Ten minutes later.
Shanu's expression was grim as he crossed his arms, staring at his little sister.
"…When I looked down just now, I saw that she'd already eaten half of the Devil Fruit in her hands! That little fool—she was afraid I'd take it back, so she gobbled it down in a few bites, and then immediately ate the rest too!"
Nojiko stood beside him, fuming as he reported the incident.
Nami crouched pitifully on the ground, hands raised high. "Brother, I'm sorry! I really know I was wrong… ugh!!"
Before she could finish, her face suddenly twisted as she turned away and vomited violently, her small face scrunched in misery. That Devil Fruit was way too disgusting!
"She really is foolish," Kuina sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Doesn't even know the basic fact that just one bite of a Devil Fruit takes effect."
"What?!"
Nami froze, stunned. Wait… does that mean all my suffering was for nothing?
"You said you know you were wrong," Shanu said calmly. "Then explain it yourself. Where exactly did you go wrong?"
"I… I shouldn't have grabbed the Devil Fruit that Nojiko found."
Nami lowered her head, mumbling, unable to meet Shanu's gaze. "Devil Fruits are rare and precious. They can make people stronger. If I ate it… it would've been such a waste…"
"Hm?"
"And—and!" Nami hurriedly added, "I also shouldn't have let Gin bring me here. I should have left it to guard the ship. If some bad people spotted our ship, it would've been a big problem…"
"Stop dodging the question!"
Shanu's patience snapped. "I don't want to hear that! How did you sneak along in the first place? What did you do? And how did you hide it from Bellemere?!"
"It was the… the Record Pointer…" Nami's voice was tiny, almost a whisper.
"Record Pointer? You tampered with it?"
Shanu was initially stunned, then immediately realized what had happened. Infuriated, he snatched Nami by the back of her collar like a kitten and held her high in the air.
"Wow, so young and already this cunning! And at home? You've been gone for over ten days! If you'd gone missing that long, Bellemere should have called me by now!"
"I—I told her!"
Nami stiffened her neck, stubbornly defending herself, kicking her legs in the air. But under Shanu's glare, she immediately wilted like a deflated balloon.
"I did tell her. I said it was boring, wanted to stay at Isshin Dojo for a while. She asked Genzo to send me there. Genzo even secretly followed me, making sure I entered the dojo before leaving,"
"Actually, as soon as I got in, I sneaked out the back, stole Uncle Koshiro's cola-powered little boat, and then followed you all here…"
"You stole something?"
Shanu's anger spiked, his voice rising sharply. "Who taught you to do this? How could you even think of doing something like that?!"
"It was the only reliable boat! I had no choice…" Nami's face was full of grievance. "And it's not really stealing, right? I brought the boat to Kuina anyway."
"She's not wrong about that."
Kuina sighed helplessly, rubbing her forehead. "But I need to call father to tell him, so the dojo kids stop looking for the boat."
"Mm, go ahead."
Shanu nodded, pulling out a Den-Den Mushi and tossing it to Nami. "You go call Bellemere too and explain everything clearly."
"Oh…"
Nami didn't dare argue and obediently went to dial the number.
Faced with a mother miles away, kept in the dark, and a brother right here, furious…
She shivered. Somehow, the brother seemed scarier.
…
Before long.
Nami, holding the Den-Den Mushi, found Shanu and the others not far off, busy moving treasure and cargo.
"What did Miss Bellemere say?" Zeff carried two large boxes of liquor, teasing. "Did she ask us to send you home right now?"
"Of course not."
Shanu counted the treasure chests on the ground, shaking his head slightly. "Remember to pack an extra meal next time, Uncle Zeff. Our ship is destined to have another little glutton on board."
"Huh??"
Nami widened her eyes at Shanu. "I haven't said anything yet. How did you know?"
"Because that's Bellemere," Shanu said calmly, without turning his head.
"Let me guess… she scolded you first, then you stubbornly insisted, saying something like: 'If staying home is hard for you every day, I'd feel even worse. So to keep me happy, you, heartless little brat, go follow your brother and pursue your dreams! Don't come back and make me unhappy!' Something so sentimental it made you cry and want to slap yourself at midnight?"
"…" Nami froze, whispering, "Every word… exactly?"
"When did you master Observation Haki?"
Zeff, puzzled, glanced at her and noticed the tear marks at the corners of her eyes.
"I don't have Observation Haki. As I said…"
Shanu shook his head slightly. At that moment, Nojiko arrived carrying a box. Hearing the conversation, he pouted and almost simultaneously sighed with Shanu:
"Because… that's Bellemere."
This family was really something. Zeff scratched his head, confused, and went back to his work.
"So… brother…" Nami peeked cautiously at Shanu's face. "You mean… you agree I can stay on the ship?"
"You can leave if you want me to take you home," Shanu glanced at her.
"Then no!" Nami shook her head quickly, then cautiously asked, "But… you're really not mad at me? Not angry I ate the Devil Fruit?"
"When was I ever mad about you eating it?" Shanu frowned.
"Huh?"
Nami paused, thinking back. True enough, from start to finish, her brother was only mad she snuck out without telling him. He never cared about the fruit.
"I know your little tricks."
Shanu snorted, bending down to pinch her cheek. "You were just afraid of being a burden, thinking that eating a Devil Fruit might give you some use, so you wouldn't get kicked off the ship, right?"
Her skin was soft and delicate, far from the plump feel of her younger years. Shanu pinched and quickly lost interest, releasing her.
"Yes…"
Nami murmured. Indeed, there were no secrets she could hide from her brother.
"You silly girl."
Shanu said gruffly, "This is my ship. Even if you can't do anything and just eat and sleep all day, who would complain?"
"Brother…" Nami felt a twinge of warmth, only to see him pinch his nose in disgust.
"Tch, look at you—dirty, ragged, and smelly. Must've suffered a lot on the road, huh? Well, this will teach you a lesson. Let's see if you dare sneak off like this again. Go ahead, follow Nojiko back to the ship and take a proper bath. This isn't over; punishments await later."
"Bingo! Bath time is priority—Gin's about to be suffocated by your stench, Nami," Nojiko said cheerfully. "Come with me; there's a hot spring on the ship, very comfortable."
"…"
Watching her brother's disdainful face and her sister's gentle smile, Nami froze for a moment, blinking. She felt like she was back in the carefree days at the orange grove.
Compared to the last half-month of tiring, lonely travel at sea, her nose tingled with emotion.
She took a deep breath, raised her face, and smiled brightly as before. "Mm!"
…
Shanu stood quietly, watching his two sisters walk away, deep in thought.
So that's the Mera Mera Fruit?
A Logia-type ability, fairly rare and valuable.
He personally had no interest in eating it; it didn't suit his fighting style, and his current combat power was sufficient. He also had no plans to become a Devil Fruit user.
If in the future he ever wanted to increase his physical limits, he'd likely choose a Zoan-type Mythical Fruit to enhance his body.
As for the Mera Mera Fruit, barring Nami's accident, it would've gone to whoever among the crew wanted it.
Still…
Shanu looked into the distance, seeing Nami chattering and complaining to Nojiko. He shook his head with a smile.
This turned out pretty well. At least in the first half of the Grand Line, after becoming an elemental user, few could harm her.