"Wind-Sword Knight....."
Watching Arthur topple three pirates with a single stroke, Nami's eyes shone; she had clearly recognized his identity.
She then darted from behind to stand before Arthur, acting familiar, and shouted, "Boss, as expected of you—too strong."
"Enough, drop the act; the enemies are gone," Arthur said with mild annoyance. If he hadn't known her, her polished acting might have fooled him—but Arthur? As a transmigrator, once he learned what this world was, even if weak at first, his insight and vision were top-tier among transmigrators.
At his words, Nami stuck out her tongue a little and obediently fell silent.
No wonder this little cat burglar could slip into any pirate crew, win everyone's favor fast, and steal without raising defenses.
A beautiful girl playing cute—its power was enough to make any lecherous man lose the will to blame her.
But Arthur, who knew what Nami had been through, was not among them.
"Leave here quickly. It's going to get very dangerous next," Arthur advised without exposing her disguise.
"Wind-Sword Knight, are you going to make a move on the Buggy Pirates?" Nami asked in surprise, a secret gleam of delight in her eyes.
A perfect human shield: with him blocking in front and her stealing from behind, she would be unstoppable.
"Yeah. So if you want to avoid dying, leave this town at once, cat burglar," Arthur said, seeing through her plan and warning her decisively.
"C...cat burglar? Who's that?" Exposed by Arthur, Nami's body went stiff; she squinted, putting on a cutesy, clueless act. "I'm not a cat burglar, I'm just an adventurer seeking a little danger."
"Heh..." Arthur couldn't help laughing at her act. Looming over her, he set a hand on her head and ruffled the smooth orange hair. "Alright. If you can call me by name, you know I'm a bounty hunter—one who doesn't dislike a cat burglar who targets pirates."
Meeting Nami before Luffy did made Arthur wonder about his Luck stat today.
Right now, he judged it EX.
For A Hundred Battles, A Hundred Wins, the system only recognized victories over opponents with some fame.
Those with some fame had ranged from thugs and their bosses, to mountain bandits, small-time pirates, and pirate captains; by now, defeating an ordinary captain no longer counted.
So Arthur could only set his sights on several big-name pirates of the East Blue.
The Arlong Pirates were one of them.
But Arthur wasn't a Rider and had no Riding skill; even finding Orange Town required asking along the way, so he needed a navigator.
Nami was undoubtedly the perfect choice.
So he planned to raise Nami's goodwill, gain her trust, and have her lead him to Cocoyasi Village.
Hence the evaluation above.
As expected, Nami paused at his words, and her favor toward Arthur rose sharply.
Among seafaring trades, thievery ranks lowest. Marines hate pirates and see them as ocean scum; pirates hate Marines and despise bounty hunters even more, calling them hounds; bounty hunters, who treat money like life, in turn harbor hostility toward thieves.
"As expected of the Wind-Sword Knight—you really are different from other bounty hunters," Nami said, smiling at Arthur, a natural and beautiful smile without a trace of falseness.
The Wind-Sword Knight was the most renowned bounty hunter in the East Blue, and the strongest as well.
Below him came the Pirate Hunter.
Compared to the fearsome Pirate Hunter, the Wind-Sword Knight was a breath of fresh air in the East Blue, an idol in countless hearts.
Whenever he passed through an island, pirates, bandits, and notorious thugs alike were taught a harsh lesson and cleared out.
To save people without asking for reward—what a noble knight's spirit.
Even the Marines had taken notice of this bounty hunter and invited him more than once.
In truth, Arthur hadn't built his fame merely to chase victories.
Seeing Nami's smile, he knew his image in her heart had risen.
So he pressed the advantage and said, "There's a small-cabin sloop at the docks. Go take it. There are ten million beli in the hold; if you want it, take it all."
"T...ten million beli!" The number made Nami completely lose her composure. Could nearly a year's haul really be gotten so easily?
Her gaze toward Arthur grew wary.
The sky doesn't drop meat pies; there's no free lunch. As the famed cat burglar, she knew that best.
"Money to me is something external; enough is enough," Arthur said, understanding her worry, calm and confident. "Buggy the Clown has a bounty of fifteen million beli. As a man who loves money, he's surely stashed plenty of treasure. But you're different, a delicate cat burglar. Maybe you've had good luck, but luck runs out—don't throw away your life for money."
After speaking, Arthur gently patted Nami on the head, then walked past her, leaving Nami with her head slightly lowered, her face veiled in shadow.
Walking with his back to her, Arthur's smiling face brimmed with confidence.
His Observation Haki sensed clearly the girl's emotions behind him, seething and unsettled.
As the distance widened, Nami suddenly turned, waved at Arthur, and shouted with a delighted smile, "Thanks for the gift. If you get beaten by Buggy and run away in disgrace, don't come asking me to return it!"
"Ah... if I fail, that only proves I'm not what I claim," Arthur said, smiling even more as he waved without turning.
Watching Arthur's figure grow distant, Nami's smile gradually faded.
She did not turn toward the docks as he'd said. Biting her lip, she stood for a long time, then stomped hard and suddenly ran after him along his path: "For there to be someone like that in this world, Bell-mère....."