Smoker's planned troop rotation turned out to be far more complicated than the peaceful handover he had originally envisioned.
Sweeping up the remnants, gathering evidence, reporting to headquarters… Smoker and Tashigi suddenly found themselves overwhelmed with tasks. Naturally, there was no way they could proceed with the planned attack on the Arlong's territory right away.
According to Tashigi, the pirate-clearing operation would have to be delayed by another day, and they likely wouldn't reach Cocoyasi Village for at least three more days.
Wallace, on the other hand, was busy returning to the East Blue Daily newspaper office to report and prepare the explosive news story he had gathered over the past three days.
With all the chaos temporarily settled and their few acquaintances all occupied with their own affairs, Garen and Nami found themselves with some rare free time.
In a town as unfamiliar as Loguetown, the only way to kill time… was apparently to go shopping.
In the most upscale tailor shop in Loguetown, Garen casually pointed to a suit on the rack that caught his eye.
"This suit is made from handwoven alpaca wool imported from the West Blue," the saleslady said enthusiastically as she quickly came over. "The design is by a prestigious noble from the Goa Kingdom…"
"Give me ten sets."
Garen's brief command immediately shut the saleslady up.
"Uh… haha…" Her expression became particularly complicated. "This… this is a limited edition. There's only one set."
"Oh?"
Garen responded casually, "Then pack up everything in the store that looks similar to this one."
After all, how could a protagonist not have a wardrobe full of identical outfits as backup?
"Uh…"
The saleslady was still struggling to process the situation. "Wouldn't you like to know the price first?"
"Ahem."
Nami, who had been following Garen closely, stepped forward with a sweet smile and slowly unzipped the large canvas bag in her hands.
The bag was huge—big enough to hold all of Garen's "earnings" from the past three days in one go.
Thanks to Smoker's special arrangements, the bounty from Steel Blade had already been converted into 10 million Berries in cash. Adding to that the "generous donations" from Buggy the Clown, Commander Hammer, and other well-meaning individuals… the contents of that bag were, frankly, staggering.
It was hard to imagine how someone as delicate-looking as Nami could even carry it, but she clung to the bag with a vice grip, almost like she was getting more energized the longer she held it.
The seasoned saleslady's eyes practically sparkled from the sight inside the bag.
Nami's smile grew even brighter.
After years of scrimping and saving, this was the first time she could enjoy the exhilarating feeling of spending big. It felt amazing.
Besides, technically speaking, all this money belonged to Garen anyway. If she didn't spend it, it'd just go to waste.
"Your family must be very wealthy…" the saleslady said dreamily, voicing her most heartfelt impression.
"Eh, not really," Garen replied casually. "We're just an ordinary family."
Nami, hauling the bag beside him, couldn't help but roll her eyes and shoot him a look of pure disdain.
"For me," Garen went on smoothly, "money only contributes about 5% to my happiness. I never went to sea to make money—making money is just something that happens along the way."
By now, the saleslady was staring at him with shining eyes, and the rest of the shop staff had gathered around him like stars surrounding the moon.
With money comes power.
All of Garen's unreasonable requests were fulfilled in just a few minutes by the highly motivated staff.
Dozens of identical white suits were neatly folded, carefully wrapped, and presented to Garen by the attentive shop staff.
Bills fluttered like leaves in autumn as Garen's shopping spree came to a smooth and dominant end.
Next up was Nami's turn to pick out clothes—Garen's version of an employee benefit for their "part-time navigator."
Though Nami had quietly become a hidden multimillionaire, her tragic past and tough life had made her extremely frugal. She was always wearing the same ordinary short-sleeve top and skirt.
This was the first time in her life she could wear whatever fancy clothing she wanted.
The long-suppressed girlish desire buried under the weight of survival finally had a moment to spread its wings.
She casually picked out an expensive piece and, surrounded by doting staff, walked into the fitting room.
The soft rustle of fabric being changed echoed faintly, adding an ambiguous tension to the atmosphere.
After a long wait, Nami finally emerged from the fitting room.
Surprisingly, she had chosen a pure white princess dress that was completely different from her usual lively style.
The off-shoulder dress draped elegantly on her slender frame, her vibrant orange hair just brushing against her delicate collarbones. Layers of light fabric cascaded down, highlighting her stunning curves.
The skirt flared out just below her impossibly narrow waist, revealing long, snow-white legs that shimmered under the warm lighting in a captivating arc.
Her smile was perfectly measured—playful dimples peeked through, while the slight curve of her lips hinted at a natural grace and allure.
"So pretty!" the first to praise her was the same saleslady who'd been helping them.
Flattering customers was part of her job, but this time, she meant every word.
"No need to say more." Garen silently pulled out another wad of cash. "We're buying it."
"You think it looks good?" Nami walked up to him and, for no particular reason, asked anyway.
"Stunning," Garen replied without hesitation.
Nami's smile brightened even more.
But Garen's eyes drifted slightly, landing on her left arm—
There, she wore a pale yellow silk scarf, which contrasted beautifully with her smooth, porcelain-like skin.
But Garen knew it wasn't just for decoration.
"You don't have to cover it," he said softly. "I know what's there."
Nami trembled slightly.
Garen's expression turned serious, his gaze filled with determination.
"In three days, I will keep my promise."
"That bastard… will die."
The ambiguous mood turned heavy. Even the saleslady instinctively tensed up.
"Mm." Nami simply nodded, but her eyes shone with unspoken light.
"Go pick out a few more outfits," Garen said with a gentle smile before dropping the most alpha line a man can say:
"Buy whatever you want. I'm paying."
…
A few hours later…
"Is it too late to take back what I said?" Garen slumped bonelessly into a chair in the store, looking weakly toward the fitting room.
Because of that one sentence, Nami had entered full-on shopping spree mode.
Unlike Garen's "buy in bulk" method, Nami insisted on trying on every outfit she picked out. She'd step into the fitting room, change, then come out to show it off for Garen's approval.
Yukatas, short skirts, hot pants, dresses, aristocratic gowns… you name it, she tried it.
At first, Garen was genuinely impressed and happily enjoyed the fashion show.
But over time, he felt like a dried-up salted fish, barely clinging to life.
"How can buying clothes take this long?"
"Why can't she just pack them and try them on at home?"
He sighed, burying his face in his hands.
"Ha ha…"
The saleslady beside him was also clearly exhausted, but the power of money gave her more stamina than a knight on steroids. "Girls always shop like this."
"Ugh…"
Garen sighed again and resigned himself to waiting glumly for Miss Nami to finish changing… yet again.
Moments later, she came out in a regal fur coat, radiating nobility.
She bounced over to Garen and asked the same question she had asked a dozen times already:
"Pretty?"
"Pretty my ass!" Garen snapped. "Why are you wearing fur in the middle of summer?"
"You spendthrift! Hurry up and finish shopping so we can go home!"
"Hmph!"
Nami huffed but wasn't the least bit deterred. She dashed off to a nearby rack to pick out more outfits.
"Sir, please be patient," the saleslady tried to smooth things over with a smile.
"Your girlfriend is so beautiful. It suits her—"
"Stop right there!"
Garen waved impatiently. "Don't say anything about beauty or whatever!"
"I have face blindness!"
"I can't even tell if she's pretty!"
(End of Chapter)