"Hmph~"
Nami let out a soft snort and casually said, "Nami, eighteen years old, I like money and oranges. Family… family…"
Under Luffy's thoughtful gaze, she quickly changed the subject. "My dream is to see the world with my own eyes and draw a complete map of it!"
As she spoke, her head dropped.
With Arlong's pirates still ruling her hometown… could she really achieve that dream?
Luffy glanced at the suddenly gloomy Nami and said calmly, "Luffy. I've got a grandpa at home and an old man out there. My dream is—"
"Wait!"
Nami suddenly realized something. "You still haven't said your age!"
"Ten— eightee—"
"Haha! You're stuttering. You're definitely not eighteen. Come on, say it! Are you younger than me? Call me 'Big Sis Nami,' let's hear it!"
Nami looked way too delighted, like being older than Luffy was the happiest thing that had ever happened to her.
Luffy snapped, "I am eighteen! Born on May 5th!"
"Liar! Rubber liar! You're definitely younger than eighteen—sixteen at most!" Nami eyed him suspiciously.
Luffy knew she was trying to provoke him into revealing his real age, so he ignored her.
He cleared his throat and continued, "My dream is to become the Pirate King!"
Nami froze. "The Pirate King? Who's that? And why do you want to be her man?"
Luffy: "???"
"You heard wrong. I said I'm going to be the Pirate King!"
Tilting her head, Nami asked, "Why do you want to be Pirate King then?"
Luffy spoke solemnly, "Because the Pirate King is the freest man in the world!"
"You can be free without being Pirate King… Whatever. Don't you have any normal hobbies?"
"I do!"
Luffy answered very seriously, "Power, wealth, fame, strength, beautiful women, influence…"
Nami stared at him speechlessly. "Which one of those is your hobby?"
Luffy put on a rare serious expression.
"Obviously… all of them!"
Nami rubbed her forehead.
I am so done.
Everything about him is insane—his rubber body, his lack of a proper ship…
And he wants to be Pirate King?!
"I… forget it."
Regaining her thoughts, Nami asked, "So you're really not scared about going to a Marine base? You're a pirate, you know~"
"Why would I be scared? I'm strong."
"You… fine, sure, you're strong."
"I don't just mean physically. I mean my background."
Hearing that, Nami tilted her head again. "What background?"
Luffy shrugged. "My grandpa is Monkey D. Garp."
No need to explain further.
Just saying that was already the limit of this entire realm!
Backgrounds were meant to be flaunted—why hide them?
As expected, Nami froze like a statue.
Monkey D. Garp…
The legendary Marine hero, a Vice Admiral of Headquarters?!
That's his grandpa?!
If that were true… then maybe he could help her… maybe her village…
Nami's eyes lit up, excitement surging on her face.
"You're not lying to me?"
"Why would I lie? How many people with the surname 'Monkey' have you met?"
"…"
Nami thought long and hard, then shook her head vigorously. "No. No way. If your grandpa is a Marine Vice Admiral, why are you a pirate? You're lying!"
Ugh! She almost believed him!
As Bellemere said, men's mouths are full of lies!
Luffy shrugged. "You don't believe me?"
"Not a chance!"
Nami glared at him, absolutely certain he was trying to trick her.
Luffy stared at her stubborn expression, feeling unexpectedly helpless.
So this is how it feels to tell the truth and still get treated like a liar?
"If you—"
Before he could finish, the sea surged violently.
Crisis always appeared without warning on the Grand Line.
"Boom!"
A monstrous sea beast—nearly a hundred meters long—burst from the water, its blood-red eyes gleaming, drooling as its massive jaws opened.
"Ah!"
Nami went completely stiff, her pupils shaking in terror.
It wasn't a true Sea King, but to a normal person, a hundred-meter beast was enough to scare the soul out of them.
Panicking, she latched onto Luffy's arm. Her legs felt like jelly.
"R-run! Hurry! Let's run!"
She reached for the oar, but before her hand touched it, a massive shadow fell over them.
!!!
Feeling the overwhelming threat creeping down her spine, Nami's heart plummeted.
She looked up in despair.
It's over. I'm going to die in this thing's stomach.
Even if Luffy was strong, he couldn't fight something this huge… right?
She gave up resisting and shut her eyes, ready for death.
At that moment, a strong warm hand gently cupped her cheek.
It was a feeling she couldn't describe—warm, safe, steady.
He casually pinched her cheek, her short orange hair fluttering in the wind.
Shaken to her core, preparing for death, Nami opened her eyes instinctively.
She found herself staring into the calm, gentle eyes of the boy in front of her.
"Nami," Luffy said softly, "you're my person. So anything that scares you—human or beast—must die."
The words fell, and a tidal wave of aura blasted outward, murderous intent erupting like a storm.
Nami froze, cold sweat gathering on her forehead.
Then, in her stunned gaze, Luffy raised his arm.
It stretched—just a bit—and clamped onto the sea beast's tooth.
And then—
He threw the hundred-meter monster into the air with one hand.
In the next instant, his figure vanished.
High above, crackling black-red lightning flashed around him. The beast's eyes rolled white as Luffy's fist smashed into its jaw.
The monster flew hundreds of meters and crashed into a distant mountaintop—dead on impact.
And before Nami could even breathe, Luffy was already standing before her, helping her up.
"I told you—I'll protect you, always."
Nami's face had gone pale, tears spilling from the corners of her eyes.
Luffy ruffled her hair with a laugh. "You're my partner. You can't go crying every time something happens."
Seeing her trembling expression, he easily guessed the truth—she was probably terrified by that burst of killing intent.
He sighed.
How is she this timid?
He originally thought he could teach Nami a few moves, let her take down a fish-man herself.
But looking at her now…
Guess I'll just have to kill Arlong myself.
Luffy didn't blame her. This was exactly how Nami was at the beginning:
Cunning, timid, ready to run at the first sign of trouble.
But it was fine. Once he killed Arlong… she would change overnight.
"W-who's crying! It's the wind! The wind blew into my eyes!"
Nami exhaled shakily, relieved to be alive, but her mouth was still stubborn.
She stared at the warm, smiling boy—about her height yet terrifyingly strong—and couldn't quite believe it.
A beast like that… even Arlong couldn't kill it with one punch.
And that killing intent—just one glance felt like it could make someone kneel…
He really was strong.
If he helped her, then maybe… just maybe… Cocoyasi Village—
Her thoughts drifted.
And when she looked at Luffy again, an unnameable brightness shimmered in her orange eyes.
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T/N:
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