Chapter 66 / Chapter 67

Perona nodded and said with a grin, "That's right! I like her too. Come join us! Horo-horo-horo..."

Nami stopped walking, her eyes flickering as she weighed everything in her mind.

These people were so powerful. Maybe they really could help her.

"Thank you for caring so much about me. Let me tell you about my situation."

Nami turned to look at the two of them, shook her head, and sighed. "Actually, the reason I go around stealing is to save up a hundred million Beli."

"My village, Cocoyasi Village, was taken over by those damned Fish-Men. They bully us every day and don't even treat us like people."

"But the Fish-Men promised me that if I gave them a hundred million Beli, they'd leave my village alone."

Nami clenched her small fists to encourage herself and said confidently, "As long as I keep working hard, I'll have enough in a few years."

Carina and Perona exchanged a glance, finally understanding what was going on.

"That's easy enough. There's no need to go to all that trouble."

Carina shrugged and smiled. "I'll tell Chris in a bit, and we can go wipe out those Fish-Men. That'll settle it, won't it?"

"Then you can come aboard with me, and we'll team up from now on. Hee-hee-hee~~"

Perona nodded and said with a grin, "Exactly. Who cares what kind of Fish-Men they are? They wouldn't stand a chance against Chris."

"If Chris agrees to step in, he'll wipe them out in no time."

Nami waved her hands and explained worriedly, "Their leader, Arlong, has a bounty of twenty million Beli. He's the pirate with the highest bounty in the East Blue."

"He's incredibly strong, and he has a lot of powerful Fish-Men under him. Can you really beat them?"

Carina smoothed back her hair and said casually, "Relax. Don't worry about that."

"Didn't I just tell you? We took down the North Blue Overlord. Do you know how much his bounty was? Eighty-three million."

"This Arlong only has a measly twenty-million bounty. He's absolute trash. Beating him would take no time at all."

Perona flew back and forth through the air, her laughter ringing like silver bells. "Besides, Chris didn't even lift a finger when we took down the North Blue Overlord."

"Our captain wouldn't bother with a pirate worth a mere eighty million or so. He'd think even less of this Arlong you mentioned."

"All right, let's hurry back. Stop dragging your feet."

Nami was stunned by what the two of them said.

Over eighty million!!

What a terrifying bounty.

She wouldn't even dare imagine it.

"That's... amazing..."

Nami came back to her senses, her pretty face filled with shock. She had truly been shaken to the core.

To her, Arlong, with his twenty-million bounty, was already outrageously strong.

Nobody could beat him.

As for someone worth over eighty million, what sort of monster was that? It was terrifying.

Then, without further hesitation, the three of them chatted as they headed outside...

Inside the Baratie restaurant.

"Wonderful. This really is wonderful."

Honey Queen gazed at the sumptuous spread on the table, happiness lighting up her beautiful face. "It's absolutely delicious. Just fantastic."

Belo Betty had already finished eating. She leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and took a drag on her cigarette before speaking.

"The food really is delicious. No wonder this is the most famous restaurant in the East Blue."

Mei Di looked at the women and smiled. "It's a shame we don't have what we need right now. Otherwise, I could mix everyone some drinks. That would make this even better."

Reiju had been back for a while. She looked at Mei Di and said with a smile.

"There's no rush. We'll have plenty of opportunities in the future."

"I'm really looking forward to the drinks you'll make. I'm sure they'll smell wonderful and have a proper kick."

Burgess slapped the table and laughed as he looked at Chris. "Captain, why don't we kidnap these cooks? Then they can cook for us every day."

Doc Q started coughing, an eerie smile on his face. "That's a fine idea. If they refuse, we can just slaughter them."

"You two, stop talking nonsense."

Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said mildly, "Didn't Reiju just tell us? Her younger brother works at this restaurant."

"Reiju is our partner. If you dare cause trouble, the captain won't need to lift a finger. I'll kill you myself."

"After all, the plan comes first. If anyone dares get in its way, I'll be the first to object."

(Everyone, there's something I'd like to mention. A reader asked me to put all the female leads' pictures together in one place. So I made a supplementary section and explained their details there.

If you're interested, take a look at the supplementary section. It has information on the female leads ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Just then, footsteps sounded, and Carina and the other two slowly approached.

"Chris, I brought someone over. She wants to join us too."

Carina looked at Chris, blinked her lovely eyes, and said with a radiant smile, "Her name is Nami. She's a genius navigator who can read the weather and draw maps of islands."

"In short, she's incredibly talented. She'll definitely be a huge help to our crew."

Floating in the air, Perona nodded her little head and said cheerfully, "That's right! She's been reading books about navigation since she was little. She could draw maps of all kinds of islands when she was ten."

"Tsk, tsk. She's really amazing. A genius! Horo-horo-horo~~"

Once the two of them finished introducing her, Nami hurriedly bowed to Chris and spoke with the utmost respect.

"Captain Chris, if you let me join your pirate crew, I'll make full use of my abilities to find the best sailing routes for everyone."

"But..."

Nami looked at Chris, her hands clenched tightly and her face tense. "Before I join, could you help me solve a problem first? Please, Captain."

Carina quickly picked up where she left off and explained, "Here's the situation. Nami's village, Cocoyasi Village, is in trouble."

"The Fish-Men have taken over the place. They bully the villagers every day. They're vicious."

Carina looked at Baccarat and the other women, a pleading look in her eyes as she smiled. "Those Fish-Men are awful. How dare they bully humans?"

"Chris, let's go wipe them out. Then we'll see whether they still dare act so arrogantly."

Perona nodded repeatedly and said with a grin, "Exactly! Fish-Men! I've never seen any before. Horo-horo-horo~~"

Burgess shrugged and burst out laughing. "This is the first time I've seen a newcomer set conditions for joining."

"Captain, forget about her. Joining us is an honor for her. And she has the nerve to make demands? Who does she think she is?"

Doc Q gave an eerie smile and chuckled. "No, let her aboard. We can't waste such a gifted navigator."

"As for solving her village's problem, we can ignore that. Once she's aboard, will she really be able to leave? Heh-heh-heh~~"

Hawkins looked as lifeless as ever and said steadily, "Judging by her face, she'll be joining us today."

Lafitte gave a faint, gentlemanly smile. "If a man dared set conditions for joining, we'd simply kill him."

"But if it's a woman, we can only leave it to the captain. It isn't our place to say anything more."

Honey Queen looked at Chris and said with a smile, "Chris, let her join us."

Belo Betty nodded lightly and took a drag on her cigarette. "Genius navigators are hard to come by. I suggest we let her join."

Reiju gazed at Chris, blinked her lovely eyes, and offered her own suggestion with a gentle smile.

"I think Nami really would be a great help. Let her join us, Chris."

Chris glanced at Nami, as calm as ever, and said flatly, "Let's go."

With that, he stood up, slipped his hands into his trouser pockets, and headed for the door.

What did that mean??

He wouldn't let me join??

Nami froze for a moment, completely baffled.

"Nami, what are you standing around for? Come on."

Carina patted her shoulder and said with a grin, "That's just how Chris is. He's a man of few words."

"If you don't know him, you won't understand what he means. He's already agreed. You're officially one of us now."

Perona nodded and quickly added, "Exactly. Once you get to know Chris, you'll understand how he talks."

Burgess stood up and shrugged. "Since the captain agreed, I've got nothing else to say."

"No, you can refuse."

Doc Q looked at Burgess with an eerie smile. "This Nami had the nerve to set conditions. You have to oppose her joining."

"Burgess, go talk to the captain. Tell him not to let her join. Heh-heh-heh~~"

Burgess glared at him and snapped, "Are you trying to get me fucking killed? If I actually questioned the captain's decision, do you think that would end well for me?"

With Kikoku resting on his shoulder, Law said coldly, "I don't know whether you'd get killed. But you'd definitely get beaten."

"No, the captain wouldn't need to act."

Lafitte twirled his cane and said with a faint smile, "If he really dared question the captain's decision, I'd strike first."

Nami followed everyone outside, thanking them over and over, utterly delighted.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, everyone..."

Seeing Chris and the others leave, the customers finally breathed sighs of relief and began talking loudly.

"That was terrifying. Who exactly is that young man called Chris? He's really scary."

"Yeah. I didn't even dare speak while he was sitting here. What an overwhelming presence."

"We'll know in a few days. They took down the East Blue's overlord, so the Marines will definitely put bounties on them. We can just check the wanted posters then."

"I'm really jealous of him, though. He has so many beautiful women around him. What a feast for the eyes! Hahaha..."

"Strong men never lack beautiful women. Once you get strong, you'll have that too. But, haha, that's never going to happen. Keep dreaming..."

The cooks were discussing it among themselves too.

Patty burst out laughing and said happily, "They finally left! They scared the hell out of me! Hahaha..."

Carne nodded, then shook his head with a sigh. "My hands were trembling earlier. That's the first time I've met someone so terrifying. Ah~~"

"Kid, aren't you going to see your sister off?"

Zeff looked at Sanji and asked with a serious expression.

Sanji took a drag on his cigarette, fell silent for a moment, then said slowly, "We've said everything we needed to say. There's no point seeing her off. If she's leaving, let her leave!"

(A little spoiler: Hancock will be in danger next chapter, and Chris will go save her. Who could her opponent be, if she actually needs to ask Chris for help? It must be some incredibly powerful big shot, right? I can't wait ︿(￣︶￣)︿.)

Aboard the Chris.

As always, Chris didn't linger on deck and headed straight for the Training Room.

"Come on, let's go chat in the Training Room."

Honey Queen looked at Mei Di and Nami, her brows curving as she smiled.

Mei Di nodded lightly, poised and elegant. "Chris really is hardworking. He doesn't waste a single moment."

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette and said flatly, "We all call him a workaholic."

Carina covered her mouth and chuckled, her voice sweet and utterly enchanting.