Chương 20: Farewell, Nami's Nickname

If Nami were to tell Nojiko she wanted to go to sea, Bellemere would probably give her a good scolding.

However, Bellemere found it difficult to refuse Yang Cheng's words.

Of the three, Nojiko may be the oldest, but from childhood to adulthood, Yu Cheng has been the most mature of the three.

Yang Cheng now possesses strength surpassing even that of his mother. When the "Arlong Pirates" attacked, if it weren't for Yang Cheng's heroic efforts, the fate of Cocoyasi Village and his family would have been unimaginable.

Every fledgling eagle has its day to soar, and Bellemere also knew very well that, just as Momousagi had said before, the East Blue was too small, and staying here would only bury Yang Cheng's talent.

"We don't have any skilled shipwrights in our village, but leave this to me. I'll prepare the boat and supplies you'll need for your voyage in half a month."

Bellemere knew she couldn't stop her son from going out to sea and becoming a true man of the sea, so all she could do was give him the greatest help in pursuing his dream.

When she was in the navy, she knew many shipwrights, so she planned to use her connections to help Yang Cheng build a ship.

Yang Cheng and Bellemere tacitly kept Nami and Nojiko informing each other of Yang Cheng's plan to go to sea.

In order to spend more time with his family before setting sail, Yang Cheng did not continue his usual grueling training day and night for the next two weeks, except for simple daily exercises.

During the day, she helps Bellemere manage the orange grove, takes Nojiko fishing and hunting, and helps Nami draw sea charts and buy new clothes.

Leaving Bellemere aside for now, these past few days, Nojiko and Nami have had smiles on their faces almost all the time.

The Arlong Pirates were defeated and their family became rich.

More importantly, the Nami sisters felt that Yang Cheng seemed to have become quite powerful lately.

If it were in the past, if Yang Cheng took them shopping for clothes, Bellemere, who was always thrifty, would probably have bluntly said it was wasteful.

But lately, no matter what Yang Cheng buys for them, Bellemere never scolds them.

Yang Cheng and Bellemere's changes made Nojiko vaguely realize that something was wrong, but the naive Nami believed that it must be because their family had become very rich.

It wasn't until half a month later, after Bellemere had commissioned a friend to build a small to medium-sized sailboat, that Yang Cheng explained his intention to set sail to Nojiko and Nami.

Nojiko, who had already sensed it, was very sad about the separation from Yosei, but she still managed to suppress her sadness and encouraged Yosei in a "big sister's manner" to appear strong.

But compared to Nojiko, Nami clearly wouldn't have it.

Not only did she cling tightly to Yang Cheng, refusing to let go, but tears streamed down her face like a burst dam, as she cried out that Yang Cheng was a liar.

"Nami, you once said that your dream was to draw a map of the entire world, right?"

But if I just stay in Cocoyasi Village, this dream will never come true, and so will mine.

I will first venture out to sea and become an elder brother you can be proud of. Then, when you also set sail, you can use my name to swagger across the ocean.

"Nami, don't you think that meeting us again on the high seas would be romantic too?"

Faced with Yang Cheng's endless sweet talk and coaxing, Nami finally managed to stop crying and start smiling.

"What if I mention your name in the future, but people don't believe I know you?"

Nami doesn't believe that Yang Cheng won't become famous in the future, because Yang Cheng has already defeated villains that even Bellemere couldn't defeat.

She had heard of the "Arlong Pirates" before; they were the most notorious pirates in the entire East Blue.

If Yang Cheng can defeat the strongest pirate in the East Blue now, he will definitely become even more amazing in the future.

"In that case, how about Nami comes up with a catchy nickname for me?"

Whether you're a pirate, a marine, or a bounty hunter, everyone who sails the high seas needs a memorable nickname, right?

When Yang Cheng asked her to give her a nickname, Nami was obviously very happy. After thinking for a while, she smiled and said, "My family grows oranges, and I really like oranges."

"How about Yang Cheng's nickname from now on is 'Orange Killer'?"

Upon hearing the nickname Nami came up with, Bellemere and Nojiko behind her burst out laughing.

Upon hearing their laughter, he puffed out his cheeks, clearly displeased, and said, "What's so funny? This nickname is perfectly fine, Yang Cheng, don't you agree?"

"Ah... um, I think... it should be... quite good!"

Upon seeing Nami's pouting lips, Yang Cheng immediately changed his tone, fully affirming her excellent naming ability.

There was no other way; Yang Cheng was in trouble if the little girl, whom he had finally managed to soothe, started crying again.

But with the "orange" thing, is he being mistaken for Tachibana Ukyo...?

Seeing that Yang Cheng approved of the nickname she had given him, Nami turned to look at Bellemere and the other person with a smug expression.

"Then it's a promise. One day I will make the name 'Orange Killer' resound throughout the entire sea."

"It's not 'Orange Killer,' it's 'Orange Killer.'

'Orange Killer' doesn't sound cute at all."

Yang Cheng: (´▽｀) Little sister, when we go out to sea to explore, it's better to have a nickname that sounds powerful and domineering. What the heck is "cute"?

However, when Yang Cheng thought of the "Four Emperors" who are famous throughout the Grand Line, whose nicknames include things like Whitebeard, Red Hair, and Old Lady, he suddenly felt that "Orange Killer" wasn't entirely unacceptable.

After making various promises to Nami and pinky swearing, Yang Cheng finally boarded the ship and left amidst farewells to his family and the people of Cocoyasi Village.

Looking at Bellemere, who had a cigarette in her mouth, a smile on her face, but ultimately couldn't hold back her tears, A-Jian spoke up, "Nami talked so much with Nojiko and Yang Cheng, don't you have anything to say to him?"

"I am that child's mother, so I will not show weakness in front of him."

Looking at the prideful Bellemere, A-Jian shook his head and remained silent. He had always known that Bellemere was just that kind of person who was obsessed with saving face.

Meanwhile, Yang Cheng, who had left Cocoyasi Village, was organizing his supplies on the ship when a letter fell out of his clothes, and the handwriting on the letter belonged to Bellemere.

(Salted Fish Diary: I've been under a lot of pressure lately. Last night, I went out for a foot massage with a friend, and we ended up ordering the same masseuse.) Unfortunately, that guy beat me to it in the end, how utterly despicable! (｀へ´)