Chapter 136: I Am Always Yours, The Captain's Fury
The deck of the Going Merry was currently in a state of utter devastation.
The ship, once filled with laughter and joy, was now covered everywhere in shocking scorch marks left by lightning strikes.
Nami knelt in a pool of blood in the center of the deck, her hands stained with blood, trembling as she pressed against the charred, piercing wound on Tatsuya's chest.
"Idiot... You big idiot!!"
Large tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto Tatsuya's bloodless face:
"Who told you to be a hero... Why did you have to carry it all by yourself..."
"If you die... I will absolutely, absolutely never forgive you..."
Beside her, Sanji and Usopp also lay on the ground unconscious, smoke rising from their bodies.
But Tatsuya's injuries were undoubtedly the most severe—after all, he had taken millions of volts of lightning and a piercing wound head-on.
Fear clutched Nami's heart like a cold hand.
Her psychological defenses completely collapsed; she was even afraid to reach out a finger to check Tatsuya's breath, terrified that the result would shatter her.
"Calm down... Nami... You are the navigator... You have to save him..."
Nami choked back her sobs and, using the ship's remaining first-aid kit, frantically began to treat Tatsuya's severe electrical burns and bleeding wounds.
"Let go... Let go of the sword..."
Although Tatsuya was unconscious, his right hand was still gripping his sword tightly.
His fingers were stiff and spasming from the intense electric shock, his knuckles white.
It took a great deal of effort for Nami, even making her own fingers ache, to finally pry the sword from his hand and set it aside.
Looking at Tatsuya's once-strong body now covered in charred scars, Nami's hands kept trembling violently.
But when she looked up at the distant sky, the gaze behind her tears became unprecedentedly firm.
Just then.
"Everyone————!!!"
A booming shout broke the deathly silence.
Luffy had finally shaken off that damn giant python and came rushing out of the forest, covered in leaves and slime.
As he ran, he twitched his nose: "It smells so good! I smell roasted meat... Is it time to eat... Eh?"
The smile on Luffy's face completely froze the moment he saw the scene on the deck.
No roasted meat, no banquet.
What met his eyes was Sanji lying in a pool of blood, unconscious; Usopp, charred all over; and Tatsuya, barely breathing.
And Nami, kneeling in the pool of blood, covered in blood and tearstains.
"..."
Luffy didn't yell or jump around in a panic as he usually did.
He slowly stopped, pulling the brim of his straw hat low.
Shadows obscured his eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.
But the surrounding air seemed to drop to freezing point in an instant.
A suffocating low pressure erupted from this usually happy-go-lucky Captain.
"...Who did this?"
The voice was low, suppressing a volcano about to erupt.
Seemingly sensing the intense Haki fluctuation from Luffy, Tatsuya, who had been unconscious, twitched his fingers slightly.
"Cough..."
Tatsuya struggled to open his heavy eyelids.
He tried to sit up, but it aggravated his wounds, and Nami hurriedly pressed him down: "Don't move! The wounds will open!"
"Cough... Don't make that dead-man face, Captain."
Tatsuya's voice was hoarse, but he managed to pull off a weak smile: "Not dead yet..."
Luffy looked up sharply; seeing Tatsuya awake, the gloom in his eyes dissipated for a moment, and he immediately asked: "Tatsuya! Was it that so-called 'God' who did this?!"
"Yeah..."
Tatsuya caught his breath, a cold arc curling at the corner of his mouth: "That guy... is a lightning man who ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit. I managed to repel him, but I couldn't stop him."
"He went to the top of the 'Giant Jack'... His Ark is parked there; he wants to destroy this Skypiea."
Saying this, Tatsuya looked at Luffy, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes: "Luffy, listen well."
"Although lightning is invincible... your rubber body is a non-conductive insulator."
"You are the only natural enemy in this world who can ignore his lightning."
"Go, Captain."
Tatsuya pointed to the overcast sky above: "Only you can punch him flying."
"Beat that guy... down from the sky hard!"
"Need you even ask!!!!"
Luffy roared at the sky, his voice resounding through the clouds.
Without any hesitation, he adjusted his straw hat, turned around, and sprinted towards the giant beanstalk, flames named anger burning in his back: "Enel!!! Wash your neck and wait for me!!!"
Watching Luffy's retreating back, Tatsuya felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted, and his body went limp again.
He turned his somewhat stiff neck, his gaze falling beside him.
Nami was looking at him, face full of tears, hair disheveled, looking completely disheveled and miserable.
"Tatsuya! Thank goodness... You're awake..."
Nami cried out, her voice filled with lingering fear: "I'll take you away right now... Let's run... Forget about the gold, as long as you're alive..."
Tatsuya didn't speak.
Right now, he didn't even have the strength to lift his upper body.
But looking at Nami's face, crying for him, an uncontrollable emotion surged in his heart.
Suddenly.
Tatsuya extended his still-movable right hand, that charred palm, and accurately and forcefully gripped the back of Nami's neck.
"Eh?"
Nami was stunned.
The next second.
Tatsuya used sudden force, pulling the defenseless Nami towards him.
Nami gasped in surprise, her body losing balance and falling forward.
Before she could react, her lips were fiercely blocked by Tatsuya's.
"Mmph!!"
This wasn't the gentle, fleeting touch of ordinary days, nor was it flirting.
It was a deep kiss filled with the madness of surviving a disaster, tasting of blood, declaring ownership, and offering comfort.
There was a rusty, bloody taste in both of their mouths, but at this moment, neither cared about that.
Nami widened her eyes in surprise, looking at Tatsuya so close by.
Immediately, tears welled up in the corners of her eyes again, and she slowly closed them.
She didn't push him away; instead, she grabbed the tattered clothes on Tatsuya's chest tightly, responding to him passionately and clumsily.
The two seemed to want to confirm that they were both still alive through this method, to confirm that this warmth was real.
A long time passed.
Their lips parted.
Both of their breaths were a bit rapid.
Tatsuya panted, his usually calm gaze now burning like fire, staring fixedly at Nami, whose face was completely flushed.
He reached out his thumb, wiping the blood from the corner of Nami's mouth, a mischievous smile playing on his lips:
"...You are mine."
"That long-earlobe guy... can't take you away."
Hearing this domineering yet somewhat childish declaration, Nami felt like she was burning up.
Her body went soft, and she collapsed against his bandage-covered chest, burying her face deep inside, not daring to look up at him.
The original soft sobbing turned into shy, angry thumping—gentle, coquettish taps:
"...Pervert."
Nami's voice was muffled, yet it revealed a devoted attachment:
"I am always... yours."
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