East Blue.Conomi Islands, Cocoyashi Village Coastline.
By afternoon, Lin En, Nami, and Kaya smoothly docked and stepped ashore.
Nami forced a smile, trying to appear cheerful.
"This is Cocoyashi Village… welcome to my home."
Lin En and Kaya exchanged a glance, sensing her emotions. They followed along and offered gentle responses to support her mood.
Nami quickly composed herself and continued:
"Let's find Nojiko first—she's my sister. I need to talk to her after making such a big decision.""She might also know more about the fishmen's current situation."
Lin En and Kaya had no objections. After all, it was her home—they were guests.
So the three didn't linger and followed Nami westward, into the heart of the village.
They passed through a stretch of orange groves.Here, Nami's expression softened significantly.
Lin En plucked three ripe oranges, juggling them effortlessly, entertaining the two girls and easing the mood.
Nami smiled brightly—until she saw the gate of the house in the distance.
That was where Bell-mère had fallen…
But this time, she didn't sink into grief.With Lin En by her side, it was as if a weight had lifted from her chest.
Maybe it was the sense of security he gave her—or perhaps, now that she really looked at his face, it was unreasonably attractive.
Moments later, a figure appeared—short blue hair, on tiptoe, picking oranges.
Nami's eyes lit up. She waved and shouted:
"Nojiko!"
"Eh?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Nojiko turned in surprise.
"Nami? It's really you!"
But then, her gaze fell upon the tall man behind Nami.
A hulking man over two meters tall, broad-shouldered and muscular.
Nojiko's instincts flared:"This man's aura is terrifying. He's smiling… but he feels even more dangerous than Arlong."
Taking a moment to settle her nerves, she crossed her arms and teased:
"You've grown up, Nami. Bringing a boyfriend home, huh?""But he's so big… can you handle him by yourself?"
Nami flushed bright red, flustered and shouting:
"Nojiko! Don't say weird things!""He's not my boyfriend—he's just my captain! We haven't… we're not like that!"
"Just the captain?" Nojiko's eyes glinted mischievously as she looked Lin En up and down."Sounds like there's still a chance. She didn't deny it outright—you've got potential."
"I'll take that as a blessing." Lin En chuckled coolly.
As if returning to his own backyard, he walked under one of the orange trees, plucked the largest, roundest orange, and casually tossed the three he had into Kaya's hands.
He peeled the new orange and took a big bite.
The juicy, sweet flavor slid down his throat, causing him to smack his lips in satisfaction.
"Mmm~ sweet and juicy. You've got some serious skills."
He gave Nojiko a thumbs-up, eyes blazing with appreciation.
Nojiko froze.Was he talking about the orange, or... something else?The way he looked at her made her knees weak.
She didn't answer immediately but leaned toward Nami and whispered:
"Is he your new target?""You've joined a few pirate crews before, but this is the first time you've brought someone home. Is he rich?"
Nami's expression turned serious.
"No. Listen—this is what's really going on…"
She explained for nearly ten minutes.
"WHAT!? He's planning to kill the fishmen?!"
Nojiko gasped, looking wide-eyed at Lin En—who was currently devouring oranges like a man possessed.
"That's right."Nami nodded solemnly."That's why we came back first—to confirm whether those bastards are still at Arlong Park."
Nojiko: "..."
The blue-haired girl was utterly dumbfounded.
She'd originally been thrilled that Nami was back.
But she hadn't expected Nami to give up her 100 million Beli plan and instead place her hopes on this—
—tree-kicking, fruit-hunting, overly handsome man.
While she had always trusted Nami unconditionally, Nojiko couldn't help but doubt Lin En.
She didn't believe any human could take on Arlong and his crew.
After all, they were the ones who had slaughtered Bell-mère and dominated the entire Conomi region.
But... seeing Nami's determined face, she chose not to argue.
She knew her sister's nature—once she made up her mind, not even ten oxen could drag her back.
So Nojiko sighed, then slowly said:
"They're still holed up in Arlong Park. Recently, nearby villages paid them a lot of tribute.""They've been throwing feasts non-stop—day and night."
At this point, she looked seriously at Lin En:
"I don't know where your confidence comes from, challenging Arlong like this…""But I hope you realize—he's far more dangerous than you think."
Lin En didn't bother with speeches.Among the fishmen, only Jinbe was worth his attention.
As for Arlong?
A joke.
He popped the final orange segment into Nami's mouth, tousled her short orange hair, and said:
"Go with Kaya and tell the villagers to stay inside. No one comes out."
"Okay!"
Nami and Kaya nodded, then quickly ran off to warn the townspeople.
In the large orange grove, only Nojiko and Lin En remained.
"Lin En…"
Once Nami was out of sight, Nojiko looked at the man before her, conflicted.
"Nami seems to trust you a lot. Are you really confident you can defeat Arlong and his crew?"
"Not defeat—Kill." Lin En smiled like the sun."Let's make a bet. If I succeed... you become my woman."
"What?!" Nojiko froze.
"Don't you already have Nami!?"
"Exactly." Lin En said calmly."That's why… the three of us living happily together is the most important thing."
"…"