Chapter 67 – Leaving the village
After breakfast, the girls headed out for one last round of shopping to gather supplies for the ship. Kaya was busy as well, taking care of paperwork and packing her belongings. Before leaving the village, she had several responsibilities to finish, which kept her occupied for quite some time.
I activated my Observation Haki to locate Lily and then went to find her. As expected, Lily was in a villager's house, enjoying what seemed to be her fourth breakfast of the day.
"Alex, what are you doing here?" she asked cheerfully. "Do you want to eat too? This food is really delicious. Have some with me, and then we can go to the next house for another meal."
"No, Lily," I replied. "We're leaving the village today, so you need to get ready."
"What?" she said in shock. "But I'm having so much fun here. The villagers are so kind, and they keep giving me free food. Can't we stay for a few more days?"
"We can't," I said firmly. "We're heading to Nami's village to free it from the Arlong pirates. The villagers there are suffering, and Nami needs our help. We don't have time to waste."
"If you say so…" Lily replied, looking a little disappointed.
She didn't fully understand the situation, since Nami hadn't explained everything to the rest of the crew yet. But Lily immediately agreed once she heard that Nami needed help.
'Just as I expected of Lily. She may love food more than anything, but when it comes to helping her crew, she always puts them first.'
Lily quickly stuffed the remaining food on the table into her mouth and stood up, ready to leave.
"I'm ready. Let's go."
Lily and I were the first to reach the ship. I made sure everything was properly prepared so we could set sail without delay.
About an hour later, Nami, Kunai, and Kaya arrived together, carrying numerous bags. Most of them were filled with food, along with clothes, spices, and other basic necessities for the journey.
The largest share of supplies came from Kaya. She had carefully prepared clothes, money, and various essentials for a long voyage at sea, making sure the crew would not lack anything during their travels.
To see them off, her butler Merry had come as well. He stood at the shore, waving farewell as he sent the young lady off on her adventure, his expression filled with pride and quiet concern.
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[Scene Change]
"Now, first of all, let us welcome our new crew member, Kaya," I said. "She will be the doctor of this pirate ship. So if you need help with any illness, injury, or other medical problems, you can freely go to her."
"Diseases? Illness?" Lily asked in confusion. "What are those? I never get sick."
"That's because you're a monster," I replied bluntly. "Don't assume others won't get sick during a sea adventure. If you fall ill out at sea, you could easily die. That's why a doctor is one of the most important members of a crew."
Many pirate crews had been wiped out by disease alone. The Rumbar Pirates were destroyed because of plauge.
If they had a capable doctor like Chopper or Crocus, they might have survived, and Brook would have met Laboon much sooner.
Even Nami almost died after visiting Little Garden. If she hadn't been treated by a famous doctor like Dr. Kureha and later by Chopper, she would not have survived.
That was why having a doctor was absolutely essential.
"Kaya, there are still many vacant rooms on the ship," I continued. "You can choose one to store your belongings or to sleep in. There is also a small medical room on the far right side below the deck. You can treat injuries there, perform minor procedures, or apply bandages. You'll find some basic medicines and medical books there as well, so feel free to use them whenever you need."
"Really? Thank you very much," Kaya said with a grateful smile.
After that, Lily went up to the deck to sunbathe. Nami and Kunai focused on organizing and storing the food and other supplies in their proper places. I helped them carry various items and assisted with arranging everything around the ship.
Kaya went to her chosen room and organized her clothes, money, and personal belongings. She also visited the medical room below the deck to familiarize herself with the space and equipment.
We finished all the work within a few hours. After cleaning up and completing the remaining tasks, we prepared some food for lunch.
At lunchtime, we all sat together around the round dining table. I felt that this was the right moment to explain the situation in Nami's village to the rest of the crew.
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While we were eating, I briefly explained the Arlong situation to the entire crew. I told them about the pirates, the village, and everything Nami had been forced to endure all these years.
Kaya couldn't hold back her tears as she listened to Nami's story. Her hands trembled slightly, and her eyes were red from crying. Nami herself also had tears welling up, but she stayed silent, quietly listening without interrupting.
Kunai and Lily, on the other hand, were furious. Their anger was clear after hearing how Arlong had terrorized the village and how much Nami had suffered because of him.
"Arlong, that fish bastard," Lily snapped. "I'm going to punch that fish myself. Nami, don't worry. I'll beat him up and save your village."
"Yes, Nami," Kunai added coldly. "Don't worry. I'll cut down those Fishmen and free you."
Kaya also spoke up through her tears. "I'll help too, in any way I can."
Nami looked as if she was about to break down at any moment. Her lips trembled, and her eyes shone with unshed tears.
"Nami," I said firmly while meeting her gaze, "you've suffered enough. I will save you, no matter what. After all, you're my thieving cat navigator. No one is allowed to hurt my navigator."
"Alex…" Nami murmured, biting her lip once again, her eyes brimming with emotion.
Just as I was about to say more, I suddenly felt a warm body press against my chest.
Nami had thrown herself into my arms, her slender shoulders trembling slightly as she struggled to hold back her emotions.
I hesitated for only a moment before gently raising my hand and stroking her soft orange hair. My touch was calm and reassuring to her.
"You've been through a lot, Nami," I said softly as my voice was filled with sincerity.
As I spoke, I felt a faint dampness spreading across my chest. Nami's tears were soaking into my clothes.
She bit her lip again before slowly lifting her tear-streaked face to look at me. Her eyes were red, her expression fragile and exposed. Seeing her like this—so vulnerable, yet undeniably beautiful—was stirring something at my heart.
Until now, I was treating her like the character of a manga. But now seeing such a raw emotion. I realized this was a real world. And I was in love with this orange-haired girl.
Nami… She had endured the pain of her mother's murder since the age of ten. She had carried the crushing responsibility of protecting her entire village on her young shoulders. All this time, she had been striving to gather the impossible sum of 100 million Beri.
One hundred million Beri.
In the East Blue, even Arlong, the most notorious pirate, only had a bounty of 20 million. For a ten-year-old girl, that burden was like an enormous mountain pressing down on her fragile body, threatening to crush her at any moment.
And yet, through her own strength and determination—and through her kindness, choosing to steal only from cruel pirates—Nami had almost achieved it. She had come terrifyingly close.
She had truly suffered more than anyone should.
"Alex… Lily, Kuina, Kaya… Thank you." Nami whispered, her voice breaking. For the first time since her mother, Bell-mère, had been killed, she allowed herself to show her weakness. She stopped pretending to be strong and finally revealed the vulnerable young woman hidden deep inside her heart.
I gently wiped away her tears with my thumb. Then, as I straightened, my expression changed. My eyes hardened, filling with a cold, terrifying fury.
"Don't worry, Nami, I'm going to chop that fish."
"Yes, Nami, no matter what, we are going to help you."
"Thank you, guys."