Episode 44: Setting Off with a Smile! Farewell my Hometown, Cocoyashi Village!
Air Date: 2000-10-11
Opening: We Are! (1st Opening)
Ending: Run! Run! Run! (2nd Ending)
Manga Chapters: Chapter 95 (1-19/19)
Short Summary
With Arlong finally defeated, the people of Cocoyashi Village celebrate. Zoro's wound is finally treated, and Nami removes her old tattoo, replacing it with a new one. Nami leaves her bag of 100 million berries for Cocoyashi Village to keep. As the Straw Hats are ready to set sail, Johnny and Yosaku part ways with the Straw Hats, and Nami runs onto the ship after stealing the wallets of all of the villagers.
In-Depth Summary
The episode opens with a great celebration in Cocoyashi Village and the declaration that Arlong Park has fallen. Nojiko sits off to the side as she is joined by Chabo, the boy whose parents were killed by Arlong. Chabo asks where the guy who beat Arlong is, and Nojiko points Luffy out. Luffy is stuffing himself full of food, and accidentally swallows a plate, barely able to get it down. Chabo doubts that it was Luffy who beat Arlong. Meanwhile, Usopp and Sanji sit outside of the doctor's house as inside, the doctor is stitching up Zoro's wound while Johnny and Yosaku rest. The village doctor wonders why the Straw Hats don't have a doctor, and Luffy pokes his head through the window, noting that a doctor would be a good idea, though a musician should come first. Luffy asks the doctor where Nami is, who replies that she must be by the ridge overlooking the water. Sure enough, Nami is there, sitting in front of the cross on Bellemere's grave, with Genzo standing behind her. Nojiko comes up to Nami and tells her that her friends are looking for her, and Nami asks her if Bellemere would allow her to become a pirate. Genzo says no, but Nojiko says yes, but Nami would become one regardless. Genzo then laughs and says that Nami and Nojiko really are Bellemere's daughters.
Back at the celebration, Sanji sits down with Zoro and asks him about his wound. Luffy comes in and asks about the Namu-Hamu-Melon, which he starts to search for. As Sanji resumes his search for women, Usopp stands atop a tower, declaring that he defeated the mermen and singing songs for Captain Usopp. Below, Nojiko and Chabo sit together, and Nojiko asks why Chabo isn't wondering why Arlong Park couldn't have fallen before his father died. Chabo replies that one shouldn't forget the past, but must learn to move on. Nojiko starts pinching his cheek, saying she wanted to pick on him more, but Chabo calls her a tattooed skank, which she laughs off. In the doctor's house, the doctor slowly removes the tattoo from Nami's arm. He explains that there will be a scar left over, and Nami remembers when she first told Nojiko how much she hated the tattoo of Arlong. It was because of this that Nojiko got her tattoos, so she would be like Nami. Nami then asks the doctor to give her a different tattoo, showing her the picture for it.
At Bellemere's grave, Genzo pours sake over the cross. Luffy arrives, not seeing any food, and he asks if anyone died. Genzo replied that someone did, a long time ago, so Luffy offers his condolences. At the celebration, everyone slowly begins to fall asleep, last of all Usopp, who sings his final song for Captain Usopp and finally falls asleep. Meanwhile, in her house, Nami puts a note on a large bag of treasure, leaving it for the village. She then looks at a picture of her, Bellemere, and Nojiko, remembering celebrating when she and Nojiko first became Bellemere's daughters, when Bellemere first saw Nami's map, and when Bellemere comforted them. Nami then looks behind her and sees Bellemere sitting at the table. Nami tells her that after eight long years, the village is finally free, and that she is going to be leaving with her friends. She explains that she'll be coming back, and so, looking back one last time, Nami heads out the door.
The next morning, Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji load up the Going Merry, getting ready to leave as the villagers stand around to bid them farewell. Johnny and Yosaku stand below, saying that they will return to their jobs as bounty hunters, and are bidding farewell for the time being. Sanji then wonders where Nami is, because he has no point of staying if she isn't there. Nojiko then tells Genzo and the doctor that Nami left all 100 million berries she gathered for the village. They protest this, when Nami arrives. She orders Luffy to start the ship moving, then starts running, zigzagging through the crowd, who are shocked with her actions. Nami leaps onto the Going Merry, just making it, and as she steps onto the deck she pulls up her shirt to let all of the wallets she took to drop to the floor. The villagers gape to find that their wallets have been stolen by Nami, calling her a brat, and Nami laughs as the Going Merry sails off and the villagers express their gratitude. Genzo and the doctor then sit down, and the doctor says that Nami got another tattoo. He shows him the design, saying that it's a pinwheel with an orange. Genzo remembers when Nami was just a baby, and when he wanted to see Nami she would cry because of his scary face. To change it, he put a pinwheel on his hat, which made Nami laugh. The doctor wonders where the pinwheel is, and Genzo replies that he doesn't need it anymore. The pinwheel sits at the bottom of Bellemere's cross, beside an orange, as the episode draws to a close.
Mumbo230’s Notes
Take note of the foreshadowing in this episode - when Luffy mentions that a doctor would be a good idea. It's interesting, because the Straw Hats won't even meet their future doctor for almost another 40 episodes.
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