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Danger drew near in an instant.
Nami's heart skipped a beat in pure fright. Without thinking, she quickly unfurled the sails she had retracted, grabbed an oar, and started paddling desperately. While the wood bit into the water, she shouted to Satori, "Satori! There's danger! Wake up! Wake up!!!"
She frantically worked the oar, her face already deathly pale. In the ocean, the creatures she least wanted to encounter were Sea Beasts—enormous and extremely ferocious predators. Many experienced sailors met their demise because of them. Against creatures that are nearly impossible to resist without a cannon, being on a small boat was basically a death sentence.
Nami's ship was just an ordinary small sailboat. It didn't even have fishing harpoons. She swung the oar so fast it created afterimages, making the boat shoot forward, narrowly avoiding a massive, watery pounce. "Hey! Satori! You better wake up now! If you don't, we're going to be eaten!!!"
"Huh? What happened?" Satori, awakened by the screaming, sat up groggily and rubbed his eyes with a bewildered expression.
"What are you standing around for! Help me row! We have to escape its hunting grounds!" Nami shouted, gritting her teeth.
"Escape? Why should we escape?" Satori glanced at the relentlessly pursuing monster and asked, puzzled.
Nami was so angry she almost spat blood. "If we don't escape, are we waiting to be eaten?!" she roared.
"Huh?" Satori blinked, as if he finally understood the situation. He stood up and, under Nami's disbelieving gaze, jumped directly toward the Sea Beast.
"Hey! Are you crazy?!"
Bang!!!
Just as her startled cry fell, Satori descended with the force of his fall and kicked the Sea Beast's head with a loud thud. The next second, the monster—which had been relentlessly pursuing them—rolled its eyes back and floated quietly on the sea surface like a dead dog.
Nami: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ
"Hehe, Nami, we have breakfast sorted for tomorrow." Satori stood on the Sea Beast's head, grinning and giving her a thumbs-up.
Nami finally came back to her senses. "Satori, you... you're too amazing. Are you even human?!"
Satori frowned adorably. "Of course I'm human. I'm powerful because I train hard!"
Nami swallowed hard, looking at Satori and then at the defeated beast. A thought suddenly popped into her head. "Hey, Satori, I have an idea. You don't have money to buy a ship, right?"
"Mm-hmm." Satori nodded honestly.
"Then how about we cooperate? You travel with me, and I'll help you find that Martial Arts Tournament. But at the same time, you have to help me with something."
Satori's eyes immediately lit up. He zipped back into the boat and stood in front of her. "Okay! What do you need help with?"
Nami's smile faded, and she said seriously, "This favor is very dangerous. First, I need to earn 100 million berries. For this, I target pirates and take their treasures. But pirates are strong and numerous. I need you to help me attract their attention or lead them away while I secure the treasure."
Satori frowned slightly. "You said take their money... do you mean steal?"
Nami's heart hammered against her ribs. This was the question she feared most. "That's right. I am a thief who targets pirates. I won't steal from ordinary people, but I feel justified in stealing from evil villains."
"But there are also some pirates who aren't bad people," Satori said seriously, thinking of the rubber-man he had just met.
"Not bad people?!" Nami instantly clenched her fists, her eyes flashing with hurt and fury. "Even if you don't want to help, you don't need such a flimsy excuse! Pirates are all bad guys! I hate them more than anything!"
She unilaterally ended the conversation, walked to a corner of the boat, sat down, and hugged her knees in silence.
On the spot, Satori was utterly bewildered by her sudden change. He scratched his cheek and muttered softly, "Huh? Did I say something wrong?"