Starting with two Kamui, they raised the flag of rebellion in One Piece.

After Nami's voice faded, there was silence in the room for a long time.

Nami never raised her head, never looked directly into Li Mingyuan's eyes.

The entire room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

At that moment, looking at Nami in front of him, Li Mingyuan had only one thought in his mind.

Why did you refuse?

He had planned to invite Nami tonight from the very beginning.

There are two reasons.

Firstly, under normal circumstances, this is the moment when he feels the deepest gratitude towards Nami, and it would be difficult for her to refuse his invitation during this period. Secondly, although others may not know, he has read the original work and knows very well that Nami has the dream of "drawing a map of the whole world." With the Arlong Pirates already destroyed, no one can stop her from having this dream.

If she still wants to fulfill her dream as in the original story, then agreeing to it at this point would be the best option.

Because he had planned everything in advance, Li Mingyuan dared to tell Nami that she could refuse if she wanted to, thus expressing his "sincerity." He was quite confident about inviting Nami.

Unexpectedly, Nami actually refused.

"Could it be that because there are still three years until the original storyline, and Nami hasn't experienced the same hardships and growth as in the original work, her mindset is different, and she really just wants to stay home and live a peaceful life with her sister without going to sea again?"

Or perhaps...

"So, this is the difference between me and the Straw Hat Pirates?"

Li Mingyuan pondered for a moment, his thoughts racing.

While the first guess isn't impossible—Nami hasn't rekindled her past dreams due to different experiences—he currently feels that the more likely reason is that, unlike the Straw Hat crew, Nami simply doesn't have the idea of ​​sailing with him.

But no matter what the circumstances are, the reason is no longer important at this point.

Li Mingyuan quickly composed himself and regained his senses.

Refocusing his attention on Nami, Li Mingyuan could clearly see, with his eyesight, the guilt on her face, which she couldn't hide even as she lowered her head to conceal it.

Nami didn't stay like this for long.

"Is that so? I'm sorry."

Li Mingyuan spoke again, his voice full of regret: "Please lift your head, Nami. Although it is indeed a great loss that we were unable to recruit such an excellent navigator as you, it is not something you need to apologize for."

Nami cautiously looked up, tentatively observing Li Mingyuan's expression. "Really? You're not angry?"

"I've already said, unlike Ah Long, I won't force you to get on the ship."

"Everything was voluntary."

Li Mingyuan chuckled and countered, "Or what? Do you really want to see me furious right now, using my strength far surpassing A Long's, to kidnap you and bring you to the ship? That would be more in line with your expectations, wouldn't it?"

"No, no, no, I didn't say that!"

Nami jumped up, quickly waving her hands and complaining.

Although Nami was indeed somewhat in awe of the man before her, especially after witnessing how he had slaughtered the fishmen without batting an eye, leaving behind a trail of severed limbs and blood everywhere, she felt grateful but was also afraid that such a scene would be repeated among the common people on this island. Therefore, both instinctively and rationally, she certainly did not want to anger him.

But no matter what, these are things that can't be discussed openly.

"Look, you seem to be the type who doesn't have much material desire, right? Although you're making money for unknown purposes, I can tell that you don't show much interest in the money itself. Hmm, completely different from Karina. But since you've made a rare request, I couldn't grant it. Even from the perspective of a benefactor, I think it's not right to refuse like this."

At this point, Nami gave a sheepish smile. "So, I still want to apologize to you."

"Heh, really?"

"To say that I have little desire for material things is a huge mistake. If you really knew what my ultimate goal was, you would know that I am a more greedy and lustful guy than anyone else."

Li Mingyuan chuckled and said, "If you join my group, I might tell you about this ultimate goal later if the opportunity arises. But for now, unfortunately, I can't tell you any more."

"Um...may I ask one more question?"

Nami suddenly rubbed her hands nervously, hesitated for a few moments, and then slowly asked, "They say it requires a huge amount of money, but in my opinion, you're already very wealthy, aren't you?"

"Actually, the reason I refused you just now was because I was a little confused about your purpose. I felt uneasy about going to sea with you as partners in the future."

"As you know, I spent a long time in Arlong's pirate crew, so my thinking in this area might be a bit more advanced than the average person. Arlong constantly conquers islands to raise funds for building his Fish-Man Empire—does that mean you also want to take over a country?"

"Um?"

Li Mingyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and in an instant, a sharp glint flashed in them.

However, very soon.

Just before Nami noticed, his gaze quickly returned to normal.

"No, this is the only thing I can say with certainty: I would never steal the country from any existing nation in the world, and I would never do what Aaron did, seize any territory in an attempt to create a new country."

You're overthinking it.

Li Mingyuan denied it outright: "That's all I can say. In other words, even if you really join my group, I need to build up trust and bond between us before I can tell you. It's not something I can just reveal my true feelings to anyone."

Let's leave this topic here.

Nami's keen insight truly surprised Li Mingyuan. To avoid making a mistake, he could only use wordplay to explain indirectly, while quickly ending the topic.

He certainly wouldn't steal the country.

Because he either doesn't do anything, or if he does, he'll only establish a new world government on the ruins of the Holy Land.

He is even less likely to seize any territory in an attempt to create a new country.

Because on the day he actually achieves his goal, all the old world systems and territorial divisions will cease to exist. No nation will be able to occupy territory in the new world, and the concept of any individual nation will cease to exist.

After listening to Li Mingyuan's description, Nami nodded thoughtfully, not daring to ask further what the so-called goal was. However, judging from Li Mingyuan's expression and tone, she could confirm that what he said was indeed from the bottom of his heart.

As a result, she felt even more curious about what Li Mingyuan wanted to do.