Luffy's calm words were like water, yet they were like sharp knives, stabbing deep into Nami's heart and tearing apart her inner pain!
"I… I knew they wouldn't keep their promise, but what else could I do…?"
Nami, who seemed to have lost all her strength, collapsed to the ground. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly, her hands clenched white.
"I'm not a monster like you, I can't fight them. If, if I didn't do this, the villagers would have been dead long ago! Wah, wah, wah~"
Her tears could no longer be held back and gushed out. She had her back to Luffy, covering her face with her hands, her eyes glistening with tears. Her emotions became increasingly agitated. Sitting on the ground, she cried and said, "So, even if there's no hope at all, I have to try my best to gamble!"
Luffy sighed softly, "I understand you."
"No, you couldn't possibly understand!!"
Her secret exposed, Nami, on the verge of a breakdown, completely lost control. She screamed at Luffy with her back to him, "How could someone like you, who has a Marine grandfather and lived a life of luxury since childhood, possibly understand my feelings!"
"Lived in luxury?"
Luffy spread his hands, saying helplessly, "Hey, don't make things up."
"You say I've lived a pampered life since I was a child. Do you have some misunderstanding about my background?"
"Oh, that's right, I haven't told you yet. You think it's amazing that I have a Marine grandpa?"
"Let me tell you, my dad is the leader of the Revolutionary Army. What do you think of that?"
He talked about his family background in a matter-of-fact way.
Nami was stunned, her eyes wide, and she sharply turned to stare at him. See, that's how strong his backing is!
"With my background, even my grandpa didn't dare to easily take me to Marine Headquarters. Since childhood, I was left in Windmill Village, growing up with the villagers."
"When I was just a few years old, I was thrown into the deep mountains and old forests to fight monsters. The bears I met back then, when they stood up, their ankles were higher than me. Can you imagine that sight?"
"And my grandpa even called it training my jungle survival skills and my ability to fight beasts… If you think I'm amazing, it's all because I was forced into it."
"Later, when I grew older, you thought my grandpa would take me to the Marines? You're thinking too much, he just threw me to the mountain bandits!"
"Those mountain bandits were truly killing people with real swords and guns."
Hearing this, Nami was too shocked to utter a word. She stared blankly at Luffy, unable to believe that this grandson of a Marine hero had experienced so many hardships in his childhood.
"But thanks to my grandpa's 'special' care, I was able to conquer the entire forest by the age of eight, defeat my grandpa's subordinate, Shang Xiao, at ten, and my combat power was already on par with a Marine Headquarters Shang Xiao at thirteen. By the age of fifteen, I even punched my grandpa."
"Oh, and I also swore a brotherhood oath with two brothers."
"Now, one of them is the trusted aide to the Four Emperors Whitebeard, and the other is a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army…"
In this forest, the tearful Nami seemed to have forgotten how to cry, staring foolishly at the grinning man. She never imagined that he had experienced so many weird and strange things. What shocked her even more was how terrifying his background was!
His grandpa was the Marine legend Monkey D. Garp. His father was the legendary leader of the Revolutionary Army, Monkey D. Dragon. His two elder brothers, one became a captain for a Four Emperor, and the other became a high-ranking member of the Revolutionary Army.
From what she understood, Garp's position in the Marines was even higher than Fleet Admiral Sengoku's! So, this young master of the Revolutionary Army not only had the backing of Marine Headquarters but also swore brotherhood with a captain of the Four Emperors? Any one of these backgrounds would be enough to make people tremble in fear, and he actually had three! Marines, Revolutionary Army, Pirates, the three powers left Nami speechless with shock.
"Are you envious of my background? A lot of people are…"
Luffy said things that were hard to hear, yet did deeds that were heartwarming, his eyes full of tenderness, "But from today on, my background also belongs to you. Anyone who dares to bully Monkey D. Luffy's crew, I will never let them off the hook."
No matter what happens, always remember, you're my person, so you have nothing to fear.
Maybe these words sounded a little arrogant. But Luffy had that conviction, and his strength also gave Nami the capital to proudly use his name. He always believed that one day he would become the support of everyone. The titles he used now would one day make the entire sea tremble from his reputation.
"So, you asked me to join your crew after finding out my background? Have you been pitying me all this time?"
Nami's eyes were moist, and her fists were clenched tightly. Her gaze was resolute as she looked directly at Luffy, her voice choked, and she gritted her teeth as she asked this question. She still maintained a trace of pride in her heart, unwilling to show weakness in front of the man she admired. She didn't want to be his accessory, and even less did she want to be pitied by him as a weak person. People's hearts were always full of contradictions.
"You've misunderstood. I asked you to join my crew because I heard your navigation skills were excellent, and I didn't pity you at all."
Luffy looked at the Marine base in the distance and said calmly, "Every day in this world, people are displaced and suffer misfortunes… If I felt pity every time I saw someone suffering, my sympathy would be too cheap."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nami's tears seemed to freeze in her eyes. This carefree man had unexpectedly touched her innermost heart. Damn it! She turned her face away in a panic, and the atmosphere returned to silence.
After a while, Nami whispered softly, "Arlong… Arlong… Arlong, you don't understand at all!"
Luffy calmly replied, "Indeed, I don't understand."
Nami didn't turn around, her voice devoid of any emotion, "This has nothing to do with you, you don't have to worry about me! How could a thief like me be worth…"
This time, Luffy didn't respond. Nami's next words were also choked back. Her silence gradually turned into sobs. She suddenly turned around, her heart full of hope and a deep helplessness, causing her tears to burst forth. She bit her lip, unable to speak:
"Luffy… save me…"
Hearing this, Luffy took off his Straw Hat and gently placed it on Nami's head. Then, as Nami looked up, he slowly knelt down in front of her.
The confusion still lingered. Just as she was still unsure of what she was going to do, her eyes suddenly widened!
"Mmm—"