Nami was a very determined woman, even when she was a kid. If she found something to her liking, she would do her best to learn more about it and explore it as much as she could. When she was still little, she discovered navigation and map-making after taking an interest in the world. After that, she soon discovered that she had a talent in those two after trying them and found it was something she loved.
However, she still remembers to this day how hard their life was when she was still a kid. Their adoptive mother, Bell-mere, was the only one feeding them with just a small income, enough for only one or two people. It was still fresh to this day, but the realization of how hard their life was before still lingers in her memories. Mother tried to hide it, but she was actually not eating sometimes just so she and Nojiko could eat for the day.
She was ignorant of that as a kid, of course, so she often threw a tantrum when she didn't get what she wanted. And as determined as she was, when Mother didn't get her the books she wanted, she decided to steal them to learn more about navigation. It's still funny to this day how she repeatedly lessened the guilt by thinking that she would bring them back to the owner once she was done.
Though most of the time, Genzo would catch her red-handed and berate her like a father figure. Speaking of a father figure, Nami treated Genzo as one, as he was one of the people who always looked after her and Nojiko.
That's why when she arrived at the village, a few emotions immediately hit her when she saw Arlong's lifeless body with blood scattered around him and Genzo... he also looked half-dead. Thankfully, Nako was there to tend to his serious injuries.
"Arlong is dead?"
That question just came out of her mouth as she gazed into the distance at the tyrant's lifeless body. The thing that killed her mother, the one that made her suffer most of her life, the one that took her childhood, the one that made all of them in this village miserable, the one that ruled them with fear, is dead? For a moment, she didn't want to believe it, not because she didn't want it to happen, but because she thought that it was an impossible event. It has been more than half a decade since Arlong ruled most of the villages on this island, yet no Marine, no help, no nothing at all came to support or fight for them all this time.
So it was unbelievable to see such a thing. Arlong's body was a mess, broken, with his hands beaten and twisted into something unrecognizable. It speaks volumes of the torture the tyrant got from his killer. But the question is, who put Arlong in such a state as this? He was probably the strongest person she knows, being able to lift two-story houses by himself and flip them over with ease, destroying metallic weapons with his bare hands and teeth. Those alone speak to his strength.
Nami could even say with confidence that Arlong was stronger than Luffy, who has a weird rubber body with inhuman strength, as well as Zoro, who was one of the best swordsmen she had ever saw.
Yet Arlong looked pathetic and weak here. It was as if his killer made him look like a child. She couldn't stop staring and observing it all! It's not the first time she has seen such a graphic scene, but this one is entirely different, on another level. But her eyes couldn't leave. She didn't know if it was because of happiness or something else, but it was a welcome sight. It means that she's free, they're finally free!
"Nami..."
One of the surprises was also the other villagers living here coming to her with relief and happiness in their eyes. When she had joined the Arlong pirates to free her village from Arlong's rule, he told her that he would do that if she could get him a hundred million berries. It seemed like an impossible task, especially for a girl like her, but she did it for them. But she didn't tell all of them except her sister Nojiko, so she knew they hated her for it, always giving her a cold look, avoiding her like a plague, and not talking to her at all.
Imagine her surprise when they told her that they had always known about it but didn't want to tell her as they felt that they were passing a burden on a single child, a girl even. So they tried to shoo her away so she wouldn't feel bad when she abandoned them. She doesn't know how many tears she had let out, but they continuously poured anyways.
After that, one villager who didn't flinch a single time when witnessing the gore recounted every single detail of what had happened, why Genzo was seriously injured, and why Arlong is dead. All throughout, he told her about the mysterious man that came with Nojiko. He told her that the man didn't look that strong, but they were surprised, no, shocked when they saw him standing there, open to all of Arlong's attacks, yet the fish-man couldn't scratch a single bit of the man's skin while the man was playing with Arlong's body like a toy, squeezing it like it was made of soft material.
So that's why it looked like that. And as the villagers covered Arlong's remains with earth to hide his gruesome death from the children, she found one more surprising thing. Nojiko looked very intimate with that mysterious man, even hugging him in front of everyone. All of them were confused as to who he was, of course. Nojiko never left the village for over a day, always being seen in her orange farm, but she actually managed to find herself a man without them knowing. A strong one even. Nami also felt confused as Nojiko didn't say anything about it when she was regularly visiting their home.
However, she would soon know the truth soon enough.
───
Knocking on the door a few times, Nami waited patiently for it to be opened by Nojiko. There was a subtle nervousness in her heart as she thought about how to face the man Nojiko had been with without even letting her sister know, and also about facing Nojiko after being free at last.
She waited there, but there was still no sound of footsteps coming. Instead, she heard quiet moans inside. She was a virgin and had no experience with men, but she had seen a few books about these intimate acts between males and females before while traveling outside the island.
"It can't be..."
She wanted to deny that possibility, yet the sound she had heard from inside proved it almost quickly. Nami couldn't understand why... She was already close to the hundred million berries quota, and they would be free without anyone's sacrifice... That's why she can't understand why Nojiko decided to do it. It's still a likely assumption because the man with Nojiko only attacked when Arlong decided to antagonize the village out of nowhere, but there has to be a price for that.
And the price was what was probably going on inside her house. Nami decided to knock again, but she suddenly heard slow but heavy footsteps coming towards the door, which made her stop. The door soon opened, and instead of Nojiko, it was the man seen being with her, wearing only a white towel wrapped around his waist. His hair was a little messy as he gave her a lazy smile.
"Well? Are you Nojiko's sister? Nami, I think?"
The man in front of her didn't even bother to hide his gaze, which looked openly at her body, locking onto her boobs, then turning to look at her. Nami frowned and crossed her arms around her breasts as she didn't hide the contempt in her tone.
"And who are you, and what are you doing in my house?"
The man just chuckled at her.
"I'm Elric, and I was invited into this house by Nojiko."
She knew it. That just confirmed her thoughts. Just the fact alone that the only cover he had was a towel inside another person's house tells you that they had just done the deed. Yet the man didn't bother to hide it, probably because he didn't care because of his strength. He didn't even hide his vicious glance while in front of her. If only he wasn't so strong that he could kill Arlong easily and the fact that he basically freed them, she would put some bumps on this guy's head.
Speaking of which, she felt that it was just right for her to introduce herself to the man, despite him being an open pervert.
"I'm Nami. Now can I enter my house?"
"Sure..."
Nami quickly and hastily moved inside, ignoring the smirk Elric was sending her. Once in, she immediately looked around the house, finding nothing really new except for the floor that was damaged a little. Nojiko soon came out of her room, holding her lower back as she walked out with slow steps.
"Oh Nami, you're here."
What did that guy do to my sister for her to be walking like an old lady? Nami sent the man behind her a glare before walking, then running towards Nojiko and hugging her. It seems that she pushed too much, causing both of them to fall down.
"Ouch, Nami!"
Though Nami couldn't respond to Nojiko's careful outrage, tears just burst out of her eyes despite spending a mouthful of tears in the village. Nojiko sighed and then started patting her back.
"Welcome back, Nami..."
───
"Just, what are you two doing right now?"
Eyes still heavy from the tears she let out, Nami still glared at Elric, who just returned it with a grin. Nojiko was in his lap, sitting there calmly as she peeled an orange on the table, ignoring the constant touches from the man.
Nojiko just chuckled at her question and reassured her.
"Don't worry, Nami, he's now my lover, so I don't mind his touching."
What Nami meant is, why are the two of you doing it in front of her?! She didn't even, quite frankly, object to the two of them being lovers suddenly. Nojiko seemed calm and comfortable with Elric, so it meant that she had nothing to worry about. But how come Nojiko suddenly became shameless like this? Letting a man touch her... breast with strong hands, and kissing her neck... Shameless!
But she wouldn't back down from that guy's gaze and would glare at him. She can't show any reaction because that will be a sign of weakness. And she felt like if she even showed a second of it, that man would pounce at her like a wild beast. Elric wasn't even hiding that he wants her, yet Nojiko seemed ignorant that her lover wanted another woman in his arms.
After this man was away, she would really have a long talk with Nojiko. She shouldn't be with a man who would want another woman. That will hurt her the longer she's with this guy. But for now, she has to know the truth.
"Is he really the one that defeated Arlong?"
It was obvious, but she honestly didn't know how to start a conversation with another man here, so she asked an obvious question. Nojiko, meanwhile, answered her as she fed Elric an orange.
"Yes... It was a one-sided fight, honestly. Arlong couldn't stand a chance, and his brutal death is fitting after what he had done to our village for many years... and after he killed mother..."
Nami knows it too, and she also felt the same. But for Nojiko to say it in such a cold manner felt weird, though she just nodded anyways and asked another question.
"Anyway, when did the two of you meet?"
This is one of the questions she wanted an answer to. Nojiko never told her about Elric before despite their sisterly bond, and she felt really sad about that. There was no reason for them to hide it. However, she had a few guesses due to how the situation played out.
If Nojiko knew about Elric before, then she could have told him to defeat Arlong earlier, yet she didn't do so. That means that the two didn't know each other for too long.
"We just met today."
Nami couldn't even properly process her words. They only met today? Yet they already fucked and are acting like true lovebirds in front of her? How is that possible?
Nojiko only chuckled at her reaction and decided to explain it, squirming a little as Elric moved his hand and slid it inside her shirt, groping her breast again.
"Haa. So I met him at the Gosa village, calming a kid full of bruises who planned on killing Arlong... Ahh. He managed to make the kid back out from killing himself."
The kid? Could it be the kid she kicked out for trying to enter Arlong Park? Anyway, it's good that the kid wasn't on a suicide mission anymore. She could tell he had lost someone and was blinded by rage. At that point, Nojiko continued.
"I invited Elric to the house and made a bet that I would be his if he managed to kill Arlong, which he did. And so here I am. Don't worry about me because I'm happy with it."
Nami could only nod at that. She couldn't find any objections or hidden deceit in Nojiko's eyes, so she was telling the truth. Still, it baffled her how they could be that intimate when they only knew each other for a single day.
"By the way, we plan on leaving the island soon to travel the world. Wanna come with us, Nami?"
"You two are leaving?"
"Yep, wanna come with us? I would be really happy if you could come with us. It will be a huge help since you're the best navigator that I know. And isn't this your dream? We will help you out in drawing the map of the world as we have fun traveling together."
Nami would usually agree quickly since the request was coming from her sister, but for a moment, the image of the pirates she could consider friends came to mind. They trusted her and treated her like a friend, especially Luffy, but she betrayed their trust and stole everything from them. They're all here right now, and as far as she can tell, they're not just here to get back the things she stole from them but also to get her back on the team. To adventure together again.
But it felt too late right now. On the other hand, if she didn't come with Nojiko, she felt like it might be a while before they would meet again, and as far as she could tell, she couldn't trust Elric fully on not hurting her sister's heart. Heck, Nojiko only knew the guy today, yet she acted like she knew him for years. They didn't know this guy's true nature, especially Nami, so it felt right to have him under her watch.
"I... I agree."