Luffy couldn't shake the feeling that he'd heard those terms somewhere before.
"Nami, have you ever heard of Observation Haki and Armament Haki?"
"If you keep talking, I'll show you what Nami Haki looks like."
Snap!
The pen in Nami's hand broke.
Scary.
Luffy wisely decided not to provoke this woman.
He pressed both hands against his temples and desperately searched his memories.
Then he suddenly clapped his hands together.
He remembered!
Shanks and the others seemed to have mentioned them when he was little!
Was this some kind of mysterious power?
Luffy's instincts were extremely sharp when it came to things like this.
"This is essential training if I'm going to become the Pirate King."
Luffy suddenly felt like there was something to look forward to.
More importantly, those punishments were impossible to resist.
If all this could make him stronger...
Then he'd just have to accept it!
At that moment, a screen appeared before his eyes.
Luffy:
Observation Haki Proficiency: 1/1000 (Lv. 0)
Armament Haki Proficiency: 1/1000 (Lv. 0)
Conqueror's Haki Proficiency: 0/1000 (Lv. 0)
Devil Fruit Development: 0/10
......
I'm the man who's going to become the Pirate King!
A little hardship like this won't stop me!
That was what he told himself.
But the moment Luffy imagined living like this every single day from now on, his eyes were already starting to roll back.
Meteorology.
The moment Luffy saw the enormous stacks of books piled up in the corner, he felt like throwing up.
Especially after Nami told him she'd already read all of them several times and could even recite most of them from memory.
Luffy could only worship her.
Right now, he was reading the notes Nami had written after simplifying and summarizing everything, and even those were making his eyes blur from the torture.
It was incredibly difficult to remember.
He was basically forcing all these words into his brain.
The results weren't exactly noticeable.
It was nothing but suffering.
"The most important thing when reading and memorizing is to read while committing it to memory," Nami said.
"Huh?"
Luffy didn't understand at first.
"Say it out loud. If you're going to learn, then start by properly learning the basics."
If she was going to teach someone, she might as well see it through.
That was how Nami comforted herself.
As she looked at Luffy, it was almost as though she were looking at her younger self.
"Nami, studying is really hard, so you have to keep at it."
"That's why you should choose something you actually enjoy doing. Otherwise, you won't have any motivation and it'll just feel boring."
"Can't remember it? Hahaha, makes you sleepy, doesn't it? I was the same way back at the Marine academy, so I just became a combatant instead."
"It's beautiful! Is this a sea chart you drew, Nami? You're definitely going to become an amazing navigator someday."
Bell-mère, I didn't become a Marine navigator.
I became the pirate you hated most.
"Remember the depth points and contour lines. The most important parts of a sea chart are plotting navigational aids and marking terrain and facilities."
Nami rested her chin on her hand and looked at Luffy.
"What's your goal in learning all this navigation knowledge? Are you just bored?"
"No. I'm doing it to become the Pirate King!"
Luffy clenched his fist.
Nami curled her lips.
With the greatest navigator around—herself—what did Luffy even need to learn this stuff for?
Wait...
Something stirred in Nami's mind.
She was extremely sensitive when it came to things like this.
Especially at such a crucial time.
"Why did you suddenly decide you wanted to learn navigation?"
Nami stopped explaining and folded her arms.
"Are you worried about something?"
"W-Worried?"
Luffy raised his head blankly.
Nami gave a small scoff, but the smile never reached her eyes.
"I think you're afraid I'll run away and leave you idiot pirates without anyone to navigate for you, so you're trying to cram all this into your head at the last minute, aren't you?"
"No way. Companions are supposed to trust each other. Nami, you're a companion I've already accepted."
Luffy grinned.
"You're the navigator of our Straw Hat crew!"
"What do you mean, 'our'? Who said I was definitely one of you?"
Nami's heart suddenly skipped a beat, and her throat felt slightly dry.
That was exactly why she didn't want to form attachments to anyone.
Just like Carina.
Nami was destined to walk alone.
Anyone who became involved with her would only meet misfortune.
She really couldn't understand how Luffy's mind worked.
They hadn't even known each other for that long, yet he trusted her this much?
He hadn't even objected when she'd offered to look after all the treasure in the storeroom.
Was this guy really a pirate?
Nami stared at Luffy for a while.
If it were him...
Could he help her drive Arlong and his crew away?
Certain memories surfaced in her mind, and Nami's voice grew quieter.
"Easy for you to say. Pirate crews split up all the time, don't they? What makes you so sure I'll stay? What if I never planned on staying forever when I joined you in the first place? What if I have a reason that forces me to leave?"
"A reason that forces you to leave?"
Luffy frowned deeply, his rubbery face scrunching together.
With Luffy's straightforward way of thinking, he couldn't understand what Nami was trying to tell him at all.
Still, his study time was finally over!
"Why would there be a reason like that? If there's a problem, just say it and we'll solve it! Isn't that what companions are supposed to do? Help each other?"
Luffy stood up, looking completely serious.
Nami suddenly felt her mouth go dry.
Almost instinctively, she said,
"Then could you help me..."
Creak.
At that moment, the table Luffy had accidentally knocked crooked earlier shifted slightly.
A corner of the cloth covering it slipped down.
An overturned wooden picture frame was revealed beneath it.