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Pat, pat!
Several lengths of severed rope fell to the ground.
Bang, bang, bang!!!
The yellow-haired middle-aged man and his eight companions simultaneously dropped to their knees, kowtowing desperately toward Satori and Nami. "Thank you! Thank you! We will remember your great kindness for the rest of our lives!"
Nami crossed her arms, pouting slightly as she looked down at them. "You don't need to thank us. Just remember what you promised: don't be pirates anymore, don't do bad things, and go back to live honestly with your families."
After their tearful confession, it had become clear that this was simply a group of ordinary farmers who hadn't yet been corrupted by the sea. They had ventured out on a whim of passion, and their smooth journey to this point had given them a false sense of security. Since they were sincere in their repentance and lacked any bounties, there was no reason to hold them further.
"Don't worry! We'll never be pirates again, even if it kills us!" the leader shouted, his head bobbing like a rattle.
The realization had finally set in. If a mere child like Satori possessed such terrifying power, what else lurked in the Grand Line? They had been lucky to encounter a "Pirate Hunter" with a heart; the next encounter would surely have ended with them at the bottom of the ocean. Their youthful dreams had been thoroughly crushed by reality, and they were more than happy to let them stay that way.
"Pirates? Whoever wants to be one can have it!" The leader grabbed a bucket of paint from his cabin and fiercely splashed it over his own pirate flag, making the skull and crossbones unrecognizable.
"Hey! Nami-san! Satori! If you're done with your business, come eat before it gets cold!" Sanji shouted from the shore of Twin Capes, standing behind a massive spread of steaming dishes.
"Coming, coming!" Nami responded. She turned back to the yellow-haired man. "You're all hungry, right? Come eat with us. Sanji's cooking is a treat you won't want to miss."
She knew they were starving after their supplies had run out. If they were to reform and head back to the South Blue, she couldn't well let them die of hunger on the first leg of their trip.
"Thank you! Thank you!" The leader's eyes reddened again, prompting Nami to wave him off. "Stop crying! You're grown men, have some dignity!"
Satori grinned, clasping his hands behind his head. "Yeah, let's go eat! I'm still hungry too!"
As they sat together on the capes, Sanji served nine extra bowls of rice without complaint. Even Crocus remained silent, quietly observing the crew and raising his internal evaluation of their character.
Midway through the meal, Nami noticed something peculiar on the wrist of one of the farmers. Her eyes narrowed. "Hey, what kind of strange compass is that?" she asked, pointing to a glass-encased sphere.
"This? It's a Log Pose," the man explained. "We heard that you can't navigate the Grand Line without one."
"That's right," the leader added. "The magnetic fields here are chaotic. Only this can guide a navigator to the next island."
Nami's jaw dropped. She quickly checked her own high-quality compass, only to find the needle spinning aimlessly as if it had lost its soul. "Is the magnetic field really that bad?"
Crocus shook his head while chewing a piece of meat. "Didn't you learn anything before coming here?"
"Ahaha... I really didn't know, Grandpa," Nami laughed awkwardly, scratching her head. "I thought it was just like the East Blue, but more dangerous."
Crocus didn't hold back. He spent the next hour explaining the fundamental laws of the Grand Line: how the islands were connected by magnetic strands and how a Log Pose must "record" an island's magnetic force before it can point to the next destination.
"So that's how it works..." Nami murmured, a look of trouble crossing her face. "But we don't have one."
Crocus reached into his pocket, intending to give them one of his own, but the yellow-haired leader beat him to it. He pulled his brother forward and said, "If you don't mind, please take ours. We're going home and we'll never need it again."
"Oh my! I really couldn't!" Nami said with a beaming smile, even as her hands moved with lightning speed to snatch the device and strap it to her own wrist.
"You saved us; it's the least we can do," the leader said. He then produced a yellowed, weather-beaten book. "And this—it's a diary from a pirate who traveled these waters. It records some of the islands and conditions. It should help you."
Nami took the diary even more skillfully than the Log Pose, tucking it into her bosom with a satisfied nod. "Then... thank you very much!"