With a sharp sniff, Ryuuto wiped his nose, forcefully trying to stop the impending nosebleed.
Tap! Tap!
Belo Betty's soft footsteps echoed as she slowly entered the men's pool, choosing a comfortable spot to sit down.
"Hah... Just as I thought. It's much more comfortable over here," she said in a lazy tone, exhaling a plume of smoke. She leaned back against the stone wall, her expression one of pure bliss.
"Betty, this is the men's side!" Ryuuto reminded her, wiping his face and trying his best to look away.
"What does it matter?" Belo Betty replied nonchalantly, her eyes still closed. "I've always seen myself as a man, so this is exactly where I belong."
The thin mist did little to conceal her stunning figure. Moistened by the steam, her fair skin glowed with a healthy radiance. The sight of her soft curves floating in the water was enough to send anyone's imagination running wild.
"Miss Betty, in that case, may I touch your pecs?"
Just as Ryuuto was about to speak again, a flirtatious voice cut in from nearby. Cobra, hearts practically popping from his eyes, had somehow appeared beside Belo Betty. He was wriggling with excitement as he posed his question.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ryuuto was utterly stunned.
"You bastard, what are you thinking?!" Belo Betty's temper flared. She shot up from the water and delivered a powerful blow to Cobra.
Thwack!
With a sharp crack, Cobra was knocked unconscious and sank to the bottom of the pool.
Belo Betty then turned to look at Ryuuto and Crocus. Seeing that they had already averted their gazes, she nodded in satisfaction and sat back down to enjoy her bath.
Glug... glug!
A stream of bubbles rose from Cobra's position at the bottom of the pool as water began to fill his mouth, the gurgling sounds of drowning becoming apparent.
Igaram, hearing the commotion, peeked over from where he was lying on the floor.
"Your Majesty!!"
Oh no, is he going to drown? Cobra thought in a panic. Letting out a muffled cry, he sprang to his feet with a powerful kip-up.
"My king, I'm coming to save you!" Igaram shouted, rushing toward the pool with his eyes fixed on the scene.
"Hm? What was that flash of white just now? Whoa, it's huge!"
Two streams of blood trickled from Igaram's nostrils.
"My king! I'm coming to save you!" he yelled again, his eyes now locked on the ceiling as he waded blindly into the water. Igaram struggled to hoist Cobra out of the pool and slowly carried him to the edge.
"He's still alive!" Igaram sighed in relief after placing a finger under Cobra's nose and feeling the faint whisper of breath.
"What is wrong with you people?!" Nami exclaimed from the women's side, standing up with her hands on her hips as she watched the chaos unfold.
"Nami, don't stand up!" Vivi quickly swam over and tugged on her arm. "They'll see you!"
"What do I have to be afraid of? Look at Betty, she doesn't care at all!" Nami retorted, her chest heaving with indignation.
"This is so infuriating!"
Finally losing her patience, Nami grabbed a white bathrobe from the side of the pool and threw it on. The large robe concealed her figure completely, but the flush on her cheeks from the hot bath was only intensified by her anger, making them a deep, rosy red.
Nami stormed over to the men's side.
"Captain, what do you think you're doing?" she asked, crouching down beside Ryuuto. Balancing on the balls of her feet, she reached out and pinched his ear.
"Ow! Ow! Nami, let go! Let go!"
Ryuuto yelped in pain as the sudden assault on his ear made him jump to his feet.
Because Nami had been crouching, Ryuuto's sudden movement pulled her off balance.
"Oof!" Nami's foot slipped, and she tumbled to the ground with a soft cry. Just then, Ryuuto turned around, carefully rubbing his ear. Hearing her, he looked over.
"So big!"
"So pale!"
Their eyes met for a moment before instinctively drifting downward. They both gasped in unison.
A blush the color of crimson bloomed across Nami's face.
"So embarrassing! Honestly, Captain!" she cried, quickly covering her eyes with her hands.
Ryuuto, snapping out of his daze, immediately turned around and sat back down in the water.
"Was that...?" Nami muttered to herself before the full realization hit her. She scrambled to her feet and fled the sauna room.
"Unbelievable! I think my eyes are broken!" she mumbled, her mind replaying the image she had just seen, leaving her in a daze.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto sat in the pool, the image from moments before seared into his own mind—that glimpse of startling white revealed by the parted bathrobe.
"Hahahahaha!"
Crocus's teasing laughter echoed from nearby.
Ryuuto shot him a warning glare before quickly immersing his consciousness into his mind, eager to check the rewards from his completed system quest.
I need a distraction, now! he thought, feeling the blood rush to his head.
The reward for defeating Crocodile had already arrived. Ryuuto opened his inventory and saw a new card shimmering with lightning. It was the [Lightning Arts] Trial Card.
In addition, his reputation points had soared to over 82,000. It was the most he had ever seen at once. Fifty thousand of that was from the system reward for completing the quest, while the rest had come from the citizens of Alabasta.
Slaying Crocodile, eradicating Baroque Works, and helping the people of Erumalu—with each victory, his fame grew. At this point, Ryuuto could probably become the king of Alabasta himself if he wanted to, and many would likely support him.
Besides the [Lightning Arts Trial Card] and the massive amount of reputation points, the system had also awarded him the usual three Yellow Talismans, which were now lying quietly in his inventory.
There's nothing I particularly need to exchange for right now, so I'll save these points. But this [Lightning Arts] Trial Card... I need to find a good time to use it. Based on past experience, using it once should be enough to learn the basics of the [Lightning Arts] skill. I can't wait to try it.
Ryuuto pulled his consciousness out of the system, got dressed, and headed to the main hall.
Igaram and Pell were there, studying a map of Alabasta.
"Captain Ryuuto, Pell spotted a Marine warship that docked at Nanohana. It won't be long before they reach Alubarna," Igaram said, slapping a hand on the table as he looked at Ryuuto with a grave expression.
"The Marines? It's been a while. I was hoping I'd get to meet them," Ryuuto replied, gesturing for Igaram to relax. He casually sat down at the table and began to eat an apple.
"Captain Ryuuto, you defeated one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Crocodile! That's bound to have shaken up Marine Headquarters. They might even send an Admiral after you! You should run, quickly! We have Super Spot-Billed Ducks ready for you!" Igaram's voice grew louder, his expression remaining deadly serious.