Chapter 21
"Hmph! I already told you—you all deserve to die!"
Kai replied coldly to Gatt's words. At this moment, his stomach churned violently. This was Kai's first time killing—and not just one person, but many. The psychological impact was enormous, even for someone who had crossed over from Earth!
"You bastard! I'll kill you!"
Gatt roared in shock and fury. He thrust both hands toward Kai—ten thick ropes instantly extended from his fingertips, shooting toward him at high speed!
"Hmph! You die too!"
Sharp sword energy radiated a chilling glow as it condensed along Wado Ichimonji's blade. Kai didn't even bother with fancy techniques—he exploded forward in a direct charge! One powerful slash cleaved through all ten ropes in a single stroke. Then, with a leap, he soared above Gatt's head!
"Fangs Bloodlust!"
Splat!
Under Kai's furious strike, Wado Ichimonji slashed across Gatt's throat. A geyser of blood sprayed out. Gatt's eyes widened in unwillingness as his body collapsed onto the deck—killed in a single blow!
"Ugh—!"
After finishing Gatt, Kai finally couldn't hold it in. He bent over and vomited violently, cold sweat pouring down his body. Killing for the first time—and so many at once—was an overwhelming shock for someone who had come from a peaceful Earth!
Seeing Kai retch like that, Nami froze even more. She had heard many pirates talk about this reaction—it only happened the first time someone killed!
"A-are you… okay?"
Nami asked worriedly from a distance.
"Heh heh… I'm fine! I didn't expect the aftermath of my first kill to hit me this hard!"
Kai wiped his mouth and turned to Nami with a weak smile—his face still pale.
"Why… why did you kill all of them?"
Nami looked at Kai in disbelief, asking strangely.
"For you, of course! They were going to kill you!"
Kai didn't hide it—he answered softly with a gentle smile.
"Me…?"
Hearing that, Nami froze again. She stared blankly at Kai—still pale from vomiting—and at the horrific scene on the deck. Suddenly, her fear of him vanished. Instead, her heart filled with overwhelming emotion. No one had ever cared for her like this in a very long time. Two streams of crystal-clear tears immediately overflowed from her big eyes and rolled down her cheeks!
"H-hey! Don't cry!"
Seeing Nami's tears, Kai panicked instantly. He rushed over, completely at a loss—arms opening as if to hug her but hesitating!
"Thank you… sob sob…"
Instead, Nami threw herself into Kai's arms and cried loudly the moment he got close!
After a long while, Nami finally stopped crying. She quickly pulled away from Kai's embrace, her pretty face flashing with a shy blush!
"Heh heh! Nami, you look really cute when you blush!"
Kai smiled gently at the sight.
"They're all dead… Where do you want to go? I'll take you there!"
Kai glanced at the gruesome deck, then asked Nami. Holding her for that brief moment had instantly washed away the lingering fear from his first killings!
As he spoke, Kai didn't wait for her answer—he simply scooped Nami up by her slender waist and leaped onto the Phantom. He had no interest in taking Gatt's head for the bounty—dead people weren't worth it, and 5 million Berries wasn't enough to bother with!
"Wow~! So much gold…"
The moment Nami landed on the Phantom, she didn't marvel at the incredible car—instead, her eyes lit up at the pile of gold coins sitting on the seat!
"One…" "Two…" "Three…" "These are worth more than 10 million Berries!"
Nami muttered excitedly, eyes sparkling with Berry signs!
Seeing Nami's greedy, starry-eyed look, Kai was speechless. In just two years, Nami had already become a total money-grubber! But looking closely, Kai found this version of her unbearably cute!
"If you don't say anything, I'll just take you to the nearest town for now!"
Kai finally said helplessly.
"Wait…!"
"I still have 400,000 Berries worth of stuff on the ship…"
Hearing Kai was about to leave, Nami snapped back to reality and shouted urgently!
"Why didn't you bring Gatt's body back? That's 5 million Berries!"
On the open sea, riding in the Phantom, Nami looked at Kai in disbelief—like she was staring at someone who had just thrown away a fortune!
"I don't want a corpse in my car!"
Kai laughed inwardly at Nami's money-loving personality and replied calmly.
"You…"
"That's 5 million Berries! Just think of him as walking money—why treat him like a dead guy?!"
Nami pouted angrily. 5 million Berries—gone right in front of her eyes! Even though it wasn't hers, it still hurt!
"Heh heh! 5 million Berries is nothing—I'll just catch another pirate!"
Kai burst out laughing and replied casually.
"You…! Ugh! You win!"
Hearing that, Nami felt an overwhelming urge to punch Kai in the head—but thinking of his strength and reputation, she reluctantly held back. She looked at him with envy. If only she were as strong as him!
"By the way, 'Maple Leaf Hunter'! You're so strong—can you teach me?"
Nami's eyes suddenly sparkled as she stared at Kai's profile hopefully.
"Just call me Kai! Teaching you is no problem… but…"
Kai smiled when she used his name, but paused midway.
"But what?"
Nami immediately perked up when she heard "no problem"—then pressed anxiously when he hesitated.
"But my lessons are expensive. You might not be able to afford them!"
Kai's lips curled mischievously on the side Nami couldn't see—he looked almost regretful.
"Ah… h-how much?"
Nami asked cautiously, eyes wide.
"About 100 million Berries should do it!"
Kai said casually with a laugh.
BAM!
"You might as well rob me! Who charges that much for lessons?!"
Unable to hold back, Nami's little fist slammed hard into Kai's head. She exploded in anger!
After shouting, Nami realized what she had done. Her face immediately filled with apology as she looked at Kai—terrified she had just punched the Maple Leaf Hunter in the head!
"Ah? Too expensive? Then how about 1 Berry?"
Kai was stunned by the punch but didn't get angry. He inwardly cursed himself for being careless—how had he not dodged?! Then he continued in a suddenly enlightened tone.
BAM!
"Do you even know how to bargain…?! Who drops the price like that?!"
Unable to resist, Nami punched him in the head again! His words were just too infuriating!
"…"
Kai was speechless. Feeling the slight pain on his head, he inwardly groaned—careless again, twice in a row! But he still couldn't figure out how Nami's reaction was so fast. No wonder Luffy and the others feared her fists so much in the original story!
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