"Hahahaha..."
Inside the small hut at Pagaya Shipyard, cheerful laughter and the sounds of people eating with gusto rang out.
"Wow... This is so good..."
Luffy and the others were helping themselves without the slightest hesitation to the food Conis had prepared.
"This is amazing, Miss Conis. Sky island cuisine is truly wonderful!"
Sanji ate with gentlemanly grace while still remembering to praise the beautiful girl before him.
Nami was also enjoying a delicious cake as she thanked her.
"Thank you so much. I never thought that not only would you not blame us, Conis, but you'd even treat us to a meal!"
Conis said warmly, "Don't mention it. I'm happy to help you. Besides, you were deceived by those people too."
Conis's words made Nami curious.
"What exactly happened? Why did those people say Mr. Ace set up a challenge here, and that anyone who beats him can get one million Belly? Was that a lie?"
Conis covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Not exactly. Ace really did say that, but it was several years ago. Boys, you know? When they're young, they always have those hot-blooded, rebellious phases."
Conis's words did not fully explain anything, but Nami understood completely and sighed.
Nami was about to ask more, but just then, Ace, who had finished washing up, walked in from outside. He picked up a slice of pizza, stuffed it into his mouth, and sat down on the sofa nearby. Watching these strangers eat, he looked deeply displeased.
They were guests, yet when it came to eating, they really did not treat themselves like outsiders at all.
Only then did Nami apologize a little hesitantly.
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Ace. Because of our idiot captain, we don't have a single Belly on us, so we were fooled by those bastards."
Ace did not believe her and said warily, "You don't have a single Belly, but you could still afford tickets to Angel Island? Do you think I'm stupid?"
Nami quickly explained, "Um, it's a misunderstanding. Miss Robin lent us the money for the tickets, but after we got to the island, she left. I don't know if we'll have a chance to pay her back."
"Robin?"
That name made both Conis and Ace pause. Conis asked curiously, "Miss Nami, is the Robin you mentioned Nico Robin?"
"Huh? You know her too?"
This time, Conis completely lowered her guard.
"Yes. Robin-chan is very famous on Angel Island. She's a very well-known archaeologist, and she's currently the only person from the Blue Sea qualified to freely enter the Island of the Gods. Oh, right, Blue Sea is what we on Angel Island call everyone from the sea below."
"I see. That's amazing!"
"Yes. Miss Robin is incredibly smart. She can read writing that even we can't understand!"
Watching the two girls start chatting, Ace, beside them, also relaxed.
Then his gaze fixed on the boy in the straw hat, who was eating with reckless abandon.
For some reason, even though this was their first time meeting, Ace had a strange feeling, as if he had known him for a very long time.
Just then, Conis seemed to hear something and asked in surprise, "So that's how it is. Then, Miss Nami, are you a pirate now? Are you Mr. Luffy's companion?"
The moment she said that, the atmosphere in the room turned slightly strange. Even Luffy stopped eating and looked at Nami.
Nami hesitated for a moment, but under Bell-mère's encouraging gaze, she still said proudly, "Yeah... This idiot is my captain!"
"Nami!"
Luffy was so happy he practically flew up. He threw himself onto Nami and hugged her.
Nami immediately panicked.
"Hey, idiot, don't get oil on my clothes! This is the only outfit I have right now..."
Watching this from the side, Sanji's expression shifted slightly.
In truth, by this point, after their last adventure and after spending so many days together, Sanji had also realized that he seemed to get along rather well with these people. But...
Just then, Luffy excitedly shouted at him.
"Then we've got a swordsman, a sniper, a navigator, and a cook!"
"Hey, I never agreed to that!"
Sanji said it instinctively.
But Luffy did not listen at all. He ran over, hugged Sanji, and shouted, "I don't care! Once you're on the Going Merry, you're my companion!"
At that moment, though it was clearly a completely unreasonable thing to do, Sanji somehow felt a strange sense of ease.
But getting a grown man like him to agree so easily was not that simple, so the two of them fell into a lively tug-of-war.
Watching from the side, Ace felt a strange envy for some reason.
After that change, the relationship between everyone became much more harmonious. Nami no longer hid anything and spoke about why she had become a pirate, as well as some of Bell-mère's situation.
After hearing it, Conis seemed to think of something and said, "So Miss Bell-mère and Nojiko have nowhere to go right now? In that case, if you don't mind, you can stay on Angel Island. Our shipyard is short-handed right now too."
"Huh?!"
This was something Nami had never thought of. Bell-mère and Nojiko were also startled.
But it had to be said, this really was a good idea.
Putting aside Angel Island's beautiful scenery, its location ten thousand meters above the sea was enough to keep it far away from war.
"Is that really all right? Won't it be too much trouble?"
"Not at all. Don't worry. Since Miss Bell-mère was once a Marine, her ability definitely won't be a problem. The same goes for Nojiko. Once my father comes back, I'll just talk to him about it. Our shipyard may be small, but taking in one or two people won't be a problem."
"Then, Bell-mère, you..."
Bell-mère did not refuse.
She might not care about herself, but she could not ignore her two daughters.
Now that Nami had somewhere to go, Nojiko was the only one left.
Settling down again in a place like this, a paradise away from the world, would not be bad either.
"If that's possible, then thank you so much!"
"It's no trouble at all. It's just a small thing!"
Nami was so happy she hugged Conis tightly, almost jumping with joy. After all, what worried her most right now was where Bell-mère and Nojiko would go.
And so, the atmosphere between both sides became completely harmonious.
Just then, footsteps came from outside.
A kind-looking middle-aged man walked in and looked at everyone.
"Oh, Conis, Ace, do we have guests at home?"