Chapter 19: Parting Ways
"Oi, oi, what are you whispering about?"
Sanji walked back to the table, slamming a tray of drinks down with a little more force than necessary. He glared at Apollo. "And who exactly were you trying to introduce me to?"
Apollo jerked his thumb toward the center of the restaurant, where Luffy was currently arguing with Zeff about dishwashing duties.
"That guy," Apollo said. "He's the captain of a pirate crew. The moss-head, the long-nose, and the angry girl are his crewmates. They're looking for a sea cook. I know you've always yearned for the All Blue, so I threw your name in the hat."
"Captain?" Sanji squinted at Luffy, who was currently picking his nose while being yelled at.
Sanji scoffed, lighting a cigarette. "He looks like an idiot. A crew like that won't last a week in the Grand Line."
"Don't judge a book by its cover," Apollo smiled, his expression uncharacteristically serious. "I have high hopes for him."
Sanji paused. He looked at Apollo, then back at Luffy.
He knew Apollo wasn't a man who wasted words. If someone strong enough to terrify a Marine Lieutenant saw potential in that rubber boy, maybe there was something there.
For a second, Sanji looked tempted. Then, he shook his head, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Forget it. I'm not planning to become a pirate. I have a debt to pay here. Find someone else."
"Suit yourself," Apollo shrugged, leaning back. "I'm just the matchmaker. The rest is up to fate."
Sanji grunted and walked away to serve another table.
"He seems pretty stubborn," Usopp mumbled, sipping his juice. "Does he really want to go to sea?"
"Who knows?" Apollo replied vaguely.
Inside, his mind was turning.
With Luffy here, Sanji joining is inevitable. The real question is... Gin.
Because of Apollo's interference, Lieutenant Fullbody had been knocked out cold before he could finish his meal.
If Fullbody was unconscious, did Gin escape the Marine ship? If Gin doesn't show up, Don Krieg won't show up. And if Krieg doesn't show up... Sanji's catalyst for leaving might disappear.
CRASH!
The heavy double doors of the Baratie were kicked open.
A man staggered in, gasping for air. He wore a tattered jacket emblazoned with red dragons, his face gaunt and shadowed by dark circles. He clutched a heavy flintlock pistol in a shaking hand.
"Food..." the man croaked. "Give me... food..."
It was Gin.
Apollo narrowed his eyes.
So, he appeared anyway. Is this the self-correcting power of fate?
He thought for a moment, then relaxed. No. It's simpler than that. Fullbody was knocked out by Luffy. With the commanding officer unconscious, the Marines on the ship would have been in chaos. It would have been even easier for a prisoner like Gin to escape.
Apollo smirked. It seems my butterfly effect just greased the wheels of destiny.
He didn't intervene. He watched from the sidelines as the classic scene played out: The other chefs beat Gin and threw him out for having no money. Sanji, silent and kind, followed him out with a steaming plate of seafood fried rice.
Gin ate, cried, bowed in gratitude, and left. The seeds were sown.
Two days passed.
The Going Merry remained docked next to the restaurant. They couldn't leave yet—Luffy was still working off his debt for the roof, and Sanji hadn't agreed to join.
The calm was broken by the arrival of a massive, tattered galleon emerging from the fog.
"That's Don Krieg's flagship!" "The ruler of the East Blue's underworld!" "He's heading straight for the Baratie!"
On the deck of the Merry, the remaining crew watched nervously.
"We should go check on Luffy," Zoro suggested, hand on his sword.
Usopp looked at Apollo. Seeing him nod, Usopp grabbed his slingshot. "O-okay! I'll go too!"
"I'll stay and watch the ship," Nami said quickly, clutching her treasure bag.
"We'll stay too! We need to guard the ship for Big Brother Zoro!" Johnny and Yosaku volunteered.
The group split up. Apollo, Zoro, and Usopp took the small dinghy over to the floating restaurant, leaving Nami and the two bounty hunters on the Merry.
Ten minutes later.
Nami stood on the deck of the Going Merry. Johnny and Yosaku were currently floating in the ocean, having been "accidentally" pushed overboard after Nami tricked them into checking the anchor.
She unfurled the sails. The ship began to move, pulling away from the Baratie.
She looked back at the floating restaurant, clutching a crumpled wanted poster in her hand.
"They really are a good bunch of people," Nami whispered, her voice trembling. "Luffy, Zoro, Usopp... Apollo. If we ever meet again... will you still call me a friend?"
Tears began to stream down her face, unbidden. The weight of her burden, the years of thievery and betrayal for the sake of her village, crashed down on her.
"I wish I could be free soon... Bell-mère..."
She sobbed, her shoulders shaking.
"If you're tired, you can lean on my shoulder. Don't be shy."
A calm voice spoke right next to her ear. An arm wrapped gently around her shoulders.
Nami, lost in her grief, instinctively leaned into the warmth.
Then, her brain rebooted.
"KYAAAAH!"
She shrieked, stumbling back and falling onto her butt on the deck. She stared in horror at the figure leaning against the mainmast.
It was Apollo. He was peeling an orange, looking completely at ease.
"You... You... You!" Nami stuttered, her mind in chaos. She pointed a shaking finger at him. "How?! Why?! You went to the restaurant with Zoro!"
Apollo popped a slice of orange into his mouth. "I did. But they started fighting Krieg's men. It was boring. Just a bunch of shouting and gunshots. So, I came back early to take a nap."
He offered her a slice. "Want some? It's fresh."
Nami stared at him, her chest heaving. She wiped her tears furiously, trying to regain her composure. She stood up, her face hardening into the mask of the "Witch of the Sea."
"Apollo," she said, her voice icy. "Get off."
"I Refuse," Apollo replied instantly.
"I'm serious!" Nami yelled. "I'm stealing this ship! I'm betraying you! I'm running away with all the treasure! Go back to your friends!"
"I'm not part of Luffy's crew," Apollo reminded her lazily. "I told you from the start, I'm just a passenger. As long as the ship moves toward the Grand Line, I don't care who sails it."
"You..." Nami gritted her teeth. "Fine! If you won't leave, I'll make you leave!"
She reached for her bo staff, but paused. She knew she couldn't beat him. He was a monster who took down Captain Kuro.
She took a deep breath. "Listen to me. I'm not going to the Grand Line. I'm going back to my base. It's dangerous. You should just jump off and swim back to the Baratie. It's not far."
Apollo looked at the water, then back at Nami. "I can't."
"What do you mean you can't?!"
"I can't swim," Apollo said calmly. "I'm a Devil Fruit user. I'm a useless in the water. If I jump, I sink. Do you want to murder me, Nami?"
Nami froze. "You... you're a Devil Fruit user too? Like Luffy?"
"My ability is different, but the curse is the same," Apollo nodded.
Nami slumped, defeated. She couldn't throw him off, she couldn't fight him, and he refused to leave.
"Fine," she hissed. "But don't blame me for what happens next. I'm going to Arlong Park. That's the headquarters of the Arlong Pirates."
Apollo's lips curled into a knowing smile. "Because of Arlong, huh?"
Nami stiffened. "How do you know that name?"
"I saw you looking at his wanted poster earlier," Apollo said, his eyes sharp. "And this course... it leads straight to the Conami Islands."
Nami glared at him, dropping the act entirely. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing the tattoo on her shoulder—a saw-toothed shark. "Since you know, I'll tell you. I'm not a victim. I'm an officer of the Arlong Pirates. I'm a cold-blooded thief who joined the crew that killed my family for money. Are you scared now?"
She waited for the disgust. She waited for him to attack her.
Instead, Apollo laughed.
"Why are you laughing?!" Nami screamed.
"Because you're a terrible liar," Apollo said, standing up. He walked over to her. "I saw you crying just now. You called out for 'Bell-mère.' Those weren't the tears of a villain, Nami."
He looked down at her, his gaze intense. "I'm not an idiot. The hatred in your eyes when you looked at that poster was real. You aren't his officer. You're his prisoner."
"Shut up!" Nami covered her ears. "You don't know anything! Arlong is a monster! He'll kill you! He'll kill everyone!"
"Arlong?" Apollo scoffed, walking past her to the cabin. "You overestimate a fish stuck in a small pond. Crushing him... won't be much harder than crushing an ant."
Nami stared at his back, trembling with a mix of rage and disbelief. "You talk just as big as Usopp!"
Apollo stopped at the door. He glanced back over his shoulder.
"Someone else said that to me once," he mused. "Captain Kuro. I wonder if he regretted his ignorance when my staff hit his face?"
He opened the door. "Wake me up when we get there, Navigator."
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