"Mr. Obito, have another drink~"
The tavern was bustling with noise and excitement. Bahr was surrounded by a dozen gorgeous women, grinning from ear to ear with his arms around two of them.
After boarding the Straw Hat's ship, they had unsurprisingly arrived at Whisky Peak. He knew exactly what kind of place this was—nothing more than an island of bounty hunters, lying in wait for passing pirates, lulling them into complacency with sweet traps before... snap.
But knowing was one thing. Turning down such freely offered benefits would just be stupid!
"Aww, how can you drink with that mask on~" The bespectacled girl reached to remove his mask, but her hand was caught mid-air, making her tense up.
Bahr tilted his head lazily. "That's a secret. If you really want to know..." He leaned in close to her ear, lowering his voice. "We can talk about it in detail tonight."
"Mr. Obito, you're so naughty~" The girl's cheeks flushed red, but the hand clutching her glass trembled slightly.
In the corner, Nami bit down hard on her straw, glaring daggers at Bahr. Ever since running into him at Twin Capes, she had been certain that this "Obito" was just Bahr in disguise.
The way he shamelessly flirted with those women made her temples throb. Watching as Bahr nearly buried his face in the bespectacled girl's chest, Nami abruptly stood up, her high heels clacking sharply as she stormed over and yanked him by the collar. "Come with me!"
Dragged out of his paradise, Bahr wore an expression of utter exasperation, turning back to wave apologetically at the women. "Just a small matter, I'll be back soon..."
"Miss Nami?" Sanji, who was also surrounded by a group of beauties, spotted Nami pulling that so-called Obito away. Before he could react, he was swallowed up by the enthusiastic women!
Once they reached a secluded corner of the street, Bahr smoothed out his wrinkled collar and sighed. "Miss Nami, please behave. I'm a respectable man."
"Cut the crap!" Nami rolled her eyes. "You think just because you're wearing a mask, I wouldn't recognize you? Stop pretending in front of me. A respectable man? The moment you act respectable, you stop being human."
Bahr's lips twitched, momentarily at a loss for words.
Of course. No matter where he went, he was just too dazzling—sharp-eyed Nami had seen right through him. Especially since the two of them knew each other inside out, familiar to the point of no disguise working.
Nami stepped forward and lifted Bahr's spiral mask, one hand on her hip, the other waving the mask in front of his face. "I won't bother with the fake name. Just tell me honestly—how did you manage to piss off a World Noble?"
She knew about Bahr's clash with the World Nobles, but the details of the bounty were still unclear to her.
"Can't blame me for that one. Trouble came knocking on its own!" Bahr shrugged, thinking of that wretched woman Shalria, who had forced him into hiding. His tone grew impatient. "I'm still fuming about it."
Nami's expression softened slightly. Though she hadn't known Bahr for long, she understood that deep down, he wasn't the type to go looking for trouble.
"Then... why did you come to the Grand Line?" She sighed, her voice tinged with concern.
"Running for my life, what else?" Bahr looked thoroughly disgruntled. He had been hiding all over the place, not even daring to "fish for clams." His days had been nothing short of miserable!
At this thought, Bahr's gaze trailed down from Nami's neat orange bob. Her sleeveless black mesh top with the word "MODE" printed on it accentuated her stunning figure, while the miniskirt hugged the curves of her waist and hips. The skin exposed to the moonlight gleamed with a healthy glow.
Having just been provoked by that group of beauties, his restlessness had been simmering, and the frustration from fleeing all the way here only added fuel to the fire...
Nami opened her mouth to offer some comfort but found herself at a loss for words. Suddenly noticing Bahr staring at her, her cheeks flushed red.
"What are you looking at?" she snapped, lifting her foot to kick at him.
Bahr sidestepped the kick and suddenly closed the distance between them, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Nami-chan, did you miss me? I've been counting the days until I could see you again."
"Cut the crap!" Nami's face burned crimson to the tips of her ears. The familiar sensation at her waist made her heart skip a beat. She pushed against his shoulder and scoffed, tilting her chin up. "From the looks of it, you've been living the high life, surrounded by women, huh?"
"They're all just passing clouds." Bahr pinched Nami's chin, lowering his head to stare into her glistening eyes. "To me, not a single beauty in this world could compare to even one finger of my Nami-chan."
As you know, a mature man must have a silver tongue.
Nami's entire body tingled, especially at that sticky-sweet "Nami-chan," which instantly brought back certain heated memories. She turned her head away to avoid his gaze, her voice softening involuntarily. "Stop messing around... The people on this island are suspiciously friendly. Something's definitely off."
"Of course I know." Bahr glanced at the corner out of the corner of his eye. "But it's nothing major. Let's ignore it and find somewhere quiet where we won't be disturbed to catch up."
With a flick of his fingers, the two vanished in an instant.
At that moment, a figure peeked out from the corner, only to widen their eyes in shock when they found no one there, frantically searching the area.
Nami felt a flash of light before her eyes, and when she opened them again, they were in a secluded "Forest Sanctuary."
She was about to demand an explanation when her hands were pressed against the rough bark of a tree. As her cheeks burned, a mix of embarrassment and panic surged through her. She wanted to struggle and push him away, but then she remembered how long it had been since they last saw each other...
Well, they'd already been intimate before. One or two more times wouldn't make a difference. Consider it a thank-you for Bahr's help...
"One million Berries. Not a single Berry less." Nami bit her lip and turned her head away, the moonlight making the flush on her ears glow.
Bahr: "..."
His pants were practically around his knees, and now she was talking about money?
"Our deal ended a long time ago." Nami glared at his dumbfounded expression, a cold smirk curling her lips. "Either pay up or get lost."
This shrewd, heartless attitude—this was the Little Cat Burglar he knew, the one who made him love and hate her at the same time...
"I'll owe you."
He actually had the money, but Berries were for women to see, not for them to spend. This "eternal truth" had been proven back in Cocoyasi Village when Bahr had been drained dry, and Nami's subsequent "slacking off" had made it all too clear!
Nami snorted. She knew this bastard was trying to get a free meal. But... women always held a special place in their hearts for the first person they truly connected with, not to mention Bahr was the savior of her and her village.
Just as Nami was half resisting, she suddenly remembered something and warned, "Hurry up... The people on this island might make their move at any moment."
Thinking of those foolish companions gave her a headache.
"Don't you trust me to handle things?"
Nami's face burned crimson as she silently cursed this bastard. She had reminded him precisely because she knew what a beast he was—otherwise, it would've been too late.
"By the way, what's the deal with Arlong's crew? And how did you end up with that Straw Hat kid?" Bahr moved closer, curiosity evident in his voice.
"It's a long story..." Nami lifted her chin, biting her lip. "My dream is to draw a Nautical Chart of the world. By fate's design, I ended up with them."
Bahr understood then. After Arlong's crew was gone, that corrupt Marine Captain Nezumi came to the village to extort treasures. He must've clashed with the Straw Hat kid, and the petty Captain Nezumi conveniently pinned the whole "Arlong crew" incident on him.
So, the Straw Hat kid had taken the fall for Bahr.
Having grasped the situation, Bahr said no more. Right now, he had more pressing matters to attend to.
A cool breeze swept by, rustling the trees as two figures entwined beneath them. The chirping of insects grew increasingly urgent, weaving a delicate web in the quiet night.