Chapter 135: Nami's Admiration as a Nautical Genius
Hancock's "problem" with Roy had already been dealt with on the ship.
After a very private and very intense "discussion," she had decided to forgive him for now.
Not really for Roy's sake, of course.
Mostly because she felt sorry for Toki.
…
On the way back to the orange grove, Roy bought a skewer of grilled meat and ate as he walked.
He had eaten a lot at lunch, but he had burned through just as much energy afterward.
So, proper refueling was still necessary.
Young or not, having a strong body and plenty of strength was no excuse to act reckless.
Overtraining did not really tire him out, but you still had to replenish what you spent.
That was how you stayed healthy.
Roy took a big bite of the meat, then unhooked the flask at his waist, unscrewed the lid, and took a long drink of the goji berry tea Hancock had brewed for him.
"That hits the spot," he sighed, looking at the orange grove ahead that felt both close and far.
Time to pick up his trees.
Back when he had been a kid in his previous life, he had only thought about milk. He had wanted to try goji berry tea for a long time, but he never really needed it.
Now, as a grown man, he was firmly in the goji tea camp.
"Oh, it is Brother Roy!"
Nami, who had been squatting among the pots, jumped to her feet when she saw the red haired man walking over.
Roy was their big customer, and because of him Nami had finally saved up enough money to buy a book.
So seeing Roy again felt almost like seeing family. She was overjoyed.
If you ignored the little golden berries signs sparkling in her eyes, anyway.
In Nami's mental notebook, Roy's labels looked something like this:
[Rich. Generous. Not stingy at all. Will give Nami money. Anyone who gives Nami money is a good person. Walking Berry dispenser.]
"Here, Nami, this is for you."
Roy handed her a nautical book he had picked up on the way.
And, of course, took the chance to rub her hair again.
Nami's eyes lit up even brighter than they would have for raw cash.
She hurriedly opened the book, flipping it from page to page, and sweetly thanked him.
Roy gently ruffled her hair and smiled. "Take me to Bellemere. How are my trees coming along?"
"Almost ready, come with me!" Nami hugged the book to her chest and trotted ahead, letting him pat her head as much as he liked.
Nojiko, watching from the side, was furious.
This bratty little sister, acting totally different toward other people…
"Nami, are your oranges not selling well?" Roy asked as they walked.
"Yeah, not many people buy them…" Nami said with a headache, glancing at one of the trees heavy with fruit.
She still did not even bother pushing his hand away when he rested it on her head again.
Oh, Nami.
So your price is set at one book, huh.
"Does Nami like drawing sea charts? Is she also interested in weather?" Roy asked casually as they entered deeper into the grove.
"Yeah. I have always loved drawing sea charts since I was little," Nami replied. "But do you know why I started liking climatology?"
She reached up, pried his hand off her head, and stepped a little to the side.
Enough head pats for one book.
If you want to keep patting, then bring more books.
"Oh?" Roy smiled. "Why is that?"
He really did want to know how the future genius navigator, who could turn knowledge into power, had first fallen in love with meteorology.
On the Thousand Sunny, only Nami and Robin were true academic monsters.
"It is because of the orange harvests," Nami huffed, snatching a plump orange from a branch. She peeled it in a few quick motions and stuffed a segment into her mouth.
"Let me guess." Roy tilted his head. "Because when everyone's harvest is good, your oranges do not stand out. So you wanted to study the weather, understand it, then control it, so your family's oranges would sell better than everyone else's."
"Huh? You are pretty smart, Brother Roy." Nami looked up at him.
To put it more accurately, her eyes said, "Huh? You are not as stupid as you look."
Roy stared at her, speechless.
This little thief cat was still too young to control her expressions. Even he could read them perfectly.
"But later I realized that was not a good idea, so I gave up on it," Nami sighed.
"Because your knowledge is nowhere near enough to change the weather yet," Roy teased with a grin.
"You…!" Nami glared. "Why are you saying something so obvious like it is some big insight!"
Up ahead, in front of their house, Bellemere was hard at work.
She had prepared more than a dozen large clay pots and was carefully transplanting orange trees into them.
"Just a moment. Nami, go get some water for our guest," Bellemere said warmly to Roy, then turned back to her work.
"Okay." Nami nodded, then promptly waved the nautical book in front of her. "Look, this is a present from Brother Roy."
After showing off, she did not give Bellemere any time to object at all. She giggled and ran straight into the house.
She had wanted to tell Bellemere not to buy her books anymore.
Not because she had suddenly become more sensible.
But because they were too poor.
Most family conflicts came down to one thing.
Money.
Bellemere spent almost everything she had on her two girls.
She would go hungry herself and save all the good food for them.
For a single woman in her late twenties, that kind of devotion made her more admirable than most mothers.
Now that Nami had her book, she poured a glass of water for Roy, then immediately slipped back into the room to read.
Since she had secured this windfall, she did not want Bellemere to spend money on more books.
After all, Roy, this fat sheep, was a one time catch.
Their family still had a long, hard road ahead.
"I am really sorry to trouble you," Bellemere said to Roy with an apologetic smile.
"It is nothing. You go ahead. I will look at the charts she has already drawn," Roy replied.
Only after getting Bellemere's nod did he head toward the house.
First meeting or not, a little politeness never hurt.
Once they were more familiar, there would be no need for it.
Inside, Nami sat at the table, one hand pressed on the new book, the other holding a pen poised over blank paper.
She was just about to start sketching a new sea chart when she noticed Roy sit down beside her.
She looked up, blinked, and glanced at him.
You understand this, right?
Her eyes were full of expectation.
"Of course I do," Roy said with a smile. "I am a great adventurer who has sailed all over the world. I have studied navigation since I was a child."
"Then tell me, where have you been?"
Nami was hooked instantly.
A dry book could not compare to the firsthand tales of a living navigator.
"My starting point was Elbaf, in the New World," Roy said.
He set down the cup, having emptied the last of the water.
Nami understood at once.
She grabbed the cup, hopped off the chair, and ran over to refill it.
"Here, more water."
Her thin little hands carefully passed the glass to Roy.
Which clearly meant,
Please continue.
"When it comes to the New World's climate, it really is magical," Roy said. "The weather changes faces like a performer. One moment the sky is perfectly clear, and the next, a storm crashes down and the whole sea goes wild."
"The New World is the most dangerous sea in the world, and the one with the most shipwrecks. Some currents rise up from the sea like giant snakes, slamming into ships and smashing them to pieces."
"Oh? How big is that giant snake?" Nami leaned in, eyes shining.
"In a few days, your big brother will introduce you to his pet snake," Roy chuckled. "You can see for yourself how huge it is."
Inside the small house, Roy began describing the New World's seas in detail, then moved to the first half of the Grand Line, then the West Blue, North Blue, and South Blue.
If Nami wanted, they could even talk about what happened above the clouds.
Nami listened with absolute fascination.
What sounded like stories to other children were, in her ears, detailed information about ocean currents and climates across the world.
If Robin were here, she would probably complain that this did not match the last century of recorded sailing routes.
Because when Robin sat down to listen, the conversation would drift toward time, history, and the flow of ages instead.
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