Because she had noticed that thing.
During that period, Vivi had consciously gone out on missions, never daring to display anything in front of Nojiko.
After all, they were once on the same level.
Only Nami had broken through.
Both Vivi and Nojiko were affected in different ways—but unlike Nojiko, Vivi didn't dare let her notice what she was thinking.
Nami and Nojiko were sisters. Vivi was merely an outsider who joined later.And unexpectedly…
Back on Ruluka Island, Nojiko had suddenly become bold.
So now, the one left in the lowest position—was only her.
That was where her earlier "impulsive action" came from.
Because of jealousy.
She hated to admit it, but that was clearly the source of the chaos in her heart.
Something she had to carefully work for, casually picked by someone else.
But Vivi knew full well—
Both Nami and Nojiko genuinely cared for her. Their relationship had always been good.
This negative emotion was despicable, shameful, and absolutely not allowed.
She didn't even dare show her attitude—so how could she expect anyone to wait for her?
So…
What should she doto avoid feeling like this again?
Run far away?Avoid them?
Or…
Vivi suddenly sat up, fumbling under her mattress until she pulled out a book.
[Love Manual]
A plain-looking cover, embossed with four simple characters.
She carefully opened it, turning to a page she'd once marked with a note.
"Love requires courage—regardless of gender."
Her gaze shifted as she stared at that line.
She knew—
Ren was not the kind of man who would use and discard.
So whether she succeeded or not, the facts before her would never change.
Just like how Nami had become Ren's woman—nothing could undo that.
And Nojiko, who later joined them, understood that as well. She even felt that sharing the same man with her sister wasn't so bad.
Perhaps Nami thought the same way, which was why she didn't mind Ren's growing "wings."
This trend… was actually favorable to Vivi.
Because Ren no longer belonged only to someone—he already had someone and someone else.
Then—
Adding one more… shouldn't matter, right?
From one to two was a boundary broken. From two to three would be much easier.
The difference was—Nami and Nojiko shared a sisterly bond.
But Vivi didn't have that.
"In the battlefield of love, standing still is the same as losing."
"So what I must do—is to become more proactive, to show my true feelings. Then watch how things develop."
Vivi flipped to another marked page, planning out how she wouldn't let herself sink into pain again.
At that moment, her "boyish" side came through.
Unwilling to give up, unwilling to back down, refusing to be the loser—so she decided to act first.
That decision came after the emotional turmoil from before—the choice she made for herself.
She had never experienced love before; she couldn't be sure if she'd ever feel it again.
Ren was simply too special.
If it had been long ago, even in the same circumstances, she would never have fallen for him.
Koza had once done what she could not—but he had only earned her admiration, nothing more.
Like one boy saying to another, "You're pretty amazing."
But now… things were different.She had never faced something like this before.
After the Crocodile incident, Vivi realized she had changed.
From discovering the advantages of being a woman—beauty, charm, grace—to experiencing the favor of male agents in Baroque Works for those same traits, to developing her Peacock Saw and her Charm Dance.
Her feminine side had emerged little by little.
And when she faced a problem she couldn't solve alone—when she had to depend on someone—that was exactly when she met Ren.
Perhaps…
"This must be fate," she whispered.
Vivi closed the Love Manual, took a deep breath, and steeled her resolve.
As for sharing a man with others… she didn't even think much of it.
No matter how benevolent Alabasta was to its people, it was still a monarchy.
Her father was the king. And though he truly loved her mother—and had only one wife—
Her other relatives weren't the same.
Polygamy wasn't rare among nobility; even in the royal palace, many held multiple wives.
Growing up in such an environment, it didn't take much adjustment for Vivi to accept that reality.
It wasn't a big deal.
"Besides, Nojiko and Nami probably haven't noticed too much. They might only sense a hint.If I move quickly enough, the resistance will be minimal."
At this moment, Vivi silently laid out her plan.
"Vivi… do you really think you can hide it from your sister?"
Nojiko sighed softly, troubled by the situation.
The sky voyage was slow and steady, almost lazily so.
After all—
The person left at the helm wasn't trained in meteorology or navigation.
No matter how carefree Sas might be, there was no way he'd actually let Nojiko pilot.
He'd merely preset the parameters—leaving Nojiko to serve as a "human monitor."
Because of that…
Nojiko was bored, with plenty of time to think.
To think—about Vivi's changes.
An elder sister is a unique role within a family.
Below the mother, above the younger siblings—almost like a "little mother."
Naturally, she holds authority over her siblings while receiving the first share of the mother's affection.
Of course—
That assumes the family doesn't favor sons over daughters.
But Bell-mère wasn't that kind of person. Nojiko only had one younger sister—Nami.
When they were little, Nojiko hadn't known how to be an older sister—she hadn't been good at caring for Nami's feelings.
Most of the time,even when she got new clothes or something nice, she'd show them off to Nami.
Until that day—
When Nami cried to Bell-mère, refusing to wear her sister's old clothes. That argument had escalated into Nami claiming they weren't a real family.
Of course—
Bell-mère taught them both a lesson afterward. Nojiko included.
Then came Arlong.
When Bell-mère chose to die rather than deny that Nami and Nojiko were her daughters—shot by Arlong as the first victim of the Fish-Men's invasion of Cocoyasi Village—
Nojiko learned what it truly meant to be a sister.
Since then, she had become skilled at reading others' emotions.
Robin's expression before she left—that peaceful look, like she'd found a harbor.
Zoro—always training relentlessly.
Urouge—trying to prove his worth as the newcomer.
Nami—becoming softer, radiant even. Her glow came from Ren's touch—love really did make women bloom.
And then there was Vivi.
For a sisterly observer, spotting Vivi's little secret was easy.
In fact, Vivi wasn't even good at hiding it.
It was just like that story Robin had told—a very telling one.
How did she put it?
"A princess might think her disguise is perfect—but in the villain's eyes, it's just a new hairstyle.She'd be better off painting turtles on her face; at least that'd fool someone."
Those were Robin's exact words.
And they perfectly captured Vivi's essence—still a pure girl at heart.
But now, that girl wanted to become a woman.
From dressing boldly to actively trying to get involved—it was a clear transformation.
"Well… I'm a woman too. I have my possessiveness."
Nojiko sighed softly.
But to say she opposed Vivi's advance… wasn't quite true.
There was a decisive difference between exclusive love and shared love.
When she saw Nami become the first—and even encourage her to "go for it"—
Exclusive love had already become impossible.
In shared love, two, three, even four—it didn't really matter anymore.
In some ways, it was even… beneficial.
Of course,it wasn't that Nojiko thought Vivi's inclusion was necessary. She wasn't that selfless.
She simply saw both good and bad sides.
The bad—love had to be divided, and time would be shared.
The good—was something subtle.
Ren's energy was overwhelming. Or rather… too enduring.
Whether it was Nojiko or Nami, one-on-one always ended in total defeat.
That sense of being completely overpowered—obediently letting Ren control the rhythm and positions—wasn't bad at all.
But a day or two was fine. Three days, five days, a week, half a month… that was another matter.
Neither she nor Nami had Ren's "Breathing Regeneration."
He could sleep two hours a night and still move like lightning the next day.
For them, after a night like that—they'd need at least eight hours to recover. And staying up every night ruined their skin.
Nami had complained about it more than once.
Because of Ren, she barely had time at night to chart the Sky Island maps she dreamed of completing.
Part of the reason Nami hadn't joined them this time was to focus on finishing those maps.
The other reason—was a silent message for Nojiko to join in and help share the "burden."
Nojiko had experienced it firsthand on Ruluka Island.
So much time had been consumed—most of it in "intense battles."
Right now, she hadn't reached Nami's point of exhaustion… but the trend was there.
That was one reason Nojiko wasn't too firm about rejecting Vivi's intentions.
She simply couldn't keep up.
Everyone had things to do.
Unlike Ren, who handled the big picture but ignored all the small details.
On another note—Nojiko even thought this development might help the group overall.
Because whether girls or women—when it came to glory, pride, or team responsibility…
They felt it, yes—but not the way men born for battle did.
(End of Chapter)