Chapter Fifty-Three: A New Tattoo

Three days later, at dawn, the dock of Cocosia Village.

No one knew who had leaked the news, but when the villagers learned that Roan was leaving today, they left their warm beds early and gathered at the dock.

They were there to see Roan off.

The downfall of Aaron’s gang and the capture of that corrupt colonel were both inseparable from Roan’s help.

Without him, they would never have escaped Aaron’s rule, nor would they have learned that the navy they had always trusted had secretly allied with Aaron.

On the sea vessel, the pure white, unadorned sails were already raised. All that remained was to lift the anchor, and the ship could leave the dock, setting out for the open sea.

Standing on the deck, Roan leaned against the railing, gazing toward the village, waiting for Nami.

He remembered how, just yesterday afternoon, Nami had asked the villagers to transplant several orange trees onto the ship; from that moment, Roan knew that this navigator wasn’t going anywhere else.

Yet, as departure time approached and Nami still hadn’t appeared, Roan found it odd.

Images from his memory flickered—Nami setting out with the Straw Hat crew—and his expression turned strange.

Could it be that when Nami boarded the ship, she would stage a similar scene?

Looking down at the villagers who had come to see him off, Roan shook his head and smiled. Soon, these folks would not be so cheerful.

“Brother, what’s so funny?”

Having finished her training, little Donna approached with her blunt iron sword, wiping her sweat casually on Roan’s clothes and grinning as she asked.

“It’s nothing. Just wait and see—your sister Nami is about to put on quite a show.”

Roan lifted Donna into his arms, and together they looked down at the villagers below.

“What kind of show?”

Donna was puzzled, but when she saw the villagers, she happily waved at them.

The three-day celebration had loosened up her nature; back on Rosia Island, no one liked her, but here, perhaps because of Roan, the villagers had come to like her as well, and she had grown fond of them in return.

“Look, it’s about to begin.”

Roan motioned toward the village. There, in orange shorts and a T-shirt, Nami was running toward them.

“Nami’s coming—!”

A villager spotted her and shouted, and everyone stepped aside to give her a clear path.

News that Nami would be leaving with Roan to join the navy had spread through the village in the past three days.

The villagers trusted Roan, so they also believed that with him, Nami would go farther and see more of the world.

They had always hoped for her to be free of the village’s burdens and sail the seas.

Perhaps from running, Nami’s forehead was beaded with sweat, but it did not slow her down.

Yet, when she reached the crowd, Nami didn’t take the path they had cleared; instead, she zigzagged through the villagers, as if saying farewell to each one.

But Roan knew exactly what she was up to.

With a wry smile, he ordered, “Weigh anchor, set sail—”

He was not worried Nami would miss the ship—he was more curious how the villagers would “scold” her once they realized what had happened.

Catching Roan’s mischievous grin, Nami returned a knowing smile. She had no worries about the ship leaving.

After leaving Ajian’s side, Nami dashed to the dock, leapt onto the deck in a single bound, and flashed Roan a victory sign.

“Where’s my wallet?”

As the ship gradually pulled away, a villager about to return home suddenly realized something, patting himself down—his wallet was gone.

“Mine’s missing too—!”

Another called out, about to buy breakfast, searching himself to no avail.

Soon, everyone realized their wallets were gone, searching pockets and bags, but finding nothing.

“Damn that Nami.”

Ajian, who knew Nami best, suddenly remembered her winding path through the crowd and shouted at the departing ship.

With that, the other villagers recalled the scene, and one by one, they rushed to the dock’s edge, “glowering” at the ship.

On deck, Nami watched and laughed delightedly. She lifted her shirt, and countless wallets tumbled from beneath her thin T-shirt.

Seeing this strange spectacle, Roan’s expression grew even more peculiar.

He was genuinely curious—how did so many wallets fit under such a thin shirt?

“Good children shouldn’t imitate this,” Roan said to Donna in his arms.

Donna nodded obediently, but her sparkling eyes betrayed her curiosity.

Meanwhile, Zoro, having finished his training, could only shake his head. He had known Nami was no ordinary girl, but he hadn’t expected this.

“Welcome aboard, Nami,” Roan said with a smile, extending his hand in formal greeting.

Although Nami had been on the ship before, this was the first time she was officially joining the crew—the rest had been Roan’s insistence.

“Please take care of me from now on!” Nami replied with a smile, shaking his hand briefly before letting go, just as before.

On her other shoulder, a new tattoo was freshly inked—a windmill, an orange, and an upside-down seagull.

Roan found the new tattoo curious—the windmill and orange he understood, but what was with the upside-down seagull? Did the tattooist make a mistake?

He couldn’t blame himself for the thought. If Nami was joining the navy with him, a seagull made sense. But why upside down? The meaning eluded him.

Still, Roan didn’t dwell on it; at this moment, his worries finally eased.

Nami joining meant that no matter what trouble Luffy stirred up, their paths would never cross with the teacher’s.

He simply didn’t believe there was a better navigator in all the East Blue than Nami—the one his teacher would go to any lengths to recruit.

Nami lingered on their handshake, but quickly regained her composure.

Now that they would always be together, there was plenty of time to grow closer.

Scooping up the wallets, Nami turned toward the helm.

Since she was now the crew’s navigator, she would put her skills to the fullest use. Sudden storms or underwater currents—none would stand in Roan’s way.

She recalled her conversation with Nojiko while packing the night before, and her heart swelled with confidence.

For the future, for her dreams—she didn’t want much. All she wanted was to continue walking forward with Roan.

“Hey, Nami, follow your dreams bravely. All these years, the village’s burdens have weighed on you. Now that it’s over, it’s time to live for yourself.”

“Dreams? In the past, they felt so far away.”

“But since I met him, I realized dreams aren’t just dreams.”

“Nojiko, you know, I really love drawing sea charts. I want to explore every corner of the ocean and create the most complete map.”

“But now, all I want is to stay by his side, join the navy with him, and experience all the things I never have before.”