The worn timbers of Silas's ship groaned as they nudged against Cocoyasi Village's weathered dock. The East Blue lapped gently against the shore, but there was an unnatural quiet to the place that set everyone on edge. Palm trees drooped as if wilted by despair, and the few buildings visible from the harbor looked more like ruins than homes.
Arlong's flag—a vicious saw-toothed grin—flew from a tower in the distance, its message clear: this island belonged to someone who ruled through fear.
The Straw Hats disembarked onto creaking planks that seemed ready to collapse under the slightest pressure. Everything about Cocoyasi Village spoke of a place that had given up hope long ago. Houses sagged under the weight of neglect, shutters hung crooked like broken teeth, and crude signs demanding tribute payments were scrawled on every visible wall.
The few villagers they glimpsed scattered like frightened fish at the sight of new arrivals. A child dropped his basket and ran, his mother quickly pulling him inside while shooting fearful glances at the pirates' weapons.
Luffy tilted his straw hat back, his usual grin fading as he took in the oppressive atmosphere. "This place feels... heavy," he said quietly. "Where's the laughter? Where are the smiles?"
Zoro, still favoring his injured ribs, leaned against a fence post and surveyed their surroundings with a warrior's eye. "Feels like a battlefield after the war's over. All the fight's been beaten out of these people."
Sanji lit a fresh cigarette, the flame from his lighter briefly illuminating his concerned expression. "This is no place for someone as beautiful as Nami-san. What kind of monster would turn paradise into purgatory?"
Usopp's legs shook as he looked around at the desolate village. "Everything about this place screams 'run away!' We should listen to it!"
Silas felt his tattoos pulse with familiar heat as memories of other oppressed towns flickered through his mind. He'd seen this before—the look of people who'd had their spirits crushed by those with power. His hand unconsciously moved to his flintlock as anger began to build in his chest.
Johnny and Yosaku led them deeper into the village, their usual cheerful demeanor replaced by somber determination. "This way, big brothers. The villagers will want to hear what you've got to say about Nami."
They were intercepted by a grizzled man with scars crisscrossing his weathered face and a rusted sword at his hip. His eyes held the hardness of someone who'd seen too much and trusted too little.
"Hold it right there," the man said, positioning himself between the pirates and the village proper. "I'm Genzo, and if you're here on Arlong's business, you can turn right around. These people have suffered enough."
Johnny raised his hands peacefully. "Easy, big brother Genzo! We're not with Arlong. These are the Straw Hat Pirates—Nami's crew!"
Genzo's expression didn't soften. If anything, it grew harder. "Nami's crew?" He spat in the dust. "That girl chose her side long ago. She's one of them now—Arlong's navigator, his little pet thief."
The words hit the crew like a physical blow. Sanji's cigarette fell from his lips, Usopp's jaw dropped, and even Zoro's perpetual scowl deepened. Only Luffy seemed unaffected, his expression growing more serious but not despairing.
"You're wrong," Luffy said simply, his voice carrying absolute conviction. "Nami would never betray anyone. If she's with Arlong, there's a reason, and we're going to find out what it is."
A woman wrapped in a faded shawl approached from behind Genzo, her eyes red with old tears. "She was our sunshine once," she whispered. "Little Nami, always drawing maps and dreaming of the world beyond. Now she steals for that monster."
Genzo's shoulders sagged slightly. "Arlong demands 100,000 berries per person, every month. Adults, children, elderly—doesn't matter. Can't pay, you disappear. And Nami... she helps him collect."
Silas felt something cold settle in his stomach. The numbers were staggering—no small village could sustain that kind of tribute. These people were being slowly bled to death, and Nami was supposedly part of it.
But looking at Luffy's unwavering faith, at Sanji's growing anger, at Zoro's thoughtful silence, Silas realized something important: they didn't believe it. Not really. There had to be more to the story.
Genzo led them through the village, past broken boats and abandoned shops, to a small clinic where a tired-looking doctor was tending to a young girl's injured arm.
"Dr. Nako," Genzo said quietly, "these pirates claim to be Nami's friends."
The doctor looked up with eyes that had seen too much suffering. "Friends of Nami?" He gestured to the girl's wounds. "Arlong's men did this because she 'looked at them wrong.' And your friend was there, watching, counting their take."
Sanji's hands clenched into fists. "That's impossible. Nami-san would never stand by while innocent people were hurt."
"Wouldn't she?" Nako's voice was bitter. "Then you don't know her as well as you think."
Dr. Nako continued his work as he spoke, his voice growing softer with memory. "Nami wasn't always like this. She was raised by Bell-mère—a former Marine with a heart bigger than the ocean. Bell-mère took Nami and her sister Nojiko in when they were just babies, loved them like her own blood."
The story that followed painted a picture that made everything clear and broke their hearts simultaneously. Ten years ago, Arlong had arrived at Cocoyasi Village with his crew, demanding tribute from every living soul. Bell-mère, despite having barely enough money to survive, had stood up to the Fishman tyrant.
"She could have claimed poverty," Nako explained, his hands steady despite the emotion in his voice. "Could have said she didn't have enough to pay for three people. But Bell-mère looked that monster in the eye and said, 'I have two daughters. I'll pay for all three of us, or none at all.'"
The silence that followed was deafening. Everyone understood what that defiance had cost.
"Arlong killed her for it," Genzo added quietly. "Shot her down in front of the girls. Then he made Nami an offer—work for him, steal for him, and maybe someday she could buy the village's freedom. 100 million berries, he said. That's what it would cost to free Cocoyasi."
Luffy's fist clenched so tight his knuckles went white, but his voice remained steady. "So she's been trying to save everyone this whole time."
"For eight years," Nako confirmed. "Stealing, navigating for pirates, building a reputation as a master thief, all to collect enough money to buy your freedom. That's the Nami we know."
Sanji's eyes glistened with unshed tears. "All this time, she's been carrying that burden alone..."
Zoro's hand moved to his sword. "No wonder she tried to steal from us. She was desperate."
Usopp, for once, had nothing cowardly to say. The magnitude of Nami's sacrifice left him speechless.
Silas felt his tattoos burning like brands beneath his shirt. The story resonated with memories of his own mother's sacrifice, her willingness to give everything for those she loved. "She's been fighting a war none of us knew about," he said quietly.
But even as understanding dawned, questions remained. How close was Nami to her goal? What would Arlong do when she finally gathered the money? And most importantly—would he actually keep his word?
The sun was setting over Cocoyasi Village, painting the sky in shades of red that reminded everyone of blood and promises. Somewhere in the distance, Arlong Park loomed like a fortress of tyranny, and within its walls, their nakama continued her lonely battle for freedom.
The Straw Hats stood in the village square, surrounded by the evidence of eight years of oppression, finally understanding the true depth of Nami's courage. She hadn't betrayed them—she'd been protecting an entire island, one stolen berry at a time.