Vivi's mind was in a complete daze.
Because of the injury to that private area, even moving was difficult. Her body was using almost no strength of its own; she was being completely dragged along by Luffy.
The sensation of intimate physical contact between a man and a woman was washing over her entire being.
Vivi felt like crying at her own stupidity. She seemed to have trapped herself.
Don't... don't leave!
Right now, even Nami's expressionless face seemed somewhat kind and benevolent in Vivi's eyes.
Snapping back to reality, she opened her mouth, wanting to call Nami back. At the very least, with Nami, another girl, by her side, Luffy probably wouldn't dare to try anything.
What about Merry?
In Vivi's eyes, this cute little girl was almost the same as a little devil with horns sprouting from her head.
She and Luffy are in cahoots!
She didn't know if it was because of the physical contact or because she was being carted off towards an unknown abyss, but Vivi felt her heart pounding wildly in her chest. And then... she felt another heart, also pounding just as wildly, and couldn't help but look at Luffy.
"I'll take responsibility for your wound, so don't go saying a bunch of nonsense," Luffy said, looking at Vivi, who was right in front of him.
Her tied-up high ponytail was now down, revealing the thick, flowing blue hair that gave her a very ladylike, princess-like air.
"What nonsense? That's the truth, isn't it?" A flush rose on Vivi's face. "Your behavior of secretly threatening people by spanking girls needs to be properly criticized!"
"That's because we were enemies before. And also, I did it out in the open."
"Pervert!"
"Thanks for the meal."
Vivi: "???"
Luffy watched as Vivi's face showed a look of disdain, nearly identical to the "looking at trash" expression Nami often wore. He was already used to it.
"I regret it. I shouldn't have agreed to this," Vivi lamented, feeling like she had boarded a pirate ship—and even the captain was such a pervert. Were there any normal people on this ship?
"Regret denied."
Luffy unilaterally exercised the captain's veto power.
"You!"
Vivi instinctively leaned forward to argue with Luffy, but he happened to turn his head back. The distance between them suddenly became dangerous.
They could even feel each other's breath.
"Too close..."
Vivi instinctively arched her neck back to avoid him, her ears growing a bit warm.
"Do you think I'm a vampire? Inviting me to a meal."
"Shut up, you pervert!"
Luffy had experience with being bitten—the power of Uta's little fangs was still fresh in his mind. Uta had seemed quite satisfied back then, which had left Luffy feeling a bit itchy himself.
No, doing this will really get me labeled as a pervert later.
[Nika Affinity: 5.8%]
What did that mean?
Luffy was a bit confused.
Could it be that this Nika is actually some kind of vampire? Vivi's blood seems very appealing to it.
"Can I take a bite? For an experiment."
"No! Stop bringing up all this nonsense!" The light had died in Vivi's eyes. What kind of "experiments" was Luffy talking about? Hitting, feeding... She wouldn't be surprised at all if some other bizarre thing appeared next.
Hearing this, Luffy didn't press the matter.
Treating an enemy and treating a nakama were two completely different things.
If you're not a nakama but an enemy, of course, you can be more forceful. Any protests are invalid.
But once you become a nakama, it's different. You have the right to refuse.
Vivi noticed this point too, finding Luffy to be quite contradictory.
In the girls' room.
Luffy placed Vivi on the bed, having her lie face down.
"You... what do you think you're doing?!"
This position made her back feel cold and completely unsafe, especially since she could still feel Luffy's gaze lingering on her body.
"I'm taking responsibility for your wound. Don't judge me by appearances, but until we find a ship's doctor, I'm the temporary doctor on this ship," Luffy explained, instructing Merry to fetch some medicinal herbs from the storeroom.
"Isn't there anyone else?!"
"Unfortunately, no."
Luffy pulled over a chair and sat down, then reached out to pull down Vivi's pants.
"Wait a minute," Vivi turned her head, a touch of crimson on her face, a hint of unease in her tone. She reached out and grabbed Luffy's wrist, giving him a somewhat wronged glance, her eyes moist. "R-really... only you?"
It was hard to imagine the sheer impact such an expression had on a guy.
"Don't worry. In a doctor's eyes, there are no genders," Luffy said, his gaze firm.
That's what they say...
But just the other day, when treating Uta—basically undressing her completely and wiping her body—he didn't feel like this at all. Why was it different now?
Just then, Merry came dashing in, holding the herbs Luffy needed.
After grinding the herbs into a powder, Luffy gently parted her. "Bear with it. It might hurt a bit at first."
Vivi's body trembled as a fiery, stinging pain shot through her.
You're the one who hit me, and you're the one who gets to see everything because of this chance. How come you get all the advantages!
Tears instantly welled up in Vivi's eyes. She turned her head sharply, grabbed Luffy's hand—sure enough, it stretched—and bit down hard.
Luffy's mouth twitched. Women really are all vampires or something.
He didn't dare to use Busoshoku Haki to harden it. She was biting with all the strength she had. If he hardened it now, he'd probably break her teeth.
...
Vivi was panting in small gasps, drenched in sweat.
Her gaze was slightly unfocused, her whole body slick with perspiration. She didn't even know where she was anymore.
Gradually coming back to her senses, she jolted awake.
At first, his scalding palm brushed against my skin, his movements gentle. How could he resemble the guy who used brute force to make me submit?
But gradually, the medicine took effect, bringing a cool, soothing sensation. Vivi slowly relaxed her bite, and only when she unconsciously licked her lips did she notice a faint taste of blood.
He didn't make a single sound even after being bitten like this.
The earlier searing, burning pain was now covered by a cool relief, but she was still lying there bare, without a stitch of clothing.
Blushing, Vivi snorted. "Hey, one thing at a time. Don't think I'm going to thank you for this. This was your doing in the first place, so you have to take responsibility!"
There was no response. She glanced at the wrist in her grip, now stained with blood from her bite, feeling a pang of guilt.
"I... I heard saliva can help stop bleeding, but don't expect me to do something like that for you!"
Why isn't he saying anything?
Vivi turned her head and only then realized Luffy had closed his eyes at some point, as if he'd fallen asleep.
Is something like this... that tiring?
"Don't disturb Luffy," Merry shushed Vivi quietly.
Merry didn't know what was happening either.
But she could sense that Luffy seemed to have entered some kind of state.
That was indeed the case.
Luffy himself didn't know what was happening either. While applying medicine to Vivi, the Nika Affinity had been shooting up.
[Nika Affinity: 10%]
And then, his eyes closed and opened, and something strange happened.
"Where is this?"
***
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