NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Nami
"Thanks for the save, I owe you one…"
The sudden voice startled Nami, who was tinkering on the boat, preparing to leave the island now that the storm had passed.
"Eeeh! You scared me! You're awake!"
Nami looked at the young man in front of her, almost losing herself in his noble purple eyes.
Instantly snapping out of her stupor, she hurriedly turned her face away, trying to suppress the blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"Hmm, I didn't save you for nothing! You should give me your money! I want a million beli, not a beli less!"
Her voice trembled as she shouted, her embarrassment evident. She could only act this way because this man was far too dangerous for her—a maiden with zero experience.
Xun was amused.
Just as he was about to reply, the seawater erupted with a splash, and a massive yellow, snake-like creature—about 25 meters long—rose from the ocean.
Its towering figure loomed over the small boat, its red eyes glaring at them menacingly.
Nami's legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the boat, her eyes wide with fear.
Xun, on the other hand, appeared thoughtful.
He knew that, thanks to his luck, such an event wouldn't happen to him unless there was a significant benefit in it. With that thought, he looked at the sea king with warm eyes, brimming with joy and anticipation.
He hurriedly inspected the boat and soon found Nami's baton. With a slight movement, the staff, which was meters away from him, flew into his hand. At the same time, he appeared twenty meters in the sky, his eyes showing surprise.
You see, because of his [Perfect Protagonist] Trait, he had already been strong in his previous world. Carrying a couple of tons felt like nothing, and running 100 meters in one second was child's play. But compared to his current self, there was no comparison.
His speed now easily surpassed the sound barrier many times over, and his strength was estimated to be in the range of thousands of tons—if not more.
In Nami's shocked eyes, the man she had thought to be a poor, weak refugee suddenly revealed himself to be a superpowered being.
With the staff in his hands, he effortlessly smashed the sea king's head in a single strike. While still airborne, he maneuvered skillfully, using the staff like a sword to slice the massive sea king as if he were a seasoned chef.
The sight of the gigantic sea king being reduced to chunks of meat and a bloody mist left Nami's worldview utterly shattered.
"So strong! He can't be human! Did I… did I save a monster?!"
Nami muttered, tears welling up in her eyes as she stared at the man she once pitied. He slowly landed in front of her, offering her a cordial smile that soothed her unease—if only a little.
For Nami, someone like Arlong, with ten times a human's wrist strength, was already an invincible powerhouse capable of ruling the world. But such overwhelming strength as Xun's… it was beyond anything she had ever witnessed. Even the terrifying scene from her past, where dozens of fishmen attacked and capsized a warship, paled in comparison.
For a moment, she didn't know how to interact with him.
Breaking the silence, Xun suddenly spoke.
"You said you wanted beli? Well, after slicing that sea king, I think I saw a lot of treasure chests in its stomach. You might want to check it out."
The confused Nami suddenly revived, her eyes lighting up with the unmistakable sparkle of beli.
Like a flash, she threw herself into the sea and swam toward the floating chunks of meat. All her earlier thoughts were swept away at the mention of treasure.
'As expected of Nami…'
Xun, of course, recognized her. But still, he was surprised. This version of Nami—if not for her short hair—looked much more mature than expected. Her body shape was far from the crude depiction in the anime.
This realization filled him with curiosity and anticipation, particularly about meeting Robin and the empress in the future.
As he drifted into deep thought, Nami had already climbed atop one of the floating sea king's stomach parts and began opening the chests.
"Gold! Beli! So much beli!!"
Her ecstatic shouts snapped Xun out of his musings. He effortlessly jumped beside her, causing Nami to instinctively shield her newfound "wealth."
"Relax," he said calmly. "I'm not interested in your treasure. But could you pass me that strange fruit?"
Nami relaxed at his words. Looking at him again, she found him even more alluring than before. With an almost generous air, she handed him the glossy, peach-like pink fruit.
"Here you go. As long as it's not gold, jewelry, or beli, you can take anything!"
Her shamelessness made him chuckle, but he paid her antics no mind.
Catching the fruit, Xun recognized it immediately—it was the Sube-Sube no Mi devil fruit.
He glanced at Nami, who was still counting gold and beli with shining eyes, and asked innocently, "How much is all of this worth?"
Nami's caution returned as she shot him a wary glance. Still, she reluctantly answered, "If I'm not wrong… it's around 70 to 80 million…"
But her evasive expression betrayed her words. Xun could tell she was lying, though he didn't care. In fact, he felt like teasing her a little.
"Really? Well, it seems I got the better deal, then. This fruit is a devil fruit, you know. The minimum price for one is 100 million beli, and it can easily go for hundreds of millions. Especially this one—if I'm right, it could sell for 700 or even 800 million. Plenty of buyers would jump at the chance…"
Nami's head snapped toward him so fast it was as if her neck had nearly broken.
"What?!"
Her shocked reaction made Xun grin happily.
"Thank you for your generosity," he said with a teasing smile.
"Noooo!" Nami wailed in despair.