One Piece: Bai Ye Deputy Captain of the Straw Hats

Translator: PapaSmurf0700

"Nami? The man admitted it himself. When I think about what those fish-men did to you…" Sanji's voice was low and dangerous.

"That's not right, Sanji," Nami said, her voice firm, cutting him off. She turned her gaze to the massive fish-man before her. "The Arlong Pirates invaded my home. They murdered my mother and…"

She trailed off, the weight of that painful memory filling the air. But then, her expression hardened with resolve.

"But none of that has anything to do with you, or any other fish-man or merman," she continued. "They were the ones who were evil. That's all there is to it. And from that experience, I met my crew—my family. All of it, the good and the bad, intertwined to make me who I am today. It taught me something important."

Her voice was clear and strong. "I will never forgive Arlong. Not in this lifetime. But I refuse to let my hatred for him spill over onto anyone else. If I did that, wouldn't I be exactly the same as them?"

Nami stepped forward and extended her hand to Jinbe. "If you weren't the one behind Arlong's evil, then you have nothing to pay for. You don't need my forgiveness. You don't have to apologize for what happened in my life."

Jinbe stared at her outstretched hand, at the sincerity in her eyes, completely stunned. In those few sentences, he could feel the depths of the cruelty she had endured. Yet this young woman, who had every right to be consumed by resentment, refused to let it tarnish her heart.

The scene struck him with the force of a tidal wave, reminding him of two people he revered above all others: Queen Otohime and his captain, Fisher Tiger. They too had suffered unimaginable hardship at the hands of others, yet they had chosen the path of forgiveness, holding to that belief even in their final moments. How could one not feel humbled and ashamed in the face of such grace?

Tears welled in Jinbe's eyes. He slammed both hands onto the ground, bowing his head so low it nearly touched the deck. "Such words…" he sobbed, his voice choked with emotion. "They are too much for this old one to bear."

He dug his fingers into the wood, his massive shoulders shaking uncontrollably. "I am so deeply grateful to you!" he roared, tears streaming down his face. He knew what she was doing. She was comforting him. This kind young woman, the victim of his sworn brother's evil, saw the crushing guilt he carried and chose to lift it from him. He finally understood what his captain had meant.

"Nami…" Chopper and Merry were both crying, moved by the scene.

Usopp rubbed his nose, a proud smile on his face.

Franky was weeping waterfalls. "I know the burden of being a big bro! You're a real man, Jinbe! AWOOOO! And Nami! You guys are so SUPER!!!"

"Yohohoho! A scene like this moves me to my very soul! I can't help but cry!" Brook wailed. "Even though I'm a skeleton and have no tear ducts left! Yohoho!"

"Franky! Brook! You're too noisy!" Sanji snapped, though his voice was thick with emotion. "Why are you two more worked up than they are?"

Zoro and Robin remained silent, but small, proud smiles graced their lips.

"Nami's really grown stronger," Bai Ye remarked quietly to Luffy, who had been unusually still beside him, his head bowed. But when Bai Ye turned to get a better look, he noticed something was off. The corner of his mouth twitched.

The next second—Thump!

With a gentle push, Bai Ye sent Luffy toppling over onto the deck. The captain didn't even stir, and the sound of even, steady breathing filled the air. Everyone stared.

After a moment of shocked silence, they all shared the same look of exasperated disbelief as Bai Ye.

"YOU WERE ASLEEP THIS WHOLE TIME?!"

"Golden Light Curse—Vice-Captain's Wake-Up Punch!"

WHAM!

Luffy, jolted awake by Bai Ye's Haki-infused fist, sat up and stretched with a massive yawn. "Ahh, that was a great nap~"

"You've got to be kidding me," Sanji grumbled. "And here I was thinking you were actually concentrating for once."

Luffy looked around nonchalantly, his gaze landing on the still-kneeling Jinbe. "Huh? Why's the blue uncle crying? What happened?"

Hearing the question, Jinbe hastily wiped his tears away. "What are you talking about? I'm not crying," he said gruffly.

"Eh? Really?" Luffy tilted his head, completely unconvinced.

Jinbe's blue skin flushed a deeper shade. "You're being noisy! I said I wasn't crying!" he snapped, flustered.

Luffy, completely bewildered by the sudden outburst, looked to his crew for an explanation. But this time, even Bai Ye, who usually indulged him, just offered a knowing smile and said nothing.

"Hmm… Okay then. Whatever," Luffy said, his simple train of thought already moving on. He stroked his chin and looked Jinbe up and down, a thoughtful expression on his face. It was a look that made Jinbe feel strangely uneasy, but Nami, Usopp, and the others knew it all too well.

"He's not going to… is he?" Usopp whispered to Nami.

"Hey, uncle!" Luffy said, clapping his hands together excitedly. "Do you wanna join my crew?"

"HE REALLY SAID IT!" Usopp yelled, slapping his forehead.

Nami just smiled and shook her head. "That's our Luffy."

"Wait a minute, Luffy," Sanji interjected. "I thought we agreed you wouldn't just invite random people onto the ship."

"Eh? Why not?" Luffy asked, his eyes wide with genuine confusion. "Isn't this how I always do it? Besides, the uncle helped us, and he's a fish-man! A blue one!" he stated, as if this were the most logical reason in the world. "Don't you think that's cool?"

"Hmm… Judging by the skin and teeth, he's a whale shark fish-man," Sanji muttered, then caught himself. "The meat quality might be… wait, why am I even following your line of thought?! And didn't you hear him? He's the captain of his own pirate crew! There's no way he'd agree to join us!"

But just then, drowning out Sanji's protests, Jinbe's deep voice rang out across the deck.