Chapter 14 – Return to Cocoyasi Village
"This… is a new world?"
Izumi and Hikari's eyes went wide.
The endless ocean and the completely unfamiliar architecture of Orange Town turned their skepticism into pure awe.
Then footsteps sounded from the deck.
"Who's there?!"
Both Uchiha girls instantly snapped into combat stance, three-tomoe Sharingan spinning.
A second later they froze.
A bipedal cat in shorts and a sailor cap strolled into view.
"Master?"
Tom actually spoke, voice trembling under the glare of four Sharingan, then sprinted over and hugged Aike's leg like a scared kitten.
Nami, Carina, and Kaya, trailing behind him, were equally stunned.
In all their time on board, they'd never heard Tom talk.
But the real shock came when they noticed the two new black-haired beauties.
Nami and Carina exchanged a look.
More rivals.
In less than five hours (ship time), where the hell did he find these two?!
Aike didn't bother hiding anything. He gave the short version: different world, ninja, genocide, recruitment.
"Another world?!"
Nami and Carina yelped.
Kaya's eyes sparkled with curiosity.
He gave the ninja girls the quick One Piece rundown while the One Piece girls got the ninja crash course.
Chakra, ninjutsu, kekkei genkai…
Haki, Devil Fruits, sea curses…
Everyone's heads were spinning.
"Anyway, that's the gist."
Aike took a sip of water and let them digest.
Carina broke the silence first.
"So Tom's from another world too, right?"
"Yep. His world's pretty normal—no special powers."
(Or maybe Tom was just too weak to show them off. The cat did have the title "God·Tom" in certain circles.)
Nami and Kaya instantly nodded.
Not a Devil Fruit user, yet smarter than most people and full of weird skills—straight out of a fairy tale.
The rest of the day was spent bonding.
Hikari was quiet, but overall everyone got along surprisingly well.
"Izumi, can we learn ninjutsu too?" Nami suddenly asked.
Carina and Kaya leaned in eagerly.
Medical ninjutsu, fireballs, shadow clones—they'd heard all the stories.
"Uh… probably?" Izumi wasn't sure; different worlds, different rules.
Five pairs of eyes turned to Aike.
"Normally no, but you're all under my contract, so the laws bend for you."
He thought for a second.
"You can learn, but focus on physical training first. Devil Fruits suit you better long-term.
Kaya, you can specialize in medical ninjutsu—pair it with healing Kidō and you'll be a walking miracle."
The three girls lit up like kids with new toys.
Even Tom changed into a tiny ninja outfit and started copying hand signs.
With Izumi and Hikari on board, the Libra had never been livelier.
They only stayed in Orange Town long enough for the new girls to sightsee one day before setting sail again.
Thanks to Nami finally opening up, their next destination was set: Cocoyasi Village.
…
Five days later.
The Libra dropped anchor off Cocoyasi Village.
At the stern, the mouth-watering smell of grilled sea king drifted everywhere.
"I can't believe how strong you are, Hikari!"
Nami's eyes sparkled.
She'd known the two were the combat specialists, but watching Hikari glare at a moo-moo sea beast the size of a house and instantly roast it with black Amaterasu flames—even the ocean itself caught fire—was another level.
Hikari fidgeted under the praise, still not used to friendly attention after five days.
Aike and Izumi tried (and failed) to hide their smiles.
The once violently hateful girl now looked… cute.
Their smiles earned them a death glare from Hikari.
While everyone teased her, only Tom stared at the perfectly cooked mountain of meat with shining eyes.
Aike had to physically drag the drooling cat away.
Heading into the village, the atmosphere was bleak.
Most villagers hid indoors.
The few they passed turned away the moment they saw Nami, expressions full of "disgust."
Nami's mood plummeted.
Kaya and Carina fumed on her behalf.
Aike and Carina just winced.
The acting was terrible.
Fake sneers, obvious pity in their eyes—only innocent Kaya bought it.
"No need to feel bad," Aike said, draping an arm around Nami's shoulders despite Carina's eye-roll. "After today, your village will be free."
"I believe you."
At the edge of the village stood a small lone house surrounded by thriving tangerine groves.
Nami pushed open the door and shouted:
"Nojiko! I'm home!"
"Nami?!"
A blue-haired, tanned young woman barreled into her, and the sisters hugged like they'd never let go.
Introductions followed.
When Nojiko heard everything—Arlong, the hero rescue (with ulterior motives), and why they were really here—she was first terrified, then deeply grateful to Aike.
"You sure about this?" Nojiko asked nervously. "There's a lot of them…"
"Relax," Nami said, fists clenched with newfound confidence. "Aike and the others are insane.
This time we're ending Arlong for good."
With the power she'd witnessed, Nami had zero doubts.
No time to waste. The whole group marched straight to Arlong Park.
A few minutes later they stood at the main gate.
"Izumi and Hikari will tank everything," Aike said, hopping onto the wall to watch. "How many you kill is up to you.
Consider it your final exam."
Nami nodded, took a deep breath, and shoved the gates open.
"Hey! Look who's back!"
"Our little navigator came home!"
The Fish-Men goons jeered and waved like she was their favorite clown.
Arlong lounged on his throne, smirking.
"Back already, Nami? Looks like you brought in a good haul."
His smirk vanished the moment he noticed the crowd behind her—two black-haired girls, a blonde, a pink-haired girl, and a weird cat.
"I told you—no outsiders in my territory without my permission."
The Fish-Men cracked their knuckles, grinning at the "weak humans."
Izumi scanned the crowd, unimpressed.
"That's them? They don't feel strong at all."
"You lowly human bitch—what did you just say?"
Arlong's face twisted into a snarl.
He had no idea those words just signed his death warrant.
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