Chapter 28: Eliminating the Shadow
"Meat! Meat! So much meat! Wow, this is so delicious! This is also delicious! Shishishi, fantastic!"
"Cheers!"
"Listen up! I am the great Sea Warrior, Captain Usopp..."
"Beautiful lady, though I only met you today, my heart has been completely taken captive by you..."
Under the moonlight.
Lanterns hung high, cups clinked, and laughter filled the air.
Tonight, Cocoyasi Village was completely immersed in a carnival of joy. Every household brought out fine wine and delicious food, drinking and laughing freely. The atmosphere was even more festive than the most important holidays.
Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji were all having a blast, and Zoro also drank his fill.
However, Apollo, who should have been the main character of the celebration, was nowhere to be seen in the center of the crowd.
"Why aren't you celebrating with everyone? Everyone wants to thank you personally! Oh, and there are many pretty girls there, too."
"Am I the kind of pervert who can't walk straight when he sees a beautiful woman?"
"Aren't you?" Nami shot Apollo a sideways glance.
Don't think she didn't know; from the first moment he saw her, his gaze had been... appreciative, to say the least.
"You wrong me. My taste is very discerning."
Apollo shrugged.
Nami was noncommittal; she didn't think there was much difference. But she had to admit that Apollo was different from that perverted cook.
The Love Cook would get infatuated with any woman who had a bit of charm, but Apollo, as he said, was picky.
So far, the only one he seemed truly interested in was... huh? It seemed like it was just her.
Nami smirked and glanced at him.
Apollo's expression remained unchanged. He looked left and right, then asked in confusion, "Where are we going? It seems to be getting more and more secluded."
At this, his expression suddenly changed, and he feigned terror. "A man and a woman, alone in the wilderness... you're not going to do something to me, are you?"
"I should be the one worrying about that!"
Nami's face darkened, and she snapped, "I'm going to say goodbye to Belle-mère. If you're scared, you can leave. I didn't ask you to follow me!"
"So you really don't plan to do anything..." Apollo sighed in exaggerated disappointment.
"Your ulterior motives are showing!"
"Sorry, I'm a monkey. I don't have a fox tail to show."
Belle-mère's grave was situated on a low cliff overlooking the sea.
Once they arrived, Apollo's playful expression turned serious and respectful.
Nami, however, didn't show any sadness. After all, eight years had passed. Moreover, she was here to deliver good news today.
"Belle-mère, we are finally free!"
Nami placed the oranges and sake she brought on the grave—Belle-mère's two favorite things.
"These past eight years, everyone endured humiliation and hardship... but we finally welcomed this day."
"Hehe, it's all thanks to this guy next to me. Though he's a bit of a flirt, he's surprisingly reliable..."
Nojiko had arrived at some point and stood quietly behind them.
After paying their respects, the three sat side by side on the grass.
The night sea breeze carried a hint of coolness, invigorating them with each gust.
Apollo pointed to the tattoo on Nami's shoulder. "Do you want to get rid of this?"
That was the Arlong Pirates' mark, and also a painful reminder of the past for Nami.
Tattoos couldn't be completely removed by ordinary means. In the original story, Nami got a new design—a pinwheel and tangerine—to cover it up.
Nami shook her head disappointedly. "No, I asked around. It can't be completely removed without leaving a scar."
"I might have a way," Apollo said calmly.
He certainly didn't have the level of magic to bring people back to life or regrow bones yet, but restoring a small patch of skin should be no problem. He had been pondering this for a few days, and now he had some ideas on how to apply his energy.
"Really?" Nami looked at him in surprise. "How do you do it?"
"Pull up your sleeve."
"Like this?"
"Exactly."
Apollo raised his hand, placed it on the tattoo on Nami's shoulder, and gently rubbed it.
One minute... two minutes... three minutes passed.
Nami looked at him suspiciously. "You're not... taking advantage of me, are you?"
"Am I sick?! Why would I touch your shoulder if I were trying to take advantage of you? There are better places!"
Apollo snapped, "Don't talk to me; I need to concentrate."
It was his first time using magic for cosmetic healing, and he was unskilled, which was why it was taking so long.
Nami stuck out her tongue. Mainly, because she hadn't felt anything yet, suspicion had naturally arisen in her heart.
Suddenly, her expression changed.
The sensation arrived. It was warm, like a hot towel was being applied to her skin. Before she could fully savor the comfort, the feeling vanished without a trace.
Apollo took his hand away. "It's done."
"That fast?"
Nami quickly turned her head to look. The previously ferocious saw-shark tattoo had completely disappeared. On her smooth, fair skin, there wasn't even a trace of a scar.
She was both surprised and delighted, gently caressing her shoulder. "It's really gone!"
Apollo said calmly, "It was simple. No need to pledge yourself to me in marriage."
Nami's face darkened. "Pledge myself to you? In your dreams!"
"Um..."
Nojiko suddenly spoke up. "Can you help me remove mine too?"
She also had a tattoo, which she had gotten when she was a child to support Nami. Now that Nami's was gone, she saw no need to keep hers either—it was time to move forward.
Apollo hesitated slightly. "I have no problem doing it, but..."
"Then let's do it!" Nojiko said with a smile.
"You're getting off easy!" Nami rolled her eyes at Apollo.
Nojiko's tattoo wasn't just on her arm; part of it extended onto her chest.
Since the person involved had no problem with it, Apollo naturally wouldn't be coy. He reached out to press his hand on her.
Five minutes later.
Apollo removed his hand.
Nojiko, with a slight blush, tugged at her collar to cover herself. "It's really gone, like it was never there. It's truly amazing! Thank you."
Nami snapped, "Don't thank him. He took full advantage of the situation!"
Apollo said calmly, "That's right, don't worry about it. The 'benefits' just now were the payment."
While removing Nojiko's tattoo, due to the placement, his hand had accidentally pressed... well, her figure was no less impressive than Nami's.
"Hmph!"
Nami snorted coldly and gently leaned her head on his shoulder.
Nojiko glanced at them and smiled faintly.
None of the three spoke again for a while, enjoying the peace.
A few minutes later, Nami looked up, excitedly saying, "Apollo, take us to see Cocoyasi Village from the sky."
"The sky?" Nojiko looked puzzled.
Apollo patted the grass off his clothes and stood up, spreading his arms. "No problem. Come on, my two beauties!"
"Hehe, you're getting a bargain today."
Nami giggled and hugged him from the left.
Nojiko, with a hint of hesitation, embraced his right side.
"Here we go."
Apollo warned, then lifted off into the sky.
The view became increasingly vast; mountains, houses, and trees gradually shrunk beneath them.
After reaching a certain height, the mountains became small hills, the forest a green carpet, and the houses completely disappeared, turning into specks of sand.
Even the island where Cocoyasi Village was located looked like a small boat floating in the vast ocean.
Nami and Nojiko were both awestruck.
Looking down at the world from high above, some people might feel fear, overwhelmed by the vastness of the world and their own insignificance. Others might feel a surge of pride, as if the entire world was under their feet.
Apollo didn't know their thoughts and didn't ask.
He flew them over Cocoyasi Village, exploring it from various angles and heights several times, before concluding their flight and returning to the cliff from before.
The three leaned against each other, chatting idly under the stars, and unknowingly fell asleep.
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