The start of their life together

After killing Captain Nezumi, Arthur did not spare the three Marine soldiers behind him. They were all corrupt Marines.

After killing them one by one, Arthur first sank the three soldiers in the sea, then put Captain Nezumi's and Arlong's heads into a sack.

As he had told Smoker before, if the Marines did not deal with Captain Nezumi before he did, Arthur would bring his head to Smoker.

When the time came, Arthur did not care how Smoker handled it, whether he chose to put a bounty on him or let him go.

Whether he was a bounty hunter or a pirate.

His only goal was to hold victory in his hands.

"Come on, let's keep searching the village. Some Fish-Man remnants might still be alive," Arthur said to Nami, carrying the sack.

"Yeah, let's go." Nami smiled sweetly, her smile full of joy and happiness, with none of her earlier heaviness or dejection.

Freed from Arlong's shackles, the girl had finally returned to her true nature and become lively again.

Arthur cast one last look at Arlong Domain. There he saw Arlong's corpse, Hachi's corpse, and the corpses of the other officers.

The place had become a graveyard for Fish-Men.

Back in the village, Arthur and Nami found that the villagers had all gathered together. Everyone was armed with something they could fight with: machetes, daggers, farm tools, and even sticks.

A group hurried toward them, led by the village policeman Genzo and Nami's older sister, Nojiko.

"Everyone, what are you...?" Nami asked blankly, looking at the large group prepared to face death.

"Nami, are you all right?!"

The villagers rushed over as soon as they saw Nami, and Nojiko spoke up excitedly.

"I'm fine..." Still unable to make sense of what was happening, Nami pointed at Nojiko, then at the villagers. "What are you all planning to do, gathered like this?"

"Some of us saw the man with you kill a Fish-Man and head for Arlong Domain. We were afraid something would happen to you, so we gathered to go and save you," Genzo said gravely. "We all know what you've sacrificed for us. With a Fish-Man dead, Arlong would never let us go. We've made up our minds to fight back. Everyone's had enough of his rule, and we're ready to fight to the death."

"That's right, Nami. Thank you for everything you've endured these past eight years," the villagers shouted in agreement.

Hearing this, Nami's tears spilled over again. She could not help smiling happily as she choked out, "Thank you. Thank you, everyone..."

"We're the ones who should be thanking you. You've been through so much." Genzo patted Nami on the shoulder, tears in his old eyes. "This time, let's fight together."

"Let's fight them to the death!" the villagers shouted fiercely, raising their weapons.

"Pfft... Thank you, everyone, but there's no need..." Moved by their fearlessness in the face of death, Nami could not help laughing through her tears. Wiping them away, she said with a smile, "You can all go home. Arlong is already dead."

"..."

Nami's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over a fire, instantly extinguishing the passion the villagers had struggled to muster.

Seeing the villagers come to an abrupt halt, Nami smiled adorably, then suddenly wrapped her arms around Arthur's arm and said, "Let me introduce him. This is my captain. He defeated Arlong and wiped out the entire Arlong Pirates."

To confirm Nami's words, Arthur obligingly tossed the sack in his hand onto the ground.

A head rolled out. It was Arlong's.

The villagers looked at one another, staring at Arlong's face, his eyes still open in death.

"Ohhh!"

After a long while, a thunderous cheer rang out, seemingly spreading throughout Cocoyasi Village.

Like Nami's cheers, theirs were full of liberation and freedom.

Clang—

Faintly, it was as if the sound of shackles falling to the ground could be heard.

Night fell.

A huge bonfire burned in Cocoyasi Village. The villagers held hands, danced in circles, and sang, their cheers giving full vent to eight years of emotion.

Not far away, two figures sat on a freshly felled tree.

"Thank you so much for what you did this time..."

Genzo clinked his glass against Arthur's, took a long drink, and spoke calmly.

"Don't mention it. Nami is my companion." Unaccustomed to the taste of beer, Arthur was drinking red wine as usual.

"I never expected you to be the famous Wind Sword Knight. No wonder Nami came to you for help," Genzo said with a faint sigh.

Arthur smiled slightly and said nothing.

"So, are you planning to take Nami with you?" Genzo took another swig and turned to look at Arthur.

"I'll invite her. I won't force her to choose." Arthur's eyes were full of confidence. He did not believe Nami would choose to stay.

"I see. Then congratulations." Genzo clearly knew Nami's character as well. Smiling slightly, he slowly got to his feet. "You may be the famous Wind Sword Knight, but if I find out you've mistreated Nami, I won't let you get away with it."

"Yeah..." Arthur raised his glass toward Genzo's departing back and drained it in one gulp.

Not long after Genzo left, a graceful figure came and sat down beside Arthur, looking him over without the slightest attempt to hide it.

After a long while, she said with satisfaction, "You're handsome enough for our Nami."

"Arthur Pendragon." Arthur held out his right hand to her with a slight smile.

"Nojiko." Nojiko took his hand.

"Where did Nami go?" Arthur took a fresh wineglass, filled it halfway, and handed it to Nojiko.

"Oh, she's at the doctor's right now," Nojiko said with a smile as she accepted the glass.

Arthur caught the concern in her smile, so he asked no more.

Nojiko took a hearty swig, patted Arthur on the shoulder, and pointed in a direction. "Nami will probably go over there later. You can wait for her there."

Arthur nodded.

At the top of a slope, Arthur found a grave and a graceful figure sitting beside it.

He walked up behind Nami and saw a white bandage wrapped around her left shoulder. Her head was lowered, and he did not know what she was thinking.

Arthur hesitated, then reached out and rested a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, it's you, Arthur..." Nami looked up, a gentle smile appearing on her beautiful face.

"What are you thinking about?" Arthur asked, sitting down beside her.

"I was thinking how nice it would be if Bellemere were still here..." Nami hugged her knees, her chin resting on them as she gazed at the gravestone and whispered.

"Is Bellemere the person buried here?"

"Yeah. She was the one who raised Nojiko and me. Even though she wasn't our birth mother, we always thought of her as our mother..." Nami spoke softly. "When Arlong first came here, he demanded that everyone pay a tribute of a hundred thousand Beli each month. Bellemere didn't have that much money, so she used the hundred thousand to save Nojiko and me, choosing to die by Arlong's gun."

"She was remarkable," Arthur said admiringly, nodding.

"Yeah, she really was..." Nami wiped the traces of tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to Arthur with a smile. "Thank you, Arthur. I know you never kill innocent people other than the leaders. Because of me, you not only went against your knightly principles and said those harsh, cutting things, but also chose to kill them so bloodily. You even let me kill Arlong with my own hands. Thank you... Thank you..."

As she said the last words, Nami threw herself into Arthur's arms, incoherently repeating her thanks.

"Yes, it's all Nami's fault. You've made me less upright than I used to be." Arthur embraced her and chuckled. "As compensation, I'll sentence you to be my navigator and spend your whole life making it up to me. How does that sound?"

"You said it... I'm your navigator, and I will be for life." Nami burrowed into Arthur's embrace like a little girl seeking affection.

Chapter 14: The start of their life together

At noon the next day, the sun shone high overhead.

Arthur and Nami carried two orange trees onto the deck, then turned to face the villagers gathered on shore.

Looking at those familiar faces, Nami recalled memories of her childhood. Feeling her eyes grow warm, she quickly blinked. Honestly... I've been crying more and more these past two days.

"Goodbye, everyone!" Nami cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to the villagers, her beautiful face lighting up with the sweet smile they all remembered from her childhood.

She then turned and walked into the cabin, not daring to look back for fear they would see her sadness.

"Goodbye, Nami, Arthur..." The villagers were all reluctant to part with them, but their faces bore smiles of well-wishing.

"Goodbye."

Arthur raised a hand and waved to the villagers.

"Arthur, I'm leaving Nami in your care. You must look after her and never let her suffer any injustice." Genzo took off his police cap, two trails of tears running down his scarred face.

Arthur, who had just turned around, raised a hand and waved it without turning back.

"He really is a fine man. Nami smiles more happily than usual when she's with him. Bellemere, you'd support her, wouldn't you?" Nojiko murmured with a smile, hands on her hips as she watched the sailboat recede from shore.

On deck, Arthur sat in the shade of an orange tree.

"I can't believe it," Arthur said helplessly. "The Arlong Pirates ruled the East Blue, and yet they didn't even have a large ship."

"They're Fish-Men, after all. Every one of them is an excellent swimmer, so it couldn't be helped," Nami said comfortingly with a smile as she pruned her beloved orange tree beside him.

"Before we enter the Grand Line, let's get a ship. It doesn't have to be too big, but it needs at least two rooms." Arthur looked up at the blue sky. It was a cloudless day, and the scorching sun was uncomfortable.

At Arthur's words, Nami paused in her pruning, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "Why don't you move into the room too?" she said softly.

"What?" Arthur looked at Nami in surprise.

"D-don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want you getting burned black, and besides, not getting enough sleep is bad for your health. We don't have much money, and we'll be broke after buying a ship. We should at least wait until we have enough funds before thinking about changing ships." Nami's face was bright red as she put on a haughty front. "Until then, you can share a room with me, but you absolutely can't put your hands on me..."

Nami's voice caught there, and her shy expression suddenly turned sly. Holding the two treasures on her chest, she thrust out her breasts at Arthur and posed in a seductive S-curve. Blushing, she gave him a flirtatious wink. "Of course, you can touch my breasts, but it's one million Beli a time. Touching my butt costs five million, and doing either without clothes in the way costs ten million."

"..."

In just two sentences, she had gone from a shy girl to a seductive enchantress, and the change felt perfectly natural. That acting... She truly was the little thief who had spent eight years running circles around various pirate crews.

Arthur was left speechless, but a smile appeared on his face.

This Nami was her cutest and most beautiful self.

"Worth considering," Arthur said with a perfectly serious expression, pinching his chin as he teased her.

"Right? Right? You still have two million Beli, so you can touch my breasts twice. Want to do it now?" Nami put down the scissors, knelt in front of Arthur, and tilted her head up, blinking at him.

From the front, Arthur could clearly see her cleavage and the faint pink flush of her exposed skin.

At Nami's words, Arthur instinctively raised a hand, cupped one breast from below, and squeezed it through her clothes.

Warmth spread into his hand, and the sensation stirred his heart.

"Thank you for your business..." Nami bit her lower lip and looked at Arthur, her cheeks flushed. "You have one more," she said in a trembling voice.

Whoosh—bang!

The wind rushed past, and the cabin door slammed shut.

"Hahaha..." Nami clutched her stomach and giggled. She had already prepared herself for something, but she had never expected Arthur to flee.

The sight of him had been far too cute.

Inside the cabin, Arthur rushed to the bathroom and took a cold shower.

"How terrible. It's only the first day, and things are already like this. I don't know how many days I can hold out." Arthur felt hot all over, his blood surging. He had almost been unable to stop himself from taking Nami right there.

But at the critical moment, Arthur had held back.

He was no Liu Xiahui, but he had a man's sense of responsibility.

It would be the first time for both him and Nami.

Even if he took Nami's first time, he had to choose a good setting and the right atmosphere.

When Arthur came out after his shower, Nami had finished pruning the orange tree. She was sitting in the cool shade, quill in hand, marking a nautical chart.

"My, my, you weren't secretly taking care of yourself in there, were you?" Seeing Arthur come out, Nami, who had been drawing intently, immediately teased him with a playful look. "You only touched me once just now. How about I give you a discount and use my hand to take care of you for that million?"