The shockwave and gale force winds slowly subsided.
Thump!
Xinán, still holding his powerful punching pose, collapsed onto the deck, completely exhausted.
He had only used his ability twice, yet Xinán felt completely drained, as if he'd been emptied. The Devil Fruit was clearly powerful, but the cost was immense; his body was still too frail.
Seeing Xinán slump to the ground, Nami thought something terrible had happened and rushed to help him up.
"Xinán, are you alright?" Nami asked, worriedly.
"I'm fine, just a little exhausted. The power consumption was too high," Xinán replied, shaking his head slightly, a tired look on his face.
Just as Xinán finished speaking, two pirates suddenly stumbled out.
Their faces glazed with alcohol, they looked bewildered. One pirate, knife in hand, shouted at Nami and Xinán, "Who are you? What happened here?"
It was the pirates from the sailors' quarters, the ones Nami had searched earlier, who had been dead drunk.
Butcher Bakal had ripped through the whole ship, creating such a massive disturbance that the entire vessel was now burning. Even the deepest sleeper had to be awake by now.
Seeing the pirate with a knife, Nami instinctively reached for a weapon to defend herself, but her Clima Tact staff had been broken by Bakal.
Noticing Nami's tension, Xinán reassured her, "It's okay, leave it to me."
With that, Xinán raised his hand toward the two pirates, gathering the little strength he had left.
Boom!
A clap of thunder sounded, and lightning flashed.
Thump! Thump!
The two pirates, their faces scorched black, smoke rising from their heads, and hair standing on end, collapsed lifelessly to the deck. They were just ordinary pirates and couldn't withstand the lightning like Bakal.
Seeing Xinán demonstrate his power again, Nami exclaimed excitedly, "Amazing! Xinán, what happened? How did you suddenly get so strong?"
Xinán, even more fatigued after using the power again, responded, "I ate a Devil Fruit just now and gained superpowers."
Hearing this, Nami's expression grew serious, but her eyes immediately turned into dollar signs ($$) as she asked, "Did you just say you ate a Devil Fruit? The one known as the Sea's Secret Treasure, which grants the power of a devil, and whose black market value starts at 100 million Beli or more?"
Seeing her reaction, Xinán thought Nami didn't know about it, so he nodded. "Yes, I did. Why?"
Clearly, the last part of Nami's question was the crucial point. Once confirmed, Nami's expression instantly changed: her dollar signs morphed into shark eyes, her teeth became sharp fangs, and she grabbed Xinán's neck and began shaking him violently.
"You bastard! You damn idiot! That was one hundred million Beli! No, it should be a billion Beli! You swallowed it yourself! How are you going to compensate me?!"
She was truly Nami, a dedicated miser. Xinán, being shaken like a ragdoll, was too dizzy to speak.
Just as Xinán risked being shaken to death by Nami, the sound of the fallen sex worker coughing saved him.
Cough! Cough! Cough!
Lying naked on the deck and continually coughing up blood, the sex worker needed a doctor's attention immediately, or she would surely die.
The women of this world were often striking, and even as a sex worker, this woman had an incredible figure: ample curves, a slender waist, a pert rear, and long legs. In Xinán's previous world, she would have been an international celebrity, yet here, she was reduced to serving low-class pirates.
Of course, Xinán didn't discriminate against her profession; many entered it out of desperation. No normal person would willingly debase themselves unless forced to survive.
The pirate ship was now ablaze, the firelight making everything starkly clear. Seeing Xinán glance at the sex worker, Nami delivered a heavy karate chop to his head—but this time, it failed to raise a lump.
Nami felt her chop land on something like cotton; the force completely dissipated.
"Don't look!" Nami warned, reaching out to cover Xinán's eyes.
Xinán quickly explained, "She's dying. Maybe my power can save her."
Xinán then walked to the sex worker, placed his hand on her abdomen, and a faint white aura spread from his hand. The aura enveloped the woman, and her body began to change: her skin became much fairer and smoother, her body seemed to gain vitality, and her breathing grew stronger.
"How is she? Can she be saved?" Nami asked, curious.
Seeing the woman's skin become fairer and smoother, Nami wore a look that suggested, I want to try that, too.
Xinán shook his head. "I don't know. My ability's effect is small. Whether she lives depends on her."
After the Devil Fruit's power took effect in his body, Xinán had a basic grasp of what he could do. His fruit possessed multiple abilities, such as inducing vibration, releasing electrocution, energy absorption, and lubrication.
Xinán's lubrication ability was somewhat similar to the Smooth-Smooth Fruit's power. He'd seen fan theories about using that fruit's power to deflect attacks and injuries.
The sex worker was internally injured when Butcher Bakal threw her. Xinán's power made her entire body slippery, which lessened the friction and internal rubbing damage caused by movement, and helped harmful stagnant blood and toxins leave her body.
Judging by the woman's condition, Xinán's ability had definitely helped.
Even though Xinán claimed the effect was minor, Nami could see the improvement in the sex worker, and she didn't want the woman to die because of their actions.
The sex worker was safe for now, but Nami was definitely not okay.
"AAAH! My money!"
Seeing the Captain's cabin engulfed in roaring flames, Nami remembered the treasure chest inside and screamed. The thought of the Beli burning in the fire made Nami furiously hit Xinán on the head.
Nami grabbed Xinán's shoulders, shaking him with her shark face, and roared, "Idiot! This is your fault! Why did you set the ship on fire with lightning?! Hurry, do something! The treasure chest is still in the cabin!"
Xinán, once again dizzy from being shaken, quickly said, "Let go! I'm thinking of a way! Maybe it can still be saved!"
Hearing this, Nami instantly released him and threw him toward the great fire.
This was Nami—a true money fanatic. If she lost a single Beli, she would fight you to the death. Hearing Xinán might be able to save her money, Nami didn't hesitate to shove him toward the flames.
The fire raged violently, the high temperature distorting the air. An ordinary person would be scorched just by approaching the heat, but Xinán only felt a pleasant warmth.
Though she threw him into the fire, Nami didn't want Xinán to die; she was relying on him to have a plan.
Seeing Xinán simply walk into the flames, Nami panicked.
"Hey, Xinán, what are you doing?!"
Xinán ignored Nami and thrust his hand directly into the fire. A white aura emanated from his hand.
The moment his hand touched the fire, an invisible suction force generated in his palm. Pulled by this power, the fiercely burning, scorching flames began to converge toward his palm.