The crew pretended not to hear Alvida at all, completely ignoring her as they crowded around Lucky Drake and Nami, raising their mugs in celebration.
"Tch, what a bunch of men with no sense of beauty!"
Alvida didn't feel embarrassed in the slightest. She simply kept devouring meat and downing drinks.
After dinner, Lucky Drake brought Nami back into the cabin.
It was already late at night.
Their ship had anchored on the calm sea, planning to sail at dawn and reach Cocoyasi Village by morning.
Inside the cabin, Nami couldn't help asking:
"What you told Alvida… was it all true?"
"Of course it was."
"No way, she's… well, really fat…"
Lucky Drake laughed. "You don't know—just the day before yesterday, she weighed over three hundred jin."
"Huh? She lost weight that fast?"
"Of course. She ate the Slip-Slip Fruit. Before long she'll be a sexy beauty."
"Amazing!"
"She's just super lucky."
"Pfft—you're wrong. I meant you're amazing!"
Lucky Drake blinked. "Huh? You meant me?"
"Yeah. It feels like you know everything. Nothing ever seems to slip past you."
Lucky Drake just smiled. He obviously couldn't reveal he was a transmigrator who knew the plot.
"Alright, enough talking. Let's get some rest."
He began undressing.
"A-are we… sleeping together again?"
Nami blushed, flustered.
"What are you scared of? Afraid I'll eat you? You're already my woman."
"Come on, let's sleep. The bed is small, so just hug me tight and we'll fit."
"Tomorrow at Cocoyasi Village, I'll buy a bigger bed."
He paused, then added, "Or we can just take the Arlong Pirates' ship. That wouldn't be bad."
The Thunder Pirates' ship was old and worn—if they defeated Arlong, taking his ship made perfect sense.
"Buy a bed? I—I didn't say I'm coming with you!"
"That's not certain," Lucky Drake said calmly. "You're an excellent navigator. Your dream is to map the entire world. Now that you're my woman and have the chance—won't you stay by my side?"
"I don't know yet!"
She spoke quickly.
Nami wanted to be a great navigator, but she had never been willing to leave her home behind.
"Alright, I won't force you. Take your time."
He pulled her gently into his arms. She resisted for a moment, but couldn't escape.
"Sleep. Think about it tomorrow."
Lucky Drake believed that once their relationship stabilized, she would naturally stay.
Besides, in the Grand Line, the weather was chaotic—only a skilled navigator could handle it.
—
The next morning, the Thunder Pirates arrived near Cocoyasi Village.
"Nami, take us straight to the Arlong Pirates' base."
"Mm."
She nodded seriously—Lucky Drake had kept his word.
But before their ship reached the shore—still a few hundred meters away—
BOOM!
The whole ship shook violently.
"What's going on!?"
"Vice-captain! Something's attacking us from under the ship!"
"Lucky Drake! The Arlong Pirates aren't humans—they're fishmen! They're incredibly good in the water. We must be in their territory—they're attacking from below!"
Fishmen.
Lucky Drake frowned.
Underwater combat against fishmen was troublesome—they were far superior to humans in water.
"Full speed ahead! Force the ship to the shore!"
But—
BOOOM!
The ship shook again, harder than before.
"Vice-captain! The hull is damaged! We need repairs or we'll sink!"
"Fix it—now!" Lucky Drake ordered.
Captain Captain Red rushed to the deck as well.
"Lucky Drake, what do we do? They're underwater—we can't hit them!"
"Yeah, Captain and I are Devil Fruit users. If we fall in the sea, we're done for!" Alvida added anxiously.
"Leave it to me. Captain, protect my woman. I'll take care of the enemy."
After dropping that line, Lucky Drake leapt straight into the sea.
"Lucky Drake! Be careful—they're fishmen!"
Nami cried out, genuine worry in her voice. After spending a night together, she couldn't help feeling attached.
"Don't worry, Nami. Lucky Drake won't do anything he's not confident in," Captain Red reassured her—though he was secretly nervous.
The Arlong Pirates were notorious—more dangerous than Buggy's crew, with a 20-million-berry bounty. Even East Blue's warlord Don Krieg didn't want to provoke them.
Their underwater ambush tactics were especially troublesome.
—
The moment Lucky Drake hit the water, he activated Water-Walking Technique—the new skill he'd drawn.
A transparent bubble-like barrier formed around him.
Inside it, he could stand as if on solid ground.
When he moved, the barrier swirled rapidly, propelling him through the water like a torpedo.
"So this is Water-Walking Technique?"
"It really is like the bubble coats from Fishman Island!"
Just then, a fishman launched a sudden strike from below.
Lucky Drake instantly used Soru—shifting position in a blink.
"Huh?"
"You can use Soru underwater!? Is this the power of that technique!?"
He hadn't even thought—his body reacted on instinct, moving freely as if on land.
The fishman attacking him was startled.
This human was more agile underwater than a fishman?!
"Damn it! Try taking this!"
"Thousand-Tile True Punch!"
A massive torrent of pressurized water shot toward Lucky Drake.
~~--------------------------------
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