East Blue - Cocoyashi village.

 

After disembarking from the ship, Nami quickly headed toward her house at Mikan Grove.

The villagers were surprised by Nami's appearance, but the latter didn't mind them as she continued running toward her house.

Soon, she arrived and found Nojiko working in the orchard as usual.

" Nojiko!" Nami quickly pounced at Nojiko, hugging her tightly.

Nojiko was surprised by her sister's sudden arrival. But she quickly smiled, hugging Nami back.

" Are you hurt?! What happened here? I heard that the Arlong pirates were exterminated. Did anyone in the village get hurt?" Nami fired a barrage of questions at Nojiko.

" Calm down, Nami." Nojiko smiled gently, adding, " Nothing bad happened. On the contrary, everything bad is over now."

" Really, what happened?" Nami asked with some tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes.

" Let's enter the house first and talk there." Nojiko wiped the corner of Nami's eyes and said gently.

Nojiko happily took Nami into the house. They sat at the table, and Nojiko started narrating about the previous events.

She described how Austin saved them when the Navy wanted to rob them and how he annihilated the Arlong pirates afterward.

 

After Nojiko finished recounting what occurred there, Nami started crying before quickly departing, alongside Nojiko, to see Arlong's Park.

Arriving at what was previously Arlong's Park, which is now in ruin, Nami found the heads of Arlong, Kuroobi, and Chew still planted on sticks on top of the Park's ruins.

She couldn't help but cry hard while thanking Austin in her heart.

Nami still remembers their first encounter in Orange town and how he saved that town back then.

At that time, she was going to steal the village's treasures but got scared by his warning and decided to leave.

Yet she didn't expect her village to be saved by the same man afterward.

" It's okay. Everything has ended now." Nojiko gently said while holding Nami's hands.

" En!" Nami nodded, brushing out her teary face.

"Fortunately, Austin came in time ... If the Navy got the money, Genzo would have definitely rallied the villagers for revenge! ... At that time, many of them will die," Nami said with a scared look, imagining that scenario.

" Yeah." Nojiko smiled softly, remembering her 'lover'.

" Is the money still in its place?" Nami suddenly asked.

" Yeah, I didn't touch any of it," Nojiko replied.

"Then we should divide it between the island's towns and villages." Nami, unlike her character, said.

" Hum?!" Nojiko was initially surprised, but then she smiled gently, saying, " There is no need. Austin has left a huge sum to island people."

" What?!" Nami exclaimed in shock.

" Yeah, he left 200 million Berries to me and told me to divide it between the island towns," Nojiko raised her head high, clearly proud of her lover.

" 200...M-million...Berries ?!" Nami repeated in disbelief.

" Ah!" Nami remembered something and smiled bitterly, saying, " ... He also did the same thing in that town."

" Huh?" Nojiko's interest got picked as she asked: " Yeah, he told me he has met you before. What happened back then?"

 

Nami smiled warily and started narrating what happened back then at Orange town, about how Austin and his friend Brain easily defeated the Buggy pirates and saved the town, and how he left a portion of Buggy treasures for the villagers so that they could repair their town.

Nami also mentioned that he was the one who gave her the 10 million Berries after she taught Brain all her navigation skills.

" So that's what happened! ... I bet that town and our island isn't the only places he helped before. " Nojiko smiled widely with stars in her eyes, clearly proud of her lover's deeds.

" Yeah." Nami nodded, remembering Austin's face.

" Let's return to our home," Nojiko said, holding Nami's hands.

" Yeah, let's go home!" Nami smiled widely and departed with Nojiko to their house at Mikane Grove.

Nami just wanted to rest, to have a long, peaceful, and deserved sleep in her home. Especially after suffering and fighting for the last 8 years!

 

....

The next day, the Straw Hats, namely Luffy, the injured Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji, arrived at Conomi islands.

After asking the people around about Nami, they quickly found out where her house was. So they departed toward Mikane Grove.

Arriving at Mikane Grove, they found Nami and Nojiko happily working on the orchard.

" NAMI!" Luffy yelled excitedly upon seeing Nami.

Nami flinched after hearing that voice. She hurriedly turned around toward the voice direction, only to find the Straw Hats approaching her house.

" You guys ... are here," Nami said with a nervous and embarrassed smile.

" Nami-shwaaaan! ... I have joined the crew! ... I will be forever with you!" Sanji jumped and yelled happily while running toward Nami.

Looking at this sight, Nami stood up and said, " Let's get to the house first ... I think I owe you all an explanation."

" Really, you 'think' ?!" Zoro, who is heavily injured from his fight with Mihawk, snorted at the notion.

" Okay, I'm sorry! ... I will explain everything inside." Nami smiled bitterly and added, " Just follow me, please."

Soon, the Straw Hats got into the house, along with Nami and Nojiko.

 

Inside the house, Nami started explaining everything from the beginning, about her reasons for stealing in the first place and why she ran away with their treasures and Going Merry.

After she finished narrating her story, there was silence in the room, which was quickly broken by the snoring of someone at the side.

" Oy, Luffy! Wake up! ... This is not the time for sleep!" Usopp yelled, yanking Luffy and waking him up.

" Huh?! Is the food ready?" Said Luffy, who had just woken up. He fell asleep from the first moment Nami started talking about her past.

" So, in the end, it was that Austin who saved the day, huh?" Sanji said from the side.

" I have met him before." Usopp suddenly interjected, which made Zoro look at him suspiciously.

Noticing Zoro's gaze, Usopp hurriedly added, " I swear, I'm not lying this time!"

" Well, I have also met him before," Zoro added.

" I have seen him once in the restaurant as well." Sanji looked surprised as everyone here had met this person before...almost everyone.

" I have never met him," Luffy said with his finger shoved in his nose.

" Where did you all meet him before?" Nojiko asked, clearly interested in anything that had to do with Austin, which was evident from the fact that she had his poster pinned on the wall just behind her.

" I have met him in Shells Town. Back then, I was..." Zoro narrated what happened previously with Austin briefly. Recounting how he was imprisoned by Helmeppo and how Austin saved him and beat up Axe-Hand Morgan.

" That's amazing! He also saved my village. Back then, the butler of Kaya was..." Usopp exclaimed in surprise before narrating what transpired in his village as well.

Basically, describing how Klahadore was actually a pirate, how he planned to kill Kaya and inherit her fortune, and how he was stopped by Austin's subordinate, who defeated all the pirates effortlessly.

" What about you?" Nojiko turned to look at Sanji, looking at him in anticipation, clearly waiting for him to recount another 'heroic' tale of Austin.

But she was soon disappointed by Sanji's following words.

" I just met him when he came to the restaurant ..." Sanji shrugged his shoulders, saying." Nothing really happened afterward."

" But it's really amazing how many people he helped!" Nami said in surprise.

"See, didn't I tell you before? I told you that our island and that town weren't the only ones he had saved." Nojiko boasted proudly.

" What town?" Usopp asked curiously.

" It's a town called Orange Town. The town was occupied by the Buggy pirates. They..." Nami spoke briefly about what occurred in Orange town.

Of course, she didn't mention her shameful act of nearly stealing the town's money.

 

Luffy, who was silent the whole time, suddenly spoke. " So he is a good guy."

" Yeah, he is definitely amazing!" Usopp nodded his head in agreement. Clearly, Austin had left a profound impact on him, which was further reinforced when he heard all about his tales.

" When I first met him, I felt something different from him, but to think he has done all this ... he is definitely someone extraordinary." Sanji puffed the smoke from his mouth and said with a clear hint of respect in his voice.

" It's surprising how everyone here had met him once," Zoro said with amusement and wonder.

" Not everyone. Luffy hasn't met him before." Usopp said, looking at Luffy.

" Huh? ... Should I?" Luffy glanced back at Usopp with his usual dumb expression.

" Never mind." Usopp shook his head.

" Anyway, I'm sorry, guys! ... I'm really sorry! ... Going Merry is on the shore alongside all your treasures," Nami said, bowing her head in apology.

" Nevermind, Nami, what's our next destination?" Luffy asked.

" Huh? What do you mean?" Nami asked with a puzzeled look.

" You are our ship's navigator, so where are we leaving next?" Luffy asked in a bewildered tone.

"But I just robbed you! ... Are you really gonna let me back on your ship?!" Nami said emotionally.

" Why not?" Luffy answered with a matter-of-fact tone.

" Luffy! You...!" Nami was stunned. She quickly turned to the other Straw Hats, only to find them nodding with smiles on their faces.

She couldn't help but feel emotional as her eyes became blurry. She was preparing to ask for their forgiveness and beg them to let her on the ship again.

She wanted to sail and meet with Austin on the sea, to thank him personally for everything he did for her and her village. She was genuinely grateful for his help and wanted to express it personally to him.

Nami also has another reason for sailing, or rather a dream actually. She wanted to draw the world's map!

Looking at her crew members, Nami couldn't help but smile and bowed deeply, saying, " Thank you, everyone! ... Really, thank you."

 

And just like that, The Straw Hats reunited with their beloved ship again, the Going Merry, along with their exceptional navigator, Nami!

 

.....

Meanwhile, in another location on the East Blue, on an island high above the sea.

Inside a castle situated on top of the hill, in the castle's main hall, a meeting was held between 5 individuals, 4 men and a woman.

" Bear King-sama. There is some new information about the Krieg pirates!" A fat man spoke, holding a report in his hand, which he passed a copy of it to the others.

" Huh? What information, Jack?" A large man wearing a furred captain's jacket, known as Bear King, asked.

" The Krieg pirates have suffered a crushing defeat at Baratie restaurant at the hands of some unknown pirates," Jack stated.

" What?!" The woman, who wore revealing clothes, exclaimed. " But I heard they have just come back from the Grand Line after suffering a huge defeat there!"

" It appears they have lost their power. They even lost at the hand of some unknown pirates there, di-gas ..." A skinny man shook his head.

" We should take advantage of their weakness to dominate the whole East Blue, Bear King-sama!" A man with a scar on his face abruptly said in a deep voice.

" How so, Pin Jocker?" the large man, Bear King, asked.

" Now that they are weak, we should quickly eliminate them! ... And after we eradicate them, we should announce our deeds to the whole world." Pin Jocker explained his plan. " Like that, we will be feared even more in the East Blue, and it will be easy for us at that time to recruit more pirates under our wings."

" He is right ... After we recruit more underlings, we can easily dominate the entire East Blue." The woman supported the plan.

" Yeah! ... And we can even try our chance in the Grand Line!" Jack added excitedly.

 

" Hmm ..." The Bear King thought for a moment before laughing, " Hahaha! You are right. This is indeed a good chance."

" Pin Jocker, how many ships do you think we need to eliminate the Krieg pirates?" Bear King asked.

" Hmm ... If Jack's report is correct ... Then we only need 3 Ships!" Pin Jocker replied.

" But would 3 ships be enough? ... With 30 ones per ship, that's only 90 pirates in total." The woman questioned.

" It's more than enough ..." Pin Jocker clarified, " According to Jack's report, only a hundred or so pirates are left in the Krieg pirates, and they were heavily injured after their battle in Baratie restaurant."

" He is right, Honey Queen. 90 pirates ... if led by me, can easily wipe out those injured weaklings, di-gas." the skinny man smiled, adding, " All I need to do is to spread my gas. And they will be paralyzed ... Afterward, even 10 pirates will be enough to finish them off, let alone 90 ones, di-gas."

" Excellent!" the Bear King exclaimed in satisfaction before ordering the skinny man, " Skunk-One, take 3 ships with 90 pirates on board and bring me Don Krieg's head alongside his other officers."

" Rest assured, Bear King-sama! ... I will bring you their heads, di-gas!" The skinny man, Skunk-One, answered with confidence.

" Perfect ... Then, after you finish preparation, leave quickly and eliminate them." The Bear King said with a wide grin on his face.

 

That day, 3 Ships with 91 pirates on board, including the commander, Skunk-One, departed from the island to hunt down the Krieg pirates!

 

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