Chapter Forty-Eight: Come With Me to Change It All

The dark crimson flying slash was naturally unleashed by Rowan.

Returning from Dragon Paradise, he had just arrived back at the village when he witnessed this scene. The appearance of those fishmen surprised Rowan somewhat; he had originally believed that, aside from the one who had fainted out of fear, he had wiped out all the fishmen on the island. Yet, a few remained here.

But once Nojiko was out of danger, Rowan had no intention of letting them live any longer. He had promised Nami that every last one of those lowly fishmen would die cleanly, and he intended to keep that promise. As for breaking promises—well, what Nami herself had pledged had nothing to do with him.

The deaths of these final fishmen sparked raucous cheers within the village. Excitement, exhilaration, and relief… all these emotions intertwined, forming joyful cries.

No one felt pity for the fishmen. More than ten years of oppression had left the villagers with hatred etched deeply in their hearts. Listening to the cheering, Rowan felt both happy and proud.

As a gold medal lawyer devoted solely to justice, he had heard such voices countless times in his previous life, but never tired of them.

He walked slowly to stand before Nami, nodded at Nojiko, and said gently, “It’s all over.”

At those words, Nami’s already reddened eyes could no longer hold back. She threw herself into Nojiko’s arms, wailing loudly.

She was venting her grievances, her burdens, but more than anything, her excitement and joy.

The cheering gradually faded, and the villagers watched Nami in silence. Though they had always called her a traitor, a shameless betrayer of her adoptive mother, they knew better than anyone Nami’s love for the village and her hatred for Arlong.

Those words of accusation and insult had only ever been a strange form of protection for Nami.

Now that everything was over, there was no need for pretense. The recent cheers had been for regaining their freedom; now, the quiet was for Nami’s happiness.

Their greatest enemy had been vanquished, freedom reclaimed, companions found, and the burden of responsibility for the village finally lifted.

Witnessing this, Koby’s face turned bright red—this was the justice he had always yearned for. Whether as a marine or not, it no longer mattered to him.

From Rowan, he had learned that justice was not about status or allegiance.

Now, the only thing he wanted was to follow Rowan to the very end, to pursue the justice in his heart.

He stole a glance at Rowan, his longing to grow stronger intensifying, for only the strong can uphold justice.

Just as Rowan had done today; if he hadn’t possessed such strength, he could never have enforced justice, defeated Arlong, or freed these people.

“Hey—” Zoro grinned broadly, unsurprised by the outcome. After their last sparring match, he had never doubted Rowan’s strength; such a powerful swordsman could never lose to a mere East Blue pirate.

As for young Donna, she gazed at Rowan with shining eyes, never taking her adoring stare off him.

No one knew how long Nami cried, but eventually, she pulled away from Nojiko’s embrace, her cheeks flushed, and walked up to Rowan, giving him a big hug.

“Thank you, Rowan.”

“No need for thanks. It’s what I ought to do.”

Rowan gently hugged Nami and then released her, his manner perfectly gentlemanly.

Feeling Rowan’s actions, Nami couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.

Every girl has dreamed of being rescued by a hero, and Nami was no exception. Now, a powerful, handsome, wealthy young man had helped her unconditionally—how could she not have feelings?

But to Nami, Rowan seemed a little oblivious, which left her both relieved and slightly frustrated.

After they separated, Rowan seemed to remember something, looking into Nami’s eyes with a hint of anticipation on his face, and said earnestly, “Nami, I have a question for you.”

At those words, Nami’s heart skipped a beat, her face heating up as her heartbeat quickened.

Perhaps it was the anticipation of Rowan’s question, but she blushed and replied, “Go ahead, ask!”

Rowan nodded, his expression resolute. “Would you like to join the navy with me and change all this?”

“Huh?”

Nami froze, her face locked in a subtle and complicated expression; the blush that had come from shyness now turned to a deep red from embarrassment and annoyance.

So this was what she’d been waiting for?

Nami now resembled a crab boiled red, steam practically rising from her head.

With more than thirty years of solitary experience, Rowan was naturally oblivious to Nami’s feelings; he thought perhaps he hadn’t explained himself clearly, so he turned to the sea and said, “On Rossia Island, Donna and I had our experiences; in Cocoyasi Village, you had yours. All are but fragments of this world.”

“Across the vast sea, there are countless people who have suffered just as we have.”

“That’s why I swore to change it all.”

“But changing the world isn’t something one can do alone. It requires companions. So I brought Koby, sought out Zoro, and now I officially invite you, Nami.”

“Will you join me, become a marine, and help change everything?”

Nami looked at Rowan’s determined gaze and confident words, and she fell silent.

She admitted that compared to Rowan’s grand ambitions, her own thoughts just now seemed petty.

But so long as she could be with Rowan, no matter the reason, she would agree.

Thinking it through, Nami suddenly smiled and said, “Joining the navy is fine, but you have to promise—my only superior will be you!”

“That goes without saying.”

Rowan answered without hesitation.

His plan for joining the navy was to poach talent, not to offer up good recruits. One condition for joining was that those he brought along would remain his subordinates; Rowan would negotiate this with the navy.

Given his strength, Rowan was confident they would respect his wishes.

After all, aside from himself, no one else knew the talents of Nami, Zoro, or Koby, so there would be little dispute.

“Deal!” Nami beamed, content to follow Rowan.

As for matters of the heart, those could be left for later. As the saying goes, familiarity breeds affection, doesn’t it?

Besides, by staying close to Rowan, she could keep an eye on those seductive women; with Rowan’s charm, a mere wave of his hand would lure noble ladies aplenty.

“Should we burn down Dragon Paradise?” Rowan asked, glancing at the ruined amusement park.

He knew it was a painful memory for Nami, which was why he had destroyed it.

Still, staring at the heap of rubble could easily bring back unpleasant memories, so he asked.

“Burn it?” Nami’s voice suddenly shot up several octaves, becoming urgent.

Arlong had plundered countless riches from surrounding islands, all stored within the park.

When the park collapsed, she had worried about the fate of those treasures; now, with Rowan suggesting to burn it, how could Nami accept?

“What’s gotten into you?” Rowan rubbed his ear, wincing at Nami, perplexed.

“Do you know how much treasure is hidden there? All those riches Arlong stole from the nearby islands, and you just want to burn it all in one go?”

She tugged on Rowan’s ear, her voice sharp as she scolded him.

“…”

Rowan was speechless; so she couldn’t bear to destroy the park because of the treasure, not for any other reason.

Blushing, Nami quickly released Rowan’s ear and called the villagers to head toward Dragon Paradise.

She was wary of Rowan now—a pampered young man who didn’t understand the value of money.

Even pirate bases held treasures of immense value; why destroy them so recklessly?

Zoro watched the pair’s playful scuffle with a quiet laugh, following the villagers without a word.