Chapter 17
The group—one guy and three girls—returned to Nami's house. Along the way, Guina and Nojiko chatted and laughed nonstop, but Nami's expression was uneasy, like she wanted to say something but kept holding back.
Jepack noticed her hesitation, nudged Guina, and tilted his head toward Nami.
Guina caught on and asked curiously:
"Nami, is there something you want to say?"
Nami: "Um… I have so much I want to say, but I don't even know where to start. After all these years of carrying this burden… it's just… gone. Solved so easily by Jepack."
"I have so many things I want to thank you both for. I want to ask if you saw the box where I stored all my sea charts. I want to visit Bellemere's orange grove, and… anyway, I'm just feeling so light right now. It's overwhelming. I'll be okay once I settle down."
Jepack: "Then let's take it one step at a time."
"First off—Guina and I don't need your thanks. You're already our third crewmate. Don't underestimate the bonds of the Abyss Adventure Crew!"
Jepack slung an arm around Nami's shoulders with a big grin.
"And if you really want to thank us… just let us eat more of your oranges! They're seriously the sweetest!"
The thought of oranges made his mouth water again.
Guina: "Yeah! We're crewmates—no need for thanks."
As Jepack's arm rested on her shoulders, he felt Nami trembling. He looked down at her face.
Large teardrops rolled down her beautiful cheeks, falling to the ground with soft plinks.
Her voice shook as she spoke:
"I… really… want to thank you both… I loved every day traveling with you on the Ten'en!"
"When you first invited me, I wanted to say yes right away! But I had to buy back the village first, so I refused."
"The second time you asked… I wavered. I wanted to think about it, but I was scared of dragging you into trouble with Arlong. That's why in Orange Town I planned to sneak back alone, deal with him, and then find you later to sail together!"
"I… I really want to be your crewmate!"
After pouring out her heart, Nami lowered her head in guilt, tears falling silently, too afraid to meet their eyes.
Jepack let go of her shoulders, gently wiped her tears, and spoke softly with warm eyes:
"Hey, little dummy—stop crying. From the moment you stepped on board, we already decided you were one of us. When a crewmate's in trouble, how could we not help?"
Guina: "Exactly! We don't need thanks from our crewmates. It's what we do."
Nami: "Then… do you still accept me as your crewmate now?"
She stopped crying, asking timidly—still feeling guilty about Orange Town.
"No, no, no… you're wrong. You're not our crewmate yet."
Jepack released her and spoke seriously.
Guina: "Jepack!!!"
He raised a hand to stop Guina from continuing.
Nami's tears started falling again. Her voice trembled with loss:
"I… I understand… I'm probably not worthy after all…"
Jepack: "Hey, hey—don't cry yet! I wasn't finished!"
"You haven't officially accepted our invitation to join the ship, right?"
He paused, straightened his clothes, struck a dramatically gentlemanly pose, and extended his hand toward her.
"Beautiful lady, would you do us the honor of becoming the third member of our crew? Our ship is still missing an amazing navigator!"
Nami's head snapped up, tears still shining in her eyes, surprise and joy flooding her face.
"Really? I can still be your crewmate?"
Jepack: "Of course! So… do you accept?"
Nami jumped up happily, threw her arms around him, and shouted:
"I accept! I accept! I'll be your navigator!"
Jepack's face lit up with pure bliss—he was over the moon!
Guina, watching the scene, rolled her eyes helplessly and quickly pulled them apart.
"Jepack—behave yourself!"
She whispered fiercely while secretly pinching the soft spot on his waist.
"Ow ow ow! Pain pain pain!"
Guina: "Now you know it hurts? See if you dare act like that again!"
Nami, still being pulled away, didn't notice the exchange. She dove into Guina's arms next, bouncing with excitement:
"I'm so happy! I get to sail with you again!"
The moment was watched by Nojiko, standing nearby in her light yellow vest. Her expression toward Jepack had subtly changed.
A faint blush colored her cheeks—maybe from the heat… maybe not.
She quickly composed herself, stepped closer to Nami, and spoke to Jepack:
"Jepack… thank you so much for saving our village from Arlong. I feel completely at ease leaving Nami with you."
Jepack glanced at Guina and Nami—they weren't paying attention. He stepped closer to Nojiko.
"No need to thank me. Nami's our crewmate. Taking down Arlong was just what needed to be done."
As he spoke, he leaned in even closer.
Nojiko's blush deepened: "Still… thank you, Jepack."
Jepack raised an eyebrow and whispered in her ear:
"If you really want to thank me… invite me for some oranges. I saw everything earlier, you know~"
Nojiko's face turned even redder—she'd thought no one noticed her lingering gaze at him.
Jepack continued softly:
"So… how about you join us too? Be our fourth crewmate?"
At that moment, Nami and Guina turned to look.
Nami: "Nojiko! Come adventure with us! Jepack's fun, Guina's great—sailing with them will be amazing!"
Nojiko: "I decline."
Nami looked disappointed. Guina stayed quiet.
Nojiko: "No need to persuade me. You know I'm not into adventuring, Nami. I still have the orange grove to look after, and Bellemere… Now that Arlong's gone, I can finally live peacefully here. That's the life I want."
Nami: "Oh… okay. That's a shame. I was really hoping we could sail together… I won't push you then."
She turned to Jepack: "Your turn!"
Nojiko: "Jepack, no need to invite me again. I don't want the adventurer life. I'm happy staying here, quietly protecting my orange grove."
Jepack: "Too bad~ I respect your choice."
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