Knight's Lady

Nami clung to the Greatsword, trembling for quite a while before finally recovering from the dizziness caused by high-speed flight.

The first thing she saw was Garen's amused smile.

Nami immediately grew nervous:

As a thief, being caught by the victim was definitely no good thing;

If she ran into some vicious pirates, she might even lose her life here.

But Nami was not overly panicked.

As an experienced professional, she had escaped death and turned danger into safety many times before. All she needed was a calm mind and quick wits.

So Nami began deeply considering how to escape.

But Garen's teasing voice interrupted her thoughts:

"What?"

"My Knight's Lady, are you still unwilling to get off my sword?"

As he spoke, Garen enthusiastically swung the greatsword in his hands.

Even with an entire girl still hanging from it, it posed no challenge to his superhuman arm strength.

"Mm..."

Only then did Nami reluctantly set aside her obsession with that Greatsword for the moment. She hurriedly let go and dropped back to the ground.

For once, she blushed.

Yet while absentmindedly tidying her slightly disheveled hair, Nami could not help secretly glancing at the gorgeous Sapphire embedded in the greatsword.

Garen silently moved the greatsword in his hand to the other side.

Nami's gaze instinctively followed it closely.

"Stop looking!"

Garen said irritably, "You can't steal my Greatsword!"

Although Garen's tone was far from friendly, Nami, who had seen all kinds of people, relaxed at that very moment.

She could tell that this Iron Can did not actually harbor much ill will toward her. Instead, he seemed faintly protective and considerate, even though she had nearly stolen his precious weapon.

This guy really might be a knight who knew how to treat women well...

"Then, my lady?"

Garen put that nasty smile back on his face.

"Shouldn't we discuss your little issue of 'running away with the money'?"

Two rather unsightly veins immediately bulged on Nami's smooth forehead. She silently swept that subtle misunderstanding she had formed earlier straight into the trash.

"Hmph!"

Nami gave an imperious snort, then crossed her arms and puffed herself up as she said:

"Who is your lady?!"

"You, a guy who needs women to pay for his meals, think you can find a wife?"

Garen's heart suffered ten thousand points of real damage. Holding back his frustration, he said:

"Watch your attitude. You're my prisoner right now!"

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Nami simply began acting shameless.

"What am I going to do? With my prisoner, naturally, I can do whatever I want..."

"Hehehe..."

Garen deliberately put on an evil laugh.

That creepy laughter made goosebumps rise all over Nami's body.

"Pay up!"

Garen suddenly held out a broad palm toward her. "Ransom!"

No matter what world one lived in, getting by without money was absolutely impossible.

Having just arrived in the world of pirates, Garen saw his first pot of gold in the beautiful thief before him who had failed at stealing.

"What? You want me to give you money?!"

Nami's reaction was even more intense than if she had encountered a lecherous pervert. Like an enraged cat, she shouted at Garen:

"That is absolutely impossible!"

"If you won't pay..."

Garen looked Nami's perfect figure up and down with great interest, then said with malicious amusement:

"Then I'll do just as your script says and keep you here as my Knight's Lady!"

"Hehe."

Nami laughed disdainfully.

By now, she had pretty much completed a full character profile of the Iron Can before her:

He was definitely the kind of ultimate racing game player who rarely dealt with girls, had the desire but not the nerve, knew every street-racing trick yet had never touched a real steering wheel in his life.

"Why don't you try?"

Nami actually revealed a charming, seductive smile. Then she rose onto her toes and pressed her voluptuous body against Garen's cold breastplate, finally meeting his eyes with her large, affectionate gaze without retreating in the slightest.

They were so close that Garen could clearly feel her breath.

Then, as expected, Garen once again fell into the same awkward state as when they first met.

"Hehe."

Having completely seized the initiative, Miss Nami gave a smug little laugh by Garen's ear.

"If you want me to be your Knight's Lady, being this scared won't do, you know."

After saying that, Nami drew back the body she had pressed close to him and abruptly turned around.

Finally, with her back to Garen, Nami waved casually.

"Since you aren't going to force me to stay, I'll be leaving first!"

"Goodbye, my Knight!"

Though she said goodbye aloud, Nami had completely given up her greed for Garen's treasure.

Bullying an honest man was not Nami's style, and Garen's flying Greatsword truly was not something she could steal.

She could slowly scrape together the rest of the money another time.

Nami comforted herself with that thought, but the image of that enormous, dazzling Sapphire still lingered in her mind.

Yet she gradually walked farther away in the end.

"Ugh..."

Garen muttered helplessly to himself:

"I actually got teased by a thief instead..."

"As expected, female drivers rule the road. I can't keep up with that speed at all."

And under Garen's gaze, Nami's figure gradually disappeared into the surging crowd.

Garen felt inexplicably disappointed.

But Nami suddenly squeezed back out from the dense crowd.

The moment she appeared, she rushed toward Garen's burly figure like a swallow returning to its nest.

Finally, Nami crashed squarely into Garen's arms.

"What the hell?"

Faced with this sudden windfall, Garen had not reacted at all.

"Honey!"

Nami's coy voice, brimming with affection, already rang beside his ear.

And it was loud enough for every passerby nearby to hear clearly.

That cry left Garen somewhat dizzy.

But in his daze, Garen lowered his head and saw the undisguised sly smile on Nami's face in his arms.

Nami's whisper softly rose from within Garen's embrace:

"Knight, the Knight's Lady you wanted is here."

"So I'll have to trouble you with what comes next."

Garen suddenly came to his senses:

This witch definitely had no good intentions!

Sure enough, while Garen was still wondering what sinister aim Nami had, a man's thunderous roar came from nearby:

"Fine!"

"No wonder you little brat dared to lay hands on the treasure of our Steel Cutlass Pirates."

A vicious, brawny man nearly three meters tall menacingly waved the huge steel cutlass in his hand. Gritting his teeth, he looked at Garen in his ornate armor and said:

"So you've got this kind of backing behind you!"

"Huh?"

Garen stood there in stunned disbelief.

Nami, however, slipped out of Garen's arms at just the right moment. The sly smile on her face instantly transformed into a helpless, sorrowful expression.

With one hand, she wrapped herself around Garen's armored arm. With the other, she pointed at the fierce-looking captain, Steel Cutlass, then said in a soft, warbling voice:

"Honey, those people are the ones trying to bully me!"

After saying that, Nami took the opportunity to hide behind Garen's broad back.

Led by Captain Steel Cutlass, dozens of burly men with blades angrily focused their gazes on Garen.

"I..."

Garen suddenly had the urge to curse.

"Good sirs."

Garen explained helplessly, "I'm not familiar with her."

But Captain Steel Cutlass could not hear such a weak defense at all. Hot-tempered as he was, he only wanted to chop someone up right now.

"Brothers, hack him down!"

Men of the streets did not waste words.

Within mere seconds, in the middle of the bustling marketplace, several pirate lackeys waving huge steel cutlasses swarmed toward Garen.

"Calm down, everyone, calm down!"

A large blade struck Garen's greatsword, ringing with the clash of metal.

"Brother, I really don't..."

Another large blade slashed against Garen's vambrace with a sharp clang.

"Don't..."

The third large blade came chopping down at his head—

"Fuck!"

Garen angrily swung his greatsword, directly sending that crude steel cutlass, laughably inferior to his own weapon, flying more than ten meters away.

The tremendous force also sent that pirate lackey soaring through the air.

"Fine!"

"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, you actually dare to disregard the law and murder people in the street!"

"You vermin, snakes, flies, rats, and cockroaches! Who knows how many innocent lives you've harmed in the past!"

Garen raised the Sword of Justice high, righteous energy overflowing from his entire body.

"I, Lone Ranger Garen, shall uphold justice on Heaven's behalf today!"