“There’s something like that too?!”
Nami’s heart jolted, a trace of lingering fear appearing in her eyes.
Looking at the Devil Fruit in her hands, she couldn’t help but become wary of it.
Seeing her reaction, the corners of Rook’s mouth lifted.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Nami hurriedly nodded and stuffed the fruit into a hidden compartment inside her backpack.
However, after taking only two steps, she seemed to remember something.
She took off the backpack and shoved it into Rook’s arms, then removed her jacket and returned to the rotting treasure chest.
With a delighted expression, she began picking up the gold coins one by one.
“We can’t waste these. These gold coins look pretty valuable.”
Rook smiled and shook his head before glancing at the dead black panther.
There was a bell attached to a collar around its neck, though he had no idea what its story was.
Walking over, Rook picked up the bell collar from the ground and brought it closer for a look.
He quickly discovered a small line of writing engraved on it.
To Lakexi, the greatest star of the Traveling Circus.
At that moment, Nami turned around and cheerfully handed Rook the flashlight.
“Here, shine this for me. What are you looking at?”
Rook told her what he had found.
Nami rubbed her chin thoughtfully.
“Maybe that circus ran into a shipwreck, and the panther happened to survive and make it to this island?”
“Maybe. But it doesn’t really matter anymore.”
Rook took the flashlight and illuminated the treasure chest for her, watching as she continued gathering coins like an industrious little bee.
The girl practically radiated excitement and energy.
Rook smiled before lowering his head and glancing at the backpack in his hands.
He already had an idea regarding Nami eating the Slip-Slip Fruit.
Nami naturally possessed the ability to sense changes in the weather through her skin.
If the Slip-Slip Fruit transformed the surface of her body, making her skin even smoother and more delicate, could that amplify her natural talent?
Ultra-sensitive skin plus ultra-smooth skin?
He couldn’t help looking forward to finding out.
A short while later, the two left the cave and arrived at a lake near the center of the island.
The lake was a little over two hundred meters in diameter.
Its clear blue water came from underground springs, and beneath the warm, brilliant sunlight, its surface shimmered with a beautiful, glasslike sheen.
Every so often, plump fish and shrimp leaped out of the water, scattering crystal-clear droplets before splashing back into the lake.
A river about three meters wide flowed out from the opposite side of the lake.
Following its course with his eyes, Rook could see the vast sea in the distance.
Nami removed her jacket, revealing the orange-and-white swimsuit underneath, and crouched beside the lake.
With a small brush, she carefully scrubbed the hardened grime from the gold coins.
Excitement covered her face.
Whenever she finished cleaning one, she would raise it before her eyes and inspect it carefully.
“Hehehe!
These are discontinued commemorative gold coins issued by the World Government more than a hundred years ago.
At current market prices, each one should sell for at least twenty-five thousand Berries.
“And I have 267 of them.
“That’s about 6.675 million Berries!
“I’m rich! Ehehehe!!”
She turned toward Rook, holding up a gold coin with a radiant smile.
“Rook, you’re definitely my lucky star. Ever since I met you, it feels like my luck has completely turned around.”
Looking at the girl’s genuinely brilliant smile, Rook smiled and shook his head.
“Then take your time cleaning them. I’m going for a swim. I’ll see if there are any big fish while I’m at it.”
As he spoke, he removed his coat and shoes.
Then, with a powerful stride, he leaped seven or eight meters through the air.
Splash!
He plunged straight into the lake.
Nami watched Rook disappear beneath the surface in the blink of an eye and giggled before lowering her head and enthusiastically returning to her coin-cleaning operation.
The moment he entered the water, Rook opened his eyes.
The lake was exceptionally clear.
Dense aquatic plants covered the lakebed, while large rocks were scattered everywhere.
He swept his gaze around.
Suddenly, a massive fish nearly two meters thick lazily swam past not far away.
Rook’s eyes immediately lit up.
It resembled some kind of monstrous carp, with a dark bluish-gray body and a mouth filled with sharp fangs.
An excellent swimmer himself, Rook kicked his legs and immediately chased after it.
The strange fish noticed him as well.
With a flick of its tail, it opened its enormous fanged mouth and charged straight toward him.
Rook reacted instantly.
Just as the fish reached him, he abruptly extended one hand and grabbed its gill cover.
At the same time, he shifted his body sideways, narrowly avoiding its enormous jaws.
But immediately afterward, the fish dragged him through the water at tremendous speed.
Water pressure engulfed his entire body.
The force of the rushing current threw Rook off balance as the startled fish tore wildly through the lake.
A cold glint appeared in Rook’s eyes.
He exerted force through his left arm and pulled his body closer while wrenching open the fish’s bony gill cover.
His right fist then smashed straight inside.
Immediately afterward, his fist became a claw.
He seized the cartilage of the gill arch and ripped with all his strength.
Rip!
Blood instantly surged into the surrounding water.
The monstrous fish began thrashing frantically.
Rook gripped its gills tightly with both hands as it dragged him through the lake.
Several seconds later, he forcefully tore off its gill cover along with nearly half of its head.
Another two minutes passed.
The fish gradually stopped moving.
But by then, the blood had already spread through the lake.
Rook spotted four or five fish and shrimp-like creatures, each more than two meters long, emerging from the vegetation along the lakebed.
He frowned.
Without hesitation, Rook released the dead fish and quickly swam away using both his arms and legs.
Before long, he reached the shore.
Looking toward the center of the lake, he saw the surface violently churning as splashes repeatedly erupted into the air.
A translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Hand-to-Hand Combat — Proficient: 8 → 9/200]
[Underwater Combat — Untrained: 6 → 7/10]
One fish, two gains.
Fighting barehanded underwater allowed him to train the proficiency of both skills at the same time.
Looking at Underwater Combat, Rook smiled.
“Looks like this skill is going to advance today.”
“What happened?”
Nami stood up and looked toward the center of the lake before turning to Rook.
“Nothing. There are just a few big fish in there. Once I clean them out, you’ll be able to bathe safely later.”
Nami blinked.
“Then be careful. Honestly, I can just wash myself near the shore. You don’t have to go through all that trouble.”
Rook looked back at her and shook his head.
“You should treasure the time when you’re still able to swim.”
Nami froze for a moment.
Then she understood what he meant and helplessly shook her head.
“Your safety is more important.”
Rook smiled and nodded.
He walked over to where he had left his clothes and picked up Steelbreaker.
Shing!
The sword slid free from its sheath, its cold edge gleaming beneath the sunlight.
Under Nami’s nervous gaze, Rook launched himself into another powerful leap and plunged into the lake.
He looked toward the several large fish and shrimp gathered in the distance.
Then he kicked his legs and rapidly swam toward them.
He quickly approached the creatures fighting over the carcass of the monstrous fish.
In the blink of an eye, another strange fish resembling a giant catfish charged at him.
Rook kicked hard against the water.
His body shot upward.
Power surged through him.
The instant the catfish passed beneath him, Rook thrust his sword straight downward.
Puchi!
The blade pierced directly through its skull.
The catfish thrashed violently in the water.
Rook gripped his sword and slashed sideways.
With another wet tearing sound, its head split open.
Rook moved through the lake with increasing agility as he approached another creature—a giant lobster over two meters long.
He dodged the claw swinging toward him.
Then, with a reverse thrust, he drove his sword through the side of its head and twisted.
The lobster died instantly.
[Underwater Combat — Untrained: 7 → 9/10]
Rook turned toward the remaining two giant fish.
They had clearly been frightened by his brutality.
Rook chased after them without hesitation.
However, the lake was their natural territory.
Catching them wasn’t easy.
Just then, while passing over a pile of rocks on the lakebed, Rook abruptly stopped.
Half-buried in the mud and sand below was an earth-brown mantis shrimp nearly three meters long.
His eyes flashed.
Rook approached it from above.
As soon as he reached its head, he swung his sword horizontally without hesitation.
Puchi!
The shrimp’s head instantly separated from its body.
The moment that strike landed, the system’s voice echoed from deep within his consciousness.
[Notice: Your Underwater Combat proficiency has reached the maximum value for “Untrained”: 10/10. Underwater Combat will automatically advance.]
[Notice: Your Underwater Combat skill has advanced from “Untrained” to “Beginner”!]
[Notice: Underwater Combat — Beginner: 0/100. Next Rank: “Proficient.”]
A series of notifications rang through Rook’s mind.
At the same time, unfamiliar combat memories suddenly surfaced within his consciousness.
How to exert force more efficiently underwater.
How to minimize the interference caused by currents.
How to perceive the surrounding underwater environment.
All kinds of extraordinary knowledge regarding underwater combat were engraved directly into his mind.
At the same time, subtle changes began taking place throughout his body.
His body became better adapted to underwater environments.
His senses became sharper.
Rook floated upward until his head emerged from the lake.
His legs moved through the water in a strange but natural rhythm, allowing him to remain perfectly stable on the surface.
Once the advancement was complete, Rook’s eyes brightened.
He stretched out a hand and gently disturbed the lake’s surface.
Ripples spread outward one after another.
With a thought, the translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
His gaze moved toward the newly advanced Underwater Combat skill, then toward his increased Swordsmanship proficiency.
[Underwater Combat — Beginner: 0/100]
[Swordsmanship — Skilled: 16 → 19/500]
“If I keep improving Underwater Combat, then my affinity with water will continue increasing as well.
“Sooner or later, I might even surpass the Fish-Men.”
Rook was certain of it.
He leaned slightly backward.
Then he suddenly plunged beneath the surface again.
His gaze swept through the water.
Before long, he located the remaining two giant fish.
It didn’t take him much longer to kill one of them.
The final fish escaped through the river connected to the lake.
Dragging the two giant shrimp he had killed from the lakebed, Rook swam back onto shore.
Nami stared at his haul in surprise.
Rook smiled.
“I’m going to collect some firewood nearby. The lake should be safe for now, but try not to go too deep.”
Nami grinned.
“Don’t worry. I’m not some helpless little girl.”
While Nami went swimming and washed herself in the lake, Rook gathered firewood and returned to the shore.
He started a fire and roasted the shrimp.
After enjoying a satisfying meal…
That afternoon, the two set sail once again.
Days passed one after another.
The journey remained peaceful, and they encountered no unexpected incidents along the way.
Every day, Rook had plenty of time to devote entirely to training.
He practiced swordsmanship in the mornings and trained his body in the afternoons.
Whenever he had spare time, he taught Nami hand-to-hand combat as well as the fundamentals of fighting in seawater.
With her exceptionally sensitive skin and already outstanding swimming ability, Nami progressed remarkably quickly.
, Year 1536.
March 25th.
After spending ten days at sea, the two finally arrived at the Conomi Islands at ten o’clock that morning.
From a distance, they could see a port town along the island’s coastline.
It was Gosa Village, located on the same island as Cocoyasi Village.
Not far from the harbor, their small boat came to a stop beside the coast.
Nami looked at Rook with a solemn expression.
“I’ll drop you off here.”