"Well... there's no need to be in such a hurry," Caesar said with a light wave of his hand. "That treasure was left there by a friend of mine. According to him, it's been there for a while, so a little more time won't make a difference. Let's have a feast first."
"A feast?" Nami was taken aback. "Didn't you just say time was of the essence?"
"Actually, it's not that urgent," Caesar replied with an embarrassed smile, looking a bit sheepish. "I was just worried that you might get too emotional and reluctant to leave, so I thought I'd get you on the ship first, hehe..."
"What?!" Nami's face darkened. "For that reason? I didn't even have time to properly say goodbye to everyone. I wanted to bring one of Bellemere's orange trees on board! You jerk..."
Swish...
A stack of Skull Yugi bills was handed to Nami. The girl's eyes lit up, and she snatched the money, licking her thumb before quickly counting the bills.
"Surprisingly cool, Captain~"
"Ah, what a materialistic woman!" Bonney stared at Nami in disbelief, shocked at how quickly the woman's attitude had changed. "Have you never seen money before?"
Nami casually stuffed the bills into her pocket and gave Bonney a smug smile. "Hmph, it's hard to explain the benefits of money to a little girl like you who can be satisfied with just a piece of candy~"
"What? You're so weak, yet so full of yourself..." Bonney pouted, clearly displeased. "Caesar said that wealth without strength is like a rootless weed. Instead of focusing on wealth, people should focus on improving their own strength."
Nami chuckled. "That's true, but I'm still stronger than a little girl like you, right?"
"Not really," Caesar said cheerfully. "Bonney is a user of the Age-Age Fruit. She can transform into her adult form at any time, and her combat talent is exceptional. Right now, you're no match for her."
"What?!" Nami was shocked. "If that's the case, then I must be..."
Caesar nodded affirmatively. "The weakest on this ship."
"Eh?!" Nami was momentarily unable to accept this. Although she had a good sense of self-awareness, being weaker than a child was a bit too much of a blow.
Her eyes swept over the others.
Bartolomeo...
His menacing look alone made it clear he wasn't someone to mess with.
Kuma...
Just his size alone made him terrifyingly strong!
As for the other three girls...
Nami turned to Caesar with a questioning look.
Caesar understood her gaze and explained, "Currently, on this ship, aside from me, the strongest is Yamato."
Nami was stunned. She glanced at the mountain-like Kuma. "What? It's not Kuma?"
"Their strength is actually quite similar, but Yamato has a certain talent that Kuma lacks. You'll find out later, but Yamato is incredibly strong," Caesar said with a smile. "The third strongest is undoubtedly Kuma, followed by Baby 5 and Robin. Both of them are already qualified to venture into the New World."
Baby 5 and Robin were roughly equal in strength, though Baby 5's Arms-Arms Fruit gave her a slight advantage. However, when it came to their Haki training, both had made similar progress.
Baby 5 had initially mastered Armament Haki, though it was still hit or miss. Robin, on the other hand, had awakened Observation Haki, though she wasn't very proficient yet. Still, they had both taken their first steps.
"Next up are Barto and Bonney. By the way, although Barto's strength isn't particularly impressive, his defense is something even I might not be able to break through."
"Hehe, you flatter me. My duty is to protect Caesar and the ladies, after all…"
Hearing Caesar's praise, Barto blushed and scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Wait, that's not fair! You're all Devil Fruit users. I'm definitely no match for you!"
Nami was at a loss for words. "Seriously, what kind of monsters are you all? Devil Fruits are supposed to be legendary, yet all of you have eaten one!"
"Don't worry, I'll find you a powerful Devil Fruit. But whether it's top-tier or not will depend on your efforts."
Caesar's tone was playful, and Nami, hearing this, nervously clutched her collar.
"What… what do you mean?"
"You're being rude…"
Caesar sighed. "I know of a few Devil Fruits that would suit your abilities as a navigator perfectly. They are the Logia Type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the Cloud-Cloud Fruit, and the Mythical Zoan Azure Dragon Fruit."
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit allows you to transform into lightning, the Cloud-Cloud Fruit lets you become clouds, and the Azure Dragon Fruit grants you control over the weather."
"Among these, the strongest are naturally the Rumble-Rumble and Azure Dragon Fruits. However, given your current strength, even if you ate those, you wouldn't be able to fully utilize their power. So, the most suitable one for you right now is the Cloud-Cloud Fruit. But the Cloud-Cloud Fruit is the only one of the three whose location I don't know."
"Logia Type? Mythical Zoan?" Nami looked puzzled.
"Devil Fruits can be divided into three categories: Paramecia Type, Zoan Type, and Logia Type. The Zoan Type is further divided into regular, Ancient Zoan, and Mythical Zoan. The most valuable are naturally the Mythical Zoan and Logia Types."
Caesar briefly explained the categories of Devil Fruits.
"So, what types do you all have?" Nami asked curiously.
Caesar: "Yamato and I have Mythical Zoan Fruits. The others all have Paramecia Types."
"Then, as a newcomer… wouldn't it be too much? Logia Types are so precious!"
Nami waved her hands repeatedly. Though she was greedy for money, she still knew her limits.
"Don't overthink it. Each person can only eat one Devil Fruit. Except for Barto, whose ability I chose for him, the others all ate their Fruits when they were young, and they're all quite powerful. Kuma's Devil Fruit ability is top-tier."
Caesar spoke seriously. "But I want you to think carefully. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is known as the strongest Logia Type. Even though they're both Logia, it's worlds apart from the Cloud-Cloud Fruit. To obtain this Fruit, you'll need to undergo some extremely rigorous training."
Nami chuckled awkwardly. "Well… I'm not really a fighter!"
"Is that so?"
Caesar nodded. "That's a shame. This Fruit could fetch tens of billions at auction!"
Hearing this, Nami's smile froze.
Caesar sighed heavily again. "And if you ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, even if your companions weren't around, you wouldn't have to worry about someone like Arlong anymore. I thought you'd be more tempted."
"You…"
Nami's expression changed, clearly struck by his words.
Caesar looked at Nami with a half-smile, "Why don't you reconsider?"
"Ah, I get it already!"
Nami sighed with a helpless expression, "But I'm just an ordinary person, don't expect me to be a monster like you guys..."
"Don't sell yourself short, your potential might far exceed your imagination."
Caesar chuckled, "With proper training and the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, even if you don't become a top-tier powerhouse, you probably won't be much weaker than Kuma."
At least Caesar thought there was no problem with that.
In the original story, Koby was just a softie, but after two years of 200 times the effort in training, he could punch through one of the Evil King's big hands with a full-force punch.
Nami's physical condition was definitely better than Koby's when he first appeared, right?
After all, she's a member of the main crew, even if her talent isn't as good as Koby's, it shouldn't be too far off, right?
Time-wise, it's only 1517 after the New Year, and there's still more than three years before the main storyline begins, so there's plenty of time.
With him, a Vampire, around, there's no need to worry about injuries.
As long as Nami can focus on her training, with the help of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, even if she doesn't reach the level of the Three Calamities in three years, she'll definitely be stronger than the Flying Six.
"By the way, Caesar..."
Yamato tilted her head, "What was that about the Azure Dragon Fruit you mentioned earlier? Are we going to take my Pops' fruit?"
"No, the fruit can only be taken after the user dies."
Caesar shook his head, "But I have the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit researched by Vegapunk here. Except for the inability to awaken and a slight difference in color, its abilities are exactly the same as the Azure Dragon Fruit."
"Artificial Fruit?"
Robin looked surprised, "Is it really possible to do something like that?"
"Hmm..."
Caesar's gaze fell on the Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit in the system.
[Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit*100/100]
"Damn!"
Noticing the number at the end, Caesar's eyes widened in shock.
"What's wrong?"
Everyone turned to look at Caesar.
Yamato tilted her little head, "Damn...? What does that mean?"
"Nothing, just expressing surprise."
Caesar rubbed his temples, calming down a bit before he figured out what was going on.
The Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit doesn't have a demonic consciousness, so it doesn't have the ability to awaken.
But precisely because it lacks an independent consciousness, the artificial fruit can be replicated by the system!
This means he could easily create an army of artificial fruit users.
"The Artificial Azure Dragon Fruit can also enhance physical strength and has the power to control wind, rain, thunder, and lightning. It's not as specialized as a single elemental type, but its abilities and value are definitely above the Cloud-Cloud Fruit. However, considering the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, it's only a backup option for now."
"Alright, enough about that, let's start the feast!"
As Caesar spoke, a blood-red curtain floated by, and a large picnic blanket appeared in front of everyone, covered with all sorts of delicious food.
"Wow!!!"
Bonney and Yamato cheered, kicking off their shoes and diving onto the picnic blanket.
Baby 5 and Robin sat on either side of Caesar.
"It's amazing, where did all this come from?"
Nami sat down next to Robin, picking up a piece of fish roe sushi, marveling at it.
"Just think of it as a Devil Fruit ability."
Robin poured drinks for everyone and then opened a barrel of wine, handing it to Kuma. "Here you go."
"Thank you," Kuma said, holding the one-meter-tall barrel in his hand as if it were a small whiskey glass.
Seeing that everyone's cups were filled, Caesar raised his glass. "Well then... welcome Nami to the crew! Cheers!"
"Cheers!!!" Everyone cheered, and Nami smiled, laughing along.
Getting a Logia Type Devil Fruit as soon as she boarded the ship, along with guidance from top-tier fighters—where else could she find such good fortune?
Although she claimed to be just an ordinary person, deep down, she couldn't help but wish to become stronger.
She never wanted to experience something like what happened with Arlong ever again.
"By the way, Caesar..." Thinking of Arlong, Nami suddenly turned to Caesar. "Is that guy Arlong dead?"
"No," Caesar shook his head. "But aside from Arlong and a few of his officers, most of the Fish-men are dead. Arlong has been sent to Impel Down. You still have a chance to take him down yourself."
"It's pretty much the same as if he were dead. Once you enter Impel Down, there's almost no chance of coming out," Robin explained, seeing Nami's confusion. "It's the World Government's underwater prison, housing some of the most notorious Pirates with bounties in the hundreds of millions or even billions. In the past few hundred years, only Shiki, a Pirate who once rivaled Gol D. Roger, managed to escape."
"That guy cut off his own legs and used his Devil Fruit ability to float his way out," Caesar added. "But if you want revenge, Nami, I can take you to Impel Down. With me and Kuma around, you could even treat it like a resort."
"Who would want to vacation in a place like that?!" Nami was speechless. "I... I guess there's still a chance."
Seeing Nami's mood dip, Caesar didn't bring up Arlong again. After all, with his strength, it would just be a matter of one strike.
The party lasted until evening, and only when the sun had completely set and Bonney started yawning did everyone disperse.
Baby 5, holding onto Caesar's arm, seemed a bit tipsy but spoke in a doting tone. "Darling, go back to the room and sleep. I'll clean up here."
"No, I'll take care of it," Caesar said. A shadow spread beneath his feet, instantly devouring the messy scene.
"Wow! Darling, you're amazing!" Baby 5 threw herself at Caesar, planting a kiss on his cheek.
Nami tugged at Caesar's sleeve. "Wait, don't get all lovey-dovey yet. Where am I supposed to stay?"
Caesar gave her a look. "Of course, you'll be in the girls' dorm with Bonney! Did you think you'd be staying with me?"
"Who would want to stay with you?!" Nami's face darkened, while Robin covered her mouth, laughing, and picked up the drowsy Bonney. "I'll take you there, Nami."
"Oh, right!" Caesar called out to Nami. "Tomorrow morning at seven, you, Barto, Robin, and Baby 5, all need to be on the deck for training!"
"Huh?!!"
————