One piece :I open the locks of the heart

I walked slowly along the path lined with soft grass leading to the manor, the late afternoon sun casting a golden light on the white walls of Kaya's estate. I could see Luffy sitting casually on the garden wall, swinging his legs over the edge while chatting with Usopp, who seemed much calmer than usual. Kaya, leaning against a tree, watched them with a peaceful—though slightly pale—smile.

Before I could reach them, a hand gently touched my arm.

"Jordan…" Nami whispered.

I turned toward her, surprised by the weight in her voice. She didn't have her usual confident navigator's tone. She looked… small. Tired. And deeply worried.

"Could you come with me to my island?" she asked, her hazel eyes shining with barely contained tension. "I'd like you to place a portal there… just in case things go wrong."

I frowned slightly, attentive. She took a breath, then continued, her voice trembling:

"I have the offering for Arlong, but… it's never enough. I have to give money to the villagers too. If I don't help them, Arlong punishes them instead. They take everything. And they don't let anyone in or out. Even with everything I give, it just postpones the inevitable…"

She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.

I remained silent for a moment, taking in her words, and finally… everything clicked.

The hundred million. Her anger when we talked about gold. Her constant calculating, counting, saving. She didn't do it out of greed.

She did it… to survive. To save her people.

I gently placed a hand on her shoulder, making her look at me.

"I understand now." My voice was soft but firm. "It's a burden no one should carry alone. You never should've had to."

She lowered her head, her red bangs hiding her face. But I saw her lips tremble.

"I'll talk to Luffy, and I'll go with you. I'm sure he'll understand." I said with a reassuring smile. "We're not letting you face this alone."

She nodded slowly, her eyes misty but with a faint, relieved smile on her lips. She followed me silently as I walked toward the small group.

I stepped forward, the setting sun casting a long shadow behind me. My voice dropped lower, slightly amplified by the heavy silence in the manor's courtyard:

"I have something to announce."

All eyes turned to me, immediately catching the seriousness of my tone.

"I intercepted a conversation between Klahadoll—or rather, Kuro of a Hundred Plans, captain of the Black Cat Pirates—and his second-in-command, Django." I let the words hang for a moment."They plan to attack the island. Tomorrow. At dawn."

Kaya instantly turned pale, her hands clutched to her chest. Usopp went white, swaying slightly as if his legs might give out from the shock.

"What?! K-Klahadoll? No… That's not possible!" he stammered. "I always knew he was shady but… not that bad…"

Kaya murmured in a broken voice:"He served our family for years… He… he watched over us…"

Luffy, meanwhile, jumped to his feet, clapping his fists together with a loud smack.

"Perfect! We'll smash them!"

Koby, standing a step behind, said nothing, but I caught the look he gave me. Serious. Confident. Attentive to every word. A small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He's really starting to understand me, that kid.

I nodded silently in thanks before continuing:

"I've already taken out Kuro. He won't be coming. But his men… they don't know he's gone. The attack is still in motion."

Usopp clenched his teeth, his gaze turning toward Kaya, visibly torn between fear and fury.

"But I have another engagement. Something urgent." I turned to Luffy, locking eyes with him."I'm going with Nami to her island. I need the exact coordinates to use my ability, just in case."

Luffy tilted his head to the side, still smiling.

"Don't worry, Jordan. We've got things covered here. You don't need to be around. I'll kick their butts with Koby and Usopp. You go ahead and set up that portal so you can come back later." He slammed a fist into his palm, full of enthusiasm.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Thanks, Captain... but you really didn't need to say that out loud."

CLACK.Nami had just smacked him on the head. A nice bump was already starting to swell.

"Idiot! You want to announce his powers to the whole world or what?!"

Kaya and Usopp stared at us, a bit stunned by the surreal scene unfolding after the announcement of a potential massacre.

I turned to Koby, my tone dropping back to serious:

"Tomorrow, I won't be here to act as backup. It'll be up to you to protect the village, alongside Luffy and Usopp."I placed a hand on his shoulder."Make me proud."

Koby took a deep breath and nodded, his expression determined.

"I'll do my best."

"I'll deal with the lock when I return," I muttered to myself, more than to the others. Luffy and Koby both nodded. Kaya furrowed her brow slightly at those words but said nothing.

I then stepped closer to Nami, who looked anxious but resolute. She clung gently to me as I cast one final glance at my companions.

"Protect the village. And hold strong."

Then, with a whisper of magic, I lifted off the ground, carrying Nami through the air, her arms wrapped around me. Her forehead resting against my back, she murmured:

"Thank you, Jordan."

The wind whipped at my face as we surged through the sky. I could feel my speed had increased lately—a sign my power was growing as well. But behind me, Nami suddenly tightened her grip.

I immediately slowed, just enough so the wind no longer roared in our ears.

"You okay, Nami?" I asked softly, glancing over my shoulder.

She nodded, but her voice betrayed a hint of tension.

"My village's to the east. You're heading north… and I can't breathe properly when you go that fast."

I saw a small compass trembling in her hand, her fingers clenched tightly around it.

"Got it. Let me handle this."

I gently took the compass from her hands, corrected our direction, then quickly incanted:

"Gale."

A swirling current of wind enveloped us, forming a protective bubble. Inside, the air became a soft whisper, and the pressure vanished. Nami sighed with relief, visibly more at ease.

The sun was setting on the horizon when the Konomi Archipelago came into view. Golden light bathed the hills and fields like a peaceful veil… but the calm was deceiving.

Guided by Nami's directions, I landed softly in a field of mandarin trees. The scent of citrus, mingled with the sea air, filled my nose. But that serenity was shattered in an instant.

A small, simple cabin stood at the edge of the grove. The door creaked open, and a fish-man stepped out, casually pulling up his pants with a smug grin on his face. He stretched, relaxed, completely unaware of our presence.

I frowned.

He was massive—nearly two meters of knotted muscle, with dark indigo-blue skin that glistened under the fading light. His features were sharp, his piercing yellow eyes gleaming like a marine predator's. A black headband circled his forehead, and he wore an open leather vest that revealed thick, armored scales. A wavy-bladed sword hung at his hip, and his shark tail swayed lazily behind him.

Kuroobi. Arlong's right-hand man.

I didn't need confirmation—I knew it was him.

At that moment, Nami hadn't seen him yet. But I had just pieced together something horrific from the scene before me. The satisfied glint on his face… the cabin behind him…

My gaze hardened, my jaw clenched. If my suspicions were correct… then this man had defiled a place Nami held dear.

I instinctively raised an arm in front of her, gently stopping her from moving forward. My eyes stayed fixed on Kuroobi in the distance, my fingers curling slightly in a protective gesture.

"Nami… you should head to the village first."

My voice was low, almost calm… but there was an unusual firmness beneath it.

She froze, looking at me with suspicion."Why?"

I slowly pulled out the two large bags of berries from my inventory and handed them to her."Take these. Make sure the villagers get their share and that no one panics. I'll be there soon."

Nami didn't move.

Her eyes narrowed, shifting between me and the little cabin. She understood. Not everything, but enough to know something was wrong.

"Jordan… I want to talk to my sister. To Nojiko."

I swallowed, avoiding her gaze for a moment before turning fully toward her. My tone softened, almost pleading:

"Please, Nami. Let me talk to her first. Just a few minutes. You know me… you know I'd never hurt her. But I need to confirm something."

She pressed her lips together, visibly disturbed. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the sacks.

She understood more than I cared to admit.

I placed a hand on her shoulder."You don't need to see this."

A long silence stretched between us. Finally, she slowly nodded.

"Fine… but I want to know everything afterward. And if you lie to me…"

She didn't finish the sentence. She didn't need to.

I gave her a faint, sorrowful smile."Promise."

She turned and walked away, her steps heavy but determined, heading down the path toward the village—while I… slowly made my way to the cabin.

Once I was sure Nami was out of sight, I crept toward the small house. The door creaked faintly under my hand, opening onto a room bathed in a stifling semi-darkness. The air was heavy, almost foul. The smell of sweat, of fear… and something else, harder to name, hit me the moment I stepped inside.

My steps were silent as I advanced down the narrow hallway. A faint sound drew my attention, nearly muffled… sobbing.

I slowly turned left. The bedroom door was wide open, as if it had never been closed—as if privacy had never existed here.

And then, I saw her.

Sitting on the floor, back against the wall, curled up beneath a wrinkled, soiled sheet—Nojiko. Her blue hair clung to her temples. She was trembling like a leaf, her wide eyes staring into a void that seemed to swallow all light. The sobs no longer escaped her lips—only the raw, rasping sound of a body too exhausted to cry.

I said nothing.

My throat tightened, and I struggled not to give in to the urge to punch something, to scream. But this wasn't the place or the time. For her, I had to stay calm.

I raised a hand, murmuring a familiar incantation.

"Sleep."

A magical whisper settled over her, and her trembling stopped—finally falling into an artificial, yet peaceful sleep. I stepped closer, slowly, casting a series of healing spells, restoring a bit of color to her pale face, easing some of the visible bruises. But nothing could erase what she had gone through.

I turned my eyes away, refusing to let my gaze drift below her sleeping face.

A soft clack signaled the arrival of two Heartless soldiers I had summoned. One of them, with long claws, tried to approach, but I immediately grabbed its wrist—sharply. Its expressionless gaze didn't react, but it stepped back.

I reached toward the shadow on the floor and summoned a docile Shadow, which silently merged with Nojiko's body. A dark veil, nearly ethereal, transformed into a light, simple, modest outfit—covering her gently, without intrusion.

I picked her up carefully and carried her into another room, where the bed was clean. I laid her down and covered her with the blanket.

"Stay here. Protect her. Anyone who enters this room without my order… will pay dearly." My voice was low—sharp as a blade.

I finally stepped out, closing the door softly behind me. My heart was pounding with a new heaviness—a mix of shame, anger, and sorrow. What I had just witnessed… no sister should ever have to see.

And yet, I knew that sooner or later, Nami would have to find out.

But not tonight. Not like this.

Nojiko's heart is made of gold—just like her sister's. And that only made that bastard's crime all the more unforgivable in my eyes.

I melted into the shadows of the mandarin orchard, silent as held breath, gliding between the trees until I spotted Kuroobi's silhouette slowly descending the hill. He walked casually, as if nothing had happened, his insufferably relaxed attitude igniting the fury in my muscles.

I was about to pounce, rage tightening every fiber of my being... but suddenly, four pale pink arms shot out and grabbed him violently, locking him in place.

"How dare you do that to a crewmate's sister?!" thundered a voice I recognized instantly.

Octy.

I froze, surprised—not by his presence, but by the purity of his heart. Immaculately white. Nothing like the rotten darkness that clung to Kuroobi like a festering plague.

"Octy?!" growled Kuroobi, caught off guard. But the look in the octopus man's eyes was unshakable, hardened by burning indignation.

"She's just a human! They're here to serve us!" Kuroobi spat, his smug grin twisted by arrogance and the certainty of his superiority.

But Octy didn't waver. Worse, he trembled—not with fear, but with fury.

"You shame our race, Kuroobi." His voice was low, almost pained. He tightened his grip, and his extra arms cracked like whips.

What followed was a brutal beating. Octy unleashed a storm of blows on his crewmate—precise, furious. It wasn't a rage-fueled rampage, but a cold, implacable justice. Every strike screamed the words he could no longer speak.

I didn't intervene. This wasn't my fight.

I remained in the shadows, watching silently, until Kuroobi's bloodied body collapsed, unconscious. Octy stared at him for a long moment, his shoulders trembling with a mix of anger and disgust. Then, slowly, he raised his eyes to the hill, toward the small house.

His gaze was filled with deep pity. Perhaps even shame.

Without a word, he grabbed Kuroobi by the arm and began dragging him back toward Arlong Park. His steps were heavy, but determined. He took care to avoid visible paths, as if trying to spare someone.

That's when I felt a presence. Nami, returning.

I turned immediately and stepped into her path before she could see anything.

"Come with me, Nami. Let's go see your sister," I said gently, trying to contain the storm still roaring inside me.

She looked at me for a long time, searching my eyes for something. But I said nothing.

(Author's note: Yes, unlike in the original where I noticed a plot inconsistency, I've made Octy slightly darker. Arlong and his crew demand 100,000 Berries per adult and 50,000 per child—but money must circulate, and the island is practically sealed off. So how have the villagers been paying for 8 years? Logical answer: Nami. Otherwise, there's no explanation. I hope this chapter wasn't too shocking for anyone.)