Chapter 9

Eden stared at his hands, seemingly oblivious to Nami's words, muttering to himself, "I really..."

His shoulders trembled slightly, causing Nami to look at him with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Just as she was about to pat his shoulder and ask what was going on, Eden's arms shot up, and he yelled, "I'm not a weakling anymore!"

His shout wasn't earth-shattering, but it was enough to leave Nami wide-eyed and stunned, her expression frozen in shock.

Eden was indeed overjoyed. For the first time, he had defeated real pirates, and not just one or two, but seven of them. This triumph filled him with unprecedented joy.

In reality, the grinning fish Eden had caught before posed a greater danger than the seven pirates he had just fought. However, the satisfaction and recognition from defeating other humans far surpassed that of conquering an animal.

If I can defeat these pirates, then with continued training, I can definitely become stronger!

While Eden was lost in his thoughts, Nami's eyes gleamed with a cunning idea. This guy seems naive. Maybe I can use his strength to achieve my goals.

With that thought, Nami cleared her throat and broached the topic of cooperation again.

"Cooperation?" Eden finally snapped out of his reverie and noticed Nami. After hearing her proposal, he questioned her motives, sensing a hint of cunning behind her bright smile.

Eden knew that besides being a skilled navigator, Nami was adept at deception, gambling, and theft. She was also a great actress. He couldn't afford to be careless around her until they built some trust.

The idea of discussing cooperation with Nami felt strange to Eden. He had hoped their first conversation would be more pleasant, but it seemed they were already trying to outmaneuver each other.

"Yes, we can steal from those dumb pirates together and keep the treasures for ourselves. If we succeed, I'll give you a share of the profits that will definitely satisfy you. Don't worry, working with me will make you rich," Nami said, trying to persuade Eden, her tone almost pleading.

Eden's suspicions grew. Knowing Nami's obsession with money, he found it hard to believe she would willingly share profits, especially with a stranger.

"No way. I don't want to work with you," Eden replied bluntly. He figured it was better to meet up with Luffy first and then consider any partnerships with Nami once she officially joined their crew.

"Hey, don't go!" Nami hurried after him. "By the way, why were you in that treasure chest? You seemed really angry when you came out. Did someone upset you?"

"I'm in a good mood now. I wasn't angry at anyone. Ending up in that chest was just an accident," Eden explained, deciding not to mention Luffy. The last thing he wanted was to become the butt of a joke.

He noticed that while Nami was gathering treasures, she had an untreated wound on her left arm. The cut wasn't deep but it was still bleeding.

"You should treat your wound," Eden suggested, frowning.

"This wound is nothing. By the time I finish packing these treasures, it will start healing. My skin is great; it won't leave a scar," Nami responded absentmindedly, engrossed in assessing the value of some gold pieces.

Yeah right, Eden thought. If I believe that, I'd be an idiot.

He sighed, tore a piece of cloth from his sleeve, and started bandaging Nami's wound. Despite her focus on the treasure, Nami didn't resist his help, indicating she was aware of what he was doing.

"This time's haul is pretty good. Let's leave quickly," Nami said, satisfied with her loot. She tied up the sack of treasures and slung it over her shoulder.

"There was definitely treasure in that chest before. Lots of gold, but it was thrown into the sea," Eden admitted.

"What?! You threw gold into the sea? Tell me where! Maybe we can still retrieve it," Nami exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "What do you do, anyway?"

"I'm technically a fisherman," Eden replied.

"Great! Then you must be good at retrieving things from the sea. Let's go get that gold!" Nami's eyes practically turned into dollar signs, and her voice became even more charming.

Eden rolled his eyes. "I'm good at fishing, not salvaging. There's a difference."

As they reached the deck, Eden spotted something flying towards them. "What is that?"

"Wait, we still need to go somewhere," Nami said, her attention diverted by the flying object.

Eden recognized the approaching figure. "Isn't that Alvida? Did Luffy punch her all the way here?"

Reacting quickly, Eden braced himself, channeled all his strength into his right fist, and struck. "Get lost!"

With a solid punch, Eden altered Alvida's trajectory, sending her crashing into the ship's bow and then into the sea.

Eden shook his numb arm. "Lucky I reacted in time. That could've been bad."

Seeing that Luffy and Koby had already sailed away, Eden called out, "Luffy! I'm still here! Where are you going?"

"Ha ha! Eden, I knew you'd survive the whirlpool! I'll come get you!" Luffy laughed from a distance, extending his arm toward Eden.

"Who is that with the long arm? Is he your friend?" Nami asked, bewildered by Luffy's stretching ability.

Eden was about to answer when a cannonball flew towards Luffy's arm. Luffy dodged, inadvertently slapping Eden in the process.

With a loud smack, Eden stumbled forward, landing on Nami. In the chaos, he accidentally grabbed onto something soft.

"What do you think you're doing, you idiot?!" Nami's furious yell echoed over the gunfire, leaving Eden red-faced and apologetic.