Evening.
Everyone had finished thoroughly looting the remains of the giant ships and returned to the deck.
Warm orange lights came on as the crew gathered together in celebration. In just a few dozen minutes, Zeff had somehow prepared a huge, hearty dinner all by himself—it was unclear how he even managed it.
"I know! He must've used fire from his feet to boost the flames!" Nami raised her hand high and shouted the answer.
"Your brother just forgave you, and now you're acting up again?"
Kuina flicked her finger toward Nami's forehead in annoyance—only to be stunned as her finger passed straight through her head.
"Bleh!" Nami stuck out her tongue, "You can't hit me anymore! That's the power of the Flame-Flame Fruit! None of you can bully me now!"
Thud!
Just as she finished, a solid punch landed on her.
"Uwagh! That hurts!"
Clutching the top of her head, Nami wailed, "Liar! You said Logia users can't be hit after elementalizing! Why did that still hurt so much?!"
"Because in this world, there's another power—called Haki."
Shano sat down casually with a plate in hand, expressionless. "Kuina and Uncle Zeff have already started to grasp the basics of Armament Haki. Nojiko's a bit slower, but within a month or two, she should be able to use it too."
"So that means…"
Nami's face twisted. "I'm about to fall back to the bottom of the food chain again?"
Damn it!
She'd only just figured out a tiny bit of how to use the Flame-Flame Fruit!
"Back to business."
Shano didn't bother humoring her and continued eating as he spoke.
"The loot from those shipwrecks was even more plentiful than expected. Not just the supplies and books—just the treasure alone is worth over a hundred million Berries. Everyone's worked hard today, so rest up tonight. Tomorrow, we'll think of a way to get out of this weird whirlpool current."
"We have to wait until tomorrow?" Now it was Nami's turn to be surprised. "Can't we just leave after dinner? I already cracked the pattern of the whirlpools."
"You already figured it out?!"
The rest of the crew looked at her in shock.
"What, you don't believe me?"
Nami huffed and lifted her chin proudly. "I volunteered to get tossed in by the whirlpools just to find you guys. Otherwise, I'd have left a long time ago. Just wait—I'll show you all what a real genius navigator looks like!"
After dinner—
Nami immediately got to work. She picked up a pencil and began sketching the surrounding sea chart while muttering under her breath:
"First, head north for about five kilometers, then full starboard turn. After about a minute, once the currents slow as they intersect, shift direction again with the flow…"
Half an hour later.
As the silhouette of the island faded in the distance, everyone turned their heads in stunned silence, staring at the orange-haired girl standing proudly with her hands on her hips—like they were looking at an alien.
"She… actually got us out…"
She wasn't bluffing?!
"Ugh…"
The swordswoman groaned, clutching her head. "I've been racking my brain for days and couldn't figure it out. Why is the gap between people so huge…"
"Heehee, we're about the same, really," Nami leaned in to whisper. "But Kuina-nee, I think you'll have to give up your spot as the ship's navigator."
"Damn it!!" Kuina uncharacteristically threw her head back and screamed, finally experiencing what it was like to be dumb like Zoro.
Shano wasn't surprised—he smiled in satisfaction.
In the original manga timeline, Nami had already shown incredible navigation talent despite growing up in such harsh conditions.
But in this life, with Shano's full support, she'd been able to focus on her passion from a young age.
She never lacked books or resources, had a broader perspective, and every expedition gave her valuable experience.
Naturally, her navigation and cartography skills were far beyond what they were at the same age in the original timeline.
"Kuina, what do you say?" he asked the black-haired girl with a grin.
"…I'll accept it," Kuina sighed. "Looks like I'll have to focus on being a front-line fighter from now on."
Nojiko glanced at her sideways. That jealous tone… why did it suddenly sound so much like me?
"Alright then—from now on, Nami is officially the ship's navigator!"
Shano announced, "Let's go! Set sail and head for the last stop in the East Blue—Loguetown! Full speed ahead!"
"Aye, Captain!"
…
The sails billowed as the ship cut through the waves under Nami's control, speeding straight toward Loguetown, which lay in the same direction as Reverse Mountain's entrance.
Kuina was quite interested in the books they'd salvaged from the giant ships. Not long after dinner, she disappeared into the cabin to study.
Meanwhile, with the ship sailing steadily, Nami was unceremoniously sent to the kitchen by Shano to help Zeff wash dishes and clean up—as punishment for running away from home on her own.
"Oh right, Shano."
Nojiko handed him a newspaper.
"While you guys were still in the Ant Nest Cavern this afternoon, a News Coo flew by. I bought a paper. The front page said something big just happened in the second half of the Grand Line—that place called the New World."
Something big in the New World?
Shano took the paper with curiosity—and was instantly drawn to the headline on the front page, which blared in bold print:
"Red-Haired Shanks becomes the new Emperor of the Seas—The Four Emperors of the New World Are Now Established!"
So the Three Emperors have finally become Four…
Shano narrowed his eyes at the photo on the page—Shanks, Benn Beckman, Yasopp… all familiar faces. He couldn't help but think: When will it be my turn to step onto that level of the stage?
"Shano?" Nojiko tilted her head in curiosity. "You seem really familiar with this Red-Hair guy. You know him? Got some history?"
"…History?"
Shano was briefly lost in thought, recalling that stormy, rocking night. He nodded slowly, voice tinged with emotion:
"Yeah… he once gave me a helping hand."
...
At the same time—
A luxurious cruise ship was sailing through the Calm Belt under escort by three Marine vessels, entering East Blue from the South Blue.
The two escort ships flew base ID flags, while the Marine vessel in the middle had a white sail marked only with the blue seagull-and-scales emblem—
—It was a ship straight from Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
On the forward deck—
"…Hmph." Smoker, biting down on two cigars, leaned against the railing, staring at the lavish banquet on the cruise ship with a deep sigh.
"What? After all these days, still grumpy about those royal highnesses?"
A cold laugh came from behind him. Smoker turned around just in time to see a tall figure striding over—messy, spider-like hair, a white Justice coat on his back, and a cigarette in his mouth.