Polar Planes [Luffy x Nami]

12. Dew

"Do you understand the difference between ethos and pathos in this rhetorical excerpt?"

Luffy rubbed his chin. "Uh... no."

"Hm..." Nami paused. "Would you rather have me or Zoro tutor you?"

"You, of course!" he said.

"Why?"

"Because you're smarter."

"How do you know that?"

He shrugged. "You have better grades. You sound smart. Zoro can't even make it to his classes without getting lost."

"Exactly; I sound smart, and you know I have better grades, so you're more likely to have me tutor you," she explained. "That is ethos."

He stared at her in disbelief and then laughed. "You insulted Zoro just to teach me English. You're amazing, Nami!"

"You were technically the one who insulted him," she said. "Besides, it worked, didn't it?"

"I guess it did."

"But you know... that was pretty mean of you to talk about Zoro like that," she added. "Wouldn't he be mad at you?"

"He would?"

"Of course, he would. I'm sure he would gladly help you if you need help on your homework."

Luffy sank into his chair. "Oh, yeah. I guess you're right. My bad."

Nami smirked. "That's it. I just used pathos."

His eyes widened. "What? You didn't mean any of that?"

"No, Luffy. I'm sure that Zoro wouldn't mind if you 'insulted' him."

"Huh?!" His jaw dropped in astonishment. "You just made me feel bad!"

"Just like this author here." She pointed to the text on Luffy's English packet. "He uses your emotions to convince you of something."

"That's pathos?"

"Yes."

He puffed out a sigh. "Pathos sucks."

"Pathos isn't always used like that," she said. "Sometimes, the author tries to make you feel happy or encouraged."

"Then why did you use that example?"

"I guess that was just the first thing that came to mind."

His eyes lit up like he just remembered something important. "Oh!"

The sudden rise of his voice startled her. "What?"

"You should go to my game on Friday. It's at 4 pm after school."

She hesitated. "Sorry... I can't make it. I'm kind of grounded too."

"Hm? You got grounded?"

"Is that so hard to believe?" she asked with a chuckle.

"Maybe."

"It was unavoidable, but your case wasn't," she said. "You didn't have to stay with me, you know?"

"But you told me to."

"Did I?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure? I don't remember saying anything."

Luffy squinted, trying to recall his memories. "Mm... I think I was trying to leave to get you a wet towel, and then you told me to stay."

Nami almost face-palmed. "Luffy, I meant that you shouldn't go to the bathroom. You were welcome to leave my house any time you liked."