The next morning.
Wrapped tightly in a thin quilt, Nami refused to get out of bed no matter what.
She kicked Luo Chen beside her and urged, "Go take a look and see if Nojiko is home."
Luo Chen rolled his eyes. "Do I even need to get up to check? She's in the kitchen cooking."
With a sweep of his Observation Haki, he knew exactly what Nojiko was doing.
Nami was wide awake now. Thinking back to her almost crazed performance and shouting from the night before, she was far too embarrassed to even consider getting out of bed.
Nojiko must have heard everything last night. Of that, she was certain.
Nami's pretty face flushed crimson. She covered her head, filled with regret.
"What do I do, what do I do..."
From the corner of her eye, she glimpsed Luo Chen. Seeing his indifferent expression, she couldn't help but grit her teeth and kick him again.
"It's all your fault!" Nami said angrily. "You just had to mess around yesterday!"
"?"
Luo Chen's eyes widened slightly, finding it difficult to understand how Nami could slander him so righteously.
"Yesterday, you were clearly the one clinging to me. You even called me slow and kept telling me to hurry up, hurry up—mmph."
Luo Chen's mouth was immediately covered by Nami's hand.
She said in a flustered rage, "Don't say another word! Just get up, we're leaving right now!"
Nami wished she could find a hole to crawl into. She didn't dare face Nojiko at all. She knew exactly how poor the soundproofing in her house was. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that thin wall might as well have not existed given the shouting last night.
Nojiko must have listened all night. Nami couldn't even bear to imagine how her sister would look at her today or tease her in the future.
Luo Chen teased, "What's the big deal? She's your sister, not a stranger."
Nami remained mortified. "It's because she's family that it's embarrassing! Stop talking and just teleport me away!"
She got up and found new clothes in the wardrobe. The outfit from last night had long since been torn to shreds during the fierce battle.
A moment later, Nami was dressed.
With a simple thought, Luo Chen manifested a set of black casual clothes out of thin air, from the inside out. He wrapped his arm around Nami's waist, activated his teleportation, and vanished.
Nami breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless of anything else, she simply couldn't face Nojiko right now. It was better to leave for a while.
The next moment, the scene before her eyes became clear again.
The stove was lit, and a blackened frying pan was sizzling with eggs. A woman with deep blue, ear-length hair was standing with her back to them, flipping things in the pan with a spatula.
Nami froze, then held her breath, her large eyes glaring at Luo Chen.
She had told him to teleport her away from the house. Instead, this bastard Luo Chen had teleported her right behind Nojiko.
She didn't dare speak. She reached out and pinched Luo Chen's waist, twisting with frantic urgency.
Luo Chen looked at Nami with a beaming smile, remaining silent as well. Given this girl's strength, it was impossible for her to actually hurt him.
In front of them, Nojiko had not yet noticed the two and was muttering to herself.
"I'll fry two eggs for Nami to help her recover."
"I didn't expect her to be so wild. Looks like it won't be more than a year or two before I become an aunt."
Hearing this, Nami's face turned completely red, her eyes looking as though they might overflow with embarrassment. Nojiko really had heard everything last night.
She pushed and pulled at Luo Chen with all her might, hoping he would teleport them away immediately. But Luo Chen seemed intent on watching the joke unfold and refused to budge.
Nami was so angry she gnashed her teeth. She glared at Luo Chen and had no choice but to start tiptoeing toward the exit on her own. Now, she could only rely on herself to escape.
But at that moment, Luo Chen intentionally gave a light cough.
Nojiko was startled, spinning around instantly. Seeing Luo Chen, she was somewhat surprised, but then she remembered the noises from the night before, and her expression turned awkward.
Nojiko instinctively looked away, only to spot Nami crouching a few steps away. Her expression shifted slightly as she realized what was happening.
Nojiko flashed a smile and called out rather loudly, "Nami, what are you doing? Go wash up and get ready for breakfast."
"You must be hungry after being so exhausted last night."
Hearing this, Nami's slender body trembled. She didn't dare look back as she replied, "No, I... I got it."
With that, she sprinted toward the bathroom.
Luo Chen glanced at the stove. Eggs were frying in the pan. Beside it, bread and sausages were in the oven.
He smiled and said, "It was hard work getting up so early to make breakfast."
Hearing this, Nojiko's smile became a bit unnatural.
"It's nothing. I couldn't sleep, so I just got up."
After saying that, she turned back quickly, not daring to interact with Luo Chen further. She had indeed barely slept all night. Even though she knew she shouldn't, her mind had involuntarily imagined the scenes next door. Facing Luo Chen today made her feel somewhat self-conscious.
...
Ten minutes later, at the dining table.
Nami sat opposite Nojiko, her head buried in her food. Under the table, she kept kicking Luo Chen. This awkward situation was entirely his fault.
In just a few minutes, Nami finished everything on her plate. She yanked Luo Chen up, meeting Nojiko's eyes for the first time today.
"The two of us are going to go for a stroll around the island. Sorry for the trouble with the dishes!"
With that, Nami pulled Luo Chen along, practically sprinting out of the house. Once outside, she let out a long sigh of relief and patted her chest, looking as if she had been choked up.
"It's all your fault. Now I don't even know how to talk to Nojiko anymore."
Nami continued to complain. It went in one of Luo Chen's ears and out the other. This certainly wasn't his fault, but if Nami wanted to vent, he'd let her.
The island of Cocoyasi Village wasn't small. It was home to over a dozen villages and featured beautiful natural scenery. Guided by Nami, Luo Chen visited various places across the island.
When they reached a forest with lush mountains and clear water, Luo Chen asked with a grin:
"Do you remember what you said last night?"
Nami's fair skin instantly flushed red. She had been drinking heavily, but she hadn't blacked out. The memories of last night were very vivid.
Nami shook her head violently and bolted toward the distance. But almost immediately, she felt weightless and began flying backward.
Nami was both embarrassed and anxious. "I was drunk last night! We really can't do it out in the wild, Luo Chen..."
Luo Chen laughed. "Explaining is just covering up, and covering up is the truth."
Last night, Nami had truly been outspoken, voicing many bold ideas. How could he not satisfy her?
...
That night, Luo Chen and Nami returned home. Nojiko was curled up on the sofa reading a nautical log. Seeing the two enter, she was somewhat surprised.
"I thought you two went back to stay on the ship."
"Have you eaten? I can make something for you."
Nojiko stood up, asking warmly. Noticing that Nami was walking with a slight limp, she asked worriedly, "Did you fall?"
Nami's eyes darted around as she nodded. "I slipped by accident. It's nothing serious."
She headed toward the bedroom, telling Nojiko there was no need to cook. She had already eaten her fill while they were out during the day.
Luo Chen did not follow her into the bedroom. Between today and last night, Nami had reached her physical limit. He said goodbye to Nojiko and then teleported back to the ship.
He hadn't seen Hancock, Robin, and the others for a day and a night; he had to go back and offer them some comfort.
Additionally, Robin had informed him today that the Jinghai Army had found that Mythical Zoan: Nine-Tailed Fox form Devil Fruit. This was a fruit Luo Chen had wanted to give to Nami for a long time. After eating it, Nami's physical constitution would improve significantly.
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**Would you like me to translate the next chapter or a specific scene involving the Nine-Tailed Fox fruit?**
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]