Full Summary: It's said there exists an island impossible to find, the only way to ever come across it is if you're bound by fate. Well, the Straw Hats have. But is it because they're the chosen ones to unearth the island's unimaginable hidden treasure, or does the island have something else in store for them?
Zoro knew this was a bad idea from the start; stopping at this island, the one that somehow went uncharted despite having sailed that same route at least two times before. There was just something about it that didn't set well with him, and all this crazy talk about 'fate' and 'destiny' didn't help either. Now thanks to this dumb place, he has no choice but to finally acknowledge his hidden feelings for the ship's navigator or else risk losing her forever.
A/N: This is my first One Piece fanfiction, so I hope it's okay! It's mainly Nami/Zoro but there is some Nami/OC for storytelling purposes. Will also include some tidbits of Franky/Robin as well, and later will be rated M. Pre-timeskip and Pre-Brook. Hope you enjoy!
There was nothing that Zoro loved more than calm ocean waters and blue skies paired with a quiet crew, all too busy with their own projects for once to make too much noise or somehow get into trouble like they usually did when they were bored with nothing to entertain them.
Picking up those illustrated history books on Gold Roger at that last island had been a great idea on Robin's part to keep the captain occupied, and it seemed to work pretty well, seeing as how Luffy was sat up in the beams of the main mast as he flipped through the pages in awe. Maybe he wasn't actually reading anything, but at least the pictures kept him quiet for the most part, and that was all Zoro ultimately cared about.
The sound of Franky's hammer tapping against the wood of the ship brought Zoro out of his slumber carefully and back to the conscious world, though he kept his eyes closed. It wasn't like he'd get a chance like this again to relax anytime soon, knowing the minute he opened his eyes that Nami would probably be breathing down his back about his debt, or worse, Luffy would notice and drop his book to come bother him, so he tried to milk the moment for what it was worth.
There was a series of tinny-sounding clangs from the ship's kitchen, followed by a loud "Dammit!"
Zoro smirked.
"Island ahead!" Usopp shouted from the front of the ship, forefinger jutted out in front of him. "Repeat: Island ahead! Looks like a summer island!"
Sanji, looking frustrated, poked his head out from the kitchen. "Summer island? You sure about that?"
"Positive!"
Zoro feigned sleep a little while longer until it'd be impossible, waiting for the cue to wake up and set to work getting ready to port. He expected to hear the usual: Nami barking out orders, commotion as the rest of the crew scurried to follow them, but none of it came. Confused, he cracked open an eye to find that instead of Nami standing in her usual place on the balcony with the Log Pose, it was Robin.
"That's strange," Robin mused. "This can't possibly be the island. We shouldn't be here for at least another two days." She looked down at the Log Pose with a troubled expression. "The needle isn't even pointing in the right direction. It's off slightly to the left."
"Huh?" Franky grunted and joined Robin on the balcony, forgetting all about patching up the head-sized hole in the deck left from Luffy's latest escapades. He tapped the glass with a large finger and Robin put a hand over his to remind him that he needed to be extra cautious with such a fragile item. Franky frowned, opting to palm the back of his neck in slight embarrassment instead.
"Maybe it's just broke or something. I can take a look at it."
"While I'm more than confident in your abilities, I highly doubt this is the case. It was doing just fine ten minutes ago and I've done everything possible to ensure it's safety. Besides, the island we're headed for is supposed to be a winter island."
"You think we should just ask Nami? Navigating is sorta her thing, afterall."
Zoro decided that then was the best time to jump into the conversation and ask what he'd been wondering since he woke up to such an unfamiliar sight.
"Where is Nami?"
The elders looked over to see Zoro watching them, waiting for an answer. Robin glanced back down at the Log Pose with a frown and mimicked Franky's earlier actions.
"Not that it's not nice to see you or anything," Zoro assured her when he realized his tone and choice wording at the time could have been a lot less gruff. Franky crossed his arms over his chest and stood tall next to the raven haired woman. "But it's just odd not seeing that she-devil doing what she does best and yelling at the rest of us."
"You're right. I do suppose things seem somewhat strange without her here," Robin nodded with that smirk of hers that made Zoro deign her untrustable when she had first joined the crew. "Nami has been feeling a bit under the weather recently, so I've been taking care of looking after the Log Pose for the time being."
Zoro sat up straight at that. "Nami's sick?" he asked, a small hint of worry laced in his constant sound of disbelief when it came to talking about the slippery navigator. Still, she was part of the crew—an absolutely indispensable one, at that—and even though the two of them fought and argued often, she was no less than a friend to him as much as she was a thorn in his side.
"Since when?"
"The past couple of days since we left the last island," Robin said. "I'm surprised you haven't noticed, but I figure that's what happens when you spend the whole day sleeping."
He hadn't been aware she'd been sick—he'd just figured she was too busy counting out what she'd managed to loot from the last band of pirates who had been unfortunate enough to get in the way of the Straw Hats.
"Hey, I think I deserve a little shuteye since I've been taking care of night watch duty," Zoro grumbled defensively. When Robin turned to speak with Franky instead, he pushed himself up from the lawn deck and looked around, realizing for the first time since they'd shoved off that he hadn't seen Nami at all.
He yawned, stretched his arms up over his head and contemplated paying her a visit. Even though she wasn't exactly his favorite person in the world, he liked to make sure everyone was alright, and Nami did sort of have a knack for getting into situations that he had to get her out of.
He knew that nothing serious could be wrong with the redhead after noticing Luffy at the helm laughing loudly along with Usopp; Luffy was not one to sit idly by when a friend was in danger, especially her. Still, even though it could come at the cost of a pointless argument and earning one of her infamous wallops to the head, Zoro felt personally obligated to check in with the girl himself.
The first place he checked was the infirmary, assuming she'd be under the watchful eye of Chopper, but found neither the reindeer or the navigator. He mentally slapped himself. There'd be no reason for her to stay in there if it wasn't serious. He headed for the women's quarters next, sure that's where she'd be.
The moment he went to push the door open, someone tugged at his pants. Zoro looked down, surprised to see the tiny brown-furred doctor staring back up at him with a stern look.
"What are you doing?"
"Oh, right. Forgot to knock first."
"You can't go in there!"
"What? Why not?" Zoro asked the medic, who'd thrown himself in front of the door so that Zoro couldn't get through.
"Because, that's the girls' room!"
Zoro didn't understand what the big deal was. "So? There's no one in there but Nami, and it's not like I'm just barging in or anything. I'll knock. See—"
Chopper jumped up and swatted Zoro's hand from the door, who was starting to grow impatient.
"Chopper, what the hell is your problem!"
"I said you can't go in there!"
"What does it matter if it's the girls' quarters or the guys' quarters!" the swordsman yelled. "It's not like there's anything special in there that the whole crew hasn't seen before!"
The little reindeer looked worried but stood his ground. He knew that the swordsman had a bit of a soft spot reserved for him more so than the others, so he wasn't too afraid to tell it like it was: "I didn't want to hurt your feelings but you leave me no choice. It's not good for Nami to be placed under stress right now when she isn't feeling good, and well, you're the one person she fights with the most," Chopper explained. "It's best to let her be."
Zoro stared unamused at Chopper, though on the inside he felt a pang of hurt by his words. Chopper was basically telling him that he would do more harm than good in this situation. Even though usually he couldn't care less, hearing those words come from the reindeer in regards to someone Zoro actually went out of his way to constantly look out for and save did sting.
Zoro looked at the door, then back down at the reindeer, then once again back up at the door. He considered just pushing through without listening, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't go against the doctor's orders, especially when it came to Nami.
Wait, why do I even care if it's Nami on the other side of that door? Just because she has me going out of my way constantly to save her sorry ass doesn't mean I care about her any more than the rest of the idiots on this ship. What am I even doing here, Zoro thought as he turned on his heel to head back to his spot on the lawn. Even though he refused to see it for what it was, deep down he had at least an inkling for the true reason he held Nami on a sort of makeshift pedestal of his.
The sound of a door opened and closed behind him. He looked over his shoulder to find Sanji standing in front of the women's quarters with the unconscious navigator cradled carefully in his arms, bridal style. Zoro waited for Chopper to say something—specifically to yell at Sanji for bothering Nami when she needed to rest—but it never came. Instead, Chopper and the cook just shared a friendly smile and a nod. Zoro growled and whipped around, finally catching Sanji's attention.
"What's he doing here?" Sanji asked Chopper, though his now hardened stare was concentrated on the swordsman.
"I should be asking you the same question," Zoro said heatedly. He could hear the musings of the rest of his crew behind him on the deck growing louder and louder, along with an excited Luffy shouting something about a new place to explore. Zoro paid them no mind.
"What are you doing with Nami? Chopper said she can't be bothered right now, she should be in bed. Isn't that right, Chopper?" Zoro shot the reindeer a smug grin, expecting for Chopper to back him up, but the reindeer was already gone.
"Who do you think has been taking care of her all this time?" Sanji asked rhetorically. "Since Chopper's been busy with his work, he asked me to watch over Nami. Not that I wouldn't have already done so without him even asking." He rolled his lit cigarette to the other corner of his lips so that the smoke would blow farther away from the redhead in his arms. Zoro wanted to rip it from his mouth and stomp it out. "Now what are you doing here? The ladies' room is no place for a mindless brute such as yourself."
"Yeah? Well this mindless brute is gonna kick your ass, how about that?"
"Maybe later you can try. If you haven't noticed, my arms are a bit full right now and there's no way I'm going to chance the possibility of Nami getting hurt in the crossfire from those shitty swords of yours. Now get out of my way," Sanji ordered and continued towards the swordsman. Zoro didn't let the cook pass.
You think just because you feed her, that gives you the right to talk down at me about her? I protect her, I keep her safe. These swords have and never will hurt her, you idiot cook. They've done more to keep her out of harms way than you ever will.
"Where are you going with her? She's supposed to be in bed, not outside like this."
"It's bath time. Problem?"
Zoro gritted his teeth. Before he had a chance to loudly (and angrily) explain all the reasons why that was indeed problematic, the captain slungshot himself into Zoro's back, forcing the swordsman face first into the wall of the cabin.
"Luffy, what the hell—!"
"We're gonna get some more meat from that island!" Luffy shouted and cheered over Zoro's complaints. Zoro pushed himself back and rubbed his temple.
"What are you going on about? What island?"
"The island I was talking about earlier," Robin said as she joined their captain's side. "The seemingly uncharted one. I took the liberty to pour over the maps Nami had made previously from where we've been on the Grand Line but found nothing, despite the fact we've already sailed this route at least twice before."
"Well that's weird," Zoro said. "So what's the deal about getting meat, then?"
"We're stopping at the island."
"I thought we were on a schedule?"
"Not necessarily. Besides, we need to restock on supplies and everyone is a bit antsy; I believe we would all benefit from a little vacation time after what happened at the last island," Robin explained. Zoro couldn't argue with her on that—that had been one nasty showdown against those not-so-friendly bandits—but he wasn't too keen on taking a detour to this mysterious island. "Taking two or three days off won't hurt."
"Get ready to port!" Usopp bellowed as he ran across the deck. Franky followed his lead, heading in the opposite direction. Sanji and Zoro continued their staring contest among the commotion.
"Don't you think you should be helping?" Sanji asked.
Zoro grunted. "What, so you can run off and put your pervert hands all over Nami in peace?" He turned to Robin, who seemed unamused with their little spat. "If we're seriously stopping at this island, someone's got to stay back and watch the ship, especially if Nami's going to be in the cabin. We can't just leave her alone."
"She's not gonna be alone. She's coming with us," Sanji interrupted.
"Are you stupid? You can't just drag her around the damn island when you don't know what to expect. Do you want her to get even sicker, fancy brows?" Zoro resorted to insulting the cook when his thinly veiled proposition to personally guard the ship and the girl went up in flames without even having the chance to be considered.
"She's not going to be dragged anywhere, I'll carry her. I'm not going to let anything happen to Nami," Sanji assured the both of them. "The first thing we're doing is finding a town where we can stay, that way Nami can rest comfortably on land without being too far from the rest of the crew. The last thing she needs is to be stuck on this ship with you antagonizing her."
Zoro racked his brain for some other possible reason to bring up on why Sanji's plan was ridiculous in comparison to his own, but the navigator in question began to stir in the cook's arms and snagged the attention of both the men. When the redhead let out a little groan and cracked an eye open, Sanji immediately went into Nami-mode.
"Oh, my darling angel! Is everything alright? Is there anything I can possibly do for you?" Sanji cooed down at the girl in his arms, more quiet than he usually did due to her current state. Nami simply groaned again, blinking half-heartedly up at the swordsman and causing him to hold his breath in anticipation before shutting her eyes and tucking her face back into the cook's chest.
"You poor thing, is that shitty swordsman bothering you? Don't worry, he has grunt work to do. He won't be pestering my Nami-swan while I'm around."
Zoro glared at the blonde who mouthed at him to 'go.' He contemplated staying and defending himself, telling Sanji that if anyone was bothering Nami it was him, but he didn't want to start a fight when Nami was between the both of them. Besides, he didn't care much to have Robin in his business. She was far too intuitive for her own good, and Zoro was afraid she'd find and call out what he himself was so hell bent on refusing to acknowledge.
So with an irritated growl and his hands balled into fists, Zoro turned on his heel and left to man the sails.