Chapter 106: 106: 12-Year-Old Nami and a Special Sign-in Reward
At the gate of a yard filled with rows of orange trees, a petite girl with short orange hair, standing barely over four feet tall, stared in shock. This was none other than Nami. Her gaze shifted between Nojiko and the group of one man, two women, and a kung fu dugong standing behind her.
"Nojiko, who are these people?" Nami asked, her voice tinged with curiosity and caution.
"They're guests who'll be staying with us for a while," Nojiko replied with a cheerful smile.
"Huh? Staying with us? But we don't even have enough room to—" Nami started to protest, but Nojiko suddenly leaned forward, whispering into her ear.
"One night. Ten thousand Berries," Nojiko said softly.
Nami froze, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"T-T-Ten thousand?!"
Nojiko raised a finger to her lips, signaling for silence.
Nami quickly covered her mouth with both hands to suppress the scream threatening to escape. Lowering her voice to an excited whisper, she leaned closer to Nojiko, her tone filled with disbelief and enthusiasm.
"R-Really? Is it really ten thousand Berries? Nojiko, are you sure you're not being tricked?"
"How could I be tricked? These people are real, wealthy travelers. Look, they've already paid me for ten nights in advance—one hundred thousand Berries."
Nojiko handed a heavy bag of coins to Nami.
"One... One hundred thousand?!"
The moment Nami felt the weight of the bag in her hands, her eyes practically turned into Berries. Her face lit up with sheer greed, and she seemed completely lost in her daydreams of wealth.
Conis, standing nearby, couldn't help but find the whole scene amusing. She covered her mouth with her hand, letting out a soft laugh.
The sound snapped Nojiko back to reality, and she realized that she had been neglecting her guests. That wouldn't do.
Turning to Nami, she whispered, "Hurry upstairs and get the rooms cleaned and ready. I'll stay here to entertain our guests."
"Got it!" Nami nodded enthusiastically and was about to dash off when Nojiko grabbed her arm.
"On second thought, I'll handle the cleaning," Nojiko said with a quick change of plans. "I can't trust you to clean properly. Instead, you stay here and keep the guests company."
Before Nami could protest, Nojiko had already turned her around by the shoulders and addressed the group with a warm smile.
"This is my younger sister, Nami. She'll chat with you while I go get the rooms ready."
Swallowing nervously, Nami looked at the group, her voice a little shaky as she greeted them.
"H-Hello…"
Conis stepped forward with a bright smile, her golden hair shimmering in the light. "Hi, I'm Conis. You're Nami, right? You're so adorable! May I pat your head?"
"Um... S-Sure," Nami stammered.
"Then I won't hold back!" Conis said cheerfully, gently placing her hand on Nami's head and stroking her hair.
"Wow, your hair is so soft and smooth. It's beautiful!" Conis complimented.
"Th-Thank you…" Nami murmured, blushing slightly. Her initial nervousness began to fade as she gazed at the angelic smile of the girl before her. Conis didn't seem much older than she was, but her gentle demeanor was incredibly calming.
Robin approached next, her serene presence drawing Nami's attention. "I'm Robin. Nico Robin. We'll be staying here for a while, so we'll be in your care."
"She's so beautiful…" Nami thought to herself, mesmerized by Robin's elegance and poise.
Just then, a rumbling noise broke the moment. It came from Enzo, who was standing next to Ron. Looking up at Ron with an imploring expression, it asked, "Master, when are we going to eat? I'm starving!"
Hearing the kung fu dugong speak, Nami's jaw dropped.
"A Kung fu dugong… talking?!" she exclaimed, her eyes wide with astonishment.
"His name is Enzo, a celebrated Kung Fu Dugong from Arabasta," Conis introduced with a warm smile. "He's our captain's apprentice."
"Captain…"
Nami's gaze shifted from the talking Dugong dressed in a red cotton jacket and woolen hat to the black-haired boy standing beside it. The boy wore a black hooded fur coat and had a black sword hanging at his waist.
He looked younger than the serene Conis and the elegant Robin, yet… he was the captain?
Wait… Captain?!
"Are you saying… you're pirates?" Nami blurted out, unable to contain her curiosity.
"No, we're not," Conis replied with a reassuring smile. "We're just travelers of the sea."
"What's the difference?"
"Well…" Conis paused to think for a moment before answering, "I suppose the difference is that pirates would steal from you, while we wouldn't."
As Nojiko busied herself cleaning and preparing the rooms upstairs, Nami invited Ron and his companions into the house. She brought out food from the kitchen to serve them, although the offerings were sparse—hard black bread and some dried meat, neither of which had much flavor.
"If you don't mind, please help yourselves…" Nami said softly, barely above a whisper, as she placed the food on the table.
Robin picked up a piece of the hard bread and frowned slightly. "Is this what you usually eat?" she asked gently.
Conis took a bite of the bread and chewed slowly. It was dry, tasteless, and as tough as chewing on wood.
Enzo, on the other hand, seemed entirely unbothered. He grabbed the food and stuffed it into his mouth, satisfied as long as his stomach was full.
"It seems this food isn't quite to your liking," Nami said nervously. "Please wait for a moment. I'll head to the village to buy something better for you."
Now that she had the ten thousand Berries they'd paid in advance, she could finally afford to buy some decent food.
Nami was about to rush to the door when a calm voice from behind stopped her in her tracks.
"There's no need," Ron said softly.
Nami froze. Her grip tightened around the bag of money in her hand as she lowered her head.
Of course… How could these wealthy people from the outside world really stay in a place as poor as theirs?
The talk of renting a room for ten thousand Berries a night… It must have been a joke, just a way to tease poor folks like them.
She smiled bitterly.
"We brought our own food," Ron's calm voice continued behind her.
"I see," Nami whispered, her heart sinking. "I'll return your money then…"
Still caught up in her thoughts, she turned around, biting her lip as tears glistened in the corners of her eyes. She held out the bag of Berries, her voice trembling.
"Huh?"
Conis and Robin exchanged confused glances.
"Nami, what are you doing?" Conis asked, her face full of puzzlement.
Only then did Nami snap out of her thoughts.
"Eh?! I—"
Ron, seated at the table, took a sip of water before turning to her with a gentle smile.
"Don't worry. We're not the kind of wealthy people who toy with others for amusement. The rent we've paid isn't coming back."
His words, along with the knowing smile on his face, and the warm expressions of Conis and Robin, made Nami's cheeks flush a deep red.
For a moment, as she looked at these strangers, an unfamiliar warmth filled her heart—a feeling she hadn't experienced since Belmere's death.
It didn't seem so cold this winter after all.
"Guests! The rooms are ready. Now, do you—Nami! What are you doing?!"
Nojiko's voice rang out as she descended the stairs, only to find Nami seated at the table, eagerly eating the food meant for their guests. She looked utterly horrified.
"How could you eat the guests' food?!"
"It's alright," Conis said with a laugh, sitting beside Nami. "We invited her to eat with us. Would you like to join us too?"
Nojiko hesitated, her gaze shifting to the unfamiliar, fragrant dishes spread across the table. She couldn't help swallowing a mouthful of saliva.
Robin approached her with a kind smile, holding a delicate dessert. "This is coconut cream pie from Loguetown. Try it."
The tantalizing aroma was impossible to resist. As Nojiko took a bite, the rich flavor burst across her palate, and tears welled up in her eyes.
She had never tasted anything so delicious in her entire life.
So, this was what happiness tasted like…
Robin and Conis continued to serve Nojiko and Nami, each offering them bites of the mouthwatering food.
Meanwhile, Enzo was utterly absorbed, shoving food into his mouth with reckless abandon.
Seated beside him, Ron sipped a glass of bubbling sherry, watching with amusement as Nami across the table devoured a large steak.
"She's so small now… but to think she'll become such a remarkable figure in the future. It's truly fascinating…" he mused to himself.
After finishing their meal, more than half of the food on the table was gone.
Nojiko, feeling both full and embarrassed, gently pressed down on Nami's head as she bowed apologetically to Ron and his group. "I… I'm so sorry. Even though it was the guests' food, we accidentally ate so much of it… This is really inappropriate."
"Don't worry about it. We have plenty of food," Robin said with a kind smile, her gentle demeanor easing their guilt.
She had developed a genuine fondness for these two girls, seeing in them reflections of her own younger self.
Nojiko and Nami both glanced at her with grateful expressions, their eyes gleaming with emotion.
Standing up from his seat, Ron asked, "The rooms upstairs are ready, correct?"
Nojiko quickly nodded.
"Then I'll head up first," Ron said as he made his way upstairs to rest.
Enzo bid farewell to Robin and Conis before heading outside to the snowy orange grove to practice his martial arts.
Inside the house, only Conis, Robin, Nojiko, and Nami remained. The four women began chatting, finding common ground and comfort in each other's company.
Meanwhile, in the simple yet clean room upstairs, Ron took off his black coat and hung it on the nearby rack. He then returned the black blade, Shusui, to his system storage space.
Sitting on the bed, a translucent screen appeared before his eyes—visible only to him.
The screen displayed his attributes panel and the list of items he had obtained through sign-ins.
At the very top of the list was a brand-new entry, gleaming with a unique allure:
[Special Item — Devil Fruit Duplication Card]
This was the reward Ron had received after signing in upon reaching this island.
[Devil Fruit Duplication Card: Grants the ability to duplicate the Devil Fruit powers of any user.
Usage Condition: The target must be unconscious, and the user must maintain physical contact for over thirty seconds.
Note 1: This is a single-use item.
Note 2: The duplicated Devil Fruit ability does not carry the weakness of being vulnerable to seawater.
Note 3: The duplicated ability is compatible with other Devil Fruits. After obtaining a duplicated ability, the user can still consume an additional Devil Fruit.]
Ron's eyes lit up instantly as he read through the second note.
The main reason he had refrained from considering Devil Fruits in the past was twofold: first, he hadn't encountered an ability that truly satisfied him, and second, the inherent weakness to seawater posed a potentially fatal vulnerability.
At certain times, that weakness could become a critical flaw.
But now…
With this Devil Fruit Duplication Card in hand, the risk of vulnerability to seawater was completely removed from the equation!
If he could find a powerful Devil Fruit in the future, his overall strength would undoubtedly climb to an even higher level!
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