“I’m sorry… but for your own safety, please don’t come after me…”
Standing alone on the shore, Nami stared at the distant sea, pain filling her eyes.
She truly loved being with them.
But there was no other choice.
They could never defeat Arlong.
And if Arlong caught them, they would die.
“I hope they can forget about me soon,” Nami whispered with a bitter smile.
“They have their own path to follow… and I have mine.”
Maybe, if everything went well, she would finally earn enough money to buy back her village before long.
The thought eased her heart, if only a little.
Just then, something drifting across the surface of the ocean caught her attention.
“What’s that?”
As it floated closer, she realized with surprise that it was a person.
A young man lay motionless on the water, face turned toward the sky.
Judging from the faint rise and fall of his chest, he was still breathing.
Nami sighed softly.
“Well, meeting me means you’re lucky today.”
If she hadn’t seen him, that would have been one thing.
But now that she had, she couldn’t just leave him there to die.
After dragging him onto her small boat, another problem quickly came to mind.
If she brought him back to Cocoyasi Village, what if Arlong’s crew found out?
Still… she couldn’t bring herself to throw him back into the sea.
“Whatever,” she muttered, rubbing her temple as she glanced at the unconscious young man lying beside her.
“I’ll just sneak you in somehow.”
Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on her side.
The moment she arrived near the village, a fish-man spotted her.
“Hey, Nami,” the fish-man called out suspiciously.
“Who’s the guy you’re carrying?”
Then a cruel grin spread across his face.
“I’ve been needing a new punching bag lately.
Hand him over.”
Nothing entertained them more than using humans as toys.
Unfortunately, most humans around here were too obedient these days.
Opportunities like this were rare.
Nami hesitated.
Truthfully, this stranger had nothing to do with her.
Even if he died, it wouldn’t affect her life in the slightest.
But for some reason… she just couldn’t watch him be killed.
After a moment, she forced out an excuse.
“He’s my partner,” she said calmly.
“He helps me make money.”
“He got hurt, so I’m taking him home to recover.
Once he’s better, we’ll continue working together.”
“A partner, huh…”
The fish-man narrowed his eyes before finally stepping aside.
He knew exactly what Nami meant by “making money.”
Deep down, he sneered at her foolishness.
Did she really believe Arlong would keep his promise?
Still, it wasn’t his problem.
If she wanted to drag around some half-dead human, that was her business.
He’d report it to Arlong later and let him decide what to do.
Seeing that he wasn’t going to stop her, Nami quietly let out a breath of relief.
If he had insisted on taking the man away, the stranger would have been doomed.
“You better not die,” she muttered while adjusting his weight on her back.
“You owe me a lot already.”
At the very least…
“You’re paying me back for this.”
“My head hurts…”
The young man groaned as consciousness slowly returned.
The pounding pain in his skull made him bare his teeth.
“Did I hit my head or something?”
He opened his eyes and looked around.
A small room.
A soft bed.
Judging from the decorations, it was clearly a girl’s room.
“So I really made it to another world…”
A faint smile appeared on his face.
And apparently, he’d been rescued by a girl.
As memories and knowledge flooded through his mind, he nodded slowly.
The god really hadn’t lied to him.
Before arriving in this world, he had met a so-called deity.
Because he had died saving someone, he was granted a second chance at life along with one special ability of his choosing.
Without hesitation, he chose the abilities of Kai while keeping his human body intact.
Given enough time, he could create almost anything imaginable.
Weapons.
Machines.
Impossible inventions.
The god had even given him a silver necklace before sending him away, explaining that it was a defensive artifact capable of blocking one fatal attack each day.
Then, without another word, he had been thrown straight into the world of One Piece.
Unfortunately, the dimensional transfer had knocked him unconscious, so he never got the chance to enjoy the sight of traveling through the stars.
Raising a hand, he lightly touched the necklace resting against his chest.
“A lifesaving item, huh…”
Even if it only worked once a day, that was more than enough.
With his abilities, creating weapons and tools was only a matter of time.
What mattered now was deciding what kind of future he wanted in this world.
As a scientist and inventor, the smartest option would be joining a powerful group where he could peacefully focus on his creations.
And when he thought about powerful groups…
One name immediately came to mind.
Monkey D.
Luffy.
“Maybe joining the Straw Hat crew wouldn’t be bad,” he murmured.
“The future Pirate King’s scientist…”
Yeah.
That actually sounded pretty amazing.
“You’re awake?”
A pleasant female voice suddenly interrupted his thoughts.
He turned toward the doorway.
The moment he saw her, he froze.
“It’s… her?”