Morning settled over Cocoyashi Village like a promise.
The sea was calm, reflecting the pale blue sky without distortion, and the salty breeze carried the sounds of life returning to normal. People moved through the streets freely now, laughter replacing whispers, footsteps no longer hurried by fear. The scars of Arlong's rule remained—cracked stone, shattered buildings—but for the first time, those scars felt like reminders rather than warnings.
At the edge of the village, the Straw Hats prepared their ship.
Villagers gathered along the shore, offering food, tools, and words of gratitude that seemed endless. Some laughed, some cried, and some did both at once. The crew accepted it all in their own ways—Usopp with dramatic bows, Sanji with practiced charm, Zoro with a quiet nod.
Nami stood a little apart from them.
She faced the village, eyes tracing familiar rooftops, streets she had memorized as escape routes, and the open square where fear had once lived openly. Everything looked the same—and yet, nothing did.
For years, this place had been her cage.
Now, it felt impossibly small.
Luffy noticed her stillness.
"Nami," he said, not loudly, but with that simple certainty that always pulled people back from their thoughts. "You ready?"
She didn't answer right away.
Her fingers curled slowly, nails pressing into her palm as she took one last look at Cocoyashi Village. At the people who had endured. At the home she had protected in her own broken way.
Then she smiled.
"Yes."
The villagers fell silent as the crew began moving toward the water. The ship bobbed gently offshore, waiting. Cheers rose, uneven and emotional, as people waved and shouted their thanks.
Nami stepped forward—and hesitated.
Her breath caught.
For a heartbeat, she was twelve again, standing alone against the world. For another, she was older, hardened, carrying burdens she had never shared.
Then Luffy raised his fist.
"Let's go!"
Something broke free inside her.
"NAMI!"
She turned, tears already forming.
And she ran.
She sprinted down the pier, laughter and sobs tangled together as her feet barely seemed to touch the ground. The villagers shouted her name, waving desperately, proudly. When she reached the end of the dock, she didn't slow down—she leapt.
Strong hands caught her as she landed aboard, the crew cheering as if this moment mattered more than anything else.
Because it did.
The sails were raised. The ship pulled away from shore.
Nami stood at the railing, gripping it tightly as Cocoyashi Village receded into the distance. The people became shapes, then dots, then memories.
Her shoulders shook.
Sanji quietly draped a towel over her shoulders without a word.
Luffy stood beside her, grinning up at the open sky. "You're free now."
Nami wiped her eyes, laughing softly. "Yeah."
Ren watched from a respectful distance.
He said nothing. He understood enough to know that words would only intrude. In his world, farewells were sharp and brief, designed to leave no room for hesitation. This—this lingering, aching separation—was something else entirely.
Yet it was honest.
As the ship cut through the waves, the mood gradually lifted. The tension dissolved into easy chatter, the sea breeze carrying laughter across the deck.
Luffy's attention eventually shifted.
He turned toward Ren with unmistakable intent.
"Okay," he said, crouching in front of him. "Now show me more ninja stuff."
Ren sighed internally.
"I already showed you enough," he replied.
"Nope," Luffy said cheerfully. "Not possible."
Ren considered his reserves. Flashy techniques were inefficient, but precision-based applications were manageable—and this world rewarded spectacle as much as power.
"…Very well," he said at last.
Usopp nearly vibrated. "YES."
Ren stepped toward the edge of the deck. He focused, drawing chakra carefully, thinning it to the absolute minimum needed. Control mattered more than output here.
He placed one foot over the side.
And stepped onto the sea.
The water didn't splash.
It didn't ripple.
Ren stood on its surface as if it were solid ground.
Silence fell across the deck.
"…HUH?" Usopp croaked.
Nami leaned forward, eyes wide. "He's not sinking."
Ren took another step, then another, walking calmly across the water's surface. Faint disturbances formed beneath his feet, chakra dispersing evenly to counter the sea's pull.
"Water walking," he said, as if stating the obvious. "Sustained chakra application. Low consumption if balance is maintained."
Luffy's jaw dropped. "YOU CAN WALK ON THE OCEAN?!"
Ren turned and walked back toward the ship, stepping effortlessly onto the deck again as the chakra dispersed.
Sanji stared at the water. "…That breaks several laws."
Ren ignored him.
Luffy grabbed Ren's shoulders. "Do it again!"
"No."
"Please!"
"No."
Ren raised his hand before Luffy could argue further. A faint glow of lightning danced between his fingers, thin and precise. He flicked his wrist, and the lightning spread outward in delicate arcs, briefly illuminating the rigging and mast.
The ship hummed softly.
Nami blinked. "The wind—did it just change?"
"Yes," Ren replied. "Minor electrical stimulation. Reduces resistance."
The sails caught the breeze more cleanly, the ship accelerating smoothly.
Usopp stared at the mast. "You're telling me… lightning makes the ship faster?"
"In this case."
Luffy laughed loudly. "This is the best crew ever!"
Ren stepped back, rubbing his temple lightly as the chakra settled. The cost was manageable. Acceptable.
He looked out at the sea, at the horizon stretching endlessly ahead.
There was no way back.
But as the Straw Hats laughed around him, as Nami stood proudly at the bow with the wind in her hair, Ren felt something unfamiliar but steady take root.
Not duty.
Not survival.
Choice.
The ship sailed onward, leaving Cocoyashi behind—not as an escape, but as a farewell.
And ahead of them waited a world vast enough to hold them all.