A small boat carrying two people drifted slowly across the calm, open sea.
On the boat, Goku devoured a large chicken leg and the rest of the dry rations in a flash. He reached out to Nami and asked, "Is there anything else? I'm still really hungry."
Nami watched the scene in stunned silence. When she finally snapped out of it, the veins on her forehead were throbbing. "It's gone! All of it! You've eaten every scrap of food I brought!"
She really hadn't expected Goku to have such a bottomless pit for a stomach; in just a few moments, he had polished off two days' worth of her rations.
Goku's famished state had been so intimidating that she had subconsciously handed over all her supplies to him.
Now, she had nothing left for herself.
"Aha, is that so?"
Hearing that he'd finished off everything Nami had brought, Goku rubbed his head sheepishly.
He stood up and clenched his fists, checking his condition.
"Even though that was barely a snack, I finally have some energy back," he muttered to himself.
He looked up at Nami and grinned. "Don't worry, I have the strength to catch some fish in the sea now."
"Catch fish in the sea?"
Nami blinked in surprise.
'A pipsqueak like you? You're more likely to be eaten by a fish than catch one!'
Fishing with a rod would be far more reliable than trying to grab one by hand.
Just as she was about to stop him, Goku stripped off his clothes and stood there completely naked.
In an instant, the words she was about to say died in her throat.
"Hehe, wait on the boat for a bit. I'll be back with a fish in no time."
Goku waved to her with a grin and dove headfirst into the water, vanishing from sight.
Her face flushed crimson. Nami finally found her voice and screamed at the spot where he had jumped in, "You idiot! How can you just strip in front of a girl like that?!"
The surface was still; Goku was already deep underwater and couldn't hear her.
Two minutes later.
A string of bubbles broke the surface.
Moments later, Goku's head popped up. He tossed a massive fish with bulging eyes into the boat, causing it to lurch and sink lower into the water.
Seeing the fish—which was at least two meters long—Nami, who had been muttering curses under her breath, dropped her jaw in shock.
"He... he actually caught one? And it's huge!"
Goku gripped the side of the boat and vaulted back on board with a light leap. He stood with his hands on his hips and grinned. "So? How's my fishing?"
"Once I eat this and get even more energy, I can catch you an even bigger one!"
Ignoring his boast, Nami stepped forward and wordlessly delivered a sharp chop to the top of his head.
WHACK!!
"Put your pants on before you start talking!"
"Sss—"
Goku winced and rubbed the bump on his head, looking up in confusion. "Why do I need pants to talk?"
"Because being naked in front of a girl is incredibly rude!!" Nami roared like a cornered tigress.
"Oh, I see."
Goku nodded thoughtfully.
"Bulma said something like that once, too."
He didn't fully grasp the concept of modesty yet, so he'd never really given it much thought.
"Fine, I'll put them on."
He shook the water from his hair and nimbly pulled his pants back on.
Nami, who had just been sprayed in the face with water, could only stare blankly.
'Steady... I must keep it together!'
Resisting the urge to clock him again, she began setting up a small cooking stove on the boat.
"Since you caught the fish, let's eat. Scale it and clean the guts."
"Why do I have to take out the scales and guts?"
Goku tilted his head, still clutching his sore scalp.
Nami paused and looked back at him. "Don't you know you have to clean a fish before eating it? How else are you going to cook it?"
Goku tilted his head. "I usually just eat them as they are."
Nami was speechless.
"I really have no idea how you've survived until now," she sighed.
"Forget it, I'll handle it. Just sit there and wait."
"Mhm!"
Goku nodded obediently and sat down to watch Nami prepare the massive fish.
Cleaning fish was no trouble for someone like Nami, who had lived independently since she was a child. She finished quickly and placed the fish on the rack to roast.
By now, the sky had turned completely dark.
The two of them sat around the grill, firelight dancing across their faces.
As they waited for the fish to cook, Nami asked casually, "By the way, weren't you on Qia Island? Why were you drifting in the ocean alone?"
"Oh, I left the island this morning," Goku replied, his eyes fixed on the roasting fish.
"Left? Were you shipwrecked?"
"Shipwreck? Nope."
"Then how did you end up in the middle of the sea?"
"Well, I was swimming. I swam for a long time but didn't see any islands or find anything to eat. Then I ran into a really, really big storm. I was so hungry and tired that I just fell asleep."
???
Nami's casual expression froze. She whipped her head around to stare at him.
'What did he just say?'
"Swimming in the ocean? You... you weren't actually trying to reach another island by swimming, were you?!"
Goku looked away from the fish and nodded. "Yeah, that's what I've always done."
Nami gaped at him, completely speechless.
Goku leaned back with his hands behind his head. "Though, I think having a boat is probably better."
He flashed a bright grin at Nami. "Thanks for saving me. If you hadn't come along, I might have actually starved out there."
Nami, slowly coming to terms with the absurdity of it all, felt defeated.
"I don't even know what to say. You're either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid to try crossing the sea like that."
"The sun was already setting when I found you. If I'd been just a little later, I wouldn't have even seen you."
"If I hadn't spotted you, you wouldn't have starved—you would've been eaten by sea monsters!"
Having spent so much time at sea, she knew how terrifying the ocean became at night.
A person unconscious and starving in the open water stood no chance of seeing tomorrow's sunrise.
"Hehe, that's why I'm thanking you. You're a good person," Goku said with a laugh.
"Hmph! If you want to thank me, give me my money back," Nami said, reaching out her hand.
Even though she had saved him without hesitation, she was still dwelling on the events of the previous day.
"Money?"
Goku blinked, then remembered. "Oh, sorry! That money was actually yours, wasn't it? Gato and his men stole it from you, and then you stole it back."
"I thought you were the thief at the time, so I gave it back to them."
"But don't worry! I defeated Gato and his crew! Everyone got their money back. If you go back now, I'm sure you can get yours too!"
Nami's annoyance shifted into pure astonishment.
"You defeated Gato?"
"Mhm!"
"How did you do it?"
"It was easy. They weren't strong at all; they were no match for me."
Nami fell silent, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at Goku.
'This brat... this little guy really is full of surprises.'
To think the villains who had oppressed Lotus Town for so long had been taken down by him.
"Hey, how about I swim back and get the money for you?"
Goku's voice snapped her out of her daze.
She waved him off with a sigh, finally letting it go. "No need. That money wasn't mine to begin with. Let it stay with the people it belongs to."
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]