On the other hand, Nami, after reading the newspaper that reported the destruction of the Arlong Pirates at Baratie, was already deeply anxious. Without wasting any time, she left with the Straw Hats toward her village. This time, however, she didn't run away alone by stealing the Going Merry. Instead, she departed with the entire Straw Hat crew—now joined by a new member, Sanji, the cook.
At present, the Straw Hat crew consisted of Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Nami, and Sanji, the newest addition. Zoro, however, was in terrible condition. He was heavily injured after his fight with Dracule Mihawk, whom he had encountered at Baratie. Mihawk had come there simply to try the food, and coincidentally, the Straw Hats had also arrived in search of a cook for their crew. As expected, Zoro had challenged Mihawk the moment they met—and just as expected, Mihawk had defeated him overwhelmingly.
Now, Zoro lay injured aboard the Straw Hat ship, barely able to move.
Nami stood near the side of the ship, clutching the newspaper tightly. The headline stated that Gojo Satoru—a pirate hunter who had previously destroyed the Krieg Pirates—had now wiped out the Arlong Pirates as well. It further confirmed that by the next day—today—Arlong himself was officially declared dead. Nami's grip tightened as she stared at the words.
She slowly lifted her gaze toward the approaching shore of the Conomi Islands, where her home, Cocoyashi Village, was located. The familiar outline of the land filled her vision, and her expression grew tense, a mix of fear, relief, and something far more complicated.
Luffy watched her quietly. Ever since Nami had read the newspaper, she had been acting strange—nervous, restless—and had insisted on leaving immediately. From that moment on, Luffy had been asking her the same question again and again. And of course, there was no way he would let Nami go alone. That was why he had come with her.
As Nami continued staring at the news about the Arlong Pirates' destruction, Sanji walked over and leaned slightly closer to her. With concern clear in his voice, he said, "Nami-chan, you've looked tense ever since you read that article. Did the Arlong Pirates do something to you?" His eyes hardened slightly as he added, "Tell me. I'll destroy them."
As soon as Sanji said this, his face filled with both compassion and barely restrained rage, clearly ready to do anything for Nami, Luffy suddenly spoke up. "But isn't the news saying that the Arlong Pirates are already destroyed?"
Sanji froze. His expression stiffened, and his face twitched slightly as the words sank in.
Nami didn't pay any attention to the banter on the ship. Her focus was entirely elsewhere. She stood there, waiting for the ship to dock, her eyes fixed on the approaching land. She wanted to reach the village as soon as possible and see with her own eyes whether everything was truly fine. She didn't know what fate might have befallen her people. Pirates didn't care about civilians when they fought—this much, Nami knew all too well. And because of that, she feared that this Gojo Satoru might be no different, that he might have caused damage to her village in the process.
Soon, the Going Merry docked along the shore.
The moment the ship settled, Nami hurriedly jumped down onto the ground and began running toward her village. As she ran, Luffy leapt off after her and called out, "Hey, wait for me! I'm coming too!"
Seeing Nami sprint away, Sanji immediately jumped down from the ship as well. "Nami-chan! I'm coming!" he shouted, chasing after them.
Meanwhile, Usopp rushed into the cabin to check on Zoro, who was resting there. "We're stopping here on the island," Usopp said. "Are you coming with us, or are you going to stay and rest, Zoro?"
Without hesitation, Zoro replied, "I'm definitely going."
With that, Zoro pushed himself up, and together with Usopp, they left the ship, following in the footsteps of Luffy and Sanji.
Before long, Nami reached her village.
She slowed to a stop as she took in the sight before her. The villagers were safe. They were going about their evening chores, talking, laughing—happy. There was no fear in their faces, no sorrow weighing them down. It was a kind of happiness Nami hadn't seen in a very long time—so long, in fact, that she had almost forgotten what it looked like.
Genzo was among the villagers, guiding the others on what to do next, when his eyes suddenly fell on Nami. A warm smile spread across his face as he said, "Hey, Nami. It's good that you've returned. We knew you'd come back as soon as you heard the news about the Arlong Pirates being destroyed."
Hearing this, the other villagers also gathered around her. One by one, they surrounded Nami, speaking to her, checking on her, their voices overlapping in relief and joy. Every single face around her was filled with smiles. Seeing them like this, Nami's eyes welled up with tears. For so long, she had believed that the villagers saw her as a villain—after all, she had been a member of the Arlong Pirates. Even though it had been a deal, she thought they didn't know the truth.
But they did.
The villagers had always known about Nami's deal and the sacrifices she had made over the years.
Unable to hold it in anymore, Nami covered her face with her hands as tears spilled out, and she suddenly ran toward her home.
The moment she entered, she was met by Nojiko. "Sis…" Nami called out, her voice trembling. As soon as the word left her mouth, she rushed forward and hugged Nojiko tightly.
Nojiko immediately wrapped her arms around Nami and gently patted her back. "It's all right," she said softly. "It's all right. Everything is fine now. Arlong is dead, and his pirate group is destroyed. All our suffering is finally over. We don't have to suffer anymore."
After hearing Nojiko's words, Nami slowly pulled away from her embrace and asked anxiously, "Is everyone in the village all right? I mean… that Gojo Satoru guy who came here—did he harm any of you? After all, the news said he was colluding with the Arlong Pirates."
The moment Nojiko heard this, she gave a small "hmm" and shook her head. "Those are just lies created by the government," she said firmly. "Nothing like that happened. Gojo came to this island as a pirate hunter to claim Arlong's bounty. At that time, the Marines were already with Arlong, and when Gojo saw them working together, the Marines attacked him. He killed those Marine officers, and after that, he wiped out the entire Arlong Pirates."
She continued, her tone growing more animated, "So now those Marines are spreading propaganda, saying Gojo was colluding with the Arlong Pirates and trying to portray Captain Nezumi as some kind of hero."
Nojiko waved her hands excitedly as she spoke. "We didn't even have to lift a finger, you know. He just swung his sword like this"—she mimicked the motion dramatically—"and Arlong's building, the entire Arlong Park, was cut in half. It crashed to the ground, completely destroyed. You should have seen him… he looked so handsome."
Her eyes sparkled as she spoke, clearly caught up in the memory.
Seeing Nojiko like this, Nami stepped closer, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and said teasingly, "Hey, sis… you're not in love with him, are you?"
At that very moment, Chabo walked in and said bluntly, "Yes, she definitely is. Go check her room—you'll find Gojo's wanted poster pasted inside."
The moment Nami heard that, her eyes widened. "Is that so?" she said, and without waiting another second, she immediately ran toward Nojiko's room.
"No, wait! Stop, Nami—don't!" Nojiko called out, hurriedly trying to stop her. But it was already too late. Nami had slipped past her and was gone.
Nojiko then turned toward Chabo, glaring at him with fierce eyes. "I'll deal with you later," she said sharply.
Meanwhile, the Straw Hat Pirates had already arrived in Cocoyashi Village. As usual, Luffy stepped forward without hesitation and introduced himself loudly, just as he always did. "I am Monkey D. Luffy," he declared, his voice full of confidence, "and I will be the King of the Pirates."
The moment the villagers heard that they were pirates, fear rippled through the crowd. Murmurs spread, and several people tensed instinctively. However, after what they had witnessed not long ago—seeing Gojo slaughter the fishmen of the Arlong Pirates as if it were nothing—they weren't as helpless as before. There was a new firmness in their expressions.
This time, if these pirates tried anything, the villagers were prepared to fight back.
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