After an unknown amount of time, Nami finally stopped.
Or rather—
Arlong's neck had finally been severed.
The sawshark Fish-Man who had ruled Cocoyasi Village for years was now lying motionless in a pool of blood.
Nami knelt beside him, clutching the golden saber tightly as tears streamed endlessly down her face.
She cried softly, her shoulders trembling.
The hatred, pain, and helplessness she had buried in her heart for so many years all poured out at this moment.
"I am the captain of the War Pirates."
Kaito stepped forward and extended his right hand toward Nami.
"Now, I officially welcome you to join our pirate crew."
Nami slowly raised her head.
Her eyes, still filled with tears, stared blankly at the hand before her.
Then she followed that hand upward and looked at the man standing in front of her.
The man who had helped her kill Arlong.
The man who had freed Cocoyasi Village.
The man who had freed her.
Following her instincts, she slowly raised her trembling right hand.
Then—
She placed it in Kaito's palm.
Thus, the ceremony of joining the crew was completed.
That night—
Under the star-filled sky—
A grand banquet was held in Cocoyasi Village.
"Drink! Drink!"
"We're finally free!"
"Hahaha! This is amazing!"
"It's been ages since I've eaten something this delicious!"
Not only the villagers of Cocoyasi Village attended.
The members of the War Pirates joined in as well.
Just like when the Straw Hat Pirates defeated Arlong in the original story—
When the War Pirates destroyed the Arlong Pirates without plundering anything, the villagers warmly welcomed them.
Of course—
Although it was said that Cocoyasi Village was hosting the banquet—
It was actually closer to the War Pirates hosting it themselves.
After all, the village was simply too poor.
There wasn't much food to begin with.
Most of the ingredients and drinks had been brought by the War Pirates.
"Three hundred and fifty million Berries?!"
Inside the small house beside the orange grove—
Nami and Nojiko cried out in unison.
Both sisters stared at Kaito in shock.
"That's right."
Kaito smiled.
"My current bounty is 350 million Berries."
"T-That's terrifying!"
Nami unconsciously hugged the orange she was holding against her chest.
"Are pirates in West Blue all this powerful?"
Kaito laughed.
"Not really."
"Although it sounds a bit arrogant..."
"I think I'm just a rather special pirate."
"This is the first time I've ever seen a pirate with a bounty over one hundred million."
Nojiko couldn't help sighing.
"No..."
"Forget one hundred million."
"I've never even seen a pirate with a bounty over fifty million."
"It's over..."
Nami suddenly collapsed face-first onto the table.
"You're so powerful."
"Marine will definitely hunt you down."
"I can already see my future—running for my life while Marines chase me everywhere."
She wailed dramatically.
Kaito glanced over.
Then his eyes unconsciously paused.
He couldn't help praising inwardly.
Not fully developed yet...
But Nami's figure really is impressive.
The glimpse of fair skin visible through the collar of her short-sleeved shirt was already quite eye-catching.
"What?"
"Regretting it already?"
Kaito asked with amusement.
"No way!"
Nami instantly sprang up.
"I'm not the kind of person who regrets her decisions!"
She puffed out her chest and declared confidently.
But—
If one looked down—
It was easy to notice that her legs were trembling nonstop.
They were shaking so badly they almost left afterimages.
Kaito almost laughed.
"Um..."
Just then—
Nojiko, who had been sitting quietly beside them, spoke softly.
"Mr. Kaito..."
"I was wondering..."
"Could I join your crew too?"
The room instantly fell silent.
Nami's eyes widened.
"Nojiko..."
"Of course."
Before Nami could finish speaking—
Kaito had already agreed.
He carefully looked Nojiko over and nodded with a smile.
"Really?!"
Nojiko's eyes lit up.
"That's wonderful!"
"T-This..."
Nami frowned.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, yet hesitated.
Kaito naturally noticed her reaction.
He smiled.
"Relax."
"Neither of you is particularly strong right now."
"Even if you wanted to fight, I wouldn't let you take unnecessary risks."
"You'll both be assigned to logistics for the time being."
He looked at Nami first.
"Nami, I'll place you in the navigator team."
Then he turned toward Nojiko.
"As for you..."
"I know some medical skills."
Nojiko hurriedly raised her hand.
"And I can cook too."
She seemed worried Kaito might refuse her.
Kaito nodded casually.
"In that case..."
"You'll join the medical team for now."
Compared to recruiting Nami—
Accepting Nojiko was a trivial matter.
As for why Nojiko wanted to join the War Pirates—
Kaito didn't think much about it.
Hearing that both she and Nojiko would be assigned to support roles—
Nami finally relaxed.
It wasn't that she feared death.
She was simply afraid something would happen to Nojiko.
She wasn't stupid.
She knew perfectly well—
Nojiko wanted to join the War Pirates because of her.
And her feelings about Nojiko joining were complicated.
Part of her worried.
Part of her was happy.
She worried that pirate life was dangerous.
But she was also happy—
Because she finally had someone by her side.
After all—
Nami was only fifteen years old.
And the War Pirates...
Were not the Straw Hat Pirates.
Even from their brief interactions—
Nami could already tell.
The War Pirates weren't just large in number.
They were also incredibly aggressive.
If Kaito hadn't wiped out Arlong and his crew—
Under normal circumstances—
Nami would have stayed as far away from a pirate crew like this as possible.
Therefore—
Even though Kaito had been gentle and considerate toward her—
She still felt uneasy about her future aboard the War Pirates.
At times like this—
Having Nojiko with her undoubtedly gave her much-needed reassurance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent cannon fire erupted.
Shells rained down upon a small island ahead.
It was the fleet of the War Pirates opening fire.
And their target—
Was a Marine base built on the island.
"AAAHHH!"
"My leg! My leg's gone!"
"Run!"
"The pirates are invading!"
Explosions rang out nonstop.
Buildings within the Marine base collapsed one after another.
The stationed Marines either died screaming—
Or fled in terror.
"Hurry!"
"Set sail!"
Colonel Mouse—
The commanding officer of the base—
Was among those fleeing.
He hurried aboard a warship with his trusted subordinates.
Then he frantically shouted at the sailors.
But—
Before the warship could even leave the harbor—
A dense barrage of shells descended from the sky.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The ship exploded instantly.
Colonel Mouse's face twisted with despair.
Then—
Together with the warship—
He was swallowed by the sea.
The bombardment gradually ceased.
Smoke drifted across the island.
The Marine base had been completely reduced to ruins.
Standing at the bow of the flagship—
Kaito lowered the telescope in his hand.
Then he looked toward Nami beside him and smiled.
"Alright."
"The last hidden danger threatening your village has been taken care of."
"From now on..."
"You can stay on the ship without any worries."
-------------------------
For advanced chapters, visit patreon.com/Varnok