Episode 44

"Setting off with a Smile! Farewell my Hometown, Cocoyasi Village!" is the 44th episode of the One Piece anime.

Short Summary
Arlong's reign of terror is over, and no one has anything on their mind except to party. As the crew celebrates, Nami reflects on her hometown and decides to officially join the Straw Hat Pirates.

Long Summary
The entire island is in celebration over the defeat of Arlong and his crew. While all this is going on, Doctor Nako operates on Zoro, all the while lambasting him and the rest of the Straw Hat Pirates for not taking better care of themselves nor having a doctor in their crew. Luffy comes calling, looking for Nami, and Nako says she is probably at Bell-mère's grave.

At the grave, Nojiko joins Nami and Genzo. Nami then asks a question. "Would Bell-mère mind terribly if I went out to sea as a pirate?" Genzo replies, "Of course she'd protest!", but Nojiko then says it would not matter. Nami would not care what she would have said anyway, as her intention is pretty clear. Genzo concedes and tells Nami to live her life by her choices, just as Bell-mère did.

The celebration continues for several days. By this time, Zoro's mobile again and drinking. Luffy goes looking for more food, and Sanji enjoys having a meal he did not have to cook for once before going looking for ladies. And Usopp leads some cheers and tells some stories. Nojiko talks with Chabo, the boy who lost his father to Arlong. He has somehow gotten over wanting revenge and instead realizes once the celebration ends they will have to pick up the pieces and get back to living their lives. Meanwhile, Nako's now working on Nami: particularly her left shoulder. Not only is he treating the self-inflicted knife cuts, but at her request he has also removed the Arlong Pirates tattoo. But the doctor notes there will still be a scar on her shoulder. Nami thinks back to when she first got the tattoo: how she felt so ashamed over it, only to learn later that Nojiko got a tattoo of her own, so they would not be so different. So then Nami gives Nako a slip of paper, saying it has a new tattoo design to put on her shoulder in its place.

Later, Genzo pours out a drink on Bell-mère's grave as a libation and tells her spirit that she would be proud of Nami and Nojiko. He also notes that the island will soon begin learning how to live free again. Just then, Luffy arrives at the grave site looking for some more food and unaware just where he has ended up. Genzo then addresses him, realizing Nami will leave with him tomorrow, and telling him if he should ever take away Nami's smile, he will personally seek him out and kill him. Luffy assures him that will never happen. Meanwhile, back at the village, everyone's enthusiasm is finally conquered by exhaustion. For the first time in several days, Cocoyasi Village sleeps: quietly, peacefully.

Back at her house, Nami prepares a huge sack: it is all the money she had been saving to buy back the village from Arlong. She leaves a note on it. Since she no longer has to buy back the village, she is instead leaving the money to the village. She goes to the picture of Bell-mère, Nojiko, and herself and thinks back. For a while, she imagines Bell-mère sitting at the table, smiling at her. So she talks as if she is there, noting that not only is Cocoyasi Village finally free, so is she. She then recalls her dream of mapping the world. With Arlong Park destroyed, all the maps she drew for Arlong went with it, so she is back to square one: the first map of the island she drew so long ago. But she does not mind starting over because now all the maps she draws will be hers alone: each one a step towards her dream. But this also means she may not return for some time. At that, Nami tears up. But as she starts to leave, she feels something like a helpful little push on her back. Did Bell-mère wordlessly tell her to just go for it? Nami thinks so.

Luffy and the crew stock up the Going Merry. Usopp notes that, despite not being here all that long, it feels like they had been on the island for much longer. Yosaku and Johnny bid their farewells here, as they need to return to bounty hunting; Zoro wishes them luck. All they are waiting for now is Nami. Some of them wonder if Nami will actually join them, which upsets Sanji since she is one of the main reasons he is sailing with them. The villagers, here to see them off, wonder where she is, too, and Genzo is surprised to learn Nami left all her money behind.

Just then, everyone spots a figure in the distance. It is Nami, dressed athletically in a T-shirt and shorts. She yells for the crew to set sail, so Luffy gives the order. As they raise anchor, Nami breaks into a run. Suddenly, everyone realizes what she's doing; she is trying to avoid a long goodbye by making a mad dash straight for the ship! Despite everyone's attempts to stop her, she dashes past the villagers, Genzo, Nako, and Nojiko, and with one incredible leap, manages to make it onto the departing Merry. Everyone is awestruck. Then Nami lifts her shirt a little. Numerous wallets fall out. One by one, all the villagers realize to their greater shock that Nami had stolen everyone's money while she was running past them! As Nami cheerfully says goodbye, the entire village screams simultaneous farewells and curses at Nami's parting stunt. As Nami and the Straw Hats start heading out, Genzo reminds Luffy of his promise: never take away Nami's smile. Once they are gone, Nojiko is the first to admit Nami pulled a real fast one on the village there. Then Nako reveals Nami's new tattoo to Genzo: a stylized pinwheel, with a tangerine hanging off one arm. Both realize the tattoo represents the closest people Nami ever had to family. Nojiko then notes that Genzo is not wearing his pinwheel. He replies he does not need it anymore, seeing as how he started wearing it in the first place to draw a smile out of the then-infant Nami. So he is left it in a more appropriate place: Bell-mère's grave.

Anime Notes

 * Nami officially joins the Straw Hat Pirates
 * This is the last episode of the Arlong Park Arc.

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Episodi 44