NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: CH 4
"Um."
Kaya put down her medical book and smiled sweetly. "My name is Kaya. I'm 17 years old, I love reading, and my dream is to become a doctor. I hope to cure all patients and make all kind people healthy."
"Yes, I believe in you, Kaya." Bai Yu clapped his hands encouragingly, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Nami, watching from the side, pouted.
"Your turn, little sister Nami!"
"Humph!"
Nami snorted, then said casually, "Nami. 18 years old. I love—" She paused awkwardly. "Bees—cough."
Kaya tilted her head in confusion, but Nami quickly covered her stumble with a cough and continued, "I like growing oranges, eating oranges, and… my dream is to draw a map of the world."
At the end, Nami lowered her head.
When she thought about the Arlong Pirates, she wondered—would she ever even have a chance to realize that dream?
Bai Yu glanced at the downcast Nami and said solemnly, "Bai Yu. In terms of physical age, I should be 18 now, but—"
"Wait a minute!"
Nami suddenly looked up, her mouth twitching. "How old are you? 18?"
"Eight—"
"Hah! I'm older than you! I was born in July. Hurry up, hurry up, call me 'big sister,' little brother Bai Yu!"
Nami jumped up, suddenly energized, her face full of pride and confidence.
Kaya couldn't help laughing. "Sister Nami is so cute!"
Bai Yu's expression darkened. "Sorry, I was born in January."
"Liar! You're from August!" Nami puffed her cheeks, refusing to believe him.
Kaya raised her hand meekly. "Sister Nami, I really was born in August. Bai Yu never lies."
"Ugh, you're hopeless." Nami ruffled Kaya's hair in frustration. "Is it really okay for someone this innocent and sweet to become a pirate?"
Ignoring her, Bai Yu continued, "Hobbies… normal guy stuff. Dreams… to become stronger than anyone else."
Nami blinked, confused. "Wait, what exactly is 'normal guy stuff?' Be specific."
"I know, I know!" Kaya raised her hand enthusiastically. "Brother Bai Yu says normal men have five hobbies: power, wealth, fame, strength, and… beauty."
"If you don't want those, you're not a normal man," she added with a serious nod.
Seeing Bai Yu nod in agreement, Nami grumbled, "Who doesn't want that? So what's your real hobby?"
Bai Yu smiled and declared firmly:
"I. Want. It. All."
"…"
Nami was speechless.
Kaya's cheeks turned pink as she thought to herself, "I must count as 'beauty,' right? Does Brother Bai Yu want me?"
"This feels so unreliable…" Nami muttered, rubbing her temples.
First, there was Luffy, the airheaded Straw Hat captain who kept calling her his crew without even asking. Then Zoro, the directionally-challenged swordsman who could barely follow a map. And Usopp, the long-nosed liar who barely had the courage to board a ship.
And now… Bai Yu. Ruthless, domineering, and traveling with an innocent girl like Kaya. Could this group even survive the East Blue?
"Forget it…" Nami sighed, shaking off her thoughts. "You keep talking about heading west. Where exactly are we going? I'll plan the route."
"Cocoyashi Village," Bai Yu replied plainly.
"Oh, I know that place, I—" Nami froze mid-sentence. Her expression went blank, and her voice trembled.
"Why… why are you going there?"
Bai Yu's gaze was serious as he stared into Nami's eyes.
"Listen. In the East Blue, except for a few individuals, no pirate crew can match me—even the Arlong Pirates."
Boom!
His words hit Nami like an explosion.
He knows!
He knows everything!
This was the only thought running through Nami's mind.
In Bai Yu's piercing gaze, it felt as though every one of her secrets had been laid bare. She felt powerless, her fear of Arlong consuming her.
Finally, she screamed, "What do you know?! They're fish-men! Born with ten times the strength of humans! And there are dozens of them!"
"Don't go there! You'll die!"
"They're… they're invincible!"
Nami's voice cracked as she fell to the ground, trembling. Memories of her past flooded her mind, and tears streamed down her face.
A small part of her had always wished that someone could defeat Arlong.
But over the years, her fear had grown. Arlong's "invincible" presence had become an unshakable truth in her heart.
"Sister Nami…" Kaya crouched down, hugging Nami tightly. "Don't be afraid. No matter what, Brother Bai Yu and I will help you. We're family."
"Family… family will die too," Nami sobbed, thinking of her mother, Bell-mère.
Bai Yu remained silent.
He knew words alone couldn't erase Nami's fear. Eight years of torment couldn't be undone so easily.
"System, start the lottery."
"Ding! Host has successfully recruited Nami as a crew member. The Myriad Realms lottery begins!"
The turntable appeared once again, its six sections spinning: Creatures, Items, Abilities, Information, Concepts, Energy.
This time, the pointer stopped on the Items section.
"Ding! Congratulations to the Host for acquiring: Random Devil Fruit Card x2!"
"Ding! Optimization mechanism triggered. Would you like to optimize?"
"Devil Fruits?" Bai Yu's eyes lit up. "Two?"
He couldn't help but feel thrilled. Kaya's frail health had always been a concern. Years of sickness had left her body weak, with no way to recover through normal means.
Perhaps one of these Devil Fruits could help.
"System, are the Devil Fruits drawn from this world, or are they completely random? Could there be something like the Phoenix Fruit?"
The system, as always, offered no response.
"Tch. Dead program," Bai Yu muttered.
With renewed determination, Bai Yu decided: first, he would deal with Nami's fears and Arlong. Then, he'd find a way to heal Kaya's body.
If East Blue couldn't provide what they needed…
"Then we'll head to the Grand Line."