In Cocoyasi Village, at the home of a craftsman named Devon.
At this moment, Goku and Nami stood behind Devon, watching intently as he hammered away at something.
After a while, Devon put down his sledgehammer, wiped away his sweat, and lifted the object to gauge its weight.
Turning to Goku and Nami with a smile, he said, "Goku, the weight of this thing turned out slightly different from what you asked for. If you think it's too heavy, I can take some more time to lighten it."
"Uncle Devon, how heavy is it now?" Goku asked curiously.
Devon used a handkerchief to wipe the remaining sweat from his face and took a large gulp from his water bottle before answering.
"You asked for fifty kilograms before, but I estimate this is closer to sixty."
"Sixty kilograms?!"
Nami exclaimed before Goku could even speak.
"No, no, that's way too heavy! Uncle Devon, you should really get it down to fifty. Honestly, even fifty seems a bit much if you ask me."
She shook her head repeatedly.
But Goku ignored her concerns and reached for the object Devon had crafted.
"Whoa! It's definitely got some weight to it!"
As he strapped the object—shaped like a turtle shell and crafted from unknown metal ores and other materials—onto his back, he felt his body sink instantly.
This was exactly what he wanted: a weighted replica of the turtle shells Master Roshi used to give them. It would free up his hands so he could train naturally.
Of course, finding Devon was all thanks to Nami.
Goku had brought up the request to Nami, and she had guided him to Devon.
"Hey! Goku, why did you put it on so fast?!" Nami worried when she saw him struggling under the weight.
Seeing Goku immediately strap the weight on and look like he was struggling, Nami couldn't help but worry.
"It's fine, Nami. It's a bit heavy, but it feels just right!"
After walking around to get used to it, Goku felt much better. He immediately dropped to the floor and cranked out a dozen push-ups.
Nami stared, completely dumbfounded.
As for Uncle Devon, he nearly spat out the water he was drinking.
After forcing it down, he wiped the sweat from his face.
As expected of the person who defeated Arlong. He adapted to that weight so quickly.
"Hehe! Thanks, Uncle Devon!"
After his brief demonstration, Goku stood up, clapped his hands, and flashed a bright, cheerful smile.
"Oh, stop that! You saved our village; you're our greatest benefactor!"
Uncle Devon waved his hands dismissively, insisted that the work was free of charge, and politely saw them out.
"Hey, Goku, are you really going to wear that thing all the time?"
Nami couldn't help but ask on their way back to the Dream Chaser.
If Goku were training with a giant rock like before, she wouldn't say anything, since training sessions eventually end.
But according to Goku, he planned to wear this weighted shell all the time except for eating, bathing, and sleeping. That was a bit terrifying.
Would carrying such a heavy load all day keep him from growing taller?
"It's fine, Nami. This is how I used to train."
Goku put his hands behind his head and grinned.
Ever since he joined the Turtle School, he had been doing this kind of weight training.
He started with a twenty-kilogram shell.
Seven months later, after he and Krillin moved a massive boulder that Master Roshi thought was impossible to budge, they were given forty-kilogram shells.
He had trained like that for a while before somehow getting separated from Master Roshi and the others.
Now, seeking even better results, he had asked Devon to make a fifty-kilogram shell.
The result was a bit off at sixty kilograms, but it didn't matter. Sixty kilograms it is; time to train!
"Fine, if you say so. But I'm warning you, take it easy. You don't want to stunt your growth."
Nami sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Stunt my growth?"
Goku stopped in his tracks.
"You mean this will stop me from getting taller, Nami?!"
He looked at her in shock.
Nami blinked, thinking to herself:
Wait, did I actually get through to him?
She nodded quickly and said with a serious face, "Exactly! Goku, you're in your growing phase. If you carry something too heavy for too long, it's very likely you'll stop growing."
"I see."
Goku muttered, scratching his head.
Nami watched him intently, already picturing him accepting her advice and declaring he wouldn't wear the thing all day.
But a second later, Goku put his hands behind his head and looked completely unbothered.
"Oh well, if I don't grow, I don't grow."
Thud!!
Nami face-planted instantly.
...
Half a day later, having finished resting in Cocoyasi Village and completing all their preparations, Goku and his crew finally decided to set sail again toward the Grand Line.
On the pier, Nami hugged Nojiko, who had come to see them off, and smiled. "I'm heading out, Nojiko. I'm leaving the tangerine grove in your care."
"Don't worry, I'll take good care of it," Nojiko smiled.
"Oh, right! I'm leaving my hundred million Berries with you too. If anyone needs money urgently, feel free to use it to help them," Nami added with a playful wink.
Although they had found over three hundred million Berries in treasure after defeating the Arlong Pirates, giving it all to the villagers of Cocoyasi would have made everyone instantly wealthy.
But that money hadn't just been extorted from Cocoyasi Village; it came from the twenty or so other villages under Arlong's rule.
Some of those villages had already been wiped out by the Arlong Pirates, so there weren't quite twenty left.
Back to the point, since the money belonged to those villages, the people of Cocoyasi weren't shameless enough to claim it all for themselves.
Instead, they planned to redistribute the funds fairly based on the population of each village.
Consequently, when split among everyone, the amount each person received wasn't that significant.
They all wondered why Arlong only had that much left after years of pillaging, but they would never find out.
The question lingered in everyone's minds, but the answer was gone.
After their defeat, the Arlong Pirates had been carted away by the Marines.
Nojiko was stunned to hear that Nami was leaving behind the hundred million Berries she had spent eight agonizing years collecting.
She soon nodded with a smile. "I understand, Nami."
Even though you're heading far away and leaving us for a long time, you still won't stop looking out for everyone.
Nami, you've been such a kind soul since you were a little girl.
Nojiko felt a wave of emotion. She leaned down and gave Goku a gentle hug as well.
"Be careful out there, Goku. Take good care of Nami for me."
Though Goku was just a child, she had long since stopped treating him like one.
"Hehe, don't worry! You can count on me!" Goku gave her a radiant smile.
"What about me?! What about me?!"
Sanji, who had been waiting impatiently on the side, was hopping around like a hyperactive monkey with his arms wide open.
Nojiko giggled and gave him a generous hug.
"I'll leave their meals in your hands, Sanji."
Whistle—!!!
It sounded like steam was whistling out of the top of Sanji's head as he ascended to heaven in pure bliss.
Aaaah!! Nojiko-san hugged me!!
"I won't say much else. I wish you all a safe journey."
Standing behind Nojiko was Uncle Genzo, his head now missing its signature pinwheel. He nodded at them with a smile.
"You too, Uncle Genzo!"
Goku and the others waved goodbye and boarded the Dream Chaser.
Soon, with the sails unfurled and the wind catching them, the Dream Chaser slowly pulled away from the pier, heading toward their next destination!
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]