Okay, this is absolutely wild! So, I have this "Author Only" tier on Patreon where I schedule my chapters, and I left the purchase option open. And guess what? Someoually bought it! I’m still ing my head around this—crazy, right? Himiki, you have my eternal gratitude. I 't even begin to express how much your support means to me (and I’m not talking about the mohat’s for everyoo see).

  And on top of that, Darth Vader, aop-tier supporter, has joihe ranks. (Just to crify, when I said top-tier before, I meant everything except the "Author Only" tier). All in all, I’m beyond happy, and I want to share this joy with you guys! Here’s another extra chapter—let’s go! ?

  Also, you all are weled to my Discord el!

  We have an Image Minister as well!

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  --xLOVEx--

  As they sat side by side, Coby took a bite of his apple, sav its sweetness. "I saw you on that ship a few days back, you know. You were robbing everyone blind," he said, his voice teasi observant.

  Nami's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you a pirate? Part of Alvida's crew?" Her tourned a notch colder, her eyes sharper, betraying her distrust for pirates.

  Coby shook his head, a genuine smile softening his features. "Well, I am a pirate now, but not part of Alvida's crew," he crified. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a spiratorial whisper. "Let me tell you, not all pirates are bad. Well, most are, but there are some that are not bad at all."

  Nami snorted in disbelief, her expression one of skepticism. She had her reasons to hate pirates - reasons deeply rooted in her past. To her, pirates were synonymous with cruelty and greed. "What do you take me for?" she asked, her voice tinged with a hint of bitterness.

  Coby chuckled softly, sensing her guarded nature. "I don't take you for anything other than what you are - beautiful and a skilled thief," he said. "But I think you should meet my captain. I'm sure he'll ge your mind about pirates."

  Nami raised an eyebrow, her curiosity piqued despite her reservations. "And who is this captain of yours?" she asked, her tone now more inquisitive than hostile.

  Coby's smile widened. "Monkey D. Luffy. He's going to be the King of the Pirates," he said with a vi that was almost iious.

  Nami couldn't help but ugh, the idea sounding absurd to her. "The King of the Pirates? That's quite a bold cim. Well no matter, I hate pirates. I only like money and tangerines."

  Coby gri Nami's rea, his eyes pyful yet filled with an unmistakable hint of admiration. "Hmm, I like tangerines too," he said, his tone light but with a suggestive uohat made Nami's cheeks flush a soft pink.

  "Bastard," she muttered under her breath, her embarrassment masked by a feigned scowl. Coby's presence, his unique abilities, and his association with a pirate captain who dared to dream of being the King of the Pirates intrigued her. Even if it was just a little bit.

  Then, an idea sparked in Nami's sharp mind. "I may sider joining you guys, but you have to help me rob Buggy," she proposed, her gaze log with Coby's, challengi expet.

  Coby's smile broadened, "Deal. But wait for my Captain to arrive first."

  As Nami nodded in agreement, a sudden explosion rocked the isnd. A on bst tore through the air, leaving a searing line from one end of the isnd to the other, as if a beam of heat had carved its path. The shockwave sent them tumbling, and they quickly regaiheir footing, their eyes sing the source of the attack.

  In the distahe menag figure of Buggy the stood atop a hill, his sinister ugh eg across the town. His crew, a motley assortment of ruffians and misfits, fnked him, their ons ready and their iions clear.

  As Coby turowards the source of the sudden explosion, Nami, with a swift and almost uny agility, produced a rope from seemingly nowhere. In one fluid motion, she tried to bind Coby with it, but in an instant, she found herself uedly pressed against Coby's chest. His presence was uedly f, yet her instincts screamed caution.

  Leaning over her neck, his hot breath brushing her ears, Coby whispered, "That is not cool, you know." His voice was loyful reprimand ced with a hint of seriousness.

  Nami wriggled, trying to free herself from Coby's firm grip, but he held her in pce, his strength surprising her. "You want to hand me over to Buggy? Are you really callous enough to watch me get killed?" Coby's question, though whispered, carried a weight that made Nami pause.

  Scowling, Nami snapped back, "Let me go, and I will show you." There was a fire in her eyes, a determination that Coby found both intriguing and admirable.

  Coby, sensing her resolve and perhaps a bit of her pn, released her. Stretg out his arms, he presented his wrists and then his ankles for her to bind. "Tie me and hand me over," he challenged, his toinged with a hint of mischief.

  Nami approached cautiously, her movements calcuted and precise. She ed the rope around his wrists and ankles, seg them tightly. Then, with a surprising dispy of strength, she hoisted him onto her shoulder and began to carry him towards Buggy's base.

  "Watch me," she whispered, her voice a blend of defiand fidence.

  As they approached Buggy's base, the chaotiergy of the pirates filled the air. Buggy's ughter, maniacal and pierg, echoed around them, sending shivers down the spines of those who heard it.

  Coby, slung over Nami's shoulder, his body limp aed. However, his eyes were sharp and observant, taking in every detail of their surroundings and the crew they were about to face.

  Buggy, perched atop a makeshift throne, was a sight to behold. His garish makeup aravagant attire made him look more like a circus performer than a feared pirate. Around him, his crew moved with a mix of fear and revereheir loyalty to their captain uionable.

  As Nami approached, the pirates' attention turowards her. Whispers and murmurs spread through the crowd, their curiosity piqued by the sight of the e-haired girl carrying a bound man.

  Buggy's eyes narrowed as he spotted them. "What have we here?" he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "A little gift?"

  Nami, unfazed by Buggy's intimidating presence, dropped Coby at his feet. "A prisoner for you, Captain Buggy," she decred, her voice steady and clear.

  Buggy leaned forward, iing Coby with a curious gaze. "And who might this be? He doesn't look like much," he taunted, his voice eg with mockery.

  Nami's snort was one of cool disdain, a sound that seemed to echo with mockery a. "He was my boss," she decred, gesturing towards Coby with a flick of her head, "but he's too much of an idiot. I stole from you on his orders, Captain Buggy, but I regret it. So here he is." She delivered her lie with a fidehat was almost ving. "Iurn, please allow me to join your crew."

  Buggy's ughter, loud and boisterous, filled the air, a sound that was both menag and triumphant. "I like you," he said, his eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and ing. "I think I will allow you to join my crew." He then shouted for all to hear, "A new crew member, and I got my Grand Line map back. This calls for a celebration!"

  The other pirates echoed his excitement with a unified shout, "HOOO!" The atmosphere turned festive, the air thick with the smell of alcohol and the sound of raucous ughter.

  Nami joihe festivities, her pn clear in her mind. She drank with the pirates, her resistao alcohol a on in her arsenal. As she watched them grow increasingly drunk, her eyes sparkled with ing. This was her ce to steal Buggy's treasure while they were distracted.

  Meanwhile, Coby sat in a cage, bound by ropes, his eyes everything with a calm, calcuted gaze. Nami walked over to him, croug down in front of the cage with a triumphant smirk. "How are you doing, boss?" she asked, her voice dripping with false .

  Coby only grinned back, his fidenshakee his current predit. "Nerved?" he teased, sensing her underlying ay.

  "If my pn works, I might sider giving you the key. You're not a bad person," Nami said, her tone softening slightly.

  Coby chuckled, choosing not to respond. His mind was already w on a pn, a way out of this situation that didn't rely on Nami's success or failure.

  At that moment, Buggy approached, his presenanding and dangerous. "You chose the wrong pirate to rob, little thief," he said, his voice cold and menag.

  Coby's grin didn't falter. "Oh really," he replied, his tone light and mog. "And what have you decided for my fate?"

  Buggy's expression darkened, a cruel smile pying on his lips. "Prepare the Buggy Bomb," he ordered, his voice carrying an air of finality.

  The crew sprang into a, aiming the formidable on towards a set of houses. As Buggy fired the bomb, a beam of heat tore down a straight path, its power aru evident. The bomb was a testament to Buggy's prowess and ruthlessness, a on of chaos and fear.

  Coby watched the unfolding chaos with an eerie ess, his expression unfling even as the power of Buggy's bomb became frighteningly apparent. From the er of her eye, Nami observed Coby's unwavering fidence, a stark trast to the terror that gripped her heart. Would Buggy really use such a destructive on against Coby?

  As Nami grappled with her fear, she tried to vince herself that Coby was just another pirate, and all pirates were bad. But deep down, something stirred within her, an uling feeling she couldn't quite pce. Her heart raced with an unexpinable ay.

  "Now it is your turn, little girl," Buggy sneered as he approached Nami, his smile twisted and malevolent. "Prove your loyalty to me, by blowing your former boss to mi with this Buggy Ball." His words sent a shiver down Nami's spine.

  The crew members, following Buggy's and, aimed the formidable on at Coby, who remained seated, his smile not faltering for even a sed. "Show me you are ruthless enough to help me take over the world," Buggy added with a sadistic glee.

  Nami looked at Coby, her face a mask of horror. She felt a cold sweat break out across her forehead. "You wao kill him?" Her voice was shaky, ced with disbelief and fear.

  --

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