Nami: Oh No, He's After Me!

Author: Yichihuo

Synopsis:

After transmigrating to the world of One Piece, he awakened a quest system with a built-in radar that could search the entire world for quests. The harder the quest, the better the reward. Extremely distant quests even came with round-trip teleportation...

[Quest reward: transform into Satoru Gojo at his peak for one minute every day...]

What more was there to say? Where were the quests with the highest difficulty?

The four seas, north, south, east, and west; the Grand Line and the New World—who else needed help? Who else had a dream? System radar, search!

Imu, you were the challenger. Just wait for death.

Chapter 1: Nami: Oh No, He's After Me!

East Blue, northwestern waters, aboard the Kira's passenger-ship restaurant—

"You've been distracted this whole time. Is something on your mind?"

Ruidio speared the last juicy, succulent piece of meat with his fork and put it in his mouth. Savoring it as he chewed, he casually asked the orange-haired girl across from him.

"When a girl goes out alone, she has to keep her ears open and watch herself at all times."

Nami propped her chin on one hand and toyed with her drink's straw with the other. "A guy like you, who casually sits down at a stranger's table without any caution, probably wouldn't understand—huh, did a waiter bring food over just now?"

She had a neat, practical crop of orange hair and large, lively eyes. Even in an ordinary blue-and-white, short-sleeved sailor top, she had an air that could have landed her on the cover of a fashion magazine at any moment.

Nami knew she was beautiful and had a great figure, so she thought nothing of guys approaching her. She was used to it by now.

She just hadn't expected that, in the time it took her to turn her head, this guy would start eating a feast all by himself. No waiter had come by just now, had they? Where had all this food come from?

Nami looked with some puzzlement at the huge pile of food he had finished. Was this some new pickup trick designed to pique a beauty's curiosity?

"Hello..."

Just then, a girl wearing glasses walked over and tapped the guy across from Nami on the shoulder.

He had a partner too? Nami's gaze sharpened.

"Hello to you too." Ruidio looked at the girl with glasses. She had a face he had previously seen only in a memorial portrait. Could they really look so alike?

The girl with glasses leaned closer, pulled back, and changed angles, examining him over and over—

Short black hair, check.

Even sitting down, he was clearly tall, check.

As for his face... she had been too far away to see it clearly at the time, but the muscles in his arms were well defined, and his shoulders and chest bulged. He was clearly well trained. Everything matched!

"Where's your sword?"

The girl with glasses looked thoroughly puzzled as she gestured with her hands. "About this long, with a white scabbard and hilt. You had it at your waist when you boarded... If I'm not mistaken, that was the Famous Sword Wado Ichimonji, wasn't it?"

Ruidio said, "I don't have a sword like that."

"Sorry, I mistook you for someone else..." The girl hesitated, then left awkwardly.

This was too strange! After that person boarded, he had seemed to vanish into thin air. She had searched all over the ship and couldn't find him anywhere. She had finally spotted him in the restaurant, only to have mistaken someone else for him?

"That girl is probably a Marine,"

Nami suddenly said. She crossed one leg, hugged her knee, and smiled at Ruidio. "She's looking for you. You wouldn't happen to be a pirate, would you?"

Ruidio chuckled. "You recognized a Marine at a glance. I'd say you look more like a thief, with those thieving eyes of yours."

Nami said, "I'm not—"

"There's a thief!!!"

A shout happened to erupt through the restaurant, making Nami tremble all over in fright.

"Haha." Ruidio couldn't help laughing.

Nami flew into a rage out of embarrassment.

The shouting came from a fat woman covered in jewelry at a neighboring table. She was feeling the folds of her neck and yelling, "Who stole my emerald necklace?!" while repeatedly slapping the two people beside her who looked like bodyguards.

The restaurant descended into chaos, and crew members soon came hurrying over one after another.

Ruidio smiled. "I'm not a pirate. I'm a wizard."

"A wizard?"

"For example... I can take one thing and turn it into two."

Nami scoffed. "Then couldn't you turn one bill into two and become filthy rich in no time? If you're going to lie, don't make up something that can be exposed immediately. That's so unprofessional."

"Then why don't you try exposing me?"

Ruidio smiled and pulled a 100-Beli coin from his pocket. He flipped it rapidly between his five fingers, then flicked it into the air with a ting—

Nami watched the spinning coin fall. He caught it in his left hand, lightly tapped that hand against his right, and opened them both to reveal they were empty.

He clapped his hands together with a smack, then opened them again. This time, there really was a 100-Beli coin in each hand.

Nami sighed. "Handsome, that's not magic. It's a magic trick."

Grinning, she pushed her half-finished drink toward him. "If you're so good, turn this into two."

Before she had finished speaking, Ruidio reached out and casually tapped the rim of the glass.

The stemmed glass, still half full of drink, vanished into thin air without a trace.

Nami was immediately startled. She reached out and felt around, but there really was nothing there.

Ruidio showed her both empty hands, then snapped his fingers at the same time.

Snap, snap!

Two stemmed glasses appeared out of thin air at the same time, each with half a glass of drink gently swaying inside... The texture of the drink and the amount remaining were exactly the same!

Nami was stunned. What had happened to the sleight of hand he had used with the coin? How could he suddenly make things appear and disappear without hiding anything?

Her voice trembled. "How did you do that?"

Of course he had done it with the system. How else?

Ruidio smiled without answering.

"Then what if I gave you this 10,000 Beli..."

A determined look appeared in the orange-haired girl's eyes. She reluctantly fished a crumpled bill out of her miniskirt pocket.

"Wouldn't I be falling for it?"

She waved the bill between her fingers and grinned at Ruidio.

Ruidio's expression didn't change. "Ten thousand is too little. Give me 50 million Beli, and I can turn it into 100 million on the spot. Believe it or not."

A hundred million?

Nami's expression shifted slightly at the number.

"Or you could bring out that priceless Tulip gemstone you stole three months ago. I could turn it into two as well. Believe it or not."

He knows me? He was after me from the start!

Nami immediately went on guard. Before she could react, a huge, fat hand like a palm-leaf fan reached over and slammed down on their table with a bang, making both glasses jump.

"Stealing? You're the thief?!"

It was the fat woman from the neighboring table, the one whose necklace had gone missing. She glared furiously at Nami and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Catch the thief!!"

Everyone in the restaurant turned to look. The fat woman's two bodyguards clenched their fists and closed in as well.

"I didn't steal it!" Nami shouted back. She had no desire to be pinned down by the two bodyguards, whose muscles were nearly bursting through their clothes, so she hurriedly got up and dodged away.

The fat woman roared, "Nonsense! I heard you just now! You like stealing things!"

Baring her pointed teeth, Nami shouted back, "I only steal pirates' treasure!"

The fat woman said angrily, "That still makes you a thief!!"

"Need a hand?" someone suddenly asked.

The fat woman turned to look and saw that it was the handsome young man who had been sitting with the orange-haired thief.

Ruidio smiled. "If you do, just ask me to help catch this Cat Burglar."

The fat woman's two bodyguards had already reached for Nami.

Nami reached under her miniskirt and pulled out three short sections of staff strapped to her thigh. She deftly assembled them into a long, thin, sturdy staff and, with one clean sweep, knocked both bodyguards down.

"You dare resist? It really was you who stole it!" The fat woman flew into a rage and shouted at Ruidio, "Help me catch her, quickly!"

[Halrata has commissioned you to undertake a quest: catch the female thief]

[Estimated difficulty: ★]

Ruidio smiled faintly.

[Quest accepted]

Seeing his smile, Nami had a bad feeling. She immediately tried to flee, but her hands suddenly went numb as he knocked her staff to the floor. She was about to kick him in the groin when she lost her footing. At the same time, he seized her left shoulder and grabbed her right arm with one large hand, twisting it behind her back. Bang! Her entire upper body was pressed against the tabletop.

Nami struggled with all her might, but she couldn't budge!

He had only one hand pressing down on her, yet it felt as heavy as a mountain. Against such an overwhelming difference in strength, any escape technique was meaningless.

Who is this guy? How is he so strong? He's just like those Fish-Men!

[Quest complete]

[Reward settled: 18 essence]

"Let... me go!" Nami's youthful, beautiful face was pressed so hard against the table that it was nearly distorted. She shouted through gritted teeth, "I... didn't... steal it!"

Ruidio said, "Oh, I know."

What?! Nami was ready to explode with anger.

"Let me!" The fat woman came charging over, her feet thudding. She pinned Nami down with one fat, fanlike hand and raised the other to slap the back of her head repeatedly, but Ruidio reached out and stopped her.

Ruidio said, "Nami, need a hand?"

Nami ground her teeth. "You do know me!"

Ruidio said, "If you do, give me the 10,000 Beli. You definitely won't be falling for anything."

Baring her pointed teeth, Nami roared, "Why do I have to pay?! Take it! Let me go, now!" In an extremely awkward position, she clamped the crumpled bill between her fingers and waved it frantically.

Ruidio smiled and took it.

[Nami has hired you and issued a quest: help me get free]

[Estimated difficulty: none]

Ruidio gave the fat woman a gentle push. She stumbled backward several steps with heavy thuds and landed on one of her bodyguards, who had just gotten up, flattening him again with a scream.