"Ah! Nami! You're just in time!"
Genzo jumped up in surprise when he saw who entered the room.
Nami looked around.
She saw the spinning pinwheel atop Genzo's hat, a bizarre skull-faced figure, a gentle and elegant woman with long hair… and,
There was no mistaking it!
That face, exactly the same as the one in the photo she had just seen!
"L-Luffy?!"
Nami gasped in disbelief, her voice soft and uncertain, as if afraid this was just a dream.
"Yo! Long time no see, Nami!"
Luffy lifted the teacup in his hand and flashed a brilliant, sun-like smile at her.
Robin and Brook looked up when they heard the name.
"Luffy!!!"
With a sudden cry, Nami dropped her heavy bag and launched herself at Luffy, throwing her whole body into his arms.
She didn't know why. They had only known each other for a brief time, barely two days, really. But somehow, Luffy's small figure had carved itself deeply into her memory.
The impression he left, his warmth, his strength, had stayed with her as she grew, impossible to forget.
Robin's eyes widened in disbelief as she watched Nami throw herself at Luffy. A subtle, dangerous aura began to leak from her, like a slow-rising storm that was hard to suppress.
Even though Nami still looked like a child, she carried the air of a precocious little grown-up, and she was incredibly cute, to boot!
"Ahhhhhh!!"
Suddenly, Brook leapt to his feet and shouted loudly.
Sensing the danger in the air and determined to stop this peaceful town from turning into a battlefield, he quickly called out to Luffy in a panic:
"Ah! Uhm! Luffy!! Beautiful weather today, isn't it? Why don't we all go outside for some tea?
And while we're at it, maybe introduce us to this lovely young lady?"
Poor Brook was all bones, but he was bending over backward to divert Robin's rising anger, so flustered he hardly knew what he was saying anymore.
"Er…"
Even Luffy was caught off guard by Nami's sudden embrace.
They hadn't spent much time together, less than two days, honestly. If it weren't for the system recognizing her as a true crewmate, Luffy might've wondered if she even remembered him.
But this… this was not what he expected.
Luffy awkwardly tried to diffuse the situation. "Na… Nami. It's been a while. You've changed a lot…"
He gently eased her off of him.
"Let me introduce you to some new friends…"
Realizing she had gone a little overboard, Nami blushed bright red. She stood to the side, fiddling with her fingers and catching her breath as she murmured, "…Okay."
"This is Brook, the musician of the Starry Sky Pirates. He's composed thousands of songs and plays all kinds of instruments. He, uh… looks like this because of some… incidents."
"Wah!"
Now that she could finally tear her eyes away from Luffy, Nami noticed the skeleton, alive and talking!
"Ah… Hello, lovely lady," Brook said awkwardly, noticing Nami's startled expression. "I'm Brook."
Nami blinked, then suddenly held out her hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Nami, Luffy's navigator!"
Brook slowly raised his bony arm and shook her tiny hand.
"Pleased to meet you too, yohohoho~ Even though I don't have a heart anymore~"
"It's really all bones! That's amazing!"
Despite herself, Nami laughed at Brook's silly expression. He might've been a walking skeleton, but the way he talked was oddly charming.
And since he was Luffy's crewmate, there was no reason for her to be afraid.
After all, Nami wanted to sail with Luffy too!
Even if her heart still fluttered a little, she had trained hard and grown strong, she wouldn't let fear control her anymore.
Luffy smiled, happy to see the two of them getting along. "Nami, this is Robin, a historian. She's incredibly smart, skilled in cooking, navigation, medicine… all kinds of things."
"Robin big sister!"
Before Luffy could finish, Nami suddenly interrupted him, deliberately emphasizing the word "big." She stuck out her hand and added sweetly, "So you know navigation too? Well, I'm really, really good at it! You won't need to do it anymore!"
The words seemed innocent enough, but every syllable dripped with subtle challenge.
A woman's intuition is sharper than any Haki.
The moment Nami stepped inside, she sensed her rival. She'd been quietly sizing up Robin from the beginning.
Last time she saw Luffy, he was shorter than her. Maybe he'd hit a growth spurt since then, it was normal for boys. So she figured he was probably around her age.
But Robin, sitting there so poised and graceful, was clearly older.
Her skin was flawless, sure, just like a girl in her teens. But that mature air… that couldn't be faked.
She had to be at least six years older.
So Nami launched her attack from the only front she could, age, and immediately followed up by asserting her irreplaceable role.
"Oh-hoho~"
Robin, elegant and composed, extended her hand and shook Nami's, her voice dripping with warmth and fragrance.
"Nice to meet you, little Nami. I've heard so much about you from Luffy, he always says his little sister has a rare gift for navigation.
Though…"
Robin turned slightly, her chest subtly shifting with the movement, and added with a smile, "Now that we have Laboon, we don't really need advanced navigation skills all that much anymore."
Sharp and clever, Robin didn't hesitate to return fire, graciously, but decisively, and even flaunted her stunning figure in the process.
The two delicate hands stayed clasped tightly in the air, while a green and purple spark of electricity seemed to flash between their eyes.
Genzo rubbed his eyes in disbelief, thinking it was a trick of the light.
But Luffy and Brook knew better, this wasn't his imagination.
That was real energy, battle intent, leaking out instinctively from both women.
Sensing the tension about to boil over, Luffy quickly stepped in with a nervous laugh.
"Ahaha! Nami, we've already formed the Starry Sky Pirates! And I'm now one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"We came back to the East Blue for some R&R before heading off on another big adventure. I stopped by Cocoyasi just to ask… wanna come with us?"
Crack.
The tension shattered as Luffy's words cut through the atmosphere like a blade. A spark flashed in the air, and the girls slowly let go of each other's hands.
Nami instantly shifted to a bright, cheerful expression.
"Of course I do! I've been dying to go on an adventure with you, Luffy!"
"But Luffy~" Robin suddenly said with a sweet voice, "Nami's still so young. Wouldn't her family worry if she left so soon?"
"Hmm…" Luffy scratched his head, suddenly realizing, "You're right…"
He had overlooked that.
In the original timeline, Nami had spent her childhood running all over the place under Arlong's control. She'd long since grown used to being away from home.
But this Nami still had her family.
Maybe she should spend a little more time with them before sailing off...
After a moment of thought, Luffy looked up and said:
"Yeah, I guess I was being careless. Nami...
Let's just consider this a friendly visit. A few years from now, we'll come back to get you!"
"No! Don't!"
Luffy's rejection pierced Nami's heart like a needle.
WHOOOSH!
A powerful force erupted from Nami's body, her magic surging out of control, sending a gust of wind blasting through the room. The furniture rattled. Papers flew everywhere.
"I... I don't want to wait any longer!"
"I've been training hard every single day, meditating, pushing myself… just so I can help you sooner!"
"I've fought and defeated so many pirates… just to build up my courage!"
"I'll never hold you back again, Luffy!"
"Please… take me with you!!!"
─────────🏴☠️─────────
The room fell silent.
Even Robin, seeing the tears welling up in Nami's eyes, felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she had taken things too far with a girl this young.
"Ah… I see."
Luffy finally spoke, his voice soft.
"I understand now, Nami."
"How about this: If you can beat Robin… you're coming with us."
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