One Piece:I am King Luffy!

Nami stacked a pile of books onto the cart, almost emptying the bookstore. She cast a defiant look at Luffy, who remained unfazed, handing over his Navy-issued card with the seagull insignia to the shopkeeper.

"Charge it to the Navy," he said, and the shopkeeper sighed in relief, quickly recording the unique number on the card.

"I can't believe you actually bought all these…" Nami marveled, pushing the cart along and glancing at Luffy.

"It's not my money," he shrugged, indifferent.

"Do I really make you that happy?" she asked suddenly, in a question that was strangely direct.

Luffy paused, thinking it over. Her question reminded him of his earlier words. Did she mean to ask if he found her worth it or valuable?

"You're studying navigation, aren't you?" he replied, sidestepping her question.

"Yes," Nami nodded.

"Then be my navigator. I'll need an expert when I have my own ship."

"Oh? That'll cost you," she replied with a smile, assessing him. "How about… 100,000 Berries as my salary?"

"Deal. Nami, you're officially my navigator," he said without hesitation.

"Then you're my captain!" Her brown eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Nami sure does love Berries," Luffy remarked, ruffling her hair. She didn't pull away, smiling as he did.

"Of course! Berries bring happiness. With money, Bell-mère can finally have it easier… You know," she hesitated, lowering her voice, "Nojiko and I… we're not actually Bell-mère's daughters. We're not even related… We're a burden to her. Without us, she'd be happier."

Before Luffy could respond, Genzo's voice interrupted them. "Don't think like that."

Genzo, who had been lurking nearby to make sure Nami didn't steal anything, finally stepped forward. He had held back, watching the entire scene with curiosity. But upon hearing Nami's self-blame, he couldn't stay silent.

"Genzo…" Nami looked at him, seeing his familiar face and the little windmill perched atop his hat.

"That's a foolish thing to think. Bell-mère loves you both," he said firmly. "Bell-mère wasn't always the straight-laced adult you know now—she used to be a bit of a troublemaker herself, rough around the edges and not exactly popular in the village. Then she vanished to join the Navy, only to return years later, in the middle of a storm, holding two feverish little girls. That was you and Nojiko."

"I… I always thought I was abandoned under a bridge," Nami whispered.

"She lied. You were found on a battlefield, and Bell-mère was barely hanging on herself…"

Nami had never heard this story.

"You were the girl who used to smile whenever she saw a windmill," Genzo said, his tone softening. "Blood or no blood, family is more than that. Bell-mère has always cared for you, and that's all that matters."

Luffy added, "If you want to earn money to help Bell-mère, then work for me. I don't care about money, but I'm very interested in seeing you smile, Nami."

Genzo straightened, giving Luffy a proud look. "It's fate, isn't it? Garp came from Windmill Village, and now we have his grandson right here. Must be destiny."

"You knew I was from there?" Luffy asked, surprised.

"Newspaper reports always mention that Garp goes home to Windmill Village…" Genzo explained with a smile.

"Well, I don't know about destiny, but I do know that my captain is a boy who shines like gold," Nami said, saluting Luffy with a playful sparkle in her eye. "I'll work you dry, Captain!"

With that, they pushed the cart full of books back to the ship.

"You're sure you don't want to take any of them home?" Luffy asked as they loaded the books.

"Nah, Bell-mère would just ask too many questions. Besides, you're the one who paid for them," Nami said. "I'll just come here to read, Captain." She perched on the ship's railing with a book in hand, her legs swinging as she grinned.

"So many books!" Uta appeared on deck, holding a camera snail, capturing everything on her way from the village. "Why did Nami just call Luffy 'Captain'?"

Nami beamed. "Because I'm going to be Luffy's navigator!"

The camera snail recorded her words, capturing her excitement.

Uta peeked from behind the camera, directing it at Nami and Luffy. "Oh, I see! Yeah, we really need a navigator. We'd be lost without one." She nodded earnestly.

"Nami's going to be an amazing navigator. Now I feel much better about things," Uta said, smiling.

"Glad to be working with you, musician of the crew!" Nami laughed.

"Actually, I'm the musician for the Red-Haired Pirates…" Uta started to protest, but stopped, her eyes widening as she realized something.

"Then nice to meet you, musician of the Red-Haired Pirates," Nami corrected herself, sensing the slight distance in Uta's voice.

Uta fell silent, the correction unexpectedly stinging. She reached for a music book, flipping it open and focusing on its pages. Soon, the ship fell into a peaceful quiet, the sound of flipping pages filling the air. Luffy studied physics, Nami delved into geography, currents, and maps, and Uta immersed herself in music.

They were so engrossed that they didn't notice the time until Nojiko arrived to call them for dinner, the sky already darkening.

…

Time passed, the Sea Calendar turned a new page, and the year became 1512. The legends of the Fish-Man Pirates grew stronger in the East Blue. Though Arlong hadn't yet arrived, the nearby villages began to worry as the notorious pirate's shadow loomed closer.

The villagers of Cocoyasi, though anxious, quickly shook off the worry. After all, there was a Navy base nearby, and, of course, the grandson of a Marine hero in their midst. Besides, that kid was strong enough to lift boulders several times his own size!

…

Marine Headquarters

"Why are the Marines letting Arlong and his crew slip by?" Garp asked, his fists clenched in barely restrained fury as he faced Sengoku.

"The Navy doesn't have the resources to deal with such a unique threat in the East Blue," Sengoku replied, shadows darkening his expression as he held a pen between his fingers.

"Anyway, it's not allowed. We're forbidden from interfering with the Seven Warlords and their affiliated forces. That's an order from the government," Sengoku continued, tossing a report about Arlong's activities to his pet goat, which eagerly devoured the document.

"It's policy," he repeated, his voice low.

Garp clenched his fists

tighter, saying nothing.

"That fish-head better hope he doesn't end up in my way on my way home."

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