Rolling My Way to Pirate King (One Piece Chaos Gacha) (Patreon)

Chapter 24: Hope Found

Days Later

With my Gacha System revealed to the crew, or at least the little I was willing to share with them, I didn’t hesitate to grace them with the magical Cornucopia that produced infinite fruit, vegetables, and seeds, and left it in the charge of a happy Sanji.

Since then, Sanji had been putting the item to great use, always making fruit dishes at all times of the day since there was no risk of running out. Though admittedly, most of those dishes were made in an attempt to woo Tiche and Nami, but I wasn’t complaining since he always made extra for everyone.

Speaking of Nami, it had taken a few hours for her to settle down after I revealed my Inventory, beyond giddy at all the implications of what it could be used for. The next few hours after that were spent testing my Inventory’s capabilities, with the smile on her face becoming more manic as time passed.

The devious girl was probably thinking about the implications of what we could do with such an ability, most prominent being the fact that nobody would ever be able to steal our most valuable objects from us going forward.

The most important detail, though, was the fact that whenever we came upon treasure, or any other object of interest really, we wouldn’t have to worry about whether we had enough room on the ship.

Well, those and the fact that my ability really made stealing a walk in the park since there would be no evidence of the crime. I’m sure that’s the one Nami was likely focusing on the most, knowing her personality.

I could already picture myself having to travel with her pretty frequently whenever she didn’t want to carry something or was thinking of something devious.

Moving on from my future as the official carry boy of the Straw Hats, our training of course continued uninterrupted, with Johnny and Yosaku finally giving in to curiosity and joining us one morning.

The poor bastards had regretted it immediately and gave up after the first day due to how harsh it was.

Nami, who the closer we got to her home, the more nervous and jittery she became, worked especially hard the past few days trying to get her mind off the upcoming confrontation with training. She and Tiche would really go at it, and the latter had informed me that she believed Nami would soon have the physique to perform some of the Rokushiki techniques without hurting herself.

With the Conomi Islands now within sight, all training was put on halt as everyone stood at the front of the ship as we neared Nami’s home and, more importantly, our confrontation with Arlong and his crew.

Nami was directing us toward Gosa Village, which was a bit away from her home village, so we could dock the Merry where it wouldn’t come to harm.

The girl in question was currently standing beside me while quietly biting her inner lip in a bout of nervousness.

Placing my hand on her shoulder, Nami jumped a bit before relaxing when she noticed it was me and turned to me with a curious expression while trying to hide her nerves.

“Before we get there, is there anyone you want us to spare, Nami?” I asked quietly with a relaxed expression on my face.

Blinking at my question, Nami thought it over for a moment, but she was interrupted before she could answer.

“Of course there isn’t!” Sanji exclaimed angrily, looking offended at the mere suggestion. “How can you even suggest such a thing, Luffy, after learning what Nami-san has been through!?”

The mere fact that he actually called her “-san” instead of his ridiculous and over-the-top nicknames already said how seriously Sanji was taking this situation.

“Please stop, Sanji-kun.” Nami replied with a serious expression, causing the blonde to immediately calm down with an obedient look. “I appreciate what you’re saying, but Luffy actually has a point, and it reminded me that there is someone I want you to go a bit easy on.”

Raising an eyebrow, I silently wondered if she was talking about Hatchan, or Hachi, since the octopus Fish-Men was a generally nice dude for the most part and just had the unfortunate luck of being friends with a piece of shit like Arlong.

Nami then turned to us, giving everyone a brief look as she spoke. “There is an octopus Fish-Men named Hachi that is pretty harmless all things considered and has never personally hurt anyone from my knowledge. So if at all possible, please try not to kill him. He’s one of the main officers of Arlong’s crew.”

“Octopus guy, got it.” Zoro said with a small nod.

“That’s one less bad guy to worry about.” Usopp was heard muttering quietly to himself.

“Tsk, alright. I guess I can accept that since it’s coming from you, Nami-swan.” Sanji said as he lit up a cigarette and took a deep breath.

“Sounds good to me.” I said with a small smile, glad to have been right.

“Noted,” Tiche said simply before suddenly pointing forward, getting our attention. “By the way, something big is approaching us from underwater. Probably a Sea King.”

Curious, we looked at where she was pointing and sure enough, something big was making splashes over the surface of the ocean before it reached us and revealed itself as a giant sea cow rose and towered over the Merry.

Immediately, Usopp let out a girly scream as he hid behind Zoro while Johnny and Yosaku broke out into a sweat.

“Aaaah! A Sea King!” Usopp yelled in panic while pointing at the monster.

“Oh, it’s Momoo!” Nami said in realization as a look of recognition entered her eyes.

“Umm, is it just me or is that thing drooling at us?” Sanji asked calmly, not intimidated at all and taking another puff of his cigarette.

Looking at where Momoo was staring with an intense gaze, I saw that it was actually looking at the assortment of fruit dishes with a bit of meat also mixed in.

“I think it wants our food.” I said simply with a calm smile.

“Should I take care of it?” Zoro asked as he flicked his thumb, slightly unsheathing Wado.

“No! Don’t kill it.” Nami was quick to yell as she stood in front of us with her hands extended and her arms spread.

At her words, Zoro, Sanji, and Tiche relaxed their posture while Usopp, still not looking convinced, stayed behind the swordsman and peeked over his shoulder.

Nami then turned to me with a slightly pleading expression. “Luffy! Can’t you use your Conqueror’s and just knock him out? Momoo is not really that bad.”

Raising an eyebrow, I shrugged a moment later and nodded my head before stepping forward.

“Hey big guy. Hungry, huh? Here, you can have this.” I said calmly as I grabbed a plate and threw it to the Sea King, who happily opened its mouth and ate it in one bite.

A moment later, I narrowed my eyes and let my Haoshoku free, causing Momoo to freeze before its eyes turned blank and then fell over unconscious.

“Done.” I said simply, turning to everyone with a smile. “I wanted to tame it, but I figured it was best to knock it unconscious so it’s not forced to choose between us and Arlong later.” I commented casually as I grabbed the back of my head with both hands and thought about Surume.

‘Oh yeah, I’m definitely making the Kraken my pet.’ I thought giddily, a smile widening on my face.

“W-Whoa, what was that?” Johnny asked in surprise, with Yosaku looking the same.

Usopp, seeing that it was safe again, stepped out from behind Zoro and started bragging to the two about that being his Haki and a bunch of nonsense that we all did our best to ignore.

“You can actually tame Sea Kings with Haki?” Nami asked curiously, noticing my specific phrasing.

“Hmm, it depends.” I thought about it for a moment and then gave my answer. “For regular Sea Kings and other animals, the answer is generally yes, but if I tried the same with the Sea Kings found in the Calm Belt, then probably not.”

“Interesting. Haki has so many uses.” Nami admitted with a smile as she looked down at her arm, coming to the realization that she too had that power.

Shortly after the fiasco with my reveal, I had let Nami know that she had unlocked her Armament, making her extremely happy. So far, she hadn’t been able to activate it again at will, but it was only a matter of time now.

With nothing in our way after that, we safely made our way to Gosa Village without further incidents and laid anchor before getting off the ship.

=====

Nami POV

It was real.

This was actually happening.

The day that Nami finally became free from Arlong’s control and his tyranny was actually within sight.

If you had told the Nami of just a few months ago that she would go on to meet a pirate who was actually not a piece of complete scum, she would have laughed in your face. Nice pirates were not real, and to think otherwise was the height of foolishness.

That said pirate would end up genuinely befriending her in record time despite her cautious nature, and that Nami would end up in said pirate’s crew as its Navigator, was another matter entirely that she wouldn’t have imagined herself doing in a thousand years.

Yet, truth was stranger than fiction.

Finding her gaze wandering to the towering figure of Luffy, her captain, as it often did nowadays, and his broad shoulders and back that gave her a sense of reassurance and safety, Nami once more had to pinch herself to see if she wasn’t actually dreaming.

Luffy was a complete enigma wrapped up in mystery that had shaken every belief Nami held about pirates. He was completely genuine to a fault, friendly, loud, charming, humble, a complete idiot, childish, monstrously strong, smarter than he looked, and above all else he wore his emotions on his sleeve. What you saw was what you got from him.

It was not even his strange and incredible powers that drew her in, even if admittedly she was going to abuse the heck out of that Inventory thing to her heart’s content.

There was just something about Luffy that drew Nami in like nothing had ever done before.

He was like the sun. Drawing everyone into his orbit without conscious effort or will and sharing his warmth with everyone.

He spoke about his dream so passionately that Nami couldn’t help but think about her own discarded dream that she had ended up hating due to the despair it caused her. Yet as the days passed and she spent more time in his presence, Nami found herself looking back at her dream with new eyes.

Nami wanted to continue sailing with Luffy, experience everything the world had to offer, and it wasn’t just because she considered herself part of the crew anymore. Lately, a stronger emotion had been steadily growing within her, and while she had done her best to dismiss it, it was becoming harder to do so as time passed.

Finding her cheeks turning warm, Nami shook those thoughts aside for now as a determined look came upon her face as they reached Cocoyashi Village. Nami had wanted to pay her sister Nojiko a visit first to confirm that she was safe and to tell her that Arlong’s reign was coming to an end.

It was so liberating to just think that out loud that Nami couldn’t help the small smile that grew on her lips as she thought how much she had changed in so little time.

Going from risking her life trying to scrounge up enough money to buy her village back from Arlong — something that in the back of her mind she didn’t think would ever happen, as she was too useful — to having a crew that would risk their lives for her and protect her was surreal.

Asking Luffy and the others to wait for her at the exit to the village, Nami went ahead alone, ignoring the fake looks of disgust and angry glares thrown her way from the townspeople as she soon reached her home.

The face of her sister soon greeted her with a curious eyebrow as she made her way inside.

“Nami, you’re back a bit earlier than usual this time. Bad haul?” Nojiko asked curiously as she discreetly inspected her to make sure that she wasn’t injured anywhere.

“My trip went just fine.” Nami said with a shake of her head, the smile never dropping from her face. “More than fine, really. I found more than I could have possibly hoped for and more.”

Blinking at her words, Nojiko frowned before taking her in more properly and immediately noticed her happy expression. “What’s got you so chirpy today?”

Smiling wider at the question, Nami answered honestly. “I just found hope again.” She said simply before taking on a more firm expression. “Nojiko, I need you to do something for me.”

Now a bit cautious, Nojiko paused for a moment. “Hope? …Nami, are you alright? Did something happen during your trip?” Nojiko asked with a concerned look in her eyes.

“Yes, but it’s something good.” Nami reassured calmly. “Anyway, I just need you to tell everyone to stay away from Arlong Park today.” Nami instructed, causing her sister to become even more worried.

“Why? What are you planning to do?” Nojiko asked with a bit of alarm in her voice.

“I found nakama.” Nami answered with a smile, finding that the word best described her feelings towards her crew. “And today, the Arlong Pirates and their era of tormenting us will come to an end.” She declared confidently, having no doubts whatsoever.

With her piece said, Nami walked back out the door, ignoring her sister’s pleas to stay, and using Total Concentration Breathing quickly made her way back to the crew.

Reaching them within moments, Nami found them waiting patiently, with Luffy being the one to sense her first as he turned to her with his iconic smile that caused her heart to skip a beat.

“Ready, Nami?”

Taking a deep breath and seeing the encouraging looks from the others, even if Usopp’s legs were shaking like crazy, Nami nodded as she held her staff after assembling it.

“…Yes. I’m ready.” Nami answered as she fell into step with him, silently promising to reward her stupid captain when all of this was over.

“Everyone!” Luffy declared with a serious expression, causing everyone to straighten up at the command in his voice as Nami ignored the certain tingle between her legs.

“To battle! We’re kicking the shit out of the Arlong Pirates!”

There was a chorus of confirmations from everyone that Nami found herself unconsciously following before they made their way to Arlong Park.

It was time for this nightmare to end.

=====

Back to Luffy

Reaching Arlong Park, which was supposed to look quite similar to Sabaody Park, I couldn’t help the frown that made its way onto my face.

This was the place that Nami had been forced to work almost like a slave for a group of racist Fish-Men, which was quite ironic as the theme fit perfectly with Sabaody Archipelago. A place that only looked fun and like a paradise at first glance, while hiding the worst the world had to offer in the shadows.

It was disgusting.

Raising my leg and applying Armament to it, I let it fly forward into the metal doors and watched in satisfaction as they immediately bent inward before flying into the distance and crashing into the opposing wall, causing a commotion inside.

Without saying a word, I grabbed my hat and placed it on Nami’s head, surprising her, before walking forward while cracking my knuckles.

“Who the fuck is Arlong?” I declared with an angry frown as I let all the anger I had been holding back for weeks now out into the open.