The sun was slowly decending when the crew gathered on the deck of the Going Merry. A heavy silence hung over them. Sanji leaned against the mast, arms crossed, a cigarette burning low between his fingers. Luffy sat on the sheep-headed figurehead legs crossed. Cassandra stood beside Nami, who leaned against the railing, looking out at the sea with an unreadable expression.
Luffy turned around, breaking the silence.
"So, what is this about Nami stealing the ship?" he asked.
Cassandra nodded at Nami. "She should be the one to explain it."
Nami sighed. her voice trembled slightly as she spoke. "I didn't plan to stay with you guys... not forever. I joined to steal money. I needed a hundred million berries and I finally got it."
Sanji's eyes widened. "That's a lot of money for one person."
She turned to them, revealing a rare vulnerability. "It's not for me. It's for my village Cocoyashi. Arlong and his Fishmen Pirates took it over years ago. He made a deal with me. If I get the money, I can buy the village's freedom. He promised, he'll leave it alone."
Luffy looked confused. "Fishmen? Like real fish people?"
"Yes and Arlong is the worst of them. He kills without mercy, he breaks people with a smile on his face. But he gave me a number and I've been working for years to reach it."
Sanji looked solemn. "That's why you've been chasing treasure?"
She nodded.
There was a long silence before Cassandra stepped forward, her tone calm but firm. "Then let's make a bet."
Nami blinked. "A bet?"
"We'll sail to your island. You'll bring the money to Arlong. If he honors the deal, you pay him and we leave. If he tries anything... we fight."
Nami frowned. "You don't understand. He will kill anyone who threatens him. Also his crew is..."
"Strong?" Cassandra smiled faintly. "We're strong too, you know. I don't believe he'll keep his word, but I want you to see it for yourself."
"I don't want you to get hurt for me," Nami said, her voice breaking slightly. "I've... I've started to like you idiots."
Luffy stood up and grinned. "I don't care about the money. I want to beat up that Arlong jerk. If you're in trouble, we help. That's what friends do."
Nami looked away, tears shimmering in her eyes.
Sanji walked forward and flicked the ash from his cigarette. "Cassandra's right. If this Arlong guy is as bad as you say, we can't just leave him alone. If he is honorable, then great and you will get your village back."
Nami sniffled, and Cassandra gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I promise," she whispered, "one way or another, this ends. No more chains, Nami."
Nami wiped her eyes, then finally nodded. It was useless to argue with these stubborn people and everything would be solved, if she paid Arlong. So she said. "Alright. Let's go home."
Cassandra knew that Arlong would never uphold this deal, but Nami had to experience this heartbreak, so she could wholeheartingly join the crew and look forward to a better future.
With the decision made, they prepared the ship. The crew raised the sail, Cassandra moving to the rudder, while Luffy gave a hearty shout.
"To Cocoyashi Village!"
The Going Merry cut through the waves as the Baratie shrank in the distance behind them. The cooks winking with tears in their eyes at Sanjis departure. Even the stubborn Zeff shedded a tear.
The sea was calm and the wind blew gentle on the sails of the Going Merry. For once, the journey felt peaceful.
Night had settled quietly around the Going Merry. The sea was calm, almost deceptively so and the ship rocked.
Sanji stood near the galley, working with practiced efficiency despite the tension hanging in the air. He prepared a simple meal tonight. Grilled fish, rice and whatever vegetables he could scavenge. Not a feast, but cooked like something a 3 star restaurant would serve and enough to keep everyone standing.
Nami sat near the mast, arms wrapped around her knees, staring out at the dark water. Cassandra leaned against the railing, eyes half-lidded, seemingly relaxed.
Then—
She felt it.
A disturbance beneath the ship. Not waves. Not current.
Movement.
Cassandra's eyes snapped open.
Without a word, she pushed off the railing and walked toward the bow. Her steps were calm, measured. No urgency. No alarm. Just certainty.
Sanji glanced up. "Oh Cassandra-chan? Is something wrong?"
Cassandra didn't answer.
She stopped at the very front of the ship and rested her hand on the hilt of Wado Ichimonji, the other swords hovering faintly behind her, like shadows waiting for command.
The water beneath the bow began to churn.
A massive shape rose from below.
A grotesque sea cow with bulging eyes, thick lips and a big nose ring broke the surface. It was Momoo, the pet beast of the Arlong Pirates. It snorted loudly, water pouring from its nostrils, as it reared its head, smelling the nice food Sanji made.
Nami gasped. "That thing—!"
Sanji turned. "The hell is that thing?!"
"It looks so delicious!" Luffy shouted.
Cassandra exhaled once.
And moved.
In a single fluid motion, she stepped forward, blade flashing silver under the moonlight.
One Sword Style Zanshu no senkō: Nagare o tatsu (Decapitating Flash: Severing the Tide)
The strike was so fast it barely made a sound.
A clean, horizontal arc of steel cut through the night.
Momoo´s massive head separated from its body, before it even realized it had been attacked. The body leaned forward for half a second, then collapsed back into the sea with a heavy splash. The head followed a moment later, sinking beneath the surface in silence.
Blood spread across the water like ink.
The sea went still again.
Cassandra sheathed her sword and turned back toward the deck.
Sanji stared, cigarette slipping from his lips. "You—You just—"
"Sanji," Cassandra said calmly, pointing toward the water. "This seabeast is fresh. Cook it."
Nami blinked. "You're joking."
"I never joke about food," Cassandra replied.
Luffys eyes turned into sparkling stars, happy to be able to eat so much meat.
Later, the smell of roasted meat filled the deck.
Sanji had outdone himself, despite the bizarre circumstances. Thick cuts of sea beast steak sizzled over the grill, seasoned generously. The earlier tension faded as plates were passed around.
Luffy ate one steak after another.
Nami poked at her portion. "I'm… not really hungry."
"Eat," Cassandra said flatly, already finishing her second plate.
Sanji swooned in his usual tone. "Nami-swan you don't have to eat, if you are already full."
Cassandra shook her head. "No you both should eat more."
Both of them looked at her.
"In this world," Cassandra continued, wiping her mouth, "strength isn't just training. It's intake. Your body adapts to what you demand of it. The more you eat, the more your body grows. The stronger it becomes."
Sanji raised an eyebrow. "That's not how bodies work."
"That's how this world works," Cassandra corrected. "You think giants eat like normal humans? You think monsters like Arlong grew strong by starving?"
Nami hesitated, then took another bite.
Cassandra leaned back, satisfied. "You don't eat because you're hungry. You eat because tomorrow demands more from you than today."
Sanji stared at his plate, then shrugged. "Huh. Guess that explains Luffy."
From the other side of the deck, Luffy snored loudly with food still in his mouth.
Nami sighed, but kept eating.
For the first time that night, she felt… steadier.
The sea rocked the ship gently.
Unaware that this meal, this moment, was already shaping what they would become.
After the meal Nami made sure the ship was on curse and Sanji showed how gentlemanly he was and took the helm.
Nami sat cross-legged at the bow, her gaze fixed on the horizon. Cassandra sat beside her, polishing one of her swords in silence. After a moment, Nami spoke.
"All this time I was sailing and stealing treasure all by myself," she said softly. "When I was little, Bellemère used to take us to the coast to watch the sunset. She was a former Marine, tough as nails, but she raised me and my sister Nojiko like we were her own."
Cassandra glanced sideways, then quietly put her sword away.
"She sounds like someone I would've liked."
Nami smiled faintly, her voice cracking. "She died when Arlong came. He gave her a choice: pay for herself and every child, or die. We were poor and she didn't have enough for all three of us… so she said she only had enough for Nojiko and me. And then..."
Her hands curled into fists.
Cassandra placed a hand gently over them.
"You don't have to say it. I understand."
"She died because she loved us more than anything." Nami wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. "I swore I'd save the village, no matter what it took."
The rest of the crew gave Nami space, the mood quiet as they neared the shore. When the shape of the island was visible on the horizon, Nami tensed up determination radiating in her eyes. They sailed to the dock of the village.
"I'll go alone for now. I just need to tell him I have the money."
"We'll be close," Cassandra reminded her. "Call, and I'll cut through walls to reach you."
Nami gave a shaky nod, then leapt down to the dock. The villagers frowning at the sight of her.
Inside the gaudy compound of Arlong Park, Nami walked across the tiled floor with steady steps. Arlong, lounging arrogantly on his throne-like chair, looked down at her with a wide grin full of sharp teeth.
"Well well... our little thief returns," he drawled. "You have good news?"
"I have the 100 million," Nami said, eyes cold. "I'll bring it here tomorrow. I expect you to keep your word."
Arlong laughed, the sound echoing through the hall. "Of course! A deal is a deal. After all, I am a man that honors his promises."
She turned without another word and left, her fingers trembling as she closed the gate behind her.
As she walked away, Arlong turned to one of his lieutenants and sneered.
"Get me Nezumi. Tell him we have a treasure stash that needs confiscating. SHAHAHAHAHA!'"
That night, the Going Merry remained anchored just outside the village. Cassandra and Luffy stood on the dock while Sanji prepared a small meal in the galley. A young woman approached from outside the village, arms crossed.
"Nojiko?" Nami called as she returned to the ship.
The woman nodded and gave the crew a suspicious glance.
"Who are they?"
"They're my crew," Nami said hesitantly, then she paused realizing something. "...my friends."
Nojiko looked surprised for a moment, then softened. She greeted the crew politely, offering some tangerines from her grove.
"I'm not sure what you're planning," she said as she handed a fruit to Cassandra, "but thank you for standing by her. She's carried this burden alone for so long. Never the less you all should leave."
"We're not leaving until it's done," Cassandra promised.
That night, the crew stayed on the Merry, resting for what was to come. Nami sat with Nojiko at the edge of the dock, their feet in the water.
"You think he'll keep his word?" Nojiko asked.
Nami stared up at the stars. "I want to believe it, but Cassandra doesn't think so and a part of me... agrees with her, but what other choice do I have?"
Morning broke with golden light streaming across the tangerine groves.
Birds chirped as Nami walked toward the tangerine bush, where she had hidden the money. Just as she approached, she heard heavy boots stomping across the dirt path.
She turned and froze.
A squad of Marines, led by a man in a coat with rat-like whiskers and ears on his head, marched toward the farm. He grinned unpleasantly.
"I am Captain Nezumi of the 16th Marine Branch," he announced. "We've received word of stolen treasure hidden here. We're here to seize it immediately."
Nami's face paled.
From the Going Merry, Cassandra opened her eyes, sensing the commotion. In the distance, Marines were approaching the grove.
She gripped the railing.
"So it finally starts."