Strutting through the run-down village with an "I own this place" swagger, Ignis surveyed the scene.
The village was deserted, dead quiet.
Just when Ignis was wondering where to start, he spotted a kid hiding behind the charred remains of a house, peeping at him.
The kid didn't run when he saw Ignis spot him. He charged right over, clutching a knife!
"Who are you? Why are you in Cocoyashi Village?" The kid tried to look all threatening.
"This humble monk has come from the Mountain of Suffering, bound for the Western Paradise to seek the heavenly scriptures of gods. Could this young benefactor perhaps point the way?"
"Whatever! I don't understand what you're saying! You're not a fish-man, you're not my target!"
The kid, Chabo, decided to ignore Ignis's weirdness. He had a mission!
"Hahaha! Just kidding ya! What are you gonna do with that knife? Little kids shouldn't play with dangerous stuff!"
"I'm gonna kill Arlong!" Chabo turned to leave, but Ignis stopped him again.
"Whoa there! You trying to get yourself killed?"
"I'll definitely kill him!"
"With that knife? You gonna kill Arlong with a freaking fruit knife?"
"I can't..." Chabo went silent, hanging his head. All his feelings boiled up inside him and burst out as tears!
"Waaaaah! I don't know what else to do! The village's destroyed! They didn't just kill my dad, they killed a bunch of people! I gotta avenge them!"
Another kid whose life had been wrecked by Arlong.
"Go back to your mom, kid. If you wanna get revenge, grow up first! Someday, Arlong's gonna get his butt kicked!"
Chabo wiped his tears and ran off.
"You shouldn't lie to him. He'll actually believe you."
Ignis turned towards the voice. A blue-haired girl, oozing youthful energy.
A blue-haired girl in this place? He knew who this was: Nojiko.
"Hey, I always keep my promises."
Nojiko shook her head. The difference in physical strength between humans and fish-men was too big! There was no way the villagers could beat the fish-men.
"You must've wandered onto this island by mistake. You don't know how strong Arlong is."
"The fish-men patrols are coming any minute! Come to my place and lay low! Get outta here tomorrow morning!"
Nojiko said her piece and turned to leave. Ignis tagged along.
Looks like he wouldn't be fighting Arlong just yet. He had his own timetable.
He couldn't fight Arlong with Zoro still hurt. He didn't want to make his injuries worse.
He'd stick with Nami's sister for now, then swoop in like a freaking superhero and take down Arlong, that scumbag!
They walked in silence, leaving the ruined town behind. A ways down the road, the crisp scent of oranges wafted through the air. A huge orange grove stretched out before them!
Nojiko saw Ignis gazing at the grove with interest.
"You a big fan of oranges?"
"The vitamin C in oranges helps sailors fight off scurvy. Oranges are a freaking lifesaver at sea!"
He should probably stock up on fruit for the ship. He hadn't even thought about it 'til now!
The Captain in League had a skill where he ate an orange to heal and break crowd control! That must've been based on real sailors!
Come to think of it, if he'd fused with the Captain's template, he might be a little weak in this world.
"Hahaha! I don't know what you're talking about with that 'vitamin C' stuff, but oranges are the best!"
Oranges were Nojiko's favorite food. She got all smiley when someone praised 'em!
"I grew all these oranges myself! If you wanna try one, just pick a few!"
"Much obliged!" Ignis picked a few oranges and started chowing down.
The sweet and tangy juice exploded in his mouth! Thanks to the awesome climate in the One Piece world, the fruit was extra delicious!
No wonder Devil Fruits were a thing in this world!
"Oh yeah, I'm Ignis! I'm the vice-captain of the Straw Hat Pirates! I'm here looking for my crewmate, Nami."
Nami? Nojiko was shocked! This guy was connected to her sister? And he was a pirate?!
Thanks to Arlong, she had a bone-deep hatred of pirates!
"Nami's with the Arlong Pirates! She probably joined your crew just to rip you off!"
"Oh, really?" He knew the whole story, but he had to play dumb! Otherwise, he'd look way too suspicious!
"Tell me about Nami."
Nojiko's heart skipped a beat. Could this guy see Nami's pain?
...
Nami was heading home. She needed to check on her sister, Nojiko.
She also needed to see if her orange grove was still doing alright.
And she had to check on her precious Berries!
The thought of buying back her village tomorrow made her giddy!
Her feet practically danced on the path!
She passed the orange grove. The trees were looking healthy, which cheered her up even more! The gloom Arlong cast over her life seemed a little lighter.
She skipped up to the house, but heard voices inside! A man and a woman!
She knew the woman's voice! It was her sister, Nojiko! The man's voice sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
"When Nami was little, she was still bed-wetting at five years old!"
"Really?"
"Yeah! One time, she soaked the whole freaking bed! She got up all embarrassed and swapped her wet sheets with mine! But she got busted right away! I was way older than her! There's no way I was bed-wetting! Hahahaha!"
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Both voices were laughing and having a blast!
Nami couldn't take it anymore! She threw open the door and charged in, fuming!
"That's enough!!!"
She saw him the second she burst through the door! That familiar guy was sitting there, chatting and laughing with Nojiko!
"Yo! It's the five-year-old bed-wetter navigator!"