Nami took a deep breath, smoothed her hair, and forced a smile. "We're ready. State your business or whatever."
The lead guard blinked. "You... you just told us to go away."
"I changed my mind."
"You shouted at us."
"I'm allowed to shout at anyone I want."
The guards looked at Nami, then at Takuya, then back at Nami. The young guard with the spear pointed at Takuya. "You didn't shout at him."
Nami's eyes twitched. "He's a different case."
"Why? Because he's your..."
"Because he's mine," Nami said, cutting him off. Her voice was firm, matter-of-fact. "He can do whatever he wants with me. Boss me around. Drag me into the sky. Make me cry in front of strangers. And I won't shout at him for it. Because he's earned that right. You haven't." She crossed her arms. "Satisfied?"
The young guard blinked. "I... I didn't ask for that much detail."
"You asked. I answered. Now move along."
The lead guard opened his mouth, then closed it. 'Oh god, I don't understand women at all. Forget it.' He turned to Takuya, hoping for some kind of explanation.
"She's like that with people who disturb her, when I'm teasing her," Takuya said.
The lead guard sighed. "I can see that."
The young guard with the spear whispered to his companion, "I'm never asking anything again."
"Smart," the companion whispered back.
Takuya stepped forward, calm and unhurried. He gestured toward Robin. "We're travelers. Looking for gold. Looking for answers to this beautiful wife of mine's questions." Robin smiled and inclined her head.
He gestured toward Vivi. "Some adventure for this blue-haired darling who's my second wife."
Then he pointed at Nami. "And this orange-haired woman is mine. She already told you so herself. If you want her, you'll have to get an appointment from me."
Nami's face went red again. "I said you're mine! Not that I'm yours! There's a difference!"
Takuya looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "Is there?"
"Yes! A big difference!"
"Explain it."
Nami opened her mouth. Closed it. Opened it again. "It's... the difference between... owning something and being owned by something!"
"You're not a thing."
"That's not the point!"
"Then what is the point?"
Nami's hands flailed. "The point is—the point is that—" She stopped. Her face was now the color of a ripe tomato. "I don't have to explain myself to you!"
"You just tried to."
"I'M STOPPING NOW."
Takuya tilted his head. "Then why are you still standing next to me and not over there?" He gestured to the other side of the deck.
Nami opened her mouth. Closed it. She didn't move.
"That's what I thought," Takuya said.
Nami crossed her arms and stared at the clouds, refusing to look at him. Her ears were red. Her jaw was tight. But her feet stayed planted right where they were.
The lead guard watched the exchange, his eye twitching violently. 'I definitely don't understand women. Or men. Or whatever this is. Is this flirting? Are they fighting? Is this a mating ritual? I need a manual. Or a drink. Maybe both.'
"Back to the topic, and we brought cookies," Takuya finished, completely ignoring her.
Mira waved from the mast, still trying to reach the south bird. "THEY'RE VERY GOOD COOKIES!"
Conis stared at the scene—the screaming woman, the calm man, the girl in the maid dress, the bird that refused to be caught. She turned to her father.
"This is... far stranger than any story I've heard about Blue Sea dwellers," she admitted.
"It never isn't," Robin said, smiling.
Conis sighed. "Follow me. I'll take you to Angel Beach. But please..." She looked directly at Nami. "Try not to scare the locals."
Mira gasped. "I don't scare people! I will charm them!"
The south bird squawked in disagreement.
Nami's face shifted. Her eyes narrowed. Her mouth twisted. "Because of you, now all of them think I'm a demon! How am I supposed to scam them now?!"
Takuya raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that better? Just act like a delinquent stealing candy from kids. No need for charm. Just pure intimidation."
Nami's jaw dropped. "THAT'S NOT BETTER! THAT'S WORSE! I'M A BUSINESSWOMAN, NOT A THUG!"
Conis watched the exchange, her expression caught between confusion and mild horror. She whispered to her father, "Father, have the sea dwellers always been like this?"
Her father shrugged. "I stopped trying to understand after the cookie argument."
Conis's eye twitched. "Follow me. Now. Please."
She turned her ray and glided forward, not waiting for a response. The guards scrambled to follow.
The ships moved through the White Sea, the cloud surface rippling beneath their hulls. The young guard with the spear hung back, still muttering about weaponizing Nami's demon face.
Conis's father came beside her. "You handled them well."
"I didn't handle anything," Conis said. "I just gave up like you."
"That's handling it. That's how I handled your mother all this time."
The Going Merry pulled alongside the Dune Serpent. Luffy leaned so far over the railing that Usopp had to grab his sash.
"ANGEL GIRL!" Luffy shouted. "ARE THERE GOLDEN BELLS UP HERE?!"
Conis blinked. "Golden... bells?"
"I HEARD THERE'S A GOLDEN BELL HERE SOMEWHERE! I'M GOING TO RING IT TOO!"
On the Going Merry, Zoro stood with his arms crossed, watching Luffy bounce on the figurehead. The rubber man had been relatively quiet during the whole Nami-Takuya spectacle—mostly because Zoro had been holding him down by the back of his vest for the past ten minutes.
Takuya glanced over. "Luffy. How were you this silent the whole time? I thought while I was teasing Nami, you would have already dealt with these winged people."
Zoro's eyes twitched. "Don't ask how I held him." He jerked his thumb toward Luffy, who was now trying to bite a passing cloud.
Takuya's lips curved. "Just tell me which flavor cookies you want. I'll make them for you. Maybe alcohol cookies that actually hit hard."
Zoro's eyes gleamed. "You can do that?"
"I can do a lot of things."
Zoro nodded slowly. "We'll talk later."
Luffy, still straining against Zoro's grip, shouted, "I WANT MEAT COOKIES!"
"Not now Luffy," Takuya said.
"Aww man, I wanted to eat them now!"
Takuya turned back to the winged people. Luffy had finally stopped struggling—not because he gave up, but because he spotted a fish-shaped cloud and became mesmerized.
"He's like that," Nami called out from the Dune Serpent.
"I can see that," Conis murmured.
Behind her, the young guard whispered to his companion, "I still think the orange-haired woman could defeat Enel with one scream."
"Drop it," the other guard said.
"Never."
The white clouds parted. Angel Beach appeared in the distance, glowing like a dream.
On the Dune Serpent, Nami had pulled Robin aside. Her eyes were red again—not from crying, but from sheer frustration.
"He's making fun of me," Nami whispered, her voice cracking. "He's getting me on edge on purpose. And now those winged people look at me like I'm a scarecrow! A demon scarecrow! How am I supposed to sell them anything when they flinch every time I breathe?!"
Robin patted her shoulder, her touch light but grounding. "Nami. Stop worrying about what they think."
"They already think I'm insane!"
"They don't matter." Robin's voice was calm, certain. "The only opinion that should concern you is his." She tilted her head toward Takuya, who stood at the railing, watching the clouds.
"You know how he looks at you. You know how he holds you. How he looks after you when you're crying or vulnerable. That's real. These people? They're strangers. You'll never see most of them again."
Nami's breathing slowed.
Robin continued, softer now. "Remember how you felt when you were flying? When I had held your legs in one place making sure you won't fall and you spread your arms and screamed from the bottom of your heart? That freedom? That safety? That's what you have now."
Robin continued, softer now. "You know what gives you freedom, Nami? When you know you can't fail. When you're certain—absolutely certain—that no matter what happens, you'll land on your feet. That's when you become truly free. That's when you stop hesitating, stop second-guessing, and just... move."
Nami's eyes stayed on her.
"Remember how you felt when you were flying? When I held your legs in place, making sure you wouldn't fall, and you spread your arms and screamed from the bottom of your heart?" Robin's voice was warm, almost reverent. "That freedom. That safety. That feeling of knowing you were held, that you wouldn't fall, that you could just let go and trust—that's what you have now."
She paused, letting the words sink in.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore, Nami. You're not alone. You're not flying blind. You have us. You have him." She tilted her head toward Takuya. "And he's not going to let you fall. So stop acting like you're still falling."
Nami's throat tightened. Her eyes burned, but she didn't cry.
"...How do you always know what to say?" she whispered.
Robin's smile was quiet, knowing. "I've been reading people my whole life. It's what kept me alive. When you've survived on your own since you were eight, you learn to see through people's masks. You learn to hear what they're not saying."
She paused, her eyes softening. "You're not hard to read, Nami. You're just hard to reach."
Her smile deepened. "And besides—you already admitted it yourself. He's yours. You said it. In front of everyone. You told those guards that he can do whatever he wants with you because he's earned it." Robin's eyes sparkled. "So why are you worrying about the opinions of people who won't matter to you for even a second?"
Nami opened her mouth to protest, but Robin held up her hand.
"Tell me one thing." Robin leaned closer. "Do you really think anyone can touch you as long as he's beside you?"
Nami blinked. Her eyes drifted to Takuya. He wasn't looking at her, but she knew. She knew he would protect her against the whole world, and make sure nothing happens to her..
"...No," she admitted quietly.
Robin smiled. "Then stop letting them live in your head for free."
Nami exhaled. The tension in her shoulders loosened.
She looked down at her hands. The cookie pouch was still warm.
"...I don't want to be hard to reach anymore."
Robin's smile deepened. "Then don't be."
Robin patted her arm. "And if they don't give you gold? Just scare them a little. You're already good at that."
Despite everything, Nami snorted. "You're terrible."
"I learned from the best."
Nami sniffled. "Wait a second, Gold?" As if registering the most important word from the whole conversation.
Robin lowered her voice. "Takuya told me there's a lost city of gold somewhere up here. A whole city either made of gold or filled with gold. Maybe we'll be able to take some from them."
Nami's entire demeanor shifted. Her back straightened. Her eyes dried. Her lips curled into a smile—not the demonic one, but the sweet, calculating smile of a woman who smelled profit.
"A city of gold?" she whispered.
"Possibly."
Nami squared her shoulders, smoothed her dress, and plastered on a smile so bright it could blind. She turned to the winged people, who were still hovering at a cautious distance.
"Welcome to the sky, everyone!" she called out, her voice dripping with honey. "I apologize for shouting at you earlier. I was... emotional. It won't happen again." She held up a cookie. "Please, enjoy our complimentary cookies! And tell your friends!"
The winged people stared at her.
One guard whispered to another, "Is she... the same woman?"
"I don't know. I'm scared either way."
Conis's father blinked. "She apologized."
"Don't trust it," Conis murmured.
Robin smiled serenely. "Give her time. She grows on you. Like fungus."
Conis stared at her. "That's... not reassuring."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Conis's eye twitched. "Follow me. Before I change my mind."
Mira finally caught the south bird, holding it triumphantly above her head. "I DID IT! MR. SOUTH BIRD LOVES ME NOW!"
The bird pecked her forehead. Mira didn't even flinch.
Takuya watched the chaos—Nami playing innocent, Mira celebrating, Robin smiling, Vivi shaking her head—and said nothing. He just turned back toward Angel Beach, where the real adventure was about to begin.
The white clouds parted wider, and the island appeared before them, glowing like a dream.
Somewhere behind them, the young guard whispered one last time, "I'm telling you. Demon face. Enel. It would work."
"Shut up," Conis said.
He shut up.
A/N: If my story made you smile even once, that's a win for me. That's what I want to live for—brightening dull days and reminding people that joy still exists. My dream is to make a difference in someone's life through my stories, to someday reach a legendary level of storytelling, and spread as much happiness I can in this world, before I take my leave from this world.
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