I want to run, but I can't escape.
Is anyone going to save me?
"Hey, what's going on? What's with all the noise?" From the other side, Zoro, having heard the commotion, walked over, rubbing his head.
"Zoro!"
Luffy called out his name. Thank heavens.
And then, Zoro received two pairs of death stares from women wearing metaphorical demon masks.
Zoro: "..."
Seriously, what did I do to deserve this?
Freed from that bone-chilling atmosphere, Luffy looked at Zoro with immense gratitude. That vibrant, burgeoning feeling of life and possibility was right before his eyes again.
If this had gone on, who knew if Uta and Nami would have started a pirate duel.
It was their first time meeting. Why did they act like enemies? The only explanation Luffy could think of was that Uta's hatred of pirates was irreversible.
But that idea was soon shattered.
Uta's self-introduction instantly brought her closer to Zoro and the others.
"Childhood friend?" Zoro glanced at Nami.
Sanji and Usopp also came over, drawn by the sounds.
Sanji, arriving at high speed as usual, was instinctively punched away by Luffy.
"Luffy, you actually have a friend like this?! Why didn't you introduce Uta-san to me right away!" Sanji, his face bearing marks from just being punched, looked indignant.
First, there was Nami-san, and now a childhood friend too?
How utterly enviable.
"Wait, I think I've heard that name somewhere before?" Usopp pressed a finger to his forehead, deep in thought.
Their companions' thoughts were all over the place, and Luffy had no time to explain them one by one.
Time, place, people—all the necessary elements were now present.
[Warning, (Second Phase) time has arrived... Countdown: three minutes.]
If he didn't act now, he'd fail the objective. In a situation like this, in front of his nakama, even Luffy felt a pressure he couldn't ignore.
"Let's have a feast!"
He'd finally reached the second phase. Maybe tonight he could see this so-called Klabautermann and Nika.
Luffy's eyes were blazing, and for the moment, he pushed all distracting thoughts to the back of his mind.
"Oh, a feast!" Usopp was the first to respond.
"To welcome the beautiful Uta-san, of course, I must give it my all! Nami-san, please wait a moment as well, the most wonderful delicacies will be ready soon!"
Sanji also immediately perked up, instantly switching to work mode. He rushed towards the kitchen like a whirlwind to start preparing barbecue ingredients and seasonings.
Zoro let out a yawn, hugged his swords, and went to sit by the ship's railing. For him, having alcohol was enough.
For pirates, having feasts was the norm, involving singing, eating, and drinking.
Luffy had always been a huge advocate of this activity, where you could drink heartily and, most importantly, eat meat in large quantities. They could set up the scene in five minutes flat.
Right now, his mind was completely occupied with the feast and singing, temporarily forgetting about certain things.
With Luffy no longer acting as a buffer, Uta and Nami's gazes inevitably collided once more.
This time, however, the stares did not lock in fierce confrontation for long.
Uta's face broke into a smile, and she was the first to shift that aggressive gaze.
That smile bloomed under the moonlight, carrying a near-unearthly charm and composure, as if it could light up the entire night.
"Nami-san, thank you for looking after Luffy during his journey these past days."
Why did her words sound like she was speaking as family?
Nami bit her lower lip, forcing a decent-looking smile onto her face.
"Oh, not at all. Taking care of the captain is the navigator's duty. I'll continue to take good care of Luffy in the future."
Uta's eyes narrowed slightly. What was this woman saying? Was taking care of the captain, the navigator's duty? What nonsense!
And she even dared to declare she'd take good care of him in the future.
Did she not see me standing here?
How long have you even known Luffy?
"That's true. Taking care of an idiot does indeed require patience and a long-term commitment. Come to think of it, Luffy and I have known each other for many years. I never imagined we'd reunite here in the East Blue," Uta said.
Bonds were like wine; the longer they aged, the richer and more delicious they became. Did she understand the weight of being a childhood friend?
Nami felt a flame leap in her heart, especially at the phrase 'known each other for many years,' which felt like a mockery of her status as the newcomer.
Uta was absolutely saying these things on purpose!
Her hands unconsciously clenched into small fists.
The familiarity Uta displayed with Luffy made her intensely displeased.
"Encounters are always full of surprises, Uta-san. What's important is the present and the future, isn't it?"
Nami countered pointedly, "I see that Uta-san must have your own adventure to continue. You really should seize the time to catch up properly with Luffy."
Otherwise, you won't have much time left!
Are you coming aboard? I dare you to try!
Uta, having been hit where it hurt, gritted her teeth as she stared at Nami.
The balance of offense and defense had shifted.
The exchange was swift as lightning, a battle of words where neither side could claim clear victory.
...
The feast began quickly.
When Nami heard that Luffy was going to sing with Uta later, her mind immediately went into turmoil.
Singing?!
This was completely outside her area of expertise!
She was good at navigation, theft, hitting people, and accounting...
But singing?
She thought her casual humming was okay.
But hearing Uta's humming, she instantly realized they were not on the same level at all.
Usopp then remembered who Uta was—a massively popular superstar whose songs were loved by people all over the world.
Uta smilingly admitted it.
Watching Luffy and Uta's heads bowed together in intense discussion, as if entering a world only the two of them could understand, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness gripped Nami.
Nami secretly tightened her free hand, her teeth unconsciously biting down on the straw in her drink.
Her eyes were locked on Luffy, her cheeks puffed out slightly from suppressed frustration and dissatisfaction.
Why did she naturally feel such hostility towards Uta? Wars between women don't start for no reason.
Was her relationship with Luffy really just captain and navigator? So many things had happened. Nami had lost count of how many times Luffy had seen her naked, and the mark he left on her lower lip was still there...
That heartless rubber idiot and that glittering diva... were they really just simple childhood friends?
Even if they were childhood friends, Nami refused to believe Luffy and Uta played games like 'bite the lips' when they were kids.
Nami's mind was in chaos.
Why hadn't she felt this way before?
Probably because there was no sense of crisis. The only female Luffy had regular contact with was her. Sitting securely in her position, she wasn't worried about anyone.
Now it was different.
Suddenly, a childhood friend descended from the sky, with a relationship so intimate with Luffy.
Actually, from the moment this afternoon when Luffy flew without hesitation towards that ship flying the World Government flag, saying his friend was there, a sense of unease had begun to stir in Nami's heart.
It felt like something extremely precious was about to be snatched away by a suddenly appearing, formidable rival.
It just goes to show that a woman's sixth sense truly exists.
***
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