"Phew!"
"Finally done."
After another hour or so, they finally finished packing all the ripe oranges.
Bellemere weighed them all as well, then said, "Two thousand five hundred and thirty jin in total. Let's call it twenty-five hundred."
"I'll knock 20 Beli off each jin, so that's 200,000 Beli altogether."
"By the way, can you really finish this many?"
Bellemere clearly didn't think the three of them could eat so many oranges. Even if they didn't get sick of them, how many days would it take?
By the time they finished the first few hundred jin, the rest would probably have rotted already.
"Hahaha, don't worry about that. We have very advanced preservation technology. They won't spoil even after decades in storage."
With that, Kazu waved his hand, and all 2,530 jin of oranges vanished into thin air.
"What...?"
That gave Genzo and Bellemere quite a fright. In all their years, they had never seen anything like it.
"Just a little trick. Nothing worth mentioning."
Then Kazu took 200,000 Beli out of his independent space and handed it to Bellemere.
"Want to count it?"
"No need. I trust you."
Bellemere accepted the box of Beli without counting it in front of them. She trusted that people as helpful as Kazu and his companions wouldn't cheat her over something like this.
Judging by the trick Kazu had just shown them, along with his ability to knock out a large group of people from the neighboring village, they couldn't possibly be afraid of Bellemere and the others.
Since they were still willing to trade fairly, they clearly had no intention of acting like pirates.
"Thank you for your generosity. Thanks to you, I won't have to go out selling oranges for the next few months."
"I'd like to invite the three of you home for a simple meal as a small token of thanks."
"A meal?"
"Sure, sounds great!"
Kazu and Carlmand were indeed hungry, so naturally, they had no reason to turn down a free meal.
Bellemere was delighted when Kazu and the others agreed. After all, they had been a tremendous help.
Raising two daughters on her own, she wasn't exactly well-off. This money had taken care of her most pressing need.
And now she could buy Nami a few more of those books on navigation and nautical charts that she had been pestering her about lately.
Genzo had also seen how Kazu and the others behaved, so he hadn't done much to stop Bellemere. Once they agreed, he quietly prepared to head back.
"Genzo, don't leave just yet. Come eat with us. Thank you for all your help this afternoon."
"All right, then I'll take you up on that."
Genzo didn't refuse. This wasn't his first meal at Bellemere's house, and he wasn't that fussy.
Before long, they returned home from the outskirts of the village. Bellemere had sent Nami and Nojiko ahead to tidy the house.
When Kazu and the others arrived, they found that although the house was small, it was clean and tidy, making it pleasant to look at.
"I'll go buy some vegetables and meat. Please wait a little."
"Ah, I'll come with you."
Makino and Bellemere walked out to do the shopping, chatting as they went.
Mainly, Bellemere wasn't well-off. Kindhearted Makino knew how much Kazu and Carlmand ate and feared that a single meal would leave Bellemere hurting financially, so she went along to pick up the bill.
Kazu wasn't short of money anyway. There was still plenty of Beli in his independent space, enough for the three of them to spend to their hearts' content.
"Hey, hey, Uncle Kazu, Uncle Carlmand, where did you two come from?"
Nami and Nojiko pulled Kazu and Carlmand into a conversation. They were very curious about the outside world.
Although they sometimes went out with Bellemere, they never went very far, only to the islands nearby.
Nami loved drawing nautical charts and had a real talent for it, so she also longed to see the outside world.
"Little Nami, you can't call us uncles. You should call us big brothers."
Kazu raised his right index finger and wagged it from side to side, signaling that Nami ought to change what she called them.
"Exactly, exactly. We're both very young. 'Uncle' doesn't suit us."
Carlmand had only recently left the beginner village himself, and he wasn't that old at heart.
Seeing Kazu and Carlmand still fussing over this left Genzo utterly speechless.
It was just a form of address, yet they insisted on arguing about it with children.
Still, the more they acted this way, the more reassured Genzo felt. Whatever else they were, they were pirates. Although Bellemere had decided to treat the two of them to dinner, as the village policeman, Genzo could never be too careful.
"But you already look like grown-ups, and you're so big and tall. That's why we call you uncles."
"Mm-hmm, exactly. So it's not our fault."
Nami and Nojiko made their case with confidence. Women really did have a gift for this sort of thing.
Kazu's eyes shifted as an idea came to him. Smiling at the two little girls, he asked, "Nami, Nojiko, do you two have any hobbies?"
They had just been arguing over whether to call them uncles or big brothers, so why was he suddenly asking about their interests? That was quite a leap.
But they were children, after all, and didn't dwell on it before answering Kazu.
"I like drawing nautical charts. I want to become a great navigator."
"I don't have any particular hobbies. I just like helping Bellemere cook. When people smile after eating something I made, it makes me happy."
Nami and Nojiko readily shared their interests, and Kazu nodded with a smile.
I see. They're both good kids. Dreams are good. Having dreams makes them easy to win over.
"Oh my, how did I suddenly find a complete cookbook here?"
"Carlmand, if I remember correctly, you still have a map of the East Blue, right? Take it out and let me have a look."
"Let me see where we should go adventuring next."
"OK!"
Carlmand clearly understood what Kazu meant and took out the map without another word.
With the two items sitting on the table, Nami's and Nojiko's eyes sparkled.
"Ahem."
"Oh dear, if only I had two sweet little sisters. I've wanted a little sister ever since I was a kid."
Nami and Nojiko weren't stupid, and by now they had caught on.
But their resolve was still no match for an adult's. They hesitated for only a second before giving in completely.
"Big Brother Kazu, Big Brother Carlmand, thank you!"
With that, they promptly took the cookbook and map from the table, one for each of them, as though they had found priceless treasures.
"Hahaha, I knew it! With a face this handsome, how could I possibly look old?"
Genzo had watched the whole thing and felt ashamed to be a fellow adult alongside Kazu.
A grown man playing tricks on children-was he young at heart, or did he simply have no shame?
"Here, Nami, this is for you."
Kazu took out a dedicated Den Den Mushi and handed it to her.
"Is this... a Den Den Mushi?"
Nami didn't know why Kazu was giving her this. Her large eyes blinked in confusion.