"Thank you, Mr. Carl! I'm definitely eating this Devil Fruit!"
Usopp wasted no time. He shoved the fruit into his mouth before Carl could change his mind—or worse, before Jango or Nami could try to snatch it from him.
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he wasn't about to let it slip away.
The moment he took a bite—
"BLEGH—!"
His face turned purple as an unbearable bitterness spread through his mouth.
Jango, Nami, and Zoro panicked, thinking he had been poisoned.
But Luffy and Carl?
They burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! So gross, right? That's Devil Fruit for you!" Luffy grinned.
Carl chuckled too. "Yeah, welcome to the club, Usopp."
Luffy was fine since he could eat anything, but Carl? The first time he ate a Devil Fruit, he had almost died from the taste.
Still, Usopp was determined.
Even with his sauce-purple face, he forced himself to swallow the disgusting pulp.
And then—he grabbed the rest and kept eating.
Everyone stared in horror as Usopp finished the entire fruit.
Only then did Carl "suddenly remember" something.
"Oh, right. You only needed to take one bite."
"YOU SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EARLIER!"
Usopp collapsed, staring at the sky in despair.
He just ate that whole horrible thing for no reason?!
He glared at Carl and Luffy.
They definitely did that on purpose.
But before he could yell at them, Luffy clapped his hands excitedly.
"Hahaha! Usopp! Try out your new powers!"
Not just Luffy—everyone was curious now.
Usopp closed his eyes, trying to feel the power inside him.
Then—his body suddenly expanded!
His arms and chest bulged with muscle, like he had trained for ten years overnight.
Then—
FWOOOSH!
A pair of huge, black wings sprouted from his back.
His long nose? It became thicker and sharper, almost like a beak.
His eyes turned sharp and fierce, and his whole face radiated a majestic aura.
Carl raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? So it's a Japanese Tengu… I thought it'd be the snarling kind."
Usopp flapped his massive wings and soared into the sky, flying recklessly as if he had been born to do it.
He circled above the ship for a long time, letting the wind rush past him, before finally landing back on the deck, grinning from ear to ear.
His confidence had skyrocketed.
Carl smirked. "Well? How does it feel?"
Usopp clenched his fists. "I feel amazing!"
His voice boomed with excitement.
"My strength is at least a hundred times greater than before! And I can fly for a long time without getting tired!
I still feel like there are other powers I haven't discovered yet… but I know one thing—I won't be dead weight anymore!
Even if we head straight for the Grand Line right now, I'm going to be one of our main fighters!"
Sure enough, power breeds confidence.
Jango and Luffy watched in envy.
They couldn't help but wish they were the ones who had eaten the Devil Fruit instead.
But—there was still one more Devil Fruit left.
They glanced at each other.
But both of them were smart enough to know—it wasn't their turn yet.
After all, the navigator of the ship was still waiting.
But they weren't worried.
This pirate crew was getting stronger and stronger.
And with Carl's Devil Fruit radar, more Fruits were bound to show up in the future.
As early crew members, they were confident their turn would come.
—
After Usopp finished showing off his powers, everyone gathered around Carl again.
This time, all eyes were on him.
Carl turned to Nami.
"Nami," he said. "I actually want to give this next Devil Fruit to you."
Nami's body tensed.
Carl continued, his tone calm but firm.
"But before that… is there something you want to tell us?"
His gaze lowered to her arm.
"Can you lift up your sleeve for everyone to see?"
Silence.
Nami's entire body stiffened.
Luffy and the others looked at each other in confusion.
Nami clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
She struggled for a long time before finally taking a deep breath.
Then, slowly, she rolled up the sleeve of her left arm.
The moment the tattoo was revealed—
"T-This is…!"
Jango's eyes widened in shock.
"The mark of the Arlong Pirates!"
Zoro and Usopp exchanged glances.
They weren't as simple-minded as Luffy.
Just from that one detail, they already understood everything.
Nami had a tattoo of the Arlong Pirates on her shoulder.
That fact alone… spoke volumes.
Nami let out a small, bitter laugh.
"Well… I guess I got caught."
Tears welled up in her eyes.
But—she forced them back.
Instead, she put on a fake smile and said—
"That's right. I'm a member of the Arlong Pirates."
Her voice was strained, but she tried to sound casual.
"I only joined your crew for the treasure.
You guys don't seem to care about gold, and your strength is insane.
So why not use you as my bodyguards?
That way, the treasure would keep pouring into my hands.
After all… you know how much I love money."
Silence.
Usopp, Zoro, Jango, and Luffy exchanged glances.
None of them said a word.
Luffy pressed down on his straw hat, casting a shadow over his face.
No one could see his expression clearly.
Carl, on the other hand, simply stared at Nami.
His sharp gaze seemed to pierce straight through her, as if trying to read her heart.
Nami panicked.
She hurriedly said, "Since you've found out, I won't bother pretending anymore."
Her voice was cold, distant—forced.
"Let's just go our separate ways.
The treasure on the ship… you can keep it.
Consider it my apology.
And if you still don't trust me… if you want to kill me, I won't resist."
Silence.
A heavy, suffocating silence.
Only the sound of waves crashing against the ship echoed in the air.
As if mirroring the storm inside Nami's heart.
Finally, Carl spoke.
"Luffy. You're the captain. You decide."
Luffy lifted his head.
His face was serious—more serious than ever before.
"Nami…" His voice was calm but firm.
"We're crewmates.
And you're the only navigator I'll ever accept."
Nami's eyes widened.
And just like that—she broke down completely.
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed uncontrollably.
Zoro and the others let out quiet sighs of relief.
Even Jango, a pirate who had once been cold and ruthless, couldn't help but feel affected.
He had only been with the Straw Hats for a few days, yet he had already been completely drawn in by this strange, reckless, and powerful crew.
Now, he couldn't help but smile along with the others.
"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry, everyone!
I… I… I'm so sorry!"
Nami cried her heart out, her shoulders shaking violently.
Carl patted her head gently and said softly—
"Nami. The captain is right. You're our crewmate.
If something's wrong, you can tell us. You should believe in us.
Luffy's strength is already on par with a Marine Admiral.
No one in East Blue can stand against him.
No matter what it is—we can handle it together."
Nami wiped her tears, taking deep breaths to calm herself.
Then—she finally spoke.
—
She told them everything.
Eight years ago.
The Arlong Pirates invaded East Blue and took control of over twenty villages, including her hometown—Cocoyasi Village.
They forced every village to pay a protection fee—
100,000 Berries per adult.50,000 Berries per child.
Nami's family was poor.
They had only 100,000 Berries.
Nami's adoptive mother, Belle-mère, used all their money to pay for Nami and Nojiko's safety—
But because she couldn't pay for herself…
She was executed by Arlong.
In front of Nami's own eyes.
After that, Arlong discovered Nami's talent for drawing maps.
He made her a deal—
If she joined the Arlong Pirates and made nautical charts for them…
And if she managed to gather 100 million Berries…
She could buy back her village.
—
She had been doing this for eight years.
Eight long, painful years.
She didn't say much about what those years had been like.
But she didn't need to.
Even Luffy, simple-minded as he was, could imagine the kind of suffering she had endured.
After all…
She had only been eight years old when it all started.
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