A few days had passed since the festival and the Marines' hasty departure. Cocoyasi Village had regained a fragile but real peace. Children's laughter echoed through the streets, fishermen set out to sea again without paying tribute, and the air felt lighter.
Yogiri sat on the steps of Nojiko's house, his back resting against the wooden wall. His black hair, streaked with two thin blue strands, moved gently in the sea breeze. He gazed at the horizon without really seeing it, calm and silent.
Nami stepped out of the house carrying two glasses of fresh fruit juice. She handed one to Yogiri and sat beside him on the worn steps.
"Here. It's cold."
He took the glass without a word and drank a sip.
Nami watched him for a moment before speaking.
"Do you feel okay here?"
Yogiri turned his head slightly toward her.
"Yes."
She smiled softly.
"That's good. Because I've been thinking a lot these past few days… I think we should leave soon. I want to finally sail freely, draw my own maps. Do you still want to come with me?"
Before Yogiri could answer, Nojiko came running down the main path, out of breath. She held a crumpled Marine newspaper in her hand.
"Nami! Yogiri! Look at this, quick!"
She handed them the paper. On the front page, a rather crude wanted poster was printed:
WANTED
Name unknown
Estimated age: 16–17
Distinguishing features: Black hair with two blue streaks, cold and detached expression
Crime: Direct threat against the Marines – Suspected elimination of Arlong and his crew
Bounty: 30,000,000 berries
Warning: Extremely dangerous individual. Do not approach alone.
Nami's eyes widened.
"Thirty million…? They didn't waste any time."
Nojiko nodded, still catching her breath.
"It's Nezumi. The whole village is talking about it. People say the Marines put a bounty on the 'kid with the blue streaks.' Some fishermen even spotted bounty hunters near the coast this morning."
Yogiri took the paper and looked at it calmly. He tilted his head slightly, as if reading something interesting but not particularly important.
"They put a bounty on me."
Nami ran a hand over her face, caught between amusement and concern.
"Of course… You get rid of Arlong and suddenly the Marines slap a bounty on you because you 'threatened' their little arrangement. Typical."
She sighed, then looked at Yogiri with a mix of pride and worry.
"So what do we do now? With thirty million on your head, every bounty hunter around is going to show up soon. We can't stay here much longer."
Yogiri remained silent for a moment. His gaze was still fixed on the horizon. He didn't move, didn't change expression. No one noticed anything.
Without a word, without the slightest visible movement, he simply thought of Nezumi—the rat-faced captain he had seen in the village square. He pictured him clearly, sitting alone in his office. Then, in a voice so low and calm it was lost in the wind, he murmured:
"Death."
Several kilometers away, in his office at the coastal base, Captain Nezumi sat alone, rereading his report with a wicked smile. He had just finished a bottle of sake and was still laughing at the bounty he had managed to secure.
Suddenly, his body froze. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second, then he collapsed heavily onto his desk, dead instantly. No wound, no sound. Just a body falling, as if life had been cut off.
Back in the village, Yogiri simply took another sip of fruit juice, without any change in his demeanor.
Nami continued speaking as if nothing had happened:
"We'll prepare the boat tonight. At dawn tomorrow, we leave Cocoyasi. Nothing's holding us here anymore."
Yogiri simply nodded.
"Okay."
Nami rested her hand on his shoulder, a little longer than usual.
"You know you're terrifying, right? Even if you barely say anything."
Yogiri looked at her calmly, his two blue streaks falling slightly over his forehead.
"Okay."
The sea breeze blew gently. In the distance, the ocean shimmered under the setting sun. For the first time, the future no longer looked like just an escape.
It was beginning to look like a true adventure.
***
The next morning, the sky was a pale gray, almost white. A thin mist hovered over the sea, blurring the outlines of the village. The air was cool, filled with the scent of salt and damp wood.
Nami and Yogiri were already on the small dock where the boat Nojiko had prepared for them was moored. It was an old fishing boat that had been patched up—sturdy enough to sail near the coast, but far from being a real ship. Nami had spent the night checking the ropes, sails, and supplies. Yogiri, on the other hand, had remained seated at the edge of the dock, his feet hanging over the water, without saying a word.
Nojiko stood a little apart, her arms crossed to hide her emotions. A few villagers had come to say goodbye: the old fisherman who had thanked Yogiri on the first day, two women carrying baskets of fruit, and a small group of curious children.
Nami held her sister in a long embrace.
"I'll come back, you know. When I've made a map worthy of the name… and have a real ship."
Nojiko smiled, her eyes slightly glistening.
"I know. Take care of yourself. And of him too."
She glanced toward Yogiri, who was still sitting there, unmoving, his two blue streaks of hair lightly stirred by the wind.
Nami nodded.
"He's… special. But he's with me."
Their departure was unhurried. Nami boarded first, stowed the last bags, then held out her hand to Yogiri. He stood up slowly and climbed aboard. No rushed gestures. No dramatic farewells. Just the gentle sound of waves against the hull.
The boat drifted away from the dock. Nami adjusted the sail with precise, calm movements. Yogiri sat at the bow, his knees drawn up, his gaze fixed on the village as it gradually shrank in the distance.
The silence lasted a long time. Only the lapping of water and the creaking of wood could be heard.
After nearly two hours of smooth sailing, the sun finally broke through the mist. Nami came to sit beside Yogiri, a half-unrolled map resting on her knees.
"We'll follow the coast east for a few days. There's a small island not too far where we can stop if needed. After that… we'll see."
Yogiri nodded without replying.
Nami watched him for a moment, then added more softly:
"You don't have to talk. But if something bothers you… say it. Okay?"
"Okay."
The boat continued its slow course, carried by a light wind. The village was now nothing more than a small patch of green and brown on the horizon.
It was in the middle of the afternoon that the first sign of an attack appeared.
In the distance behind them, a grimy gray sailboat slowly emerged on the sea. It was moving faster than their boat, making better use of the wind. A makeshift flag with a poorly drawn skull fluttered from its mast. Three men stood on board: two burly ones armed with sabers, and a thin one with a long-range rifle. Low-tier bounty hunters, drawn by the thirty million.
The sailboat gradually closed in. It didn't charge. It gained ground meter by meter, as if it wanted to observe them before acting.
Nami was the first to notice it. She narrowed her eyes and placed a hand on the railing.
"Yogiri… we've got company."
Yogiri didn't move right away. He remained seated at the bow, his back to the hunters, calmly watching the sea ahead.
The sailboat continued its slow approach. The men on board spoke among themselves, their voices carried intermittently by the wind. Finally, the man with the rifle shouted, his voice loud but not yet urgent:
"Hey! Kid with the blue streaks! We saw the wanted poster! Thirty million isn't nothing! Surrender nicely and we'll turn you in alive!"
Nami stood up, her hand already on her staff, but she did nothing more. She waited, watching the distance steadily shrink.
The sailboat drew closer. Ten meters… eight meters… The grappling hook hadn't been thrown yet. The two burly men stood ready, sabers in hand, but they didn't seem in a hurry either. They were clearly savoring the approach.
Yogiri finally turned his head toward them. His gaze was as empty as ever. He watched them for a long moment, without a word.
Then, in a calm voice, almost inaudible because of the wind, he simply said:
"Death."
The three bounty hunters collapsed at the same time on their deck. The rifle hit the wood with a dull thud. The sailboat, left without control, continued forward for a few seconds before slowly beginning to drift, now empty of any living occupants.
Nami remained standing, silent, watching the drifting boat.
The silence returned, peaceful.
After a long minute, Nami turned to Yogiri.
"They're dead."
"Yes."
She looked at the sailboat, now drifting about twenty meters away. A small smile appeared on her lips.
"…We should probably check what they had on them. Thirty million attracts attention. They must've had supplies, weapons—maybe even some money."
Yogiri nodded.
"Okay."
Nami adjusted the sail to slowly bring their boat closer to the drifting one. The maneuver took time. They approached calmly, without urgency. When the two boats were side by side, Nami threw a rope to tie them together.
They boarded the sailboat without rushing.
The three bodies lay motionless. Nami searched the bounty hunters' pockets methodically. She found a small pouch containing about a hundred thousand berries, some ammunition, two good-quality sabers, and a slightly worn but useful sea chart.
Yogiri stayed off to the side, simply observing.
Nami took everything that could be useful: the provisions (dry bread, salted fish, water), the weapons, and even an extra blanket. She piled everything into a bag and brought it back to their boat.
When she was done, she untied the rope and let the sailboat drift away on its own with the bodies.
She sat back down next to Yogiri, a little out of breath but satisfied.
"Not bad for a first attack. We gained supplies and a bit of money."
Yogiri looked out at the sea ahead.
"They wanted the money."
Nami let out a long sigh, half relieved, half amused.
"Yeah… they wanted the money."
The boat continued on its way, slow and steady, as if nothing had happened. The mist had completely disappeared. The sun now shone over a calm sea.
Yogiri remained seated at the bow, his two blue streaks gently swaying in the wind.
Nami watched him for a long moment without saying anything.
The journey had only just begun.