One Piece: I Can Repel Anything

Perona nodded and said with a giggle, "That's right. I like her too. You should join us! Horo, horo, horo..."

Nami stopped, her eyes flickering as she turned the idea over in her mind.

This crew was incredibly strong. Maybe they really could help her.

"Thank you for caring about me. Let me tell you what's going on."

Nami turned to the two of them, shook her head, and said with a sigh, "The reason I've been stealing is to raise 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 that if I handed over a hundred million Beli, they'd leave my village alone."

Nami clenched her fists, cheering herself on. "If I keep working hard, I can raise that much in a few years."

Carina and Perona exchanged a look. Now they understood.

"That's easy. You don't need to go through all that trouble."

Carina shrugged and smiled. "I'll tell Chris, and we can go wipe out those Fish-Men. Problem solved."

"Then you can come aboard with me, and we'll work together from now on. Hee-hee!"

Perona nodded with a grin. "Exactly. Fish-Men or not, they won't stand a chance against Chris."

"If Chris decides to handle it, he'll wipe them out in no time."

Nami waved her hands and explained anxiously, "Their leader, Arlong, has a twenty-million-Beli bounty. He's the most wanted pirate in the East Blue."

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

Carina brushed back her hair. "Relax. Don't worry about that."

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

"Arlong's bounty is only twenty million. He's nothing. Beating him will take no time at all."

Perona flitted through the air, her laughter ringing like bells. "And Chris didn't even lift a finger when we took down the ruler of the North Blue."

"Our captain wouldn't bother with a pirate worth a mere eighty-odd million. This Arlong of yours interests him even less."

"Come on, let's head back. No more dawdling."

Nami was stunned by what they said.

Over eighty million?!

What a terrifying bounty.

She could hardly imagine it.

"S-so strong..."

Nami came back to her senses, her face filled with shock. Their words had shaken her to the core.

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

No one could beat him.

But someone worth over eighty million? What kind of monster would that be?

The three of them headed out, chatting as they went...

Inside the Baratie.

"Wonderful. This really is wonderful."

Honey Queen gazed at the lavish spread on the table, bliss written across her beautiful face. "It's delicious. Absolutely delicious."

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

"It really is good. No wonder it's the East Blue's most famous restaurant."

Mei Di smiled at the others. "It's a shame I don't have what I need here. Some fine drinks would make this even better."

Reiju had returned a little while ago. She looked at Mei Di and smiled.

"There's no rush. We'll have plenty of chances."

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

Burgess slapped the table and laughed at Chris. "Captain, why don't we kidnap these cooks and make them cook for us every day?"

Doc Q coughed, his smile eerie. "Not a bad idea. If they refuse, we can kill them."

"You two, stop talking nonsense."

Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said mildly, "Didn't Reiju just say her brother works at this restaurant?"

"Reiju is our partner. If you try anything, I'll kill you myself before the captain has to."

"The plan comes first. I won't stand for anyone getting in its way."

(I've got something to mention, everyone. Some readers asked me to put all the heroines' pictures in one place, so I made a related-works post with their details. If you're interested, take a look there. ︿(￣︶￣)︿)

Footsteps sounded, and Carina and the other two came over.

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

Carina looked at Chris, her eyes bright, and smiled. "Her name is Nami. She's a brilliant navigator who can read the weather and draw maps of islands."

"She's amazing. She'll definitely be a huge help to the crew."

Perona floated overhead, nodding eagerly. "That's right! She's been reading books about navigation since she was little, and she could draw maps of all kinds of islands when she was ten."

"Wow, she's incredible. A real genius! Horo, horo, horo!"

Once they had finished introducing her, Nami hurriedly bowed to Chris and spoke with utmost respect.

"Captain Chris, if you let me join your crew, I'll put my skills to work and find the best routes for everyone."

"But..."

Nami looked at Chris, clasping her hands tightly. "Before I join, could you help me with a problem? Please, Captain."

Carina quickly took over the explanation. "Nami's village, Cocoyasi Village, is in trouble."

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

Carina looked at Baccarat and the other women, an appeal in her eyes. "Those Fish-Men are awful, picking on people like that."

"Chris, let's wipe them out and put an end to their arrogance."

Perona nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, yeah! Fish-Men, huh? I've never seen one before. Horo, horo, horo!"

Burgess shrugged and laughed. "This is the first time I've seen a recruit make demands."

"Captain, forget her. She should be honored to join us. Who does she think she is, setting conditions?"

Doc Q gave an eerie smile. "No, let her aboard. We can't waste a talent for navigation like hers."

"But we don't need to do anything about her village. Once she's on the ship, how is she going to leave? Heh-heh-heh."

Hawkins was as gloomy as ever. "Judging by her face, she'll join us today."

Lafitte smiled with gentlemanly poise. "If a man tried to set conditions for joining, I'd kill him on the spot."

"But since she's a woman, that's for the captain to decide. It's not our place to interfere."

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

Belo Betty nodded, taking a drag on her cigarette. "A brilliant navigator is hard to find. I say we let her join."

Reiju looked at Chris, her eyes warm, and offered her own opinion.

"I think Nami could be a great help to us. Let her join, Chris."

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

With that, he stood, put his hands in his pockets, and headed for the door.

What did that mean?

Was he refusing to let me join?

Nami froze, utterly confused.

"Nami, what are you waiting for? Come on."

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

"If you don't know him, it's hard to tell what he means. He agreed. You're officially one of us now."

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

Burgess stood and shrugged. "If the captain's agreed, I've got nothing to say."

"No, you could object."

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

"Go tell the captain not to let her aboard, Burgess. Heh-heh-heh."

Burgess glared at him. "Are you trying to get me killed, you bastard? You think anything good would happen to me if I questioned the captain's decision?"

Luo rested Kikoku on his shoulder and said coldly, "I don't know if he'd kill you. He'd definitely beat you up, though."

"No, the captain wouldn't need to do it."

Lafitte twirled his cane and smiled. "If he dared question the captain's decision, I'd step in first."

Nami followed everyone out, thanking them over and over, delighted.

"Thank you. Thank you all so much..."

Once Chris and the others were gone, the customers finally relaxed and began talking loudly.

"That was terrifying. Who is that young man, Chris? He's frightening."

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

"We'll know in a few days. They took down the ruler of the East Blue, so the Marines are bound to put a bounty on them. We can check the posters then."

"I envy him, though. So many beautiful women around him. What a sight! Hahaha..."

"Strong men always have beautiful women around them. Maybe you will too, once you get stronger. But—hahaha—that'll never happen. Keep dreaming!"

The cooks started talking among themselves too.

Patty burst out laughing. "They're finally gone! They scared the hell out of me! Hahaha..."

Carne nodded, then shook his head with a sigh. "My hands were shaking back there. I've never met anyone that terrifying before."

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

Zeff looked at Sanji, his expression stern.

Sanji took a drag on his cigarette and fell silent for a moment. "We've said everything we needed to say. No point seeing her off. She's leaving, and that's that."

(A little preview: in the next chapter, Hancock gets into trouble, and Chris goes to save her. Who could her opponent be if she needs Chris's help? Must be someone powerful, right? I can't wait! ︿(￣︶￣)︿)

Aboard the Chris.

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

"Come on. Let's talk in the Training Room."

Honey Queen looked at Mei Di and Nami and smiled.

Mei Di nodded, graceful and poised. "Chris works so hard. He doesn't waste a moment."

Belo Betty took a drag on her cigarette. "We call him a workaholic."

Carina covered her mouth and laughed softly, her voice sweet and captivating.