Chapter 370: A New Dawn for the Crew: Farewell to Cocoyasi Village

“Put down that necklace.”

Nami raised her Clima-Tact, pointing it at Captain Nezumi from dozens of meters away.

Click, click, click!

Nami’s sudden appearance made a dozen Navy soldiers next to Captain Nezumi lift their flintlock rifles, aiming straight at her.

“Oh? Why should I? All of this is stolen money and I’m going to confiscate it.”

Captain Nezumi didn’t bother with Nami’s threat. Instead, he grabbed another handful of gold, breathing in the scent of money with a deep, greedy sniff.

The intoxicating smell made his eyes glaze with obsession.

He paid no attention at all to Nami’s anger burning beside him.

“I worked so hard to collect all this. What gives you the right to just take it away with a word?”

Nami shot back, voice full of fury.

This shameless Navy—when Cocoyasi Village was under pirate control, they never stepped up to protect anyone. They even sided with the pirates to bully the villagers! Do these people even deserve to be called Navy?

“What right? I’m Navy. That means my justice is justice.”

Captain Nezumi sneered, arrogance dripping from his words.

In these waters, his word was law. All the nearby islanders had to obey without question, or Arlong would make sure anyone who stepped out of line was dealt with.

That says it all—Navy corruption in East Blue ran bone-deep.

“Gum-Gum—Rocket!”

A fist shot out from behind Nami, smashing right into Captain Nezumi’s arrogant face.

“Aaaah!”

Captain Nezumi went flying for dozens of meters before crashing to the ground. Pain shot up from his back as he clutched his waist. “Who dares attack a Navy officer? Are you tired of living?”

The Navy soldiers still standing just looked at each other in shock, frozen in place.

“Idiots, what are you waiting for? Get over here and help me!”

It was only when they heard Captain Nezumi rage behind them that the soldiers finally lowered their rifles and rushed to lift him up.

“Thunder Charge!”

Nami had recognized this Captain Nezumi—he’d always been in cahoots with Arlong. Furious, she activated the lightning cloud hidden within her Clima-Tact.

A dark cloud formed over Captain Nezumi’s head. An enormous bolt of lightning crashed down.

As the lightning fell, a streak of deep violet flashed through it—a subtle change that went unnoticed by everyone there.

When the lightning struck, Captain Nezumi and his men were instantly hit, the wild voltage roasting them on the spot. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air.

“How is that possible? Was it always this powerful?”

Nami could hardly believe it. She’d set the Clima-Tact’s power low; it shouldn’t have been nearly enough to char a man completely.

Kensuke finally arrived, saw the aftermath and hurried to gently cover Nami’s eyes, turning her away.

“It’s all right now. They were bad people anyway.”

At the same time, his left hand waved the villagers behind him forward, signaling them to deal with the burnt Navy bodies.

Understanding his meaning, the villagers quickly ran in, tidied up the scorched soldiers and carried them off to the mountain to bury them.

Once the bodies were gone, Kensuke let go of Nami’s eyes. To him, Nami and Nojiko were like daughters.

“It’s done. It’s all over now.”

“Let’s have a feast!”

Kensuke smoothly steered the topic to celebrating, hoping Nami would move past the incident.

After years as a thief, Nami had stolen plenty—but this was the first time she’d actually killed someone. It left her hands icy, her nerves shaken.

Kensuke had noticed while he was covering her eyes, and immediately led everyone back to the village, where they’d already set up the banquet.

“Alright! Time to party!”

“About time—I’m starving.”

Luffy, unfazed even by death, was still thinking about food.

Zoro quietly slid Wado Ichimonji back into its sheath, a faint smile on his face as he took in the scene.

Their navigator was finally where she belonged.

Johnny and Yosaku stepped up, hoisting the chest of gold onto their shoulders and following the group into the village.

Crackle, crackle!

As night fell, a grand bonfire party kicked off right in the center of Cocoyasi Village.

“Luffy, now that our navigator’s here, what’s our next destination…?”

“Loguetown!”

Loguetown—the Town of Beginnings and Endings, Roger’s birthplace and the place of his execution.

There’s no way Luffy would skip such a place. Plus, Loguetown was the final stop before the Grand Line, the perfect spot to stock up on supplies.

The night passed quietly.

By morning, the crew was packed up and waiting aboard the Going Merry, looking out for Nami.

“Luffy, you don’t think Nami’s going to bail on us, do you?”

Usopp checked the sky; it was already late morning.

Nami still hadn’t arrived. Was she having second thoughts?

If she really backed out, then everything they did would be for nothing.

“Relax, she’s coming. Look.”

Following Ye Fan’s finger, everyone looked toward the town. A crowd of villagers had assembled, and among them, Nami—with her bright orange hair and a huge smile—was weaving her way through.

“Nami, be safe!”

“Come back and visit us, okay?”

“Return safely, you hear!”

Nojiko stood behind everyone, her eyes full of hope as she watched Nami stride forward.

They weren’t related by blood, but after all these years together, Nojiko saw Nami as her true little sister.

“Set sail!”

From dozens of meters away, Nami shouted to Luffy and the others on the pirate ship.

“All right, let’s head out!”

Johnny, Yosaku, and Gin rushed to obey Captain Luffy’s order. The sails dropped, the anchor rose, and the Going Merry glided toward the open sea.

As the ship was just a few meters out from the harbor, Nami ran up, took a flying leap, and landed on deck.

Turning back to the waving villagers on shore, she suddenly flipped her coat—and dozens of wallets tumbled from her pockets.

“Hey, Nami! You little thief.”

“When did you swipe those? I didn’t even see it!”

“Hahaha! What a pro!”

“Goodbye, everyone!”

Tears welled up in Nami’s eyes as she waved at the crowd again and again.

The ship glided on, the villagers shrinking into black dots on the distant shore. Nami turned back to Luffy and the others. “So—where’s our next stop?”

Luffy perched on the sheep’s head at the bow, pointing into the horizon. “Loguetown!”

Nami slipped right into her new role with the crew.

First, she stashed her loot in her own quarters, then came out on deck and started barking out orders. The ship sailed straight toward Loguetown.

Meanwhile, the Going Merry was sturdier than ever thanks to Ye Fan reinforcing it with Wood Element every second.

Not only was the ship tougher, its speed had picked up too. The trip to Loguetown, which usually took a whole day, was cut in half—by midday, the town was already on the horizon.