Chapter 30

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East Blue – Baratie 

"It might sound like I'm trying to flatter you, but this is the best food I've ever had in my life, no competition", the man says, devouring the carbonara Sanji had prepared for him. 

"As they say, hunger is the best seasoning", Sanji responds with a smile, taking a drag from the cigarette he had just lit. 

"Shishishi, you know, you're a cool guy, Sanji. You want to find the All Blue, right? Well, I'm going to find the One Piece and become the King of the Pirates, so how about you join my crew and come cook for me and my crew?", Luffy asks with a wide smile, sitting at the same table as Sanji and the man. 

Sanji briefly looks at him with a smile, wondering if Luffy is serious. Realizing that Luffy is indeed serious, he says, "Tempting offer, man, but I can't. I still have things to do here, so I'll have to pass." 

"Nah, I refuse", Luffy says, stretching in his chair. 

"What do you mean you refuse? Refuse what?", Sanji asks, confused. 

"I refuse your refusal. I've already decided you're part of my crew", Luffy says with a wide grin on his face. 

"Dude, that's not how things work", Sanji says, starting to think Luffy might be a bit crazy. 

"You said you're after the One Piece?", the man asks, pausing momentarily from eating. 

"Yeah... What's your name again?", Luffy asks, not sure if the man had introduced himself. 

"My name's Gin. If you want my advice, don't enter the Grand Line and forget that dream of finding the One Piece. I'm part of Don Krieg's great pirate armada, and we couldn't even last a day there. We lost forty-nine ships and over five thousand men. Only a few, including me, made it back to East Blue through the Calm Belt. I went a week without food when those Marines captured me and brought me here. After I escaped, I waited for them to leave before trying to get food. When I came in here, I could barely stand", Gin recounts his story, trying to dissuade Luffy from heading to the Grand Line. 

Luffy looks at Gin for a moment before replying, "Well, that's my dream. Why would I be afraid of dying while chasing it?" 

"...Sigh... Well, I've given my warning. I can't force you to do anything. Anyway, I'd better go. I don't want to cause you any more trouble. Thanks for saving my life by feeding me, Sanji, and take care on your journey, Straw Hat", Gin says, standing up after finishing his meal. 

After arranging a small boat for Gin to leave, Luffy and Sanji say their goodbyes, watching as the boat slowly drifts away from the restaurant. 

"Goodbye, Gin. Take care", Sanji shouts from afar. 

After Gin disappears into the horizon, Luffy and Sanji hear a voice from behind them. "What are you two doing?" 

"Sanji definitely didn't feed a starving pirate for free", Luffy says, trying to cover up and failing miserably. 

"Dude, where did you learn to keep a secret?", Sanji asks, impressed by how quickly Luffy spilled everything as soon as Zeff appeared. 

"You fed a starving man?", Zeff asks Sanji. 

"Yeah, got a problem with that, old man?" 

"No. Now go rest. We'll have a full house tomorrow", Zeff says before walking away. 

=Scene Break= 

Nami gets up quietly in the middle of the night in her room, silently packing her things to avoid waking Kaya, who was sharing the room with her. She was one million Berries away from finally reaching the hundred million, but she preferred to leave the crew now because she didn't want them to get hurt. 

Before heading to the deck, she searches the ship to see if Luffy has any money stashed away. 

In the end, she finds a large chest full of money, seven hundred million Berries that Luffy had stolen from the nobles of the Goa Kingdom. 

"...Sigh... So much effort to collect a hundred million, and he just has way more than I can imagine", Nami whispers, looking at the pile of money before her. 

Against all her instincts, she only takes enough to complete her hundred million and closes the chest. 

As she steps onto the deck, she finds Luffy sitting on the Merry's figurehead, talking to himself. 

"What are you doing, Luffy?", she asks, knowing he would have noticed her even if she had tried to leave quietly. 

"Oh, hey Tangerine. I'm telling Merry all the adventures we've had so he doesn't feel left out since he can't join us on land", Luffy says, petting the figurehead where he was sitting. 

"It's already late. You should get some sleep", Nami says, not wanting to make things harder for herself as she prepares to leave. 

Noticing that Nami seemed troubled by something, Luffy gets up and walks over to her, asking, "You look sad. Did something happen?" 

"I... I'm fine. Nothing's happened, Luffy", Nami says, trying to hide her feelings. 

"Is it Arlong?", Luffy asks calmly. 

"How—" 

"What did he do to you?", Luffy asks, gently placing his hands on her shoulders. 

"You knew?", Nami asks, trembling, her head lowered. 

"For someone trying to keep a secret, you don't hide the tattoo on your shoulder very well", Luffy says with a reassuring smile. 

"Luffy... please don't make this harder than it already is. I've grown attached to you guys, okay? And I don't want to involve you in my problems. I... I don't want you to get hurt because of me", Nami says, practically breaking down, starting to cry. 

"Silly girl, you're my navigator, Nami. Whether you like it or not, I wouldn't hesitate for a second to dive headfirst into hell for you", Luffy says, hugging her and using her name instead of her nickname for the first time. 

Nami then breaks down completely, crying into his chest. Luffy sits on the ground, leaning against Merry's main mast with Nami lying in his lap, continuing to cry into his chest while he tries to soothe her by stroking her back with one hand and gently ruffling her hair with the other. 

After calming down a bit, Nami begins to tell him about her life up to this point, describing how her life in Cocoyasi Village had been before Arlong and his crew showed up. 

How Arlong took over the island and started demanding tribute in money from the island's residents, one hundred thousand per adult and fifty thousand per child. 

How her mother sacrificed herself so she and her sister could live since she only had one hundred thousand Berries. 

How he kidnapped her and forced her to become the crew's cartographer after seeing her talent for drawing maps. 

How he chained her to a desk, forcing her to draw maps even with bleeding fingers and trembling hands, barely feeding her. 

How he unchained her when she turned twelve, saying it was a birthday present. 

How he said if she brought him one hundred million Berries, he would free her village. 

Through it all, Luffy listened in silence, holding her tightly against his chest while staring at the horizon, his jaw clenched. 

Nami then continued, recounting her life up until the moment she met him. 

"It has to come from you, Nami. You just have to say the word", Luffy says calmly. 

After a moment of silence, Nami whispers, burying her face in Luffy's chest, tears streaming from her eyes, "Luffy, help me." 

She then feels something being placed on her head. Looking up, she sees Luffy gently placing his straw hat on her head. 

"Take care of it for me for now. After Sanji joins the crew, we'll go fishing for some big fish", Luffy says, his face set in a serious expression that Nami had never seen before. 

Exhausted from crying, Nami falls asleep in Luffy's arms. 

Luffy then hears footsteps beside him. Turning his head, he sees Zoro standing beside him, jaw clenched in anger, his hand resting on one of his swords. "We going fishing, Captain?" 

"Yeah, after Sanji joins the crew, we set off", Luffy says, cradling Nami in his arms. 

"Then the chimney better join the crew soon. In the meantime, I'll sharpen my swords", Zoro says before walking away. 

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(AN: 1,386 Words)

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