Karina's movements suddenly stiffened, and she instantly shrank back like a timid little quail.
But even so, the stubborn blush on her cheeks still exposed her current embarrassment.
In fact, she had realized immediately that her probing was a bit excessive, but the strong curiosity in her heart still drove her to see what was so extraordinary about the man in front of her that could make Nami so devoted.
"Alright, from now on, Karina is our shipmate! To welcome our new companion, tonight we'll have a barbecue feast!"
Yun Lie stepped forward at the right time, smiling and breaking the slightly awkward atmosphere.
"Got it! I'll go prepare the ingredients right away."
Nojiko, with a face full of smiles, bustled towards the storage cabin, her hearty laughter echoing in the air.
"Karina, come with me, I'll take you to see your room."
Nami affectionately took Karina's hand and led her deeper into the ship's cabin.
It should be explained here that Nami and Nojiko had always shared a room, and Yun Lie also stayed with them.
Soon, only Yun Lie was left on the deck.
He found a place to sit down, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself, "Seriously, but it's good, I almost forgot about you."
Not long after, a Devil Fruit with a spiral pattern on its surface appeared in his hand.
This was precisely the Barrier Fruit obtained from Bartholomew!
Now, he already possessed two Devil Fruits in his hand; besides the Barrier Fruit he had just taken out, there was also a Chop-Chop Fruit.
Yun Lie frowned, full of distress, completely unsure how to deal with these two fruits.
The Chop-Chop Fruit's ability was incredibly powerful, especially its immunity to swordsmen's slashes, making it a natural nemesis for swordsmen.
However, neither Nojiko, Nami, nor the newly boarded Karina seemed suitable for this fruit.
As for the Barrier Fruit, it was known for its absolute defense and could also be used to attack with sturdy barriers, but it had many limitations; when using it, one had to cross their middle and index fingers in a specific gesture, and the area of the barrier was also restricted.
"Forget it, I'll keep them for now." Yun Lie shook his head helplessly and carefully put away the two Devil Fruits.
He comforted himself, telling himself that there was still plenty of time, and one day he would find suitable owners for these two fruits.
Time quietly passed, and Nojiko, as the ship's chief cook, was very quick with her hands.
She quickly set up the stove, neatly arranged all sorts of ingredients, and laid out various flavored seasonings in a row; everything was ready.
"Sizzle ~"
Several skewers of tender grilled meat were placed on the barbecue grill, and as they were roasted by the charcoal fire, the juices continuously seeped out, making enticing sizzling sounds and filling the air with aroma.
Karina ate a skewer of grilled meat, finally unable to suppress her curiosity, and leaned closer to Yun Lie, asking, "Yun Lie, can you tell me how you make things disappear?"
"Want to know? Kiss me and I'll tell you." Yun Lie swallowed the grilled meat in his mouth and said with a mischievous smile.
To Yun Lie's surprise, Karina actually gave him a light kiss on the cheek, then immediately reverted to her timid little quail appearance, lowering her head and not daring to look at him.
Yun Lie turned his gaze to Nami, only to see Nami turn her head away, pretending not to have seen anything.
At this point, Yun Lie understood in his heart that Nami must have played a significant role in Karina's actions.
"This is my Devil Fruit ability; I can freely control space, and those things are put into the space I've created."
Since Karina had already kissed him, Yun Lie naturally kept his promise and told her part of the Space Fruit's ability.
"Hiss––" Karina's pretty face was full of surprise.
Although she had heard of Devil Fruits, she had never seen one with her own eyes; she hadn't expected such a miraculous ability.
"Of course, my Yun Lie is very amazing." Nojiko chimed in with a smile from the side.
Yun Lie glared at Nojiko; her words sounded very misleading and were inappropriate to say in public.
To change the subject, he quickly said to Karina, "Karina, Nami told me you sing wonderfully, could you sing a song for us?"
"Of course! I'm the most musically talented person in our village!"
Karina's eyes instantly lit up, and she said with a proud look on her face.
If it weren't for the necessities of life back then, she wouldn't have resorted to stealing; she might have become a famous singer long ago.
So, to showcase her most beautiful voice, Karina sang her most treasured song.
The beautiful singing echoed in the night sky, and Yun Lie, Nami, and Nojiko were all immersed in it; the day's fatigue seemed to dissipate in the song.
Yun Lie couldn't help but sigh, no wonder so many pirate crews had a musician on board; being able to listen to such beautiful music during a long journey was indeed an incredibly wonderful thing.
........
The next morning, warm sunlight streamed through the window and into the ship's cabin.
In a daze, Yun Lie felt something heavy on him and casually complained, "Hmm ~ Nami, why are you so much heavier?"
He was about to push the person off him when he opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar head of purple hair.
Yun Lie was so startled that he quickly rubbed his eyes, carefully confirming that this was not an illusion. Looking around again, he was horrified to discover that this was not Nami and Nojiko's room at all!
"Whimper."
Karina was startled awake by Yun Lie's movements. Just as she was about to move, a strong sense of fatigue and sharp pain surged through her body. The sudden pain made her frown instantly, her face filled with suffering.
"Karina, I'll put you down first, don't move."
Yun Lie's face was full of apology, then he carefully lifted Karina and gently laid her flat on the bed.
It had to be said that Karina's figure was even more voluptuous than Nami's, especially her proud curves, which made it hard to look directly at her.
Suddenly, Yun Lie's gaze fell on a striking crimson stain on the bed, and only then did he realize that Karina was still a virgin. Although he had been completely drunk last night, he still had some fragmented memories.
He closed his eyes in pain, realizing that he had mistakenly taken Karina for Nami, and he had been so rough with her first time.
"It's okay, I did it willingly. If you feel guilty, could you find me a Devil Fruit?"
Seeing Yun Lie frozen in place, Karina stretched out her delicate hand, gently held Yun Lie's palm, and said with a pitiful look in her eyes.
In truth, she had already cursed Nami countless times in her heart.
Last night, if Nami hadn't been egging her on, she wouldn't have been so foolish.
At the time, she just wanted to take advantage of Yun Lie's drunkenness to see what was so special about him, and they had agreed that as soon as she cried out, Nami and the others would come and stop them.
But she never expected that she had underestimated Nami's "unreliability"; not only did the other party not help, but she also stripped her clean and even used her own voice to attract Yun Lie.
Drunk Yun Lie, hearing that familiar voice, coupled with the effects of alcohol, she, this helpless little lamb, thus fell into the "tiger's mouth."
Since things had come to this, and what shouldn't have happened had already happened, she could only accept her fate.
"I currently have two Devil Fruits in my hand: one Chop-Chop Fruit and one Barrier Fruit.
The Chop-Chop Fruit allows the body to split and grants immunity to swordsmen's attacks;
The Barrier Fruit can create an absolute defense barrier and can also be used for attack, but it requires a specific hand gesture when used, and the barrier size has limitations.
Which one do you want?"
Hearing Karina's request, a Devil Fruit appeared in each of Yun Lie's hands, and he asked seriously.
Looking at the two mysterious Devil Fruits in front of her, and Yun Lie's sincere gaze, Karina was momentarily stunned.
She had only said it casually, but she hadn't expected Yun Lie to actually have them and even take them out directly, which left her at a loss for what to do.