Chapter 129: The Truth of the City of Gold and Nami's Midnight Whisper
Beside the altar on God's Island, the bonfire danced in the night.
"Everyone!!" Seeing Monkey D. Luffy, Sanji, and Usopp return safely from the depths of the forest, Nami, who had been on edge the entire time, finally let out a sigh of relief. A look of relief blossomed on her face, but when she noticed that Tatsuya was missing, her eyes widened.
"Luffy! Where is Tatsuya?"
Tatsuya was the last to return. He was carrying several giant, claw-waving "Sky Lobsters" in one hand, looking as relaxed as if he had just come back from the grocery store.
"Tatsuya!" Seeing the forest dust and leaves clinging to Tatsuya's clothes, Nami immediately trotted over and gently brushed the dust off his shoulders. Then, under everyone's gaze, she opened her arms, hugged him tightly, and buried her face in his chest.
"Thank goodness... You came back too."
"Ahem... Nami-san..."
Seeing this scene, Sanji turned grey and white in an instant. He knelt on the ground, biting hard on a handkerchief, and let out a whimper of frustration: "Why... I went on the adventure too! Why didn't I get a loving hug? Only that bastard Vice Captain... Damn it!!"
However, as a top-tier chef, Sanji quickly turned his grief and anger into appetite. "Since we have such top-tier ingredients, let's have a Sky seafood feast!!"
Sanji showed off his skills, using the unique seasonings of the Skypiea and the giant Sky Lobsters to create a table full of fragrant, top-tier dishes.
"Delicious!! This shrimp meat is so bouncy!!" Monkey D. Luffy's mouth was stuffed with meat, his eyes shining with happiness.
Perhaps because the atmosphere was so lively, Monkey D. Luffy even managed to convince a few Skypiea Cloud Wolves with Clay's translation. He pulled the Cloud Wolves along and danced that signature, silly, adorable dance around the bonfire. "Woo hoo hoo The roasted meat is so delicious I am a wolf You are a wolf We are all wolves~"
After everyone was full and satisfied, they sat around the bonfire. Although their bodies were tired, their spirits were high.
Tatsuya took out a small bag of soil, which he had specially collected when he was on Jaya Island. Then, he grabbed a handful of soil from God's Island and spread it out in front of everyone. "Look."
Tatsuya pointed to the two piles of soil and then took out the rubbing of the half-house pattern he had made in the forest: "The soil quality is exactly the same. Moreover, the architectural style here matches the other half of that house on Jaya Island perfectly."
The firelight shone on Tatsuya's confident face as he said slowly: "Norland did not lie. The City of Gold did not sink to the bottom of the sea, but was washed up to an altitude of 7,000 meters by that massive Knock-Up Stream."
"What we are standing on right now is that legendary kingdom—Shandora."
"The gold... is right here on this island."
This conclusion instantly ignited the fighting spirit in Usopp, who had originally just wanted to escape, and Nami's eyes turned into Berries symbols.
"The City of Gold... so it really exists!" Robin looked at the rubbings, her eyes unfocused.
Amidst this longing for the unknown and desire for gold, everyone gradually succumbed to the exhaustion of days of travel. Monkey D. Luffy lay sprawled out on the deck and fell asleep, Zoro leaned against a tree holding his sword, and the others also found places to sleep.
Deep in the night, the chirping of unknown insects came from the depths of the forest. Inside the cabin of the going merry, a faint light still shone in Tatsuya's room. He was sitting at the table, using the light of an oil lamp to organize his notes on various Skypiea Dials.
"Click." The door lock clicked, and the door was gently pushed open. Nami, wearing silk pajamas, walked in. She didn't turn on the lights; the cold moonlight shone through the porthole onto her long orange hair, making her look exceptionally soft and revealing a hint of fragility.
"Nami?" Tatsuya put down his pen, somewhat surprised. Nami didn't speak; she walked barefoot to behind Tatsuya and suddenly stretched out her arms, hugging him tightly from behind. Her cheek pressed against his broad back, and her body trembled slightly.
"Tatsuya..." Nami's voice had a hint of nasality: "Today when that giant shrimp took the ship... I was really so scared."
"Monkey D. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and you... you are all so strong, as if you aren't afraid of any monsters."
"But me... I'm just an ordinary person."
Nami's hands gripped Tatsuya's clothes: "In this unknown sky, facing those strange priests and monsters, I feel so small, so useless... When encountering danger, I can only wait for you to save me..."
Feeling the trembling and dampness from behind, Tatsuya's eyes softened instantly. He turned around and pulled Nami into his arms. One hand gently patted her back, soothing her anxiety like coaxing a child: "Silly girl."
"It is precisely because you are an ordinary person, yet you can still follow this group of monsters here and face those powerful enemies that even the Marine fears... that proves you are braver than anyone else."
Tatsuya looked at the pitiful Nami in his arms, a flash of thought crossing his eyes. Indeed, Nami's navigational talent was top-tier, but in the New World where monsters ran rampant, her physical constitution and combat power were indeed shortcomings. The Weather Stick was strong, but it was a skill-based weapon; once someone got close, it was very dangerous.
"This is not a long-term solution..." Tatsuya calculated secretly in his heart: "Perhaps it's time to find her a suitable Devil Fruit."
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit? That belongs to Enel; to get it, I'd have to kill him first."
"The Snow-Snow Fruit? Or some kind of Paramecia that can complement the Weather Stick? It seems I need to put this on the agenda."
Just as Tatsuya was thinking about future plans, the person in his arms moved. Feeling the temperature of Tatsuya's chest and that steady heartbeat, Nami looked up. The tear stains at the corners of her eyes had not yet dried, but under the moonlight, those brown eyes looked exceptionally moving, as if they held a pool of spring water.
She looked into Tatsuya's eyes, which were always filled with a smile; at this moment, they held only her reflection. That feeling of being protected and cherished made the fear in Nami's heart transform into another intense emotion. Nami suddenly stood on her tiptoes, hooking her hands around Tatsuya's neck. Her warm breath brushed against Tatsuya's chin, carrying the fresh scent of oranges.
Her eyes became hazy and fervent; she was no longer that calculating navigator, but a little woman craving comfort. "Tatsuya..." Nami leaned into Tatsuya's ear, her voice as light as a feather plucking at his heartstrings, yet carrying an irresistible temptation: "Don't think about those plans anymore..."
She gently bit Tatsuya's earlobe: "Tonight... I want..."
The camera slowly pulled back, passing through the corridor, and settled outside the quiet cabin of the going merry. The night wind gently blew the half-open curtains, obscuring the figures embracing and falling inside the room, and also obscuring the romance of the room.
On the table, that cup of tea Tatsuya had half-drunk and had long since gone cold. At this moment, without anyone touching it, the surface of the water in the cup rippled with one rapid circle after another. It was a rhythmic vibration coming from who knows where.
The teacup collided slightly with the saucer, making a faint sound. "Ding... ding... ding..." At first, it was intermittent, like large and small pearls falling on a jade plate, soft and tentative. But as time passed, the frequency of the vibration became increasingly rapid.
Those circles of ripples swayed in the cup, even splashing out a few drops of water, which fell on the tabletop and spread into a dark stain. In this silent night on God's Island, this faint and continuous sound seemed like the most beautiful movement.
Loving Book So Far Check Out 80+ Advanced Chapters At Pa Treon:
patreon.com/FicTonic1