Radiant Smile

Li Mingyuan chuckled softly and simply continued looking at Carina without saying a word.

Then, as Carina's expression grew increasingly unnatural with each passing moment,

he slowly withdrew his gaze.

Li Mingyuan blinked thoughtfully, a few guesses forming in his mind.

For the moment, though, he did not press further. He merely shook his head slightly and turned to look at the towering main building of Arlong Park behind him.

"If Nami comes back later, the villagers might come along to see what happened too."

"Staying this filthy would be rather inappropriate if anyone else saw us."

As if talking to himself, Li Mingyuan said, "The facilities in Arlong Park are still intact anyway. Why not go upstairs and take a quick shower? It won't take more than a few minutes. And if we can find some clean clothes, even better."

As he spoke, he glanced at Carina from the corner of his eye.

Under her somewhat baffled gaze, Li Mingyuan walked straight into the main building, quickly disappearing from sight.

Carina was left standing there alone, feeling slightly disheveled.

What exactly did that mean?

Did he notice something? No way, right?

Carina scratched her hair, tangled in her thoughts. For a moment, she had the urge to scream. Honestly, this is why I keep saying he should hurry up and go to the Grand Line! What is someone like him even doing in the East Blue? Just having those eyes on me makes me feel like I could be killed at any moment, just like those Fish-Men. I was so nervous I could barely speak and ended up reacting strangely.

If I keep staying with this guy, I'm really going to lose my mind someday!

Carina stared blankly ahead.

But there was nothing she could do. Since Li Mingyuan had already gone inside, she could not just remain there forever. Even if she had to force herself, she needed to follow him so he would not think she might run away.

With a helpless sigh, Carina dragged her unwilling feet into the Arlong Park castle as well.

Just then,

Carina suddenly noticed that every step she took made a wet, squelching sound against the floor.

Lowering her head, she realized it was the ink the octopus had sprayed on her earlier. She had probably been too nervous while talking to Li Mingyuan to notice. Now, it had mixed with her sweat, leaving her sticky and dripping.

Eh? Wait.

Could it be that guy thought I was filthy and wanted me to take a bath too?

Belatedly realizing it, Carina suddenly understood. Come to think of it, I'm still dressed like a sailor. He can't see my face at all.

In a hurry, Carina picked a restroom at random and rushed to the mirror inside.

When she looked at herself in the mirror, she could barely make out what she looked like.

Wow, I'm covered in sweat. Was I really that nervous just now?

Carina could not help covering her face and clicking her tongue. No wonder that guy reacted so strangely. I thought I had hidden it well.

Ha... I'm really done for now. I just hope he doesn't overthink it...

Although she had suddenly discovered that her true appearance had not been exposed, Carina instinctively began to entertain thoughts such as whether she might be able to escape now, before he could catch her.

But before those thoughts could go any further, Carina thought of something else. If Li Mingyuan had treated her this way without ever knowing what she truly looked like, then if she revealed her real appearance, might he find her a little more pleasing to the eye and show some mercy once the truth came out?

Carina's eyes darted about as a crafty idea sprang to mind.

To have stolen her way across these seas for so long, she naturally relied on more than just skill. There had been plenty of times when she used her appearance to draw attention before making her move. In this world, beautiful women enjoyed many conveniences and privileges.

While foolish men approached her with self-satisfied smiles, thinking they were acting like gentlemen and trying to win more of her favor, they never realized that their wallets were the real targets.

So, of course, Carina knew that she was exceptionally beautiful.

With the Arlong Pirates' bounty, the treasure in Arlong Park that hasn't been sold yet, and his own savings, he already has tens of millions of Beli, doesn't he? This guy clearly isn't short on money! If I can charm him too, I can't promise a huge amount, but if I offer over ten million Beli myself and beg sincerely, he probably won't be able to bring himself to kill me, right?

It suddenly feels like I might have a chance. Hehe...

Carina grinned slyly. She even felt that if she could raise his favorability a little, she might have a chance to escape once he let down his guard.

Seriously, how had she forgotten that she still looked like this? If she had realized sooner, she should have dressed herself up properly and shown her face around him more often.

But it was not too late to realize it now.

Right! First, I'll look around Arlong Park for Nami's room and see whether there are any clothes I can wear.

And if I happen to find Nami's wallet or something, that would be even better... I'll give Li Mingyuan the treasure from Arlong Park, but if I take Nami's wallet for myself, that should be fine, right?

Outside Arlong Park.

After painstakingly persuading the villagers to leave, Nami, carrying Arlong's head wrapped in cloth, was about to return to Arlong Park alone to check on Li Mingyuan.

A trace of joy still lingered on Nami after that outpouring of emotion.

At first, the reality that the Arlong Pirates had collapsed had not truly sunk in. But after seeing the villagers' jubilant cheers and feeling her sister Nojiko's tearful embrace of joy, she seemed to wake from a dream and finally understood that the nightmare was over.

As Nojiko held her tightly, Nami had no idea why, but tears began streaming endlessly from her eyes. Then, as though the emotions frozen within her had cracked open, she became like the child she once was. The expression on her face finally fell apart, and she burst into tears as she embraced Nojiko in return.

The sisters cried together with all their strength, and only after quite some time did that moment finally come to an end.

Along with those tears, it seemed that the sorrow accumulated from countless painful memories had also been released.

In its place was—

a mouth that curved upward even as she cried.

At last, a radiant smile appeared on Nami's face.

Even now, after parting with the villagers, the lingering warmth of that cathartic emotional release had yet to fade from her body.

Nami looked at Arlong Park, which she had left not long ago. Yet this time, her state of mind was completely different. Thinking of the man inside, a deep sense of gratitude rose unbidden from her heart.

If he's already awake, I have to thank him properly this time.

The villagers too. Everyone wants to see what the benefactor who defeated Arlong is really like.