Chapter 58 – [58] : Nami’s Cuteness! A Museum-Worthy Klutz!

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The door to Rowen’s cabin opened quietly.

A beautiful figure tiptoed inside.

“Rowen,” Nami whispered, her eyes curving into smiling crescents as she looked at Rowen, fast asleep on the bed.

The day before reaching Loguetown, Rowen had stopped his intense training and had been sleeping ever since.

Through his training, Rowen had discovered a hidden effect of his [Superhuman Demonic Physique (Apex Purple)]: after accumulating extreme fatigue through intense training or battle, an extended period of deep sleep allowed his body to recover optimally, becoming even stronger in the process.

It was similar to how people on Earth built physique—strengthening happened during rest and sleep.

Although Rowen had Superhuman Demonic Physique, Zoro had Demonic Physique, and Luffy had Superhuman Physique—they still needed sleep to recover from accumulated fatigue and maximize the efficiency of their training and growth.

This explained why, in the original story, Luffy and Zoro often slept for extended periods, sometimes days on end, after major battles.

Nami carefully sat on the edge of Rowen’s bed, quietly watching him sleep.

Looking at Rowen, memories flooded Nami’s mind—their first meeting, all the way to him saving her and her village.

From acquaintanceship, to understanding, to—

Nami thought back to Arlong Park, to the kiss she had given Rowen, and her cheeks flushed slightly.

“Thank you, Rowen,” Nami murmured, gently touching Rowen’s cheek—the exact spot she had kissed.

But the next moment, Nami’s face turned beet red.

“R-Rowen?!” Nami stammered, staring at Rowen, who had opened his eyes and was now looking directly at her.

“G-Good morning! Lovely weather, isn’t it? Well, I should get going!” Nami blurted out a clumsy excuse, trying to make a quick escape.

The next second—

“Kyaaa!” Nami gasped as she was suddenly lifted into the air.

Staring at Rowen’s face, now incredibly close, Nami could even feel his breath. Her face turned impossibly red.

“Were you trying to steal something, little thief cat?” Rowen asked, looking at Nami’s flushed face, a fond, teasing smile playing on his lips.

“I-I wasn’t stealing anything from you! I-I just came to wake you up! We’re almost at Loguetown! I’ll go now!” Nami tried to squirm away, wanting to escape.

“Is that so? But I feel like—you did steal something from me,” Rowen replied seriously, looking intently at Nami’s crimson face.

Nami started to protest, but then saw Rowen point to the cheek she had just touched.

“You stole this,” Rowen said, pointing at his cheek, smiling mischievously at Nami.

“You were planning to wake me up like this, weren’t you? Just like back in Cocoyasi Village? But now you’re trying to run away…” Rowen’s lips curved slightly upwards.

“W-Who said that?! I just came to wake you up, that’s all!” Nami sputtered, speechless. How could she argue when she had been lost in memories of their journey together, looking at his sleeping face, and acted impulsively?

But Nami still tried one last desperate defense.

“Nami! Rowen! Come quick! We’ve reached Loguetown!” Luffy’s sudden loud shout from outside made Nami jump in panic.

Seeing Rowen still showed no intention of letting her go, Nami’s face felt like it was on fire.

Because of her experiences in Cocoyasi Village, she had buried her typical girly behavior years ago.

But around Rowen—Nami always seemed to revert to the young woman her age was supposed to be.

“So… are you going to return what you stole, little thief cat?” Rowen asked, his smile widening.

“!!!” Feeling the warmth press against her cheek, Nami scrambled away like a startled kitten, Rowen chuckled.

Nami is really adorable

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“So that’s Loguetown?” Dressed and ready, Rowen walked out onto the deck, looking at the town on the island ahead.

The birthplace and execution site of the Pirate King—hence its nickname, the ‘Town of the Beginning and the End’.

In the past, this town was notoriously chaotic.

Loguetown’s location near the entrance to the Grand Line made it the final supply stop for pirates heading into the treacherous sea.

Furthermore, being the place where the Pirate King began and ended his journey, many pirates came here seeking to follow in his footsteps.

This inevitably led to constant clashes between pirates, bounty hunters, and Marines, making the town incredibly turbulent.

But everything changed after Captain Smoker took command of the Marine branch here.

A Logia-type Devil Fruit user was practically invincible in the East Blue.

No pirate could escape Smoker’s pursuit.

It could be argued that Smoker was partly responsible for the East Blue being known as the ‘weakest sea’.

After all, the pirates capable of reaching Loguetown and aiming for the Grand Line were generally the stronger ones from the East Blue.

By capturing virtually all of them, Smoker effectively culled the ambitious and powerful, leaving mostly mediocrities without the ability or drive to venture into the Grand Line.

However… Smoker had now become Rowen’s prey.

Nami glanced sideways at Rowen, then quickly looked away, pretending to study Loguetown nonchalantly when she felt his gaze.

Rowen chuckled inwardly at Nami’s ‘thief-like’ attempt at subtlety; it was quite endearing.

Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji all smiled as they looked towards Loguetown.

From here, they would officially embark on their journey into the Grand Line.

Their dreams were about to truly set sail.

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Soon, the Going Merry docked.

“What a huge town!” Luffy exclaimed, grinning as he took in the bustling sights of Loguetown.

“I’m gonna go see the execution platform where the Pirate King died!” Luffy declared excitedly, then dashed off towards the town center without waiting for a reply.

“Hey! Luffy! We haven’t decided on a meeting place yet!” Usopp yelled after him, but Luffy had already disappeared into the crowd.

“Honestly! That guy is still such an airhead,” Usopp sighed helplessly.

“Let him have his fun. We should go stock up on supplies too. This is our last chance before entering the Grand Line,” Rowen suggested with a smile.

He wasn’t sure if the Buggy Pirates would show up here seeking revenge like in the original story.

But Luffy’s father, Monkey D. Dragon, was definitely here.

Even if things played out like the original, with Buggy capturing Luffy and attempting a public execution, Rowen wasn’t worried. Dragon would intervene and sort everything out.

Rowen had no particular interest in Gol D. Roger’s execution platform; let Luffy explore on his own.

“I need to buy two swords,” Zoro stated. Entering the Grand Line, as a three-sword style user, he needed his full complement of blades.

“Buy swords? Do you have any money, Zoro?” Hearing this, Nami’s eyes suddenly lit up, a predatory ‘merchant’ gleam appearing in them.

“N-No,” Zoro replied, his eye twitching at the mention of money.

“I can lend you some!” Nami offered brightly.

Zoro felt a surge of hope. ‘Maybe Nami isn’t so bad after all! She knew he needed the money for swords…’

After all, Nami had previously earned money to save her hometown. She left nearly 100 million Beri behind for them… surely lending him a bit for swords—

“—But you have to pay me back triple,” Nami finished, her eyes literally transforming into Beri symbols ($).

“You haven’t changed at all!” Zoro yelled, his eye twitching violently.

“So, do you want the loan or not? Just telling you, if you borrow it, you can’t default!” Nami declared, grabbing Rowen’s arm and tilting her chin up proudly. With Rowen backing her up, Nami felt incredibly confident.

Rowen watched Nami’s ‘money-grubber’ persona emerge, amused.

“I’ll borrow it…” In the end, Zoro reluctantly agreed to Nami’s high-interest loan.

“Okay! I’m going shopping then, Rowen!” Having successfully extorted Zoro, Nami beamed happily at Rowen.

“Alright. Have fun,” Rowen replied with a smile. The horror of accompanying a girl on a shopping trip was something Rowen remembered vividly from Earth; it was an ordeal he preferred to avoid. Besides, Rowen had his own plans.

“I’m gonna go check out the ingredients! And look! So many beautiful ladies!” Sanji started seriously, but his eyes quickly transformed into hearts as he spotted attractive women nearby, vanishing into the crowd instantly.

“That idiot lovesick kappa,” Zoro muttered, watching Sanji disappear.

“Well, Rowen, I’m gonna go buy some stuff too. Goggles, and materials for inventing,” Usopp said, then also headed off into Loguetown.

“Let’s go, Zoro. Follow my lead,” Rowen said, turning to Zoro once the others had dispersed.

“Got it,” Zoro smirked.

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