"Ah?"
"Nothing, I'm fine, Nojiko. Why are you back?"
Seeing Nojiko return, Nami immediately put away her thoughts and shot Lynn a glance, as if silently asking him not to tell Nojiko what had just happened.
Lynn blinked slightly, indicating that he understood and wouldn't say anything.
"Huh? You're awake?"
"Hello, my name is Nojiko, and I'm Nami's sister~" Nojiko walked to Lynn's bedside and greeted him with a smile.
"Hello!"
"Nojiko, I'm the older sister, okay!" Nami immediately retorted before Lynn could respond, unwilling to accept Nojiko's claim.
"Uh-huh~"
"Anyway, Bell-mère said I'm the elder sister, so there's no point in arguing!" Nojiko grinned proudly.
"Damn Bell-mère! I don't want to be your little sister!" Nami glared at Nojiko, clearly displeased at being the younger one.
Two little troublemakers!
"Hello, Nojiko, my name is Lynn. Nice to meet you." Seeing Nojiko being so friendly, Lynn responded with equal politeness.
"Then… Lynn, how did you fall from the sky yesterday?" Nojiko found the situation too bizarre and couldn't help but ask.
Hearing Nojiko bring this up, Nami panicked, afraid that Lynn would mention their earlier conversation.
So, she quickly blurted out, "I know this! Lynn ate a Flying-type Devil Fruit, but he's not skilled at controlling it yet, so he fell."
"Devil Fruit? What's that? Can it really make you fly? Lynn, can you actually fly?" Nojiko's curiosity was identical to Nami's earlier reaction.
"Alright, alright!"
"Nojiko, Lynn just woke up. Let's not disturb him and let him rest! I'll explain everything to you outside..."
Nami quickly pulled Nojiko out of the room, but before leaving, she gave Lynn a smug look.
"Nami was really adorable as a kid, though a bit malnourished. Same with Nojiko…" Lynn thought, recalling the appearance of the two sisters. Bell-mère's family really was struggling.
Once the two girls left, Lynn began checking his body and noticed he felt much stronger than before eating the Devil Fruit.
"Could that excruciating pain earlier have been the Devil Fruit enhancing my body? Hmm… That makes sense."
Lynn pinched his chin in thought and finally understood the changes in himself.
After all, Zoan-type Devil Fruits always enhanced the user's physical abilities, and since his was a Mythical Zoan, the effect should be even greater.
He tossed off the blanket, got out of bed, and walked over to the table, pouring himself several glasses of water. He was really thirsty.
After drinking, he started examining the room. It was sparsely decorated, making it clear that no one lived here permanently.
His clothes had been changed to match the local style—nothing unusual, just a simple T-shirt and beach shorts, something any kid his age could wear.
Lynn's current appearance!
Bandages were wrapped around his body, and he could feel medicine underneath them.
Then, a realization struck him—Bell-mère was still alive, which meant Arlong hadn't arrived yet.
Wait! Judging by Nami and Nojiko's ages, Arlong must be coming soon!
A sense of urgency filled Lynn's heart. He rushed to the door and stepped outside, just in time to see Nami and Nojiko returning.
"Huh? Lynn, why are you out here? Are your injuries healed already?" Nami asked, looking surprised.
Lynn had promised her 3 billion Berries! If he died, wouldn't she suffer a huge loss?
"Oh, yeah~"
"I'm fine now, don't worry, Nami." Lynn stretched his body a little to prove it.
"That's weird. You fell from such a height, yet you recovered so fast. Is it because of the Devil Fruit?" Nojiko circled around him, finding it unbelievable.
"Uh… You actually guessed right, Nojiko. Zoan-type Devil Fruits do enhance the body." Lynn admitted without hiding anything.
"Heh~"
"By the way, Lynn, you're not planning to leave, right? This is Genzo's house. He said you can either stay with him or with us~" Nami suddenly remembered something and spoke up.
The main reason she wanted Lynn to stay was simple—he could fly! If he left, wouldn't her future 3 billion Berries be gone?
"Alright, I won't leave. By the way, Nami, Nojiko, I'm 10 years old. How old are you two?" Lynn asked.
He needed to confirm how much time he had before Arlong's arrival.
"You're 10? Then you're one year younger than me. Nami is two years younger than me—she's nine years old now!" Nojiko replied.
"Huh? Nami, you're nine? That means from now on, I'm your big brother! You can call me 'Big Brother Lynn!' Hahaha!" Lynn laughed arrogantly.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
"Damn it! You're both bullying me!" Nami fumed, feeling wronged. She didn't expect Lynn to be older than her too.
"Hahaha, Nami, Lynn and I will protect you from now on!" Nojiko giggled. She was happy to have a new playmate.
Lynn calculated—Arlong arrived at Cocoyasi Village when Nami was ten. That meant he had only one year left.
I have to train hard and get stronger before then. Even if my Devil Fruit is powerful, without a strong physique, I won't be able to use it properly.
"By the way, Nojiko, now that you're back, can Bell-mère handle the work in the tangerine orchard alone?" Nami suddenly asked, remembering Bell-mère was still working.
It was tough for Bell-mère to raise two kids alone, so they always tried to help when they could.
"There's no way she can finish it all alone…" Nojiko looked toward the orchard in the distance. Bell-mère would be working until late if she did it by herself.
Thinking of this, Nojiko immediately made up her mind—she had to go help.
"Wait a minute, Nojiko!" Lynn quickly called out before she could leave. "Nami and I will come too. My injuries are fine now anyway."
"That's great! With Lynn helping, we can finish early and go home sooner!" Nami cheered, her eyes shining with excitement.
That way, we can finish work early and eat sooner!
Thinking of this, Nami couldn't help but break into a bright smile.
"Alright then, let's go together," Nojiko agreed.
And so, the three kids walked toward the orchard, chatting and laughing along the way.