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The Pickup Ability...
This was a magical ability that rarely activated, but whenever it did, it invariably brought surprises to Nami!
However, it remained unclear whether this ability had a cooldown period in the real world, or if there simply hadn't been any treasures nearby worth triggering it...
Since entering the Grand Line, they had visited many islands.
Reverse Mountain, Whisky Peak, Little Garden, Drum Island...
Yet among all these locations, Nami hadn't felt her Pickup Ability activate even once.
Just when she had almost forgotten she possessed such an ability...
Her Pickup Ability finally activated again!
Strangely enough, it had triggered twice in rapid succession!
The sensation was peculiar.
It resembled finding a treasure map and following its designated route...
When suddenly, someone overlaid a larger, more detailed treasure map atop the first one.
And this new map indicated a more obvious treasure location with a substantially larger bounty!
Under Nami's insistent demands, the Sand Bandits ultimately had no choice but to comply.
They had little alternative.
After all, their very survival depended on Nami's goodwill!
Fortunately, this time, Nami didn't force them to travel for a full day and night as before.
Just as the sun reached its zenith and began its descent, Nami—who had been seated in the captain's chair—suddenly stood up and shouted to the pirates at the helm:
"STOP!!!"
The confused Sand Bandits froze in their tracks.
Rasa, however, remained quick-witted and immediately responded to Nami's command. With agile movements, she retracted the sails.
Moments later.
Under Nami's guidance, the curious Sand Bandits followed her to an enormous dried fruit tree.
"It's the Shelah Fruit Tree!"
Upon seeing Nami's target, Rasa promptly informed her.
Shelah Fruit was common throughout Alabasta's wilderness desert—non-toxic, edible, with average taste but containing small amounts of moisture.
It represented a staple fruit for these sand bandits in their daily survival.
However, Rasa and the others soon noticed something unusual about this particular Shelah Fruit tree...
"Huh!? What is that?!"
Rasa extended her arm, pointing toward a strange fruit adhered to one of the branches.
This fruit stood out dramatically.
Not only was it 3-4 times larger than ordinary Shelah Fruit, but its entire shape bore no resemblance to the typical fruit.
Instead, it more closely resembled a colorful cactus growing in the desert!
Upon closer inspection, however, one could discern a layer of faint, peculiar patterns across its skin.
Nami recognized these patterns immediately.
Her own treasure—the Slip-Slip Fruit—displayed identical patterns!
Nami suddenly whispered in astonishment: "Is this... a Devil Fruit?!"
After observing carefully for a moment, she declared with certainty:
"Yes! It's definitely a Devil Fruit!"
Now she understood.
This explained why her earlier sensation had been suddenly overshadowed!
A more valuable treasure had been right beside her all along!
Nami stepped forward eagerly. Under the envious yet cautious gazes of the Sand Bandits—who dared not cross any boundaries—she swiftly approached the Devil Fruit and plucked it from the branch.
"Now I'm a woman with two Devil Fruits in my possession!"
"I absolutely love this ability!"
Nami laughed, her eyes gleaming with golden delight.
...
...
Evening fell.
The crimson sunset transformed the desert into a red ocean. As the breeze swept across, it lifted layers of fine sand, giving the impression of scarlet waves rolling across this earthen sea.
Having secured her prize, Nami boarded the Barbar Sand Bandits' vessel and leisurely returned to the camp where the Going Merry was docked.
"Hey~ Nami, you're back?!"
Luffy, gnawing on an enormous meat leg beside the campfire, spotted the figure descending from above, his face immediately brightening with surprise.
The Straw Hats who heard his voice instantly turned their heads.
Sanji, who had been tending the grill, immediately transformed his legs into a flaming whirlwind as he rushed to Nami's side.
"Miss Nami, I'm overjoyed you've returned safely!"
"Please try..."
"This special love-infused barbecue I've prepared especially for you... It captures the essence of the desert!"
"Hey, hey, hey~ Sanji, didn't you just say the exact same thing to Robin?! Using identical lines on two women is so lame!"
Usopp, standing nearby, observed Sanji offering the barbecue that should have been his and immediately protested.
Hearing this, Zoro burst into laughter, slapping his thigh mockingly.
"Bastard!" Sanji, having been exposed, angrily set down the barbecue and engaged Zoro and Usopp in combat.
In the ensuing chaos, they accidentally involved Chopper, who had been eating peacefully nearby.
The enraged Chopper instantly transformed into his Heavy Point form and expanded the scale of the brawl.
"Seriously? We have outsiders here! Please stop embarrassing me!"
Nami shook her head helplessly, then noticed Red and Robin sitting by the campfire, her expression turning to surprise.
Their return signified that the Shichibukai who had threatened Alabasta had been captured by Red and his allies.
This meant she could now have productive discussions with King Cobra regarding their future cooperation plans!
Red had informed her that, according to his strategy, Alabasta Kingdom would become a critical base for the Straw Hat Pirates in Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line.
Since it would serve as their base, beyond military strength—the most vital resource in this world—economic prosperity naturally followed as essential.
The value of an economy lies in circulation!
Economic circulation generates greater currency!
In other words, in the near future, Alabasta Kingdom would bring endless wealth and resources to their crew!
Of course, this presumed they could actually construct the so-called utopia—Pokémon Park.
But Nami harbored no doubts about this.
With Red's abilities, their success was predetermined.
Her responsibility involved developing a reasonable and feasible profit model for this yet-to-be-built park.
"Hmm~"
Thinking of the park project, Nami's eyes scanned the area around the campfire.
Zoro and the others engaged in their group brawl; Red and Robin who had just returned; Luffy continuing to eat; and Ace, who—having gotten drunk—now seemed to regard Smoker as a close friend, attempting to persuade him to drink as well.
Nami wondered aloud:
"Strange, where's Vivi? Why isn't she here?!"
"Princess Vivi~"
Robin, who had finished her meal and was reading by the firelight, seemed to suddenly recall something amusing. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing an intellectual smile.
"Princess Vivi is currently busy rehearsing aboard the Going Merry!"
"Perhaps she doesn't have time to dine with us~"
"Rehearsing?" Nami raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Well, I suppose it must be related to your Pokémon Park plan, right?"
Knowing Vivi was nearby, she didn't press the matter further.
Instead, she removed the backpack from her shoulders and displayed it to Red, a sly smile playing across her lips:
"Red, do you know what kind of fruit this is?"
"Fruit?!" Red, about to eat his barbecue, froze momentarily. A flash of surprise crossed his eyes as he observed the strange cactus-like object in Nami's bag, which appeared covered with a layer of sand.
The next moment, the surprise on his face intensified.
He recognized the fruit in Nami's possession as the very Devil Fruit he had seen in videos.
And even more coincidentally...
This was actually the Sand-Sand Fruit—the Devil Fruit once consumed by Crocodile, the ability user he had just defeated!!!
"Oh my goodness~!"
The stunned Red quickly set down his skewer, staring at Nami who seemed to have anticipated his reaction. He offered generous praise:
"Nami, your Pickup Ability truly suits a treasure hunter like you..."
"This time, your ability has discovered a genuine treasure!!!"