"Ah! Let me see!" Nami carefully took the women's ring, admiring it for a moment before slipping it straight onto the ring finger of her left hand.
"Oh... it has your name engraved on it, Captain!" Nami cried out in surprise.
"Look here, this one has your name too," Ryuuto said, showing Nami the matching men's ring on his own hand.
"It really does!" Nami beamed, looking overjoyed.
"It's so beautiful!" Nami marveled after a moment. She then grabbed Ryuuto's right hand and slid the men's ring onto his finger.
"Perfect!" Placing their hands side by side, the rings glinted in the sunlight. The more Nami looked, the more she loved them.
Mwah~ Overcome with affection, Nami planted a quick kiss on Ryuuto's cheek and whispered softly in his ear, "I love you, Captain!"
After that, Nami settled contentedly on the back of the hover-bike, sometimes admiring the ring on her own left hand, sometimes leaning over Ryuuto to get a better look at his.
Ryuuto finally let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
Phew... that was almost a total disaster.
He glanced at the two rings, one on the ring finger of his left hand and the other on his right, and sighed.
Time slipped away unnoticed as the two of them joked and played around.
"Huh, how did we get to Grove 13 already?" Ryuuto suddenly realized, noticing they had pedaled their bike all the way to the thirteenth mangrove. "Well, since we're here, let's go take a look."
Ryuuto said it lightly, then glanced at Nami, who was leaning over the seat with her butt sticking up playfully.
Smack!
As his palm connected, he felt an incredible elasticity.
"What was that for, Captain?" Nami glared at him, pouting from the surprise attack.
"Come on! Let's go try some of the local cuisine!" Ryuuto parked the hover-bike and called out to Nami as he headed toward the wooden building beneath the tree.
"Honestly, Captain!" Nami grumbled to herself before following him.
"Shakky's Rip-Off Bar," Nami read the wooden sign by the door aloud.
"Captain, this isn't a clip joint, is it?" she asked, looking at Ryuuto uncertainly.
"Hahahaha, it is!" Ryuuto pushed the door open and walked right in.
"Captain, wait for me!" Nami called out from behind, pushing the door open herself.
Inside, Ryuuto saw Shakky, dressed in a white outfit, sitting behind the bar with her legs crossed, smoking a cigarette.
"Just as I thought. Not a single customer," Nami commented aptly from behind him.
"Well now, little lady. If you know this is a rip-off bar, what gives you the nerve to come in?" Shakky exhaled a smoke ring, resting her chin on her hand as her gaze went past Ryuuto to the girl looking around the room.
"With our captain here, I'm not afraid of anything!" Nami walked up to the bar as Ryuuto took a seat, pulling out the stool next to him. "I'll have your best drink!"
"And you, customer? What can I get for you?" Shakky slowly turned her gaze to Ryuuto and asked softly.
"I'll have the same," Ryuuto said, meeting her eyes for a couple of seconds before placing his hands on the counter.
"Fufufu, I get you," Shakky let out a soft laugh, giving the pair a meaningful look. The unspoken message was clear: she understood their relationship completely.
"Hmph!" Nami snorted defiantly, scooting her stool closer until she was practically glued to Ryuuto's side.
"Hahahaha..." Ryuuto felt Nami's subtle movement and let out a hearty laugh. His Nami was certainly not the shy type.
Youth is a wonderful thing, Shakky mused to herself as she watched them.
With the cigarette still dangling from her lips, Shakky mixed a blue and a red cocktail, sliding them over to Nami and Ryuuto respectively. "Your 'Inferno,' Captain Ryuuto," she said, pushing the drinks forward, "and for you, Miss, your 'Blues.'"
"Thank you, Captain Shakuyaku," Ryuuto said. He wasn't the least bit surprised that Shakky knew who he was. As a former pirate who now dealt in information, she would have certainly seen his bounty poster. By calling her by her full name, he was making it clear that he knew a thing or two about her as well.
"Hm?" Nami's eyes darted back and forth between the two of them. They were acting strangely, as if they had known each other for a long time.
"Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. I'm surprised you know it, Captain Ryuuto," Shakky said, her tone relaxed as she exhaled another puff of smoke. "This is an era for you young people. My only pleasure these days is watching you all grow."
Shakky spoke between puffs, her words carrying the weight of an old woman recounting tales from a bygone era.
"What's with you? You look so young, but you talk like you're ancient!" Nami protested, slapping her hand on the bar.
"Hahahahahaha~" Hearing this, the calm, unreadable expression on Shakky's face finally broke into a wide grin.
Nami, you really know how to flatter someone, Ryuuto thought, smiling at her earnest expression.
"Here, try my cooking," Shakky said, her mood clearly lifted. Figuring they hadn't eaten, she turned and pulled a large, bone-in slab of meat from the refrigerator.
"This is delicious," Ryuuto praised after taking a bite. "But the flavor is a little familiar. Let me think... That's it! I had this on Amazon Lily!" he said, his words slightly muffled as he chewed on the meat.
"So good!" Nami added, giving a thumbs-up.
Hearing Ryuuto mention Amazon Lily, Shakky froze for a second before looking at him with a playful smile. "Amazon Lily is off-limits to men! Are you sure Hancock didn't turn you to stone?"
"What? You know Hancock too?" Nami's eyes lit up like she had just stumbled upon some massive gossip.
"So you two are well-acquainted with Hancock, then?" Shakky leaned forward, propping her chin on her hands and forgetting her cigarette, her eyes fixed on them with burning curiosity.
"Of course we are! We just parted ways with her not too long ago!" Nami replied with a hint of annoyance.
Shakky's gaze returned to Ryuuto's face.
"Nami, maybe you should talk a little less," Ryuuto cut in quickly. "Let me introduce you. This is Captain Shakuyaku. Forty years ago, she was a renowned pirate captain. She was also the empress of Amazon Lily two generations ago."
"What?!" Nami gasped in shock. How was this possible? Was the world really this small? To run into a former empress of Amazon Lily on the Sabaody Archipelago...