Chapter 22: Perks
Mihawk sheathed his sword. Though his appearance was slightly disheveled, his demeanor remained undiminished.
He spoke calmly in his magnetic voice, "It seems that before long, another great figure will emerge from the East Blue—one whose name will shake the world."
Apollo smiled. "Perhaps more than one."
Mihawk's eyes flickered, and he gave an almost imperceptible nod. "Those are indeed some very interesting pirates."
"Next time we meet, I hope we can have a serious fight."
Apollo said no more. With a wave of his hand, he turned and flew back toward the Going Merry.
As soon as he landed, Nami pounced on him, clinging to his frame like a koala, her voice filled with excitement.
"Apollo, you're amazing!"
Apollo held her, chuckling. "Now do you know whether or not I was bragging?"
"Mhm, mhm."
Nami nodded her head vigorously, like a chick pecking at grain.
Even with her limited experience, she now knew that Apollo was far more powerful than Arlong.
Luffy and Zoro were strong, too, but their strength was still within the realm of her understanding.
The shadow Arlong had cast over her was too deep; instinctively, she hadn't believed they could defeat him.
If she asked Luffy and Zoro for help and they failed, both they and Cocoyasi Village would be doomed. That was why she had left without a word, choosing to bear the pressure alone and try to save the village through a deal.
But Apollo was different. His power was god-like, enough to shatter any shadow.
Nami wrapped her arms around Apollo's head, burying his face into her chest, and laughed excitedly. "Let's hurry to Arlong Park, defeat Arlong, and save Cocoyasi Village!"
A deal?
What was that?
That bastard Arlong wouldn't get a single Berry from her! Not only that, she would make him pay a bloody price for his actions!
Apollo's muffled voice sounded from within her embrace. "We aren't family. Why should I help you?"
Nami puffed out her chest. "Hehe, isn't this enough?"
Nearly half a minute later, Apollo finally lifted his head, letting out a long sigh. "Enough, enough!"
Anyone familiar with Nami knew exactly how impressive her figure was. Although she was dressed conservatively right now, covering herself quite thoroughly, facts did not disappear just because they were concealed.
He could testify that the sensation was absolutely overwhelming; he had nearly drowned in it.
"Hehe, thank you!"
Nami turned her head, resting it on his arm, lost in thought.
The Going Merry sailed quietly, and the deck fell silent.
Two minutes later, Apollo finally couldn't help but speak. "Aren't you going to get down?"
While a girl's body was soft and lovely, having someone constantly hanging off his chest wasn't exactly practical.
"No! I'm going to keep hugging you like this!" Nami said resolutely, and with a squeeze of her legs, she wrapped herself even tighter around him.
Apollo patted the rounded, perky curve near his hand. "This will lead to misunderstandings; I'm a taken man!"
Nami wiggled her waist, scoffing. "Hypocrite! You're clearly enjoying it! Besides, don't overthink it—I'm just afraid you'll run away!"
"This is the sea. Where could I run to?"
"I just saw it myself; you can fly!"
Apollo was speechless. "That... actually sounds somewhat reasonable. But since I've promised... never mind, let's not talk about that. You can't hug me forever. You have to go to the restroom eventually, right?"
"I'm not going."
"But I want to go."
"You can take me with you."
"Wow, Nami. You're a pervert."
"Say what you want. I'm not letting go of you anyway."
"..."
"Aren't you going to the restroom?"
"Not anymore. I can't pee with an audience."
"How vulgar!"
"That's still better than a perverted woman who wants to accompany a man to the restroom."
Nami snorted. "Don't act innocent after getting a benefit! This is all a perk for you!"
"That's true."
Apollo relaxed, lying back on the deck chair to bask in the sun. Holding Nami, who was sprawled on top of him, he unwittingly fell asleep.
When he woke up, the 'attachment' on his body was gone.
As soon as he stood up, before he could even finish stretching, a gust of wind came from behind him.
"You're quite persistent, aren't you?" Apollo said helplessly.
Then, a familiar body leaped onto his back, laughing. "Hehe, don't think you can run away!"
Apollo ignored her, looking at the island ahead. "Is that the place?"
Nami rested her chin on his shoulder, smiling. "Mhm. That's the island where Cocoyasi Village and Arlong Park are located."
For the past eight years, every time she returned here, she carried a heavy burden of pressure. This was the first time she genuinely felt happy and relaxed.
Because this time, someone was carrying the pressure for her.
Soon after, the Going Merry docked at a simple pier. With Nami on his back, Apollo stepped onto the island.
"What now? Should we go directly to Arlong Park and eliminate all the Fish-Men?"
"No! Let's go to my house first. I want to tell Nojiko the good news!"
"No problem. Lead the way."
Meanwhile.
After Zoro was defeated by Mihawk, he, Usopp, Yosaku, and Johnny also began to chase after the Going Merry.
However, their small boat was too slow, and they soon lost sight of the ship.
It was fortunate that they lost them early; if they had followed for a bit longer, they might have been misled by the ocean currents.
Yosaku and Johnny, based on the course and Nami's repeated glances at Arlong's wanted poster earlier, deduced her destination.
Eventually, they split into two groups: Yosaku went back to inform Luffy, while Zoro and the other two continued the pursuit.
Usopp leaned against the boat's rail, his brows furrowed. "Zoro, don't you think something's off?"
"No."
Zoro closed his eyes, pretending to nap.
Although Mihawk hadn't killed him, the injuries he sustained were not light. Any ordinary person would have been bedridden, and even he felt somewhat weak.
"No, no! We must have overlooked something!"
Usopp pondered deeply. After a long moment, a light bulb went off in his mind. "I remember now! Apollo is gone!"
Zoro opened his eyes, surprised. "It seems I haven't seen him for a while."
"Apollo Aniki disappeared?" Johnny looked terrified.
Usopp pinched his chin. "Let me think. Apollo was still there when we went to the Baratie, but when Krieg attacked, he was already gone. That means he disappeared during that time frame. Where could he have gone?"
"Did he run away because he was scared?" Zoro thought for a moment and asked.
Usopp shook his head repeatedly. "Zoro, Apollo is very strong!"
Johnny chimed in, "Zoro Aniki, you might not have paid attention, but 'Iron Fist' Apollo has been very famous these past six months. It's said that he single-handedly wiped out several large pirate crews."
"That guy is that strong?"
Zoro showed an interested expression.
Usopp said discontentedly, "Now isn't the time to discuss this, is it? We need to quickly figure out where Apollo went!"
"You guys think about it; I need to rest for a bit."
Zoro closed his eyes, then suddenly opened them a few seconds later. "I remember now. He said he was going back to the ship to rest."
Johnny rubbed his head. "But we didn't see Apollo Aniki on the ship."
"Then I don't know." Zoro closed his eyes again.
"So, Apollo is very likely still on the Going Merry?"
Usopp's expression suddenly relaxed. "Hahaha, then there's nothing to worry about! No matter what happens, Apollo will handle it."
"Maybe by the time we get there, all the Fish-Men will have already been dealt with by him."
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