After changing clothes, Nami couldn't help rolling her eyes.
She didn't even know why she'd actually turned her back to Luffy and taken off her pajamas before changing.
Since when had she trusted him this much?
Now wearing a pink shirt and yellow shorts that left her long, pale legs exposed, she walked over and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Since that's the case, shouldn't you pay me?"
"Huh? Pay you for what?" Luffy looked confused.
"Don't tell me you're planning to freeload off me?"
Strands of her thick golden hair drifted loosely around her cheeks as her orange eyes stared fixedly at Luffy.
"Barging into my room without permission is one thing, but you're even making yourself at home here. Do you have any idea how much of my time you've wasted?"
"Nami, are you busy?"
"Of course I am!"
Luffy tilted his head, though he still had to keep glancing back at the book to avoid getting another warning.
"You don't look that busy to me. You even have time to sunbathe outside when the weather's nice. You're the most relaxed person on this ship."
"You bastard! I'm just the navigator!" Nami was starting to lose it as she grabbed Luffy by the clothes. "And weren't you way more idle than me just two days ago?!"
"The me from two days ago isn't the me of today."
Luffy put on an incredibly innocent expression.
"Hmph, stop making excuses. The way you're acting right now is suspicious enough!"
Nami put her hands on her hips and began letting her imagination run wild.
The main problem was that she somehow hadn't managed to gain anything from Luffy.
She hadn't gotten the better of Luffy at all!!
That was the most important part.
"What's suspicious about it?"
Luffy couldn't understand Nami's thought process at all.
"Don't tell me you're trying to get my attention? Or did you make some stupid bet with Usopp?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Can't I just enjoy studying?"
Even Luffy himself didn't sound particularly confident when he said that.
"You enjoy studying?"
Nami scoffed.
Who was he trying to fool, a three-year-old?
Did she not know what Luffy had been like before?
If he could lie down, he'd never sit. If there was meat to eat, he wouldn't even look at the sky. And now he'd suddenly transformed into a bookworm?
There was definitely something fishy going on!
"That's right, I've got it! You're definitely putting on an act in front of me, or you lost a bet with Usopp and this is your punishment."
"Slander! This is blatant slander!"
Luffy panicked.
Nami was ruining his reputation!
If Zoro and Usopp heard this, wouldn't his credibility as captain be completely gone?
Not that he'd had much to begin with.
"Still denying it? How about a bet?"
Seeing him get worked up only made Nami even more certain of her judgment. A sly, confident curve appeared at the corner of her lips.
"What kind of bet?"
Luffy's stubborn streak kicked in.
"Aren't you taking this very seriously? If you can memorize this book by the end of today, you win. I won't demand that you recite every single word perfectly, but you need to be able to explain most of the core content."
If it had been Zoro or the others, Luffy would've agreed without hesitation.
Among guys, the greatest acknowledgment possible was hearing someone say, "You win."
That was an immense honor.
But Nami was different.
Luffy glanced at the thick book in his hands again and suddenly lost some confidence. His gaze drifted away.
"Tch, that's boring. The stakes aren't even equal."
"The stakes aren't equal?"
Nami raised an eyebrow, rather surprised that Luffy could come up with such a sophisticated phrase.
That only reinforced her theory.
This guy was definitely trying to compete with her!
Her confidence grew even further. She raised her chin slightly, looking as if she were saying, If you've got the guts to bet, I've got the guts to take it.
"You're scared, aren't you? Fine. You can ask for whatever you want."
"...Whatever I want?"
Luffy looked as though he'd just heard something completely unbelievable.
Nami was being this generous?
This was Nami, who valued money more than her own life!
His eyes darted around as he tried to scare her off by demanding the thing she cared about most.
"If I win, you give me ten million Berries!"
Ten million Berries?
Luffy's price left Nami stunned.
She narrowed her eyes.
If he dared name that price, either he'd completely lost his mind or he actually had some confidence.
Or maybe...
Was he trying to make her back down?
Heh.
Luffy was still too naive.
"Fine, I accept!" Nami agreed without hesitation.
Did Luffy think she'd believe he'd named that condition casually?
There was no way she believed Luffy could memorize in a single night a book that had taken her a month or two just to barely master!
You're agreeing to that too?
Luffy stared at her in disbelief.
"Then... what if I don't have any money?"
A smile brighter than sunlight instantly blossomed across Nami's face.
She extended a soft, pale hand and gently patted Luffy's stiff cheek, her voice so sweet it was almost cloying.
"If you don't have money, then you'll just have to pay with your body. Become my personal slave, Captain~"
Anyone who didn't know better might've thought she had some strange fetish.
If she'd said that to someone with certain tastes, they might've agreed on the spot.
"You're actually after my body?!"
Luffy shot to his feet, only for the warning in his head to immediately force him back down.
Nami curled her lips.
What use would she even have for him?
After thinking for a moment, however, she said, "Come to think of it, Devil Fruit users are pretty valuable in the East Blue. If I'm ever short on money, I could just sell you."
"I'm the captain!"
Luffy tried to salvage his dignity.