On a quiet night, a lively banquet was underway in front of Bell-mère's house. Though there were only five of us, the atmosphere was festive.
Grilling meat alone would have been too plain, so Bell-mère prepared an assortment of dishes using Beast King meat. Tonight, we feasted like royalty—a rare luxury in this world, where most struggle daily for food and survival.
"Ahh~ I'm stuffed..."
Nami and Nojiko lay sprawled on the grass, rubbing their full bellies with satisfied smiles.
Meanwhile, the two adults had indulged in quite a bit of alcohol. A rather tipsy Bell-mère had started teasing Genzo again. Unable to handle her antics, Genzo quickly excused himself, claiming it was too late. In truth, his face was already flushed red from embarrassment.
"Bell-mère, let me clean up. I'll help you inside to rest," I said, glancing at her swaying figure.
"Ohh~ Lynn, you're so reliable... Well then... hiccup... I'll head in first..." she mumbled, letting out a small burp before staggering to her feet.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure everything's spotless!" I assured her, rushing over to help her inside.
By the time I returned, Nami and Nojiko had already fallen asleep on the grass, their tiny noses twitching as they breathed, bubbles forming and popping in rhythm. With no other choice, I scooped them up one by one and tossed them onto the large bunk bed inside.
"Hah... I'm too responsible for my own good," I muttered, surveying the messy yard.
With that, I moved swiftly. In just ten minutes, the courtyard was spotless, looking as good as new. Satisfied, I headed inside for a shower before calling it a night.
The next morning, before dawn, I was already up and preparing for training.
Now that Bell-mère had agreed to let Nami and me set sail frequently, we wouldn't have to worry about living expenses anymore. The world beyond the East Blue was dangerous—pirates, corrupt nobles, and all sorts of scum roamed the seas. But to me, they were nothing more than walking treasure chests, just waiting to be emptied.
After all, our family wasn't exactly well-off. Bell-mère was our only real source of income... well, aside from Genzo, who counted as half.
I planned to let Nami's reputation as the "Little Thief Cat" echo across the Grand Line while I enjoyed good food, drink, and adventure!
Lifting a mere thousand kilograms was no longer enough to push my limits. If I wanted to master the Rokushiki techniques, I needed to start training my speed. The first move I'd focus on was Soru, so today's training revolved around leg agility.
Time flew by in the early morning hours. Before I knew it, the sun was high in the sky, and I had just finished my final set of drills, drenched in sweat.
Inside the house, the others were waking up.
Bell-mère and Nojiko had left early to sell the excess Beast King meat. Such rare meat would fetch a high price, especially among the wealthy merchants who set sail at dawn. These traders were among the richest people at sea, making them ideal customers.
Meanwhile, Nami was studying in her room, preparing for our journey. In just a month, we'd be setting out for Loguetown. As the navigator, she was determined to ensure we reached our destination safely.
Nami, the diligent student!
She had a natural talent for reading the weather. With a solid foundation in meteorology, she could guide us through even the most dangerous seas.
"Lynn, you're back?" her voice called from the room.
"Yeah. I saw you were busy, so I didn't want to disturb you," I replied, chewing on my breakfast.
"Come in for a second, I need to ask you something."
"Oh, sure." I shoved the last piece of meat into my mouth and stepped inside.
"What's up?" I asked, seeing her put down her pen.
Nami pouted. "Something weird happened when I was taking a bath this morning. The moment I jumped into the tub, my whole body went limp. Is this because of the Devil Fruit I ate?"
Ah. So, she finally noticed.
The sea, the one thing Devil Fruit users could never escape.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Even just being submerged in water, like in a bath, will make your body weak."
"Ah?!" Nami's face turned pale. "Then... how am I supposed to take baths from now on?!"
Tears welled up in her eyes at the realization. She had never imagined that eating a Devil Fruit would affect even something as simple as bathing.
"It's okay, Nami," I reassured her. "Once you become stronger, the weakness won't be as bad. That's why you should start training with me."
"B-but I don't want to train... it's too tiring," she grumbled.
She had seen my daily routines, waking up before dawn and lifting impossibly heavy stones. Just thinking about it made her exhausted.
I saw right through her hesitation and coaxed her with a grin. "Come on, Nami, just try. We'll start with simple exercises. Besides, if you get stronger, we can go to even more amazing places! And you don't want to keep going limp every time you take a bath, right?"
Nami hesitated, then finally relented. "O-okay... I guess I'll try it starting tomorrow."
"Great! Then it's decided!" I beamed. Finally, I had convinced her to train.
Nami, on the other hand, sighed in defeat, her expression one of reluctant acceptance.
Just then, the front door burst open.
"Nami, Lynn, we're back! Guess how many berries Bell-mère and I made today?" Nojiko called excitedly as she rushed inside.
"How much?!" The moment Nami heard the word berries, her exhaustion vanished, and she perked up instantly.
"We sold all the Beast King meat to the merchants," Nojiko grinned. "Total profit: 1 million berries!"
"One million berries?!" Nami's jaw nearly hit the floor.
That was their family's entire yearly income in a single day!
Even I was surprised. I had only expected the meat to sell for a few hundred thousand at most.
With this, our family had suddenly become one of the wealthiest in Cocoyasi Village.
…
TN:
Hope you Enjoy~😊