Chapter 46 - Date in the Skylight...

Chapter 46

Title: Date in the Skylight...

…

"Do you even know who this Boss-Man that you keep calling out is?" Asked the giant mermaid, with a frown on her brows.

He shook his head. "I have no idea, but I must find him!"

Shyarly sighed, knowing that no matter what she said, changing John's mind would be useless. She could see a resolve appear in his eyes, something that didn't belong in the eyes of a lost man without any memories. Once again, he had gotten a purpose in life and something to strive for.

…

Nami was wearing a black dress when she saw Max wearing casual clothes, they were supposed to have the date that he had paid millions for.

She wondered why he would do something like this, because while Nami knew she was beautiful. The world had other women who were even more beautiful than her. And since he was a King, then he would be able to get with any of them without having to pay millions of Beri.

"Well, it seems like one of us is overdressed for the occasion." Max joked, pointing at her dress.

Nami smiled sweetly and nodded. "Well, I was a little nervous."

He shrugged. "No need to lie, I paid to be with Nami, not some personality that you conjured up."

Instantly her facial expressions changed and her sweet smile changed into a questioning look. "Well, you probably lost your damn mind to be paying for me."

"Well, you know what they say, if you want a queen to earn her." Said Max, and added. "If you want a whore, buy her."

Nami elbowed him to the side as she walked next to him. But she winced as she felt like she just hit an iron wall. "Ow! Damn monster."

Max smirked. "Just joking, I know that I won't be able to get you to bed with 10 million."

"Yeah, you would need at least 100 million." Nami jokes. "Wasting all your wealth on me, I wouldn't mind it."

He offered her his elbow and she intertwined his arm with her's.

"So tell me a little about yourself," said Max. "What do you like? Dislikes? Any preferences?"

"What's with that question? We are supposed to learn about each other while dating, asking this will make it seem like a cheap shot at a date." Nami explained.

Max raised a questioning brow at that. "Yeah, and we would need to go through multiple dates for this. By tomorrow you won't be here so this is the only way to fast-track a date into knowing each other."

"What a boring man you are," Nami complained while keeping a fake smile on her face. 

"True," Max agreed. "I am quite boring, I like being bored. That's the best state to be in."

"Ahhh~ you should be a little more ferocious." She was a little annoyed at how little he was willing to reveal about himself. Nami wanted to learn of Max's habits, what he liked and disliked, but she couldn't get a read on him. 

That smile on his face showed about as much as a rock, meaning it was nothing. Nami couldn't read if he was smiling because he was amused or if it was a fake smile.

For Max this was easy, he had two super spies in his crew. He had learned a thing or two from Blueno and Kaku. Also, he could sense Raynare's eyes on him from the castle, and the rest of the Strawhats were following them. Even if he didn't have Observation Haki, he would be able to tell as it sounded like something they would do.

"You smell like tangerines. Do you like fruits?" Asked Max finally, his eyes softening as he looked at Nami. The latter finally let her guard down and sighed, she didn't see a reason to be so on guard from him. After all, Max didn't seem like he wanted to hurt her or anything like it.

Nami nodded. "Yeah, and you have a very good sense of smell."

"I am Zoan Devil Fruit user, so that's a given," finally Max revealed about himself. 

"Zoan? So you can turn into animals?" Nami wondered, her knowledge about Devil Fruits was very little, though she did know the basics. "Is that strong? I have never met someone with that kind of power."

"Hmmm… I wouldn't call it the strongest," Max admitted. "But it doesn't mean that it can't beat the strongest power."

Nami was confused, but Max only smiled at her. A Devil Fruit's potential depended more on the user than anything else. And what mattered more was what he was striving for in his fighting style. Max had maximized the power of his fruit and with the combination of Rumble Balls, he had become someone who wasn't afraid to fight even Yonko Commanders. Though winning against them depended on the situation. Still, Max was confident in his power, to at least run away from most threats in this world. 

Though this was because Max himself was physically very strong, and his fruit is only an add-on to that raw physical power.  All Devil Fruits were only an add-on, they were tools to be used and nothing more in Max's eyes. 

"You are very confusing," said Nami and she decided to answer the questions that Max had asked her beforehand. "Also I like tangerines or other fruits, and hate orangette, because if I want fruits then eating the real thing would be better."

"Does it matter that I have no idea what orangette even is?" Asked Max, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw a strawhat being pulled away as it dropped on the ground. Luffy wasn't skilled at tailing people.

Nami started explaining that orangette was a candied orange peel dipped in chocolate. But as she kept explaining she noticed the unnoticed smile that had appeared on her lips. This made her stop, when did she start smiling? When did she feel so relaxed in front of a man as dangerous as Max?

It was strange, his curiosity and how he didn't seem to know some things made Max not seem like the unbeatable figure in her mind. He wasn't some tyrant, he was just another guy doing his own thing in the world and protecting those close to him. Nami could understand him.

'So… maybe he isn't so bad.' She thought and her smile appeared back on her face. "Do you know that in my village there is a tangerine farm? That place has the best tangerines in the world."

"Really? Should I trust you?" Max asked jokingly and patted her head. "Maybe I should try and grow some here."

Nami poured. "Nope~ you have to buy them from that place."

She then showed a little cleavage to try and temp Max, but unlike she expected he looked at her breasts and nodded. "They will grow bigger in the future."

This made Nami pinch his side. "Don't say things like that to a lady~"

"Lady? Where?" Max looked around.

Nami stepped on his shoe. "Where do you think asśhole?!"

"Xahahaha~" Max laughed. He liked seeing Nami annoyed, she looked cute that way. "You look cute!"

Though people had said this more times than she could count, this time Nami felt strange when he said it. A blush slowly crept to her face.

Max acted like he didn't notice anything while Nami composed herself. This date wasn't to make her fall for him, instead, it had a whole different deal. Max never was lead astray by lust or Nami's appearance, instead, he was planning for the next time they would meet and how he would get the Strawhats on his side.

____

A/N: Max here is playing on a different level, he doesn't show interest in Nami and just seemed to have picked her for his amusement. Even though people had told her she was beautiful to her many times when Max said it hit different because he made her subconsciously think of him as someone whose opinions would matter and be true.

P.S: I used to be a guy who gave compliments to girl a lot… I know how things go. Middle school was a miserable experience when I talked to girls. Makes me cringe to this day.