"At that moment, a retired Marine named Belle-Mere stepped forward and fought against Arlong and his group, but unfortunately, she failed and was killed. One of the two daughters she adopted was also taken away by Arlong."
Listening to Link's words, her eyes widened.
That was her past experience; why did Link know it in such detail and recount it so eloquently here?
But her confusion went unanswered as she heard Link continue:
"Arlong and his crew kidnapped that little girl, forcing her to draw sea charts for Arlong to better maintain their rule, and at the same time, they promised the girl that as long as she collected 100 million berries, they would allow her to buy back her village..."
At this point, Link stopped speaking, and Nami stared at him blankly.
"Carrying all of this by yourself for so many years, this immense pressure, it's truly hard to imagine how you managed to bear it."
Link came before Nami, who was still in a daze, and placed his broad palm on her head.
"You must have had a very hard time, haven't you?"
Nami wanted to remove Link's hand from her head, but the warmth from his palm made her body lose all strength.
She opened her mouth, wanting to ask Link how he knew.
But no sound came from her throat.
Huh, why can't I even see the screen anymore?
It wasn't until her pants became wet with drops of water that she realized those were just her own tears.
They flowed down her face as if priceless, filling her eyes.
At this moment, Nami didn't need to say anything more.
Her reaction, combined with the content of Link's earlier words, was enough for everyone on the ship to understand everything.
"Arlong, huh..."
Luffy pulled his straw hat down, covering his eyes.
"I wonder if Fish-Men can be cooked?"
This was Sanji.
"I wonder what it feels like to cut a Fish-Man?"
This was Zoro.
Both of them said these words very calmly.
"You..."
Nami's slightly hoarse throat had just uttered these two words when Link interrupted her again.
"Nami, you just need to remember—"
Link gave her a gentle smile:
"You are you, our ship's Navigator."
"We've already been companions for a long time, haven't we?"
"Everyone..."
Nami looked up, and in her blurry vision, the figures of Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, and Link were reflected.
Finally, she broke into a smile through her tears:
"Yes!"
Some things, once spoken openly, are easily resolved.
Nami, Luffy, and Link had been through so much together, experiencing countless hardships and facing life and death situations, making them companions who had long shared fate.
What she cared about most was her identity as a member of the Arlong Pirates and the pressure she carried to save her village.
But after Link made everything clear, things became much simpler.
"Arlong, you say?"
Luffy slammed his fist into his palm, "I've decided, I'm going to send him flying!!"
"I heard that the physical prowess of fish-men is about ten times that of humans..."
Sanji said, arranging the dishes on the table, "And I also heard that there are quite a few merfolk mixed in there..."
"There's no need to worry about that!!"
Usopp seemed full of confidence, "With Lord Usopp (Self-Proclaimed Title) here, what are a mere few fish-men? I'm not afraid no matter how many come!!"
"Back in the day, I, Lord Usopp (Self-Proclaimed Title), faced ten fish-men alone without batting an eye, and with my extraordinary wisdom and skill, I successfully defeated them one by one!!"
"You're amazing, Usopp!!"
"Ah hahaha!!"
It started again; one still couldn't shake off his habit of bragging, and the other was so naive he believed whatever anyone said.
"But before the battle, necessary preparations must be made."
Sanji, with a cigarette in his mouth, looked at Zoro, who was moving with difficulty:
"We need to find a doctor first to treat this guy's injuries."
"These minor injuries..."
Zoro, with difficulty, grabbed a bottle of sake from the table and said disdainfully, "A good night's sleep will fix it."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Can injuries like these be healed just by sleeping?"
Amidst the squabbling, there was a uniquely cheerful atmosphere.
Nami quietly watched this scene, her red eyes filled with a smile.
"What are you thinking?"
Link came onto the deck and approached Nami, who was lost in thought.
"Still thinking about Arlong and your village?"
Link said softly.
His voice wasn't loud, but it was this voice that gave Nami an immense sense of security.
"Perhaps, after all, I've lived under his shadow for eight years..."
After opening up, Nami was better able to express her emotions.
"Don't worry."
Link again placed his hand on Nami's head, "You need to know, Arlong and his crew are just failures who retreated from the Grand Line."
"If they were really that strong, they would have stayed in the Grand Line, not run off to the East Blue to lord it over everyone."
"The only reason they've been able to be so arrogant is because they haven't encountered us yet."
"Perfect, let's use him as our touchstone for entering the Grand Line!!"