"I really did it…"
Alex stared at his own hands, seemingly deaf to what Nami had just said, muttering under his breath.
"I really…"
His shoulders trembled slightly. Nami, standing in front of him, gave him a puzzled look, unable to understand what was going on with this man.
Just as she was about to reach out and pat his shoulder to ask what was wrong, Alex suddenly raised both arms into the air and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I'm no longer weak!"
It wasn't exactly earth-shattering, but the sudden outburst was enough to startle Nami, who hadn't been prepared at all. She froze, dumbfounded, looking almost like she'd turned to stone.
The truth was, Alex was genuinely overjoyed. For the first time in his life, he had defeated real pirates—and not just one or two. He had taken on seven of them at once and won easily. That victory filled him with elation.
To be fair, the Mockfish he had caught earlier was no less dangerous than the pirates he just beat—arguably, even more so. But the sense of achievement from defeating a beast and from defeating other people was worlds apart. His reaction proved just how much that mattered to him.
"If I can beat those pirates, then as long as I keep training hard, I can definitely get stronger!"
As he thought this, Nami's clever eyes lit up with a scheming glint. This guy seems like a bit of a reckless fool, she thought. Maybe I really can use his strength to achieve my goal.
With that thought in mind, she cleared her throat and brought up the idea of working together again.
"Work together?"
Finally coming down from his emotional high, Alex noticed Nami's presence and gave her a puzzled look after hearing her offer.
Her bright smile looked innocent, but there was something sly hidden behind it that instantly made Alex wary.
He knew Nami wasn't just a skilled navigator—she was also a master of deception, gambling, and stealing, with impressive acting skills. There was no way he could let his guard down without first building some real trust.
Still… Our very first conversation is about teaming up? That feels off.
Alex had hoped their first interaction would be more pleasant, but it seemed like they were already trying to outmaneuver each other.
"That's right! We can steal treasure from those dumb pirates and keep it for ourselves. If it works out, I'll cut you in—just a bit, but enough to make it worth your while. Trust me, if you work with me, you're guaranteed to strike it rich."
Nami sounded almost desperate for him to agree, her tone even a little flattering.
That only deepened Alex's suspicion.
He knew this woman was an extreme money-grubber. The idea that she would willingly share profits—especially with a man she had just met—was laughable. Alex would sooner believe a pig could swim across all four seas than believe Nami would hand over a single coin.
"No thanks. I don't want to work with you."
Alex rejected her offer without hesitation. He figured it was better to regroup with Luffy first. If he were ever going to team up with Nami, it could wait until she officially joined them.
"Hey, don't go!"
Nami quickly caught up and walked beside him, trying to strike up a conversation.
"By the way, how did you end up inside that treasure chest? And when you came out, you looked really mad. Did someone piss you off?"
"My mood's great now. I wasn't mad at anyone. Ending up in the treasure chest was just… an accident."
After thinking for a second, Alex decided not to tell her the truth. If he said Luffy had stuffed him into the chest, she'd probably laugh at him for days. Better to let it go.
As he walked away, he noticed Nami casually scooping up every bit of treasure in the storage room into a bag. She had a shallow gash on her left arm—clearly from the earlier fight with the pirates.
But despite the bleeding, Nami didn't even glance at the wound, too focused on collecting loot.
It wasn't a fatal wound, but still…
"You should treat that cut."
"It's fine," Nami said without looking up. "Once I finish packing these treasures, it'll be healing already. I've got great skin. It won't leave a scar."
She spoke nonchalantly, focused on inspecting each item. Occasionally she tapped on a large gold ingot, seemingly estimating its value.
What? Because you have good skin, it won't scar?
Yeah right. If I believe that, I'm a complete idiot.
Alex stared blankly at her. Her wound was still bleeding heavily.
The gash was right over the tattoo on her left arm. When he got a good look at it—like a vicious shark swimming through dark waters—he suddenly understood why she didn't care about the cut.
It was because she hated that tattoo.
Rip!
Without another word, Alex tore off one of his sleeves, grabbed the treasure-obsessed Nami, and quickly bandaged her arm.
Nami didn't even flinch. She was so absorbed in her treasure that she hardly noticed. That told Alex just how deep her obsession ran.
"This kind of wound can heal on its own. It didn't hit anything serious."
Turns out, Nami did know Alex was helping her. She just didn't mind, since he wasn't trying anything shady and was only helping with her wound. So she let him and stayed focused on the treasure.
You silly girl. What if that wound gets infected?
Alex shook his head. Back when he was learning to fish, he often got cuts and bruises due to inexperience. Over time, he gained a decent amount of knowledge about treating minor injuries.
"We did pretty well today. Let's get out of here."
Nami flashed a satisfied smile, tied the sack full of treasure, and slung it over her shoulder, ready to go.
"There really was treasure in that chest you were lying in, wasn't there?"
She asked as they walked.
"Yeah. It was full of gold. But it all got thrown into the sea."
Alex answered truthfully. From how Nami had completely claimed all the Alvida Pirates' stolen treasure for herself, he wasn't even surprised she didn't offer to share a single coin.
"What?! You threw it into the sea? Which part of the ocean? Tell me now—we might still be able to fish it out!"
The second Nami heard there had really been gold, her eyes lit up like money signs. Even her voice turned sweeter as she added, "By the way, what exactly do you do?"
"Well, technically speaking… I guess I'm a fisherman."