, and the man wearing a police-style cap standing behind her, realization struck. A red-haired woman… a cop-looking guy… don't tell me—
That's Bell-mère. And that means… the guy's Genzo.
And if they were here… then this could only mean one thing—Nami.
Jin sighed under his breath, amused and helpless all at once.
"Damn, I was planning to visit her later, not now. Guess fate doesn't care about schedules. Since I'm already here, might as well roll with it. Little Nami, your big brother's come to see you."
He chuckled at the thought. In this world, Nami was one of fate's chosen—sharp, gifted, and destined to shine. A future beauty, and a natural-born navigator. To Jin, that made her a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Someone like her had to be brought under his wing.
(Shameless bastard.)
By the time Jin's grin faded, the Everlasting had already docked at the small island port. Makino, Kuina, and Tina stepped off the ship in turn. Seeing Jin surrounded by cautious villagers aiming weapons at him, all three women stifled laughter behind their hands.
"Serves you right," Tina teased, leaning against the rail. "That cold mouth of yours finally got what it deserves."
Kuina smirked, arms crossed, clearly entertained. She always enjoyed watching Jin squirm.
Makino, as always, took charge of smoothing things over. She walked past Jin, smiling warmly at the wary villagers.
"We mean no harm," she said gently. "We've just been at sea for weeks and ran out of supplies. We only wish to trade for food and restock our essentials. You can see our ship—no cannons, no weapons except for one small deck gun."
Bell-mère took a long drag from her cigarette, eyes flicking toward the Everlasting. Her tone was cool, suspicious.
"You sure came at a convenient time. Arlong's crew just left this area, and you show up right after. That's a little too coincidental, don't you think?"
Her sharp gaze betrayed experience—she was no fool. A former Marine, no doubt about it.
Kuina, never one for long explanations, stepped forward and tossed a metal badge toward them.
Genzo caught it, examining it closely before nodding to Bell-mère. "It's a bounty hunter insignia."
Bell-mère raised a brow, then finally let her shoulders relax. "Well, I'll be damned. You should've said that sooner."
She holstered her pistol, stretching lazily. "Alright, everyone, it's fine! Go home, go home. Nothing to worry about."
The tense villagers sighed with relief and began to disperse.
Bell-mère turned back toward Jin's group with a friendly grin. "Welcome to Cocoyasi Village. We grow the best oranges in the East Blue—don't leave without trying some."
Makino's soft smile never wavered. "Thank you. We may stay for a few days if it's alright. I hope we're not imposing."
"Not at all," Bell-mère replied cheerfully. "Cocoyasi's a beautiful little place. You'll like it here."
Jin, meanwhile, was already scanning the surroundings. "Is there a blacksmith's workshop around here?"
Genzo scratched his chin. "There was one years ago, but the smith left the island. The old workshop's still up the hill, though. Empty, but sturdy."
And so, the group settled into village life for a while. Bell-mère warmly welcomed the three women into her home—Makino, Kuina, and Tina—but Jin was promptly kicked out.
Genzo offered him a room at his place, but Jin declined with a dry laugh. "No offense, but I'm not into that kind of arrangement."
He ended up taking residence in the abandoned smithy on a small rise overlooking the village.
A few days later…
"Miss Makino! Look! I finished redrawing the sea chart—see? Isn't it perfect?"
A young girl with bright orange hair came running from the house, holding a hand-drawn map almost bigger than herself. She was maybe seven or eight, dressed in a grass-green sundress, face glowing with pride.
Makino sat quietly beneath the shade of a large orange tree, peeling fruit into neat slices. She looked up just in time to catch the energetic child before she tripped, smiling gently.
"Careful, Nami. Don't run so fast, or you'll fall and scrape those pretty knees again."
"I'm not a kid anymore!" Nami protested, puffing her cheeks as she stuffed an orange slice into her mouth. "I'm already grown up!"
Makino chuckled softly, brushing the little girl's hair aside. In just two days, she'd grown close to both Bell-mère and her two adopted daughters.
That little girl—so bright, so stubborn, so clever—was none other than the future Nami, the world's greatest navigator.
The first time Jin had seen her, his eyes had nearly sparkled. He didn't usually like kids, but there was something about Nami—her spunk, her spark—that hit him right in the chest.
He'd tried talking to her once or twice… but little Nami had completely ignored him, glaring as if he were some creepy uncle. It bruised his pride a little.
Guess kids can sense danger, he had grumbled to himself that night.
Still, he didn't have time to dwell on it. The heartblood of the Sea King he'd slain wouldn't stay potent for long, and he had work to do.
So while Makino spent her days helping Bell-mère around the house and Nami pestered her with maps, Jin shut himself away in the old forge—preparing to craft his next weapon, a blade worthy of a man walking between gods and monsters.
And for a brief moment, under the peaceful orange skies of Cocoyasi Village, even a mercenary king could almost believe in the warmth of ordinary life.
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T/N :
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