Chapter 154 - 12

Chapter 12"Value mismatch?"Nami raised an eyebrow, quite surprised that Luffycould think of such a sophisticated term, which further confirmed her suspicion.This guy is definitely being stubborn!Thus, she grew even more confident, slightly raising her chin with a posture that said, "If you dare to take the bet, I dare to follow.""You're scared, aren't you? Tell you what, you can make any request you want.""...Any request?"Luffy felt like he was hearing a fairy tale. Nami was actually being this generous? This was the money-grubbing Nami!His eyes darted around, attempting to use what Nami cared about most to scare her off: "If I win, you give me ten million Berries!"Ten million Berries?Luffy's price quote immediately stunned Nami.She narrowed her eyes.To dare to ask for this price, he was either completely insane or actually had some confidence?Or was it to make her back down?Heh, Luffy is still too green."Fine, I accept!" Nami said without hesitation.Did Luffy think he could just casually propose this condition?She absolutely didn't believe Luffy could memorize a book in one night that took her one or two months to barely master!"You agreed to that too?"Luffy was dumbstruck."Then, what if I don't have the money?"A smile brighter than sunshine instantly bloomed on Nami's face. She reached out her soft, white hand and gently patted Luffy's stiff cheek, her voice sickeningly sweet: "If you don't have the money, you'll just have to pay with your body. Become my exclusive slave, Captain-sama~"Those who didn't know better would think she had some peculiar fetish.If it were someone with a special fetish, they might have agreed in a heartbeat."You're actually lusting after my body?!" Luffyjumped up, only for the warning in his mind to instantly push him back down.Nami curled her lip; what use are you?But then she thought about it, "Actually, Devil Fruit Users in the East Blue are quite valuable. If we're short on money later, I'll just sell you.""I'm the Captain!" Luffy tried to reclaim his dignity.Nami took a step closer, leaning down toward Luffy with a playful smile, her breath like orchids: "Admit it, you're just playing tricks to get my attention, right? It's nothing to be ashamed of; after all, you're not a kid anymore.""I'm certainly not small!"Luffy was provoked by her.He was the man who would become the Pirate King!"Don't look down on me, Nami!""A bet's a bet! But my conditions are changing too," Luffy snorted."Go ahead," Nami said, feeling victory was already hers."Besides the ten million Berries, you also have to agree to one condition—the kind you can't refuse!""A condition I can't refuse?"Nami's face immediately showed a mix of realization and disgust, her gaze as if she were looking at a pile of trash.Boys and their little schemes.But with a bet like this, she didn't see how she could lose!"It's a deal~"Nami smiled like a flower, carrying the superiority of a victor. She elegantly stepped aside, pulled out her chair, and sat down, crossing her arms leisurely as she prepared to witness the birth of her future slave."I'm doomed, I'm doomed..."Luffy wailed in his heart.The hot-headed passion he just felt was instantly dampened by the dense medical text before him.The pages were despairingly thick and the content was dull. Forget memorizing it all in one night; even looking at the table of contents made him dizzy.He comforted himself.Nami is agreeing readily now, but I'll make her cry when she loses!I'll definitely make her draw a hundred more Nautical charts.Just then, the life-threatening warning in his mind shrieked again: [Warning: Medical knowledge focus is dropping. Punishment countdown...]There was absolutely no time to think about anything else."Scurvy is caused by Vitamin C deficiency leading to bleeding gums... fatigue, dehydration fever, seawater is non-potable... distillation, muscle spasms, electrolytes..."Blech.I'm really going to puke.How could anyone memorize this in one night!Chapter 13: Nami, You've Come at the Right Time[Through hard study, your medical knowledge has improved. Experience +3.]Time passed quickly, so quickly that Luffy didn't even have time to worry about the bet.He was cramming like it was an exam, his eyes practically glued to the book.Nami had been watching from the side. Since they had a bet, how could she let Luffy continue reading so easily?So, from time to time, she reached out her bare foot to touch and tease him.She didn't even hesitate to use "seduction" for the first time.Because Nami wouldn't allow even a one percent chance of losing.In the end, Luffy treated her like thin air!This made Nami feel a bit frustrated. She subconsciously looked down at her curves—nothing seemed wrong.On the paper beside Luffy, diagrams of human anatomy were drawn; they were a bit simple but sufficient.The essence of learning medical knowledge was to develop his fruit ability; he couldn't neglect one for the other."Time's up, do you want to go eat first?" Namicouldn't help but say, "I won't count the mealtime against you."Luffy was too serious, reaching a level of forgetting to eat and sleep, completely undisturbed by the outside world. If he kept studying like this, he might actually have a chance."No need."Luffy shook his head.Even though saliva was constantly secreting in his mouth.He wanted to eat too, but now was not the time for food!Furthermore, the bet with Nami hadn't progressed at all; he hadn't even finished a few pages in ten minutes.F*cking piece of sh*t!Never mind Nami teasing him with her ankle; even if she sat in his lap naked, nothing would change.Was he supposed to perform like some cramming master in front of Nami?Thinking about it, even if he became the Pirate King, he'd never be able to hold his head high in front of Nami for the rest of his life.But to Nami, this level of perseverance stunned her.She even started getting nervous—could Luffyactually achieve that impossible condition?That would be inhuman.Unless Luffy had a photographic memory.How could that be!Luffy was naturally face-blind, the type who couldn't remember people. Back in Syrup Village, he'd mistaken anyone wearing similar clothes to Zoro for Zoro himself.You're saying this guy has a photographic memory?What a joke.It's not like Luffy had been hiding it all this time just for today.That would completely shatter Nami's established impression of Luffy.The speed of turning pages slowed down visibly. Sometimes mental activity is physically and mentally exhausting. Luffy's eyelids were trembling; he hadn't been idle for a single moment all day.Rest, sleep, food.Luffy dreamed of them right now.But...[Warning: Punishment countdown...]A moment of slackness brought a sensory shock.Luffy could clearly feel a lot of new things in his mind. He wasn't completely ignorant anymore; he could even feel his path of thinking becoming clearer.Not enough, not enough.He was still far from finishing a whole book in half a day.As the saying goes, the less hope you see, the less motivation you have.In Luffy's mind, it was like a demon was whispering:"Give up.""Give up."Being Nami's slave is better than dying of exhaustion.Looking at it from another perspective, being Nami's slave isn't so bad.The moment that thought surfaced, that familiar feeling returned.The punishment would make him die of social embarrassment on the spot and Die of sexual exhaustion!Almost at the exact moment the [Punishment Countdown] sounded, the hair on Luffy's body stood on end.Not that! Anything but that!A will to survive erupted from the deepest part of his being.I must leave my innocence behind in this world!Even if I die, I should die grandly—be hacked to death, beaten to death, bitten to death...But absolutely not that kind of humiliating death!Rumor has it that a demon resides within every Devil Fruit User.In fact, a consciousness is hidden within the Devil Fruit itself.Under the dual pressure of the host's high stress and willpower, that consciousness awakened.An indescribable clear stream suddenly surged from the core of Luffy's body.Almost imperceptibly, on the surface of his exposed skin—especially at joints like elbows and shoulders—a few extremely faint White streaksflashed and vanished.Luffy shook his head vigorously, a sense of unprecedented clarity washing over him.His thoughts, which had been as thick as paste just a moment ago, instantly became clear and fluid.He stared at the contents of the book, stunned."I... I've memorized it all..."Luffy didn't even know what had happened.