ONE STEP TOWARDS A DREAM

Luffy stands with his hands on his hips, stating firmly, "I'm fine. I'm not really interested in her past." He turns and begins walking away down the dirt path. Usopp, sitting on the ground, calls after him in disbelief, "Take a walk? You're not going to listen?" Sanji, sitting nearby, adds casually, "No, I'm cool." Zoro, leaning back with his arms crossed, smirks and says, "That's just the kind of guy he is. Don't mind him." Nojiko watches Luffy walk away, looking confused, and asks, "What's with him?"

Usopp tells Nojiko, "But we'll listen to what you have to say." Zoro, leaning against the tree, adds, "Though I doubt hearing your story will change anything." Usopp continues, "Well, I, for one, will listen to understand what's going on." Sanji, smiling with a cigarette in his mouth, agrees, "Me too." Zoro is then shown snoring loudly, fast asleep against the tree, while the others protest, "...BUT YOU'RE SLEEPING" and "DON'T JUST FALL ASLEEP AS SOON AS YOU SAY THAT!" Nojiko watches them and says, "I see... No wonder they're giving Nami so much trouble..." Meanwhile, Luffy continues walking away down the path.

Nami wakes up, lifting her head from her arms on a table. She thinks, "I fell asleep...?" She looks around the empty, messy room and wonders, "Where'd she go...? Nojiko?" She stares at a large woven basket overflowing with fresh oranges. A small smile forms on her face as she thinks, "...Just a little more, Bellemere..."

A flashback begins. A young Nami smiles brightly, thinking, "Just a little more and everything'll be back the way it used to be. Cocoyashi Village, the orange farm... as well as my dream..." She is shown looking at a map. The scene shifts to 8 years ago. A young Nami struggles against Genzo, who is holding her by the back of her shirt. She yells, "Let go of me! It's just one book, what's the big deal!? There's still tons more!" Genzo angrily scolds her, "You dumb brat! A bookstore's supposed to have a lot of books! How many times must I tell you that stealing is inexcusable!" Nami sticks her tongue out at him and retorts, "But my family's poor, I can't help it! Cheapskate!" She is holding a stolen book titled "NAVIGATION".

Genzo drags young Nami to a small house and yells, "Bellemere! Bellemere! Come out already! Your little cat burglar's done it again!" Bellemere steps out of the house, smoking a cigarette, wearing a plaid shirt and dark pants. She looks annoyed and says, "Jeez, you're noisy. What is it? Oh, welcome home, Nami." Nami smiles and replies, "I'm home, Bellemere." Genzo yells at Nami, "You stay quiet!" He then turns to Bellemere, "Do you have any idea how many times she's done this now!? You're getting a terrible reputation among the townsfolk! For heaven's sake, you need to properly discipline her." A caption introduces "Nami and Nojiko's foster mother, Bellemere".

Genzo continues to yell at Bellemere, "It's precisely because of that attitude of yours that she's...!" Bellemere casually replies, "Oh what's the big deal, she's still just a kid. I'm sure you must've shoplifted once or twice too when you were a kid, right?" Genzo looks flustered. Bellemere leans in close to him and says, "I don't have any money on me right now so I'll pay you back next time... with my body." Genzo's face turns bright red as he yells, "Don't say such idiotic things!" Bellemere teases, "What's this? Your face is all red." She then says, "Alright, alright. Thanks again, anyways. You paid for her, didn't you?" Genzo walks away, still flustered. Nami hugs her navigation book and says, "I'm sorry, Bellemere. But I wanted this book no matter what!"

Inside the house, a young Nojiko tells Nami, "If you wanted it so much, then why didn't you just tell me? You're such a klutz, Nami! If it were me, I'd have stolen it without getting caught." Bellemere swiftly strikes both girls on the head, causing them to cry out, "Owww!" Bellemere scolds them, "Stealing is wrong!" Nojiko rubs her head and says, "I was only joking!" Nami argues, "But you wouldn't have bought it for me even if I said something!" Bellemere replies, "Of course I would have. I do have enough money saved away to buy at least a book or two." She then explains, "In any case, the weather's been unusually good these days so all the orange farms have been able to harvest plenty of oranges. That's why they're so cheap lately and why we're hardly selling any. Understand?" Nami looks down and mutters, "Yeah..."

Bellemere looks at a map Nami has drawn and says, "Ohh, so this is a map of island? You've already moved on from drawing terrestrial maps to sea charts? That's amazing." Nami, sitting at a desk with her book, replies, "Yup, and I'm studying navigation skills right now." Bellemere asks, "'Cause it's your dream, right?" Nami confirms, "Yup." Nami smiles broadly and declares, "I'm going to sail around the whole world using my navigation skills, and then make a map of the world based on what I saw with my own eyes!" Bellemere smiles back, holding the map, and says, "A map of the world, huh? I'll look forward to it! Then I guess the map you drew today of this island is just one step towards that dream!"

The family is sitting at the dinner table. Nami notices, "Bellemere, you don't seem to be eating much these days." Bellemere replies, "But I'm eating my oranges, aren't I? Besides, I'm on a diet right now." Nojiko adds, "Umm.. I don't need to eat so much either." Bellemere laughs, "Ha, there's no need for you to be so concerned with your looks just yet. It's important for kids to eat a lot! Like I said, I'm on a diet! You kids should never underestimate the beautifying power of an orange! I may be 30 but it's thanks to the oranges that I'm still able to have such smooth skin." Nami accuses her, "That's just a lie! It's because we're poor that you don't have enough to eat, right!?" Nojiko asks, "What, is that true!?" Bellemere suddenly stands up, showing off a shirt with a crude lion drawing on it. "Look, Nami! It's finished! A Bellemere brand haute couture!" Nami yells back, "But your hands are yellow. Just shut up and eat!"

Nami angrily rejects the shirt, "I don't want it. It's just a hand-me-down from Nojiko again." Nojiko sighs, "Well there's nothing we can do about it. You are 2 years younger than me." Nami complains, "I wanna wear new clothes too!" Nojiko retorts, "I have to wear secondhand clothes too! You're my younger sister so it's only natural that you get my hand-me-downs!" Bellemere, meanwhile, says, "Now then, time to tend to the oranges." Nami shouts, "But it's not like we're really sisters! We aren't even connected by blood!" Bellemere turns around and slaps Nami hard across the face, yelling, "Nami!"

Bellemere angrily yells at Nami, "Don't ever say such a stupid thing ever again! There's nothing so special about that! So what if you two aren't connected by blood!?" Nami, crying and holding her cheek, shouts back, "Why not!? You're not my real mom either! I bet you wish we weren't around! Then you'd be able to eat proper meals! And buy clothes you like! And you could live the way you want! I... I wish I were adopted by a rich family!"

Nojiko tries to intervene, "Stop it, you two!" Bellemere, turning away, says, "Fine, do what you want! I don't know you anymore! If you hate this family so much, then why don't you just leave!" Nami runs out the door, crying, "Fine, I will leave!" Bellemere reaches out, "Ah! Nami!" Nojiko watches her go, "Nami..." Bellemere sits down heavily, lighting a cigarette. "I see..." Nojiko says, "Bellemere! Nami doesn't actually believe what she said! It was just in the heat of the moment!" Bellemere pats Nojiko's head and says, "I understand... I guess I wasn't very adult-like... Nojiko... you're such a prudent child..."

Bellemere smiles at Nojiko and asks, "Could you bring back Nami? I'll be waiting for you with a delicious dinner." Nojiko smiles and replies, "Ok!" The scene shifts to the bustling center of Cocoyashi Village. Genzo is sitting at a table with Nami. He asks, "So that's why you came to my home?" Nami, looking down, replies, "That's right! I ran away from home!" Genzo laughs heartily, "You think coming to the village center from outside the village is running away!? Haha, ain't that simple!"

Nami tells Genzo, "I'm sure Bellemere would be a lot happy if we weren't around." Genzo asks, "Hm? And why do you think that?" Nami explains, "Well, she has to use up all her money to take care of us... And the other villagers don't like her because of us." Genzo laughs loudly, "Hahaha! So you've finally reached the age where you think about how others feel! Don't worry! Bellemere was quite a famous little hell-raiser too in this village when she was young! It's nothing so surprising to the other villagers, she still is a hell-raiser." Genzo's expression turns serious as he continues, "But when that Bellemere left the village, and came back as a fine Marine, we all couldn't believe our eyes. I'll never forget that day. It was during a terrible storm..."

A flashback within the flashback shows a stormy night. Villagers exclaim, "Look! It is Bellemere! She has children with her! Whose kids are those!?" A battered and bleeding Bellemere is carrying two small children through the heavy rain. A villager yells, "Call a doctor! They've got terrible fevers! They've been dreadfully exhausted by the storm!" A doctor tells Bellemere, "Alright, I'll treat them right away! But you've got serious wounds yourse..." Bellemere interrupts fiercely, "Enough about me and just go! Don't let those kids die! Please save them no matter what!" Back in the present of the flashback, Genzo tells Nami, "Those children... were you when you were just a baby and a 3 year old Nojiko." Nami is shocked, "What...! But I thought Bellemere found me under a bridge..." Genzo says, "That's just a lie. Apparently, she was on the verge of death on a battlefield somewhere back then."

Genzo continues his story, "Just when she thought she might as well shut her eyes and die already, what appeared before her was Nojiko carrying you in her arms." A panel shows a younger Nojiko carrying baby Nami through a ruined battlefield. Bellemere, lying injured on the ground, looks up at them. Genzo says, "Is that your sister? No. She's smiling... She doesn't know the slightest thing about what's going on... That's when she lost her desire to die." Nami is shown crying as she listens. Genzo concludes, "The three of you, share a connection deeper than blood." Nojiko appears at the door. Genzo says, "Nami! I knew you'd be here! Now go home. They're here for you."

Suddenly, a villager runs through the town screaming in terror, "Piiiira-aates! It's the Arlong Pirates!" Other villagers react in shock, "Arlong!? It can't be!" A massive, intimidating pirate ship with a sawshark figurehead approaches the shore. A menacing laugh echoes, "Sha haha ha!"

Genzo looks panicked and says, "Then... that rumour about the fishman pirate crew in Grand Line splitting off... must've been true...! Nami! Nojiko! It's too dangerous for you to stay here! Go hide in the forest behind here!" Nami protests, "But Bellemere's waiting for us at home...!" The Arlong Pirates disembark. Arlong, a large fishman with a saw-like nose, stands at the front with his crew, including Kuroobi and Chew. Arlong declares, "Greetings, my beloved pathetic humans! From this moment hereon, this village... nay, this entire island shall be under my control!"

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