Disclaimer: If you recognise it, surprise, I don't own it.

Chapter 23– Sympathising.

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The travel back the way we came, to Cocyasi Village, after that incident was quiet. Instead of rushing back, we took it slowly and walked back in silence. I don't even remember much of the walk since I was kind of out of it and not really in the mood to do anything, so I just shut my brain off and kept putting one foot in front of the other.

It was only about halfway back that I realised Nami was still holding my hand and guiding me along. I was a bit surprised and ended up staring in bewilderment at her tiny hand, grabbing my bigger one tightly, her little fingers clasping around my palm. It felt good.

At a time when I was feeling all alone and was in the process of falling into despair, this little hand was holding me up. And was gripping me tightly, refusing to let me go. So I follow the hand up, along the frail-looking arm, to the girl's small face. And that's when I realised how self-absorbed I have been and how ignorant I have been to the people around me and all the other people on this island.

Looking at Nami's straining face, doing it all to keep from crying and scrunching up to keep her moving, I have a moment of clarity. I am not the only one who has lost and been hurt; I am not the only one suffering and in pain. Right now, in front of me, there is a little girl who has lost her mother and been enslaved against her will and will be forced to work tirelessly in the near future.

She was scared and frightened and clung to me, and instead of taking her to her home, which was nearby, I selfishly dragged her across the island with me, and then she helped me bury a body and was forced to meet those bastards again. And as if that wasn't enough, she had to be the one looking out for me and dragging me out of there before I went too far.

I don't know why I was acting as if the people of this island owed me anything because they don't, not even Mommy Mee and Daddy Dee. these people have their own families, their own problems and their own worries. If I refused, If I said I couldn't and if I asked for help, I am sure they would have let me stay at the orphanage, but I didn't. The people on the island as well struggle to provide for their own families, so why was I berating them for not lending a hand to me.

I was leaving this island without much of a thought for these villagers, assured that an animal like George hiding in the woods would be fine. I didn't care about them or how they would survive in the meanwhile when I wanted to travel and find the good marines to free the island.

And then I despaired and cried for George when he died, but how would the villagers on this island feel when it was their son, or their daughter or their wife or mother or father. I am sure their pain would be as much as mine, probably a lot more than mine, in actual fact. And I was abandoning them to such a fate, thinking that they would be fine since they could pay for their lives for a single month.

I am a really selfish piece of shit, aren't I?

I am cut from my self-depreciation when Nami suddenly comes to a stop, only just managing to keep from bumping into her from behind, thanks to my above-average reflexes. I stumble backwards slightly, confused as to what made her come to a sudden stop, but my vision is quickly focused on the lovely sight before me.

Orange-topped trees spread out in front of us, tangerines growing aplenty, fresh and juicy, packed to the skin with deliciousness which myself and George can- would have attested to... Shaking my head, I focus back on the beautiful sight in front of us. Taking in the resplendent view, I can feel myself calm at the serene sight.

Vibrant grass, trees so full of vitality that even the brown of the bark seems to shine. The location itself adds the beauty, as this tangerine farm is located on a grassy cliff, and just beyond the sheer drop, you can see the vast open sea, the bright sun shimmering on its blue waves and reflecting the scenery up above, the stray cloud passing by.

One would think such an area, so full of nature and vitality, would be marred by anything man-made, but you would be wrong. To the side, away from the tangerine trees and further up on the cliff, is a small house. Made with pink-coloured panels of wood and topped with blue tiles is an abode with two floors. Instead of taking away from the picturesque scene, it actually seems to add to it in some strange way. The small pink home looks right in place here as if it would be wrong for it not to be there.

"Oh, is this your home Nami?" I came to the natural conclusion, as Nami had stated that Bellemere was her mother, and Bellemere had owned a tangerine farm. Though I had never been to this place or had many interactions with the woman, exchanging money and the tangerines through Genzo-San, who came once a month to buy those navigation books, which I now realise were for Nami.

Nami doesn't reply, however, obviously finding the situation difficult, just as I did. Returning to your home, a place that was once so full of happiness and security, and expecting someone that has always been there to be there, because you have never had it otherwise. Except, it won't be like that anymore, it will feel like something is missing, and this place which used to make you feel so good suddenly seems empty, and painful. Those happy memories, which brought so much joy, now only bring sorrow.

Nami begins to walk forward silently, clearly not in the mood for conversation, understandably. And so I follow, equally as quiet, not interrupting and simply just being there for her. After all, she was there for me and helped me bury my friend and lay him to rest, helping me deal with it all. So the least I can do is follow her and be there for her, and if there is anything that she needs help with or struggling with, then I will step up, just like she did for me.

I follow her up the hill and towards the house, trailing slightly behind her and giving her the space she needs. As I do so, I watch her, looking at her clenched hands visibly shaking at her sides and the tremble of her shoulders as she takes each step. I am very much thinking over all the plans and ideas I had hidden away to circumvent this order business and escape from her clutches, most of them not so nice and would very much end badly for Nami.

But having gotten to know her, and after her helping me so much, I am very much rethinking such drastic measures. She may have that power over me and be capable of forcing me to do whatever she wants, but she didn't ask for it. It is not her fault that she has it, and she has no idea it even exists. This is my fault. I made that decision and rolled the dice, knowing it would result in me being hampered sometime in the future, death doesn't suddenly make you a genius, and you can still make mistakes.

She doesn't even know about the hold she has over me, and even if Nami were to find out, I find it very hard to believe that she would actually use it against me and force me to do things I don't want to do. But even so, I won't reveal it to her and will hide it from her with all my might since I can't take the chance that all that sudden power and authority over me wouldn't go to her head and turn her into some kind of monster.

Trailing up the hill, we eventually near the house, coming towards the front door, but I notice a slight hesitance in Nami before her head flitters up towards the crest of the hill. She stalls for a second and then resumes her walk, turning away from the door and ultimately moving past the house and continuing up the mountain.

Not questioning it, I continued to follow her, hiking up the hill and looking ahead. Then, finally, I could see why she had ignored her house and continued moving forward. There, near the edge of the cliff, is a single gravestone underneath a single large tangerine tree, much more significant and grander than the rest. Again Nami comes to a stop at the sight of it, and after giving it a moment, I move forward to encourage her, but it seems it was unneeded. Nami is a strong girl, as I am starting to find out.

Feeling that I have gone as far as I should, I stop, staying in place as she moves forward and kneels before the grave, tracing the stone with her fingers. I don't see much from my position except the slight trembling of her shoulders and the movement of her arms, though I can hear slight mutterings from her, but I respect her privacy and don't pay attention to it.

It is a while later that she finally stands up and seems to have said and done everything she had wanted to for the time being, and she turns around to look at me. I ignored the redness around her eyes and the scratches on her arms and hands from where she hugged and touched the gravestone too hard instead of us leaving. Finally, however, she decides to start talking.

"This was Bellemere's favourite tree. I am glad she was buried here. I can't think of a better place for her to be laid to rest." Hearing her words, I understand that she wants to talk about her beloved mother, which I can understand. Reminiscence can make you feel better. For some people, at least, talking about them and remembering the good times and the laughs you had can make you feel better.

"Really, well, it is a grand tree, isn't it? I can see why she would like it." I go along with it, furthering the conversation so she can continue talking about Bellemere.

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"That isn't why she liked this tree," Nami says, surprising me. I would think the sheer size would be what was most impressive about this tree. But, aside from that, what else could it be?

"It isn't the size? Then she must have liked the shade, right? This is a nice spot, and the big tree provides a lot of shade on sunny days." So I say, coming up with the only reasonable explanation I could think of, not able to see what other advantages this tree could possibly have.

"No, though, that is why I liked it. Bellemere likes this tree because of its tangerines." She says, confusing me as this place is a tangerine orchard, so why would this particular tree be her favourite when they all grow tangerines.

"Oh, are these tangerines special somehow? Do they get more light and rain than the others, or is it something else?" I ask, puzzled as to what made these tangerines so special. Especially because this tree was very much an outlier, as the others were all relatively small, and while they are trees, they look more like bushes as the tangerines could be picked even by children.

"Nope, they are the exact same as the other tangerines," Nami says, a big smile on her face as if she herself was exasperated by the actual answer and found it quite endearing. This tree was huge, so much so that the tangerines on it were very high in the air, and you would have to climb the tree to get them. Why do that and expend so much energy when you could easily just pick it off any other tree.

"Then, why is this her favourite tree? why did she prefer these tangerines over the other ones?" I am seriously confused as to the answer. I can see no reasonable explanation for such an opinion if not to do with the size of the tree.

"It is her favourite because she used to climb the tree herself and pick the tangerines with her hands. She said the tangerines tasted better when you worked hard to get them. That the labour you put in makes the reward you get out of it all the more sweeter." Nami tells me, and I nod my head in understanding, even though I don't really get it. It must be some kind of parent lesson thing for her daughters to help them grow up into fine responsible people.

Still, I would like to see if there is any truth to what she is saying and if these tangerines are sweeter. I have already tasted the normal tangerines, having usually gotten a batch every month or so as a treat for myself and George through Genzo-San, so I want to compare it with these ones. So, moving forward and past the grave, giving it a slight birth, I reach out and touch the tree, intending to climb it before realising I might be jumping the ball a bit.

"Uh, can I? I want to see if Bellemere-San was right." I say, looking to get permission from Nami since this is no longer just any old tangerine tree. It is now the sight of her mother's grave, and maybe climbing it would offend her, though I am reassured when she gives me the go-ahead. And so I begin to rise, putting my arms around the tree and starting to shimmy up its length.

I grab the branches when I rise high enough and start to rapidly ascend to the very top, breaking through the leaves and poking my head out of the very top of the tree. Finally, taking Bellemere's opinion to the max, I have climbed to the very top, and I reach my hand out to pluck the highest tangerine.

With it in hand, I jump and leap away from the tree, effortlessly landing on the ground a distance away from the grave since I didn't want to risk disturbing it. Now standing back on the ground after having easily scaled the tree, Nami watches me, not too shocked at my abilities. I guess she saw my attempt to murder Arlong and the power I exerted there, so she was aware of my capabilities.

Under her gaze, I peel the skin from the tangerines and then bring the tangerine to my lips and bite a chunk out of it, the delicious juice quickly filling the inside of my mouth with its terrific flavour. Indeed, this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, which doesn't say a lot given I have hardly tasted cuisine off of this island, and when I was on Troga, I only at those weird fruits and poorly cooked meat.

Still, while this is one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten, arguably the most, I have already tasted it multiple times over the past few months in the batches delivered to me monthly by Genzo-San. This is no different from all the other tangerines I have already eaten, but looking at Nami's face, I can't help but feel the urge to tell her it is the most delicious tangerine I have ever tasted.

"Ah... This is, uh... It is delicious, but it is not any better than the other tangerines, in my opinion." I can't help but feel giving a disingenuous answer would be wrong, and, honestly, I don't really feel like being the type of person who lies for any reason, especially about small stuff like this. I expect Nami's face to falter and turn into a frown, but she actually smiles and starts to laugh.

"Haha, well, obviously it doesn't taste any better than the other ones to you. Did you see how easily you climbed that tree? It was like breathing for you?" Nami giggles, wiping a tear from her eye, though I think it is a remnant from earlier rather than her obvious enjoyment at my puzzled face now.

"What?" I say simply because I just don't get it. What does my quickly climbing the tree have to do with the taste of the fruit? She said I obviously that it obviously doesn't taste any better than the other ones because I effortlessly climb the tree, so then the opposite is true. If I had struggled to climb the tree, then the fruit would taste even sweeter? Is that right? and if so, why? Again, I don't get it.

"Bellemere was trying to give us a lesson. The things that you work hard for and that you struggle to achieve are so much better when you finally get them rather than if you got them with no effort at all. If you had worked hard to climb the tree and get the tangerine, then it would taste much better." So she says, explaining the meaning behind the tree, which is some fortune cookie nonsense, I am guessing. What is it about the struggle that makes the end result so good, really?

"Oh, is that so. I don't really get it. It is what it is. Whether you struggle for it or get it given to you, at the end of the day, isn't it still the same thing in the end?" If someone were to give me a tangerine and if I were made to climb a giant beanstalk to the sky to get one, I don't think either of them would taste differently from the other. The only thing different is that I would much rather have the one given, as the other requires an expenditure of energy for the same thing.

"I would have gone for the easy option as well, but then one day, I decided to climb the tree to see what Bellemere was talking about? It took me hours, but I did it, and the tangerine was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. Bellemere said it tastes even better for her because she is the one that grows them, but she only said that to me after I took way longer climbing back down the tree." She smiles, remembering it, and I am sure that it must have been a beautiful memory, given the big smile on her face.

"Ha, I guess you still don't get it." She says, looking at the obviously confused look still on my face. "Then, how about this? Let's think about an example, how about your house?" She asks, obviously testing if I was okay with that given that it was just destroyed and it is a bit of a touchy subject. I give her a nod, gesturing for her to continue. I am still angry about the destruction of my home, but that is all pointed directly at those Fishmen.

"So, you worked hard to build your house over the last four years with George helping you all the while. Building it all, buying all the materials and tools yourself and toiling away day after day to improve your home, right?" I nod. "Then, how about if you were simply given that same exact home without having to make it or buy it yourself. Which one would you care about more? Which one would you take better care of and be upset about if it were to be destroyed?" It dawns on me.

"See, you get it right?" Nami says, happiness on my face at my understanding. I understand it now, and I have even felt it before. Her example worked very effectively. If I had been given that house as it was before it was destroyed, I wouldn't have cared much about it or taken so much pride in it, and I would not have been so upset about it when it was destroyed.

However, since I built it and put so much time and effort into my home, I cared about it more. I always looked after it, keeping on top of repairs and improvements, constantly cleaning and keeping it spotless. As a result, I was proud of my home. I could easily just sit and look at it and be filled with an incredible feeling, and every time, it brought some unknown good feeling to me. Was that fulfilment, pride or something else?

The more effort and work you put into something, the better the results you get out of it are. Would such a viewpoint apply to anything else? Everything else? Would living life in such a way give me a better enjoyment of life and more fulfilment out of it? Instead of being cautious and conniving, living a sly life hiding in the shadows and using people, is it better to live an upfront, straightforward life?

Before I can think about it further, I can hear footsteps approaching behind me, and by the look on Nami's face, she clearly recognises them. Nami immediately runs, tears gushing from her eyes, no longer held at bay. Rushing past me, I can hear Nami slam into someone behind me. Her cries are joined by another youthful voice, another girl.

Turning around, still eating the delicious tangerine, I bear witness to the reunion of two sisters, I assume. Though I can only really see the back of Nami, the other girl only reveals two small arms wrapping around her and a head of blue hair embedded into Nami's shoulders. I can understand the emotional response, as their mother had just been killed, and then Nami had just been kidnapped and taken, her fate unknown.

I look on as they both fall to their knees, still hugging and crying, softly whispering to each other. From down the hill, I can see the front door has been left open, so I am guessing the sister had seen us from the window and rushed straight outside to meet her sister. Still, the three women of this family sure have unique hair colours and are somehow related. Bellemere's hair was a reddish-purple, Nami's is a bright orange, and this new girl is a bright blue. So either the two girls both have different dads, or this family is in more of an adoption-type situation... or was, at least.

Still silently watching, I notice Genzo-San walking out of the front door, and then detecting the two girls near the top of the cliff, he runs up to meet them, but as he nears them, he slows down, and when Genzo comes to a stop he just watches them with sadness, as well as some guilt. He looks like he, more than anything, wants to go and hug them both, but for some reason, he can't let himself.

Finally though, he seems to get out of his funk and notices me standing behind them, still munching on this juicy tangerine. Damn, I would protect this island just so I can keep having these things. They are damn delicious... George loved them.

"Detoro-San, what are you doing here?" Genzo asks, obviously confused by my presence as he rightly should be. Last he saw, I was in my own village where I assured everyone that I could pay for myself, which I couldn't. After I saw that everybody could pay for themselves, I decided to leave instead of staying and fighting, endangering everybody else. That obviously didn't work out.

"Hello, Genzo-San. It is good to see that you are okay. As for why I am here, well, I am in the same situation as Nami." I say, answering his question. Though I am not sure if he is fully aware of Nami's circumstances, but I quickly move on and ask another question.

"More importantly, how are the rest of the villages?"