"No need, I still prefer things the way they are now."
Kalina shook her head lightly and said with a playful smile, "I used to work alone too, and it was fun. But now I've realized that following Chris means I can plunder way more treasure than before. Like a while ago, after we took down the White Ghost Pirates, the rulers of the North Sea—wow, the treasure was piled up like a mountain! It was the first time I'd ever seen so much loot."
Kalina looked at Nami with sincerity in her eyes and extended an invitation. "Why don't you join us? When Chris defeats a pirate crew, we'll handle the looting. Hehehe~"
Perona, floating in the air, quickly chimed in, "And me too! Don't forget me!"
Nami rubbed her forehead and let out a bitter laugh, looking somewhat disheartened.
"Forget it, I'd rather work alone. I'm out of here."
With that, she turned to leave.
Kalina frowned slightly, a glint of intelligence flashing in her eyes as she asked,
"Are you in some kind of trouble? Tell us about it. Maybe we can help. It's rare to meet someone who clicks with me so well—we should help each other, right?"
Perona nodded with a giggle. "That's right! I like her a lot too. You should really join us. Horohorohoro~"
Nami stopped in her tracks, her eyes flickering as she weighed her options.
This group was incredibly strong—maybe they really could help her.
"Thanks for caring so much. I'll tell you my situation."
Nami turned back to face the two of them and sighed.
"The reason I'm stealing is to gather 100 million berries. My village, Cocoyasi Village, has been taken over by those damn fish-men. They bully us every day, treating us like we're not even human. But the fish-men promised me that if I can hand over 100 million berries, they'll leave my village alone."
She clenched her fist, pumping herself up with determination.
"If I keep working hard, I'll have enough in a few more years."
Kalina and Perona exchanged glances, finally understanding the situation.
"That's easy! No need to go through all that trouble."
Kalina shrugged and smiled. "I'll just tell Chris later, and we'll go wipe out those fish-men. Problem solved. Then you can come aboard with me, and we'll team up from now on. Hehehe~"
Perona nodded cheerfully. "Exactly! Who cares about some fish-men? Against Chris, they're nothing. If Chris decides to step in, they'll be finished in no time."
Nami waved her hands, looking worried.
"Their leader, Arlong, has a bounty of 20 million berries—the highest in the East Blue! He's incredibly strong, and he has a lot of powerful fish-men under him. Are you sure you can really beat them?"
Kalina casually brushed her hair back.
"Relax, don't worry about that. Didn't I just tell you? We took down the ruler of the North Sea. Do you know how much his bounty was? 83 million. This Arlong guy is just a measly 20 million—total garbage. Beating him would be a piece of cake."
Perona flitted through the air, laughing like wind chimes.
"And Chris didn't even lift a finger during that fight. A pirate worth just over 80 million isn't even worth our captain's attention. As for this Arlong you're talking about? Chris wouldn't even glance at him. Come on, let's head back. No more delays."
Hearing their words, Nami was stunned.
83 million?!
That was an unimaginably terrifying bounty.
She couldn't even wrap her head around it.
"Th-that's amazing..."
Nami snapped out of her daze, her face filled with shock. She was utterly shaken.
To her, Arlong's 20 million bounty was already insanely powerful—unstoppable.
But over 80 million? What kind of monster was that? It was terrifying.
Without further hesitation, the three of them chatted as they walked out...
Inside the Baratie restaurant.
"Delicious. Truly delicious!"
Sweetheart Queen gazed at the lavish feast on the table, her beautiful face glowing with happiness.
"It's so good. Absolutely amazing."
Betty, who had already finished eating, leaned back in her chair, crossed her legs, and took a drag from her cigarette.
"The flavor really is outstanding. No wonder this is the most famous restaurant in the East Blue."
Maddy smiled at the group.
"It's a shame we don't have the right conditions now. Otherwise, pairing this with some fine wine would really set the mood."
Reiju, who had returned a while ago, looked at Maddy with a playful glint in her eyes.
"No rush. There'll be plenty of chances like this in the future. I'm really looking forward to the wine you'll brew—it's bound to be fragrant and full-bodied."
Burgess slammed the table and laughed loudly at Chris.
"Captain, why don't we just kidnap these chefs? Then they can cook for us every day!"
Doc Q coughed, his smile eerie.
"That's a great idea. If they refuse, we'll just kill them."
"Enough nonsense, you two."
Lafitte adjusted his top hat and said calmly,
"Didn't Reiju just say her brother works here? Reiju is our partner. If you dare cause trouble, I'll kill you myself before the captain even has to step in. After all, the plan comes first. Anyone who gets in the way—I won't tolerate it."
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T/N:
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