Chapter 5
East Blue, early morning.
The rising sun painted the entire sea in molten gold. Clear skies, gentle breeze, perfect sailing weather.
Yet aboard the Libra, things were anything but calm.
Bam! Bam!
On deck, two graceful figures darted and weaved, launching coordinated attacks at the man lounging in the center.
After several days together, Kaya and Nami had grown as close as sisters. So Aike kept his contract promise: he granted all three girls power from the Shinigami system.
As the designated ship doctor, Kaya received healing Kidō. Nami and Carina were taught Hakuda (hand-to-hand) and Shunpo (flash step).
Thanks to the absolute binding of the system contracts, all three could actually use the abilities, even if their reiatsu was still pathetically low.
Of course, knowing the theory and actually fighting were two different things. Thus, Aike naturally became their sparring partner.
And he was having the time of his life.
Newspaper in one hand, he blocked every clumsy strike from Nami and Carina without even looking. While he was at it, he "accidentally" copped a feel here and there, mood absolutely fantastic.
The two girls were furious but powerless, teeth clenched in frustration.
Just then, Kaya came running out of the galley, eyes sparkling, proudly holding up a very lively fish.
"Boss! I did it!"
She'd spent the whole morning practicing healing Kidō and finally managed to revive a fish that had been dead for hours.
"Not bad at all." Aike gave the wriggling fish an approving glance. Kaya really did have talent for Kidō.
"Hehe~" Kaya beamed like a kid who'd just gotten full marks.
Nami and Carina instantly deflated. Same amount of time, yet Kaya already had results while they couldn't even graze Aike's clothes.
The blow to their pride was brutal.
(Of course, they were overlooking the fact that Aike could toy with Navy Vice Admirals barehanded. Even a Rokushiki master would look just as pathetic against him.)
"No need to feel down. Medical arts and combat are different fields," Aike comforted with a smile. "Real battle experience only comes with time. Besides, your physical talent isn't bad at all."
It wasn't empty praise. Nami especially had excellent potential (canonically the Straw Hat with the highest Conqueror's aptitude after Luffy).
As for Carina, Aike already planned to feed her a good Devil Fruit later. Hand-to-hand could stay at "decent self-defense" level for now.
Lunchtime arrived right after the little showcase.
Tom emerged from the kitchen in full chef uniform, proudly serving today's masterpiece.
Kaya was still stunned that a cat could cook, even after a full day.
Yesterday she'd tried to help in the galley and witnessed Tom using all four paws plus his tail like extra arms, juggling ingredients like a circus act. He cracked eggs mid-air; yolk and white separated themselves perfectly into different bowls.
She instantly realized her "help" would only get in the way.
"New dishes again? Smells heavenly!" Carina attacked her plate with zero table manners.
Nami and Kaya followed suit, moaning in bliss after the first bite.
"Tom, you're hands-down the best chef on the entire ocean."
Tom purred proudly and took his seat beside Aike.
"He's not just a chef," Aike said while rubbing the cat's head. "When you three train swordsmanship or hand-to-hand later, Tom makes a great sparring partner too. Even you, Kaya, feel free to discuss medicine with him."
"???"
"Tom knows medicine too?!?!" The three girls stared at the elegant cat currently eating with fork and knife.
Was this really a normal cat?!
Truth be told, Aike still thought adopting Tom was the most profitable deal he'd ever made, paid for with a few bottles of milk and one simple promise: "I'll never abandon you."
Afternoon training resumed, only this time Tom took over as sparring partner while Aike watched from his lounge chair.
What should have been serious practice turned into comedy gold.
Tom's evasion style was pure cartoon physics: Flattening himself paper-thin, stretching his body like rubber, hanging in mid-air by his tail, anything to dodge.
Nami and Carina grew more and more depressed.
They… couldn't even catch a cat.
By nightfall the three girls were exhausted.
Kaya and Carina passed out almost instantly. Only Nami stayed awake, feeling the explosive growth one day of real training had brought her.
Strength and speed hadn't changed much, but her combat sense and reflexes were leagues ahead.
All thanks to the man who now owned her life.
"Arlong…"
Hatred flashed in her eyes.
Then she remembered how casually Aike had compared Arlong to Kuro, the man he'd erased with a single finger.
Over the past few days she'd watched him slaughter sea kings bigger than the Moo-Moo she once feared, just for ingredients.
If he could do that for groceries… Arlong was nothing.
After wrestling with her thoughts for a long time, Nami left her room.
A few minutes later, she pushed open Aike's door.
"I thought you'd wait a few more days before coming to me," Aike said with a knowing smile.
So he really had known all along.
Nami wasn't even surprised anymore.
In Syrup Village, when he'd mentioned Arlong, it hadn't been coincidence.
"I'm a merchant. Information is merchandise too," Aike said lightly, eyes drifting to the Arlong Pirates tattoo on her left arm. "Besides, you never tried to hide it."
Nami bit her lip. Under his gentle gaze, the entire story spilled out: the 100 million berries deal, eight years of slavery, everything.
"You were too naive," Aike said bluntly. "Leaving aside that he's a pirate, and the worst, most bloodthirsty kind, even if he were honest, when one side holds absolute power, why would he ever keep a promise?"
"But I… I didn't have any other choice!" Tears welled up; her body trembled.
"Until now you didn't," Aike pulled her into his arms. "Killing him is no different from killing Kuro to me."
He then revealed the truth about fishmen: How they were routinely enslaved in the Grand Line. How Arlong, once a proud member of the Sun Pirates, had fled here because he couldn't survive there.
Nami's eyes went wide.
The "superior race" that had terrorized her village was actually bottom-tier trash on the Grand Line?
"If fishmen were truly superior," Aike said softly, "why do humans rule the world?"
The words struck her like lightning. Eight years of terror and inferiority complex crumbled in an instant.
"So. Now that you know the truth, what do you want to do?"
Nami looked up at him, eyes pleading.
"Help me… please."
"Of course. You're mine, after all."
The moment her emotional walls collapsed, the conquest was already half complete.
Under the soft glow of the cabin lamp, with gratitude and vulnerability swirling in the air, Aike didn't miss his chance.
The distance between them slowly, inevitably closed, until their lips finally met.
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