"So. You're leaving, then."

"Yup! It's about time we set out with a crew of our own, now."

Arlong's expression was unreadable as he downed another glass of whiskey. He should have been expecting the news – she did warn him before they left a few weeks ago – but she supposed reality was only now sinking in.

Nami and her were leaving.

"… it's not gonna be as lively without you two to stir up trouble."

"Pff. You know Nami's to blame for most of it."

He snorted, and she smiled.

She hadn't expected goodbyes to feel so bittersweet.

"Don't become too much of an asshole without me to keep you in check. And make sure not to piss off the wrong marine – you're strong, not invincible. And you should also call Jimbei to catch up, I've been telling you this for years now and—"

"Yeah, yeah, stop nagging already – that's one thing I'm not gonna miss," he grunted.

She grinned, batting her eyelashes. "So you admit you're gonna miss me?"

For only answer, Arlong grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and threw her toward the pool. Her wings spread and she managed to stop her fall mere inches away from the water, and the Fishmen around them roared with laughter as she threw up her middle finger. Arlong simply rose from his seat, lifting his newly-filled glass and offering a grin filled with rows of sharpened teeth.

"Men! Let's throw a proper party! To celebrate these troublemakers finally making something out of themselves!"

"CHEERS!"

[TITLE ACQUIRED]

Friend of the Fishmen

Brynlee could only laugh.

She really was going to miss them.

"I want to go with you."

"No."

"You can't stop me!"

"You should do what you want to do—"

"Then I want to go with you!"

"No, you want to watch over me – there's a difference." Nami finished packing her bag and shot her brother a look. "Nojiko, I love you, but you've spent your whole life watching over me. It's about time you start living for yourself."

Nojiko kept on glaring for a few seconds, before he gave in, heaving out a sigh. "But you're my little sister…"

Sighing as well, though she was smiling, Nami went to hug him, and he was quick to reciprocate her embrace. Though they weren't related by blood, Nojiko really was the best older brother anyone could ever ask for.

"… I'm going to miss you," he whispered. "You be careful out there, okay? Don't do anything too crazy, and don't get caught stealing money from the wrong people, and do not let Brynlee rope you into too many of her shenanigans, got it?"

"I get it, I get it," chuckled Nami, pulling away before he could notice her teary eyes. "Now come on, I heard the Arlong Pirates are throwing one hell of a party tonight – and these poor guys deserve to get swindled one last time, don't you think?"

"Bellemere—"

Whatever Brynlee was about to say was cut off as the older woman pulled her into a tight hug, just as she always did whenever Brynlee got a little too emotional. So she pushed down the tears and simply hugged her back, knowing that Bellemere wouldn't care for her gratitude – she was just that good a person.

So, she settled for saying the next best thing.

"I love you."

Bellemere's arms tightened a little more around her. "I love you too, Bryn. You and Nami take care of each other out there, okay?"

"Promise."

It was a somewhat strange sight, to see Luffy and the others cheering and partying amidst civilians, Fishmen, and Revolutionaries alike. Their Captain was busy catching up with Sabo in a corner while devouring some meat, Sanji was busy flirting, Zoro was trying to ward off children curious about his wounds, Usopp (drunk) was singing along with Chew (also drunk), and Nami was beating Hatchi and Kuroobi and everyone else at strip poker, though Nojiko was lurking nearby to ensure his sister didn't actually end up naked.

Genzo and Bellemere were merrily drinking the night away, and Arlong and Belo were arguing about the best way to make a marine suffer (everyone had their hobbies, she supposed), and everyone was just… having a great time, overall.

It made her fingers tingle and her heart feel warm.

I love them.

Those were her people. Her home, her family, and her crew. Friends and allies and people she'd helped, and who helped her in return. The people who'd taught her and raised her and trained her, the people who welcomed her with open arms and who kept her safe for practically her entire life in this world.

Those thanks to whom she became strong.

Those thanks to whom she stayed alive.

Those thanks to whom she had a future to look forward to.

I kept on worrying about things changing too much… but despite bugs and error systems alike, things have already changed. Things are already different – for me and for them.

And seeing everyone's smiles tonight only reaffirmed her belief: never would she ever regret those changes she'd made.

Regarding the [TITLE] feature, those can basically only be acquired when all parties involved have acknowledged it. For example, if Brynlee suddenly started to consider herself Kaido's daughter, then Kaido would have to also genuinely acknowledge her as such for her to gain a title. It also needs to be conscious so if, again, for example, Kaido actually was her biological father, then Brynlee would have to properly find out in order to gain the title.

In this scenario, Arlong only just consciously accepted her as a 'Friend of the Fishmen' because he's been in denial this whole time xD

Anyway, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! Next chapter should be out soon!