A storm raged over Loguetown.
Luffy, carrying Nami, sprinted all the way back to the Going Merry at a speed that was nothing short of astonishing.
After all, he didn't have Zoro's knack for getting lost. Coupled with a certain kind of high pressure—like someone holding a knife against your kidney from behind—you had to move fast, or you'd lose that kidney.
No one else was on the ship. It seemed Zoro and the others hadn't returned yet.
On the Going Merry, only the sound of pattering rain could be heard.
For a moment, Luffy didn't know what to say. Nami was clinging to him like an octopus, the kind you couldn't shake off even if you tried. Luffy had to admit that on the way back, to save time, he had taken every shortcut possible.
So high, so fast—Nami had been scared to death.
Now, he could only wait calmly for Nami to recover her senses. Luffy was fully prepared to get an earful.
However, a faint, delicate fragrance, carried by the rain, seemed to grow more potent. Combined with their current posture, which was far from dignified...
Especially after witnessing Nami's impromptu changing session in front of him earlier, images of a certain pink hue involuntarily surfaced in Luffy's mind.
[Warning...]
Suddenly, Nami's pupils dilated sharply.
She felt she could seize a weakness of Luffy's.
But the price for seizing that weakness was simply too high!
Boom!
Amidst the downpour, a dull thunderclap echoed through the oppressive sky, its sound reverberating across the deck of the Going Merry.
Zoro and the others still hadn't returned.
On this ship, there were only her and Luffy.
Nami's chest was pressed tightly against Luffy's, allowing her to feel his gradually quickening heartbeat with perfect clarity.
"Huff... huff..."
Just as one set of breathing grew increasingly ragged, another voice chose the most inopportune moment to speak up, rambling about sea horizons, analyzing current weather conditions, how Loguetown's climate wasn't suitable for setting sail, and so on.
Listening to this, the expression on Nami's face gradually shifted. She slowly lifted her head from the crook of Luffy's neck to look at him.
Sure enough, even his previously racing heartbeat had calmed down. Luffy was now solemnly using the nautical knowledge he had learned to analyze the current situation...
And then he reached a conclusion.
"Loguetown shouldn't have weather like this at this time of year, right?"
"...Right."
Nami's nautical knowledge was more than a cut above Luffy's. Of course she knew this sudden storm was abnormal by any measure.
But... in a situation like this, should your head really be filled with knowledge? Shouldn't it be filled with... position?
Nami climbed off him. Luffy, naturally, breathed a sigh of relief, his mind continuing its whirlwind of thoughts.
What would have happened if things had continued just now?
This is study time!
If they had continued, they wouldn't even have gotten to the next step before, in Nami's eyes, Luffy would have likely entered a state of post-clarity enlightenment.
Just thinking about that scene made his scalp tingle. He wished he could return to the starting point of his memories, to that shameless self who felt not an ounce of embarrassment...
It wasn't the right time. It wasn't the right place.
The price was—
A bite and a stomp. Nami's combo was executed with seamless fluidity.
"...Hiss."
Luffy, suffering an undeserved attack, was depressed.
But looking up at Nami, he saw her orange hair plastered against her increasingly pale cheeks. Her white shirt, soaked by the rain, clung tightly to her body, revealing faint traces of the fabric beneath and showcasing the girl's figure to its utmost.
"...You should go change your clothes first. Don't catch a cold."
Hearing such words from Luffy's mouth was a rare occurrence. Nami's expression warmed slightly as she said, "Before Zoro and the others get back, you keep a good watch. Don't let pirates or Marines or any enemies surround us..."
As she spoke, she headed towards her room to change.
Luffy naturally agreed immediately, but he followed closely behind Nami, step for step.
"...Why are you following me?"
"This... I want to study." Luffy's eyes were fixed on Nami, his gaze crystal clear.
Right now, he couldn't bear to be apart from Nami for even a moment.
But Nami remembered Luffy's reaction just now and where his eyes were focused now.
It's because he saw everything, that's why he's acting like this!
Growing somewhat frantic, she stepped forward and covered Luffy's eyes. "Just close your eyes for me first!"
...
What kind of sea is the Grand Line?
Extreme weather like this was all too common. One moment it could be sunny and bright, the next, lightning and thunder. Of course, one couldn't rule out the possibility of it being caused by some Devil Fruit user. The ability to alter weather to such an extreme degree would be immensely powerful.
Luffy was in Nami's room, holding a navigational logbook.
This was the one Zeff had given them at the Baratie. There was a reason Krieg had wanted this logbook. On the open sea, apart from human threats, pirates most needed to guard against natural disasters.
If they encountered extreme weather, forget five thousand men—even Marine Headquarters warships would be lost by the dozens. They, too, feared calamities like earthquakes.
Legendary pirate crews, even a massive fleet as formidable as the Golden Lion's, could be shattered and scattered by a single storm.
"So, the legendary Battle of Edd War is a classic example."
"...Right."
Nami sat in the bathroom, her body soaking in warm water as she let out a comfortable sigh. For a navigator like her, this knowledge was second nature. Who hadn't gone through a grind as a child? She, too, had experienced a phase like Luffy's.
Whether your interest is active or passive, in many cases, it can be considered the same thing.
That was exactly the state Luffy was in now.
[Mental energy severely depleted. Your willpower has increased. Proficiency in Kenbunshoku Haki +1.]
For Luffy, studying seemed like honey on the surface but was actually more akin to poison. Did he love studying? Don't be ridiculous. The only reason he could persevere was that strange thing giving him a stick and then rewarding him with a sweet date.
How useful Kenbunshoku Haki was—those who used it knew.
"Achoo!"
Luffy rubbed his nose. Leaning against the bathroom door, he came across some slightly esoteric knowledge and couldn't help but knock on the door to ask, "Are changes in deep ocean currents and vertical ocean temperature gradients the reasons for the emergence of large deep-sea creatures?"
The sound from inside paused for a moment. Then, the bathroom door was yanked open a crack. Nami stuck half her head out, glaring fiercely at Luffy. Her face was flushed a delicate pink against her fair skin, possessing the beauty of a lotus emerging from water. She bit her lower lip, her appearance a blend of pure cuteness and a hint of charming allure.
She took a bath towel and slapped it against Luffy's chest, her expression somewhat unnatural as she said, "You idiot, are you studying like your life depends on it?"
"I'm fit as a fiddle."
"What does that have to do with anything! On the open sea, a little wind and rain can lead to serious illness. Didn't you study medicine? How come you don't even understand that?"
Luffy took the towel. A faint, elegant fragrance wafted from it, and he sniffed it instinctively. Looking up at Nami, her face seemed to have turned even redder.
"Don't you dare do anything weird, you jerk!"
***
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