“Phew~”
“Finally done.”
After another hour or so, the group finally managed to pack up all the ripe tangerines.
Belle-Mere weighed them all and said, “It’s 2,530 jin in total, let’s just count it as 2,500.”
“I’ll give you a discount of 20 Berries per jin, so it’s 200,000 Berries in total.”
“By the way, can you really eat this many?”
Belle-Mere clearly didn’t think the three of them could finish so many tangerines.
Besides, even if they didn’t get tired of eating them, how many days would it take to finish this much?
By the time they finished the first few hundred jin, the rest would probably have rotted away.
“Hahaha, you don’t need to worry about that.
We have very advanced preservation technology; they won’t go bad even after being stored for decades.”
After Kazi finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the 2,530 jin of tangerines vanished into thin air.
“This is…”
This gave Genzo and Belle-Mere quite a shock.
In all their years, they had never seen such a trick.
“Just a trivial little trick.”
Afterward, Kazi took 200,000 Berries out of his Independent Space and handed them to Belle-Mere.
“Want to count it?”
“No need, I trust your character.”
Belle-Mere took the box of Berries without counting them on the spot.
She believed that such a helpful group like Kazi’s wouldn’t cheat her on this.
Just based on that trick Kazi performed earlier, and the ability to knock out a large group of people from the neighboring village, they had no reason to fear Belle-Mere and the others.
Since the other party was still willing to trade fairly, it was clear they didn’t intend to act like pirates.
“Thank you for your generosity.
Thanks to you, I won’t have to go sell tangerines for the next few months.”
“I’d like to invite the three of you to my home for a simple meal to show my appreciation.”
“Eat?”
“Sure, sure!”
Kazi and Kalmande were indeed hungry, so there was no reason to refuse a free meal.
Seeing that Kazi and the others agreed, Belle-Mere was very happy.
After all, they had done her a huge favor.
She was raising two daughters on her own and wasn’t well-off, so this money was a timely help.
It was perfect timing, as Nami had been pestering her recently for books on navigation and nautical charts; she could buy some more for her now.
Genzo had also witnessed Kazi and the others’ actions and didn’t try to stop Belle-Mere.
Seeing them agree, he quietly prepared to head back.
“Genzo, don’t leave yet.
Come eat with us.
Thank you for all your help this afternoon.”
“Alright, then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
Genzo didn’t refuse.
It wasn’t his first time eating at Belle-Mere’s, so he wasn’t going to be pretentious.
Before long, the group returned home from the outskirts of the village.
Nami and Nojiko had been sent home by Belle-Mere to tidy up the house.
When Kazi and the others arrived, they found that although the house wasn’t big, it was clean and tidy, which was very pleasant to look at.
“I’m going to buy some vegetables and meat.
Please wait a moment.”
“Ah, I’ll go with you.”
Makino and Belle-Mere chatted as they walked out of the house to do the shopping.
It was mainly because Belle-Mere wasn’t well-off.
Makino, being kind-hearted, knew that Kazi and Kalmande ate a lot and was afraid they would eat Belle-Mere into poverty with just one meal, so she insisted on paying the bill.
Anyway, Kazi wasn’t short on money; he still had plenty of Berries in his Independent Space, enough for the three of them to splurge.
“Hey, hey, Uncle Kazi, Uncle Kalmande, where did you two come from?”
Nami and Nojiko chatted with Kazi and Kalmande, as they were very curious about the outside world.
Although they sometimes went out with Belle-Mere, they never went very far, just staying around the surrounding islands.
Nami loved drawing nautical charts and was very talented at it, so she longed for the outside world.
“Little Nami, you shouldn’t call us ‘Uncle.’ You should call us ‘Brother.'”
Kazi shook his right index finger from side to side, signaling that Nami should change how she addressed them.
“That’s right, that’s right.
We two are very young; the title ‘Uncle’ doesn’t suit us.”
Kalmande hadn’t been out of the starter village for long either, and his mindset wasn’t that old.
Seeing Kazi and Kalmande still fussing over this issue, Genzo felt speechless.
It was just a form of address; why insist on arguing about this with children?
However, the more they acted like this, the more at ease Genzo felt.
Regardless of anything else, they were still pirates.
Even though Belle-Mere had decided to host them, as the village patrolman, it never hurt to be cautious.
“But you look like adults, and you’re so tall, that’s why we called you ‘Uncle.'”
“Mhm, that’s right, so that’s not our problem.”
Nami and Nojiko argued their point convincingly.
As expected, women are talented in this regard.
Kazi’s eyes rolled, and he looked at the two little ones with a smile.
“Nami, Nojiko, do you two have any hobbies?”
They were just arguing about calling them ‘Uncle’ versus ‘Brother,’ so why did he suddenly ask about their preferences?
The shift was a bit abrupt.
However, being children, they didn’t dwell on the issue too much and answered Kazi directly.
“I like drawing nautical charts and want to become an excellent navigator.”
“I don’t have any special hobbies.
I just like helping Belle-Mere cook.
When others eat the food I make and smile, I feel very happy.”
Nami and Nojiko stated their preferences directly, and Kazi nodded with a smile.
So that’s how it is.
They are both good children.
Having dreams is good; it’s easier to manipulate them when they have dreams.
“Oh my, how did I suddenly find a complete cookbook here?”
“Kalmande, if I remember correctly, you have a map of the East Blue, right?
Take it out and let me see.”
“Let me see where we should go for our next adventure.”
“OK!” Kalmande clearly understood Kazi’s intent and took out the map without a word.
The two items were placed on the table, and Nami and Nojiko’s eyes sparkled.
“Ahem.”
“Oh my, if only I had two good little sisters.
I’ve wanted a little sister since I was a child.”
Nami and Nojiko weren’t stupid children; they realized what was happening at this point.
However, their mental fortitude wasn’t as firm as an adult’s.
They only hesitated for a second inside before completely giving in.
“Brother Kazi, Brother Kalmande, thank you!”
After saying that, they quickly took the cookbook and map from the table, each taking one, as if they had found a treasure.
“Hahaha, I told you, I’m so handsome, how could I possibly look old?”
Genzo watched the whole thing and felt ashamed to be an adult alongside Kazi.
He was a grown man, yet he was playing tricks on children.
Should one call it retaining a childlike innocence, or just having no sense of shame?
“Come, Nami, here’s this for you.” Kazi pulled out an exclusive den den mushi and handed it to her.
“This is…
a den den mushi?” Nami didn’t know what Kazi meant by giving her this, her big eyes blinking as she looked puzzled.