Chapter 273: Nami's Resolve!
Marineford · Roy's Office
After confirming that Gion had safely set off with Ace and Luffy, Roy returned to his office. Just as he sat down to process the mountainous pile of official documents, a hurried knock came from the door.
"Come in."
The door was pushed open, and Nami walked in briskly.
Her usually smiling face was uncharacteristically serious, a trace of anxiety in her eyes.
Roy looked up, smiling faintly. "Nami? What's wrong?"
Before Roy could react, Nami walked right behind the desk, grabbed his hand, and shook it gently. Her voice carried a hint of a coquettish sob:
"Big Brother Roy!!! I want a Devil Fruit too! I want to get stronger!!!"
Roy paused slightly, raising an eyebrow. "What happened? Did someone bully you? Why do you suddenly want a fruit?"
Nami stopped her movements, putting away her coquettish expression. She took a deep breath, her voice incomparably resolute:
"Ever since the battle at the Sabaody Archipelago, I've felt like I'm just too weak!"
"On a battlefield like that, I couldn't help Luffy and Ace at all..."
She bit her lip, unwillingness shining in her eyes. "I don't want to just be protected. I don't want to hold them back!
I want to become strong enough to truly help Luffy!!!"
Her tone carried an unprecedented resolve. Even Law, who was quietly processing documents on the side, couldn't help but stop his pen and look up at Nami.
Roy looked at this girl who had grown up in the Marines, recalling the sight of her using her Clima-Tact to protect her comrades. His heart stirred slightly.
He stood up slowly, reaching out to rub Nami's long orange hair, his voice gentle but firm:
"Don't worry. I already have people looking for a suitable Devil Fruit for you."
"Really?!!"
Nami immediately looked up, her eyes sparkling, looking as if a fire had been reignited within her.
Roy smiled faintly, thinking to himself:
"Although Nami hasn't awakened Armament or Observation Haki yet, she has already mastered Rokushiki very well. Combined with that Clima-Tact fused with the Swift Fruit, her strength isn't weak."
"If she can get that fruit we are looking for, and make further breakthroughs in meteorology... her combat power will definitely undergo a qualitative change."
"Perhaps I should find an opportunity to snatch Zeus over early?"
Pondering for a moment, Roy closed the files on his desk and turned to don his Justice coat.
"Get ready. I'm taking you somewhere."
Nami froze, blinking in confusion. "Where?"
Roy looked back, a smile appearing on his lips. "A place that will take your meteorology to the next level... Perhaps, it will be the starting point of you becoming a true powerhouse."
Hearing this, Nami held her breath, her heart racing, seemingly already feeling a new adventure quietly beginning.
After arranging for Law to handle the subsequent affairs, Roy took Nami and teleported from the office straight back to Bellemere's exclusive residence.
The two had just steadied their footing when the front door was suddenly pushed open with a BANG.
"Nami! Where did you run off to?! Nojiko said you didn't even eat lunch!!!"
It was Bellemere.
She had just returned to Headquarters from the West Blue battlefield. The battle intent covering her body hadn't fully dissipated. A military coat hung loosely over her shoulders, her short pink hair slightly messy from the sea breeze, and her signature bold smile hung on her face.
Ever since she learned Rokushiki and successfully awakened Armament Haki, she had been passionate about leading troops out to sea to annihilate pirates, thoroughly cementing her reputation as the tough woman of the East Blue.
"Mom, you're back!" Nami's eyes lit up, and she immediately lunged over to hug her.
Bellemere patted Nami's back, laughing and scolding, "I heard you and Luffy made a huge scene at Sabaody? Don't be so reckless next time!"
She shifted her gaze to Roy. "Where are you planning to take her?"
"I plan to take her on a long trip," Roy answered truthfully. "She wants to get stronger."
"Out to sea, huh..." Bellemere raised an eyebrow slightly, but thinking of Roy taking her, she quickly felt reassured and smiled with gratification.
"That's good. It's about time she learns to stand on her own."
Just then, the clattering of utensils came from the kitchen, and Nojiko rushed out, still holding a rice paddle. "What?! Nami is going out to sea?!!"
"Then we need to get ready right now!"
She tossed the rice paddle aside and ran into the storage room like a whirlwind, muttering to herself while moving things:
"First-aid kit, winter clothes, spare Clima-Tact core modules, and a dedicated communication Den Den Mushi..."
Roy watched her busy figure, unable to resist teasing Bellemere in a low voice: "Your daughter is more anxious than you are."
Bellemere grinned. "Hmph, that girl... she doesn't say it, but she worries more than anyone else in her heart."
She then shouted into the house, "Roy is going with her! What are you so worried about?!"
A dozen minutes later, Nojiko returned carrying a large pile of supplies. She was sweating slightly on her forehead but patiently helped Nami pack.
Roy sat by the sofa, watching with interest, and suddenly spoke up. "By the way, Nojiko, I heard Staff Officer Tsuru has been valuing you highly recently?"
Nojiko's hands paused before she smiled. "That's just Granny Tsuru taking special care of me. She says I'm steady and meticulous."
"Because I don't have any talent for combat, I just wanted to do as much as I could to help everyone with logistics."
As her voice fell, Roy looked at her seriously, his tone steady and affirming:
"Logistics is also incredibly important. Without people like you and Staff Officer Tsuru holding the fort, how could those of us charging forward feel secure entrusting our backs to you?"
The two shared a smile, a trace of warmth flashing in Nojiko's eyes.
Not long after, the supplies were packed, and Roy teleported away from the residence with Nami.
...
Marineford · Military Dock
The moment the two appeared, the soldiers on the dock immediately saluted neatly: "Vice Admiral Roy!"
Moored at the port was a brand-new miniature warship.
The ship's hull had sleek lines, entirely utilizing the latest wind-pressure protection design. A totem of a cloud bird soaring with spread wings was carved onto the bow. Sunlight spilled onto the silver-white hull, reflecting a dazzling radiance, looking just like a divine bird about to launch into the clouds.
Nami gasped in awe, running forward briskly with stars shining in her eyes. "What a beautiful warship! I've never even seen this model!!"
Roy smiled slightly, stepping onto the deck. "This is the latest special-operations vessel. Most of the time, I use teleportation to travel with people, so it has barely seen any combat. Naturally, it looks brand new."
The sea breeze howled. The mini warship cut through the waves, its white wake stretching across the azure sea all the way to the horizon.
Nami stood at the bow, her long orange hair flying in the wind, her eyes sparkling brightly in the sunlight.
She turned around, an unconcealable excitement on her face. "Big Brother Roy, hurry and tell me—where exactly are we going?"
Roy stood behind her, hands clasped behind his back. His gaze crossed the emerald sea and white clouds, landing on the distant horizon.
"The destination of this trip is—the Small Sky Island, Weatheria."
Nami's pupils shrank abruptly, surprise and excitement intertwining on her face. "Weatheria?! That's the legendary, absolute peak holy land of meteorology!"
Roy smiled faintly. "There, you will truly understand—what it means to control the weather."
Waves crashed against the hull, and white clouds churned in the sky.
Nami clenched her fists tightly. The Clima-Tact trembled slightly at her waist. She took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, looking forward with a resolute gaze.
"Luffy, Ace..." she said silently in her heart.
"From now on, no matter how dangerous the battlefield you go to, I will definitely be able to keep up."
"I will no longer just be the one being protected."
"I am going to become your most reliable nakama!"
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