Summary:
Tama takes Luffy to her house to feed him as thanks for saving her, and Luffy meets her master, Tenguyama Hitetsu. Tama then becomes ill from drinking the polluted river water, and Hitetsu reveals that she lived here in poverty to wait for Portgas D. Ace to return. To their shock, Luffy reveals that Ace is dead and Hitetsu explains the relationship between Tama and Ace.
Meanwhile, Basil Hawkins and his men prepare to investigate the incident Luffy caused at Kuri Beach.
Tama explains to Luffy how she was chased by evil men after shopping in town, prompting Komachiyo to protect her from Hihimaru. She enthusiastically offers to make Luffy a meal to thank him for coming to save her, so they hide the Thousand Sunny in a cave by the shore and penetrate the dense bamboo forest so the young girl can return home. Along the way, Tama tells Luffy that he is strong and kind, and while she hates most pirates, Luffy is the type of pirate she likes. Luffy asks if she lives in a village, but Tama claims that she lives alone with her master and declares her dream to become a spellbinding ninja.
Inside her house, Tama carefully prepares a tall bowl of rice while Luffy admires the modest household. He serves the rice to Luffy, who appropriately freaks it out. She wastes no time asking for seconds, however Tama tells Luffy that what he just ate was all she did, while Luffy respectfully buries her disappointment. Suddenly, Tamé’s stomach churns violently and quickly apologizes. The birds outside scatter as an imposing figure soon approaches.
In Tamina’s absence, Luffy praises the girl for her generosity and her delicious food, despite the portions. His thoughts are interrupted by the sudden intrusion of an imposing man who wants to know who Luffy is. After briefly mistaking the man for his friend Usopp, due to the familiar nose on his Tengu mask, the man notices an empty bowl of rice next to Luffy and angrily draws his blade to attack him. Tama is seen drinking from a stream near the house, her stomach hurting, and then witnesses Luffy rushing out of the house.
The man scolds Luffy for eating rice, to which Luffy replies that Tama willingly cooked it for him. The man bemoans Tamina’s real situation. Forced to sell woven hats, Tama barely earns enough money to support one person on her own. Every birthday, she saves money to buy rice from the market, the very rice she recently fed Luffy. Luffy notices the destroyed remains of houses around him. Tama runs up and confronts the man, calling him her master and asking for forgiveness, only to collapse from some illness. As the two rush to her care, the master explains that she had to drink the poisonous river water, polluted by Kaidou’s factories, to stave off her hunger. He says that Tama is staying in this forest because he isn’t waiting for anyone other than Luffy’s brother Ace to return. However, Luffy bluntly informs Tama that Ace is dead, causing her to burst into a fit of disbelief before they all pass out together.
While Tama rests inside, a man named Hitetsu criticizes Luffy’s lack of sensitivity, but Luffy insists that it doesn’t change the fact that Ace isn’t coming back and that Tama is waiting in vain. Hitetsu elaborates on the history of their village and how it was destroyed by the X Dragon and his soldiers about a year ago. While the Flower Capital of Wano is thriving, the smaller villages have become wastelands of poverty and hunger thanks to Kaidou’s weapons factories. Hitetsu then lights up Luffy upon Ace’s arrival in the country. About four years ago, Ace and a handful of pirates washed up on the shores of their village. With little food and few options, the villagers tied up the pirates and stole their food supplies. After allowing the village to finish his food, Ace easily freed himself using his devil fruit power and rather than seek revenge, he headed into the forest to find more food for them. With Tama gaining a special luster for him, Ace stayed to help the village for several weeks before finally disembarking.
Luffy contemplates that his brother stood on the same earth he is on, along with the impact he left on it. The episode ends with a group of swordsmen led by Basil Hawkins on their way to investigate an incident involving their two guards. Hawkins instructs his men not to report this to Kaidou.