Buzz!
Two pitch-black, glossy pills appeared out of thin air in his palm.
"A new day begins. I hope we arrive at Loguetown soon!"
After putting away the Body Tempering Pills, Lius turned around and entered the cabin to prepare breakfast for the day.
Nami was not awake yet.
Having not cooked for himself in two years, Lius was slightly out of practice at first. As he got back into the rhythm, he quickly regained his former proficiency.
After all, they did not have much preserved food left.
It was only enough to last them three days at sea.
According to their original plan, they would replenish their supplies once they arrived at Loguetown around noon.
Seeing that it was already morning, Lius used up all the remaining food to whip up a hearty breakfast.
He prepared a plate of ham and eggs, another of meat buns, a serving of noodles with minced meat, a bowl of thick tonkotsu ramen, and a massive rack of meaty bones.
The portion was not considered large, merely enough to feed a few dozen ordinary people.
"Aha, it smells amazing. You actually know how to cook!"
Just as he finished cooking, Nami walked out with sleep-heavy eyes. A hint of surprise flashed across her face as she caught sight of him bustling about in the kitchen.
Several plates of food were already laid out on the dining table. They looked incredibly appetizing.
"I haven't cooked in a long time. Back in my hometown, cooking for oneself is completely normal!"
Lius washed his hands and took off his apron. He took out the Body Tempering Pills and flicked his fingers, tossing them directly over to her. "Eat this first, then you can have breakfast!"
"Ah, this stuff again? Where did you even find these? Why do you only take out such a small amount every time?"
Nami caught the pills and scrutinized them. She shot him a doubtful look and complained.
"That is a secret!"
Lius sat down at the dining table with his cutlery in hand. "If you take too many at once, you might just explode!"
That immediately left Nami speechless.
He was right.
Taking the Body Tempering Pills would indeed strengthen her physique, but the tempering process was incredibly agonizing.
With that thought in mind, she popped the pills into her mouth and swallowed them.
The medicinal effects of the two Body Tempering Pills lasted for a full ten minutes before gradually dissipating.
Nami's face flushed red as she heaved for breath, looking as though all her energy had been completely drained. Catching sight of the breakfast on the table, she immediately charged over and devoured the food like a ravenous beast.
"By the way, I used up all the food we had on the ship. We'll need to stock up on a lot more supplies once we reach Loguetown!"
Lius mumbled indistinctly while crazily sweeping through his own portion of food. "Also, once we enter the Grand Line, I'll teach you some physical martial arts if we have the time. Otherwise, your physique and those few hundred units of power will go to waste."
"You don't need to remind me about the supplies. You should be worrying about recruiting crew members instead. Those people you have in mind won't be easy to recruit!"
Nami was genuinely amazed by his culinary skills. Although she tried to eat elegantly, she refused to stop savoring the delicious food even while speaking.
"There is no need to worry about the crew. We will just snatch the money and the people. Whether they are willing or not, I'm confident they will be conquered by my sheer charm once they board the ship!"
Lius declared with brimming confidence.
"I'm full!"
Nami stared at the incredibly narcissistic guy before her, imaginary dark lines dropping down her forehead. She turned around and headed out of the cabin. "Go get some rest. I'll wake you up when we arrive at Loguetown!"
"Gotcha!"
Lius replied.
He watched Nami leave the cabin before immediately resuming his sweep of the remaining food on the table.
A short while later.
Just as he finished his breakfast, a shrill scream suddenly pierced the air from the deck.
"Hm?"
Lius's expression changed drastically.
It was Nami!
Whoosh!
Acting purely on instinct, he executed Shave, one of the Six Powers.
The air in the kitchen exploded as his figure vanished from the cabin in an instant.
In the very next second, he materialized on the deck.
"What happened?" Lius arrived by Nami's side, vigilantly scanning their surroundings.
He instantly released his Observation Haki, probing every suspicious corner of the ship.
Strangely enough, there were no other auras on the sailing ship besides the two of them.
"Hey Nami, what happened?"
Unable to detect any danger, he turned to look at Nami.
The girl was standing with her head bowed and her fists tightly clenched. Her entire body trembled slightly, seemingly out of fear.
Hearing his question, she slowly raised her head. Her eyes practically spewed flames as she roared.
"Lius, you idiot! What were you doing last night?!"
"Huh? I was watching the ship all night long!"
Hisss!
Nami took a deep breath. She forcefully suppressed the soaring anger in her heart and asked in a cold voice.
"Then do you know where we are right now?"
"Aren't we on our way to Loguetown?"
"Did you steer the ship?"
"Steer the ship? Was I supposed to steer the ship?"
Lius's eyes were filled with confusion. A moment later, realization dawned on him. He slapped his forehead and let out a laugh. "Ah, my mistake! I thought the ship would just sail there by itself!"
Hearing this,
Nami buried her face in her hands and squatted on the deck, letting out a scream of despair.
"I don't want to live anymore!"
"Hahaha! It's really not that big of a deal. At worst, we'll just be delayed for a few more days."
"And you're still laughing!"
"Alright, alright. Let's head to the nearest town to replenish our supplies first. We can catch a few wanted pirates along the way, and I'll give all the bounty money to you."
"That's more like it!"
Lius truly had not expected this. He had kept an eye on the ship all night, yet they had not been heading toward Loguetown at all.
But even if he had been at the helm, he had no idea how to navigate or distinguish directions in the vast, endless sea.
So he couldn't really be blamed for this.
Right now, his only option was to awkwardly but politely change the subject.
"Fortunately, the nearest island is only three hours away!"
Fueled by the promise of beli, Nami was instantly reinvigorated.
However, having learned her lesson, she no longer trusted any of Lius's nautical advice. She took the helm herself.
…
Less than three hours later.
The silhouette of an island appeared in their line of sight.
Rumble!
At that exact moment, a massive pirate ship tore through the waters and recklessly sailed right past them.
The pirates completely ignored Lius and Nami's presence on their little boat.
"A pirate ship. Looks like we've found our bounty money."
Lius raised a brow and smiled.
But just as the words left his mouth, he found himself stripped of the chance to make a move.
Rumble!
Another pirate ship rode the wind and waves, sailing right past them in complete disregard.
"What is going on today?"
Nami's eyes widened in surprise.
She then looked out at the ocean surrounding the island, only to see the silhouettes of numerous pirate ships appearing one after another.