Nami often feels like she's completely on her own; fortunately, she does have an ally or two.

"Take that, you thieving little-!" The epithet was punctuated with a kick to the face. Blows rained down and Nami curled into a ball, wrapping her arms protectively over her head. After enduring several more kicks to her ribs, hips and a stomp between her shoulder blades, the enraged pirates seemed to gradually loose interest in beating the helpless slip of a girl. Ripping the sack of money away from her, the small group of ruffians left her still balled up and panting on the ground.

"Now get the fuck out of here and don't show your face around here again unless you wanna die," shouted one. A fat wet loogie hit the back of her head with a splat.

Nami suppressed a gag as she waited for the tromping footsteps to retreat. Her entire torso felt like it was on fire and her face throbbed where the boot slammed into it. Carefully, she eased herself into a sitting position, brushing her fingers over the swelling bridge of her nose, then testing her shoulders and upper back. After climbing unsteadily to her feet and ensuring the trio of Cleaver Pirates were indeed gone, she crept off to find a water hole where she hastily washed the thick glob of spit out of her hair.

She hadn't intended to get the shit kicked out of her, but she supposed it could have been worse. What mattered was that she'd successfully handed over the decoy bag and now she could grab the real cash and proceed with getting the fuck out as instructed. Nami retraced her steps to the spot she'd surreptitiously exchanged her sack of stolen goods with a prepared collection of counterfeit notes she'd made with parchment paper on the way over. Her expert sleight of hand imperceptible to the pursuing plunderers, she'd managed the swap while faking a trip just in time to be caught and pummeled.

The Pirate Thief, confident they were no longer after her - at least until they discovered the fake bills - secured the cache and dashed for her boat hidden in a nearby cove. Her course set, she watched, gripping the rail, as Beersdee Island grew ever smaller in the distance. No ship emerged to give chase. She was home-free. Nami sank to the deck with a delirious and slightly painful laugh.

Honestly, the money was probably much less important to them than it was to her. The Cleaver Pirates did not keep mountains of treasure stored at their base, to her great disappointment, but it was still enough to make the trip worth her while. Nami counted it out as she recalled how she'd all but given up on ever raiding the obscure island, assuming the Navy had long ago picked it clean. She'd abruptly found out that wasn't the case while stopped at a tavern in a small town on the far end of Stringers Island:

Nami's glass froze midway to her lips as the unmistakable braying laughter rang in her ear from across the bar. The same sound from over a year and a half ago still remained etched in her memory.

"Kyhuh,huh,huh!"

Instantly, she was transported back to that night at the pier in Threadsville, flat on her back with arms pinned to her sides while two Cleavers leered mockingly down at her.

Let's kill her!

It'd be a shame to scar up that cute little bosom...

As far as she dared, Nami turned toward the grotesque noise. She noticed a group of vagabonds sitting at a table near the back. Shifting further in her seat, she counted five of them slouching in long dark coats, obviously crewmates, while they ate and guzzled beer. She immediately recognized the one in the center as the owner of the horrible laugh who'd once held his saber on her while his companion groped her meager chest.

But why was he now roaming free? Based on Warrant Officer Beckett's detailed accounts, these were no small-time pirates - her own commanding officer had seemed very eager to apprehend them. Had the rogue made some sort of deal with the authorities and turned against his comrades, she wondered. Yet here he was: still clearly a pirate and hanging around the same island with no apparent fear of the Navy.

Something didn't add up. She thought again about the absence of news on Beersdee, the realization that a Navy raid had never occurred slowly dawning on her. Finished with her drink and anxious to leave Stringers (she'd only stopped off for a few provisions) Nami hopped up and got quickly on her way.

Now here she was, hundreds of thousands of berries richer than she'd been only hours ago. Her face and back remained bruised and swollen, but somehow the stacks of magic green paper soothed the pain. Nami fondly placed them back in their bag as the sail caught a strong wind, blowing her steadily homeward.

"Nami! What's with those wounds?"

She looked up with a start from her stash to find Nojiko leaning over her.

"Oh this?" she placed a hand over the abrasions covering her arm, "I miscalculated a little back there, but look!" She gestured toward the exposed hole with her latest haul melding happily into the sundry family of coins, bills and jewelry, "I now finally have one million berries!"

"Never mind that," cried Nojiko, pulling her to her feet, "we need to treat your injuries!"

Nojiko's initial concern transformed into outright horror when she discovered the welts and contusions covering her kid sister's face and torso.

"I promise it looks worse than it feels," she winced as Nojiko applied the astringent to her back. Truthfully, Nami had grown so accustomed to pirate brutality she'd long since accepted it as merely an occupational hazard. She forgot that Nojiko wasn't used to seeing her immediately upon return from one of her treasure hunting trips.

Nojiko said nothing as she continued to dab at the wounds. Wordlessly, she reached into her medical kit for a bandage.

"You heard what I said earlier, didn't you - one million berries! This is a real milestone! A-And I'm positive I could steal even more next time. I know I've had some slow months in the past, but I'm only getting better and better each time I go out."

Nami inclined her head at the lack of response from the older girl. "Hey Nojiko, you're not mad at me, are you?"

The fourteen-year-old let out a sharp sigh, "I'm not, it's just..."

"I promise I'll be more careful from now on, so you don't have to worry."

"I'll always worry," Nojiko assured her, "there's nothing that'll change that, but I also don't want you to feel like you have to take sole responsibility for the whole village on yourself. I mean, even if you did manage to scrape together a hundred million, think about how many years out of your life it'll take and how much pain it will cost you."

Nami's brows knit together, "So what's your point?"

"My point is - go live your life!" She met Nami's incredulous look with an even stare. "I'm serious! There's no need for you to be stuck here, risking life and limb on some distant hope. We'll get by. You should leave this place - follow your dream; sail around the globe and make a map of the world!"

"Nojiko," the outraged twelve-year-old exclaimed, snatching the shirt her sister offered her "You've gotta be crazy if you think I'm just gonna run off and abandon everyone!"

"But you're suffering more than anyone," cried Nojiko, "It isn't fair to you!"

Nami stood up and marched to the center of the small living room, turning to face her lavender haired sibling at the table, "Well, let's say the roles were reversed for a second, and I was the one trapped here - forced to work fingers to the bone just to make enough money for the right to continue living another month - and you had the ability to try and save me. Wouldn't you do it? Or are you the kind of person who could just sail off and leave everyone you ever cared about to suffer and still be able to enjoy your life?"

"But everyone else...still hates you," Nojiko winced.

"Yeah, because I betrayed them; They're right to hate me - I'd hate me too!"

"I'm just saying, I wouldn't blame you if..."

"Are you going to answer my question?"

Nojiko sighed, rolling her eyes toward the ceiling.

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought." Nami put her hands triumphantly on her hips, "So enough of this sad, looser talk; gimme the latest gossip on what's been going on in Cocoyasi Village since I've been gone."

Her disheartening conversation with Nojiko played over in her mind as she trekked back to Arlong Park in the growing twilight. She needed a much higher yield from her efforts to fully gain the other girl's faith in her ability, but the opportunity for greater treasure was inevitably tied to the danger level of the pirates involved. Her significant lack of strength still greatly limited her opportunities, despite any other talents she possessed, meaning progress was likely to remain slow and painful.

Bogged down in her thoughts, she entered through the East Gate to the boisterous shouts of several fishmen lounging along the pool, which she barely registered.

Lanterns illuminated the patio area as she approached Arlong's unoccupied chair and immediately noticed Hitchin emerging from the doorway directly behind.

"Welcome back," he said upon spotting the ruffed-up girl, "They really made you work for it this time, didn't they?"

"Is Arlong around," she returned, ignoring his wit.

"Not at the moment," Hitchin took a large bite out of the sandwich he held, then washed it down with a swig from the bottle in his other fist. "He and a couple others had to go put down an uprising on one of the northern islands, but that was hours ago; they probably shouldn't be much longer if you need to see him."

"No, it's fine. I'm just going to head upstairs now - Wait! An uprising?" She swiveled back around to face him.

"Yeah, apparently some villagers were stupid enough to try and put together a militia as if they had a hope in hell of taking out The Captain; so, he decided to go up there and let 'em take their best shot. Very sporting of him, I thought."

"Oh God," groaned Nami, wondering if there would even be a building left standing after Arlong finished with them, "Which village was it?"

"Mmmm," the remora mused as he masticated, "I think it's called Morelo."

Nami knew the name. It was one of the more populated (and therefore higher revenue-producing) towns of the archipelago - not a place Arlong would likely want to destroy. Still, her heart dropped into her stomach as she contemplated the possible fate of its inhabitants. With nothing else she wished to discuss with Hitchin, and plenty to occupy her mind, she turned slowly back around only to jump at the sudden spray of water and uproarious laughter behind her.

Arlong and Shioyaki simultaneously sprang out of the pool onto the patio, appearing drunk and very jovial. A few seconds following, a much more subdued Aka-Mushi also emerged.

"The battle is won, and we live to fight another day, brethren," cackled Arlong as he hefted his enormous sword, Kiribachi triumphantly over his head.

While crew members gathered round to greet their returning captain, Nami couldn't help noticing the multitude of blood spatters adorning Arlong's shirt and pants.

"What took ya so long," guffawed one, "Those humans givin' you trouble?"

Arlong joined in the crew's raucous laughter, doubling over as he slapped his knee. "Not exactly Nakama," he replied, tears beading at the corners of his eyes, "but we did manage to work up a bit of an appetite, so the village was gracious enough to serve us dinner."

"And don't forget the booze," cried Shioyaki, raising a sake gourd above his head.

Nami's eyes traveled to Aka-Mushi who stood at the edge of the gathering, his hands stuffed in his pockets. His gaze met hers for a split second before he quickly broke it and stared at the ground.

"Chu - It would have been nice if you'd invited an officer to come along," remarked Choo as he strolled out of the fort to join them.

"There was nothing for you to do, Choo; you would have been bored," assured Arlong, "Besides, we brought plenty of goods back with us - not only weapons, but lots of spirits too, as well as a few other pretty things!" He reached into the water and pulled up a large sack which he opened on the pavement.

The pirates crowded around, preventing Nami from seeing the contents.

"You weren't kidding about those villagers - they're full of hospitality," hooted Hitchin.

"Maybe we don't charge them enough tribute if they can afford stuff like this," chuckled another.

While his crew eagerly ransacked the bag, Arlong's eye finally fell on the surveyor hovering next to one of the columns. "Hey, how come no one told me Nami was back? Nami! What are you doing? Get over here!"

His long arm reached out and snatched the front of her shirt, pulling her toward him. "Gimme that," he abruptly yanked a jewel-encrusted broach out of Hitchin's hands and gave it to the girl, "This is for you!"

Nami could smell the booze on his breath. She could only imagine what he'd put the people of Morelo through as she glared up at his blood-stained garments.

"So how was your trip," he asked expectantly.

Her fellow officer frowned. "I would hope you have at least something besides bandages to show for yourself - chu."

She offered them an impish smile. "If you must know, I successfully robbed some stupid pirate crew using a decoy bag of money and they never even suspected a thing."

The Arlong Pirates could never get enough of hearing about the idiocy of their human counterparts or how Nami continuously duped them out of their treasure. Even now, they erupted with peals of laughter.

"I guess they thought their hideout was pretty clever, but I was able to walk right in," she continued drolly to her captive audience.

"What crew was it," demanded one of them.

"Oh, I think they called themselves the 'Cleaver Pirates' or something," Nami shrugged, "The Rube Pirates is more like it."

"Ah for the days when being a pirate actually took some skill," bemoaned Arlong, lapsing into one of his drunken tirades, "before any nutsack with two thumbs wanting to make a quick belly decided they could be a buccaneer..."

"Too true, Captain, too true," agreed Shioyaki, taking a long draft from his gourd.

Nami seized the opportunity to make her escape as the attention shifted away from her. She dipped through the doorway and up the stairs to the top floor.

Lying in her pallet in the dark room, she turned the broach over in her fingers and watched the facets glint in the moonlight. She couldn't stop thinking about Morelo Village and the plight of every other settlement ruled by Arlong. Even if she did succeed in purchasing her hometown from the rapacious fishman, she couldn't do anything for the dozens of other villages enslaved within his fiefdom. She realized she'd never fully rid herself of the wretched pirates occupying Conomi; Arlong Park would loom over the coastline for years to come. From her perch at the very top of the grand cage she found herself in, Nami rolled over and slipped into a restless sleep.

000

The weeks following the botched assassination had been dicey for Nami. Although Arlong never mentioned the incident again after their confrontation facilitated by Kuroobi, he made sure she was never allowed to forget it either:

One morning before the break of dawn about a month following the incident, while slipping out for her weekly voyage, she'd nearly had the wits scared out of her by a throat clearing loudly behind her.

The girl whirled around to find Arlong lounging in his chair, veiled in the shadows of the porch.

"Heading out so soon?" The light of the full moon glistened faintly across his jagged grin.

"Um, yeah," came her flustered reply.

"Before you go, do you mind bringing me the charts you made this week?"

"You mean, ALL of them?"

"Yes. All of them," he asserted without moving.

Still bewildered, but assuming he wanted to count them, she trudged back upstairs and retrieved the requested maps, holding the entire stack out to him. "Here you go."

He'd lit one of the tiki torches, and now she could see his hollow features, still gaunt from illness, as he took the stack from her."

"Careful, the one on top isn't totally dry..." she warned as he held the maps up to the fire, then against the fire. All at once, the papers crackled and lit up. Nami gasped as Arlong tossed the flaming charts onto the pavement where they quickly withered into ashes.

"I'm going to need you to do them over now," he said simply.

Despite Nami's concerns over the consequences following her attempt on Arlong's life, things had slowly begun to smooth over and, in many ways, actually improved for the young surveyor. Gone were the days when her door was guarded, and she was forced to remain locked inside all day and night. Almost as if she'd proven herself, Nami was now allowed to set her own hours to a large extent - so long as she continued meeting her quota.

She was never more grateful for this small allowance than when she was able to escape from her sweltering room during the heat of the day, if only for an hour.

Nami stepped out into the afternoon sun heading down the gangway for the gate when she looked up to find herself joined by the lanky form of Aka-Mushi.

"Where ya headed," he asked, matching her pace.

"Just for a walk," she quirked her eyebrow at him, "why?"

He shrugged in his annoyingly vague fashion, "Mind if I join you?"

"I guess not," she shrugged back at him.

The moment they set foot outside the park, he abruptly turned to her. "Here," a set of three batons were promptly thrust in her face.

Nami tilted her head back to examine the unexpected offering. "What are they?"

"They're for you," he insisted.

"I got that much, but why are you giving me these?"

"Well, I been notincin' you coming back with more and more marks like this-" He hovered a large red finger over her bruised cheek, "So I made you something that will hopefully help you ward off future serious injury."

She looked down at the bundle of sticks he'd deposited into her hands, then back up at him. "Huh?"

He sighed, taking the wooden poles back from her and deftly attaching the ends together until they formed one long pole. "It might be a little bit much for you right now, but you should grow into it," he observed as he handed it back.

Nami stared down the length of the bo staff in amazement, testing its weight and slowly turning it over in her grasp.

"You already handle it like a natural," he chuckled.

"Are you kidding," Nami scoffed in return, "I don't know how to use this!"

"Well, obviously not yet - you have to practice it like any other skill," he retorted.

Nami frowned doubtfully down at the smooth wooden shaft, "But how difficult is it to learn? I don't exactly have a teacher."

"Well, I ain't no level 40 black belt in fishman karate like Kuroobi-san or nuthin', but I could still show you a few moves that usually work for me."

She was at a loss for words. Nami wanted to simultaneously hug him and whack him with the staff he'd just gifted her.

"You still mad with me about the other night," he asked, picking up on her mood with uncommon swiftness, "I promise I didn't hurt any of those villagers. I didn't even want to go."

"Oh, no? But I'm sure you helped eat their food and steal plenty of their belongings," she quipped, knocking the butt of the staff against the hard packed dirt with a satisfying ping.

"No, not much - but if I didn't at least bust up a few things, then Arlong-san would've busted me up."

"So," she twirled the stick absently, growing to enjoy feel of it in her hand, "how many people did Arlong kill this time?"

"Just the ones stockpilin' all the weapons," Aka-Mushi shifted uncomfortably, "there were only five of 'em. He let their families live."

"They had families," she groaned.

"Yeah, destroyed their houses too." Aka-Mushi's eyes glazed over as he spoke. "I understand why they had ta die, but how he did it in front of everyone - in front of the kids - and how much he enjoyed it. Kinda made me sick."

Nami felt a little queasy herself. She recalled the warmth of Belle-Mere's blood pooling under her knees as she knelt over her mother's lifeless body. "Why does it surprise you? You should know by now that Arlong doesn't care about killing parents in front of their kids."

"Yeah, but it wasn't just a quick death by gunshot." He reluctantly met her gaze again, "He slashed them to ribbons with Kiribachi. I never seen so much blood."

She stared back at a loss on how to respond to such a horrendous statement.

"Sorry," he said, seeming to sense her hopelessness. He knelt down to be at eye level with her, "Look Nami, just between you me an' the frogs, I really wanna see you be able to buy back your village. I just wish there was more I could do, but I can at least help you learn to defend yourself. Hopefully you still consider me a friend."

Nami briefly held up his handiwork, examining the skillfully wrought pole with its seamless attachments and wondering how many hours he'd worked on it. She turned back to him with a frown, "I don't have very much free time, but could you meet me later tonight at the doc?"

000

Making her way down the thoroughfare, she opened the slip of paper to the drawing she'd spent the entire previous evening working on. Closing her eyes, she tried yet again to envision what the final product would look like, but still had no idea whether it would be any good or not. She shrugged - what mattered most was what her kid-sister thought of it.

Nojiko slowed her pace as she approached her destination. Now if only the Doctor would accommodate her request. He was the only one she trusted and knew to be capable of the job.

Dr. Nako scowled over his spectacles to see her stroll into his office.

"What's the matter, girl; don't tell me you're coming down with something," he stood up from his desk.

"Relax I'm not sick, Doc," she grinned, "The reason for my visit is more artistic in nature."

"What are you talking about?"

"You see, I was hoping I could get you to do me a favor." She spread out the drawing in front of him, "Would you be able to put this design on my arm?"

His scowl deepened as he lifted his shades to look at the sheet laying on his desk. "What do you mean by 'put it on your arm'?"

"I mean as a tattoo."

He looked at her as if she'd just arrived from another planet. "Have you been out in the sun too long, Nojiko? Maybe you should go lie down."

"I know exactly what I'm saying. I want you to give me this tattoo, Doc!"

The elderly man began to sputter, "Wh-what's this all of a sudden? You come in here and ask me, a man of medicine, if I'll wantonly disfigure your body with a needle? You're only fourteen!"

"You know how to do it, don't you?"

"That has nothing to do with it; I'm not going to!" he blustered like a deeply disapproving grandpa. "What would even make you ask for something so ridiculous - do you know what kinds of people have tattoos?"

"Yes, pirates." She replied simply.

"Exactly!"

"I'm not asking for myself," she explained, "it's for Nami!"

"For Nami," he exclaimed in even further bewilderment, "How in the world so?"

She sighed, glancing out the window as she collected her thoughts.

The previous evening...

Nojiko stepped into the house and nearly jumped out of her skin to find Nami balled up on the floor in more or less a fetal position. Terrified something horrible had happened, she rushed over to her sister.

"Nami, what's wrong? Speak to me!" she grabbed the girl around the shoulders, willing her to lift up her head. "Are you hurt?"

Nami momentarily obliged and met Nojiko's gaze only to sink back down into her folded arms again. "It's this damn tattoo," she muttered.

"Huh? Your tattoo? What about it?"

"I'm sick of it!" she bleated like a small, very weary child. "I'm not one of them, but this thing brands me as one!"

"I know you're not, Nami," Nojiko attempted to console her.

"I don't want anyone else to see it," she mumbled against her knees.

"First of all, what happened," coaxed Nojiko, unaccustomed to seeing the younger girl so vulnerable ever since Belle-Mere's death and her abduction into the Arlong crew where she'd supposedly become impervious to all forms of attack. However, she wasn't able to get any further answers, and soon Nami's mask was back in place as she brusquely brushed off the bout of gloom.

"Then she made a joke about needing some long-sleeved shirts and went back to Arlong Park soon afterward," concluded Nojiko to the Doctor.

Nako absently stroked his goatee as he listened to the fourteen-year-old. "I see. I get that you want to support her but getting your own tattoo..." he began in a softened tone.

"Is the right decision," she finished for him. "Doc please do this for me - for Nami!"

He huffed, holding up the paper, "It'll probably take a while if this is the design you're set on. Why didn't you at least go with something smaller?"

"Because I want my tattoo to make Nami's look miniscule in comparison," she smirked.

"It's going to hurt," he warned sternly, "you aren't going to cry, are you?"

"Nope!"

Nako gave a disgusted sigh as he smacked his hand against is forehead, "I can't believe I'm agreeing to this. Gen's gonna kill me!"

000

With calculations still marching through her brain and numbers dancing behind her eyelids whenever she closed them for a moment, Nami stumbled out of Arlong Park after another rigorous day of churning out charts. For the past few days, she'd gone straight from map-making to meet with Aka-Mushi for staff practice, but tonight the fishman had been assigned to coast patrol, so her evening was her own.

Relishing an evening to herself, she took a much-needed walk along the shore to a spot where she could watch the sun set and hopefully sort out some of her troubles. Her fingers closed mindfully around the stolen broach in her pocket - one of several issues sorely needing her attention. She should try and find the rightful owner if possible. Still, what sort of explanation dare she give for having it?

Nami had barely reached the beach when she noticed someone on the shore approaching from the opposite direction. She squinted in the sunlight glaring off the waves at a small figure in shorts a long billowing jacket. Upon noticing her, the figure waved and quickly trotted over. Nami didn't recognize the dark-haired girl who ran up to her and immediately began talking. Clearly, she was an out-of-towner to so readily approach the famous pirate brat.

"Oh hi, sorry to bother you," smiled the child of about her same age, "I was trying to find Cocoyasi Village, have I gone past it?"

"No, it's just up the hill along that road," Nami pointed directly behind her.

"Thank you so much! It's been a while since I visited and I took a different route than I'm used to and got a little lost, but I knew I'd eventually find it if I just followed the coast," she grinned.

"Where are you from," asked Nami.

"Levan Town," she replied, "it's sort of near the center of the island."

"I know it," the other girl nodded.

"But I have relatives who live here - have you heard of Mee and Dee?"

"Mummy Mee and Daddy Dee who run the orphanage? Of course, everyone knows them."

"They're my aunt and uncle."

"So, you've come to visit them?"

She brushed aside a strand of long curly hair the wind blew into her face, "Yes, but more specifically, I came to pay them back for what my family owes."

"Huh," Nami crossed her arms.

"Yeah, a little over a year ago I was really sick, and my parents had to pay lots of medical bills for me, and that meant they didn't have the survival money to pay the fishmen. They were forced to ask for help from Aunt Mee and Uncle Dee."

"Wow, I'm sorry to hear that," returned a truly stunned Nami.

"We only just saved up enough to pay them back and both my parents are busy, plus the mail is so unreliable nowadays, so I decided to take it down to them myself."

"But, out of everyone in the village, they can probably most easily afford it," reasoned Nami, "is it really necessary that your family have to pay them back?"

"It's not like they asked for any money, they don't even know I'm coming, but it doesn't matter," she shrugged, "we still owe it to them. They saved our lives!"

"Yeah." the other girl conceded, "So I guess you'll want to make it to the village before it gets dark."

"Oh right, sorry for talking your ear off," she laughed, "and thanks again for the help - my name's Sonia, what's yours?"

"Um," Nami began when a gust of wind suddenly battered ruthlessly against them. A beret flew out of Sonia's unruly hair, landing in the sand at the cartographer's feet. "Oops," Nami reached down and picked up the small clip, handing it back to the other, "Here you go."

The smile on the out-of-towner's face immediately fell, her eyes widened as she gazed up the length of Nami's extended arm. "What is that?"

"Huh, what do you-" The orange-haired girl followed her stare with dreaded realization that she was wearing a sleeveless dress today. "Oh, that's just a - well y'see..."

Recognition appeared to dawn on the newcomer, "I'd heard there was a girl from Cocoyasi who betrayed her village and joined Arlong's crew - so it was YOU!" She took a step back from Nami and looked around the empty beach as if for any possible assistance.

"You don't have to be afraid," Nami attempted to assure her, taking a step forward, "I'm not going to do anything to you - I'm not your enemy."

Sonia gasped as if the girl before her had been replaced with a venomous snake. "Don't come near me," she cried, reaching into a satchel beneath her jacket.

Nami froze - uncertain of what was about to happen next.

"You want money, right? Here!" She quickly threw a handful of bills at Nami, "Take it, it's yours - just don't send those fishmen after me!"

"Wait," Nami yelled back as the girl turned and fled. She scrambled to pick up the scattered notes from the sand before they blew away or the tide washed them out. By the time she'd collected all of them, the other girl was already halfway down the beach and running up a path toward Gosa. "Come back here, dammit!"

She started to run after her and force her to take the money back, but it was already too late. Nami stared helplessly after the girl's retreating back, swallowing hard against the lump in her throat. She looked down at the wads of berries still clenched in her fists and her gaze shifted instinctively toward the orange groves rising just over the cliffside.

The reason for her trip to the shore forgotten, Nami turned and bolted instead for the safety of Belle-Mere's house.

After moping and needlessly burdening Nojiko with her problems, Nami finally managed to pull herself together enough to head back to The Park and turn in for the night. Somewhere between her encounter on the beach and the following morning, Nami reached a decision regarding the broach bestowed on her by Arlong and the money flung at her by the girl named Sonia.

She made her way back to the groves the following evening. Nami was surprised to see her sister still out picking oranges so late in the day, but she was even more shocked by the strange new markings adorning the older girl's arm and upper chest.

"Nojiko! What happened?" She marveled at the new snaking vines trailing across skin still raised and raw from the needle, "You've got a tattoo!"

"What do you mean," laughed Nojiko, swiping the sweat from her brow, "it's no big deal - tattoos are just another decoration. I guess I'm the same as you now."

Together they laughed, but Nami wanted to cry. Hastily, she excused herself for not being able to stay long as she needed to make a quick drop off and head back to prepare for her upcoming voyage.

Nami gazed pensively into her spacious treasure box. She reached down and dropped Sonia's family's hard-earned money into it first, then reaching into her pocket, she pulled out the jewel-covered broach and tossed it in afterward. They would contribute to a noble cause even if she couldn't return them. Even if it made her a nasty pirate, a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth knowing she was the tiniest bit closer to 100 million and Nojiko's freedom.