𝔸 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕕 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

Chapter 26

Hey y'all, just a warning in advance, this one is gonna get spicy. if I need to be more specific, there's a lemon coming up, when it starts should be pretty obvious. Anyway, hope you guys enjoy ;)

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After Nami had managed to peel herself away from Luffy, realising that they were in the middle of a busy main road, they made their way to lunch. They settled down in a relatively lively restaurant, a quivering waiter came out to meet them. "H-hello, can I t-take your order?" He asked, not raising his head to make eye contact at any point. Luffy didn't seem to mind. Nami, in-turn, did her best to ignore it.

"I'll get... everything from here," His finger pressing the menu, forcing the man to look at what Luffy was showing him. Luffy dragged his finger across the menu "to here," he said simply, as if he hadn't just ordered practically their whole menu. Nami could see the man's bottom lip wobble, uncertain if his next words would mean his doom. "Oh, and whatever she wants," Luffy added calmly.

"Luffy, I'm the one with the money remember?" Nami teased, hoping to show the waiter and other onlookers that Luffy was harmless. Though it also registered with her that it wouldn't matter either way if these people accepted them, because Luffy was one of the most powerful men on the grand line. Credited with being the 5th emperor of the sea, it didn't matter if this whole island rose up against him.

Luffy smiled broadly at her, making her heart go manic in her chest. "You're right," he corroborated, not at all offended by her. Luffy didn't seem to notice, but some of the tension in the room dissipated, and the waiter's shoulders relaxed slightly. Nami took that moment to order her own food before Luffy could begin to take in the room around him.

Bigshots from the grand line had bad track records with returning to the sea's outside. A lot of them returning with newfound strength to control weaker regions, just as Arlong once had. Luffy had yet to prove that he had no such intentions. After all, in Syrup village he had to state that his purpose was only to visit and not to take over. So it was a pretty common fear, understandably so. Especially seeing as Nami had been through that exact thing, she wasn't unfamiliar with their anxiety.

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The waiter skittered off at his first opportunity, promising the 'best their establishment could offer' with a low bow. Luffy had smiled and thanked him, "people here are nice, huh Nami?" Nami leaned her elbow on the table, her jaw resting in her hand. He was so clueless sometimes, and she couldn't help but find it oddly charming, adorable even.

"Probably because they're scared half to death of you," Nami told him, smiling wryly. All that caused was a confused Luffy tilting his head to the side.

"Why? Do we know him, did I do something?" Luffy questioned, and she wondered if there was even a piece of him that recognised how scary he could be if he wished it. Although she couldn't say she'd ever had that side of him directed at her, but she'd seen it towards other people. Because she knew the extent of his abilities so well, it kinda made her empathetic to the villagers. If she were in their shoes, she'd probably be packing her bags and moving islands by now.

"No, never mind," Nami said, shaking her head with a smile. Luffy had a pensive look on his face for no more than a second before he was smiling again.

"I'm glad, I thought I did something to him or something," Nami pouted. She didn't think she'd be half as nice as him if she were as strong as he was. The man she loved was a softy for all but those who hurt his friends, and her. Especially her.

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They received their food much faster that Nami would have thought. Although a healthy dose of fear likely helped the process along, Nami didn't even have time to finish a drink before it had arrived. Luffy, yet again, ate at an almost leisurely pace (for him at least.)