Soooo... the problem in my laptop was too much malware.
It looks like downloading 18+ games was a big no no.
But other than that, it was fixed.
Yeah, I don't have to buy a new laptop.
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So I watched Spiderman Brand New Day.
And other than that, I won't say anything.
If you want spoilers, then go and watch it yourself.
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I also played Doom the Dark Age Revelation DLC, AND MY GOD... the lore and connection they made with Doom 2016 was really something else.
Truly, chef's kiss...CHU~~~
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Thought of the day:
"The only person you should try to be better than is the person you were yesterday. Competition with yourself builds character; comparison with others builds cages."
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Attendance Please:
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THE NEXT DAY—
Garp and Bogard walked through the makeshift settlement.
It was barely seven in the morning, and the camp was stirring with the quiet activity of people going about their lives. Only the children remained wrapped in their tents, their breathing soft and peaceful.
Sanji moved between steaming pots with the ease of a seasoned chef, a few village women following his instructions with growing confidence. Nearby, Luffy and Usopp lay sprawled on the grass like discarded laundry, their stomachs growling in restless chorus.
Yuji crouched beside Genzo, sorting through supply lists. Zoro had claimed a patch of shade at the camp's edge, his single sword slicing through the morning air, but his eyes were elsewhere, engaged in a battle only he could see, chasing the shadow of a hawk-eyed man who had shown him just how small his world truly was.
Nami was nowhere to be seen. She had slipped away at dawn, wearing a cryptic smile and leaving behind a promise of "a little surprise."
Inside the medical tent, the air was thick with the scent of antiseptic and dried herbs. Izuku lay on a makeshift bed, bandages wrapped tightly around his stomach where a sword had carved its message into his flesh. The wound ached with every breath, a dull burn reminding him that he was still alive.
Nojiko sat beside him, her chair tilted back on two legs.
"So, how are you feeling, hero boy?" she asked, her voice light but teasing.
Izuku winced, his fingers twitching toward his bandages. "It feels like ants are crawling inside my stomach."
Nojiko's hand shot out and slapped his fingers away. "Don't, you idiot! It's normal to feel that way when you get stitches, especially there, every little movement pulls at them." She settled back into her chair, which wobbled dangerously before finding its balance again. "So yeah, you're feeling exactly how you should."
Izuku sighed, the sound heavier than he intended. His eyes met hers. "How are you? You didn't get hurt anywhere, did you?"
Nojiko waved her hand. "Nah, I'm fine. Just a few scratches." Her voice dropped, a raw edge creeping in. "You should worry about yourself. Do you know how much blood you lost? If Nami's friends hadn't found us in time…" She didn't finish; she didn't need to. "I thought you were gone."
The tent fell silent.
"Were you worried about me?" Izuku's voice came out softer than he had intended, almost swallowed by the morning.
Nojiko's chair slammed down onto all four legs. "Of course, you dumbass!" Her eyes flashed, and for a moment, she looked just like her sister. "I've never met anyone like you, someone who would throw their life away for a stranger! What if you had really died?"
"But you're safe," Izuku said, the words slipping out before his brain could catch up. "That's all that matters to me."
The sentence hung in the air, resonating with meanings neither of them had intended.
Nojiko's mouth opened and closed. Color flooded her cheeks so quickly it almost looked painful, spreading from her neck to her hairline until her face resembled a sun-scorched tomato. Izuku's brain, finally catching up with his mouth, shut down and rebooted in full panic mode.
"I—I—I… I didn't mean that…" he stammered, his hands waving in front of him as if he could push the words back in. "I mean… no, I just… I'm happy you're safe… as a friend, yes, as a friend…"
Nojiko watched him unravel like a shipwreck in slow motion, and despite herself, despite the heat still burning in her cheeks and the strange flutter in her chest, she felt a laugh bubble up. She covered her mouth, but it escaped anyway, soft and warm.
Hearing this, Izuku's panic subsided. His shoulders relaxed, and then, unintentionally, he began laughing as well, the sound spilling out in easy, unguarded waves.
Neither of them noticed that their hands had drifted closer on the edge of the bed. Neither realized their pinkies were now touching. And even if they had noticed, neither would have pulled away.
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Garp strode toward Genzo with slow, heavy steps. His shadow reached the supply table before he did, prompting both Genzo and Yuji to look up from their lists.
With a cough that was more an announcement than a necessity, Garp drew their full attention. Bogard stood behind him like a silent shadow, clad in a trench coat.
"Ah, Vice Admiral. Good morning." Genzo straightened, some of the weariness lifting from his shoulders.
Yuji nodded, his pen still poised over his notebook. His eyes flicked to Bogard, who returned the gesture with a nod.
"Morning," Garp rumbled. "I see you're busy at this early hour."
Genzo gestured toward the papers spread before him. "Yes, I've been counting our spare supplies to see how long they'll last. As you can see, our houses were destroyed, and most of our goods with them." He paused, letting out a small, grateful breath. "The one bit of luck is that we still have food from the farm."
"I see," Garp said, his voice warm with understanding. "Well, you don't need to worry about that anymore. I've arranged everything you asked for yesterday."
Genzo blinked. "That fast?"
Garp's laugh boomed like cannon fire. "Bwahahahaha! I may only be a Vice-Admiral in rank, but I've got my pull." He leaned in, his grin reflecting decades of accumulated authority. "I spoke with the Fleet Admiral last night. He agreed to all your terms."
He glanced at Bogard, who stepped forward with smooth precision. From the depths of his trench coat, Bogard produced a slip of paper and handed it to Genzo.
Genzo looked at it, his eyes bulging in surprise.
"Th-this…" His voice faltered, caught somewhere between disbelief and sheer panic.
"Yeah," Garp said with studied casualness, as if he hadn't just handed over a fortune. "That's a cheque for five hundred million berries. I've informed the bank. You just need to go, show them this, and the money will be transferred to your account or to anyone's account you choose."
Yuji looked at the cheque, then at Garp, and back at the cheque. "Damn, that's a lot."
Genzo nodded weakly, as if his neck had forgotten how to move.
"Nah, it's nothing," Garp said, his voice losing its thunder and becoming quieter, almost like an apology. He placed a heavy hand on Genzo's shoulder. "It's the least we can do after everything you've been through, the corruption, the neglect. We should have been here sooner."
Before Genzo could find the words, Garp pressed on.
"One more thing: don't worry about the rebuilding. I've already contacted a friend of mine from my home, Dawn Island. He's an excellent builder. He and his team will arrive in two or three days and will handle everything."
He gestured to Bogard, who once again reached into his trench coat. This time, he pulled out a rolled document sealed with official wax.
Genzo carefully set the cheque on the table and took the scroll. His fingers trembled slightly as he unrolled it, his eyes scanning line after line of dense legal text. His lips moved silently, forming words that became more incredible with each sentence.
Then he reached the bottom: an official Navy SEAL emblem, a signature, and beside it, another signature.
He looked up at Garp, stunned.
"Vice Admiral… this…"
"After what that rat Nezumi did and the destruction of Base 16, the Fleet Admiral and I decided to build a new Marine base on Conomi Island." Garp's voice shifted again, this was business now. "This time, it will be under my own student's command. Some people from the Grand Line will arrive in a week to begin construction. They work exclusively for the Navy, so they won't cause any trouble for you."
He paused, allowing the weight of his next words to settle.
"As for the new marines posted here, they will all be handpicked by my student. You won't have to worry about another Nezumi." The name dripped with disgust. "And if any of your people want to join, they can enlist after the construction is complete."
Bogard stepped forward one last time and placed a small card on the table. The Marine logo was on one side, and a string of numbers on the other.
"That's my student's Den Den Mushi number," Garp said. "You can contact him directly if anything comes up during the build."
Yuji studied the card from where he stood, a small furrow forming between his brows. 'So, Aokiji would be the head of this new base, huh?' The thought settled into his mind with the easy certainty of someone who believed they understood how the world worked. But he didn't realize that the world he lived in had already shifted from the story he remembered, that the "student" Garp was talking about wasn't Admiral Aokiji at all, but someone else entirely.
And that shift, small as it seemed at the time, would ripple outward in ways no one could have predicted.
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Garp turned away from the table and walked toward his grandson.
Luffy rose from the grass the moment he sensed his grandfather approaching, an instinct honed by years of being thrown into ravines and jungles. Usopp scrambled to his feet and gave them some space.
"I'm leaving, brat."
The words fell between them with unexpected weight. Around them, the camp seemed to fade away.
"For years, I tried my best to make you a Marine," Garp continued, his voice stripped of its usual thunder. "But it seems fate has other plans." He looked at Luffy, really looked at him, with a kind of care he rarely allowed himself to show. "I wasn't around much in your life, or Ace's, but you boys are my grandsons. I've done everything in my power to keep you both safe."
Something flickered across Luffy's face.
"But now you've stepped into the real world. Three years ago, Ace ran off to become a pirate. Now he's making a name for himself in the Grand Line, living as he pleases." Garp's jaw tightened for just a moment. "And now you're about to enter the Grand Line too, chasing that impossible dream of yours."
He stepped closer, and for once, he did not raise his fist.
"From here on, I can't protect you. You need to fight your own battles and face impossible odds if you truly want to reach your dream, because you're not the only one after Roger's treasure." His voice dropped, carrying a clear warning. "There are people in this world whose power you can't begin to imagine, lurking in the Grand Line since before any of you were born."
Luffy listened attentively. He neither fidgeted nor grinned, and he did not interrupt. He simply absorbed his grandfather's words, understanding deep down that this was the most important lesson his grandfather had ever imparted.
"So train hard. Eat plenty. Become so strong that no one can even think of crossing you." Garp's gaze lifted, moving past Luffy to sweep across the others, Usopp, who stood stiff in Garp's presence; Zoro, who had stopped his training and stood with his sword lowered; Sanji, who had paused mid-plate at the cooking station to watch; and finally, Yuji, who met Garp's eyes with calm gaze of his.
"You've got some great friends," Garp said, his voice swelling with pride. "Cherish them. They're the ones who will stand by your side when the whole world turns against you."
He turned back to Luffy, his hand coming down on his grandson's shoulder with a firm grip.
"And when we meet again in the Grand Line…" Garp's voice hardened, but his eyes did not. "It won't be a grandfather and grandson reunion. It will be a Marine facing a pirate."
He released Luffy's shoulder, and his hand fell to his side.
"Take care."
He turned around, and Bogard fell into step beside him. Together, they walked toward the shore without looking back.
Luffy stared at his grandfather's retreating back, his straw hat casting a shadow over eyes that none of his crew could clearly see.
"You too, gramps," he muttered so softly that only the wind caught it. "You too."
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THE NEXT DAY—
Everyone was gathered at the docks: the villagers, the freed townspeople, and Izuku standing beside Nojiko.
The Going Merry bobbed gently at the dock, its figurehead smiling toward the horizon as if already aware of the adventures that awaited. On board, Usopp was performing his final checks, running his hands along the rudder, testing the mast, and inspecting the sails. Yuji and Sanji were in the storage hold, their voices drifting up through the deck as they took stock of their supplies.
On the main deck, Luffy sat cross-legged on Merry's figurehead, one hand holding his hat against the breeze. Zoro leaned against the mast with his eyes closed and arms crossed, the picture of patience, though the slight twitch in his jaw suggested he was counting the minutes.
"Where the hell is that witch?" Zoro growled, cracking one eye open. "She told us to wait half an hour ago."
Luffy's laugh echoed from the figurehead, light and carefree. "Shishishishi… I bet she's handling some last-minute important tasks."
"Last-minute important tasks?!" Zoro repeated flatly.
And then—
"SET SAIL… NOW!"
Nami's voice pierced the morning like a thunderclap. Every head on the dock turned to see her sprinting toward them, her orange hair streaming behind her like a battle flag, her legs pumping with wild speed.
Luffy's grin stretched from ear to ear. "Oi, Usopp! You heard our navigator! Set sail!"
"On it!" Usopp's hands flew across the ropes, unfurling the sails with practiced ease. The Merry creaked and groaned, her timbers singing as she caught the wind.
Nami wove through the crowd like water finding its path, slipping past outstretched hands and startled faces.
"Hey, Nami! What are you doing?"
"Don't tell me she's leaving without letting us thank her!"
"Stop, Nami!"
"They're sailing! But we wanted to thank you one more time."
"Wait, Nami! You can't just leave like that!"
The villagers' cries swirled around her, but Nami kept running, a smile spreading across her face, equal parts mischief and joy. She reached the edge of the dock and launched herself into the air, her body arcing over the water in a leap that seemed to hang in the morning light for one perfect, frozen moment.
She landed on the Merry's railing with the effortless grace of a cat, one hand gripping the rigging as she turned to face the crowd she had left behind.
Then, with theatrical slowness, she lifted the hem of her T-shirt.
Dozens of wallets rained down onto the deck.
Silence fell over the dock as gasps of dawning realization echoed around.
Genzo's hand darted to his pocket. It was empty.
"My wallet is gone!"
"Mine too!"
"So is mine!"
"And mine!"
"Mine as well!"
Every single person on that dock had been pickpocketed in the brief moments between their goodbyes and her escape. It was, without question, the most impressive theft any of them had ever witnessed. It was also, without question, the most Nami thing Nami had ever done.
"Why you—" Genzo's eye twitched violently, but beneath the annoyance, there was something that resembled pride.
"SHE TRICKED US!" the crowd wailed in unison, their voices rising to the heavens.
Nojiko burst out laughing, her voice bright, free, and filled with the kind of love only sisters understand. Beside her, Izuku chuckled as well.
"Your sister is really something," he said, shaking his head.
Nojiko's laughter softened into a smile that held just a hint of mischief, a family trait, it seemed. "Oh, I'm not so different from her. If you want to see, I can show you... privately."
She spoke the last word like a secret, low and warm, and Izuku's face immediately flushed. Steam practically rose from his ears. His mouth opened and closed several times, producing sounds that might have been words in some distant language but certainly were not in this one.
On the Going Merry, Luffy was howling with laughter, slapping the figurehead as if it had just told the funniest joke he had ever heard. Usopp's jaw had dropped so far it looked like it might need medical attention.
Zoro clicked his tongue, but the corner of his mouth twitched upward despite himself. "She hasn't changed a bit."
Nami stood on the railing, one hand gripping the rigging, the wind catching her hair and her smile, carrying the tangerine-scented freedom that seven years of suffering had finally, at last, earned her. She raised her hand and waved at the shrinking figures on the dock.
"TAKE CARE, EVERYONE! I'LL BE BACK!"
Her voice carried across the water, bright as a promise and clear as a bell. The villagers who had been cursing her name moments before found themselves waving back, their outrage softening into something warmer.
The Going Merry grew smaller and smaller until she was just a speck on the horizon, then a memory, and finally, nothing at all.
On the dock, Genzo sighed and looked up at the sky. The morning sun was climbing higher, painting the clouds in shades of gold and rose. He watched for a long moment, feeling the weight of seven years slowly, finally beginning to lift.
"Chase your dream, my child," he murmured to the empty horizon.
The village doctor approached him quietly, his footsteps careful on the wooden dock. In his hand, he held a slip of paper, folded neatly in a way that suggested it contained something important.
"Genzo," the doctor said, his voice carrying an odd mix of confusion and wonder, "I think you should look at this."
Genzo took the paper and unfolded it. Nojiko and Izuku drifted over to look.
On the paper was a pattern, a design that was simple yet deliberate.
"She came to me yesterday," the doctor explained, "and asked me to remove Arlong's tattoo from her shoulder. She wanted this instead."
Nojiko leaned closer, studying the sketch. Her eyes softened with understanding. Beside her, Izuku tilted his head curiously.
"What does it mean?" he asked.
Genzo stared at the paper for a long moment. Then, slowly, a smile spread across his weathered face.
"It's a…"
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ON THE GOING MERRY—
"…tangerine and a pinwheel," Nami said, turning her shoulder so her crew could see the fresh ink. The design was simple but lovely. "Beautiful, isn't it?"
Luffy nodded with the exaggerated wisdom of someone pretending to understand art. "Mmm. Yes. Very beautiful. The… thing. With the other thing."
"That's the most meaningless sentence you've ever said," Usopp observed.
"I've said a lot of meaningless sentences!"
"Nami-swan!" Sanji was already circling her like a lovestruck planet orbiting its sun, his visible eye transformed into a throbbing heart. "It looks absolutely gorgeous on you! The tangerine brings out the warmth of your skin, and the pinwheel symbolizes—"
"Tch, stop with your over-the-top gushing, you ero-cook," Zoro muttered from his spot against the mast. His eyes weren't even open, yet he still managed to radiate annoyance.
Sanji froze mid-spin. The hearts in his eyes flickered and died, replaced by twin flames of fury. "What did you just call me, you overgrown weed?"
"Huh? Who are you calling a weed, swirly-brows?"
"You, mosshead!"
Their foreheads collided with enough force to crack stone. Sparks flew, and the air around them crackled with pure loathing.
"Oh! Oh! A fight!" Luffy cried, his eyes gleaming. "Come on, Zoro! Sanji! Fight! Fight! Fight!"
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" Usopp chimed in, somehow producing confetti and tiny flags.
Nami watched the chaos unfold with the thousand-yard stare of a woman who had been promised a grand adventure but was instead handed a floating nursery. She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose, massaging the headache already blooming there.
"Children," she muttered. "I'm surrounded by literal children."
Her eyes drifted across the deck, searching for the one person on the ship who wasn't currently regressing to toddlerhood, and found him on the stairs of the upper deck, hunched over a leather journal, his pen moving in steady, unhurried strokes.
"Yuji-bro~~~"
She was at his side before her voice had finished echoing, her smile sweet and her eyes sparkling with that particular kind of mischief that meant she wanted something.
Yuji looked up from his journal, his pen pausing. "Yeah, Nami? Do you need something?"
She pouted, an expression she had perfected over years of charming pirates, marines, and just about anyone with a pulse. "You never mentioned anything about my new tattoo!"
"Oh, that." Yuji's gaze flicked to her shoulder, then back to her face. His expression remained calm. "It's very nice. A tangerine on a pinwheel."
Nami waited. When no further comment came, her pout deepened.
"A perfect blend…" Yuji continued, and something in his voice shifted. "…of your mother's tangerine farm and the pinwheel on Genzo-san's cap, the two people you care about most."
Nami's mouth fell open in surprise.
She closed it and then opened it again. No sound came out.
"H-how do you know about that?"
Yuji smiled, a small, knowing expression that somehow felt more genuine than any grin. He tapped his temple with the end of his pen. "I notice things, my dear sister."
Before Nami could respond, and she had several responses ready, ranging from suspicion to genuine curiosity to the unnerving feeling that Yuji saw far more than he ever let on, he nodded toward the upper rear deck.
"We've also got a surprise for you. Look over there."
Nami turned, her eyes settling on the rear deck.
Her world came to a halt.
"No way."
"Yes way." Yuji stood up, closing his journal with a soft thump. "We've been saving it for the right moment."
"How did I not notice?" Nami whispered. Her feet were already moving, carrying her toward the rear deck without a second thought. The sounds of Zoro and Sanji trying to kill each other faded into white noise. Luffy's cheering became distant static. The whole world shrank to a single point, a single tree, its leaves rustling gently in the sea breeze.
A tangerine tree from her mother's farm.
Nami reached out and touched the bark. It was rough beneath her fingers, solid, real, and alive. She could smell the familiar sweetness of the leaves, that scent that meant home, that evoked Belle-mère's laughter, Nojiko's teasing, and the wind rustling through the grove on summer afternoons.
She smiled, a simple smile, gentle at the edges.
Down on the main deck, the battle raged on. Sanji had somehow produced a kitchen knife. Zoro had drawn Wado Ichimonji. Luffy was chanting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" with the fervor of a man witnessing a holy war. Usopp had escalated to a full drumroll.
"Idiots," Nami murmured to herself, her voice fond and her smile unwavering.
She turned to look at Yuji, who had followed at a distance and now stood with his arms crossed, watching the chaos below with what seemed like quiet amusement. He caught her gaze and gave her a thumbs-up, simple and sincere.
She turned back toward the sea.
It stretched before her, endless, blue, and full of promise. The wind caught her hair, her smile, and the fresh tattoo on her shoulder. Below her, her crew, her family, bickered and laughed, filling the ship with the glorious noise of people who would die for one another.
She was free.
After seven years in cages, she was finally, truly free.
And she was going to savor every single moment of it.
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I am crying right now for just thinking what I am about to write for Chopper.
I am sorry little one, this is for character development.
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Like the chapter, then share your powerstones with me.
We're about to reach 1 million. Just 100k more.
Thank you all for your support.
This story is truly the personification of, "Slowly and steady wins the race."
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See you in next chapter.
Peace out...