Silence.
The storm ceased instantly as if the world itself had taken a breath, stunned into stillness. Brilliant white engulfed everything, swallowing the destruction, violence, and chaos, leaving only Nami kneeling in its center.
Zoro's head rested gently in her lap, unmoving, his blood slowly staining her fingertips. Her tears fell silently now, each one an unbearable weight, each breath a quiet plea.
"Zoro," she whispered brokenly, her voice barely audible, yet the world itself seemed to listen.
Then, gently, a familiar warmth stirred the air beside her. Nami didn't look up—she knew who stood there, the only person who could find her in the silence between worlds.
Her mother's voice was gentle, aching with sorrow. "Nami, my sweet girl…"
Nami closed her eyes tightly, her heart breaking anew. "Mama…"
Bell-mère knelt softly beside her, tenderly reaching out to touch Nami's cheek. "You can save him," she whispered, voice trembling, "but it comes—"
"With sacrifice," Nami finished quietly, resignation heavy in her chest. "I know."
Bell-mère's tears fell freely now, sharing in her daughter's grief. "Nami," she whispered, voice thick with sorrow, "you existed before them, and you will exist after them. But love…love knows no bounds." Her fingers gently brushed Nami's tears away. "In the next life, you'll be happy. You won't be surrounded by death or demons. You'll have peace—I promise."
Nami shook her head desperately, clutching Zoro closer, her heart fighting against acceptance. "But I want him, Mama. I want him. I'm sorry—I'm still so selfish."
Bell-mère smiled softly, gently pressing a kiss to Nami's forehead, her whisper heavy with both sorrow and understanding.
"That's not selfish, sweetheart. That's love."
A quiet rustling stirred the ethereal stillness, and a second figure emerged gently from the whiteness. Tera stepped forward, her movements graceful yet heavy with sorrow, her eyes full of tender grief as she gazed upon her fallen son.
Silently, she knelt beside Zoro, gently wiping away the blood staining his peaceful face. Her touch was soft, a mother's caress carrying all the pain and pride of a lifetime.
"He has suffered greatly in this life," Tera murmured, her voice steady despite the tears shining brightly in her eyes. Her gaze lifted gently to meet Nami's, deep understanding passing silently between them. "But you can ensure he won't suffer in the next one."
Nami's breath caught sharply, hope flickering fragilely amidst her despair. "How?"
Tera offered a soft, knowing smile, reaching into the empty air as though pulling from the fabric of existence itself. Slowly, deliberately, she drew forth the shimmering crimson thread, vibrant and unbroken, carefully tugging and continuing to wrap it around their joined hands, tying it gently around their fingers—bound tightly, irrevocably together.
Her voice, soft yet powerful, resonated through the quiet space like a solemn vow.
"What God has bound together, no man… no creature… no force can break."
Nami gently leaned over Zoro, her lips brushing softly against his forehead as tears fell silently onto his pale skin. She whispered to him, but her voice carried clearly to the two women—Bell-mère and Tera—who stood silently watching, waiting for her decision.
"Let him live… Let him protect this world…and me," Nami murmured, voice trembling but fiercely determined. "If you grant him this chance, I swear I'll do whatever I must."
Bell-mère and Tera exchanged a knowing glance; tender smiles softening their expressions even as their forms began to fade gently into radiant whiteness. Bell-mère's voice lingered gently in the air, kind and soothing yet carrying a note of bittersweet finality.
"Then, my love, you must ask that of him…"
Their figures dissolved softly, leaving behind only quiet echoes of warmth. Nami was left alone in the serene stillness; the silence was broken only by the faint, fragile breath she suddenly realized was stirring against her chest.
Her heart leaped painfully as she looked down, watching in awe and gratitude as Zoro's chest rose ever so slightly with shallow breaths—weak but alive. Carefully, reverently, she gathered him into her arms, holding him protectively, almost desperately, as though afraid he might vanish again.
Slowly, she bowed her head low, wrapping herself entirely around him, enveloping him in warmth and quiet strength, determined never to let him go again.
Nami lowered her face, trembling lips brushing softly against Zoro's ear as she whispered her bond—and her curse—in a voice raw with love and sacrifice.
"Zoro…be mine. In every life…for eternity."
Zoro stirred faintly in her arms, his remaining eye barely open, unfocused but finding her even in the haze of death. His hand weakly lifted, fingers tangling gently in her copper hair, holding onto her like she was the last fragment of life itself. Summoning the final remnants of his fading strength, his voice was scarcely audible but achingly sincere.
"Nami…" he breathed, warm breath caressing her tear-streaked cheek. "I'm yours…in every life…for eternity."
Their lips met softly, desperately, sealing the bond between them as a tear poured down Nami's face. The fragile stillness was suddenly shattered by a burst of pure, radiant white light that surged from their joined hearts, enveloping them entirely. The brilliance expanded outward, swallowing everything—the pain, the grief, the curse—leaving behind only the infinite promise of eternity and the unbreakable bond of their souls.
Back in the mortal world, all combat ceased abruptly. The wind stilled, the storm silenced, and every gaze turned upward in awe as Nami rose slowly into the air, cradling Zoro's limp body in her arms. Her form radiated an otherworldly glow, hair cascading like liquid fire around her as the blinding white brilliance expanded, enveloping everything.
Doflamingo paused, head tilted toward the heavens, a cruel smirk twisting his lips as he watched the sky split wide open. His arms spread arrogantly, welcoming the devastation he believed was coming—the annihilation he had long craved. "Yes!" he laughed, voice echoing madly. "Come, Pluton! Show me your destruction!"
But instead of devastation, an immense wall of pure, celestial fire descended, separating him from Nami and searing away the threads of his power. Nami's voice resonated clearly through the flames, powerful and unwavering, echoing as if spoken by a god.
"I am erasing you from existence," she declared fiercely, eyes blazing like stars, voice ringing with absolute authority. "Never again will you bind this world. Never!"
Doflamingo's triumphant grin twisted sharply into shock, then rage, and finally terror as the flames surged forward, consuming him utterly. He screamed—a raw, terrible sound—but the roar of divine fire swiftly drowned it. His form shattered, dissolving instantly into nothingness.
A final pulse of light erupted from Nami, a wave of brilliance washing over the earth, purifying every shadow and scar. And then silence descended.
All that remained was the gentle glow surrounding Nami and Zoro—two souls bound eternally, suspended in perfect stillness between heaven and earth. And then, it all went white with a flash.