Chapter 116

The Kung Fu Sea Cow Xiao Qi's stomach growled a few times. It raised its head to look at Luo En beside it and said, "Master, when can we eat? I'm hungry."

Nami heard its voice and opened her eyes wide in shock as she stared at it. "A sea cow... is talking?!"

"Its name is Xiao Qi, a Kung Fu Sea Cow from Alabasta."

Conis introduced her with a smile. "It's our captain's disciple."

"Captain..."

Nami's gaze shifted from the talking sea cow wearing a red padded jacket and a felt hat to the black-haired youth beside it, who wore a black hooded fur coat with a black blade hanging at his waist.

He looked even younger than this Big Sister Conis and Big Sister Robin, and yet he was the captain?!

Wait?

Captain?!

"Are you guys pirates?"

Little Nami couldn't help but ask.

"No."

Conis smiled at her and said, "Just travelers on the sea."

"Is there a difference?"

"A difference..."

Conis thought for a moment and said, "Probably that pirates would rob your things, and we wouldn't."

While Nokko was tidying up and cleaning the room.

Nami invited Luo En and the others into the house, taking out the food at home to entertain them.

The food was only the cheapest black bread and some dried meat, all flavorless.

"If you don't mind, please eat..."

Nami, who had brought the food to the table, said to Luo En and the others, her voice as thin as a mosquito's whine.

Robin picked up a piece of dry, hard black bread, frowning slightly, and looked at Nami. "Is this what you usually eat?"

Conis took a bite—dry, hard, tasteless, like chewing wood.

Xiao Qi, on the other hand, didn't care about the food at all. It grabbed some and stuffed it into its mouth; being full was enough.

"These foods really don't suit your tastes... then please wait a moment, guests. I'll go to the village to buy some right now."

Nami hurriedly said.

There had been no money before, but now with this prepaid hundred thousand Berries, she could buy some decent food.

Nami was just about to run toward the door.

When the calm voice of that black-haired youth called Luo En sounded from behind her.

"No need."

Nami's footsteps stopped at once. She gripped the cloth bag of hundred thousand Berries tightly and lowered her head.

Sure enough...

How could these rich people from outside possibly stay in a poor house like theirs?

Saying they wanted to lodge here, ten thousand Berries a day and all that.

They were probably just playing with poor people like them, having a bit of fun...

Heh.

"As for food, we brought some. You don't need to go buy any."

Luo En's voice rang out behind her.

"I understand, I'll return the money right now to..."

Nami, who still hadn't snapped out of her own imagination, bit her lip tightly, turned around with glistening tears at the corners of her eyes, and held out the cloth bag in her hand.

"?"

Both Conis and Robin were stunned, their faces showing puzzlement.

"Nami, what are you...?"

Conis looked at her, her face full of confusion.

Only then did Nami suddenly come to her senses.

"Eh?!"

Luo En, sitting at the edge of the table, took a sip of water, turned his head to look at her, and smiled:

"Don't worry, we're not the kind of rich people who use money to toy with the poor for fun. The rent we paid you won't be taken back."

Facing his smile that seemed to see through everything, and the smiles of Conis and Robin as they caught on, Nami's face instantly flushed bright red.

But at the same time, looking at these outsiders she had only just met today, a warmth she hadn't felt since Bellemere's death rose up in Nami's heart.

The cold snowy winter day no longer seemed so cold.

"Guests, I've finished tidying up. Shall we go up now to see... Nami! What are you doing?!"

When Nokko had finished tidying and cleaning the room upstairs and was walking down the stairs, she caught sight of Nami sitting at the table, eating the food in front of her in big bites, and was instantly shocked.

"How can you eat the guests' food?"

"It's fine, we invited her to eat."

Conis, sitting beside Nami, smiled at her and said, "Would you like to eat some too?"

Hearing this, Nokko looked at the food on the table that she had never seen before, emitting an extremely pleasant aroma, and couldn't help swallowing.

Robin took a piece of pastry and walked up to her, smiling. "This is Coconut Heart Pastry from Rogue Town. Try a piece."

Nokko smelled the fragrance assaulting her nose, and the saliva in her mouth secreted uncontrollably and crazily.

"Then, I'll try a piece..."

After she ate the piece Luo Bin handed her, feeling that delicious flavor blossom in her mouth, tears couldn't help but well up at the corners of her eyes.

From childhood until now, she had never once eaten such delicious food.

So this is what happiness tastes like…

Luo Bin and Konis each fed one — Luo Bin feeding Nokigo, Konis feeding Nami.

Sitting at the edge of the table, the kung fu sea lion Xiao Qi, without a care, stuffed food into its mouth.

Sitting beside it, Luo En sipped the bubbling champagne in his glass while smiling as he watched Nami, seated across from him, eating meat steaks in big bites.

She's clearly still so small now, yet in the future she can become so big — truly incredible…

……

After they finished eating.

Only a small portion of the food on the table remained.

Nokigo, pressing her hand on the head of the well-fed Nami, bowed apologetically toward Luo En and the others, her tone ashamed: "This was clearly food meant for our guests, yet we accidentally ate so much of it… we're truly sorry."

"Don't mind it — we still have plenty of food."

Luo Bin said with a faint smile to the two girls.

She felt a strong fondness for these two girls who depended on each other for survival; she could see the shadow of her former self in them.

Nokigo and Nami cast her grateful looks.

Luo En stood up and said: "The room's been tidied up, right?"

Nokigo hurriedly nodded.

"Then I'll head up first."

Luo En went upstairs first, to rest in his room.

The kung fu sea lion Xiao Qi, after saying goodbye to Luo Bin and Konis, also went out, heading to the orange grove in the snow to practice its fist techniques.

Inside the house, only four girls remained — Konis, Luo Bin, Nokigo, and Nami.

Luo Bin and Konis chatted with them for a while.

Meanwhile, in the clean, spartan room upstairs.

Luo En took off his black coat and hung it on a nearby coat rack; after the black sword Shusui at his waist was returned to the system space.

He sat on the edge of the bed, and a light screen visible only to him appeared before his eyes.

The light screen displayed his attribute panel and the prop panel obtained from signing in.

Among the dozen-or-so columns of the prop list, a brand-new entry sat at the very top.

【Special Prop — Devil Fruit Replication Card.】

This was the reward Luo En received from signing in after arriving on this island.

【Devil Fruit Replication Card: Can replicate the Devil Fruit ability eaten by a Devil Fruit ability user.