I didn't want to reveal my powers yet, but Nami's life was more important to me.
I approached faster than anyone else.
My hands were covered in ice, and I started using them instead of freezing her directly, intending to put out the fire.
However, the moment it stopped burning, when I pulled my hand back, it mysteriously caught fire again.
"Noah, wait!" Nami signaled with her hand.
"Huh?" I was confused for a moment.
She didn't seem to be in pain, even though she was surrounded by fire.
"I don't know how to say this, but I'm okay?" she answered, confused.
That's when I discovered something shocking and revealing.
'She ate a fire-type devil fruit!'
But the most unbelievable part was: 'Doesn't this seem to be the Mera Mera no Mi that Ace ate in the original storyline? Don't tell me she got it or worse yet... She stole it from Ace?!'
I just prayed she hadn't been discovered.
By the way, I looked for Cri-Kee and saw him jump onto my shoulder, trembling like a scared mouse.
"Everyone, calm down!" I shouted: "Nami-nee is fine. First of all, calm down and listen to me carefully. What you saw just now should not be heard by anyone outside the village, okay?"
Even without understanding, they still nodded.
Nojiko came closer: "Noah, do you know what's going on?"
"Yes, Nami-nee ate a devil fruit. Those from legends that are said to grant unimaginable powers to the user. And if I'm not wrong, Nami-nee ate one of the rarest among them, a Logia-type Akuma no Mi that allows the user to create, control, and transform into flames at will."
My explanation was met with a wave of "Wow" and a long sigh.
"Will I be okay?" Nami asked.
Even through the flames surrounding her, I could see she was visibly worried.
"Yes, just relax. Try to control this fire." I said, even though I had never done it before: "It should be possible to 'turn it off' if you imagine there's something like a button you press."
"A button? Okay, I'll try." She responded, closing her eyes tightly.
Seconds later, the flames around her body disappeared.
"Noah, I—"
"Whoosh! Crackle!"
"..."
Before she could be happy and finish her sentence—probably to say she had done it... she caught fire again.
"Take a deep breath, relax." I said gently, trying a different approach: "You are in control. Just think of it as an extension of your body and try to control it."
"I'll try." She replied.
Unlike before, she didn't try to 'turn it off' completely, but rather, directed it all to her left hand.
As she did this, her body began to be revealed, until the flames surrounded her entire left hand, and then, a fireball began to form just above her hand like the flames of a campfire.
"You're doing it, keep it up." Nojiko said.
"Mm, I got it." Nami nodded.
"Nami, we have good news, Arlong is gone!!"
Someone shouted, cupping their hands like a cone.
"Whoosh! Crackle!!!"
"ARLONG IS GONE!?"
Nami's scream came along with her entire body looking like the flames of a rocket launching.
It was different from before, her flames rose over 5 meters high.
"..."
Everyone looked at Genzo with an accusatory stare.
"What? I just thought that by hearing that, she might be happy and control the fire better..." The more he spoke, the more he shrank.
Several rolled their eyes at him.
Just like me, they understood that he loved Nami's mother and treated Nami like a daughter, and they knew he was telling the truth. However, he was completely clueless to say that now.
"Noah, Nojiko, is it true?" Nami asked without extinguishing the flames.
Sighing, Nojiko nodded: "Yes, it's true."
I saw when she fell to her knees on the ground and her tears began to fall as the flames around her body began to fade.
"Finally... Finally he's gone!" At the end of her words, she cried while her shoulders trembled.
Nojiko, who had remained strong, melted upon seeing her like that. Crying, she went to hug Nami without caring about the risk of her catching fire again.
When Nojiko looked at me, even a bit shy under everyone's gaze, I still went and hugged them both.
It must have been an emotional scene, because I saw several people crying too.
Me? I didn't cry! Because I'm a man, and men don't cry! And these tears in my eyes? No, you're mistaken... That was clearly the fault of those onion-throwing ninja snipers that shot my eyes, I swear!
'Damn it, the Elastic Woman persona must be affecting me again...' I suppressed a sob.
--
--
Night came in the blink of an eye.
The mood was festive.
Everyone ate, danced, and cried sometimes.
Years of slavery and servitude to barbarians who stole our land and killed our families.
Maybe no one knew the truth yet, whether Arlong was dead or captured by the navy.
But all that mattered was that he and his crew were gone.
I could tell the truth, but I didn't want to. I wasn't ready to leave this island yet.
I knew that the moment this was revealed, even though I trusted them, sooner or later the truth would come out and problems would follow.
I wasn't 100% sure that if the navy found out about me, they wouldn't try to recruit me or paint me as someone evil—a criminal.
'1 year, at least 1 year I want to live in peace in this village.' I thought.
That time should be enough to train and get stronger, and even if the truth came out and even a wanted poster with my face and name appeared, I would be ready to leave.
I looked at Nami. She also couldn't have an easy life after eating the Mera Mera no Mi.
As one of the fruits considered most powerful, she would have a fate similar to mine if that came to light. Either the navy would try to recruit her, or make something up to label her as an evil person who needed to be captured.
How do I know that? You don't have to be a genius to figure that out. They would never let someone with such powerful abilities walk around freely.
It's quite possible they would try to capture her and brainwash her, turning her into a marine puppet.
That wasn't anything new, I saw that happening in the anime which softened it a lot.
Or worse yet... A World Noble wanting her because she possesses that power.
'I need to become strong.' That was my sincere wish.
Only with power can I be free.
I didn't want to be a pirate like Luffy, nor did I want to be the Pirate King and find One Piece, no matter how tempting it was.
My desire formed in a simple way.
I had a glimpse of it.
'I want to become a Yonkou!'
Not as a pirate, but as a free person. Maybe with a few islands under my flag and living in a place no one dares challenge me.
Yes, the more I think about it, the more excited I get.
'I'm going to make it happen!' I reaffirmed my determination.
--
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