"Oh…"
Nami softly murmured as she watched Lucky Drake fall asleep right in front of her.
What a strange man, she thought.
A man with extraordinary calmness…
And now that she looked closely, he was actually really handsome.
Blue hair, a fair face, and a confidence that made it seem as if nothing in the world could trouble him.
Seeing this, Nami finally relaxed a little.
Maybe… she could trust this pirate.
So she curled up in a corner, quietly waiting for Lucky Drake to finish resting.
It wasn't a good idea to move around the ship right now anyway.
But Lucky Drake wasn't actually resting.
He was closing his eyes to draw lottery rewards.
He currently had 1,200 points—
enough for two five-pulls.
"System, perform a five-draw."
"Does Host wish to consume 500 points?"
"Yes."
"Drawing…
Congratulations, Host, you have obtained: One Year of Internal Force.
… Two Years of Internal Force.
…"
When the five-draw plus the free bonus pull ended,
everything he got was internal force—
ten full years of it.
Combined with what he already had, Lucky Drake now possessed twenty-nine years' worth of Nine Yang internal force.
"Another five-draw. Come on, system, don't be so useless…"
"Consume 500 points?"
"Yes."
"Congratulations, Host—One Year of Internal Force.
Ten Years of Internal Force.
Water Movement Technique.
…"
Another fifteen years of internal force—
and a new technique.
But Lucky Drake didn't have time to celebrate.
His body felt as if it were about to burst from the overwhelming power.
Suddenly he realized—
He hadn't cycled any of the internal force he'd gained recently.
Everything was piled up in his dantian without refinement.
And now, with so much accumulated at once,
his physical vessel had reached its limit.
Unless his body grew stronger, he couldn't contain more.
Lucky Drake's eyes snapped open.
He sat up cross-legged on the bed and immediately began circulating the Nine Yang internal arts, performing major and minor cycles to stabilize the surging power.
In the corner, Nami jumped in fright.
Not because he suddenly woke up,
but because his skin…
was cracking.
"Y-You… are you okay?"
Nami asked nervously.
Why were there cracks spreading across his body?
It was beyond anything she understood.
Lucky Drake didn't respond.
He had no attention to spare.
As he circulated his internal force, the violent energy slowly calmed.
A faint purple aura rose from his body—
a sign that the Nine Yang technique had advanced.
It had leveled up from Lv1 to Lv2.
Half an incense stick later, the cracks across his body began healing before Nami's eyes.
She exhaled in relief.
But then—
"Huh?!"
Nami tensed again.
Lucky Drake's entire body began glowing red heat radiating from him like he was about to burst into flames.
Lucky Drake gritted his teeth, veins bulging, sweat pouring down his face.
This time, it wasn't excess internal force.
It was the overwhelming yang heat from advancing his cultivation, a heat he couldn't expel.
His body felt like it was burning alive.
He tried everything, but the heat wouldn't dissipate.
What do I do?
This wasn't ordinary heat—
it could kill him.
"L-Lucky Drake… are you okay?
Is there anything I can do…?"
Nami couldn't ignore his condition anymore.
Hearing her voice, Lucky Drake suddenly thought of a solution—
one used in many cultivation stories.
To balance the raging yang heat…
he needed yin.
A woman's yin.
"Nami… I've gone into qi deviation.
If I can't vent this heat soon, I'll burn alive."
"If you trust me…
I need you to give your payment early."
It was shameless but he had no choice.
"W-What…?"
Nami froze.
Give the payment early?
"If you don't want to, forget it…
I'm sorry you had to see this.
I didn't expect things to turn out like this…"
Lucky Drake's voice trembled from the pain.
Nami clenched her fists.
Was this… a test?
Why did it feel like fate was mocking her?
Hope always followed by despair…
No—
she had to seize any hope she could.
"You… can truly free Cocoyasi Village?"
she whispered.
"One hundred percent."
Lucky Drake said firmly.
"And I'll eliminate the Arlong Pirates."
"…Alright. I understand."
"Remember your promise.
If you lie to me… I'll never forgive you."
Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she still stepped toward him.
"Thank you… for trusting me…"
Lucky Drake exhaled.
He was nearly at his limit.
Thank goodness Nami was here otherwise he might really have burned to death.
Half an hour later—
Nami collapsed weakly against Lucky Drake's chest.
The danger had completely passed.
"Thank you, Nami.
I know I took advantage of the situation, but I'll take responsibility."
"From now on, you're my woman.
I'll protect you."
Nami didn't reply.
Tears silently slid from the corners of her eyes.
She'd given herself away so suddenly…
to this man she barely knew.
"T-This was… just a deal."
she whispered.
"You don't need to force yourself to… take responsibility."
"Idiot," Lucky Drake said softly.
"We might not have feelings yet…
but affection can grow after."
"And you saved my life.
That's not a small debt.
I'll repay it with my entire life."
"Don't worry.
I, Lucky Drake, am a good man.
I'll make you happy."
He spoke earnestly from the bottom of his heart.
~~--------------------------------
HeadOver my pat reon for advance chapter:
patreon.com/FicWarden