Later that night, at Nami's house.
Swoooosh…
A black mist appeared in the living room. From it, the bandaged man emerged and walked quietly to a corner of the room. There, he saw a framed picture of a red-haired woman carrying two children. He picked it up and brought it close to his face.
His gaze lingered, intense and searching.
But nothing came.
He couldn't make out the image in his mind.
Slowly, he placed the frame back on the table.
From his hand, white, stripe-like light began to glow. A large, worn, blood-stained bundle emerged from the light with a heavy clanging sound. It was filled with treasure.
He carefully set the bundle down on the floor.
Then a voice spoke from a nearby table.
"So you're the one Nami is always asking about… the one we've never seen."
The bandaged man turned.
It was Nojiko.
She sat calmly, eating the oranges Nami had given her. Earlier, she had heard a faint whistling wind and looked up to see a tall man in a black kimono, his face wrapped in bandages. She had watched him pick up the picture frame, then summon the bundle from nothing.
Judging by its size and weight, it had to be the treasure Nami had been saving all this time.
Nojiko studied him quietly. After her question, he didn't respond—he only finished placing the bundle down.
Finally, he spoke.
"S-sorry… I h-have s-some i-important t-things t-to d-do."
His voice wasn't fearful. The stutter sounded solemn, restrained, almost deliberate.
Nojiko tilted her head.
"So… what is my sister to you?"
The man didn't answer.
She waited, unblinking.
At last, he said softly,
"A m-mystery."
And just like that, he vanished.
Nojiko stared at the spot where he had been standing.
Then she heard his voice again, right beside her.
"J-just like you."
Before she could react, the bandaged man bent down and bit into Nojiko's exposed neck. He drank her blood.
Heat surged through her body. She couldn't move. Her limbs felt paralyzed, her voice trapped in her throat. All she could do was endure as he fed.
Then it stopped.
Nojiko gasped, breathing heavily, sweat beading on her skin. Her body still burned with lingering heat as she turned to look at him standing behind her.
"So when Nami said you were crazy," she said weakly, "she was telling the truth. And those two holes on her neck… that was you too."
"I-im s-sorry… I-i g-got h-hungry… a-and y-you w-were h-here… I c-couldn't h-help m-myself."
"Oh?" Nojiko smirked, teasing despite her condition. "Now you're acting like it's my fault for being here?"
"S-sorry… I-I'll g-give y-you—"
"No need," Nojiko interrupted. "I know what you're about to do next. Nami told me everything."
She paused, then smiled.
"And there's actually one thing you can do."
"W-what i-is i-it? I'll d-do i-it w-with m-my e-everything."
"That's good," Nojiko said lightly. "Now that you've tasted me, I'm no longer pure. If I'm going to experience something like this… you'll have to take responsibility."
She laughed, clearly enjoying teasing him.
BANG!
The front door slammed open.
"Hey, Nojiko—stop! What are you doing?!"
Nami rushed inside, grabbed her sister, and dragged her back out of the house.
The bandaged man remained where he stood, tilting his head to the side. He rested his thumb and index finger against his chin.
"Hmmm…"
"T-taste…? A-ah… y-you m-mean e-eat y-you, w-well…"it was oranges same!
And just like before he vanished instantly.
The long, awkward night passed.
Morning came.
And today, the Going Merry would set sail.
♤
Luffy, Usopp, and even Sanji were busy cleaning up the Going Merry, carrying the packages they had gathered.
Zoro was talking with Johnny and Yosaku. They had decided to stay behind—they wanted to protect this village, and of course, Zoro didn't stop them. Luffy and Usopp didn't stop them either.
Sanji, meanwhile, was worried about whether everything was all right at the Baratie. Luffy told him they would head there today.
Sanji himself didn't quite understand how he had ended up as part of Luffy's crew—and their cook. Maybe it was the bond formed when they fought for their lives together. Maybe it was seeing how these fools proved they weren't just mere pirates, but something more. Somewhere along the way, he had decided to be their cook.
And Luffy was happy about that.
Now, they were sailing back to the Baratie to say their goodbyes.
Sanji looked around the deck.
"Where is Nami-chan?"
"Maybe she won't come," Usopp said. "She went to sea for one reason, right? To save her village. And now that reason has been fulfilled."
"W-whaaaat?!" Sanji shouted. "Then I'll lose 99.99% of my reasons to stay here!"
That irritated Zoro.
"Shut uuuuup, curly eyebrow. You're too noisy."
"What did you say, moss head?!" Sanji yelled back.
Luffy held onto his straw hat and said confidently,
"She'll come. Definitely."
Johnny and Yosaku nodded.
"Yeah, she'll come," they said. "She can't leave her husband alone here, right?"
That made Zoro grin. He turned to Sanji and mocked him.
"You heard that, yellow bug."
Sanji didn't hear Zoro at all. He was sulking in a corner, shouting, "Nooooooo!"
Usopp nodded thoughtfully.
"Well, that's a valid reason."
Luffy, who didn't understand what was happening at all, tilted his head.
"Husband? What's that?"
He tried to think hard.
♤
At Nami's house.
Nami was preparing her things.
Yesterday, she had returned home to rest, but she heard her sister talking to someone. She recognized his voice. Then she heard Nojiko ask what Nami was to him.
She clearly heard his answer.
Nami didn't know what she was supposed to feel.
But when she heard her sister say that the man should take responsibility for her, Nami snapped out of her thoughts. She slammed the door open and saw the bandaged man standing behind Nojiko. Without hesitation, Nami grabbed her sister and dragged her out of the house.
The two sisters ran toward their mother's grave.
Nojiko broke the silence.
"Bell-mère, did you know? I found my man today. He was really tall and very cute."
"What did you say?!" Nami exclaimed.
"Nojiko!, didn't you see?" He was my— Nami continued. "He was my… my—"
Nami stopped in bewilderment. She didn't really know what he was to her.
Nojiko stopped and looked at her sister.
"You'll have to act fast, Nami, or else others might steal him."
Nami's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. She simply turned toward their mother's grave.
"Bell-mère," Nami said softly, "I'm going back to the sea with them."
Nojiko also looked at their mother's grave.
It felt like the wind answered them.
They felt a hand pat their heads.
Nami and Nojiko smiled, and both said, "Thank you."
They sat there for a while.
Unbeknownst to the sisters, an old man was watching them with tearing eyes but he was giving a smile—it was Genzo, their adoptive father figure.
Behind Genzo, the bandaged man stood as well, watching silently.
Genzo noticed the man beside him. As their father figure, he already understood what was happening. Of course, Nami had asked him before if he had ever seen the bandaged man.
With a fatherly voice, Genzo spoke.
"Promise me you'll protect her. Take good care of her."
The bandaged man answered,
"I-I'll d-do m-my b-best t-to p-protect h-her."
Genzo heard him. He didn't know why the man's words sounded broken, but they were firm—absolute.
"You'd better," Genzo said. "Or I'll chase you even in death."
The bandaged man repeated quietly,
"E-even i-in d-death."