Luffy rejected Usopp's suggestion without the slightest hesitation.
"No. I don't want to!"
"Huh? Why not?"
"It'd be way too boring to enter the Grand Line like that!"
The others did not say anything more.
They had not known Luffy for long, but they already understood that he was a boy who constantly talked about becoming the pirate king and took it very seriously. There was no way he would take a shortcut like that. Camie, however, smiled after hearing him and said, "Then, Mr. Luffy, you'll have to enter the Grand Line through Reverse Mountain. But if you aren't in a hurry, I'd actually suggest staying a few days at the next stop!"
"Huh? Why?"
"It's simple. The next stop is the central station among the twelve stations on the East Blue side: City of Gold Station. There, you'll find the miracle that connects the East Blue and the South Blue, crossing the entire Grand Line. The Rainbow Bridge!"
"The Rainbow Bridge!"
The moment Nami heard that name, her eyes lit up. Without the slightest hesitation, she stood up and made up her mind.
"We're going... We absolutely have to go..."
Everyone looked at Nami's eager expression and could not understand it at all.
Only then did Nami look at them and explain excitedly, "I once heard Mr. Merry say that there are four enormous bridges on the sea known as miracles. They're made entirely from clouds, breathtakingly beautiful, and ships can sail through them. They stretch across the sky, the sea, and the land, connecting the East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, and North Blue. I always thought it was just a fairy tale. I never thought it was real..."
"Of course it's real. I've been there many times. It isn't quite as exaggerated as you said, Nami-san, but it really is unbelievably beautiful. It's as beautiful as Fish-Man Island."
Camie's confirmation only made Nami even more excited.
"Then does that mean the angel girls up there are real too?!"
Sanji, who had not been paying much attention, froze the moment he heard the words angel girls.
Images of beautiful angels appeared in his mind before he could stop himself.
"Um, they aren't angels. They're a special race living on Angel Island, the middle station of the Rainbow Bridge. But they really do look a lot like angels, and they're all very pretty!"
This time, Sanji had no hesitation at all. He put on a gentlemanly air, raised his hand, and said, "I support Nami-san's decision!"
At that, Usopp and Zoro both instinctively glanced at Luffy.
Luffy grinned too.
"In that case, let's go take a look. Hehe!"
...
Just yesterday, they had been facing life and death. Today, they were heading off to the legendary Rainbow Bridge and Angel Island for an adventure.
The wild swings were a little too much for Nami to handle.
Luffy and the others, on the other hand, really were born with nerves of steel. They had fought a battle yesterday and had almost been swallowed by a storm, yet after barely resting and eating a good meal, they could no longer stand the cramped train car and ran outside to enjoy the view.
With all the boys gone, only Bell-mère and her two daughters were left in the carriage.
Nami had wanted to rest for a while, but when she heard footsteps on the roof above her, her face filled with exasperation.
"You idiots! Keep it down!"
After she shouted, Luffy and the others quieted down a little. Whether they had actually quieted down or simply run off somewhere else was another matter.
Just then, Bell-mère's sudden question made Nami and Nojiko beside her both freeze.
"So, have you made up your mind?"
Before Nami could react, Bell-mère continued.
"To follow those boys out onto the sea."
"Are you kidding? I'm not becoming a pirate."
Nami refuted her instinctively.
"I may hate the Marines, but that doesn't mean I want to become a pirate."
"Is that so? But I think you get along very well with those kids. And they saved our whole family."
Bell-mère's words left Nami unsure how to argue. Sensing something, she asked instead, "Bell-mère, do you want me to become a pirate?"
"No..."
Looking at the constantly changing scenery outside, Bell-mère shook her head and stroked Nami and Nojiko's heads.
"Actually, whether it's the Marines or pirates, I don't want you or Nojiko to become part of either."
That stunned both Nami and Nojiko.
"Is that strange?"
Nami and Nojiko nodded without thinking.
Only then did Bell-mère slowly begin to speak.
"I've told you before that I once took part in the war between the Marines and the Rainbow Country twenty years ago. That wasn't something as simple as the Marines catching pirates. It was a real war. In that war, I lost everything. All of my friends in the Marines died there."
As she said this, both of them could feel Bell-mère's body trembling and the pain in her heart.
"You wouldn't understand the pain of watching your friends or family die beside you, begging you for help, while your hands are covered in their blood and you're powerless to do anything. I don't want either of you to face that kind of pain one day."
For some reason, Nami thought of the dream she had had and clenched her fists tightly.
"But I also know there's nothing I can do. I can't stop anything."
"In the future, there will definitely be a battlefield even greater than the war from twenty years ago."
"I tried to stop it, but you've seen the result now. They treat me like an enemy."
"And you too, Nami. Ever since you showed your unique talent as a navigator, I became even more worried, because I knew you were never meant to be trapped in the East Blue."
"You may hate me for it, but I want you to know that I just didn't want to lose you."
At that moment, Nami finally understood her adoptive mother's feelings. Tears streamed down her face as she threw her arms around Bell-mère and cried with her.
After a while, once both of them had calmed down, Bell-mère smiled and said, "But things are different now. I can't say what the future will be like, but seeing those friends who were willing to break into a Marine base alone to save you, I know you've already found companions you can rely on."
"So from now on, I won't control you anymore. The road ahead is yours to walk."
Bell-mère and Nami held each other tightly.
"What about you and Nojiko?"
Bell-mère sighed.
"I used to be a Marine, but you've seen how rotten the Marines have become. Meanwhile, our enemies are only getting better and better. So next, I'll find a place far away from war and live quietly... What about you, Nojiko?"
Nojiko, who had barely spoken all this time, looked at her younger sister.
"Since my little sister is going out to sea, then as her older sister, I can only stay behind and keep Bell-mère company. Otherwise, she'd be too pitiful all alone."
As if sensing what Nami was about to say, Nojiko hugged her younger sister.
"It's okay. Just like Bell-mère said, everyone has their own path. I don't have your talent, Nami, but being able to stay by Bell-mère's side makes me happy too. Nami, Bell-mère and I will be watching over you. You have to protect yourself and live well..."