Danger approached in an instant.
Nami's heart skipped a beat. Without a second thought, she quickly unfurled the sails and grabbed the oars, rowing with all her might.
As she rowed, she screamed at Goku, "Goku! There's danger! Wake up! Wake up!!"
She rowed like a madwoman, her face already deathly pale.
The creature she dreaded most at sea was a Sea Beast—massive, ferocious monsters.
Experienced old sailors often met their ends at sea because they encountered these creatures.
Against such a beast, which was nearly impossible to resist without cannons, you were basically as good as dead if your ship wasn't armed. Very few people ever escaped from their jaws alive.
Nami's boat was just a standard small sailboat. It didn't have cannons, let alone weapons like a harpoon for a last-ditch effort.
Because of this, Nami was already paralyzed with fear.
She didn't want to die here!
She refused to become a meal for a Sea Beast!
"Waaaaah!!!"
Keeping a frantic eye on the beast behind her, she watched as it lunged forward, opening its massive mouth to snap them up. Her face went white with terror.
In that split second, as if an inner power had exploded within her, she swung the oars so fast they blurred, making the boat surge forward just enough to narrowly escape the monster's snap.
"Hey! Goku! Wake up already! If you don't wake up now, we're going to be eaten!!"
"Huh? What happened?"
Awoken by Nami's screeching, Goku sat up groggily, rubbing his eyes with a look of pure confusion.
"Don't just sit there! Help me row! We have to get out of its hunting grounds!"
Nami shouted, her teeth gritted in desperation.
Supposedly, Sea Beasts had their own territories. Once you left their domain, they would lose interest in eating you.
This was a piece of advice from an old sailor who had allegedly escaped a Sea Beast's maw.
"Run? Why should we run?"
Goku looked back at the relentlessly pursuing Sea Beast and asked, confused.
Nami felt like she was about to cough up blood from pure frustration.
Was this guy an idiot, or just completely oblivious?
"If we don't run, we're going to get eaten!!" she roared.
"Huh?"
Goku blinked a few times, seeming to understand something, and stood up.
Under Nami's disbelieving gaze, he leaped into the air, heading straight for the Sea Beast behind them.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!!"
THWACK!!!
Just as her cry left her lips, Goku, descending from above the Sea Beast, delivered a heavy kick to the top of its head with a resounding thud.
A second later, the previously relentless Sea Beast had its eyes rolled back into its head, floating peacefully on the surface like a dead dog.
Nami: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
Witnessing this, her mind went completely blank with shock.
Wait, hold on. What did you just do?
You took down a ferocious Sea Beast?
And with just one hit?
"Heh heh, Nami! Looks like tomorrow's breakfast is taken care of."
Standing atop the beast's head, Goku grinned and flashed a peace sign at her.
Nami finally snapped out of it, stammering, "Goku... you... you're too strong. Are you even human?!"
Recalling all the incredible things Goku had done over the last two days, she began to wonder if they were even the same species.
After all, there was no way a kid his age should be this powerful!
Goku frowned cutely. "Of course I'm human. What are you talking about?"
Then he added quite seriously, "I'm this strong because I train hard. And I'm going to keep training to get even stronger!"
Training? Getting stronger?
Nami swallowed hard, unable to imagine how powerful Goku would be in a few years if he was already this formidable.
She looked at Goku, then at the Sea Beast beneath him, and a sudden thought struck her.
"Hey, Goku, I have an idea."
Goku, who was crouching down to curiously inspect the beast, looked up blankly. "What is it?"
"You probably don't know where to find a ship, and you don't have any money to buy one, right?"
Nami gave a sly smile, her tone certain.
"Mhm." Goku nodded honestly.
"Then how about we partner up? You can travel with me to different islands on this boat. At every island, I'll help you look for info and find that martial arts tournament place."
"But in exchange, you have to do me a favor."
Hearing that Nami was willing to share her boat and even help him find information, Goku's eyes lit up. He zipped back onto the boat in an instant.
Standing before Nami, he nodded without hesitation. "Sure! What kind of favor? I'll definitely help!"
Nami's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. "This favor is dangerous. I only thought of it because I saw how capable you are. You should think it over carefully."
"If you don't want to, I won't force you. I'll still help you find a boat, but you'll have to provide the money yourself. I can't help with that."
Affected by the gravity in her voice, Goku became serious as well and nodded earnestly. "Go ahead."
"First, I have to let you know my purpose for going to sea. I'm out here to earn one hundred million Berries," Nami said, holding up a finger.
"To do that, I target pirates and take their treasure. As for thugs like Gato, I'll take their treasure too if the opportunity arises."
"But as you know, whether it's pirates or thugs, they're strong and they have the numbers. Every time I plan to take their treasure, I have to plan for a long time and figure out an escape route."
Nami paused for a moment, then continued:
"The best-case scenario is that by the time they realize their treasure is gone, I'm already far away. But pirates are sharp and keep a close eye on their loot. Often, they find out shortly after I've taken it and then they hunt me down."
"So the favor I want is for you to draw their attention—or even lead them away—while I'm getting the treasure."
"That way, I'll have enough time to get out of there and bring the treasure back safely."
After speaking at length, she took a sip from her canteen to wet her throat, then looked at Goku.
"Well? Think about it. With your skills, it shouldn't be hard to get away and meet back up with me, but there's still a risk. After all, pirates will kill you over the slightest thing. Just drawing their attention could put your life on the line."
Goku frowned slightly. Instead of answering her question, he asked, "When you say take their money... do you mean stealing?"
Nami's eyes flickered, and her expression became hesitant.
This was exactly what she was most worried about. Based on her previous interactions, she knew Goku had a strong sense of justice.
Even if the targets were villains like pirates, he might not approve of the act.
A few seconds later, she exhaled and said slowly, "That's right. Basically, I'm a thief who targets pirates."
After saying it, she felt strangely relieved.
"I won't steal from ordinary people, but when it comes to wicked villains like pirates, I have a clear conscience," she said, looking Goku in the eye.
"But some pirates aren't bad people," Goku replied, looking back at her seriously.
"Not bad people?"
Nami never expected that kind of response. She instantly clenched her fists.
"Even if you don't want to help me, you don't need such a lame excuse!"
"Don't you get it? I hate pirates more than anything! Because pirates are all evil!"
She shouted through gritted teeth, her anger boiling over.
"Fine! I don't need your help! I'll still do what I promised, but that's it!"
She ended the conversation abruptly, walked over to a corner, and sat down. Hugging her knees, she stared silently at the night sky.
Left behind, Goku was completely bewildered by her sudden change in attitude.
He scratched his cheek and whispered to himself.
"Huh? Did I say something wrong?"
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]