Cry settled into a kneeling position, then slowly lowered her face until it was just inches above the water's surface. She opened her small mouth.
Nami stared at her, confusion written all over her face.
Then the water in the pool began to swirl, slowly flowing toward Cry's mouth. It kept moving, flowing inside her as if it would never end.
Nami couldn't believe her eyes. She had seen Fishmen use water to attack, but drinking an entire pool full of it? That was something else entirely
The water began moving faster. It was an unbelievable sight. Half the pool had already disappeared. Nami estimated that the hole was at least a hundred feet deep, yet Cry kept drinking, steadily, until the entire pool was gone.
Amidst all this, Nami stared at Cry, wondering if she was okay. But nothing seemed to change—Cry even patted her small stomach in satisfaction, like she was completely content.
Then Nami looked down. What she saw made her heart leap. She couldn't help it—she was so happy that she hugged Cry tightly as Cry rested in her arms, both of them looking down at the bottom of the hole.
Nami pressed a gentle kiss to Cry's cheek, then looked down again. Cry didn't understand, she just stared at Nami with her innocent, ocean-deep eyes.
At the bottom of the hole lay scattered piles of gold. It wasn't sunlight reflecting off the water—these treasures were glowing, illuminating the pool from beneath.
Finally, Nami whispered, tears streaming down her face, "Finally… I can pay back… our village… with this…"
Her tears weren't from despair—they were from pure, uncontainable happiness.
Cry noticed Nami's unusual reaction and moved closer, wrapping her arms around Nami from behind. Nami felt the warmth and, overwhelmed, hugged Cry back, still looking down at the shining gold while more tears fell from her eyes
After Nami let out her years of grief, she finally felt free. For the first time, she gave a genuine smile to Cry.
"Thank you," Nami said softly, smiling at her.
Cry smiled back, her small lips curving in the faintest, purest way.
Nami gave Cry a final hug and whispered, "After I pay back our village, I'll take care of you… and we'll live together."
Cry just stared at her, not understanding what was happening.
Nami stood up, then gently took Cry's hand. "Follow me," she said. Cry didn't understand the words, but she let Nami pull her along.
They walked slowly. As they moved, Cry's eyes roamed over the vast forest. Hidden among the trees and underbrush, the rare animals peered out cautiously, too scared to make a sound—not daring to move in front of this goddess. Even the trees seemed to hold their breath, standing still as if the wind itself had stopped.
Cry, curious and innocent, stared and took it all in, her ocean-deep eyes scanning the forest, captivated by every hidden creature, every leaf, every shadow..
Then Nami and Cry reached the end of the forest—the path back to the shore. There, Zoro was sleeping in the boat, and Luffy was talking to the man in the treasure box.
Nami saw them and just smiled.
"Luffy! Zoro!" Nami shouted. They both turned toward her.
"Oyy, Nami! What took you so long?"
Zoro suddenly stood up, eyes wide. "W-what? Are we being attacked?!"
But both Luffy and Zoro froze when they saw what was behind Nami.
It was a tall woman—the goddess they had seen at the pool.
This time, Zoro and Luffy managed to compose themselves, though heavy breaths still escaped them.
Not everyone could.
Gaimon screamed, panic ripping through him. "No… no… no… no… no… run! Run! Run! It's… it's… it's the… the… the monster… RUUUUUUUNNNNN!"
But everyone else just stared at Gaimon like he had lost his mind.
Gaimon was breathing so hard he felt as if the world itself was ending. He couldn't move, couldn't do anything—he could only stare into those deep, ocean-like eyes.
How could he ever forget them? Eyes that had almost killed him fifteen years ago, eyes that had pushed him to the edge of taking his own life… and now, they were staring at him.
Luffy, who was standing beside him, grew annoyed at the screams and chaos coming from Gaimon. Without thinking, Luffy punched Gaimon lightly on the head.
"Banghh! Hey, old man! What monster? Look closely—there's no monster here! And if there was, I'd like some meat!" Luffy said.
Gaimon slowly came back to his senses, his wide, panicked eyes now focusing on what was actually in front of him. No monster, no death, no world-ending horror—just a breathtaking goddess looking at him.
He blinked, and as his gaze settled on her eyes, he froze again. They were brighter, clearer, more like crystal blue than anything he had ever seen. The sheer calm radiating from her presence made Gaimon finally take a deep breath.
"See? What did I tell you? There's no monster in the forest. Only that girl… enjoying the water." Luffy said casually.
Gaimon's mind raced. Did I really see a monster? Was I hallucinating from being stuck in this box all these years? Did I make a huge mistake, judging her?
"It's alright," Luffy added, "No harm done. And we found your treasure box, too… bit…"
Gaimon waved his hand dismissively. "No need to say analyzing to make me feel better, boy. I know it's been empty the whole time… I just… I just couldn't accept it."
"But now I feel clearer… and happier," Gaimon said softly, a small smile on his face.
Nami tilted her head and asked, "Then… those gold in the deep hole… they weren't yours?"
Gaimon's ears perked up. "How could it be? From the very start, I knew the treasure box was locked and empty, and that hole… that hole wasn't even there at first!"
"Then… who owns that gold in the deep hole?" Nami asked, turning toward the source of the mystery.
Every head instinctively turned to Cry. She was looking around, her innocent, ocean-deep eyes taking in the world. She was truly a beautiful creature, unlike anything they had ever seen.
Even after all the times they had seen her, her presence was awe-inspiring. And now, the question hung in the air: were those treasures originally part of this island… or were they Cry's own, divine possessions?
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To be continued