East Blue.
Cocoyasi Village, Conomi Archipelago.
It was late afternoon when the three finally docked and stepped ashore.
Nami forced a smile, trying her best to stay cheerful. "This is Cocoyasi Village. Welcome to my home."
Kaya and Jin exchanged a glance, understanding her mood and offering a few words of support.
Nami quickly pulled herself together and said, "Let's go find Nojiko first. She's my sister. I should let her know about the decision I've made."
"And we can ask her about the situation with those fish-men."
Neither Jin nor Kaya had any objections. They were guests here, after all.
Without wasting time, the three followed Nami westward, into the village.
They passed through a grove of tangerine trees.
Here, Nami's expression visibly softened.
Jin casually plucked three tangerines, tossing them around playfully to amuse the girls.
Nami giggled brightly—until she spotted the front gate of a familiar house.
It was right there... that Bellemere had collapsed...
But this time, Nami didn't get overwhelmed by grief.
With Jin around, it was like that emotional knot in her heart had finally unraveled.
Maybe it was the sense of security he brought. Now that she looked closer... his face was absurdly handsome.
...
Before long, a figure came into view ahead—a girl with short blue hair, standing on tiptoe picking tangerines.
Joy sparked in Nami's eyes. She waved and shouted, "Nojiko!"
"Huh?"
Nojiko turned at the familiar voice, visibly startled. "Nami? Is that really you?!"
Then her gaze fell on the man behind Nami.
Standing nearly two meters tall, his build was ridiculously muscular.
Nojiko's heart tensed.
This guy has terrifying presence. He's smiling, but he feels even more dangerous than Arlong...
She took a moment to steady herself, then folded her arms and teased, "Look at you, Nami. All grown up now—bringing a boyfriend home."
"But seriously, with a guy this huge... can you even handle him?"
Nami had been about to introduce them formally, but that feral comment made her face go beet red.
"Nojiko! What the hell are you saying?!"
"He's not my boyfriend—he's just my captain! W-We haven't gotten to that stage!"
"Just your captain?" Nojiko smirked knowingly, shooting Jin a mischievous glance. "Well, sounds like there's still a chance. She didn't say no, after all."
"I'll take your blessing, then," Jin replied with a grin.
Like he owned the place, he strolled over to a nearby tangerine tree beside Nojiko and plucked the biggest, juiciest one.
The three he was originally tossing around? He handed those to Kaya.
Then he peeled the best one open and popped it into his mouth.
The burst of sweet, juicy citrus down his throat made him unconsciously click his tongue.
Jin licked his lips and gave Nojiko a thumbs-up. "Juicy and sweet. Your technique's impressive."
Nojiko froze, her legs nearly buckling under his intense gaze.
He's talking about the tangerine, right...? Why does it sound so dirty...?
She didn't respond right away. Instead, she pulled Nami aside and whispered, "Is he your new target?"
"You've joined a bunch of pirate crews before, but this is the first one you've ever brought home. Is he rich?"
Nami's face grew serious. She shook her head. "No. It's like this..."
She then explained everything—in detail—for ten whole minutes.
Afterward—
"WHAT? He wants to kill the fish-men?!"
Nojiko cried out in disbelief, her eyes darting toward Jin, who was still casually devouring tangerines.
"That's right."
Nami's tone turned solemn. "That's why we came back first—to confirm whether those bastards are still holed up in Arlong Park."
Nojiko was speechless.
The blue-haired girl stood frozen, her thoughts spinning.
At first, she'd been delighted to see Nami return.
But she never imagined Nami would abandon her plan of raising 100 million Berries and instead put her faith in...
...this guy who kicks trees waiting for fruit to fall.
She'd always trusted Nami unconditionally.
But right now? She was seriously questioning whether Jin was reliable.
She simply couldn't believe a human could kill those brutal fish-men.
Those monsters had terrorized the entire Conomi Archipelago and even killed their adoptive mother!
Still, seeing that Nami had clearly made up her mind, Nojiko decided not to argue.
She knew Nami's personality too well—just like when they were kids.
Once she set her mind on something, not even ten bulls could pull her back.
Trying to change her mind now would be pointless.
So after a moment's thought, Nojiko said, "They're still in Arlong Park. Recently, the surrounding villages and towns have paid them a ton of berries."
"So they've just been partying non-stop in their den these past few days."
At that, she turned to Jin and warned seriously, "I don't know where your confidence comes from, challenging Arlong."
"But I hope you know what you're getting into. Arlong is much stronger than you think."
She clearly meant well, but Jin didn't bother with a speech.
Among all the fish-men, the only one he truly acknowledged was Jinbei.
Arlong? Please. What a joke.
Jin stuffed the last orange slice into Nami's mouth, ruffled her short orange hair, and said, "Go on. You and Kaya—let everyone in the village know to stay indoors."
"Got it!"
Nami and Kaya nodded and ran off without delay.
The expansive tangerine grove was suddenly left with only Jin and Nojiko.
"Jin..."
Once Nami was out of sight, Nojiko finally turned to him with a complicated look.
"Nami seems to have a lot of faith in you. Are you really confident you can beat those fish-men?"
"It's not about beating them. It's about killing them."
Jin suddenly smiled. "Wanna make a bet? If I pull it off, you become my woman."
Nojiko: ???
"You already have Nami, don't you?"
"Exactly. The three of us living happily together—that's what matters most."
"..."
[End of Chapter]