Pirate: I, Buggy, am the Emperor, the Emperor of the Clown King!

After leaving Dragon Paradise, Nami walked the road she had walked for eight years.

Although she is now the Grand Steward of the Buggy Pirates.

But there aren't that many things to deal with right now... at least most of the things can be left to those silly pirate henchmen.

Nami took a deep breath.

The air was filled with the scent of orange blossoms, the salty smell of the sea breeze, and... the suffocating feeling that had been weighing on my chest for eight years was gone.

It's been 8 years!

How many 8-year periods are there in a lifetime?

Eight years ago, when Bellemere collapsed, her eyes were still looking in their direction.

This matter weighed on Nami's heart like a stone.

Nami raised her hand and touched her left shoulder.

The tattoo of the Arlong Pirates was still visible beneath the clothes.

But there's a fresh scratch on it, as if trying to erase this trace of the past.

Nami's lips curled up slightly: "I need to find a chance to get this tattoo removed."

At that moment, a commotion arose in the distance.

Nami looked up and saw a large crowd gathered in the direction of the village.

The villagers hid behind the houses, peeking out half their heads and looking towards the direction of Dragon Paradise.

The sound of those cannon shots could be heard throughout the entire village of Cocoyasi.

But they dared not approach.

Over the past eight years, they have long since learned to stay away from Dragon Paradise, not to provoke those fishmen, and not to cause trouble for themselves.

Because provoking those murlocs has extremely tragic and painful consequences.

Nami quickened her pace.

Just as I entered the village, a figure rushed over.

"Nami!"

It was a middle-aged man wearing a strange windmill hat, with stitches and sutures on his face.

Those are scars left from the ravages inflicted by the Arlong Pirates.

He is A-Jian, the village chief and part-time security officer of Cocoa West Village.

He is also Nami and Nojiko's guardian, having cared for them since they were children. After Bellemere's death, he risked his life to protect the two sisters.

"Nami!" Ken rushed to Nami, looking her up and down. "Are you alright? What happened with those shots? What happened at Dragon Park? Are you hurt?"

A barrage of questions came at me like a machine gun.

Nami looked at Ken's scarred face and saw the genuine worry in his eyes, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart.

"Jian," she said softly, "I'm fine."

Ah Jian paused for a moment, then looked closely at Nami's face.

There was no fear, no weariness, and no simmering bitterness on that face that he had carried for the past eight years.

Instead, he saw a strange smile he had never seen before.

It was as if a heavy burden had finally been lifted, or as if a certain decision had finally been made.

"What exactly happened?" Ah Jian's voice softened, tinged with uncertainty.

Nami was silent for a moment.

Then she looked up and looked into Ah Jian's eyes.

"The Arlong Pirates have been wiped out."

Ah Jian's body jolted violently.

His eyes widened, his mouth opened, as if he wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

That scarred face seemed to freeze in that instant.

"What...what did you say?"

"The Arlong Pirates," Nami repeated calmly, "were wiped out."

"That fish-man Arlong, Hachi, Crooby, and Chu... they were all defeated."

"The dragon himself had his limbs severed, and even his nose was cut off."

"His men were either dead or maimed."

"Dragon Paradise has been reduced to ruins."

As Nami spoke, she took the dragon's nose out of her pocket.

This will be her keepsake from now on.

Ah Jian stood there, looking as if he had been struck by lightning.

His lips were trembling, his eyes were red-rimmed, his muscles were twitching, and the stitches were about to burst.

"Nami..." Ken's voice was hoarse, "You...you're not lying to me?"

"...No." Nami shook her head.

"Who did this?" Ah Jian grabbed Nami's hand, gripping it tightly. "Who did this? I want to thank him! I want to—"

"The Buggy Pirates," Nami interrupted him. "The Clown King Buggy."

Ah Jian was stunned: "The Buggy Pirates?"

Ah Jian frowned. "That Bucky the Clown? The one with the fifteen million bounty?"

"It's him." Nami nodded.

Ah Jian's expression became complicated.

Pirates fighting pirates is not uncommon on this sea.

But wiping out the entire Arlong Pirates is not something an ordinary pirate could do.

"They..." Ah Jian hesitated for a moment, "What do they want?"

Nami looked at him and suddenly smiled.

That smile carried a hint of bitterness, but also a hint of relief.

"They've got what they wanted."

"What do you mean?"

"All the treasure in Dragon Paradise," Nami said. "All the treasure they plundered from twenty villages over the past eight years, they took it all."

Ah Jian's expression turned strange in an instant.

Then laughter welled up from deep in his throat, first suppressed, then growing louder and louder, and finally bursting into loud laughter.

"Hahahaha!"

Ah Jian laughed so hard he bent over, tears streaming down his face.

"Good! Good! Good!"

He said "good" three times in a row.

"That dirty money! That blood-stained treasure! It's good that it's all gone! It's good that it's all gone!"

He looked up at Nami, his eyes glistening with tears.

"Nami, do you know?"

"Those treasures disgust me every time I see them. They were bought with our blood, bought with Bellemere's life!"

"Now look what happened, it's all gone! It was all stolen!"

"Serves them right! Those mermen deserved it!"

Ah Jian laughed like a madman.

Although this amount of money is a lot for them, the villagers don't actually need to spend much money on a regular basis.

Everyone lives here and is self-sufficient. It's better to have money, but you can get by even if you don't.

Nami looked at him without interrupting.

She knew Ah Jian needed to laugh like this.

For eight years, this man with nails in his face has been under unimaginable pressure.

Bearing the pressure of the village, the fear of the dragon, the disappointment with the Navy, and the worry for Nami and Nojiko.

Now I can finally let it go.

After Ah Jian finished laughing, Nami finally spoke: "Ah Jian, there's something I need to tell you."

Ah Jian wiped away his tears and looked at her.

"I've joined the Buggy Pirates," Nami said casually.

"What did you say?" A-Jian's hand stopped, and he looked at Nami, the smile on his face slowly disappearing.

"I've joined the Buggy Pirates," Nami repeated. "From now on, I'm the navigator of the Buggy Pirates."

Ah Jian remained silent for a long time.

He looked into Nami's eyes, those eyes that were once filled with pain and forbearance, but now were surprisingly calm.

"You..." Ah Jian's voice was very soft, "Did you do it willingly?"

"Yes."

"Did they pressure you?"

"no."

"and you……"

Ah Jian didn't finish speaking.

But Nami understood what he wanted to ask.

Why did you join the pirate crew?

Are you going to become a pirate now?

What will happen to your sister?

you……

Nami looked at him and said softly, "Ken, do you remember what Bellemere said?"

Ah Jian was taken aback.

"She said she loves us."

"I'll always remember that sentence."

"So I hated it for eight years, and I endured it for eight years."

"I thought that as long as I saved up 100 million Berries, I could redeem it and be free."

"I thought that as long as I did what the dragon asked, I could protect this village."

"But I was wrong."

Nami's voice was calm, but there was a hint of madness in that calmness.

"The evil dragon never intended to let us go."

"That agreement was a scam from the very beginning."

"He just wanted to see me make a fool of myself, struggling desperately for a hope that would never come true."

"You know what? It wasn't until Bucky trampled the dragon under his feet that I realized something."

"I hate that I won't let you become like them."

"True hatred is a knife."

"A knife to protect myself and the people I care about."

This is Nami's enlightenment and growth under Buggy's guidance.

In short, Buggy's efforts were worthwhile; Nami, under Buggy's influence, has embarked on a different path.

The wicked Nami of the past is dead; now, there is an even wicked Nami.

Ah Jian looked at Nami, the girl he had watched grow up since she was a child.

"What kind of person is Bucky?" Ah Jian asked.

Nami thought for a moment and said, "I can't see through him."

"He is terrifying, perhaps a hundred times more terrifying than a dragon."

"But he gave me a choice."

"He gave me the opportunity to personally fire the cannon that bombarded Dragon Paradise."

"He cut off the dragon's hands and feet and handed them over to me to deal with."

He said—

Nami remembered what the masked man had said in the captain's cabin that day.

"Your hatred is too pure. Pure hatred only hurts yourself. True hatred should be like a knife, not used to hurt yourself, but to eliminate all enemies."

Nami's understanding is that hatred is like a knife... the back of the knife is facing herself, and the edge is facing the enemy.

Ah Jian paused for a moment before speaking, "Nami, you've grown up."

His voice was hoarse: "If Bellemere could see this from heaven, she would be proud of you."

Nami's eyes were red, but she ultimately didn't cry.

She took a deep breath and held back her tears.

"Ah Jian, there's one more thing I need to ask you."

"you say."

"The Buggy Pirates will be stationed at Arlong Park for a while; they won't bother the village."

"Captain Bucky has no interest in ordinary villagers; he only wants the dragon's treasure. Now that he has the treasure, he won't cause any more trouble."

"So tell the villagers not to be afraid, just stay away from Dragon Paradise... they'll leave in a few days."

Nami felt she needed to clarify things; she didn't want any misunderstandings that would leave people speechless.

Ah Jian nodded.

"I'll go tell them right away."

He turned to leave, then stopped.

"Nami, you...really...are you going with them?"

"Um."

"When are you leaving?"

"In the next few days."

Ah Jian looked at her, his lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said, "Be careful."

Then he turned and ran deeper into the village.

He ran and shouted at the same time.

"Everyone come out! It's alright! The dragon has been defeated!"

"Those mermen are finished!"

"It's alright now!"

"It's alright now!"

His voice echoed through the village, erratic and hysterical, filled with crying and laughing.

Nami stood there, watching Ken's figure disappear around the corner.

Then he began to walk home step by step.

This speed is a bit slow, but it's better to be slow... If it's slower, it will give my sister, Nojiko, some time to prepare mentally.

When Nami finally arrived at her doorstep and pushed open that familiar door, her hands trembled slightly.

A woman with short blue hair was standing with her back to her in the courtyard.

She was wearing a tank top and trousers, barefoot in slippers, and had blue tattoos on her arms and above her chest.

That was after Nami was forced to get the pirate crew's mark tattooed on her body, and Nojiko got the pattern tattooed on herself.

It means: I will share the burden with you.

"Nojiko." Nami's voice trembled slightly.

The figure froze abruptly.

The kettle fell to the ground, spilling water everywhere.

Nochiko turned around.

She looked at Nami, at that familiar face, at those red and swollen eyes.

Then she rushed over.

The two sisters hugged each other tightly.

"Nami!"

"Nojiko!"

They were hugging each other so tightly.

No words were spoken.

All I could do was cry.

Nojiko's tears flowed into Nami's hair, and Nami's tears dripped onto Nojiko's shoulder.

They hugged each other and cried for a very long time.

Until their tears ran dry, until their voices were hoarse from crying, until both of them were completely exhausted.

Then they let go of each other's hands, looked at each other's tear-streaked faces, and suddenly laughed.

"It's so ugly," Nami said.

"You're the ugly one," Noki retorted.

Then they laughed again.

As I laughed, tears started flowing again.

But these tears were different.

These are tears of relief.

These are tears of rebirth.

After they had cried and laughed enough, the two of them walked together to the largest orange tree in the yard and sat side by side on the stone steps in the corner.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling warmly on them.

A sea breeze blows from afar, carrying the scent of orange blossoms.

Nojiko tilted her head and leaned on Nami's shoulder.

"Go ahead and tell me," she said softly. "I overheard what Ah Jian said on the way here before you came, but I want to hear the whole story from you."

Nami took a deep breath and began to speak.

It tells the story of how she boarded Buggy's pirate ship, how she stole the sea chart, and how she was hunted down by the entire town.

It tells the story of how she hid in the tavern and how she met those two strange people—a silly boy wearing a straw hat and a great swordsman with green hair.

She recounted how she climbed out of the back window and bumped into the masked man.

"At that moment, I thought I was going to die," Nami said. "His eyes, through the mask, were just staring at me. I felt like I was being watched by something terrifying... I couldn't move, I couldn't scream, I could only wait to die."

Nojiko didn't say anything, but simply tightened her grip on Nami's hand.

Nami continued speaking.

She was choked unconscious, and when she woke up she found herself on a boat with a huge lion lying next to her bed.

The story tells of how Bucky walked in, how he exposed her identity, how he revealed the story of the dragon, and how he shattered the "promise" she had used to deceive herself for eight years with just one sentence.

Nojiko remained silent, only gripping Nami's hand tighter.

Nami continued speaking.

It tells how she brought the Buggy Pirates to Cocoyasi Village and how she personally lit the first cannon, blowing up Evil Dragon Paradise.

It tells the story of how Bucky single-handedly overwhelmed all the fishmen, how he used a throwing knife to cut off the dragon's arms, and how he made those fishmen fall one by one.

It tells how the evil dragon lay on the ground like a dead fish, watching helplessly as its fellow creatures were dragged away, their hands and feet cut off, and prepared to be animals in a circus.

It tells how she got Bucky to cut off the dragon's nose, and how she knelt down on one knee to offer her loyalty.

"I've joined the Buggy Pirates," Nami said finally.

Nojiko's body stiffened slightly, feeling that Nami had just escaped one danger only to fall into another.

Then she looked up and looked into Nami's eyes.

There was no confusion or fear in those eyes, only a firmness she had never seen before.

"Have you made up your mind?" Noki asked.

"It's decided."

"No regrets?"

No regrets.

Nokiko stared at her for a long time.

Then she smiled and said, "That's good."

"Aren't you going to try to persuade me?" Nami was taken aback.

"What should I advise you to do?" Noji leaned back on her shoulder. "Advice to stay? Advise you not to become a pirate?"

"Bellmere said, 'Don't hate pirates, and don't hate fishmen.' But she never said, 'You can't be a pirate.'"

"All she wanted was for us to live well."

"Nami, do you think you can survive by following that Buggy?"

Nami thought for a moment.

"I don't know, but—" Nami paused, "he gave me a choice."

Nochiko remained silent.

It took her a long time to speak.

"Nami, you've changed."

Has it changed?

"You've changed." Noki raised her head and looked at her. "The old you always had so much in your eyes."

"Hate, fear, bitterness, exhaustion... everything is contained inside."

"You never thought of relying on us; you just wanted to tough it out on your own."

"But you've changed now," Nojiko thought for a moment and said, "You've found someone you can rely on."

Nami was stunned for a moment.

Then she laughed.

That smile contained relief, bitterness, and a hint of expectation.

"Nojiko, there's something I need to tell you."

"Um?"

"Come with me."

Nokiko was stunned.

"What?"

"Come aboard with me." Nami looked at her seriously. "The Buggy Pirates will soon leave the East Blue and enter the Grand Line. I don't know what will happen next, but I know one thing—"

"If anyone finds out you're my sister, they might come after you."

"Those pirates we robbed, those who wanted revenge on Buggy, all sorts of enemies..."

"I don't think we can leave you here."

There is no such thing as chivalry in this world that prevents harm to one's parents, wife, and children.

Nokiko looked at her without saying a word.

"I know this request is unreasonable," Nami continued. "You have the orange grove, Ken, and everything you know here. It's not fair to ask you to give all of that up and drift at sea with me."

"but--"

"I agree," Nojiko interrupted her.

Nami was stunned: "What...what did you say?"

"I said, I agree." Nojiko smiled, a smile with the tenderness unique to older sisters. "Nami, eight years ago you shouldered everything to protect me. Now it's my turn."

"Didn't you say that Bucky was terrifying? Didn't you say he could die at any moment?"

"Then let me stay with you."

"At least when you die, there will be someone by your side."

This is a very important reason. From Nami's words, Nojiko concluded that Buggy doesn't seem like a good person.

Regarding the Arlong Pirates, the sisters couldn't be together. Having done it once, can they do it a second time?

Absolutely not!

Even if we die, we'll die together!

Nami's eyes reddened again.

"Nokiko..."

"Don't cry." Noki laughed and poked her cheek. "You won't look pretty if you keep crying."

"I didn't cry!" Nami wiped her eyes.

The two looked at each other and then laughed.

Now it's 8 years later.

And everything seemed to have returned to 8 years ago.

However, when the sisters hugged each other, there was another figure beside them.

Now only the two sisters remain.

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling warmly on them.

Although the new life may not necessarily be much better.

But even if the new life is worse, it will definitely be better than before.

So a new life is about to begin.