Chapter 5: Our Navigator
Using my Adept Spycraft skill along with my Rokushiki techniques, I followed Nami silently as she made her way inside the Marine base while avoiding detection from both her and the Marines stationed there.
'Gotta admit, Nami’s pretty good at this sneaking thing for someone who learned on the fly and somehow managed to survive this long,' I thought slightly impressed.
As I quietly followed behind my future navigator, I decided to roll the new ticket I had gotten earlier after meeting Zoro.
[Feat Achieved! Met and Made a Good Impression on Zoro]
+1 Gold Random Ticket
[Rolling…]
[Ring of the Sun Princess]
|Elite Item|
Dark Souls — Ring associated with Gwynevere, Princess of Sunlight and eldest daughter of Gwyn, the First Lord. The ring is vaguely warm, like a beam of sunlight, and grants the user regeneration and restoration. This effect is further amplified by sunlight.
‘Another pretty convenient pull considering my Devil Fruit shares the name of the Sun God of this world,’ I thought with a small blink.
My gaze shifted toward Nami for a moment and I briefly blushed as I caught sight of her on her hands and knees while peeking around a corner, giving me a perfect view of her ass hidden beneath her short yellow skirt and distracting me for a second.
‘That’s some ass, alright.’ I thought distractedly.
A moment later, I shook my head and focused again.
‘This ring might honestly serve a better purpose in Nami’s hands than mine. Since she’s not really a frontline fighter, having some extra protection and regeneration could be useful for her.’
Then I felt nervous sweat roll down my neck as another important detail hit me.
‘Now I just need to figure out how to give it to her without her immediately selling it… and somehow avoid the misunderstanding that comes with giving a girl a golden ring for apparently no reason.’
For the time being though, I silently summoned the ring into my closed fist to hide the flash of light before slipping it onto my right hand.
Almost immediately, I felt a faint warmth spread through my body.
It took several more minutes before Nami finally stopped in front of a door that looked important and got to work lockpicking it while I watched from a distance.
When she finally got it open, another larger safe inside the small room immediately made her eyes widen with excitement.
Unfortunately for her, this lock was far more complicated.
Deciding I had watched enough, I purposely let my footsteps be heard as I approached.
Nami instantly flinched and spun around with panic in her eyes and a nervous smile on her face.
That expression froze the moment she properly recognized me.
Wariness immediately replaced it as she subtly stepped back, one hand lowering toward her thigh where I remembered she kept her three-section staff.
I simply raised a hand in greeting.
“Yo~ Need a hand?” I asked helpfully while flashing her an easygoing smile and letting my natural charm do most of the work.
“W-What are you doing here?” Nami asked, blinking before becoming even more guarded.
“Two reasons,” I said easily while raising two fingers and stopping just far enough away so I wouldn’t make her even more nervous.
“One is probably the same reason as you,” I continued while lowering one finger and sticking my free hand into my pocket. “I heard there’s a map to the Grand Line here, and since I plan on going there eventually, I figured I might as well grab it for myself.”
My answer made her tense slightly before a calculating look appeared in her eyes, which I pretended not to notice.
“The second reason is that I’m looking for my crewmate’s swords that were confiscated. You wouldn’t happen to know where that blond idiot with the onion haircut’s room is, would you?” I finished casually before blinking and suddenly grinning as I pointed at myself.
“Oh, and my name’s Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet you, fellow thief~”
“Tch, don’t compare me to scum like you,” Nami immediately shot back with a small frown while crossing her arms. “My name’s Nami, and I only steal from filthy pirates like you.”
Blinking in genuine confusion, I tilted my head.
“Okay… but aren’t you literally trying to rob a Marine base right now?” I pointed out. “If they catch you, they won’t care what you call yourself. They’ll probably label you a pirate too if you survive long enough.” I paused. “Also, I never said I was a pirate.”
Realizing I had a point, a faint embarrassed blush appeared on Nami’s cheeks before she growled at me with suspiciously sharp teeth, making me blink in confusion.
‘…The hell? I thought that was just an anime gag.’
‘Then again, I live in a world with Devil Fruits and giant sea monsters now, so maybe I shouldn’t question it.’
“That’s not the point, idiot! And you totally look like one!” Nami snapped before suddenly freezing and slapping both hands over her mouth in panic.
I stayed quiet and focused for a moment before blinking.
Luckily, there were no nearby presences at the moment. Most of the Marines were upstairs for some reason while the rest were on the lower floors.
“Whew, looks like we got lucky and nobody heard you,” I said after a moment.
Nami visibly relaxed and slumped forward in relief.
“Now then,” I continued casually, “do you want my help opening that safe? You looked like you were struggling a bit.”
Nami immediately became wary again before that sly gleam returned to her eyes and a charming smile spread across her face.
“Hey, here’s an idea~” she said smoothly while stepping closer into my personal space. “Why don’t we team up for a while as partners? I’m a pretty great navigator, and you seem strong, so I bet we could make a lot more money together.”
She looked up at me with a slightly seductive expression while subtly showing off a bit of cleavage.
“As for my fee, how does an eighty-twenty split sound? A pretty girl like me has expenses, you know?”
When she noticed I hadn’t immediately rejected the offer, she leaned a little harder into the act.
“You’re a navigator?” I asked excitedly, completely ignoring her seduction attempt.
Nami blinked in surprise as I suddenly grabbed one of her hands in both of mine and enthusiastically shook it.
“You’ve got yourself a deal, Nami~ Welcome aboard!”
Nami stared at me for several seconds like I had suddenly grown a second head.
Not only had I completely ignored her amateur seduction attempt, but my response had been entirely genuine.
Eventually, she shook her head before her gleaming smile returned.
“Great~ Then help me open this safe before we get caught,” Nami said while stepping aside and letting me get a proper look at the iron safe.
“Sure thing, no problem~” I replied with a grin as I stepped forward and crouched in front of it.
Under Nami’s curious gaze, I slowly raised my index finger and coated it with a bit of Armament Haki, turning it shiny black.
Nami immediately gasped in surprise.
“H-How did your finger change color like that!? Is that because of a Devil Fruit?” she asked in astonishment while stepping closer to inspect it.
“Nah, anyone can learn this with enough training,” I replied casually. “Don’t worry, I’ll explain later. For now, watch this~”
Giving her a teasing grin, my hand suddenly blurred forward.
The sound of metal being pierced echoed through the room.
Shigan.
As my hand returned to its original position, a perfectly round hole had appeared in the center of the safe’s locking mechanism as if someone had fired a bullet through it.
Nami stared at it with wide eyes.
Then, while enjoying her stunned expression a little too much, I casually reached forward and pulled the safe open as my finger returned to normal.
“And just like that… one open safe~” I declared proudly while crossing my arms.
Nami looked at the safe.
Then at me.
Then back at the safe again.
A moment later, Berry signs practically appeared in her eyes, slightly freaking me out as she squealed happily.
“Hihihi~ I can already tell this is the start of a beautiful partnership, Luffy~”
“Me too~” I replied with a softer, more genuine smile as I thought about all the adventures waiting for us in the future.
Now that the ice between us had mostly broken—and with Nami unconsciously lowering her guard around me without realizing it—she quickly turned toward the contents of the safe and pulled out a small chest inside.
Stepping closer, I watched over her shoulder as she eagerly opened it.
Her excited smile immediately froze.
Then it slowly turned into a scowl.
Inside the chest wasn’t a map of the Grand Line.
Instead, there was only a single piece of paper with a badly drawn picture of Buggy the Clown along with a message claiming he was responsible for the theft.
“Tsk, seems we were too late and Buggy the Clown beat us to it,” Nami said in annoyance as she crumpled the piece of paper in her hand and tossed it aside.
“Looks that way,” I nodded casually, earning an annoyed look from her.
“Well, that just means we have to find Buggy and kick his ass, right?” I continued with a confident grin, causing Nami to blink.
“Buggy the Clown is a notorious and ruthless pirate,” Nami said with a raised eyebrow. “There are even rumors that he ate a Devil Fruit. How can you say that so confidently?”
“Don’t worry about it. Now that you’re part of the crew, you’ll see for yourself how strong I am,” I said with a smile while waving away her concerns.
That only earned me a complicated look.
“Besides~” I added as a teasing grin returned to my face. I suddenly stretched my cheek to ridiculous lengths, causing Nami to freak out and stumble back a step.
“I have a Devil Fruit too. I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi, which made me a rubber man.”
“Warn me before doing something like that, idiot!” Nami exclaimed while taking a few deep breaths to calm herself.
“Shishishi, you’re funny, Nami. How can I warn you when this is our first time meeting?” I laughed happily, making her click her tongue in annoyance.
A moment later, I heard a commotion outside.
Frowning slightly, I walked over to a nearby window and looked down while Nami watched curiously.
‘Damn, looks like I got distracted for longer than I thought.’
Down below, Zoro, Koby, and Tiche were surrounded on all sides by Marines.
While I had no doubt Tiche could deal with all of them by herself, this was also a good chance for everyone to fight together as a crew, and for Nami to get a glimpse of what we were capable of.
“My friends are in trouble,” I said while turning back toward Nami, who looked surprised. “Come on, we need to hurry, find my crewmate’s swords, and get down there.”
Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed her hand and took off running, forcing her to follow behind me.
“W-Wait! What does this have to do with me!?” Nami yelled in panic. “We’re only partners, remember!? Besides, I don’t want to end up on the Marines’ bad side!”
Turning my head toward her, I gave her a bright grin.
“What do you mean? Aren’t we already friends, Nami? Friends help each other, don’t they?”
Caught off guard by my blunt honesty, Nami stared at me speechlessly for a moment.
“And if you’re worried about getting hurt, don’t be,” I continued happily while turning forward again. “I promise I’ll protect you. That’s what friends do after all~”
Completely missing her reaction behind me.
=====
With Tiche, Zoro, and Koby
Standing in front of a firing squad of Marines—with a certain blond onion-headed idiot standing smugly at the back—were Zoro, Tiche, and Koby.
Zoro was still tied to the post while the latter two stood protectively in front of him.
“Get out of here already! This has nothing to do with you two!” Zoro yelled in frustration, only to growl when both immediately shook their heads.
“I-I won’t!” Koby declared bravely.
Despite the tears in his eyes and the fact that his knees were visibly shaking, there was still determination in his gaze.
“What the Marines and Captain Morgan are doing here is wrong! I finally understand what Luffy-san was trying to teach me earlier. Humans are flawed creatures, and it’s up to each individual person to decide what’s right and wrong.”
“That’s why I won’t just stand here and watch the Marines I admired so much do something like this!” Koby finished through gritted teeth.
It seemed his words affected some of the Marines too, as several hesitated slightly, causing Helmeppo to scowl angrily.
“Don’t forget that my daddy is in charge here and what he says goes!” Helmeppo shouted.
Several Marines grimaced at his words, but none dared disobey.
Tiche, meanwhile, remained silent with her dagger held loosely in her right hand.
Then she turned slightly toward Zoro and gave him a cold look.
“My Captain said you were already part of the crew,” she said calmly without changing her blank expression. “That is all the reason I need to defend you while you are currently indisposed. I would hate to disappoint him.”
Before Zoro could respond, her hand blurred.
A moment later, his bindings fell apart.
Zoro dropped to one knee briefly before slowly pushing himself back up.
“That idiot decided all of this on his own. I never agreed to anything,” Zoro muttered with annoyance, though his words lacked their previous bite.
Even so, Tiche’s eyes narrowed slightly at him calling her Master an idiot, though she wisely chose not to comment and instead focused on the Marines.
“Kill them already!” Helmeppo screeched in a whiny voice.
Reluctantly, the Marines raised their rifles and prepared to fire.
Zoro silently cursed while Koby trembled even harder.
Tiche, however, suddenly smiled faintly.
With her enhanced hearing and sense of smell, she had already recognized a familiar laugh approaching, along with another feminine scream.
“Shishishi~”
Just as the Marines fired, a figure dropped down between the groups with his back facing the bullets while carrying an orange-haired girl in his arms.
The bullets harmlessly bounced off his body.
The Marines, Zoro, and Koby all widened their eyes in shock while Tiche visibly relaxed.
In one hand, the newcomer also carried three katanas—one of them clearly superior to the others with its distinctive white sheath.
“Sorry for taking so long, everyone. I was picking up our navigator~” Luffy said with a grin as he set the girl down.
Only for her to immediately punch him in the head with shark-like teeth bared in anger.
“Are you completely insane, you moron!? We almost died!” the orange-haired girl yelled.
Luffy only laughed harder.
“Sorry, sorry,” he apologized without an ounce of sincerity before turning toward Zoro, whose eyes were locked onto his swords in surprise.
“These are yours, right Zoro? They were in that onion idiot’s room, so I figured they belonged to you.”
Luffy tossed the swords toward him before planting his hands on his hips with a giant grin.
“This is awesome~ We got two new crewmates in one day!”
“Stop deciding things for other people, dumbass!” Zoro and Nami yelled in unison.
Their matching expressions only made Luffy laugh even harder.
Tiche, meanwhile, simply shook her head fondly.
Once her Master decided something, changing his mind was impossible.
As far as Tiche was concerned, the moment her Master decided he wanted them in his crew…
…it had already become reality.