Chapter 22 – [22] : Nami Joins! Trait Equipping Complete!

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“Here. You guys need this, right? The Grand Line map,” Nami said, handing the sea map to Luffy after the battle was completely over.

“Eh? You’re giving it to me?” Luffy looked at Nami, pleasantly surprised.

“Well, we kind of teamed up, didn’t we? And I couldn’t have gotten the Buggy Pirates’ treasure without you guys,” Nami replied, smiling as she looked at the two large sacks of treasure beside her.

If converted to Beri, this treasure was worth a full 10 million.

This was her biggest haul ever.

After all, without Rowen and the others, Nami wouldn’t have dared to single-handedly infiltrate the base of a major pirate with a 15 million Beri bounty.

“But even though we sort of cooperated, this treasure is all mine!” Nami quickly hugged the sacks tightly, her expression turning wary again after her moment of happiness.

“Shishishi! With this, we can go to the Grand Line, right, Rowen?” Luffy, completely uninterested in the treasure, excitedly held up the Grand Line map and called out to Rowen.

“That’s right. But we still need a proper pirate ship. And a navigator,” Rowen replied after carefully examining the map.

With only Navigation (White), Rowen struggled even to understand this map properly, let alone navigate the Grand Line.

“The Grand Line, huh?” A fierce grin spread across Zoro’s face.

After Rowen had opened his eyes to the possibilities—Zoro was now eager to head to the Grand Line and pursue his ambition.

“Navigator? Isn’t she right here? Shishishi!” Luffy pointed at Nami, grinning.

Nami had been staring blankly at the three of them.

She’d never met pirates who were so completely indifferent to such a large amount of treasure before.

These guys… their eyes held no greed, only dreams.

Pirates who set sail purely for their dreams… do people like that really exist in this world?

Just as Nami was pondering this, she heard Luffy’s words and immediately retorted.

“Hey! I told you I won’t join a pirate crew!”

But then, Nami’s eyes darted around thoughtfully, and she smiled again.

“However… teaming up with you guys does seem pretty profitable. Maybe we could continue working together.”

“Shishishi! Then it’s decided! Nami’s our navigator!” Luffy yelled excitedly.

“Temporary navigator,” Nami corrected.

“Welcome aboard, Nami,” Rowen said, extending his hand to her with a smile.

Just like when he had invited her to dance on the luxury liner.

“…” Seeing this gesture, Nami clearly remembered her first meeting with Rowen, feeling a sense of déjà vu.

She had assumed they’d never meet again on this vast sea, that Rowen’s “until we meet again” was just a casual platitude.

Yet, not only had it come true today, but she had somehow become the temporary navigator on his ship.

“Mm,” Nami nodded, taking Rowen’s hand, her lips pressed together thoughtfully.

“Y-You guys… defeated Buggy the Clown?!” Just then, a shocked voice interrupted them.

Rowen and the others turned to see an old man—white-haired, frail-looking but wearing homemade armor, strangely dressed—staring at them in disbelief.

“Yeah, we beat Buggy’s crew. Who are you, old man?” Luffy readily admitted, then looked at the old man curiously.

“I am Boodle, the mayor of this Orange Town. Who are you? You don’t look like Marines,” Boodle introduced himself, then asked, his face still showing traces of shock.

The Buggy Pirates… defeated by these kids?

“Their town was taken over by the Buggy Pirates; they must hate pirates! Definitely don’t tell them who you are!” Nami whispered urgently.

“I’m Luffy! I’m a pirate!” Luffy announced straightforwardly.

Thump! Nami nearly face-planted.

“Hahahaha!” Zoro slapped his thigh, roaring with laughter.

Rowen chuckled at the scene as well.

Classic Luffy.

“P-Pirates…” Mayor Boodle’s face twitched.

“Ah, I’m starving! Old man, can you treat us to a meal?” Luffy patted his stomach.

Using Devil Fruit powers consumed a lot of stamina.

“What kind of pirate asks someone else to treat them to a meal?!” Nami couldn’t find the words to describe Luffy’s behavior.

“Some booze would be nice,” Zoro added hopefully.

A good drink after a fight was one of Zoro’s greatest pleasures.

“We should definitely celebrate properly,” Rowen agreed, still elated from acquiring the Born of the Sea (Apex Gold) Trait.

“Even you, Rowen?!” Nami felt utterly exasperated.

Did these guys have any awareness of the situation? They were pirates! And this mayor’s town had just been occupied by pirates!

“Follow me,” Boodle said unexpectedly after a moment of silence.

“Alright! Food!” Luffy excitedly followed Boodle.

Zoro and Rowen followed with smiles. Nami, though exasperated, had no choice but to follow along with her treasure sacks.

Boodle led them to his house.

On the way, they encountered the small dog, Chouchou, faithfully guarding the pet shop left behind by his deceased owner.

Chouchou, not having formed the same bond with Luffy as in the original story, barked fiercely at the group, only calming down slightly after Boodle reassured him.

Rowen simply smiled at this. Compared to forging the same friendship from the story, what Chouchou truly needed—the preservation of the pet shop filled with memories of his master—had already been achieved (implicitly, by defeating Buggy).

Boodle prepared some food for them.

During their conversation, Boodle clearly sensed that Rowen’s group was different from the Buggy Pirates and explained everything that had happened in the town.

Luffy, meanwhile, just focused on stuffing his face, saying nothing.

Listening to Chouchou’s story—how the dog refused to leave the shop filled with memories, even facing the Buggy Pirates, determined to protect his master’s legacy—Nami was visibly moved but felt powerless to do anything.

“Ah, I’m full! So full! Okay, we’re heading out! Thanks for the meal, old man!” Luffy patted his belly, beaming with satisfaction.

“How can you smile so happily after hearing what happened here?! Pirates really are cold-blooded! Always taking away what’s important to others so easily!” Nami suddenly snapped, looking at Luffy’s smile, her emotions overflowing.

“No matter what I say, what happened here already happened. What’s lost won’t come back, right?” Luffy replied simply, looking at Nami.

“But you can’t be so indifferent!” Nami yelled, venting her frustration.

She knew it was true. Her outburst was fueled by the parallels between the town’s situation and her own hometown’s suffering.

But the next moment, a hand gently rested on Nami’s shoulder.

“Rowen?” Nami looked up at him, startled.

“Luffy isn’t being indifferent. This is just… Luffy’s way, his own kind of strength,” Rowen said seriously.

“Talking is always the easiest thing to do, but it doesn’t change anything. Just like with you, Nami.”

Nami started to protest, but Rowen’s next words stunned her into silence.

“You definitely have your own story too, but we won’t ask. Even if you told us what happened to you, we could never truly understand how you feel right now. Just talking about it won’t change what you’ve been through. But when you feel the time is right…”

Nami stared blankly at Rowen’s face, which now held a smile as warm and bright as the sun.

“…Lean on us as much as you need to, Nami. We’ll help you, even if we have to risk our lives. We’re comrades now.”

Nami stared at Rowen, speechless.

Rowen then looked at Luffy with a smile.

“Right, Luffy?”

“Shishishi! That’s right!” Luffy yelled back enthusiastically.

Rowen’s understanding of comradeship resonated perfectly with Luffy.

Zoro didn’t speak, just offered a fierce grin and adjusted the grip on his Wado Ichimonji slightly.

This sentiment resonated deeply with Zoro as well.

“…” Nami pressed her lips together, struggling to keep her emotions in check.

She gripped Rowen’s hand resting on her shoulder, gently leaning her forehead against it, as if finally finding something solid to rely on.

———

—[Received strong acknowledgment from Monkey D. Luffy. Bond increased. Trait equipping progress increased.]—

—[Superhuman Physique (Deep Purple) has finished equipping.]—

———

A notification screen appeared before Rowen.

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep