"I'm really sorry. This idiot must have caused you a lot of trouble." Nami couldn't stand it anymore and punched Luffy on the head.
"You fool! How dare you defile Lord Ainz's armor with your filthy hands!" Narberal, seeing Luffy's hands randomly grabbing Ainz's armor, instantly lost her temper.
"This person is dangerous!" Zoro, who had been drinking at the bar, immediately gripped his sword tightly as he sensed Narberal's overwhelming presence.
"Narberal! Calm yourself." Ainz saw Narberal's expression and knew that if he didn't stop her, she would definitely turn this entire tavern into rubble.
"But Lord Ainz…"
"Narberal."
"L-Lord Francis, this worm actually dared to offend you, one of the Supreme Beings! Such a pest should be crushed immediately!"
Even after Ainz's attempt to pacify her, Narberal was still agitated.
"Enough, Narberal!"
"Understood, L-Lord Francis… my apologies for my rudeness." Narberal finally reined in her aura.
Zoro, who had been ready to fight, also eased out of his battle stance, but the fact that he was still gripping his sword tightly showed that he hadn't completely let his guard down.
"Straw Hat Luffy, my companion was rude." Ainz glanced at Luffy. He still found it hard to believe that this carefree fool had a bounty of 100 million. The newspapers must have made a mistake!
"Armored man, your companion is really strong!" Luffy, of course, had felt Narberal's presence. She was no less intimidating than Crocodile, whom he had fought fiercely before.
"Well, in order to survive in this world, strength is a necessity," Ainz said meaningfully.
"Let's go, Narberal."
With that, they left the tavern.
"L-Lord Francis, I don't understand. Why did you let that pest go? Wasn't the plan to spread Ainz Ooal Gown's name by using that cockroach's head? Besides, a mere worm dared to offend you!"
Narberal followed behind Ainz, questioning his decision.
"Narberal, the plan changed when Shalltear became a pirate. Besides… I have a feeling that killing that Straw Hat kid would have some consequences."
Ainz's helmet briefly flickered with a crimson glow.
He had indeed considered killing Luffy, but the moment that thought arose, his pay-to-win item, the Gate of Fate which detects unforeseen events, began reacting wildly, warning him against it. Thus, he abandoned the idea.
Moreover, in his past life he had a certain fondness for carefree idiots like Luffy—after all, his own guild had plenty of them.
Not to mention, a mere 100 million bounty pirate wasn't really enough to establish the name of Ainz Ooal Gown.
Shalltear had been out at sea for only two months, and her bounty had already skyrocketed. It would be better to find a higher-bounty target to make a bigger statement.
"Zoro, what's wrong?" After Ainz left, Nami noticed Zoro still gripping his sword tightly and asked him.
"That woman… she's dangerous." Zoro finally released his grip on the sword.
"Really?" Nami found it hard to believe. She just thought Narberal was very beautiful and didn't sense the danger Zoro was talking about.
"Yeah… if we had fought just now, we might've died." Zoro spoke slowly. His instincts, honed from years as a bounty hunter, told him this.
"Luffy! You idiot! Why did you have to touch that guy's armor?!" Nami grabbed Luffy by the neck and shook him violently.
"What are we supposed to do if someone like that comes after us?"
"Ugh… Nami, don't you think that black armor looked really cool? I want one just like it! I've decided—I'm going to buy that old man's armor! I'll find him and buy it straight from him!"
Even while being strangled, Luffy remained fixated on Ainz's armor.
"I give up on you…" Nami sighed, realizing Luffy hadn't learned anything from the situation. Instead of reflecting, he was actually thinking of buying armor from that terrifying guy.
"Just so you know, I'm not paying for it!"
"What?" Luffy's face turned bitter.
"Nami! Don't you think that armor was really awesome? Just buy it for me!"
"Not a chance! That armor looks expensive, and there's no way I'm wasting money on something like that!" Nami smacked Luffy hard on the head.
As a money-lover, she wasn't about to spend a single berry on something so obviously costly, especially when she had no use for it.
"Haha, if you guys want to buy the Black Swordsman's armor, that's pretty much impossible," the bartender chuckled as he watched their antics.
"Why? Don't tell me that armor guy is the armor?" Luffy asked.
"Not quite, but the Black Swordsman is the most famous bounty hunter on this island!
In just one month, he wiped out over a dozen pirate crews. Every captain he took down had a bounty of at least 50 million berries!"
"Over a dozen crews? Fifty million?!" Nami's first thought wasn't fear, but rather, That means that guy must be filthy rich! If I can get close to him… Her eyes turned into berry symbols.
"Little lady, the Black Swordsman wouldn't be interested in you."
"What?" Nami jumped up instantly. That was basically an insult to her charm.
"His companion, that beauty Narberal, is far more stunning than you are."
Upon hearing that, Nami deflated. Compared to Narberal, she still had a long way to go.
"Boss, check please." Nami suddenly lost all interest in staying at this tavern. They could gather information elsewhere—there was no need to linger here.
"Thanks for your patronage! That'll be 30,000 berries."
"What? Thirty thousand?! That's robbery!"
"That swordsman guest has already downed his thirty-eighth drink."
"Damn it, Zoro! You bastard!"
Nami glanced at the mountain of empty glasses in front of Zoro and grudgingly handed over 30,000 before punching Zoro square on the head.
"You owe me 30,000 berries now, got it?!"
"Tch, stingy."
"What was that?" Nami, hearing his mutter, knocked Zoro out with another punch.