Chereads / Mangaka in the StrawHats / Chapter 32 - Chapter 32

Chapter 32 - Chapter 32

Thinking about stealing their money when someone saves me... That's really not something people do~~ As Logan continued to criticize her, Nami began to feel flushed.

In the early morning at sea, the temperature was very low. Even inside the cabin, it was chilly. Caught in a moral dilemma, Nami, unsure whether it was guilt or the cold air, couldn't help but shiver.

Unable to face Logan's question directly, she deftly shifted the topic to him. "In such cold weather, if you let a girl lie down like this all night and don't cover her with a blanket, aren't you afraid she'll catch a cold?"

Logan smiled lightly. What a cunning little thief, skillfully changing the subject!

He could see that Nami had been lying there all night, and the cold was indeed seeping into her body. After a moment of thought, he handed the milk to her. "Let's drink some hot milk first."

"Hey hey~ This is what you drank just now!" Nami exclaimed, eyes widening. "Yesterday, you made people eat your leftover grilled fish, and today you want them to drink your leftover milk? When did I, Nami, ever deserve such a thing!"

Logan raised an eyebrow, contemplating withdrawing the milk. "Oh, forget it~" he sighed.

"No, I want it!" Nami quickly took it, not letting him change his mind. "If I'm not really hungry and cold, I wouldn't want to drink what you left!"

Aggrieved and complaining, Nami gulped down the hot milk. Perhaps due to genuine hunger and cold, she drank too quickly, causing milk to overflow from the corner of her mouth, tracing down her fair neck.

Wiping the milk away, Nami handed the cup to Logan, saying, "More..."

"You drink so crisply. Aren't you afraid that I'll poison it?" Logan teased, a playful glint in his eyes.

Logan put the cup aside, his eyes playful as he looked at Nami. She shook her head, saying, "Why be afraid? If you wanted to harm me, you could have done it while I was asleep. Why bother now?"

Logan smiled, "Oh~? From this perspective, your evaluation of me isn't bad~"

"Huh~" Nami pouted slightly, giving him a blank look. Still curious, she asked, "What kind of person are you? In that situation last night, you didn't touch anyone. You're really strange!"

Could it be that I, Nami, am not attractive? Impossible! While she was relieved to still have her perfect body, she wanted to find out if the other party was looking down on her.

Logan was also speechless, shrugging. "You seem to want me to do something to you?"

"Huh?~" Nami blushed immediately, saying angrily, "What!! I just..."

After a moment's thought, she realized how strange her question was.

"I just... think your behavior is too unlike a pirate, so I'm curious! This is the first time I've been in such a passive situation after being a thief for so long. I was scared to death, but now that you're like this, I really don't know whether I should be afraid..."

Blaming Logan, yet subtly showing her innocence. "Well..."

With a faint smile on his handsome face, Logan was silent for a moment and then said, "Don't you want to be glad that you met me this time?"

"Yeah, if it were another pirate, I'd be finished!"

Pirates in the sea are vicious, one worse than the other. Even now, Nami still has lingering fears.

"Okay, it's almost time for me to draw Mangas. I have to go to the studio. If you still want milk, you can make it yourself. By the way, don't forget to wash my cup."

Logan glanced at the clock on the wall. "Hey!"

Seeing that Logan was about to leave, Nami suddenly yelled. "What?"

Logan asked while folding the blanket.

Nami rushed behind Logan. "You can't leave; I have a question and I must ask it clearly!"

"Ask." Logan put the blanket and pillow away together without looking up.

"You saved me, but I wanted to steal your money. According to common sense, if you caught me, even if you didn't do anything to me, you would beat me, scold me, or even kill me! But why..., not only did you not do this, but you didn't even blame me at all? Why is that!!"

This doubt had been lingering in Nami's heart, and she wouldn't feel well if she didn't ask it clearly. It was like a child who had made a mistake, ready to accept punishment from their father at any time.

But her father never mentioned the punishment, leaving Nami's heart hanging in suspense. Only those who have experienced this feeling know how uncomfortable it can be.

Hearing Nami's question, Logan stood up and turned to look at her behind him. Nami also looked at Logan, awaiting his answer. However, instead of answering, Logan just gazed into Nami's eyes.

Feeling Logan's unscrupulous gaze, Nami felt at a loss. Logan smiled and said, "Why don't you tell me first, why does a beautiful girl like you want to be a villain that everyone hates?"

A pretty girl... I'll just say it! How could I, Nami, not attract him! Looks like this guy has a good eye~~~

"What are you thinking about?" Logan wondered as he observed Nami's strange expression.

"Ah~~" Nami woke up from her wild thoughts but met Logan's close gaze, feeling suddenly guilty.

"Me...?" She faltered, her mind going blank. For Logan's question, she could have easily made up a lie to deal with it. However, at this moment, she found that she couldn't organize any lies in her mind.

More importantly, there was a voice in her heart telling herself that she didn't want to deceive Logan. The secret is a secret, but if there's someone to confide in, wouldn't that be a kind of happiness?

After a fierce internal struggle, Nami took a deep breath, raised her head, met Logan's gaze, and lightly parted her red lips. "If I tell you that I actually stole money to save many, many people, do you believe it?"

After speaking, Nami's petite heart became uneasy. This was a secret she had always kept. But when this secret is told, the logic is outrageous. She was afraid a hundred out of a hundred people wouldn't believe it.

"I believe you," Logan answered without hesitation.

"Huh? Do you believe it?" Nami's eyes widened in disbelief.

She couldn't comprehend why Logan would choose to believe her without hesitation. Was it because of her appearance? If so, then she received that from Logan just last night.

"Do you really believe it? I'm just a little thief," Nami questioned.

"I believe you," Logan answered firmly once again. He smiled, placing his hand on Nami's fragrant shoulder, and spoke in a gentle voice, "You know what? Everyone can lie, but a person's eyes can't lie. I saw honesty in your eyes when you spoke."

The slender palm covered the reddening face, and Nami's eyes turned red in an instant. Since the Arlong Pirates occupied Cocoyashi Village, her life had been shrouded in shadows. Nami bore the infamy alone, facing accusations and incomprehension from everyone.

For years, she had only cried in secret during the dead of night to release the inner grievance and pain. No one believed her, and no one understood her.

But at this moment, the handsome and sunny man in front of her, though they had just met, chose to believe her without hesitation, simply by seeing the honesty in her eyes.

For Nami, who had experienced so much suffering, Logan's words were like a ray of sunshine in stormy weather, breaking through the clouds and mist, reaching directly to Nami's heart. It brought her a warmth she had never experienced before.

All the way, Nami had felt wronged, too wronged. Now, she suddenly received the care and trust she didn't dare to expect at ordinary times. All the grievances and pain accumulated in her heart were released at once.

"Wow!!" She opened her arms, throwing herself into Logan's embrace, burying her face on his shoulders. Tears gushed out like a fountain.

Her weak body trembled non-stop, and at this moment, Nami forgot about everything—the Arlong Pirates, Cocoyashi Village, Nojiko, Bellemere, Belly. None of it mattered anymore.

She just wanted to cry.