The next morning, I was woken up by Nojiko.
She was crying and laughing.
"Noah, it's over. It's over, we're finally free!" She was shaking me.
I was still sleepy, but seeing her reaction made me think: 'Yes, this is what it was all about. I wanted to see this.'
Sometimes, the suffering of others is hard to measure.
I know she suffered all this time, but seeing her reaction, I understood.
'I killed, I killed, but in return, my people were freed.' I thought, smiling gently at her.
She still didn't know it was me and I wasn't ready to say everything I had done. That's why I pretended not to know: "Calm down first, Nojiko-nee, tell me what happened first."
"Ah, yes, you're right." She took a deep breath.
Seeing her like that was something new for me.
As the oldest, I knew she held herself together a lot to become an emotional pillar for me and Nami, but now that this 'bomb' exploded, it must have been hard for her to stay calm as always.
...
After hearing her recount everything from beginning to end, about how there were signs of a fight in Arlong Park and now none of the fish-men were seen anymore.
I could imagine why she said they were gone and not something temporary, but rather, forever.
If they had won, they would still be there; since Arlong would never stop wanting to enslave that island, after all.
Now, it was hard to say if they were still alive or dead. From what Nojiko said, the villagers who went to see believe they were all captured by the navy after all, Arlong had a generous bounty on his head and so they were all gone.
On the other hand, some think that Arlong and the rest died, because in the sea near Arlong Park – which was now half-destroyed – there was a lot of blood mixed at the seashore especially.
'Well, I didn't stay to see what happened after I threw their bodies into the sea.' I thought.
Even though frozen, they wouldn't stay frozen forever and, even in pieces, their blood must have mixed with the water after they melted.
--
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POV – Nami
'I didn't profit much this time.'
I sighed as I looked at the small bag where I kept everything I managed to steal from a group of pirates.
It was a small, bankrupt group of pirates, but after so much searching, they were the only ones I found.
However...
'With this, I must be at almost 80 million.' I thought: 'I'm very close to 100 million and I'll be able to buy my island back!'
Making a shade with my hand against the sun, I looked beyond the seas, seeing my island.
'Arlong... You bastard, soon I'll be able to make you and your people abandon this island!'
I understood Arlong very well and knew that at least he was faithful to his promises. I was counting on that to be able to buy the island back.
Thinking about all the suffering he and his people made us go through causes me anguish, but thinking that it will all soon be over brought me some comfort.
Looking at the island in the distance through my binoculars, I thought: 'Noah and Nojiko... I'm coming. I miss you.'
In my hand, I had a pitaya. It was a reddish-orange color and not greenish-purple.
But, I thought it was just something more exotic and took a bite.
"Urghhh! This tastes so bad!"
I've never eaten shit, but I automatically thought it must not be much different from the taste of this fruit.
'I just hope this doesn't make me sick.' I thought, worried.
--
--
POV – Noah
I didn't remember this village ever being so lively.
After I went out with Nojiko, all I saw were shouts of happiness and people singing and dancing in the streets that seemed to have no reason.
It was a classic Disney movie scene, where suddenly everyone starts singing and dancing in the streets.
However, things ran much deeper.
I know how much harm Arlong did to this village – to this island.
Knowing that he was possibly defeated and captured or maybe even killed, the happiness couldn't be greater for them.
And that's when I had my second epiphany, thinking: 'Yes, I wanted to be able to see this...'
Strangely, that whole bad feeling of having the blood of the fish-men I killed from the Arlong Pirates on my hands started to fade.
It was like it didn't matter that much anymore.
Besides, I was even happier that Nojiko didn't show any change in her personality. She was still the same person I knew.
Which made me think that, as long as a person doesn't give up, the persona from the card will never be able to take over the body of the one who assimilates it.
Although I still believe there is a certain degree of influence, that influence is like reading a book. Even though the content of the book can change you, it will never replace you.
With Audrey Ramirez's genius-level skills in mechanics, I don't know how this will change Nojiko in the future, and I hope it's in a good direction—one where she's happy to be.
There's also Chizuru.
I was walking with Nojiko while greeting everyone, and that's when I saw her and her son, Chabo.
Different from when I rescued her, her eyes were alive, so to speak. There was an unmistakable brightness and a sincere smile when she waved at me.
I waved back.
Chabo came running toward me.
Holding my hand, he tugged down, wanting to whisper something.
When I bent down, he whispered in my ear: "Noah-niisan, was it you who defeated Arlong and the rest?"
'Sharp!' I thought.
But instead of answering right away, I smiled mysteriously, placing my left hand on his head, I said: "Maybe?"
"I knew it!" he exclaimed, then ran back to his mother, doing the same, whispering in her ear.
"What did he ask?" Nojiko next to me asked.
"If Arlong and the Arlong Pirates were really gone." I replied.
"I see..."
I frowned slightly. The look she gave me made me feel weird.
'She doesn't suspect me, does she?'
I knew that look of hers very well, it was the same one she gave when she knew who broke the glass between me and Nami, but waited for the culprit to confess.
"Nami is back!"
Someone came shouting.
"Nami is back?"
"Nami has returned?"
"Let's go!" Nojiko grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the port.
Nojiko and I weren't the only ones going to welcome Nami.
Even though Nami thought she hid it well, everyone knew that her joining Arlong was just a front.
They lived through her struggle with sadness for not being able to help.
When we arrived, Nojiko almost fainted.
"She's on fire!"
"Quick, quick, throw water!"
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