Night fell, and stars dotted the sky.
On the sea tonight, the heat bled off quickly; the air was cool.
On deck, Arthur's feet were covered with a blanket. A bottle of red wine sat at his right hand. He held a glass, slowly savoring it while admiring the beauty of the night.
A sky without clouds, full of stars, with the occasional meteor—scenes hard to see in his previous life.
In this life, he could not only see them, but live a different kind of life.
Only in such quiet moments did Arthur feel how wonderful it was to have crossed into the world of One Piece.
If he hadn't, perhaps his life would have been the same dull pattern.
"Hm? The girl....."
All at once, Arthur's brows knit, and his face showed a hint of helplessness.
Creak——
A soft sound of a door opening; the cabin door slid aside.
A graceful figure came silently to Arthur's side.
He looked up. By moonlight, he was briefly stunned; an emerald glint flashed in his eyes.
Nami stood before him, wearing only a snow-white bath towel. The bare shoulders and collarbones were cleanly defined; a deep valley revealed a glimpse of pale skin, white tinged with rose.
Looking down, two long, slender legs gave a silky impression. In colored stockings, they would surely draw every eye.
"Nami, ....." Arthur set the stemmed glass aside and asked, puzzled.
Whoosh——
In the next instant, Nami did something shocking.
She pulled off the towel, bared a body that would set blood racing, and threw herself onto Arthur.
"Arthur, I have only one way. Please..... save my village, okay?" The usual sly cuteness was gone; so was the greed. At last she revealed the fragility hidden for eight years, a side that stirred boundless pity.
"Because of the Arlong Pirates?"
Arthur took the blanket from his legs and wrapped it around her, one arm circling that slender waist. Looking into those tear-brimmed eyes, he asked softly.
"..... you knew?" Nami, about to confess, froze for a moment.
"This mark—the symbol of the Arlong Pirates. You were one of them." Arthur lifted the blanket from her left shoulder and tapped the tattoo.
"Mm." Nami nodded. As if recalling something terrible, she nestled into his chest and began, in a soft voice, to tell her story.
Holding her, he patted her smooth back to steady the trembling. He listened to the tale of the dark childhood he already knew, yet entertained no other thoughts.
Knowing is one thing; hearing it from her is another.
He knew Nami's fate from the original story, but as he listened to her own account—the fear, hatred, dread, secrecy, self-deception, a lonely strength borne alone—Arthur found himself burning with anger before he knew it.
"Arthur, help me....." Nami lifted her face, tears streaming, pleading.
"Yeah..... leave it to me."
Like Luffy, faced with Nami's plea, Arthur nodded without hesitation. His expression had gone ice-cold.
"Mm-mm....." Hearing him, Nami finally couldn't hold back. She buried herself in his arms and sobbed, the sound tearing from her chest, venting eight years of grievance and pain borne alone.
That night, the two of them tore away the veil between them and became true partners.
The next morning, Arthur felt an itch at his nose and woke from sleep.
Opening his eyes, he first saw Nami holding a feather. Dressed only in a simple nightgown, she smiled and teased, "If you don't get up, the sun will come out. Get tanned and you won't look handsome."
"Thanks for the trouble." Arthur rubbed his eyes, stood, and headed into the cabin.
When he finished washing up, a blaze of gold was rising over the sea.
On deck, Nami had set out a table with a steaming breakfast on it.
After last night's honesty, there were no more reservations. Like old friends, they sat facing each other in different sleepwear and enjoyed the fragrant meal.
Neither mentioned the events of last night.
"I've already told the Marine officer in Loguetown that the Arlong Pirates are colluding with Captain Nezumi. When I take Arlong down, I'll contact him. If they haven't thoroughly investigated that Captain Nezumi, I'll deal with him myself." After breakfast, Arthur spoke to Nami, face serious.
"Mm. Thank you." Nami smiled, her gaze on Arthur full of warmth.
Being looked at that way by a beautiful girl would make any man feel light-headed.
Arthur knew that after last night, their relationship had changed in substance.
But it wasn't love—only a hazy liking. At least before Nami's heart-demon was torn out, with all kinds of factors at play, confessing would only make the relationship imperfect, even if she said yes.
What he could do was defeat Arlong, then invite Nami aboard and let their feelings take their natural course.
The next goals were much simpler: destroy the Arlong Pirates, then enter the Grand Line.
By Arthur's original plan, he would first take down the big East Blue pirates—Buggy, Kuro, Krieg, Arlong—then head for the Grand Line to roam and challenge the seas.
But luck surged, letting him meet Nami ahead of Luffy and form a bond with her.
To keep his promise to Nami, Arthur wouldn't detour to Usopp's hometown. Kuro's bounty had been canceled because of his faked death; those dispensable victory points could be left on the table.