DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT RAGNAR AND ALL VIKINGS AND OCs IN THIS STORY! ONE PIECE BELONGS TO EICHIRO ODA, VIZ MANGA, TOEI ANIMATION AND FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT/CRUNCHYROLL LLC
Chapter 44: Setting off with a Smile! Farewell, Hometown Cocoyashi Village!
All throughout the Conomi Islands, news of what happened spread like wildfire, and the celebrations were lasting from the furthest isle, all the way to Cocoyashi Village and Njordholm. On the shores of the largest island, two men were running along the beach, cackling and happy, waving the tattered jolly roger of the Arlong Pirates as they sprinted.
"WOO-HOO! ARLONG PARK IS GONE!" One of them cheered.
"WE'RE FREE!" The other exclaimed.
Meanwhile, in Cocoyashi Village, the largest celebrations of all were occurring right there and then, in the heart of the main road. Humans and fish-men alike all turned up for this momentous occasion, and the entire village was filled with excitement! The villagers all cheered as one man in a cyan polo shirt stood high on a wooden platform.
"We're finally free again!" He declared, "It's been a long time coming, but now our suffering is finally over! No work for three days! We're gonna party until we can't stand up anymore!" At this declaration, everyone cheered. People were dancing in the streets, playing music and all throughout the village, there were tables groaning with food and drink!
Amidst all the celebrations, Nojiko was enjoying a great tankard of ale as a way to kick off the celebrations. She was finally happy that she was no longer forced to act so cold now that Nami was finally able to save their home.
"Nojiko!" A voice called out, and young little Chabo came rushing towards her with the happiest grin on his face, "Have you seen Arlong Park, Nojiko? It's totally smashed to pieces!" He exclaimed, "I have to meet the guy who did that! He sounds totally awesome! I hear he's still in the village too. Do you know where I can find him?"
"He's right over there," said Nojiko as she pointed to one of the many tables, "He's the one with the straw hat."
Chabo couldn't believe exactly what he saw. Luffy was busy stuffing his face to his heart's content with whatever he could, even eating a huge slab of bone-in meat with the entire plate it was sitting on. However, this only caused him to choke as his face soon began turning blue before he swallowed the whole plate, and regained his normal sense of eagerness for food.
"Are you sure that's him?" Chabo asked with a concerned look, "He seems kinda goofy."
"I know it's hard to believe," Nojiko replied, "But you had to see it to believe it."
Meanwhile, back at Dr. Nako's hospital, Sanji and Usopp were sitting outside a shaded bench, listening to the pained screams of Zoro, while Dr. Nako stitched him back up…without any anesthesia whatsoever.
"He's still at it, huh?" Usopp asked, still amazed by the fact that Zoro was able to withstand such a grievous injury.
"Well, you saw the way he looked after that fight," said Sanji as he looked up at the sky, enjoying this nice calm.
"Yeah, anyone else would've been dead," Usopp replied.
Inside, Zoro grit his teeth as he lay on one of the cots, at the complete and total mercy of the good doctor's needles. All the while, Johnny and Yosaku were sleeping like logs, and Ragnar was only sitting on a chair nearby, with only a minor piece of gauze on his neck.
"You dumbass, did you really think this would heal on its own?" Dr. Nako asked, sewing Zoro up, and pushing the swordsman back down on the bed as he writhed in pain, "Seriously, Pirates are supposed to be smarter than this! Don't you have a ship's doctor!?"
"Now that you mention it, I did think about recruiting one," Luffy surmised as he was leaning out of the open window with a slab of meat right on the bone, "But we need to get a musician after that, right?"
"Why's that?!" Zoro asked through the pain.
"Because pirates really like to sing," Luffy replied.
"Let's focus on getting the doctor first, alright, captain?" Ragnar asked with a smile, sipping a drinking horn filled with mead, before turning his attention to the doctor, "By the way Dr. Nako, thanks again for the antivenom dosage! I'm feeling better already!"
"Oh, no problem," he replied happily, "You're extremely lucky. The effects of lionfish venom are only temporary, and we have so much of this antivenom given that those beasts are common in and around these waters."
"I'm sure that Sanji will appreciate that," the Viking replied, but then noticed the significant red bump on Luffy's head. "Uh, Luffy? What's with the bump? Did you fall off your horse or something?" That was when he noticed that Nami was right beside their captain, her arms crossed as she pouted angrily.
"No, it's not that," Luffy replied, wincing slightly, "I kinda forgot that Nami doesn't like moving so fast." He then turned back to his girlfriend with a pleading look, "Hey, Nami, I said I was sorry, didn't I?"
"I guess I'll just have to expect this to happen more often," grumbled Nami, but then she only smiled at Luffy, and gently kissed the bump on his head, and led him away back towards the festival. Zoro and Ragnar only looked wide-eyed at one another and then only sighed in happiness. They both expected this of those two, ever since Luffy first rescued Nami back at Orange Town.
Meanwhile, at the outcrop of rock overlooking the village, Nami finally brought Luffy to the site of Belle-Mere's grave. Nami only left a tangerine at the grave site, while Luffy with a bouquet of flowers, as he took his hat off in mourning.
"Mom…it's finally over. After eight long years, we're free," said Nami, smiling as she nodded to Luffy letting him come to her side, "This is Monkey D. Luffy, the boy who helped us all drive Arlong out of these islands for good…I only wish…you were here too…I miss you…" As she spoke, her voice trembled as her eyes brimmed with tears. Seeing this, Luffy only held her tenderly in his arms.
"It's okay, Nami," Luffy replied, comforting her as he ran his hands down her back, "I'm sure that wherever she is, she's insanely proud of you."
"Thanks, Luffy…that really means the world to me," said Nami, trying her best not to cry. Luffy only then gave Nami a kiss upon her forehead, then reluctantly let go of the embrace.
"I'll see you back down at the festival," he told her, but as he descended down the hill, Genzo stopped him
"You're the boy who defeated Arlong, aren't you?" Genzo asked, to which Luffy only nodded, "Listen boy, I know Nami may go with you. After all that I witnessed this day, I'm fine with that, given that it can't be helped. But if any of you do anything to hurt her, I will hunt you down and kill you myself."
"I swear, I'm not gonna do anything to hurt her," Luffy replied.
"YOU SWEAR!?" Genzo then asked, glaring at Luffy, to which the boy only nodded.
"I swear it," Luffy replied, then was given permission to go back down the hill. Genzo only looked on at his surrogate daughter, unable to help himself but feel so proud of the strong young woman she became.
"Why are you still here, Nami?" Nojiko asked as she approached the grave, "Your friends are looking for you." Yet Nami only smiled back at her older sister.
"Hey, Nojiko? Genzo? Mind if I ask you both a question?" She asked, "If mom was still alive, and I wanted to become a pirate, do you think…she'd let me do it?"
"A PIRATE!?" Genzo asked completely shocked, "What are you talking about!? Of course, she'd never let her precious daughter go out to sea with a bunch of treacherous pirates!"
"Yeah, of course she'd let you," Nojiko replied, "But, if she'd said no, that wouldn't stop you, would it?" Nami only stuck out her tongue at the response.
"That's right, nope!" She replied with a smile, getting only a giggle from Nojiko, but Genzo only laughed, remembering that fateful day eighteen years ago, when Belle-Mere declared she was joining the Marines.
"You girls certainly are your mother's daughters," he happily remarked as he walked away, "Nami, you've already made up your mind about this. There's no use fighting it, so go and live your life. It's what your mother would've wanted."
On the second day of celebrations, the Vikings of Njordholm shared their own cultural traditions with the villagers of Cocoyashi, as skalds sang hymns and poems of praise towards the Gods and heroes of the Sagas, and freshly hunted game and caught fish were served in abundance: filleted lionfish, roast venison, suckling whole spit-roasted boar and even rabbit and hare.
Ingrid dragged Ragnar to a huge burley man with a hammer and apron on his personage.
"Ragnar, this is our blacksmith, Birger, whom I told you about," she explained, then turned to the blacksmith, "Birger, this man has some interesting metal he thinks you'd like."
"Oh, and what exactly do you have for me, gestr?" Birger asked, only for Ragnar to silently hand him a leather sack filled with fragments of Don Krieg's Wootz steel armor. At the pure sight of it, Birger's eyes lit up, "Thunderclap of Thor! Is that Wootz steel?! I have not seen such beautiful specimens for…well, quite some time now. Where did you get these fragments from?"
"It was once part of the armor of the infamous pirate, Don Krieg," Ragnar explained, "We were initially planning to claim it for my captain, but he accidentally destroyed it before that could happen. I did, however, manage to collect the fragments."
"Armor? Pah! That type of steel isn't even fit to cover a man's body," Birger scoffed, "Your captain said he was going to be King of the Pirates, ja? In that case, I can re-forge these fragments into a sword on par with the fabled Gram itself!" Hearing that, Ragnar was only all too stoked with excitement. Luffy was indeed an adequate swordsman, especially when he had a shield as well, but even though he preferred using his fists, having a Wootz steel sword is something that kings would start wars over!
"Ragnar!" Willy happily exclaimed as he made his way over towards the Viking, a tankard of ale in his hand, "There's the hero who tore off Wapanda's arm clean off! You fought like a real berserker back there!"
"He left himself wide open, and I exploited it," Ragnar happily replied, "You've done it, Willy. Humans and fish-men are now able to coexist peacefully with one another."
"Don't sell yourself short, vinr," Willy retorted, "We did this together. And for that, you and Luffy both have the everlasting gratitude of the Sun Pirates."
"So, what will you do now that your task here is done?" The Viking asked, "Will you head back to the Grand Line once the celebrations are finished?"
"I did think that, initially, but now, after having been trusted among the people here, my crew and I have decided to stay," Willy responded, "All this…it was Boss Jinbei's dream, and he ordered us to see it through. However, as I grew to care about the people of this island, I have decided to see it through to the end."
"Then look after Hachi, will you?" Ragnar asked, "He's a kindred soul, and he helped us win the battle in the end. He can do quite a lot of good for this archipelago."
"Yeah, about that. I had a little chat with him earlier. It seems he has an entirely different idea for his future," Willy explained, taking a sip of ale, "I offered him the chance to rejoin the Sun Pirates, but he turned it down. He said he wants to go and fulfill his old dream of running an octopus fritter shop on the sea."
"Sanji may have to give him some advice," Ingrid giggled, "But I'm glad to hear that he's finally found his footing again."
"I hope that we'll meet him again sometime," Ragnar added, "Even though he sided with Arlong, he still came around in the end."
By the evening of the third day, the celebrations were still once more in full swing. All of Cocoyashi Village was still in such a joyous atmosphere as it was when Arlong Park fell. Everyone knew that it would be back to business as usual before Arlong came, but they were happy to not pay any tributes this time around.
Zoro and Sanji were just sitting in one of the entrances to the alleyways, the former enjoying a round of beer after having fully recovered thanks to Dr. Nako's treatments.
"Boy, am I stuffed! It's nice not having to cook for a change," Sanji remarked as he relaxed, "So, how are you doing, Zoro? Has your wound healed yet?"
"I'll be okay," Zoro remarked, "Ragnar wasn't kidding when he said that doctor did wonders. All I'll need is a little bit of rest."
"That's good to hear."
"Seriously, how much longer can they keep this up?" The pirate hunter asked, "It's been three whole days now."
"Nothing wrong with that," Sanji replied as he took out a cigarette, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em."
All of a sudden, Luffy came up towards his chef, two slabs of meat in each hand and one in his mouth. By the look of it, he was definitely enjoying himself with all this food.
"Hey Sanji! Where'd you get that melon you had?" He asked through his teeth, "I wanna give it a try!"
"It isn't polite to talk with your mouth full," Zoro reminded.
"I dunno," Sanji said with a shrug, "It was cantaloupe with prosciutto on top of it."
"Prosciutto and melon!?" Luffy suddenly asked, his eyes the size of dinner plates, "Please, tell me where you found it!"
"I can't, you'll have to do some walking around," Sanji replied, "The whole village is basically one giant buffet. Good luck finding it." However at that point Luffy was nowhere in sight.
"As usual, he ran off," Zoro muttered, "I'm sure Ragnar will find it for him, given his sense of smell."
"Three days of stuffing his face. I'm surprised he doesn't get stomachaches," Sanji added, snuffing his cigarette out, only to see Celosia wandering up towards him, tankard in her hand and thoroughly buzzed.
"Aha! Sanji, there you are, you cutie~!" She exclaimed in a slurred yet still flirtatious tone, taking him by the hand, "I've been looking all over the village for ya~. Wanna dance with this beautiful beluga~?" Sanji was only so happy he could only chuckle like an idiot as Celosia dragged him away to dance the night away with her. Zoro couldn't help but smile as he noticed that he finished his tankard, and decided that now was as good a time as any to get some rest.
Elsewhere, Usopp was standing high atop a stack of tables topped one on the other, with a cone he used to amplify his voice over all the village, with a great crowd cheering him on.
"I am Captain Usopp! I defeated the strongest of the fish-men!" He proudly declared, "LET'S SING ABOUT ME! LET'S SING!" Before long, both he and Ingrid were happily singing, either about themselves, or skaldic hymns dedicated to great heroes of the sagas.
Elsewhere, Nami was in Dr. Nako's hospital, laying with her front on one of the cots as the doctor treated her scar wound on her left shoulder.
"Can you get rid of that awful mark?" she asked, referring to what remained of the Arlong Pirates tattoo.
"I'll do my best," the doctor replied, "But you do realize that this is a tattoo. There's bound to be some scarring leftover once I'm done."
"I was such an idiot, I knew it wouldn't come off," Nami muttered to herself, remembering that night she confessed to Nojiko that she was only pretending to be part of Arlong's crew, but then also remembering the day she first saw Nojiko's tattoo when they were teenage girls. She couldn't help but feel so touched that her sister would do something like that out of sympathy. Now, after all those years, she knew now what she wanted, "Hey doc? I think I'd like a new tattoo," she then handed him a slip of paper, "Here, have a look over it."
As Nami emerged moments later, she saw that Luffy was happily stuffing his face with prosciutto and melon, with Ragnar enjoying a horn of ale beside him. Happily she only laughed as Yosaku began a doujou sukui dance with chopsticks up his nose and holding a wicker basket.
Back at Belle-Mere's grave, Genzo only poured out a bottle of sake on the wooden crucifix, happy that this moment had finally come, the moment of their freedom.
"Belle-Mere, your daughters are such fine young women now. You'd be so proud of them. It's like I'm standing right in front of you again," he said, remembering that fateful day when Belle-Mere announced that she was joining the Marines, "We're not gonna waste a single moment, now. So much has been lost, everyone has had to make terrible sacrifices, which is why I don't care I look like a fool. I'm happy for the first time in a long while."
As the night progressed, the festivities finally dimmed to a silent hush. The villagers and heroes were either asleep, or passed out drunk. The only one not yet unconscious was Usopp, who was still in a drunken stupor.
"…Abd thdn the Blaxk Cat Piratrs lznded on rhe morth ahore…but I wsan't scardd' Brinf that I tne bdst arcgrr in thd Essy Blue!" He slurred, clearly having indicated that he couldn't hold his liquor, as he continued, all while imitating the sounds of explosions, "Si, I raibed edpkodibg srrows dpwn on them agaig! Ane agaon' Abd again! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM$ Down wemt yheir yard! Pirates ddad on the shoee! All thanks to the geeat Caotsin Uzopp…!" Finally, with an inebriated cackle, Usopp finally fell onto his back, passed out unconscious, with nobody having apparently heard his boasts.
Elsewhere in the village, at Belle-Mere's tangerine orchard, however, Nami and Ragnar were still busy hauling a great big sack into the house.
"This sure is heavy!" Ragnar muttered as he pushed.
"Yeah…well, it does have a hundred million berries, after all," Nami explained, "So, it should be heavy." Finally, she and her quartermaster only leaned against the sack, wiping their brows with smiles on their faces. Nami was now wearing just a regular white t-shirt and a dark blue ring skirt, but she was still just as happy as she was two days earlier.
"That's just about settled," Ragnar told her, smiling as he pushed his helmet back, "Now, all we need to do is get those tangerine trees aboard the Merry. I'm glad Ingrid lent us that ox-cart for the night, but I may have to ask Usopp about building a stable in the Going Merry's hold."
"A stable? Why's that?" Nami asked, slightly confused.
"Apparently, Hroðgar jarl is giving me a horse as a gift," Ragnar explained, "The Elgrings are master horse breeders, and word got out about my skills as a cavalryman."
"He decided to give you a freaking horse!?" Nami blurted out in pure shock, "Does Luffy know about it!?"
"He said it's fine, but I'm not sure how Zoro will think of it," the Viking replied, "Anyway, it's best we let Usopp know in the morning, once he's sobered up and recovered from his hangover." Then he placed his helmet back and made his way towards the doors, smiling at Nami as he turned back at her, "I'll see you back aboard the Merry in the morning." Ragnar left Nami to herself, knowing that she would want to spend her last night on the island in the very house she grew up in.
Nami only smiled back at the Viking, and placed a note scrawled on a piece of paper atop the great burlap sack. As she sat back down in the chair at the table, her gaze turned to the picture on the nightstand, from when she was only ten, long before Arlong and his crew of pirates showed up and made her life a living nightmare. It was a family portrait of her, Nojiko and their mother, all smiling and happy. Nami couldn't help but tear up as she was reminded of all those times in her childhood when Belle-Mere was there for her, such as that great feast they had on her tenth birthday, that speech she and Nojiko remembered during that awful thunderstorm, and especially that fateful day, when Nami displayed her map to Belle-Mere and expressed how she was dreaming of becoming a navigator.
Even now, after all this time, as she held the very first map she drew of her home island, Nami could feel her mother's presence in that very house, as if Belle-Mere was sitting behind her at the table, smiling at her beloved daughter.
"Well, mom, we finally made it," she said, "It took eight long years, but we're finally free. The village, and me. It's just like you told us when we were children: be brave and smile, and nothing will ever stop you. That's so true. Arlong's gone, and now everybody is so happy to be free." She then turned and smiled, "And as for me, I'm finally gonna leave this island! But don't worry, I'll be okay. I'm going with good, strong people, like you. And this last map is all that I have left to remind me, that none of that really matters, right? Because I'll start again, and every map I draw from this day forward will be for me, and nobody else. This time, when I see the world, it'll be with all my friends. You know that was what I always wanted, ever since I was a kid." As she paused, Nami couldn't help but tear up, "Anyway…I'm just trying to say goodbye, because I don't know if I'll ever be back." Nami only wiped away the tears from her eyes, noticing that she was once again all alone, "I'm going now, okay? I love you." As she left the house, however, Nami couldn't help but feel as if Belle-Mere was gently pushing her out the door, as a sign to encourage her daughter even from beyond the grave. Yet as she looked back, she only saw the empty house, knowing that it was her mother's spirit wishing her the best of luck. She couldn't help but smile.
The following morning, the Straw Hats were all busy preparing the Going Merry with enough provisions they would need to finally reach the Grand Line. Having been careful about how much he drank for all three days and nights, Ragnar was overseeing the entire process as his shipmates began loading crates aboard the ship.
"This is the last one, Ragnar!" Usopp called out as he got the final crate from Zoro.
"Yeah!" Zoro replied as he boarded the ship.
"Good work! Just place them down in the hold and I'll sort them out later," Ragnar told them both, "Until then, just wait until further orders."
"We got everything?" Luffy asked.
"Apparently so," Ragnar informed his captain, "All we need to do is wait for Nami with that horse, and we should be set."
"Alright, looks like we're stocked up on everything we need!" Sanji remarked, "I think we're good to go!"
"Y'know, we've only been on this island for a few days," said Usopp, "But it feels more like a lifetime!"
"Yeah! Couldn't have put it better myself!" Luffy chuckled.
Below, at the harbor, Johnny, Yosaku, Willy, Celosia and Ingrid all looked up at their friends.
"We can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us," said Yosaku, "But we gotta go back to our regular jobs as bounty hunters."
"So, this is goodbye," Johnny added, "I hope we get to meet again someday, big bro Zoro!"
"See you guys around!" Zoro only replied.
"Oh, Sanji! A moment?" Celosia asked the chef, posing in an ever so seductive position that accentuated her breasts as she smiled up at him, "If we ever meet again on the Grand Line, I can't wait to hear all about your crew's adventures~."
"Celosia, even though our time together was short, I'll never forget you," Sanji replied, still as lovesick as ever when it came to the beluga fish-woman, "Until we meet again, on Fishman Island!"
"Thank you all for helping us!" Ingrid exclaimed as she tried to hold back tears, "Know that your names will be forever sung about in our longhouse!" Yet all throughout the dock, there was only one single question on everyone's mind.
"Why isn't Nami here?" One of the villagers asked.
"Don't know," another answered, "I haven't seen her since this morning."
"WHAT!? A HUNDRED MILLION BERRIES!?" Genzo asked as Nojiko told him and Dr. Nako about it, "SHE LEFT ALL THE MONEY!?"
"She left all of it up at the house, with a letter," Nojiko replied.
"Is she insane!?" Dr. Nako asked, "She's not even gonna take some of it!? But she worked so hard to get it!"
"She'll steal more," Nojiko answered, "That's what her letter said. There's no changing her mind once it's made up."
"That girl," Genzo muttered, "She never even gave us a chance to thank her."
At that moment, a loud whinnying noise could be heard catching all of the Straw Hats' attention. Luffy and Ragnar both ran towards the side of the deck, shocked at what they witnessed. It was Nami mounted on a great black horse.
"THERE SHE IS!" Luffy exclaimed, happy to see that she was keeping her end of the bargain.
"And…on horseback too!?" Ragnar asked, shocked, suddenly remembering the gift Hroðgar promised him, "Wait! That is my horse!"
"YOU GOT A FREAKIN' HORSE!?" Zoro, Sanji and Usopp all yelled in unison.
"No wonder some of those crates were labeled as animal fodder," Usopp then grumbled with his arms crossed.
Back at the dock, Nami's presence shocked all of Cocoyashi Village! There she was, all behind them! What was she exactly up to?
"SET SAIL!" She yelled out to Luffy, then she kicked the horse and set off at a gallop right for the Merry. Everyone aboard was confused at those orders.
"I don't get it, why is she galloping?" Usopp asked.
"She said to set sail," Luffy reminded.
"You heard the woman!" Ragnar ordered, "Zoro, weigh anchor! Sanji, Usopp, loose topsails, gallants, and royals!"
Nami continued to set off at full gallop, pressing the horse onward as she raced for the Merry, much to the confusion of everyone gathered. However, Dr. Nako, Genzo and Nojiko had a pretty good idea as to what she was up to.
"No! That idiot!" Genzo lamented, "She's planning on leaving without letting any of us thank her, or say goodbye!" He then pushed through the crowd as he looked to see his surrogate daughter coming right for him, "Nami! No! You can't leave us this way!"
Aboard the Merry, all the Straw Hats got to work. Zoro weighed anchor while Sanji and Usopp unfurled the sails, and the Merry began to leave dock, all while the villagers pleaded for them to stay, except for Celosia and Ingrid. They had a pretty good idea as to what Nami was up to, even as the villagers blocked the way of her horse.
"So, you sure you wanna leave her like this?" Sanji asked Luffy.
"That's not my decision to make," Luffy replied, "Nami does whatever she wants."
As she saw the crowd trying to stop her, Nami managed to zigzag through the mass of people, with the horse jumping through any space it could to move about. The villagers rightly decided to give the beast some room to move, so as not to get trampled to death by accident. Everyone was just shocked that she would leave in such a manner, until finally she rode past Nojiko and Dr. Nako, both of whom were equally stunned as they watched the great steed jump off the wooden pier and into over the sea…right onto the Merry's aft castle!
Once Nami was safely aboard, she dismounted the saddle, with Luffy helping her get onto her feet, her back facing the village. Then she lifted her shirt up until it reached the curvature of her breasts, and what the villagers saw all left them totally speechless: wallets and purses began to fall right onto the deck right at Nami's feet! Seeing this, it was only then that the villagers noticed what just happened.
"HEY! WHERE'S MY MONEY!?"
"MY WALLET'S GONE!"
"MINE TOO!"
"SHE STOLE MY MONEY!"
"MY PURSE IS GONE!"
Back aboard the Merry, Nami only took out a ten-thousand berry bill and kissed it with a smug grin.
"Thanks a bunch~!" she called out to the villagers, who were now equally royally miffed that Nami had once again managed to fleece them all one last time.
"DAMN! YOU BRAT!" Genzo bellowed out, mortified that Nami would do this to them all one final time. "YOU LOUSY PICKPOCKET! WE'LL MISS YOU!"
Aboard the Merry, reactions were mixed at Nami's decision, with Zoro and Usopp clearly miffed about this behavior of their navigator's.
"Same old Nami," Usopp grumbled as he shook his head.
"I'd watch my back, if I were to be safe," Zoro muttered to himself.
"That's our Nami for ya," said Ragnar with a sympathetic smile. Since Vikings were known to raid religious sites, he could understand Nami's act all too well. "At the very least, we'll have some spending money wherever we drop anchor at next."
Luffy and Sanji only chuckled and laughed at this show from Nami. She was bold and daring, just like a natural pirate was. Yet it was then that Luffy heard Genzo call out to him again.
"Boy!" He called out, "Remember what I told you!"
"You got it!" Luffy replied, giving Genzo a thumbs up. He would keep his promise, Nami would always remain safe as long as she was a Straw Hat.
"GOODBYE EVERYBODY! I'LL MISS YOU! TAKE CARE!" Nami exclaimed as she waved farewell, her heart soaring as she finally saw the island get smaller and smaller as they sailed further westwards.
As the Merry sailed out of sight, everyone all waved goodbye to Nami, keen to send her off regardless if she stole from them. Genzo only shook his head as he sat cross-legged on the wooden pier beside Dr. Nako and Nojiko.
"My little sister got us good with that one!" Nojiko laughed as she got one last look at the ship, "Be safe out there, Nami."
"By the way, Genzo, take a look at this," Dr. Nako told the sheriff as he handed him a slip of paper.
"What is it Doc? Nami's bill?" Genzo asked as he unfolded it.
"Not exactly, that girl will never change," the doctor replied, "That's her new tattoo."
"What's it supposed to be?"
"A tangerine and a pinwheel," Nako answered, and Genzo saw the pattern, it was a floral pinwheel pattern, but the top vane turned into a tangerine, with the same hue as the old tattoo she wore while pressed into Arlong's crew. It was then that Nojiko noticed something was off about Genzo's cap.
"Hey Genzo, where's your pinwheel?" She asked, only for Genzo to chuckle.
"I don't need it anymore," he replied, remembering how whenever he tried to approach Nami when she was a baby, that girl would always cry. According to Belle-Mere, it was always because his face was too scary, which was why he had the pinwheel on his cap to distract her, and it worked, causing that little girl to laugh every time she saw it.
Back aboard the Merry, Nami only smiled as she approached Ragnar, leading the horse by the reins towards the main deck.
"Oh, by the way, Ragnar, here's that horse of yours" she told him, "According to Ingrid, his name is Víðarr, and apparently he once belonged to her father."
"Named after the God of Vengeance," Ragnar mused, smiling as he took the reins happily, "An apt name! Bright eyes, flawless gait, he definitely will be a fine companion."
As they sailed further out of sight, they could see the ruins of Arlong Park, already were the Sun Pirates and Branch 77 working to build a new settlement for humans and fish-men alike in its place. Yet then, Nami looked towards the cliff, and her mother's grave, smiling ever brighter.
'Well, I'm off mom!' She thought, feeling her heart beat with excitement now that she was finally an official member of the Straw Hats. And now, with that last mission behind them, it was time to sail onwards, to their ultimate goal: The Grand Line finally awaited them!
A/N: And so here we have it - the celebratory finale of the Arlong Park Arc! For those of you who noticed, Usopp definitely cannot hold his liquor. I recently managed to see the clip of the Netflix live action series where Usopp is totally drunk, and it was glorious! I just had to add that in, but I modified it to where he was referring to the battle against the Black Cat Pirates.
Now, we noticed that the blacksmith, Birger, mentioned a sword named Gram. Now, you may be wondering, what is that sword anyway? In Norse mythology, specifically in the Volsung Saga, Gram was the name of a legendary sword wielded by the hero Sigurd. It was the very sword that he used to slay the dragon Fafnir. And if you're unfamiliar with the Volsung Saga, it was basically the OG Old Norse story that later inspired the source of the horned helmet myth - Der Ring des Nibelungen: the famous German opera written by the great composer, Richard Wagner in the mid 19th century.
I also mentioned Víðarr a few times before. In Norse mythology, Víðarr is the son of Odin and the God of Vengeance, who has an important role to play in Ragnarok. According to the sources, when Odin is eaten by the wolf Fenrir, Víðarr is the one who is to avenge his father and kill Fenrir by opening his stomach up with a sword. He is also one of the few gods who is said to survive Ragnarok, along with his half- brothers, Váli and Baldr.
You also will have noticed that Ragnar has entrusted the fragments of Don Krieg's armor to the blacksmith of Njordholm, so expect to see what they turn into later on in the story!
Anyway, I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and stay tuned because now, it's onto Loguetown!