The next morning, the sky was clear, and the sea was calm again. For once, nothing exploded.
Kai stretched on the deck, feeling the warmth of the sun. "Peaceful. I could get used to this."
"Don't jinx it," Nami said from the helm.
He grinned. "Too late."
Luffy was hanging off the side of the boat, fishing again, while Zoro sharpened his swords nearby. For a rare moment, it felt… normal.
Nami finished folding the Grand Line map and tucked it safely into her bag. "We'll need a real ship soon," she said. "This one won't last through the next storm."
Luffy nodded. "We'll get one! A big one!"
Kai chuckled. "You say that like it's easy."
"With Luffy," Nami said, "everything's chaos first, luck later."
"Sounds about right," Kai said.
They stopped by a small island for supplies. The town was quiet, just fishermen and a few small shops.
Kai walked beside Nami as they wandered through the market. She was pretending to browse, but he could tell she was checking prices to see what she could "borrow" later.
"You really can't help yourself, huh?" he said.
"I'm not stealing," she said. "I'm… comparing options."
"Right. And if something 'falls' into your bag—"
She smirked. "Then that's gravity's fault."
He laughed. "You're trouble."
"Yeah," she said softly, "but you don't seem to mind."
They left town with enough food to last a week. Luffy carried everything, somehow balancing barrels on his head.
As the island faded behind them, Nami leaned on the railing, watching the horizon.
"Hey," she said quietly. "Why are you here, really? You don't fight like them. You don't act like a pirate. You could've stayed somewhere safe."
Kai stared at the sea for a long moment. "I guess… I wanted something real. Something that wasn't just numbers on a screen."
She raised an eyebrow. "Numbers?"
He smiled faintly. "Never mind. You wouldn't get it."
"Try me."
He shook his head. "Maybe one day."
She sighed, then looked away. "You're weird."
"Yeah," he said. "But you're still talking to me."
Her lips curved into a small smile. "Don't push your luck."
That night, the crew gathered around a tiny fire on deck. Luffy talked about his dream again — becoming King of the Pirates — and Zoro promised he'd be the world's greatest swordsman.
When Nami's turn came, she hesitated. "I… just want to buy back my village from a monster," she said quietly.
Kai already knew what she meant. He'd seen her story before — but hearing it from her felt different. It was raw, real.
Luffy said it simply: "Then we'll help you."
Nami blinked, surprised. "Why would you—"
"Because you're my navigator," he said, smiling.
Kai nodded. "And you're my friend."
She looked between them, unsure how to respond. Then she smiled, just a little. "You guys are idiots."
Luffy laughed. "Yeah, but we're your idiots."
Later, as everyone fell asleep, Kai opened his system panel quietly.
[Viewers: 250,000]
[Tips: 120,000 berries]
[Reward unlocked: Charm Boost Lv1 (minor influence increase)]
He looked over at Nami, sleeping peacefully under a blanket near the mast.
"Charm boost, huh?" he muttered. "Let's hope I don't need that for her."
The snail camera blinked once. The sea glowed under the moonlight, calm and endless.
For the first time since he arrived in this world, Kai didn't feel like an outsider anymore.
He was part of something — messy, loud, dangerous — but alive.
And somewhere deep inside, his stream audience felt it too.