The dark clouds that had once gathered overhead had vanished at some point, and sunlight poured down without restraint, making everything as far as the eye could see bright and clear.
On the Blood Demon Pirates' ship, the deck was currently piled with pirates who had been tied up hand and foot, waiting for the Marines Zeff had contacted to come and take them into custody.
In the ship's treasure room, Nami had found her way inside. Looking at the two large chests of gold and silver treasures, her eyes turned into Berry symbols.
"This is amazing! I can't believe they had so much treasure!"
Her face was full of excitement and joy.
She wasn't committing a theft right now; she was counting the spoils of war belonging to her and Goku.
Since they were the ones who defeated the pirates, it was only natural that everything on the ship belonged to them!
After a quick count, she nodded in satisfaction. "The value of these things is about sixteen million Berries. If half goes toward the Dream Chaser's travel funds and I keep the other half..."
She suddenly froze.
"If I keep half, that's eight million Berries...?"
"Doesn't that mean..."
Her expression became a bit dazed because she remembered something. If she obtained these eight million Berries, then her obsession of nearly ten years—the one hundred million Berries she had to earn no matter what—seemed to finally be within reach.
The treasure room suddenly fell silent, but a rapid, heavy sound of breathing gradually began to fill the space.
After a long while, the breathing became faint and barely audible. Nami picked up a chest of treasure and walked outside with a calm expression.
"Hey! Goku! There's another chest of money inside. Move it to our ship!"
Goku, who was wandering aimlessly around the pirate ship out of boredom, came running over at the sound of her voice. He followed Nami's instructions and moved the treasure to the Dream Chaser.
Then he asked curiously, "Huh? Nami, why did you put your chest over there?"
He watched as Nami placed a treasure chest onto a small boat, feeling completely puzzled.
"You'll know soon enough."
Nami didn't answer his question immediately. She simply returned to the Dream Chaser and moved her own share of the treasure onto the spare boat from the Blood Demon Pirates.
After finishing this, she walked up to Goku and stared at him intently, making Goku feel a bit bewildered.
"What's wrong? Is something the matter?"
Nami suddenly broke into a bright smile.
"You're right! I actually do have something I need to take care of."
"What is it?" Goku looked at her with curiosity.
"Do you remember me saying I had to earn one hundred million Berries? After getting that treasure just now, I've already achieved that goal," Nami said, her eyes curving like crescents.
"Really? That's great!" Goku's eyes lit up, feeling genuinely happy that Nami had achieved her goal.
"Mhm. So, since the hundred million Berries have been earned, I have to go resolve that matter I must finish no matter what. Only then can I go to the Grand Line with you."
"Is it that secret you mentioned?"
"Yes!"
"Are you going to solve it right now?"
"Exactly!"
Nami crouched down and pressed her hands onto Goku's shoulders, teasing him in a light tone. "Goku, why don't you wait here for me for a bit? I'll go finish this, and then I'll come back for you, okay?"
Goku blinked and asked, "Can't I come with you?"
Nami's expression turned serious. "No, I have to do this alone. You stay here, Goku."
Saying that, her expression softened again, coaxing him like a child. "Be a good boy and listen to me. Can you wait here for me?"
Goku finally nodded. "Alright. How long will you be gone?"
"Hmm... two days. Two days should do it. I'll be back within two days."
Nami's eyes flickered as she calculated. If everything went smoothly, two days was enough for a round trip.
"Two days, huh? Alright, I'll wait for you here." Goku scratched his cheek, thinking that two days wasn't that long. He would just wait for Nami here.
Once the two reached an agreement, Nami climbed down from the Dream Chaser and jumped into the small boat.
After raising the sail, she smiled and waved at Goku. "I'm off then! Wait for me here!"
"Mhm! Come back as soon as you're done, Nami!" Goku waved back with a grin.
Under the strong push of the sea breeze, the small boat gradually sailed into the distance.
Nami stood at the stern, keeping her eyes fixed on Goku until his figure grew smaller and smaller.
When the two could no longer see each other's faces clearly, Nami suddenly cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Hey!! Goku!! If I'm not back within two days, don't wait for me anymore!!"
After shouting, she turned around abruptly, and the tears she had been holding back for so long finally burst forth.
'That matter will definitely be resolved smoothly, right?'
'I'll definitely be able to see Goku again, right?'
'Belle-mere.'
...
On the Dream Chaser, Goku tilted his head in confusion. "Huh? What did Nami just say?"
Muffled by the sound of the waves and the wind, he only heard her voice faintly and couldn't make out the words.
After thinking for a moment, he scratched his head and muttered, "Forget it. I'll just ask her what she said when she gets back."
...
Meanwhile, at the Sea Restaurant Baratie.
Taking advantage of Sanji's absence, Zeff—who had recovered from his paralysis—gathered the chefs together and spoke with a serious expression.
"Listen up, everyone. You all know Sanji has a dream, and that is to head to the Grand Line to search for the legendary All Blue."
Patty and the other chefs listened intently.
"Even though Sanji has that dream, he has stayed here all these years for the Baratie and for us. He refuses to leave even when someone invites him with the utmost sincerity."
"He's a stubborn guy. He clearly wants to find the All Blue, but he insists on staying here. What do you think we should do to force him to change?"
Patty and the others looked at each other, their lips curling into smirks. "Hehe! That's easy. We just have to trash the food he cooks and talk down his skills like they're worthless. A guy with pride like his won't be able to stand us and will want to leave immediately."
"Exactly! Hahaha! Just thinking about Sanji getting all riled up makes me want to laugh."
"But what if he really gets mad and never comes back?" someone voiced their concern.
"Don't worry, Sanji isn't that kind of person. And even if he really doesn't come back, it's fine as long as he can achieve his dream in the Grand Line." Zeff stroked his braided beard and smiled slightly.
"Hehe! Right! It'd be better if that brat never came back. That way, I'll always be the Sous Chef, and once the old man retires, I'll be the new Head Chef!" Patty laughed loudly.
"What kind of daydream is that? After Sanji leaves, the Sous Chef position is definitely mine, and the future Head Chef will be me too!" Carne snapped back.
The two immediately began a war of words, listing their own skills while putting the other down, making everyone burst into laughter.
But they didn't know that at this very moment, the protagonist of their plan—Sanji—was leaning against the wall outside the room, hearing every single word of their conversation.
"Heh, they really went through a lot of trouble."
With a cigarette in his mouth, Sanji lowered his head. His falling bangs completely hid his eyes, making his expression unreadable.
[Reviews - Power St0nes - Comments are highly appreciated to keep me going.....(+50 chapters) patre0n.c0m/talecrafter]