Chapter 130Vivi knew a bit about the geography and civilizations around the world. Leaning on the railing, she introduced them to her companions:"Water 7 is built entirely on a foundation submerged in the sea. It's a city that thrives on shipbuilding, possessing the world's best shipbuilding technology, and it's also where the world's top shipwrights gather.""Then we'll find shipwrights for our new ship here!" Luffy said.Vivi agreed. This was the World Government's designated shipbuilding city, and many Marinewarships were built here.However, the noisy wind made her a little worried.This leads to some history of Water 7. Many years ago, the city wasn't like this. At that time, the so-called Water 7 was still suffering from rising water levels and trading difficulties, becoming an increasingly isolated island where residents could barely survive.Like the massive tsunamis that struck every year, this isolated island was on the verge of being submerged.It was the famous shipwright Tom who, on Scrap Island outside Water 7, developed the Sea Traintracks and built the world's first Sea Train, the Puffing Tom. This transformed Water 7 from a forcibly closed, gradually desolate town into the prosperous metropolis it is today.The annual Gods of Water' Alert seemed to be in these two days.Compared to other cities, people here were highly desensitized to pirates. Some fishermen warned them not to enter from the front if they were pirates, as it would cause trouble, suggesting they enter through the back streets instead.Some people even asked Luffy and his crew what they were doing there when they encountered them."Would a normal person ask that?"Zoro couldn't help but retort.Chapter 187: No Matter What, Let Me Be With NamiLuffy and his crew found a relatively secluded dock to moor the going merry.After descending from Sky Island and enduring the Admiral's battle, they finally arrived at such a prosperous and novel city. Everyone seemed a little excited."Speaking of which, why do people here not seem to be afraid of pirates?"Chopper looked up and asked curiously."Basically, the more prosperous a place, the higher its desensitization to pirates."Vivi explained, "Piracy is rampant, and places without enough strength to protect themselves struggle to develop and are constantly harassed by pirates. Conversely, a city that can develop to this scale must have masters presiding over it, or be under the protection of certain powerhouses.Moreover, Water 7 is a world-renowned shipyard, and pirates are one of their endless stream of customers."After all, pirates like Luffy's crew, who had just acquired a large amount of gold and ample funds from Sky Island, were the best customers.With the ship docked, everyone began discussing how to split into groups."No matter what, I'm with Nami," Luffy was the first to raise his hand, his voice loud. Just as he couldn't be without Robin before, now that the plan had changed, he couldn't be without Namieither.Nami's face instantly flushed. Feeling the various gazes from her companions, she bit the bullet and forced herself to calmly explain:"That's fine too, because we need to exchange the gold treasure for Berries! The amount is huge, so it's safer for Luffy and me to go together!"Yes, that's it!No other reason.Zoro, holding his sword, said indifferently, "I'll just wander around and see the city."Sanji immediately retorted, "Hey, Marimo, with your super sense of direction in such a big city, if you get lost, will we have to put up missing person posters?""What did you say?! Wanna fight, Curly Eyebrows!" A vein popped on Zoro's forehead."Who's afraid of who!"Seeing the two about to quarrel again, Nami hit them both with her staff, suppressing them: "Enough! Zoro, you're with Sanji! Sanji is in charge of buying food, and Zoro, you're in charge of watching Sanji, making sure he doesn't cause trouble, and preventing yourself from getting lost!"Usopp rubbed his hands together: "I'm going to buy all sorts of supplies to upgrade the Merry! The shells we brought from Sky Island, and things the new ship might need, I need to research them thoroughly!"Chopper's eyes lit up: "Usopp, I want to go too. I'm very interested in those novel tools and materials!""No problem, Chopper! Leave it to me!" Usopppatted his chest proudly.Vivi pondered for a moment, then said, "Then Robin and I will take Kokoro's letter of introduction to Mr. Iceberg and discuss building a new ship."She indeed had an innate talent for communication and negotiation.Robin smiled and nodded: "I have no problem."Little Merry also excitedly raised her hand: "Merrywants to go too!"Finally, everyone's gaze fell on Nika, who was leaning alone by the ship's rail, swirling a wine glass.Thinking of me now?Isn't there anyone to speak for me?Nika yawned and said lazily, "Alright, alright, it seems everyone's arranged. Then I'll reluctantly stay behind and watch the ship."Luffy mercilessly retorted, "Isn't that just what you wanted? So you can sneak drinks.""Shut up!"Nika glared at him.She still had quite a few complaints about Luffygiving away her wine.Luffy and Nami were the last to leave.After everyone else had gone, Nami made an excuse to go back to the girls' cabin to get something, and slipped inside.Luffy waited on the deck for a while before he saw Nami sneaking out."You're so slow, Nami," Luffy complained with a yawn."I'm ready, let's go."Nami walked out of the cabin, somewhat unnaturally tucking a strand of her orange hair behind her shoulder, a barely noticeable blush on her face. She glared at Luffy in slight embarrassment, "What's wrong with waiting a bit? Girls always need to prepare before going out!"Only then did Luffy notice that Nami had meticulously dressed up.At this moment, she had changed out of her usual simple tank top and shorts, putting on a blue and white striped short-sleeved shirt with a playful orange tie at the collar, and a beige pleated mini-skirt on the bottom.Most of her fair, slender legs were exposed, gleaming with a healthy glow in the sunlight. This outfit perfectly accentuated her tall and well-proportioned figure, making her look both fresh and full of youthful vitality.So she secretly went to change clothes.A little bit cunning.Luffy blinked and directly praised, "Very beautiful."Nami's heart was as sweet as honey, but on the surface, she haughtily lifted her chin: "Hmph, at least you have good taste.""Then let's go quickly!"Luffy grabbed Nami's wrist and pulled her close to him."What's the rush?"Nami stumbled as he pulled her, quickly catching up. The sea breeze blew, and she hastily pressed down on her hair and skirt, which were being lifted by the wind, muttering discontentedly, "I still have things to buy later. I don't have enough clothes and stuff, I need to replenish some.""Could it be that you're not wearing black or white stockings because you ran out?" Luffy instinctively replied, but he quickly met his retribution.Nami's cheeks turned crimson, and her other hand accurately twisted the soft flesh on his lower back."Go to hell, you perverted Captain! I'm absolutely not wearing those again!" Nami's face showed annoyance and shame."That's a shame," Luffy grimaced in pain, but still grinned, reverting to his carefree self.Nami couldn't help but glance down at her legs. In fact, she had deliberated for a long time in the cabin, indeed thinking about whether to dress more sexily, but ultimately decided it was too deliberate and gave up.She couldn't believe this guy actually brought it up!Luffy wanted to tease Nami, so he said, "Should we pretend to be someone?""Why?" Nami asked, puzzled.Luffy said seriously, "We're exchanging so much gold; having an identity shouldn't attract more suspicion, right?""You actually thought of that?"Nami was surprised, then asked, "Then what identity?""Do we look like a couple?""What?! How do we look like that?"Nami hastily denied, "Don't say such strange things!""Right, not right now."Luffy's words made Nami breathe a sigh of relief.The two walked side by side on the wide streets of Water 7, bickering back and forth."Nami, your face is very red."Luffy suddenly leaned in, staring at her face as he spoke."Huh? Wh-where? Maybe it's because the sun is too strong! Yes, it's too hot!" Nami frantically fanned herself, trying to hide her embarrassment at being exposed.Because her little secret was seen through, she felt a bit shy. To divert attention, she softly asked, "Um, Luffy, you seemed very concerned when Kokoromentioned Enies Lobby earlier?"She noticed.Chapter 188: SecretThe observant Nami noticed the fleeting unusual expression on Luffy's face at the time and instinctively felt a sense of unease."That matter..."Luffy paused, looked at the bustling crowd around them, and lowered his voice, "Don't tell anyone yet."Nami was startled, before she could react, Luffysuddenly took her hand.Not her wrist, but directly and firmly, holding her hand in his palm.Nami instantly froze, her orange eyes widening slightly, looking at Luffy in disbelief.Luffy also looked directly into Nami's eyes."Wh-why?" Nami felt her voice trembling, and her palms quickly became damp."We need to have some secrets that no one else knows," he said, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.Nami suddenly felt dizzy, her mind a blank.Why was Luffy suddenly so aggressive?Also, what was the secret that no one else knew? Had Luffy already realized that she had fed him something on Drum Island, um...The more she thought about it, the redder her face became.She completely failed to realize that this was just Luffy noticing her concern about the Enies Lobbyincident and, fearing that she would delve deeper and discover his intention to cause trouble for the World Government, he spontaneously used this ambiguous method to change the subject.After Kokoro introduced Enies Lobby, Luffyactually felt like stirring up trouble.The World Government had done so much to Robin; with his protective nature, wouldn't he want to retaliate fiercely?However, on second thought, he decided against it. Because it was too dangerous.But Nami had noticed this, and if she knew, he would inevitably be scolded.It turned out he found that Nami seemed to be caught off guard?"What secret?""Let's pretend to be a couple," Luffy smiled, pressing his advantage, and tightened his grip on her hand."H-how do we pretend?" Nami's voice was as faint as a mosquito's buzz, her cheeks burning hot."Like this, holding hands.""Alright then," Nami agreed almost instinctively, completely unable to think."Indeed, Nami's hand is so soft."Luffy felt the delicate touch in his palm and genuinely marveled.He had held it before on Sky Island to control the electricity, but his mind was on his abilities then. Now, holding it purely, there was a feeling that made his heart inexplicably race."N-don't keep saying things like that!" Nami was overly nervous, her palms sweating even more. She subconsciously tried to pull her hand away, but Luffy held it tighter."Your hand is so soft."Luffy, as if he had found a new toy, deliberately repeated it."Don't keep saying things like that, it's too, too embarrassing!"Nami bit her lower lip, her face so red it looked like it would bleed. She felt like all the passersby were looking at them. "This makes me very uncomfortable."
