"Who's talking behind my back?"
Nami's voice had barely faded when a clear, bell-like voice suddenly rang out from behind her.
"You're finally here!"
Nami didn't need to turn around to recognize who it was just by the sound of her voice.
A slender girl with purple hair, dressed smartly, pushed open the door and entered the room.
It was Carina, a genius thief who had debuted even earlier than Nami!
With a sharp mind, exceptional theft skills, and excellent intelligence-gathering abilities, she was half a mentor to Nami in the art of thievery and a close friend with whom she shared a life-and-death bond.
After Nami gained the power of Pokémon, the first person she thought of was this sly fox.
To revive Bell-mère as soon as possible, she needed to gather all the strength she could.
And Carina's cunning and intelligence were exactly what she needed.
Carina gracefully approached Nami, her eyes immediately drawn to Butterfree and little Pichu on the table.
As a quick thinker, Carina noticed the two strange creatures as soon as she entered the room.
Pichu seemed harmless enough, gazing up at her with curious eyes like a small pet mouse.
But the large butterfly sipping tea like an old man—it was weird no matter how you looked at it!
Furthermore, with Nami suddenly inviting her out of the blue to discuss something, Carina quickly deduced that the matter likely involved these two strange creatures.
Her slender fingers played with Nami's shoulders as Carina leaned in close.
"So, you called me here because you have a good deal?"
"Back off!"
Nami swatted her away, moved closer to Butterfree, and sat down with a confident air.
With a coquettish smile, she tossed a yellowed wanted poster onto the table.
"What do you think about this deal?"
"Hm?"
Carina glanced at the poster and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Hammer Buck, a pirate with a bounty of 3 million berries?"
"What's going on?"
She couldn't help but ask, puzzled.
It wasn't that she was overreacting.
Before entering the room, she'd seen this very pirate—Hammer Buck—partying with his crew in the tavern's main hall.
Apparently, the Hammer Pirates had rented out the entire hall for themselves today!
She couldn't believe this was just a coincidence...
Was Nami planning to steal from pirates?
But this was a pirate with a bounty on his head!
However...
Instead of answering directly, Nami smiled, reached out, and tapped on the image of Hammer Buck on the poster.
"This is the deal I'm talking about."
She said with determination:
"Carina, don't you think a pirate with a bounty of 3 million berries would have plenty of treasure hidden on his ship?"
"Hm? Now that you mention it…"
Carina's eyes lit up, and she settled into her seat seriously.
"You're planning to sneak onto their ship?"
"But won't the ship be guarded?"
"Sneak in? No, no, no…"
Nami smirked mischievously, flexed her wrist, and suddenly stood up.
"I plan to take them all down—crew, ship, and everything!!!"
"What!? Are you crazy?!"
Carina stared at Nami like she was out of her mind.
"Sure, you can fight, but there's no way you can take on a whole crew of bounty-hungry pirates!"
"Anything is possible!"
Nami winked at Carina, as if making a cryptic joke, and then extended her hand:
"Pichu!"
Pichu, who had been sitting on the table, leaped into the air and landed steadily on Nami's shoulder, continuing to look curiously at Carina.
It had only recently been born and was full of curiosity about the world.
"Chu!"
Butterfree, sipping tea nearby, hummed softly and gently fluttered its wings, positioning itself behind Nami.
Carina: ???
What's going on?
The clever girl's face showed complete confusion as she stared at Nami with bewildered eyes.
As Nami made her way to the exit, Carina hurriedly called out:
"You're not seriously going to try something reckless, are you? I just checked—the guy's called Buck, and he could definitely smash us to pieces with that hammer of his!"
"Hahaha, just you wait and see~"
Nami left a confident smile behind as she gracefully walked out, leaving Carina in a state of utter disbelief.
Could Nami have eaten some strange Devil Fruit and become stronger?
The thought crept into Carina's mind.
But little did Carina know...
The moment Nami walked out of the room, her smile vanished.
Instead, a hint of worry flickered in her eyes.
"Butterfree-sensei, are you sure Pichu can really take on that guy? This little one's only three days old!"
In truth, Nami wasn't nearly as confident as she appeared.
She was putting on a show for Carina's sake.
Since they'd met, Carina had always been one step ahead in everything—luck, skill, you name it. She was someone Nami admired!
Their personalities were similar, and they both shared a deep greed.
Over the years, Carina had accumulated wealth that rivalled Nami's.
So, in Nami's mind, if she could attract the favor of the dimensional merchant by chance...then Carina, who excelled in everything except sailing, would definitely meet the dimensional merchant one day.
If that happened, Nami wasn't confident she could outmaneuver her.
That's why she decided to leverage her advantage of acquiring Pokémon first, win Carina over early, establish some ground rules, and forge a cooperative relationship!
"Pii~"
Butterfree responded in Nami's ear, and Rotom on the phone immediately translated:
[Don't worry, your Pichu has the Static ability and has inherited the powerful Volt Tackle move!]
[Don't underestimate Pichu's potential!]
[Remember, it's a Pokémon with superstar potential!]
[Besides, I'll be there to back you up!]
Butterfree gently flapped its wings to reassure Nami.
At that moment, the tiny Pokémon perched on Nami's shoulder patted its chest with great confidence.
"Pi~chu! (You can count on me!!!)"
"Then... okay!"
Hearing Butterfree's reassurance, Nami nodded.
...
...
In the bar's main hall, Nami gently patted Pichu's head and smiled.
"Alright, it's up to you now!"
"Pichu!!"
Pichu responded energetically, its eyes burning with fighting spirit as it jumped to the ground.
Electricity began to spark from its small body uncontrollably.
Seeing this, Nami felt a bit more at ease.
She glanced at Hammer Buck, who was still drinking.
He was a large man, over two meters tall, with a brutish face—not someone to be taken lightly.
"Fuu..."
Nami, who had not even flinched when facing the Arlong Pirates, now felt a tinge of nervousness.
She steeled herself.
Turning around, she caught Carina's worried expression.
Nami flashed a reassuring smile, then walked up to a pirate in front of her and kicked him away.
Slapping a bounty poster on the table, she grinned and said:
"Hammer Buck, right? The one with a bounty of 3 million berries?"
"Sorry to interrupt! But I'm here for your head!"
"......"
"......"
The moment Nami finished speaking, the entire bar fell silent.
Every pirate stopped what they were doing and stared in her direction.
"Huh!?"
Hammer Buck, half-drunk, opened his eyes wide, looked at Nami, then let out a sinister laugh.
He sneered at the pirates around him, saying:
"KAhahaha, did I hear that right?"
"Someone actually wants my head?"
"KAhahaha…"
The whole tavern erupted in laughter, the atmosphere far from tense.
Buck, now fully intoxicated, stood up and grabbed the massive hammer beside him.
With a loud bang, he slammed it in front of Nami.
"Little girl, you sure have guts today!"
His expression turned menacing, licking his lips as he sneered:
"Looking at you...you're quite cute. I bet a lot of nobles would love a girl like you!"
"A cute little girl like you could fetch a hefty price at the auction house!"
(End of this chapter)