"For me?"
Nami pointed at herself in disbelief.
She had considered a lot of possibilities, but this was the one thing she had never expected.
That answer had caught her completely off guard.
"Why? We've never even met, have we?" Nami was certain that in all the years she had lived up to now, she had never met Rowan even once.
So on what basis could he say it was for her?
Was he just messing with her?
Nami was baffled. She studied Rowan carefully for a moment and found that although he looked casual, he didn't seem to be lying.
That only made it harder for her to understand.
Rowan just smiled and didn't answer. Instead, he changed the subject.
"Where are you headed next? Want me to drop you off somewhere?"
Nami could tell he had no intention of answering her question.
There was definitely a secret here.
Her curiosity was fully hooked. She grabbed Rowan's arm and started acting cute.
"Well, I only just set sail, so I honestly don't know where I should go yet. How about letting me stick with you for a while?"
"You wouldn't want to see a delicate girl like me get caught by pirates and sold off as a slave, would you?"
Rowan didn't refuse outright. He just said tactfully, "If you follow us, you won't be able to fulfill your dream."
Nami's dream was to draw a complete map of the world.
But Rowan had no intention of sailing all over this world. He only planned to visit places that interested him.
"That's fine," Nami said immediately. "I'll follow you for now, and when I find somewhere I really want to go, I can leave then. So, Lord Rowan, would you be willing to protect me for a while? Please?"
As she said this, she very deliberately pressed her not-yet-fully-developed "assets" against his arm and gave him a little bonus.
She really knew how to use sex appeal.
"Alright, then."
Rowan nodded and agreed. She was trying that hard. If he still refused, it would feel a little too heartless.
Seeing that, Nico Robin smiled faintly. Nami really was still Nami.
After that little episode, the group turned back.
They returned to the Baratie around noon and had lunch there.
It was Nami's first time at the Baratie, though she had long heard of it. After all, this sea restaurant was famous throughout the East Blue.
Back when she was still trying to save Cocoyasi Village, she had already been stretched to her limits. There was no way she'd had spare time to come eat here.
And on top of that, this place wasn't cheap.
One meal here would cost enough to eat for a whole week somewhere else.
So of course she had never come.
This time, thanks to Rowan, she finally got to taste the Baratie's food for herself.
And just like the rumors said, it was incredibly good.
The atmosphere and service were great too.
Especially that blond guy named Sanji. Ever since she came in, he had been hovering around her nonstop, showering her with attention and taking care of every little detail.
"Miss Nami, are you thirsty?"
"Miss Nami, this is a drink I mixed especially for you. It's perfect for cutting through the richness."
"Miss Nami, this is the dessert I prepared for after your meal. Please enjoy."
"Miss Nami, this is—"
"Don't you have any actual work to do?" Nami finally asked.
The blond guy answered with a completely serious face, "Of course I do. My job is to provide Miss Nami and Miss Tsunade with the most attentive service possible."
Nami immediately understood. "Oh, so that's it?"
Looks like she had misunderstood him.
From the side, Rowan commented, "That's not it at all. He's just horny."
Sanji instantly exploded. "You bastard, don't just go around slander—"
"Minato."
Before he could finish, Rowan snapped his fingers. Minato Namikaze instantly appeared behind Sanji, put one hand on his shoulder, and vanished with him.
In the next second, Minato was back.
But outside the restaurant, there came a loud splash of something heavy hitting the water.
Rowan turned his head and looked out the window, just in time to see Sanji flailing around in the sea and swimming back toward the Baratie.
"How many times has this been now? You really never learn, do you?"
Rowan and the others had been eating at the Baratie for days now, and Sanji kept flirting with Nico Robin whenever he got the chance.
Sometimes, when Rowan got sick of it, he had Minato use Flying Thunder God to toss Sanji into the sea so he could cool off and hopefully learn his lesson.
The result?
No matter how many times Sanji got thrown into the water, he would just swim back, change into a fresh set of clothes, and immediately go right back to flirting with Robin.
There really was no saving someone this hopelessly woman-crazy.
Luckily, though, Sanji kept his distance from Cosette because he didn't want her recognizing his real background.
So Cosette was spared his harassment.
That much, at least, was fortunate.
Faced with Rowan's warning, Sanji didn't take it seriously at all. Instead, he said with absolute conviction, "No matter how many times you throw me out, I'll never let my love of beauty die, and I'll never abandon my pursuit of beauty."
Only you, Sanji.
For a moment, Rowan genuinely didn't know how to respond.
But just then, he suddenly came up with an excellent idea.
"You know, there's an island on the Grand Line called Momoiro Island. And on that island, there's a place called the Kamabakka Kingdom."
"The entire country is populated by bona fide okama."
"The ruler of that nation is the so-called miracle person, the strongest okama king in history… Emporio Ivankov."
"And Emporio Ivankov is the user of the Horm-Horm Fruit."
"He can manipulate a person's hormones and use so-called female hormones to turn a perfectly normal man into a real woman."
Sanji, who was still swimming in the water, immediately shivered the moment he heard that.
For some reason, he suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"What the hell are you trying to say?" Sanji asked, forcing down the chill running through his body.
Rowan looked at him with a half-smile.
"What I mean is, if you don't learn your lesson, I'll have Minato send you straight to that kingdom of okama and have you turned into one."
The moment Sanji heard that, a wave of cold swept through his whole body, freezing his hands and feet.
Looking at Rowan's half-smiling expression, he had absolutely no doubt this bastard was capable of doing exactly that.
The thought of himself becoming an okama was enough to make Sanji want to die.
"Y-you… you're way too vicious, you know that?"
Rowan said coolly, "When it comes to people like you who never learn, harsh measures are the only answer. So don't make the wrong choice, you lovestruck kappa. If you really do end up becoming an okama, I promise I'll find you a good home."
At that moment, Sanji couldn't help cursing in his heart.
Beast. This bastard is a total beast.
~~~
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