Smoker's planned relief operation was obviously far more complicated than the peaceful handover he had envisioned.
Cleaning up the remnants, gathering evidence of crimes, reporting to headquarters.
Smoker and Tashigi's workload suddenly became much heavier, so naturally they could no longer directly marshal their forces and attack Arlong's territory as planned.
According to Tashigi, the bandit-suppression plan would have to be delayed by another day, and they would likely reach Cocoyasi Village in about three days.
Wallace was also busy returning to the East Blue Daily office to report on his work and prepare to publish the major news he had recorded over the past three days.
With all the chaos temporarily settled and their few acquaintances each occupied with their own business, Garen and Nami found themselves rather idle.
In unfamiliar Loguetown, the only thing they could probably do to pass the time was—
"This white suit."
In Loguetown's most upscale clothing store, Garen casually pointed at a suit on the rack that caught his eye.
"This suit is handwoven from alpaca wool imported from West Blue, and its design was created by a prominent noble family from the Goa Kingdom—"
The saleswoman enthusiastically approached and began her pitch with a smile.
"Give me ten."
Garen's single sentence stopped the saleswoman cold.
"Haha."
The saleswoman's expression immediately became rather colorful. "Th-this is a limited edition. There's only one."
"Oh?"
Garen said lightly again,
"Then wrap up every outfit in the store that looks roughly similar to this suit."
As a protagonist, how could he not keep a whole wardrobe of identical outfits in reserve?
"Um..."
The saleswoman still could not quite process it. "Aren't you going to ask about the price?"
"Ahem."
Nami, who had been closely following Garen, stepped forward with a sweet smile and gently unzipped the large canvas bag in her hand before the saleswoman.
The canvas bag was huge—huge enough to hold all of Garen's gains from the past three days in one go.
Under the special consideration of Smoker, Loguetown's new commanding officer, Steel Cutlass's head had quickly been exchanged for ten million Beli in cash. Combined with the generous donations from kindhearted people like Buggy and Commander Hammer...
The bag was stuffed with so much that it was hard to imagine a delicate-looking young girl like Nami could carry it.
Yet Nami clutched it tightly and refused to let go, growing more energetic the longer she carried it.
The well-traveled saleswoman was instantly dazzled by what was inside the bag.
The smile on Nami's face grew even brighter.
She had only ever saved money before. This was her first time enjoying the thrill of throwing around huge sums of cash, and it felt unbelievably good.
Strictly speaking, all this money belonged to Garen anyway. If they did not spend it, it would be a waste.
"Your family is truly wealthy..."
With a dazed expression, the saleswoman voiced her most heartfelt thought.
"Nothing special."
Garen answered casually,
"My family is just an ordinary family."
That made Nami, who was carrying the bag like a laborer, twitch at the corner of her mouth. She could not help shooting Garen a disdainful glare.
"For me, the happiness money brings accounts for less than five percent."
Garen only grew smoother as he spoke, the noble aura of someone detached from worldly concerns becoming ever more pronounced around him.
"I never went to sea to make money. Making money was just something I did on the side."
But the saleswoman was already staring with shining eyes, while the other staff members in the store gathered around him like stars surrounding the moon.
A rich customer was naturally king.
Garen's unreasonable request was fulfilled by the fired-up staff in just a few minutes.
Several dozen identical white suits were neatly folded, then diligently wrapped and delivered before Garen.
Bills were scattered out in bundles, and Garen's shopping trip ended smoothly in this simple and overbearing fashion.
Next came Nami's turn to pick out clothes. This counted as an employee benefit Garen was giving his temporary navigator.
Though Nami was already a hidden millionaire, her miserable past and difficult work had kept her living frugally and quietly. She always wore nothing more than an unremarkable short-sleeved top and short skirt.
For the first time in her life, she could freely wear the expensive clothes she liked.
The girlish heart that had been crushed beneath the weight of life finally got a small chance to soar.
Nami casually picked out an expensive outfit, then entered the fitting room amid the attentive service of the staff gathered around her.
A suggestive rustling sound drifted over from afar, giving the atmosphere an inexplicably intimate air.
After a long while, Nami finally emerged after making everyone wait eagerly.
Unexpectedly, Nami had chosen a pure white princess dress completely at odds with her lively personality.
She wore a solid-colored, off-the-shoulder dress. Her bright orange hair just brushed against her delicate collarbones, while layers of thin white fabric draped down, outlining an alluring curve over Nami's impossibly perfect figure.
The dress puffed slightly beneath her slender waist, revealing her long jade-like legs and tracing an ambiguous curve beneath the warm, bright lights.
Nami's smile was just right. Her faint dimples were cute and lively, yet the slightly upturned corners of her lips revealed an innate elegance and charm.
"So beautiful!"
The first to praise her was the saleswoman who had been attending her all along.
Sweet compliments like that were part of her professional skills, but today, she had cried it out from the bottom of her heart.
"No need to say more."
Garen silently took out a bundle of bills. "Buy it."
"Does it look good?"
For no particular reason, Nami walked over to Garen and asked the unnecessary question.
"Stunning."
Garen did not hold back his praise.
The smile on Nami's face brightened a little more.
But Garen's gaze quietly shifted to Nami's left arm.
A pale yellow silk embroidered handkerchief was lightly tied there, complementing her fair, jade-like skin.
But Garen knew Nami wore that scarf not for beauty.
"You don't need to hide it."
Garen said softly, "I know what's there."
Nami's body immediately trembled slightly.
Garen's expression suddenly turned serious, his eyes filled with resolve.
"In three days, I'll fulfill my promise."
"That salted fish will definitely die."
The intimate atmosphere suddenly became grave, and the saleswoman beside them unconsciously tensed up.
"Mm."
Nami answered with only a single simple sound, but her eyes shone with boundless light.
"Go pick out a few more outfits!"
Garen smiled lightly and spoke the most domineering line a man could say.
"Buy whatever you want. I'll pay."
Several hours later.
"Is it still not too late to regret this?"
Garen slumped half-dead in a chair at the clothing store, staring weakly toward the fitting room.
Because of Garen's words, Nami had instantly entered shopping-maniac mode.
And her shopping style differed from Garen's wholesale-market approach. Every time she bought an outfit, she had to personally go into the fitting room and try it on, then come out looking beautiful so Garen could admire her.
Cheongsams, short skirts, hot pants, dresses, aristocratic gowns... She had worn every imaginable style.
At first, Garen had found it all incredibly stunning and watched with great interest.
As time passed, Garen became like a dried-out salted fish, with barely a breath left in him.
"How can buying clothes take this long?"
"Can't you just wrap them up and try them on at home?"
Garen could not help covering his face and sighing.
"Haha."
Though the saleswoman beside him also looked exhausted, the power of money gave her energy surpassing even the Knight's.
"Girls all shop for clothes like this."
"Sigh..."
Garen sighed helplessly and could only continue waiting gloomily for Miss Nami to finish changing.
A moment later, Nami came out again, this time wearing an imposing and luxurious mink fur coat.
She strode energetically over to Garen and asked the question she had repeated countless times that day. "Pretty?"
"Pretty, my ass!"
Garen complained helplessly, "Why are you wearing mink in the middle of summer?"
"You wasteful woman, hurry up and finish buying your clothes so we can go home!"
"Hmph!"
Nami gave a light snort, completely unmoved, then ran back to the nearby racks to browse again.
"Sir, please be patient!"
The saleswoman smiled as she tried to smooth things over.
"Your girlfriend is so beautiful, she's perfectly suited for—"
"Stop!"
Garen waved his hand impatiently.
"Don't talk about whether she's pretty or not!"
"I have face blindness!"
"I can't tell if she's pretty at all!"
Before you continue