Inside the dining room.
"Shouldn't our top priority be finding a cook?"
Usopp couldn't help complaining as he stared at the huge table covered in leftover fish.
They couldn't just waste all the fish that had gotten electrocuted.
And somehow, the bottomless pit who could normally devour the most food hadn't even shown up today.
"Do you have a problem with that?"
Nami's smiling face was terrifying.
It was with that exact expression that she'd established her supremacy aboard this ship...
Of course, navigators generally held a pretty important position aboard any ship.
Otherwise, all it took was one bad mood or bout of depression for them to drag the entire crew to their deaths.
That was why pirate captains were often navigators themselves, especially pirates who didn't trust their subordinates.
"If you've got a problem, cook it yourself. Let's see what you guys eat then."
She was a navigator, not a cook!
"The problem is, even Luffy won't eat this... Also, Nami, is something bothering you? You seem distracted."
Usopp was surprisingly observant.
The next second—
The sound of frantic footsteps rang out.
It was Luffy!
He looked like he hadn't eaten in an entire week.
The fish Usopp had just said even Luffy wouldn't eat instantly disappeared into his bottomless maw.
Not enough.
Still not enough.
"Is there more?"
Luffy panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot as he stared at Nami.
【Warning. It is time to study navigation with Nami. Proceed to Nami's room in one minute to begin studying... Countdown: fifty-nine, fifty-eight.】
Luffy clenched his fists.
Who the hell only gives someone one minute to eat?!
But there was no time for him to complain.
"There is, but I'm going to draw sea charts in a bit. Have Usopp make something for you..."
Nami wasn't actually brushing him off.
But the next second, Luffy grabbed her hand and started dragging her toward her room.
"I'm full already. Nami, I want to study with you!"
Usopp stared suspiciously at their backs.
Were Luffy and Nami in that kind of relationship?
Out of kindness, he called after them.
"Hey, it's still daytime!"
At least close the door.
......
"You want me to teach you navigation?"
Nami had been dragged along at a run by Luffy.
She was panting lightly, her heart still pounding.
Halfway there, she'd even started wondering why the hell this guy was dragging her into her room.
"Yeah, yeah! I really want to study!"
Luffy hurriedly sat down in a chair and picked up a pen, imitating how he'd seen Nami hold one before.
That deadly feeling finally began fading away.
He took a deep breath.
Thank goodness I made it.
"Luffy, are you joking?"
Nami planted her hands on her hips and leaned slightly forward, looking down at Luffy.
The two were fairly close.
Close enough to clearly see the tiny hairs on each other's faces.
Perhaps because of all those bizarre punishments one after another, even Luffy, who normally couldn't care less about things like this, frowned slightly.
A faint fragrance lingered in the air.
"I'm telling you, don't come in here just to cause trouble!"
Nami angrily grabbed Luffy by the clothes.
"I'm not causing trouble. Hurry, Nami! I need to study!"
Luffy looked completely serious.
If Makino heard him say something like that back in Foosha Village, she might wonder whether the end of the world had arrived.
Nami stared suspiciously at Luffy.
"Nami, this is an order from your captain!"
Luffy nodded solemnly.
Just from looking at Nami's room, anyone could tell she was an exceptionally talented navigator.
Sea charts she'd drawn covered the room, while her books were filled with notes.
Shanks had once told him that the sea was the most dangerous place of all.
Sailing across it meant facing all sorts of bizarre weather and an ever-changing ocean.
Even great pirates sometimes lost their lives to extreme weather.
The overwhelming might of nature was a disaster no human could take lightly.
......
Fine.
It was just the captain's orders.
Still, this was extremely unlike Luffy.
Luffy was usually afraid of going hungry and afraid of being bored.
But he'd never been afraid of studying.
Because he simply never tried studying in the first place.
Nami hadn't known Luffy for very long.
Unfortunately, he was far too easy to understand.
Nami figured this was just another one of Luffy's short-lived bursts of enthusiasm.
His expression made that obvious.
His entire face screamed reluctance.
Yet his eyes were overflowing with a desperate will to survive.
She had no idea what was keeping him going.
It was willpower!
Luffy felt like his mind was being polluted.
He couldn't even recognize plenty of basic words, let alone all this confusing, obscure navigation knowledge.
What's even the point of learning this stuff?!
【Warning. Do not become distracted while studying with Nami. Devote your full attention to your studies...】
【Warning. Random punishment countdown: ten...】
"I'll study! I'm studying!"
Luffy's eyes snapped wide open.
He unleashed the incredibly powerful survival instinct he'd developed from Grandpa's training when he was little.
This voice had apparently discovered Luffy's fatal weakness.
Electricity doesn't scare you, huh?
Then how about a little shock to your dignity?
"No... My adventure!"
Luffy looked like a salted fish that had lost its dreams, the light gradually fading from his eyes.
But in the end...
The one being tortured was actually Nami.
"You can't even recognize all the words yet! How am I supposed to teach you?!"
Nami was starting to lose it.
"Then explain it more simply so I can understand. I believe in you!"
Luffy patted Nami on the shoulder.
"After all, you're the best navigator on our ship."
"Even if that's true, teaching an idiot is still difficult."
Nami glanced at Luffy.
"Nami, you wouldn't want to lose your most precious things, would you?"
"You!"
He threatened me?!
He actually threatened me?!
As unhappy as she was, Nami had no choice but to compromise.
For her, the most precious things were unquestionably the treasures she'd collected.
Tch.
Did he figure it out?
Nami felt slightly nervous.
Seeing Nami's motivation as a teacher shoot through the roof, Luffy felt extremely relieved.
As expected.
She really didn't want to lose him, her captain!
Less than an hour later.
Luffy felt like he was about to throw up.
【Severe mental exhaustion detected. Your willpower has increased. Observation Haki Proficiency +1.】
"Hm?"
Luffy froze.
He vaguely remembered hearing something similar that morning.
He'd simply ignored it at the time.
Apparently, he could even check previous records.
【Your physical energy has undergone intensive training. Your physical strength has increased. Armament Haki Proficiency +1.】