"Here, you need this, right? The Grand Line map." After the battle was completely over, Nami handed the map to Luffy.
"Huh? You're giving it to me?" Luffy looked at Nami in surprise.
"After all, it's a cooperation. It's thanks to you guys that we got the Buggy Pirates' treasure." Nami looked at the two large bags of treasure beside her, a smile also appearing on her pretty face. These treasures, if converted into Berry, totaled ten million Berry. This was her biggest haul ever. After all, if it weren't for Lu En and the others, Nami wouldn't have dared to single-handedly steal from the lair of a pirate with a 15,000,000 Berry bounty.
"But even though it's barely a collaboration, all this treasure is mine!" After her initial joy, Nami immediately clutched the treasure tightly, her face filled with vigilance.
"Hehehe, with this, we can go to the Grand Line, right, Lu En?" Luffy, at this moment, didn't care about the treasure at all. Holding the Grand Line map, he shouted excitedly at Lu En.
"That's right, but we still need to get a pirate ship and a navigator." Lu En took the Grand Line map, examined it carefully, and then said. With only Navigation (White), Lu En found it very difficult to even understand this map, let alone navigate the Grand Line.
"The Grand Line, huh." Zoro's lips also curved into a beast-like smile. After Lu En broadened his horizons, Zoro was now eager to go to the Grand Line and realize his ambition.
"As for a navigator, isn't she right here? Hehehe." Luffy pointed at Nami, grinning. Nami had been staring blankly at Lu En and the other two. This was the first time she had seen pirates completely indifferent to such a large amount of treasure. These guys had no treasure in their eyes, only dreams. Do pirates who set sail solely for their dreams truly exist in this world? As Nami was thinking this, she heard Luffy's words and immediately retorted. "Hey, I said I wouldn't join pirates."
However, Nami's eyes immediately darted around, and then she smiled again. "But working with you guys is quite profitable, so we can continue to cooperate."
"Hehehe, then it's decided! Nami is our navigator!" Luffy shouted excitedly.
"Temporary navigator." Nami corrected.
"Welcome to the crew, Nami." Lu En extended his hand to Nami, a smile on his face. Just as he had, when he invited Nami to dance on the merchant ship.
"..." Seeing this scene, Nami clearly recalled her first encounter with Lu En and felt a bit dazed. She had thought they wouldn't meet again on the vast sea, and Lu En's "we'll meet again" was just a polite farewell. Unexpectedly, not only did it come true today, but she also became a temporary navigator on Lu En's ship.
"Hmm." Nami took Lu En's hand and pursed her red lips.
"You, you guys, defeated that clown Buggy?!" Just then, a shocked voice rang out. Lu En and the others looked in the direction of the voice and saw an old man with white hair, frail, but wearing homemade armor and dressed strangely, looking at them in disbelief.
"We defeated Buggy's crew, old man, who are you?" Luffy generously admitted first, then looked at the old man curiously.
"I am the mayor of this Orange Town, Boodle. Who are you? You don't look like Marines." Boodle first introduced himself, then asked, still with a shocked expression on his face. That Buggy Pirates, they were actually defeated by these children.
"Their hometown was occupied by the Buggy Pirates, so they must hate pirates. Absolutely don't tell them your identities," Nami whispered as a reminder.
"I'm Luffy, and I'm a pirate." Luffy said, straightforwardly.
"Pfft!" Nami almost fell over.
"Hahahaha." Zoro slapped his thigh and laughed. Lu En also chuckled at the scene. As expected of Luffy.
"Pi-pirate..." Mayor Boodle's cheek twitched.
"Ah, I'm hungry, old man, can you treat us to a meal?" Luffy patted his stomach. Using Devil Fruit abilities required a lot of stamina.
"What kind of pirate asks others to treat them to a meal?" Nami was speechless, unable to describe Luffy's actions.
"Preferably with sake." Zoro was a bit excited. Drinking after a battle was Zoro's greatest pleasure.
"Indeed, we should celebrate properly." Lu En, having obtained the "Born of the Sea (Super Gold)" entry, was also in high spirits.
"Even you, Lu En, are like this." Nami was completely helpless. Did these guys even realize the situation they were in? They were pirates, and the mayor in front of them lived in a town that had been occupied by pirates.
"Follow me," Boodle said after a moment of silence, unexpectedly.
"Great, we get to eat!" Luffy excitedly followed Boodle. Zoro and Lu En also followed with smiles. Nami, though helpless, could only follow with the treasure.
Subsequently, Boodle led the group to his home. On the way there, Lu En and the others also encountered Chouchou, the small dog guarding the pet shop left by its deceased owner. Chouchou, who didn't form the same friendship with Luffy as in the original story, still barked at the group. Only after Boodle's reassurance did he gradually lower his guard.
However, Lu En merely smiled at this. Compared to forming the same friendship with Chouchou as in the original story, what this little dog, Chouchou, needed more was for this pet shop, filled with memories of its owner, to be preserved. Subsequently, Boodle prepared some food for the group. In their conversation, Boodle also clearly felt the difference between Lu En and the others and the Buggy Pirates, so he told them everything that had happened here. Luffy, meanwhile, simply buried his head in his food, saying nothing.
Nami listened to Chouchou's story, how it would guard the pet shop filled with memories of its owner, even after the owner's death, and how it refused to leave even when facing the Buggy Pirates. Nami was clearly very touched but didn't know what to do.
"Ah, I'm full, I'm full! We're leaving now. Thank you for the meal, old man." Luffy patted his stomach, a satisfied smile on his face.
"How can you still smile so happily after hearing about what happened here? Sure enough, pirates are cold-blooded, always easily taking away what's important to others." Nami, looking at Luffy's smile, suddenly became somewhat emotional.
"No matter what I say, what happened here has already become a fact. What's lost can't come back, can it?" Luffy looked at Nami.
"But you can't be so indifferent!" Nami shouted in frustration. She knew this was true. She was also emotionally overwhelmed because the situation here reminded her of what happened to her hometown.
But the next moment, a hand gently placed itself on Nami's shoulder.
"Lu En?" Nami stared blankly at Lu En.
"Luffy isn't indifferent, this is Luffy's capacity." Lu En said seriously. "Speaking is always the easiest, but it changes nothing. Just like you, Nami."
Nami was about to say something, but she was stunned by Lu En's words. "You must have a story too, but we won't ask. Even if you told us what happened to you, we definitely couldn't fully empathize with how you feel right now. Just talking about it won't change what happened to you. But when you feel the time is right..."
Nami stared blankly at the sun-like smile on Lu En's face. "Then feel free to trouble us, Nami. Even if it costs us our lives, we will help you. We are already comrades."
Nami looked at Lu En blankly. Lu En then looked at Luffy and smiled.
"Right, Luffy."
"Hehehe, that's right!" Luffy shouted. Lu En's understanding of camaraderie was truly to Luffy's liking. Zoro said nothing, only revealing a beast-like smile and adjusting his Wado Ichimonji slightly. Such behavior was also to Zoro's liking.
"..." Nami pursed her red lips, trying hard not to lose control of her emotions. She grasped Lu En's hand on her shoulder, and gently rested her forehead on it, as if she had found someone to rely on.
"Received strong approval from Monkey D. Luffy, bond increased, entry loading progress increased."
"Superhuman Physique (Dark Purple), loaded successfully."
A line of light screen appeared.
...
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