Mihawk left—with a lingering regret that he never got to spar with Arashi.
But that didn't affect Arashi's journey in Cocoyasi Village at all.
With the Arlong Pirates wiped out, the villagers—having survived disaster—organized a grand celebration.
Naturally, Arashi became the guest of honor.
At first, the villagers thought Arashi was just a half-baked traveler, contracting a tangerine grove on a whim.
But after witnessing how the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk, had slaughtered the Arlong Pirates just to help him retrieve his money—
They realized Arashi was far from ordinary.
In their eyes, as long as Arashi stayed in Cocoyasi Village, the village would remain absolutely safe.
And because of that—
Something completely unexpected happened.
Halfway through the banquet, the village chief arrived in front of Arashi—bringing along a group of young, beautiful girls.
"Mr. Kairo D. Arashi, I am the village chief of Cocoyasi Village."
The old chief greeted him politely. Though he tried to appear dignified and composed, the smile on his face betrayed his excitement.
After greeting Arashi, he couldn't hold it in any longer and let out a cheeky grin.
"Hello, Chief."
Seeing the strange smile, Arashi glanced at the girls behind him and asked in confusion, "Sir… what is this about?"
"Well…"
The old chief stepped forward and said hoarsely, "These are all unmarried girls from our village—fine young ladies. They admire you greatly, Mr. Kairo D. Arashi, so they asked me to come and ask…"
"You're single, right? If so… why not choose one?"
"Pfft—"
Although Arashi had already guessed the intention when he saw the girls, hearing the words 'choose one' still made him choke.
He stared at the serious-looking village chief in disbelief. "Chief… are you trying to make me a live-in son-in-law here?"
"No, no, you misunderstand!"
The chief waved his hands quickly. "We all know you won't stay here forever. These girls understand that too. They've already said—whoever you choose, they're willing to follow you out to sea and travel with you!"
"NO WAY!!!!"
At that moment, Nami—who had been sitting quietly beside Arashi—suddenly stood up.
Like a little adult, she planted her hands on her hips and declared loudly in her childish voice, "Mr. Kairo D. Arashi isn't choosing anyone! He still has to teach me navigation!"
Her voice instantly drew everyone's attention.
When all eyes turned toward her, Nami stepped forward like a little tigress and began complaining to the chief.
"And you're biased, Chief! You brought so many people, but why didn't you bring Bell-mère? She's stayed single all this time just to take care of me and Nojiko! We want her to be happy too!"
"So if Mr. Kairo D. Arashi is going to choose someone, it won't be them—he'll definitely choose Bell-mère! Right, Mr. Kairo D. Arashi?!"
As soon as Nami finished speaking—
Bell-mère, sitting across the crowd, froze in shock, her eyes wide.
When she realized everyone's gaze had shifted from Nami to her, even someone as bold as her couldn't help but blush.
She immediately stood up, walked over, and grabbed Nami, pretending to be angry.
"Nami, what nonsense are you talking about?! Come on, we're going home!"
Pulling Nami along, she didn't forget to call out to Nojiko, who was giggling nearby.
"Bell-mère is actually embarrassed!"
"That's a rare sight!"
"Hahaha, the former delinquent is blushing!"
Watching Bell-mère leave shyly with her two daughters, the villagers burst into laughter.
Even though she was already thirty, in their eyes, she was still that same spirited delinquent girl from back then.
"Ahem…"
Seeing the commotion, Arashi cleared his throat and turned to the village chief. "Chief, I truly appreciate your kindness—and I'm grateful for the girls' feelings as well. But I wander the seas as my home, and I'm not considering that kind of thing for now. So…"
"It's okay, Mr. Kairo D. Arashi!!!"
Before he could finish, a young woman stepped forward excitedly. "No matter how long it takes, I'm willing to wait!"
"Hm?"
Arashi looked at her.
She wasn't stunningly beautiful, but she was definitely pleasant-looking—the kind of girl-next-door type. Compared to Makino from Foosha Village, she was just slightly less charming.
Noticing Arashi's gaze, the girl shyly lowered her head.
Arashi didn't respond immediately. Instead, he glanced over the dozen or so girls in front of him.
None of them were breathtaking beauties, but all of them were undeniably attractive.
Looks like the local environment really does shape people…
Could it be that Cocoyasi Village produced beauties?
After all, ten years later, Nami would be an absolute beauty.
And while these girls didn't quite match her future looks, each had her own charm.
Hmm… must be part of the local culture.
The journey ahead was long.
Life was short.
Maybe… picking one to accompany me wouldn't be such a bad idea?
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