Lowett had only been in this world for a few months, yet he had already found surprises more than once in those seemingly stereotypical minor characters.
Monka had become ruthless for power. As a Great Pirate, Kuro was cold and confident. The small fry Zango schemed to survive in the cracks. Then there was the Marines... justice as black as ink, the insatiably greedy Mouse, the calculating Momonga. Every one of them showed him all that people of this era had to endure just to survive.
They were living people, not dolls.
Faced with all this, Lowett had felt anger, surprise, and frustration, but in the end, it had all become a fine wine for him to savor with calm detachment.
So far, the only person who had truly shocked him was Sheldon, who had proven his willingness to keep a secret by attempting suicide in exchange for his family's safety.
But now, there would be one more.
"Why?"
His steady, imposing voice echoed through the room. Nojiko and Kensuke jolted, turning back to look at him in fearful unease.
Though Nami could not see, she could recognize who had come from his voice.
A resolute expression hung on her face. "I'm not stupid. The fighting outside is so fierce, yet this room alone has not been disturbed... You want me to work for you too, don't you?"
Kensuke's face twitched. Was she not afraid of angering him by saying that?!
But he did not dare speak, because interrupting him would likely anger him even more.
"That's right."
To their surprise, Lowett nodded calmly.
Crack... crack...
Pale bones emerged from the floorboards, tangling together into a bone throne for Lowett to sit upon.
Crossing one leg over the other, Lowett laid his cane across his lap and folded his hands over it, composed and unhurried.
"I know about your talent for navigation, so I wanted to take you with me. Killing Arlong was for gathering materials, and you can help me find more materials that satisfy me."
"But you destroyed your eyes..."
"Do you not know just how capable you are?"
"Distance" was an unavoidable problem in this world. Without the brilliantly advanced civilization of the Mage World, transportation in the Pirate World depended entirely on sailing.
And naturally, sailing required a navigator's guidance.
On the dangerous waters of the Grand Line, a qualified navigator was even more indispensable. Otherwise, total annihilation could come in an instant.
Without Nami, those reckless fools in the Straw Hat Pirates from the original story would be lucky to survive crossing Reverse Mountain, let alone make it to the New World.
Lowett could not possibly be uninterested in such talent.
"Of course I know."
A faint, confident smile appeared on Nami's face. "Every time I snuck aboard a pirate ship, as long as I showed off my knowledge of navigation, even the fiercest Great Pirates wouldn't dare lay a hand on me."
"But..."
Nami's face filled with hatred, like an angry kitten.
"Afterward, I always wanted to kill myself!"
"It was because I had this ability!"
She said, "That's why Arlong used everyone's safety to threaten me into working for him! Yet I had to rely on that very ability to protect the village..."
"I knew it too. The whole thing about buying back the village for one hundred million Berries was a lie!"
"But there was nothing I could do. The fish-men were too strong. We were no match for them at all... So I could only deceive myself, tell myself there was still hope, and struggle to live on for everyone's sake."
"Nami..."
Nojiko knelt on the ground, clenching her fists and biting her lower lip.
So Nami had endured such torment all these years?
They had become a burden, causing Nami pain.
"Your dream was built upon suffering. As the culprit, it is only natural that you hate pirates."
After hearing the innermost thoughts of fifteen-year-old Nami, Lowett nodded slightly.
"But if you destroy your own eyes and become a cripple, you no longer have any value."
As his words fell, Soul Aura spread outward.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now?"
The oppressive, terrifying aura made the three people in the room shudder. In their eyes, Lowett became a monstrous beast, filling them with dread.
"I'm not afraid!"
Suddenly, Nami's stubborn voice rang out.
"Rather than live in pain, I'd rather die smiling."
"Even if it means giving up your dream?"
Lowett suddenly asked.
Nami's expression froze.
"You don't actually want to die, do you?"
Not fearing death did not mean wanting death.
"How troublesome!"
Lowett said no more. He had already learned much from Nami's expression, the most obvious being that she currently had no reason to set sail.
Raising a hand to rub his brow, Lowett said, "If I could turn you into an intelligent undead, taking your corpse would be just as good."
He calmly voiced those horrifying words, making all three of them tremble, then rose to his feet.
"You're lucky. I can't do that yet."
"So..."
Flesh Magic - Limb Suture Technique!
Two bloody eyeballs floated up from the floor and landed in Lowett's palm. He grabbed Nami by the chin, then shoved them into her eye sockets.
"Ah!!!"
"Nami!"
Nojiko and Kensuke tried to rush forward and stop him, but bony arms stretched up from the floor and held them tightly in place.
"This won't be our last meeting, Nami."
"Since you have a dream, cherish it properly."
Boom!!
Terrifying mana fluctuations surged around Lowett. Fragments of sea charts and other debris slowly rose into the air within the spell's field, ignoring gravity.
"One day, you and I will meet at sea. When that time comes, we can discuss your salary and benefits."
"Impossible!!!"
A cool sensation seeped from her eye sockets, like ice shards stirring through flesh. The pain made Nami bite her lips until they bled.
"Heh, that isn't up to you!"
Lowett slowly pulled his hand away from her eye sockets. Scarlet fluid clung to the tips of his five fingers, and before Nami could breathe a sigh of relief, his fingers ignored the barrier of flesh and pierced different parts of her skull.
"Ah!!!"
"Nami!!"
When the light dispersed, Nojiko immediately threw herself forward. She shook Nami's body anxiously, then sighed in relief when she found that Nami still had a heartbeat.
"You..."
Nojiko turned back and glared furiously at Lowett.
"Nojiko, calm down!"
Kensuke stepped in front of her and pointed downward.
Nojiko looked down, only then noticing that Nami's eyelids, which should have been shriveled and sunken, were trembling slightly, as though something inside was moving.
"This is...!!"
Nojiko covered her mouth in utter disbelief.
Nami's eyes had actually grown back!
Lowett watched the scene with a stifled feeling in his chest. If his severed arm were still here, it could have regrown by now. Unfortunately, the moment Skinner had cut it off, the arm had fallen into the sea and become food for fish and shrimp.
"At most, your eyes will recover completely within a year."
Shaking his head to dismiss those distracting thoughts, Lowett tucked his cane beneath his arm and took out a handkerchief to wipe the blood from his hands.
"When your eyes recover, Nami, I'll be waiting for you on the sea."
"The next time we meet, even if you're a corpse, I'll take you away..."
With that, Lowett turned and walked toward the door.
"Wait!"
Suddenly, Nami struggled into a sitting position, facing the doorway with her eyes closed.
"I will never work for a pirate!"
"Is that so?"
Lowett smiled faintly. "Let's wait and see."
Flutter... flap flap!
Ravens burst from his body one after another, crowding the cramped room as they flew about. Once the commotion settled, the corridor was completely empty.
"Who exactly was he?"
Only now did Kensuke finally relax. Such methods were simply unheard of!
But when he looked back at Nami, then at Nojiko holding her and silently weeping, he gave up on pursuing the matter.
"Who cares? We'll deal with the future when it comes. At least we survived for now."
Thanks to reader ~Ancient Burial Era~ for the 500 reward. Thank you for the support!
This week's holiday felt like it vanished after just one day of drinking. Thinking about having to go back to work the day after tomorrow, I realized I hadn't even gone out to have fun!
I'm exhausted. My vacation just disappeared in a daze.
Before you continue