The towering ocean of fire finally died down, leaving only embers and silence.
The Arlong Park that had loomed over Cocoyasi Village like a predatory beast for eight long years was gone, completely erased from the map.
In its place sat a charred expanse of scorched earth. As the wind swept through, ash took to the sky—a belated funeral for a land finally purged of its sin and nightmares.
Villagers stood outside the ruins, staring at the unbelievable sight. The "monsters" that had crushed their spirits and choked their lives were simply... gone?
Nami stood frozen, staring at the scorched earth as if the shock hadn't fully registered. Suddenly, a hand reached out and gave her head a gentle pat.
"Shishishi!"
Luffy's familiar grin appeared before her. He didn't offer any flowery words of comfort; he simply reached out, took back the straw hat he cherished more than life itself, and tucked it back onto his own head.
"Luffy... thank you."
Nami sniffled, then spun around and threw herself into the arms of a tearful Nojiko.
"Sister... Nojiko!!"
"It's over... It's finally over, Nami." Nojiko held her sister tight, then looked up at Luffy with a radiant smile. "Thank you, Luffy. Thank you all."
Just then, a stir went through the crowd.
"That... that person..."
The villagers' eyes drifted toward Viktor, who stood in the center of the ruins. The black-clad youth was flicking ash from his blade.
Having just unleashed that terrifying sea of fire, he still radiated a faint, lingering aura of lethality that made hearts race.
The crowd looked at him with profound awe, and more than a little fear. The demonic display of power they had just witnessed was simply too overwhelming.
Amidst the awkward silence, a little girl suddenly broke free from her mother's grip. On short, stumbling legs, she ran right up to Viktor. She stood on her tiptoes, shyly lifting her small hands to present a plump, golden orange.
"Thank you, Big Brother! This is the best orange of all!"
Viktor blinked. He looked down at the little girl—hardly taller than his knee—and then at the orange. A moment later, his eyes softened, and he reached out to take the fruit.
"Whoa, thanks. Looks delicious."
That simple gesture shattered the wall of fear instantly.
"OHHHHHHHH!!!"
"Heroes!! They're our heroes!!"
The cheers erupted like a volcano. Eight years of suppressed emotion flooded out all at once. The excited villagers surged forward, and despite Viktor's protests, they hoisted him up and tossed him into the air!
"Hey! Wait! Put me down!!" Viktor, for once, looked genuinely flustered.
"The others too!!"
Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp—and even Zoro, who had been fast asleep—were all hoisted up and thrown repeatedly toward the blue sky amidst deafening cheers.
"Hooray!! Arlong is defeated!! Long live freedom!!"
In mid-air, a dizzy Viktor caught a glimpse of Zoro being tossed nearby. The swordsman was pale as a sheet, blood was seeping through his bandages, his eyes were rolled back, and he was literally foaming at the mouth.
...He looks like he's about to meet his maker.
Viktor's eye twitched. If the villagers threw him a few more times, they'd be celebrating a victory and a funeral at the same time.
"Body Flicker."
As the crowd threw Zoro up again, a blur of motion cut through the air. Viktor appeared in the sky, caught the free-falling swordsman, and landed lightly on the outskirts of the crowd near Nami and Nojiko.
"Whew..." Viktor sighed, holding the unconscious Zoro like a sack of potatoes while the villagers continued their frantic celebration.
"Um..."
A voice as soft as a mosquito's wing sounded beside him. Viktor turned to find Nami standing there, clutching the hem of Nojiko's shirt.
She looked at Viktor, her cheeks tinged with red, appearing as though she wanted to say something but was too stubborn to find the words. The air between them grew slightly awkward.
Nojiko watched this, stifling a giggle and glancing back and forth between the two.
"Well..." Viktor finally broke the silence. Wearing his usual faint smile, he pointed at the limp Zoro. "I hate to interrupt the sisterly bonding, but this guy's injuries are looking pretty grim. If we don't find a doctor, we might actually be holding a funeral for him today."
Nami blinked, finally noticing the white-eyed Zoro. She gasped. "Ah! Zoro!!" She snapped out of it immediately and pointed toward the village. "Quick! This way! The doctor is over there!"
Inside the village clinic.
"WHAT?!!"
The elderly doctor nearly fainted when he saw the blood-soaked swordsman with wounds deep enough to see bone.
"This... with injuries like this, he was still moving? Still fighting?!" He pointed at Zoro with a trembling finger, looking at him like a specimen.
"Is this guy a corpse?! A normal person would have died a hundred times over!!"
"Shut up, you quack." From the bed, Zoro—now wrapped up like a mummy—calmly raised a bottle of booze and took two long gulps. He yawned, looking entirely unbothered. "Don't make a fuss. I just need a nap."
"YOU CAN'T NAP THIS OFF!! PUT THE ALCOHOL DOWN!!" the doctor roared, losing his mind.
That night.
To celebrate their hard-won freedom, the entirety of Cocoyasi Village was bathed in light. It felt like a festival. Every villager brought out their long-hidden stashes of wine and food for an unprecedented banquet in the town square.
"MEAT!! MEAT!! THAT ONE'S MINE!!"
In the center of the feast, Luffy entered a terrifying mode known as "Vortex Suction." His mouth opened like a black hole, sweeping food—and occasionally the plates—off the tables. The sight was so impressive it became a live attraction for the cheering villagers.
"Seriously, is his stomach a bottomless pit?" Sanji, meanwhile, was in his element in this orange-scented village.
He rolled up his sleeves and showed off his legendary skills in the open-air kitchen with the village women.
"Ah, beautiful ladies, please let me handle the seasoning for this fish soup. How could I let such lovely hands do such heavy work?"
With his masterful cooking and silver tongue, Sanji quickly became the idol of every woman and girl in the village.
"Ahem! Listen up, kids!" Nearby, Usopp stood on a wine barrel, using a chicken leg as a microphone for a group of wide-eyed children.
"Arlong was charging with his giant mouth open, and everyone was terrified! But not me! The brave warrior of the sea, Usopp! I didn't retreat; I stepped forward and shouted..." He spun the tale into a grand epic, painting himself as the primary force that took down Arlong, leaving the simple children in absolute awe.
Away from the noise, Viktor sat alone on the tiles of a corner rooftop, a glass of wine in hand, watching the rowdy celebration below. "It really is... lively," he murmured, his black eyes reflecting the distant bonfire.
Tap, tap.
Light footsteps approached. Nojiko climbed up with two drinks, sat down beside Viktor, and handed him a glass of specially made orange wine.
"Not going down to join them? Everyone wants to thank you."
Viktor took the glass and took a sip; the sweet and tart flavor blossomed on his tongue. "That kind of scene isn't for me. Too noisy." He smiled. "This is good wine, though."
Nojiko looked at the youth and couldn't help but smile. As she studied his profile, her gaze became warm and sincere. "Even though you seem scary—and you did kill that Marine Captain right in front of us... thank you. Truly. For saving Nami, and for saving this village."
Viktor shrugged, watching Luffy fight for meat below. "Don't misunderstand. We just happened to be short a good navigator. If her skills weren't up to par, I wouldn't have bothered."
"Hehehe..." Nojiko's eyes crinkled into crescents. She looked away and whispered, "Nami is obsessed with money, has a short fuse, is stubborn, and can be quite unreasonable sometimes..."
"Hey, are you sure you're her sister?" Viktor joked.
"But she is very grateful to you." Nojiko turned back, looking at him seriously. "From now on... I'm entrusting her to you... and your crew." She paused, then added with a wink, "Take good care of Nami, handsome red-eyed boy."
Viktor's hand tightened slightly on his glass, his smile flickering for a moment. "Huh?" He turned, meeting Nojiko's teasing yet earnest gaze.
Meanwhile, in the clinic.
Nami sat in a chair, her left arm extended toward the doctor. "Are you sure you want to remove it? It might hurt a bit," the doctor asked, holding his tools.
"Yes." Nami nodded, her eyes firm without a trace of hesitation. "That thing... should have been gone a long time ago."
As the tool worked, the black jagged tattoo—the mark of her humiliation and nightmares—was slowly erased, revealing the fair skin beneath. It was painful, but Nami was smiling. This pain was nothing compared to the heartache of the last eight years.
A short while later, a new tattoo appeared on her left shoulder: a design of an orange and a windmill. The orange for her adoptive mother, Bell-mère; the windmill for Genzo, the man who had been like a father to her.
"All done, Nami," the doctor said with a smile.
Nami stood up and walked to the window. She raised her arm under the brilliant moonlight, looking at the ink that now represented freedom and family.
The night breeze caught her orange hair. She took a deep breath and, facing the moon, gave the brightest, most liberated smile of her life.
"Thank you... Viktor."
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