Lin En had always taken the initiative when it came to relationships, because—
—The brave get to enjoy first.
And so—
He hugged Nami tightly, speaking absolute nonsense with the most serious tone possible.
Things like:
"I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. That's why I joined the Straw Hat crew."
Or:
"Other pirates only see treasure, but all I see is you. Because you are my greatest treasure!"
The cringy pickup lines had Nami completely flustered.
Dazed, she leaned into Lin En's chest like she'd been dipped in a honey jar. Her beautiful eyes glazed over, misted with emotion.
She was only eighteen—a confused young girl. How could she have any solid emotional defenses?
One prod, and she was done for.
Off to the side—
Kaya couldn't hear what they were saying, but she did notice that Nami had stopped crying.
Instead, her face had turned an alarming shade of red—almost purple!
"S-Stop lying, you idiot!!"
Nami wasn't about to let Lin En take advantage of her emotional state. She quickly wiped away her tears, pushed against his chest, and pretended to be angry:
"Saying you like me... you're definitely just messing with me!"
Damn it! Damn it!
Nojiko and the villagers were still suffering—how could she allow herself to fall for someone?She had no right to feel happy.She was shameless for even considering romance!
Nami raged inwardly.
Yet… she kind of wanted to hear more of those sweet words.
Lin En, however, didn't keep up the teasing. Instead, he gave her butt a firm pinch.
"If you're feeling better, get up. You're guiding us to Cocoyasi Village. Don't play all shy now."
"AAAHH!"
In the next instant, Nami roared and punched him:"Bastard! Give me back my feelings!!"
"Pffft~"
Kaya burst out laughing—it was a beautiful sound.
Lin En, meanwhile, was gritting his teeth.Her little fists hurt like hell!No wonder—this girl was born with natural Armament Haki and Conqueror's Coating! What a woman.
But seeing Nami back to her feisty, energetic self, Lin En smiled and stepped back.
He let the two girls chat in peace.
He knew Nami was smart—she'd adjust quickly.
Looks like I'll have company tonight.
Lin En smirked to himself and headed for the cabin.
"Ahh~ As expected, summer's salvation is a good bath."
After a short nap and a hot soak, Lin En lay back on the bed, stretching out in total comfort.
"Open Status Screen."
With that thought command, a golden interface appeared before his eyes—visible only to him.
[STATUS – LIN EN]
Host: Jo Lin EnPower Level: Tier 6
Haki:
Armament Haki – Untrained
Observation Haki – Beginner
Conqueror's Haki – Basic Mastery
Combat Techniques:
Six Powers (Intermediate)
Reverse Scale Judgment (Entry)
Thousand Rivers Return to Sea (Entry)
Word Tags (Looted):
Courage Inheritance (Blue)
Hypnosis (Blue – Hentai Variant)
Free Loader (Red)
Master of Poetry (Red)
Super Magic Physique (Pseudo-Gold – Hentai Variant)
Conqueror's Haki (Gold)
Turn Enemies to Allies (Gold)
Speedy Growth (Gold – Hentai Variant)
Sit-ups (Gold – Hentai Variant)
Max Affection (Gold – Hentai Variant)
Voice of All Things (Pseudo-Rainbow – Unawakened)
Devil Fruit Tags:
Nika Form (Pseudo-Rainbow – Unawakened)
Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Mythical Zoan: Yinglong Form (Pseudo-Rainbow – Hentai Variant)
Overall Evaluation:
"Buffs maxed out, still a starter village mob!"
From Flintlock to Divinity—Concept Over Combat!
Lin En mentally sorted his tags into two categories: Combat and Conceptual.
Obviously, he currently leaned more toward conceptual buffs—such as Turn Enemies to Allies, Sit-ups, and Voice of All Things.
He only had a few combat-ready tags—and not all of them were even awakened yet.
Still, he was pretty satisfied with his Haki progress.
His Conqueror's Haki had only recently awakened, but his progress was absurdly fast.
Thanks to his five years of living alone in the mountains, his danger sense had sharpened naturally, allowing his Observation Haki to reach beginner level.
The only one lagging behind was Armament Haki.
He could accelerate his blood flow and make his body feel like iron—but that was merely the embryonic stage of Armament Haki.
On these seas, masters of Armament were everywhere. Black Arm Zephyr, for instance, had made it to admiral level purely with Armament mastery.
Naturally, Lin En wanted to reach that level, too.
But the beasts in the mountains hadn't been strong enough to train with.
To truly learn Armament, he needed a teacher.
Now… who would be a good fit...?
Knock knock knock.
As Lin En pondered, someone knocked on the door.
With his Observation Haki, Lin En instantly sensed the silhouette outside.
Creak—
He opened the door.
And there she stood—head slightly bowed, her orange hair gently swaying.
Lin En greeted her with a soft smile.
"Come in, Nami."
His voice was deep and warm—like a spring breeze.
"You're not surprised I'm here?"
Nami bit her lip, staring at his calm, knowing face.
"I figured you'd come—but I didn't think it'd be this late."
Lin En's smile grew even softer, almost indulgent.
He had already helped her resolve her inner demons yesterday.
She should have come that night.
But she had taken her time—clearly struggling with the decision.
"Lin En…"
Nami's voice was quiet, eyes filled with conflict.
He had waited up for her...She wasn't the only one who had lost sleep.
"If you—"
Before he could finish, something soft pressed against his chest.
Nami had thrown herself into his arms, her breath shaky, with faint sobs hidden in it.
Lin En exhaled and wrapped his arms around her delicate frame.
"Have you made up your mind, Nami?"
"..."
She lifted her tear-streaked face.
That same expression—just like in the original story—broke the heart.
Vulnerable. Beautiful.
"I've made up my mind. We're almost at the Conomi Islands..."
Tears flowed again.
She bit her lip, her voice hoarse:
"Lin En... he su...ki...da. (Help me.)"