He puts them on.

With a firm clasp, Akaba brought the N's up to his face and nodded. In memory of you, brother!

He latched the earrings on.

If you were walking past that moment, you might've heard a faint "Ow!" from somewhere, before shaking your head and moving on.

Nami released the anchor, trying not to think about the extra baggage in the storage room. It would be so much easier to leave him to his own devices. But she couldn't do that. Not her. She wasn't like them.

"Nami!"

"Nami, you're back!"

Instantly, her face smoothened and she stood, looking at the mermen guarding the dock as they ogled her body of transport.

"Ooh, and you got another ship!"

"Nice make! It's a pirate ship isn't it?"

"Yes, that's right," she smirked, a hand to her lip as she flipped her orange, cropped hair with the other, "it was like nothing, stealing this from under their noses, ha ha ha..!"

The mermen broke into laughter, saying how that was the Nami they all knew, the witch burglar of Cocoyashi Village herself.

It was then that she remembered her 'acquaintance'.

"I have some extra good news," she began as she vaulted over the ship rail and landed with an elegant clack! onto the dock. "But some bad news as well."

"Oh?" one of the merman rubbed his chin.

"Tell us the good news first," the shortest one clapped two fins together.

"Yeah!" cried another. "Good news!"

As Akaba struggled to clip the last earring on, he was aware that the ship was docked. Nami was outside, talking to who he assumed were the three mermen.

He had a plan -- he knew Nami might kill him for it... but he had already made up his mind, and if she was as intent on playing to these mermen's trust as he thought she was, then he knew she'd have to play along with him.

Akaba shook his head, in effect shaking away the guilt. It was a conniving thought. When he got so conniving, he did not know. Then again, maybe he was just looking for an excuse for his perverted impulses.

Damn it! he yelled to his cranium. He couldn't help it. He was always smitten with women, having never made it past a kiss -- on the cheek.

Sometimes, an enchanting lady would just enter his proximity and the urge to lean forward and touch her would overpower his senses. (Or, in this case, enhance them.) But he was always as sly about it as he can be. And besides, at least he wasn't Nakaba. That dirty-minded slugger would come up with the craziest things sometimes.

"Akaba!"

Akaba froze.

"Akaba, come out!"

It was Nami's voice. Akaba swallowed, and stood to his feet. Okay, so standing was a-go. Walking... also a-go. He gulped again, just before the door. You can do this, Akaba, he fired himself up. You can do this!

The boy pushed the door open, just as he began clipping the other earring to his right lobe.

Nami, and her hot little figure, was standing hands to her hips beside three intimidating-looking mermen, just like she said there'd be. They were down at the wooden walkway, looking his way expectantly.

"There he is, like I said," she said with a suave smile, "the legendary swordsman bounty hunter, currently going by an undercover alias, of course. And still hurt, so don't expect any demonstrations at the moment. But," she held up a finger insidiously as she maintained her charmingly cool smile, "don't forget about the other secret I told you about. Akaba, why don't you show them that mystical pair of earrings you said you--"

As she turned, Nami caught sight of him with the earrings -- only they weren't in his hand or in the bag, but actually on his person. She felt her stomach silently drop.

You idiot! she thought, clenching a fist. Don't tell me..!

She was not liking this so far. He was supposed to show them the earrings once he made it down and Nami would give her trademark promotional gloss-over, the idiot fishmen would buy it, and they'd bring him to the village and leave without making too much of a fuss -- it would make it easy for him, but just as importantly, her, too! If he was planning anything different, who knew what could go wrong?!

And today, of ALL days, too!

Damn it, Nami watched Akaba step down to the deck as he finally clipped the other earring to his right ear, it's just a lousy pair of earrings, kid! It's not going to kill you to just use it as a bargaining chip!

"Akaba!? What do you think you're doing?" Nami shouted, only to quickly turn it into a sweet, gritted inquiry, a brow twitching ever slightly over her closed eyes.

"Hm? What's wrong, Nami?" one of the mermen asked her, a look of curiosity in his face. "What's he doing?"

"Yeah, he looks fine to me," another stated, almost indifferently. "Actually, he doesn't seem all that special as you were making him out to be."

Akaba thought fast, not catching the particularly languid tone in the mermen's voices as he ran down and stumbled over to the dock.

"WAIT!" he held up his hands as he made it right next to Nami, her eyes watching him half-curiously, arms folded in front of her again, "she told you about these earrings' magic powers, right?!"

The mermen looked at each other and nodded.

"Well, it's true," Akaba couldn't believe he was doing this, but he breathed in, and continued, fixing a part-firm, part-apologetic gaze Nami's way. "J-just watch this!"