Before long, she slipped into the groove.
She went from passive to proactive, even letting her imagination run wild, leaving Reno clicking his tongue in amazement.
It perfectly matched Carmen's personality—bold and unconventional.
It also gave Reno an entirely new experience.
Only after Carmen had absorbed every last bit of knowledge did Reno finally stop teaching.
Even so, Carmen still felt unsatisfied.
Reno checked the time. It was already close to dawn, so he called it a night.
More importantly, he could hardly wait to claim his reward.
In the room next door.
"Claim reward."
[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Navigation Support Skill—Tidal Hand!] Note: Once activated, this skill can easily summon towering waves, providing the Host with the finest navigation experience. Friendly reminder: Watch out for water.
Reno pressed his lips together, nearly blurting out a string of curses.
How thoughtful.
As expected of the system. It really understood him too well.
So far, among the five women he had taken in—Nami, Kaya, Nojiko, Makino, and Carmen—not a single one had any talent in this area.
Their learning was all dry and stiff.
It left Reno deeply disappointed.
And the appearance of Tidal Hand perfectly made up for that shortcoming.
Even if each person had different levels of comprehension, they could all master it.
"Let's test the effects of Tidal Hand first."
He had already mastered the skill, and he had a candidate.
The timing, location, and people were all perfect.
Without another word, Reno went to find Carmen again.
He used Healing Power to completely remove all the negative effects from Carmen's body.
Carmen, restored to full health, looked utterly bewildered.
The captain could do that too?!
The sun rose as usual.
The four women ate breakfast with earplugs in and dark circles under their eyes.
Even the gentle Kaya and Makino had begun to feel a little resentful.
What was going on?!
Was Carmen really that fresh and exciting?!
By custom, Reno usually kept his lessons for newcomers within four hours.
And they had left Baratie at around eleven last night.
Now it was already seven in the morning!
And they still hadn't finished?!
So he liked the new flavor now, huh?!
Was he planning to teach all the navigation knowledge in one go?!
Damn it! Bastard!!
"You guys eat. I'm going to get some rest." Nojiko's eyelids were fighting furiously as she set down her half-eaten breakfast and headed for her room.
Makino yawned as well. After finishing the last sip of milk, she left the table just as listlessly.
"Hey, why is everyone leaving?!" Nami watched the two women go. "Are we staying here again today?!"
Nami could not make up her mind.
But she did not dare interrupt Reno while he was teaching a newcomer.
"Forget it, Nami. Let's wait until Brother Reno is done." Kaya rubbed her forehead helplessly.
That sound had been echoing in her head for an entire day.
She was certain Reno had used Healing Power.
Otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible.
"Okay."
Muttering to herself, Nami resumed eating breakfast.
Inside the room, the floor was completely covered in water stains.
There was no helping it. Products made by the system were bound to be exceptional.
Reno praised it again and again. In the end, he could only describe it as domineering.
It was like the sea overturning and flooding into a parched desert.
"Let's stop here for today."
Reno put away the tool used to trigger Tidal Hand.
Carmen buried her head beneath the blanket.
She was too embarrassed to face anyone.
A satisfied Reno walked into the living room, only to find no one there.
After sensing with Observation Haki, he discovered that all the women were sleeping in their rooms.
"Are they really that fond of sleeping?!"
Reno could not help shaking his head.
Forget it. Let them sleep. After breakfast, he should get some rest too.
He could not use his abilities to remove negative effects every time. That would take away too many experiences from life.
At dinner.
The way Nami and the other three women looked at Carmen was different—strange.
Knowing the reason, Carmen kept her head lowered and focused solely on picking up food. She did not dare say a single word.
What could she even say?
Whenever she remembered last night, she felt ashamed.
Whenever someone's gaze fell on her, she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a crack in the ground.
Reno could not help laughing.
He had not expected even the carefree Carmen to have such a shining moment.
She was more bashful than Makino and more coy than Kaya.
His laughter immediately drew the dissatisfaction of the other four women.
"Reno, is that funny?!" Nami gritted her teeth, each word icy cold.
Kaya and the other three did not say anything, but their judgmental stares made Reno's scalp tingle.
He was done for. He had provoked everyone's anger.
Reno wolfed down dinner and quickly slipped away.
As he left, his voice drifted back into the room.
"Carmen, once you finish competing with Sanji in cooking, we'll set sail immediately."
Carmen had searched for Sanji for ten years, and now he was right in front of her.
Naturally, Reno would let Carmen fulfill this wish.
The next day.
With Reno, Nami, and the others, along with every chef from Baratie Restaurant, as witnesses.
Carmen and Sanji finally began their cooking competition, ten years in the making.
Dressed in chef's attire, Carmen seemed like a completely different person.
When she cooked, it felt more like she was putting on a performance, pleasing to the eye.
Nami and the other women clicked their tongues in admiration.
Everyone had their own specialty.
She was utterly unlike the Carmen from that day.
The confidence on Carmen's face as she cooked left the women utterly captivated.
Unfortunately, her opponent was Sanji.
In the end, Carmen lost the competition.
But Carmen's superb cooking still earned the recognition of every Baratie Restaurant chef, including Sanji.
Though she had narrowly lost, Carmen had finally fulfilled this long-held wish.
With a hint of regret, the Merry rose into the sky once more and drifted away.
Everyone, please support me with all kinds of data.
Loguetown, Demon's Hand Reaching for Tashigi! (Please Support with Data)
Sailing was tedious.
But with the girls keeping him company, there was much more laughter and joy.
On the Merry.
Nami held a watering can and carefully tended several orange trees.
Makino was busy brewing wine.
Carmen prepared lunch for everyone while Nojiko helped her.
Kaya flipped through medical books and studied diligently.
Although she had the Healing Power of the Healing Fruit, the pursuit of medical knowledge had always been Kaya's dream.
Reno lounged leisurely in a rocking chair, wearing sunglasses and looking utterly relaxed.
Every day, after discussing navigation techniques with the girls, he would sun himself here.
Even if he did nothing, simply listening to the girls bustling about made him exceptionally happy.
Especially when they were beautiful girls.
It was worth mentioning that ever since he received the reward, Reno had used Tidal Hand every time he taught the girls navigation techniques.
The unprepared Nami and the other three women were directly enlightened, blushing again and again.
When the six of them played Gouji, it could only be described as Flooding the Golden Mountain.
Carmen, Nami, and Nojiko in particular could even create small waves.
Each time, the women had to spend a long time cleaning up the water stains.
There was no helping it. Who told them they had such a powerful captain?
"Everyone, take a break. Lunch will be ready soon," Carmen's voice drifted out from the kitchen.
Nami set down her watering can, while Kaya folded a corner of her medical book as a bookmark...
Everyone put down what they were doing and gathered around the dining table.