Chapter 161 - 19

Chapter 19The gaze was so intense that Nami looked away; she was clearly used to living on her own."Nye-nye, Nami, you wouldn't happen to be blushing, would you?"Luffy asked as he watched Nami, who had looked away and was gradually scooting back on the bed bit by bit.Her orange hair was a bit messy, and Nami held a thin quilt that she had pulled over herself at some point.Her jade-white calves were exposed, revealing five translucent, plump little "fruits" that made it hard to look away. One of her shoulder straps had slipped down, revealing a smooth, fair shoulder."Who do you think is to blame for this?!" Namishouted in exasperation. "It's because you just did those weird things!"Luffy: "That's only because you were being stubborn. If you'd just said it sooner, none of this would have happened.""I didn't expect you to be this kind of Luffy!""Disgusting!""Ah, thanks for the compliment."Luffy had already stopped caring.He didn't want to argue at all. Compared to the so-called misunderstanding, not having a "social death" moment by becoming a "jet warrior" in front of Nami was a blessing in disguise.Let her think of him that way, then.And...Luffy's gaze couldn't help but fall on the girl's rosy lips. In the heat of the moment, he hadn't felt much, but reflecting on it now, it was like eating jelly."What are you looking at?!""Mouth—no... legs, it's the legs."Nami looked down at him with a look of disdain. "So you're a foot fetishist?"Fortunately, she wasn't in the habit of wearing things like stockings.Luffy didn't argue. He was currently multitasking; it used to be hard for him to focus on even one thing, but now he had actually trained himself to do this.In the past, his single-core processing system would have overloaded long ago."Why are you acting like a diligent student again?" Nami got off the bed, her fair feet stepping on the floor as she walked over to Luffy and tugged at his face. "What exactly are you trying to do?"Nami was a bit frustrated; just a moment ago, Luffylooked like he couldn't wait to fly straight to Arlongs Crew and beat them all up."Just focus on sailing the ship back to the village," Luffy said, turning back to give Nami some reassurance. "When the time comes, just watch how I send those guys flying."It would still be a few hours before they reached Cocoyasi Village.Luffy glanced at the time; it was only one in the afternoon. Based on the past two days, they would likely reach Cocoyasi Village during his Devil Fruitdevelopment period.The time management was perfect!On the deck."So... so fast?" Luffy checked the time. Only three hours had passed!"Because the wind happened to be in our favor."The outline of Cocoyasi Village was clearly visible in the distance. Nami felt a bit dazed. She looked back at Luffy and took a deep breath. "Maybe we should wait for Zoro and the others to arrive..."She didn't know what was happening with Luffy.But Nami had her own unique powers of observation. If nothing else, none of Luffy's actions were half-hearted pretenses; they were like things he absolutely had to do.Like an OCD patient who even had to fart at a scheduled time.From the moment they boarded until now, Luffyhad been studying by her side, holding a book in his hands.Now isn't the best time for a fight, right?"Zoro has his own things to do, and as the Captain, it's my job to resolve my crew's worries."Luffy looked at the characters appearing before him, gritting his teeth.[Warning: (During study period) Distractions are not allowed. Punishment countdown...]His stubborn, mule-like personality flared up at that moment.Wait?The enemy is right there, so why wait? If this happens once, it'll happen again.What if they come up to you, slap your face, and act all high and mighty?Luffy threw the book in his hand directly away.Then, relying on his Rubber Human traits, he tensed up.A person has to be ruthless to themselves! Even if I die of exhaustion today, I'll send Arlongs Crewflying first!Who do you think I am? I'm the man who will become the Pirate King!Luffy panted and began swinging his arms, preparing to charge straight into Arlong Park and take down those fishmen in the shortest time possible.The next second.[Special circumstance detected. Possessing the spirit of the Pirate King. Haoshoku Haki proficiency +1.][Planned behavior changing. Priority for resolving comrade Nami's troubles has been increased.][Training plan being modified.][Resolving the event will grant bonus reward time.]What does "reward time" mean?Forget it, it's not important.The important thing is that I can let go now!Much better.Suddenly, a "Bulu Bulu" sound rang out from inside the room.Nami paused for a moment, then went into the room and brought out a transponder snail."What's this?" Luffy asked.It was his first time seeing one."Something for long-distance communication... it's my sister." The transponder snail Nami had was only linked to her sister.After connecting, the transponder snail visibly changed, taking on a hint of purple."Nami, don't come back lately. For some reason, the fishmen at Arlong Park have all gathered together. It seems like the Marines are coming."The voice sounded anxious."Marines? What are they doing here?"Nami's hatred for the Marines was about the same as her hatred for Arlongs Crew.Cocoyasi Village had clearly been exploited by Arlongs Crew for over a decade, so why hadn't the Marines done anything?If the East Blue Marines couldn't win, fine, but what about the Marines from Marine Headquarters?Their constant talk of "justice" is just a pile of shit; in the end, it's not as good as..."It's too late, Nojiko. I'm back."Nami replied."Rubber... Balloon!"Just as she finished speaking, a cannonball suddenly flew in from the distance.Luffy leaped up and reflected the cannonball right back.The cannonball hit a Marine warship not far away, and a figure rushed onto the deck in a rage.He wore a Marine officer's cap decorated with mouse ears."What are these Marines doing here?""They didn't come earlier or later, but chose this exact moment." Nami recognized the man almost instantly.He was a Marine Captain from the 16th Branch; this entire area was under his jurisdiction."Luffy, be careful," Nami said.It was already not going to be easy for Luffy to face Arlongs Crew alone, and now the Marines were here too."Leave it to me." Luffy stood on the figurehead, pressed his fist into his palm, and took a crouching stance as steam began to rise from his body.Gear Second, activate!Chapter 22: This is a Captain's Order"Colonel Nezumi, that seems to be a newly appeared pirate ship. Should we go and eliminate them?"The Lieutenant next to Colonel Nezumi looked at the ship that had been fired upon."That's not our target."Colonel Nezumi glanced at the pirate ship nearby. Judging by the flag, it wasn't a familiar one, likely newly formed.Ever since Pirate King Gol D. Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, an endless stream of pirates had been emerging on this sea every day.That was why he would climb the ranks at any cost.In this world, the weak are meant to be bullied.Colonel Nezumi didn't usually come to Cocoyasi Village; if he did, he would take a small boat with his confidants straight to Arlong Park.This time was different. A Lieutenant Commander from Marine Headquarters had been attacked by pirates in the East Blue, right within Colonel Nezumi's jurisdiction. Colonel Nezumi could only think of Arlongs Crew as the ones capable of such a thing.The twenty-odd small islands of the Conomi Islands were all under Arlong's rule. Everyone was forced to pay a head tax, just like the Celestial Dragons' Heavenly Tribute.They were clearly making a fortune, yet they still caused him this much trouble.So Colonel Nezumi had brought his troops here to give them a slight warning.As for the pirates over there, he'd leave them to Arlongs Crew. Anyone who could withstand a cannonade didn't seem like ordinary pirates.But on this sea, fishmen were indeed a relatively noble race."While we're at it, go warn those commoners in Cocoyasi Village to stay in line and not try anything."Colonel Nezumi prepared to disembark.Da-da.On the ship, Luffy landed steadily."I heard what you just said. What do you plan to do to Nami's village?" Luffy stood on the mast, looking at them expressionlessly."Who are you?!" Colonel Nezumi's eyes widened."Monkey D. Luffy. I'm a pirate."Almost the instant he spoke, Luffy's figure abruptly vanished and reappeared right in front of Colonel Nezumi.A pirate?Could he be from that ship? But that should still be several nautical miles away!"It's a pirate ship!""The pirates and the Marines are fighting.""Quick, go find Genzo and Nojiko.""Wait, look! Is that Nami on that ship?"There were many villagers at the harbor, and they were all stunned by the scene.Crash! The massive Marine warship shattered and collapsed before their eyes.Is... is this a human?"Lu... Luffy?"When the going merry docked, Luffy was still emitting steam. Seeing him in this state for the second time—especially with the shattered Marinewarship and a crowd of Marines of unknown status behind him—Nami was momentarily stunned."The lead Marine said he wanted to do something to your village," Luffy said as he put on his Straw Hat and walked over to Nami. "It seems to be related to Arlongs Crew."As soon as he said this, the villagers who had just walked over looked at each other in bewilderment.