Under Luffy's gaze, Nika's massive body gradually shrank, turning into a tanuki weighing only a few pounds.
Luffy grabbed Nika by the scruff of its neck and instinctively looked downward first.
"You pervert!" Nika shrieked in shame and anger.
"Just looking. Females are so irritable," Luffy mused, reminded of Nami's occasional punches.
"Let me give it a try. Anyway, there'll be another new nakama joining the ship soon. Saves me the trouble of multiple introductions. You're both animals, should get along well."
Luffy remembered the reindeer that had shyly floated about when he praised it. The one who had helped him when the Witch wasn't directly involved.
According to the Witch, Chopper was her true successor.
Luffy's eyes instantly lit up.
Could it be that Kureha knew his ship was missing a doctor?!
"What do you mean 'animal'? I am a noble Mythical Zoan!"
"What's the difference from a tanuki?"
"Of course there's a difference! I can get big!"
"Chopper can too."
Nika was momentarily speechless, then stubbornly retorted, "My power's mostly been sucked dry by you!"
"Oh, that's true," Luffy suddenly clapped his hands. "Well, as long as you agree to my conditions, I can try letting you out. Let me be clear first, you only get one chance. If I find you doing anything bad, you'll be locked in here forever."
Luffy's smiling face thoroughly frightened Nika.
Any little schemes it had were completely gone now.
And besides...
"You! Don't you have a way to counter me?!"
"Just figured that out now."
Luffy was holding a coil of white flaming clouds, the other end of which was looped around Nika's neck.
Like a collar.
This could be very useful.
"Hey, where are you going? Give me your answer first..."
"What..." Luffy felt his consciousness gradually fading back into nothingness.
It was the warning sound in his ears.
Right, what's the current situation?
Luffy woke to the warm, comforting aroma of food.
He opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the dancing flames of the hearth in the castle room. Then, he saw Nami.
She seemed fully recovered, busy at a simple stove in the corner of the room, her back to him.
She was wearing a slightly oversized, thin white shirt. The hem just covered the tops of her thighs, outlining her slender waist.
A plain apron was tied around her waist, further accentuating her graceful figure.
Her orange hair was casually tied into two playful little ponytails that swayed gently with her movements.
At the slightest sound from Luffy, Nami turned around, her face brightening with joy. "You're awake?"
She hurried over, a frying pan still in her hand.
"What are you doing?"
Luffy didn't know why his throat moved. The Nami before him was a bit too captivating. Most eye-catching were her lips, which seemed to have something applied, shimmering with a moist gloss, looking exceptionally soft and pink. The skin on her neck, under the firelight, was incredibly pale and delicate.
"Hmph. Consider it a reward for you," Nami said, shifting her gaze away somewhat unnaturally.
"You're in for a treat. I don't show off my cooking skills often, you know."
"Uh..." Luffy had experienced the period before Sanji joined. He knew exactly how much cooking skill Nami possessed. It was edible... probably?
Just as Luffy tried to move, the familiar warning sound buzzed annoyingly in his head again.
Only now did he have a moment to look at the string of characters.
[Warning, reward time has concluded. Adjusting plan based on current physical condition... Please learn navigation knowledge from Nami. Begin in one minute... Countdown: fifty-nine, fifty-eight.]
[Warning, please execute immediately, otherwise penalties will intensify: Second Warning]
[Warning, please execute immediately, penalties will continue to intensify: Third Warning]
Luffy's initial smile gradually stiffened.
Oh no.
What's the situation now?
"Nami, did you... change my clothes?" After his mind rapidly switched into learning mode, he couldn't help but ask.
Because strangely, he didn't detect any signs of having been punished.
"N-no, I didn't."
Nami's lips pressed together slightly, a barely noticeable flicker of panic in her eyes, quickly masked.
Could it be that the Plan's punishment system malfunctioned?
Or, to put it another way, like a river flowing backward...
Luffy, completely baffled, decided to just let it go. Because he'd just noticed Nami's voice still sounded a bit hoarse.
"You're really okay now, right?" He stretched out his arm, his rubber hand crossing half the room to gently press against Nami's forehead.
It felt warm and cool to the touch. The fever was definitely gone.
He finally relaxed completely, pulling his arm back and lying down again, mumbling, "The fever's gone."
"Thanks to you," Nami's movements paused, the blush still on her face.
"As long as you're okay," Luffy said, truly relieved. Honestly, the journey had been quite perilous—encountering those rabbits, the avalanche, and finally climbing the giant peak barehanded in a blizzard.
Outside the window, snow was still falling. Luffy's gaze soon shifted from the white snow to the equally snow-white thighs.
Those legs, standing there, looked especially straight and long.
The thin shirt fabric faintly outlined the shape of her upper thighs. The lines of her calves were smooth and firm, glowing with a healthy, pale sheen under the firelight, making it hard to look away.
He remembered having a brief exchange with that Dr. Kureha, the Witch, before passing out. He couldn't recall the specifics, but he vaguely felt Nami's current attire might be related to it.
"Hey, Nami."
Luffy, somewhat entranced by the sight, asked without thinking, "Why are you wearing an apron? And dressed like this?"
Nami, who was stirring the pot of soup, stiffened almost imperceptibly at the question. She didn't turn around, trying to keep her tone natural. "Oh, this? It was Dr. Kureha's request. Part of the payment for providing the medicine, I guess."
Only then did Luffy belatedly realize his gaze had been fixed on her legs, and Nami seemed to have already noticed his impolite staring.
"What are you looking at?" Nami turned around, hands on her hips, trying hard to adopt her usual fierce demeanor, but her cheeks betrayed her with a light blush.
"At you," Luffy answered honestly. He didn't have many virtues, but being straightforward was one of them.
Only after saying it did he realize the statement might be ambiguous. But his mood was good now that Nami had recovered. Coupled with the [Plan]'s nagging warning in his head, urging him to start studying, a playful urge to tease arose instead. He added a compliment, "Your legs are very white."
He expected Nami to give him that look of utter disdain reserved for trash, followed by a barrage of insults like 'pervert' and 'lecher.'
To his surprise, the blush on Nami's face rapidly spread, reaching the tips of her ears. Her eyes darted about, her hands and feet seeming unsure where to go, completely and utterly flustered.
***
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