Nami, now changed, couldn't help but roll her eyes.
She didn't know why she had just changed out of her pajamas right there, with Luffy's back turned.
Since when did she trust him so much?
Wearing a pink shirt and yellow shorts that showed off her long, pale legs, she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Since that's the case, shouldn't you pay up now?"
"Huh? Pay for what?" Luffy looked confused.
"You don't think you're getting this for free, do you?"
Her dense golden hair drifted loosely around her cheeks as her orange eyes fixed on him. She said:
"Barging into my room without permission is one thing, but just settling in here on your own? Do you know how much of my time you're wasting?"
"Nami, are you very busy?"
"Of course I am!"
Luffy tilted his head, still having to glance back at the book to avoid warnings. "You don't look that busy to me. You can sunbathe outside when it's sunny. You're the most leisurely person on this ship."
"You bastard! I'm just the navigator!" Nami was getting frantic, grabbing Luffy's clothes. "And you were way more idle than me just a couple of days ago!"
"The me from two days ago is not the me of now." Luffy put on an utterly innocent expression.
"Hmph, less of your excuses. The way you are now is very suspicious!"
Nami put her hands on her hips and began constructing her own theory.
The main issue was that she hadn't managed to gain any advantage over Luffy this time.
She hadn't gained any advantage over Luffy!!
That was the most important part.
"What's so suspicious about it?"
Luffy couldn't follow Nami's train of thought.
"You're not trying to get my attention, are you? Or did you make some stupid bet with Usopp?"
"Nonsense! Can't I enjoy studying?" Luffy said, lacking even his own conviction.
"You? Enjoy studying?"
Nami scoffed.
Who did he think he was fooling, a three-year-old?
She knew exactly what Luffy was like before.
He'd rather lie down than sit; if there was meat, he wouldn't even look at the sky. Now he'd suddenly transformed into a bookworm? There had to be a trick!
"Right, that's it! You're definitely putting on an act for my benefit, or you lost a bet with Usopp and this is your punishment."
"Slander! This is blatant slander!"
Luffy grew anxious if Zoro and Usopp heard Nami's accusations, what little credibility he had as captain would be completely gone.
Not that he had much to begin with.
"Stubborn, are we? How about a bet?"
Seeing him flustered only strengthened Nami's conviction. The corner of her mouth curled into a sly, confident smile.
"What kind of bet?" Luffy's bullheadedness kicked in.
"You're so serious, right? If you can memorize this book by the end of the day—I won't demand word-for-word, but you have to get the core content about seventy to eighty percent right—I'll count it as you winning."
If it were Zoro or the others, Luffy would have agreed immediately.
Among guys, the ultimate acknowledgment was "I'll count it as you winning." It was a great honor.
But with Nami, it was different.
Luffy glanced again at the heavy book in his hand and grew somewhat hesitant, his eyes shifting. "Tch, how boring. The stakes aren't equal."
"Stakes aren't equal?"
Nami raised an eyebrow, quite surprised Luffy could think of such a sophisticated concept. This only confirmed her suspicion.
This guy was definitely competing with her!
Thus, her confidence grew. She lifted her chin slightly, adopting a stance of 'if you dare take it, I dare follow'.
"You're scared, aren't you? Fine then, you can ask for anything you want."
"...Anything I want?"
Luffy looked as if he'd heard a fantasy. Was Nami being this generous? This was Nami, who valued money as much as her own life!
His eyes darted, trying to scare her off with what she cared about most. "If I win, you give me ten million Berries!"
Ten million Berries?
Luffy's offer stunned Nami.
She narrowed her eyes.
Daring to name that price... either he's completely insane, or he actually has some confidence?
Or was it to make her back down?
Heh, Luffy was still too green.
"Fine, it's a deal!" Nami agreed without hesitation.
Did Luffy think she just agreed to things randomly?
She absolutely refused to believe Luffy could memorize overnight a book it took her one or two months to barely grasp!
You agreed to that?
Luffy was dumbfounded.
"Then... what if I don't have the money?"
A smile brighter than sunshine instantly bloomed on Nami's face. She reached out a soft, pale hand and gently patted Luffy's stiff cheek, her voice sickly sweet. "No money? Then you'll have to pay with your body. Become my personal slave, Captain~"
Anyone unaware might think she had some special fetish.
If it were someone with certain tastes, they might have agreed on the spot.
"You actually lust after my body?!" Luffy shot to his feet, only to be forced back down by the warning in his head.
Nami curled her lip. What use would you even be?
But then she thought about it. "You know, Devil Fruit users in the East Blue are still quite valuable. If I'm short on money later, I could just sell you off."
"I'm the captain!" Luffy tried to salvage his dignity.
Nami took a step closer, leaning down towards Luffy with a teasing smile, her breath like an orchid. "Admit it, you're just playing games to get my attention, right? It's not that embarrassing. You're not exactly a kid anymore."
Of course I'm not a kid!
Luffy was provoked.
He was the man who would become the Pirate King!
"Don't look down on me, Nami!"
"Fine, it's a bet! But I'm changing my condition too," Luffy snorted.
"Go on," Nami said, confident of victory.
"Besides the ten million Berries, you also have to agree to one condition from me. One you can't refuse!"
"A condition I can't refuse?"
An expression of understanding mixed with disgust instantly appeared on Nami's face. Her eyes looked at him as if he were a piece of trash.
Guys only ever have one thing on their minds.
But there was no way she could lose this bet!
"It's a deal~"
Nami smiled, radiant as a flower, carrying the superiority of a victor. She elegantly stepped back, pulled out her own chair, sat down, crossed her arms comfortably, and prepared to watch with interest the birth of her future slave.
"I'm done for, I'm done for..."
Luffy wailed inwardly.
The passion from his hot-blooded head moment was instantly doused by the dense medical text before him.
The pages were despairingly thick, the content dry. Forget memorizing it all in one night; just looking at the table of contents made him dizzy.
He comforted himself.
Nami agreed so readily now, but when she loses, I'll make her cry!
I'll make her draw a hundred extra nautical charts.
Just then, the death-knell warning sounded sharply in his mind again: [Warning. Focus during the Medical Knowledge study has decreased. Punishment countdown...]
There was no extra time to think about anything else.
"Scurvy is caused by Vitamin C deficiency, leading to bleeding gums... Fatigue, dehydration, fever, seawater is undrinkable... Distillation, muscle cramps, electrolytes..."
Ugh.
He really felt like throwing up.
How is it possible to memorize all this in one night?!