Knowing that Hogback was up to no good,
Luffy carried Nami, whose legs were still a bit weak, out of that mansion filled with bizarre specimens and cloying perfume. Before he could catch his breath, he heard a heavy snorting sound up ahead, accompanied by faint vibrations in the ground.
A massive figure in a puffy wedding dress emerged from the fog and blocked their path.
It was a wild boar?
More precisely, it was a strange zombie with a wild boar's head, a powerful human body, and a wedding dress caked in mud.
The boar zombie's small eyes sparkled with excitement, staring intently at Nami on Luffy's shoulder and the conspicuous wedding dress she wore. "The scent of the living—and a bride?!"
Luffy immediately set Nami down and stepped in front of her, his rubber arm already coiled and ready. "Hey, boar monster. You looking for a fight?"
But unexpectedly, the boar zombie didn't attack. Instead, she twisted the hem of her wedding dress shyly with her thick fingers, her voice carrying a hint of bashfulness?
"Wait! I'm not here to fight! My name is Lola, and I'm a zombie who believes in true love on this island!"
She introduced herself, her gaze still fixed warmly on Nami. "You, miss, wearing that beautiful wedding dress—you must be truly in love with this gentleman and about to walk down the aisle, right?"
How did you get that from this?
Me and Luffy?
Nami looked down at her wedding dress and suddenly understood. "No, you've got it wrong. There's no way I—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Was she supposed to say that she'd been forced to put on this wedding dress in that pervert's mansion as a disguise or something? That sounded even stranger!
And seeing the longing for love shining in Lola's eyes, the denial caught in her throat.
Two red clouds instantly bloomed on her cheeks.
"Ah, how enviable! I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes. To brave this dangerous island hand in hand with your beloved—such courage and love must surely be the real thing!"
Lola, completely ignoring Nami's hesitation, lost herself in her own world, hands clasped over her heart. "May I know your names?"
"I... I'm Nami."
"Oh, Nami-san."
Lola leaned close to Nami, her massive body carrying a scent of soil and faint decay. Her tone was surprisingly sincere. "Nami-san, I, Lola, would like to ask you for advice about love. I've proposed to 443 men and been rejected every time, but I know true love exists!"
Too close.
Nami held her hands up, wanting to refuse. Merry, meanwhile, offered her commentary: "Nami, that wedding dress really does look much better on you."
The compliment was nice.
But looking at the comparison subject, Nami broke into a sweat. "Haha, don't say that. Lola-san is beautiful too."
Lola, the wild boar, grew shy and demure. "Oh, Nami-san, you're too kind. But I already know that."
Yes—confidence is beautiful in itself.
Luffy looked on with a relieved expression. Thank goodness it was a crewmate day, free of random plans. What if he had been forced to learn something from this boar bride?
He had become rather picky, hadn't he?
"Nami-san, please be my teacher!"
That line sounded familiar.
Nami, caught off guard by Lola's sudden request, instinctively looked at Luffy.
"I think you're up to it," Luffy said, giving Nami a thumbs-up. "Nami, you're definitely a great teacher!"
Nami was speechless.
Especially seeing the reverent look in Lola's eyes—her small vanity involuntarily swelled.
Deny it?
Wouldn't that make her look unattractive?
Especially in front of a blockhead like Luffy!
She cleared her throat, lifted her chin slightly—with a hint of pride she didn't even notice and the air of someone experienced—and slipped up: "Ahem. Well, when it comes to love, of course you need to have the right methods and charm."
"You mean... not just charging in and proposing?"
"Of course not! Charging in like that is why your success rate is so low."
"Oooh! I see!"
Lola had an epiphany. She pulled out a little notebook and began taking careful notes. "So what exactly should I do? How can I find true love as unbreakable as yours and this gentleman's?"
True love?
Did Luffy even know what true love meant?
Nami suspected that if his attention were here, he would just ask what true love was and whether it could be eaten.
Luffy watched nearby as Nami-sensei displayed her prowess. He didn't want to fight Lola anyway.
She wasn't an enemy, so he couldn't use his fists.
Lola looked at Nami with even more admiration: "This gentleman is so straightforward and adorable. I'm sure he brings you many sweet troubles in daily life!"
This was what true love looked like!
Nami looked at Luffy's innocent face, then at the boar zombie who now saw her as a love expert, and suddenly felt exhausted.
But the words had already left her mouth. She could only steel herself and start making up love advice from shoujo manga and things she'd heard secondhand.
"In love, you need to fully show off your charm."
"Sometimes it's okay to give your crush a little treat."
"Don't let them have it all at once. Act a little shy. Be a tsundere."
"There's no need to force a label. When the time is right, it'll happen naturally."
...
Lola listened as if in a trance. "I see! Nami-sensei, you're amazing! I've decided—I'm going to propose to Absalom-sama right now!"
Absalom: "..."
Stay away from me!
Nami gave an awkward smile. Why did this feel so familiar?
While Nami was being forced to conduct this bizarre love seminar, a silent, unexpected visitor arrived at the heart of this ghost ship—the deepest part of the Gothic castle.
Inside the enormous bedroom, filled with shadows and piled high with dolls,
Bartholomew Kuma, tall, dressed in a black robe, holding a book with "BIBLE" on its cover, appeared like a ghost in the center of the room, utterly silent.
"Kishishishi."
"Well, if it isn't Kuma the Tyrant. What wind blew you to my island?"
Moria's distinctive, eerie laugh echoed through the empty room.
His massive body was sunk into his shadow-shrouded throne, only his jagged teeth and glowing eyes visible in the darkness.
He still carried the imposing presence of a Warlord of the Sea.
"An order from the World Government. A new Warlord has been found to replace Crocodile."
"Oh? Who is it?" Moria asked with mild interest.
"Blackbeard, Marshall D. Teach. He will succeed Sir Crocodile as the new Warlord of the Sea," Kuma said flatly.
***
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