Luffy did not notice—or perhaps chose to ignore—the suspicion in the eyes of the Cocoyashi villagers as they stared at him and the Straw Hat Pirates. With his usual straightforwardness, he asked,
"Hey, have you seen an orange-haired girl who came this way?"
The moment he said that, all the villagers present immediately understood that he was talking about Nami. Genzo stepped forward at once and asked in a guarded tone,
"What do you want with Nami?"
As soon as Luffy heard Genzo's question, he replied almost instinctively, without even thinking it through,
"She's the navigator of our ship, so she's really important to us. That's why we're here."
Just as Genzo was about to ask something further, Nami returned along with Nojiko and Chabo. The moment Nami saw the tense expressions and the vigilance in the villagers' movements after noticing Luffy and the others, she immediately understood the situation. Stepping forward, she said calmly,
"Don't worry. They're not enemies. They're my friends."
The instant Nami finished speaking, one of the villagers spoke up, his voice filled with concern and resolve.
"Nami, tell us the truth. Are they forcing you into something, the same way Arlong did before? If that's the case, then just say the word. We will fight for you. We're not going to live under oppression anymore, and we won't allow you—or anyone else—to suffer like that again."
As soon as Nami heard this, a warm, genuinely happy smile spread across her face, tears lightly gathering at the corners of her eyes as she took in the protectiveness of the Cocoyashi villagers. Shaking her head, she said softly,
"No need to worry. I did join them at first just to steal their treasure later… but along the way, I found real friends among them. So you don't have to worry. They really are my friends."
The moment Nami finished speaking, a wave of relief passed through the villagers. The tension in their stances eased, and the sharp vigilance in their eyes gradually faded away. Around the same time, Usopp and Zoro arrived, having overheard Nami's words. Naturally, Zoro—ever the most loyal to his captain—wasn't exactly pleased with the part where Nami admitted she had joined them for their treasure. However, when he heard her say that she truly regarded them as friends, his expression relaxed, and he chose to remain silent, keeping his irritation in check.
Soon after, the villagers dispersed and returned to their daily work. Turning to Nojiko, Nami said,
"Let's go. I want to see destroyed Arlong Park."
Nojiko nodded in agreement. Nami and Nojiko walked ahead, with Genzo and Chabo following behind along with the Straw Hat crew.
As they moved through the village, Luffy walked with his hands clasped behind his head. Turning toward Genzo, he asked casually,
"Hey, old man, can you tell us more about Nami? We didn't really know much about her. And when we heard about the Arlong Pirates being destroyed, she suddenly became really tense… we didn't know what to do, and it made us feel pretty helpless."
Genzo nodded slowly and said, "It seems she hasn't told you everything."
After that, Genzo began to recount the past. He told them about the arrival of the Arlong Pirates, about how the village was crushed under their tyranny, and about the day Nami was forced to join them. He spoke of the deal Nami made with Arlong—to buy Cocoyashi Village for one hundred million berries—and how she endured years of suffering for the sake of the village. He explained how the villagers had come to know the truth behind her actions and how, despite everything, they had silently watched over her. Genzo told them everything, holding nothing back, until the full weight of Nami's story was laid bare before the Straw Hat Pirates.
As the Straw Hats listened to the cruelty of the Arlong Pirates and the pain Nami had endured, indignation filled the entire crew. A fierce fire burned in Sanji's eyes as he clenched his fists, openly declaring that Arlong had died far too easily and that he would have killed him himself for what he had done to Nami. Luffy echoed the same anger in his own blunt way, calling Arlong a complete jerk and saying that if he had the chance, he would have beaten him senseless for making Nami suffer so much. Even Zoro, who had previously harboured a faint dissatisfaction toward Nami, felt that feeling vanish completely, replaced by a deep and quiet sympathy for her.
Meanwhile, as Genzo's story unfolded, Nami realized something that shook her to her core. The villagers had known about her deal with the Arlong Pirates from the very beginning. All this time, she had believed that Nojiko had only recently told the village the truth so that she could earn their forgiveness. Now she understood that she had been wrong. The villagers had known everything—and yet they had chosen to support her in silence, enduring their own pain so that she could continue bearing the burden alone.
That realization overwhelmed her. Tears flowed freely from Nami's eyes as her steps slowed. Nojiko gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, offering silent comfort, just as the group arrived before the ruined remains of Arlong Park.
Upon arriving at the ruined base, Zoro's attention was immediately drawn to the structure itself. His eyes narrowed as he took in the unnatural symmetry of the destruction. Moving ahead of the others, he leapt closer and examined the building at point-blank range. A perfectly clean cut ran straight through it, as though the massive structure had been sliced apart like paper.
Zoro reached out and ran his fingers along the severed surface of the wall. The cut was smooth—too smooth. There was no sign of tearing or collapse, only the unmistakable mark of a single, decisive strike. In that moment, Zoro acknowledged the truth to himself. Such a feat could only be accomplished by an extraordinarily powerful swordsman. A faint, almost grim smile formed on his lips as he admitted that he had been wrong to believe there were no worthy opponents in the East Blue. Whoever this Gojo Satoru was, he possessed terrifying strength.
The rest of the Straw Hats were no less stunned by the sight. Usopp stared at the split structure with his mouth hanging open before finally blurting out,
"How… how can a whole building be cut in half like this?"
Chabo stepped forward and answered,
"Gojo Satoru did this when he came to kill Arlong."
Picking up a wooden stick from the ground, Chabo demonstrated the motion in the air, reenacting the moment. He described how a single swing of Gojo's sword had sent a powerful slash forward, cleaving through both the main building and the gate in one motion, without hesitation or resistance.
As Zoro watched the demonstration and listened to the explanation, his conviction only deepened. There was no doubt left in his mind—Gojo Satoru was a truly formidable swordsman, someone whose blade carried overwhelming power and precision.
After spending some time at the ruins, the Straw Hats finally made their way back to Cocoyashi Village for the night. There, surrounded by the warmth of the villagers and her newfound sense of freedom, Nami made her decision. With Luffy's simple but unwavering persuasion, and with her own long-suppressed dreams finally resurfacing, she chose to continue her journey as the navigator of the Straw Hat Pirates.
That night marked the moment Nami truly joined the crew—not out of necessity or obligation, but from her heart.
----
Want to get daily updates and read 20+ chapters? Then join my Patreon!
Patreon Link: https://[email protected]/Hkj822
Join Discord Link: https://discord.gg/MXPrVTBM