Nojiko, the Assist

Sky Island.

God's Palace.

Outside Nami's room.

Nojiko followed beside Lin Yu and asked curiously, "Lin Yu, what exactly did you bring me here for?"

Hearing Nojiko's question, Lin Yu could not help but laugh. "I prepared a big gift for you!"

Because he had deliberately kept it secret, Nojiko and the others still did not know that the Straw Hat Crew was currently on Sky Island.

"A big gift?"

"What is it?"

Nojiko was instantly delighted, anticipation quietly rising in her heart.

The gift Lin Yu had prepared certainly would not be anything ordinary.

When she followed Lin Yu into the room, Nojiko froze on the spot. Seeing Nami with both hands cuffed to the bed, she cried out in surprise, "Nami!"

Nami, who had been trying to figure out how to escape, froze when she heard that familiar voice beside her. She turned toward Nojiko in astonishment, completely baffled.

"Nojiko, why are you here?"

"Nami, it really is you."

Nojiko rushed to Nami's side and excitedly hugged her.

Watching the two beautiful sisters embrace, Lin Yu smiled faintly and quietly sat to one side without disturbing them.

Held in Nojiko's arms, Nami was both shocked and overjoyed.

After a while, she noticed Lin Yu sitting nearby, and her face immediately turned deathly pale.

She remembered very clearly that he had his eyes on her body...

And now Nojiko was with him...

Could he be planning to use Nojiko to threaten me...?

At that thought, Nami's heart went cold.

Before long, the delighted Nojiko finally noticed Nami's cuffed hands. Turning to Lin Yu, she asked, "Lin Yu, why did you cuff Nami up?"

"Well, it was to keep her from running away. She's the famous Little Thief Cat of the East Blue, after all."

Lin Yu tossed the key to Nojiko with a smile, in an exceptionally good mood.

With two stunning beauties of distinctly different charms before him, anyone would be in a good mood.

Once her handcuffs were removed, Nami gave Lin Yu a puzzled glance, then looked at Nojiko and whispered in her ear, "Are you close with him?"

"Mhm." Nojiko's pretty face flushed slightly at the question.

What she and Lin Yu had between them could no longer be described as simply being close...

Hearing that, Nami's eyes lit up. She immediately leaned close to Nojiko's ear and asked her to beg Lin Yu to let her go, and to release the Straw Hat Pirates as well.

Nojiko fell silent at Nami's words, then looked at her and shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Nami. Lin Yu... won't let you go."

"No one can change his mind about that."

It was not that Nojiko did not want to help Nami. It was simply that, to her now, both Lin Yu and Nami were the people she cared about most.

Moreover, like Vivi, she now knew the secret of Lin Yu's special ability.

So Nojiko knew perfectly well that Lin Yu would never let someone with Nami's extraordinary talent for navigation go.

Lin Yu had told her as much back in Cocoyasi Village, so Nojiko had long been mentally prepared.

Hearing Nojiko's words, Nami's face turned pale again.

This time, she was afraid she really could not escape.

Seeing Nami's expression, Nojiko felt terrible. She looked at Lin Yu pleadingly and said, "Lin Yu, could you please not make things difficult for the Straw Hat Crew?"

"Just... just for Nami's and my sake."

Since Lin Yu clearly would not let Nami go, Nojiko could only try to find a way to make him spare the Straw Hat Crew. That way, perhaps Nami would feel a little better.

Hearing Nojiko's words, Nami also stared silently at Lin Yu. In truth, her thoughts were the same as Nojiko's.

If she truly could not escape, then she had to at least fight for a chance of survival for Luffy and the others.

Lin Yu could not help but laugh at Nojiko's words. Bringing her here had indeed been the right choice.

Nojiko's assist had come at exactly the right moment.

After thinking for a moment, Lin Yu smiled at Nami. "Whether I go after the Straw Hat Crew will depend on Miss Nami's performance from here on."

At that, Nami gritted her teeth and glared at Lin Yu.

Naturally, she knew what kind of performance Lin Yu meant.

But when she recalled everything she had been through with Luffy and the others...

She remembered that she had initially joined Luffy's group only to steal their ship. She remembered Luffy defeating the fish-man Arlong for her and saving Cocoyasi Village.

She remembered the adventures she had shared with Luffy and the others.

Thinking of all that, Nami was torn with anguish.

She did not want to let this hateful man get what he wanted.

But she was also afraid that if she refused, she would anger Lin Yu and send Luffy and the others to their deaths.

Lin Yu's strength, worthy of a 1.5 Billion Bounty, along with that Curly Brow Big Sister who had casually knocked out Chopper and Usopp, left Nami unable to see even the slightest chance of victory for Luffy's group.

Lin Yu sat to one side, leisurely admiring the beautiful face of Nami as she hesitated and struggled, as though she were a peerless work of art.

Nojiko looked at Lin Yu, then at Nami. Caught between them, she found herself in an extremely difficult position.

In the end, after thinking it over again and again, Nojiko quietly said something to Nami.

"What did you say?"

"You gained a Devil Fruit ability?"

Nami stared at Nojiko in shock. Devil Fruits were exceedingly rare.

"It's true, Nami."

"As long as Lin Yu kills pirates with Devil Fruit abilities, he can obtain their fruits."

"This one of mine is that Baroque Works Bomb Fruit."

"If you join us too, Lin Yu will definitely get you an incredibly powerful Devil Fruit."

Nojiko spoke eagerly to Nami, even demonstrating the Devil Fruit ability she had acquired.

She hoped to use the temptation of gaining a Devil Fruit to persuade Nami to join them. That way, she would not have to be caught in the middle.

Hearing Nojiko's words, Lin Yu was secretly overjoyed.

He had not expected Nojiko to deliver another perfectly timed assist.

In Nojiko's eyes, what she had said was an attempt at tempting Nami with benefits.

But in Nami's ears, it became a threat.

After all, the Straw Hat Pirates possessed two Devil Fruits: one Nika Fruit and one common people fruit.

Lin Yu had no interest in Luffy's Nika Fruit. No matter how powerful it was, he would not want it.

He had no desire to be controlled by a Nika Fruit with a will of its own. He wanted to become the World King, not some warrior of freedom.

As for Chopper's common people fruit, sorry, Lin Yu wanted it even less.

Kill a Devil Fruit user, and you could obtain their Devil Fruit...

After seeing Nojiko demonstrate her Devil Fruit ability, Nami stared at Lin Yu in utter shock. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.

Thinking of the Devil Fruits Luffy and Chopper possessed.

Nami completely broke down and said to Lin Yu, "I-I'll agree to it, but you are not allowed to lay a hand on Luffy and the others."