Echoes of Freedom

To think we would be saved by pirates…" Genzo mumbled under his breath.

The villagers stared in shock at Arlong's defeat, but quickly recovered and rushed back to the village, eager to spread the news.

…

The crew, minus Nami, sat around a table in the local restaurant, the scent of freshly cooked food filling the air.

"That fight was surprisingly easy." Zoro remarked, lazily picking his teeth.

"Yeah, well, that's what happens when you gang up on the leader." Ryomen replied, a smirk tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"We should just do that every time." Usopp added, a glimmer of relief in his eyes, finally sensing the ordeal was over.

"No way! I barely fought today!" Luffy, sitting with a plate of meat in hand, crushed Usopp's hopes. He turned toward the kitchen. "Sanji! Bring another plate!"

A surprised voice echoed from the back. "Already!? Wait a second!"

"I can't believe they actually let him cook." Usopp commented, scratching his head.

"Right? If someone came into my kitchen and said my food wasn't up to par, I'd just beat them and throw them out." Ryomen replied, his gaze shifting toward the couple who owned the restaurant, happily watching Sanji work. "But I'm not a cook, so who knows."

Luffy suddenly sprang to his feet, eyes gleaming. "Hey! Let's go look for Nami!"

…

Meanwhile, at Naval Base Sixteen, Nezumi paced back and forth angrily, a den-den mushi placed in front of him.

"I'm calling about an urgent request!" Nezumi shouted.

"I can hear you just fine, even if you don't yell." The man on the other end replied calmly.

Nezumi angrily described how the pirates had opposed him and managed to defeat Arlong, detailing each of their appearances.

At Marine HQ, the officer listened intently, but his expression changed at the mention of a certain crew member.

"Could you repeat the description of the last one?" The officer asked, eyes narrowing.

"Pink hair, red eyes, and some kind of marks under his eyes."

The marine sifted through a folder of bounty posters, pulling out one with a drawn image of a younger Ryomen. His eyes grew serious.

"I'll transmit your intel to the higher-ups." He said curtly, ending the call.

…

"Is this what you were actually looking for?" Ryomen asked with a wry smile.

Luffy and Ryomen stood beneath one of Nami's beloved tangerine trees, orange peels scattered around their feet.

"Hahaha! They're really good, you know!" Luffy replied, his belly bloated from his indulgence.

"Just don't let Nami find out. Who knows what she'll do." Ryomen warned, watching as Luffy quickly fell asleep under the tree's shade.

Ryomen sighed, a faint smile on his lips. "Typical Luffy…"

With that, he settled down beside him, closing his eyes for a short nap of his own.

…

About an hour later, a swift kick jolted both of them awake.

"Aaahh!" Luffy and Ryomen yelped, clutching their sides.

"What do you think you two are doing!?" Nami's voice rang out, her eyes blazing with irritation.

"N-Nami, we just—" Ryomen began to explain, but his words trailed off as he watched Luffy roll down the hill in a panicked attempt to escape. 'Damn you, Luffy!'

With an awkward chuckle, Ryomen scratched the back of his head.

Nami glared at him. "What are you standing around for? Start cleaning up!"

Ryomen sighed, defeated. "Fine…"

"And for each tangerine missing from that tree, you're planting a new seed."

"But I didn't even—" Ryomen's protest was cut short by the sharp look Nami gave him, silencing him immediately.

…

Nightfall approached, and Ryomen finally finished his task.

"Anything else you want me to do, your majesty?" He asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice as he stretched his tired limbs.

Nami, now gazing up at the stars, smiled slightly. "Nope. I'll allow you a break."

Ryomen sat beside her, letting out a breath of relief. "So…how do you feel?"

"Hm?" Nami glanced at him, confusion flickering in her eyes.

"You know…about finally being free."

Nami hesitated, looking out at the horizon. "It's exhilarating, but in a weird way, it's also—"

"Scary." Ryomen finished her sentence for her, offering a knowing smile.

She looked at him in surprise. "Yeah."

"I get it." Ryomen said softly, his gaze distant. "To be honest, I was the same once. I lived under someone's rule, unable to disobey, thinking that was how my life would always be. And then, out of nowhere, I gained the chance to be free…so I took it."

His voice carried a bitterness Nami hadn't heard from him before. She listened silently as he continued.

"But I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go. So, I hid…afraid they'd come back and take my freedom away." His expression grew somber as memories surfaced, old wounds reopening.

Without thinking, Nami reached out and gently took his hand. "Well…now you don't have to worry about that anymore, right?"

Ryomen blinked, startled by the warmth of her touch. He glanced down at their intertwined hands, then back up at her with a soft, almost sad smile. "Yeah."

"Sorry," He said after a pause, his voice quieter now. "I didn't mean to ramble. I just wanted you to know…if you ever feel lost, you can always count on us. We'll help you find your way."

Nami gazed into his eyes, speechless. Something unspoken lingered between them, their hands still firmly held together.

"What are you two doing?" A teasing voice interrupted them.

"Aaah!" Nami and Ryomen both jumped in surprise, pulling their hands apart. They turned to see Nojiko standing there, a mischievous smile on her face.

"Come on, the village is already celebrating! You're missing everything!" Nojiko exclaimed, waving them over.

"Huh? Really? So much time has passed…" Ryomen mumbled, standing up. "Nami, I'll see you at the party. And don't forget what I told you, alright?"

He offered her one last smile before heading toward the village.

After he was out of earshot, Nojiko smirked at her sister. "What's with the blush, Nami? Did something happen?"

"N-Nothing! It's nothing!" Nami snapped, storming off, leaving Nojiko laughing behind her.

…

The next day, the civilians of Cocoyashi Village gathered at the shore to see the crew off.

"Where's Nami?" Usopp suddenly asked, scanning the crowd.

"Maybe she's not coming." Zoro replied, arms crossed.

"What!? Nami's not coming?!" Sanji shouted in disbelief, clearly distressed.

"Relax. I talked to her last night. She'll be here." Ryomen said calmly, though there was a hint of something else in his voice as he glanced briefly at Luffy, a flicker of resentment crossing his face.

Luffy chuckled sheepishly. "Hehe…my bad."

A familiar voice then echoed in the distance. "Set sail!!" Nami shouted, running toward the Going Merry.

"What do we do?" Usopp asked, looking between the ship and the rushing figure of Nami.

"She said to set sail…so I guess we set sail." Luffy replied with a grin.

"Nami, stop! At least let us thank you for everything you've done!!" Genzo yelled, trying to get her attention as she darted through the crowd.

"Nami!" The villagers shouted as she jumped aboard the ship with ease. "Why?!"

With a cheeky grin, Nami lifted her shirt, causing dozens of wallets to fall onto the deck. The villagers gasped, shocked.

"Take care, everyone!" Nami called out with a mischievous smile.

"You thief!!" The civilians yelled back in unison, their expressions turning to amused frustration.

"She hasn't changed one bit." Usopp said, shaking his head.

"A witch until the end." Zoro added, smirking.

"Nami, excellent job!" Sanji swooned, giving her a thumbs up.

"Hahaha!" Luffy burst out laughing.

Ryomen, standing a bit off to the side, raised an eyebrow and muttered to himself, "Am I the only one wondering where she kept all those wallets?"

Suddenly, Nojiko's voice cut through the chatter. "Ryomen!!"

Ryomen turned around, startled. "Yeah?"

"You better keep Nami safe!" Nojiko shouted, her expression firm but fond.

Caught off guard, Ryomen blinked before smiling brightly. "I've got it covered!" He called back, not noticing Nami's brief look of embarrassment beside him.

"Goodbye, everyone! I'll be off now!" Nami waved, her smile wide and carefree.

…

"Another price increase? Don't you think it's getting a little too expensive?" Nami questioned the newspaper bird, her eyes narrowing.

"Caww." it responded, uninterested.

"Raise the price again, and I won't be buying from you anymore."

"Nami, it's just a few berries. Hardly a big deal." Ryomen commented offhandedly.

"It is for me. I'm saving up for myself! Don't forget, you and Luffy still owe me a hundred million each." She shot back, her glare landing on both of them.

Ryomen and Luffy exchanged silent, guilty glances, neither daring to argue further.

Nami sat down on a beach chair and casually flipped open the newspaper. Two posters slipped out from between the pages, catching everyone's attention.

The crew gathered around, their eyes widening in shock.

…

In a distant village, an elderly man looked at a bounty poster intently. "This is it, huh?" He talked to himself.

"No turning back now…Good luck, Ryomen." The man said with concern in his voice.

…

"Hahahaha! Looks like we're wanted now!" Luffy exclaimed, grinning ear to ear. "Forty million berries!!"

"Not that impressive. Ryomen's higher." Zoro remarked with a smirk.

"What!?" Luffy spun around, his grin vanishing as he stared at Ryomen's poster. "Sixty million!? But the captain's supposed to have the highest bounty!" His eyes shifted toward Ryomen, now filled with resentment.

"Speaking of, why do you even have a bounty?" Sanji asked, raising an eyebrow.

"And what's with this title? 'The Cursed Being, Ryomen'? That sounds terrifying!" Usopp added, visibly uneasy.

Ryomen's expression stiffened as the questions poured in. At Usopp's comment, panic briefly flickered across his face.

"My bounty… it's because I… I'm…" He began to fumble with his words, anxiety creeping in.

"It doesn't matter. We'll find out when you're ready." Nami interjected, her voice soft yet firm, giving Ryomen a reassuring look.

"Yeah! And just you wait, Ryomen—I'll surpass your bounty in no time!!" Luffy declared with unwavering confidence.

"Well, it's not really that important." Zoro remarked, shrugging.

"You can tell us when you want to." Sanji added calmly.

"Yeah, having someone with such a high bounty on our side is way better than being on the opposite side!" Usopp chimed in, trying to reassure him.

Ryomen looked at them in disbelief, his tension slowly fading. "Thanks. Just give me some time." He said with a small, grateful smile.

…

After some time at sea, the crew reached Loguetown, the town of the beginning and the end.

"Alright, I'm off to see the execution stand!" Luffy announced, excitement clear in his voice.

"I'll grab some ingredients and food." Sanji said as he adjusted his tie.

"I'm gonna check out some equipment." Usopp added, already mentally browsing his options.

Zoro glanced at Nami. "There's something I want to buy, but…"

Nami smirked. "I'll lend you the money. But it's at three hundred percent interest."

Zoro flinched. "That's robbery!"

Ryomen shook his head in amusement, giving Zoro a sympathetic look. 'He just made a deal with the devil.'

…

On an island somewhere in the Grand Line, Mihawk approached a red-haired man, scars etched over his left eye.

"I encountered some intriguing pirates. It reminded me of that story you told me long ago…about an interesting kid from a small village." Mihawk handed him a bounty poster.

"What!?" The man's crew gasped in surprise.

"So, you've finally come out, Luffy." The red-haired man mused with a grin, eyeing the poster. His gaze then shifted to the other poster. "And this one?"

"Vice-captain, most likely. He managed to wound me." Mihawk replied, his tone serious.

"Huh? Really? Maybe you're getting too old for this, hahahaha!" The man laughed heartily.

"I was holding back." Mihawk grumbled in response.

"Sure you were." The red-haired man said with a smirk, before his eyes lingered on Ryomen's poster. His expression shifted slightly, surprised. "So that's how it is…Enemies from long ago, now allies." He said quietly, a faint smile forming.

Mihawk shot him a skeptical look, as if questioning his sanity.

The red-haired man quickly waved it off. "Ahaha…Enough of this. Let's drink!" He said, eager to change the subject, his embarrassment barely hidden.