The Weather's Nice, Isn't It?
Luffy had been sitting out in the rain for days. The very fact that it was raining for days in the Grand Line surprised Nami. She had finally concluded that they were near autumn or spring islands that were all experiencing similar weather patterns. What she hadn't figured out was that which Luffy was thinking while he sat in the rain.
When Vivi had been around, it had seemed that she had taken up all of his attention, but with the sixteen-year-old gone, Nami had wanted to reconnect with him once more. The weather, however, was only hindering her efforts. A simple 'the weather's nice' would have been perfect, but lately, the climate of the Grand Line was working greatly against her.
That day, the rain had lifted for a few hours, leaving a swirling, stretch of clouds all around and to all horizons.
Nami could feel the warm air rising, taking the moisture with it. The cumulus clouds were forming in the sky rather quickly, and she could feel the energy radiating off it in enormous amounts. In the air was a charge.
Nami sighed, and finished her drink before she put it aside, and got up to go to the storage unit through which she could get to her room. The updraft was rather strong, so she figured they would get some hail in the very least, so she wanted a jacket for some protection. Sanji blinked as he passed her on the deck, "Nami-san, where are you going?"
"Tell the guys to get their coats. We're coming into some bad weather."
They were already in the bad weather, but she knew he wouldn't understand that. As she went through her jackets, searching for one which would keep her the driest, she sighed to herself. She had hoped to try talking to Luffy until she had felt the oncoming storm.
Coming back onto the deck, the Going Merry was already beginning to bob up and down rapidly, and she could see that the waves surrounding them were starting to rise nearly up to the deck.
"Get the sails down. We're going to use the strong winds to get us out from the middle as much as possible!" Raindrops pelted her face then, and she frowned as the downpour hit them so abruptly.
Then she felt surge of the downdraft, and she paled, pointing up at Luffy on the main sail who was releasing them, and she screamed, "Stop!"
He fumbled with the rope a bit, but grabbed the cloth just in time, wrapping his arms several times around it and the gaff to keep it up, and then the microburst hit. Nami was blown right off her feet, and she was lifted from the lower deck and slammed back against the kitchen cabin on the upper deck. She convulsed in pain for the few seconds that the wind was strong enough to keep her aloft before she slid down to the deck, panting and cringing.
"Nami-san!"
"Nami!"
Sanji ran to her side, cradling her head gently, "Are you all right!?"
When their captain seemed about to leap from the gaff, Nami jerked upright, and stood to steer Sanji aside, "Raise that sail! There might be another one!"
"Ngh! Right!" Luffy slid along the gaff to start fastening the sail again, and Nami checked the triangular aft sail before nodding to herself to see that it was still fastened.
Upon finishing with the sail, he jumped down from the gaff. Only a few meters from hitting the deck, a sudden horizontal gust hit him, flinging him out toward the sea, and his body whirled about rapidly.
She paled, He's spinning!? "Luffy!"
His arm stretched out, and he grabbed the railing to yank himself against the ship. Luffy clung to the railing, hanging there, and panted, "I got it! I'm okay!"
Sagging in relief as he pulled himself onto the deck, Nami then directed her attention to the winds and air pressure.
He was spinning? So that means the wind is spinning. Luffy rose too! She looked up at the sky, starting to tremble. The cold air of the microburst had already formed a wall cloud, having risen with the powerful updraft, and it was also beginning to writhe and bob about.
"The wind is rising! The updraft is pulling the spinning vortex upright …!"
The wall cloud began to rotate.
Chopper jumped up and down, waving his arms at her, "Nami! Are you okay!? I should check your head!"
"Get us out of here! Get out the oars!"
Zoro, Luffy, and Chopper moved, retrieving the oars from storage. Sanji gave her one last glance before he avoided the stairs, and just leapt over the railing to join them on the lower deck.
She looked up again, and bit her lip in fear as she watched the squall line form rapidly above them. The wall cloud started to extend, forming a funnel shape as it headed for the water's surface as she prayed that they were far enough away not to be caught in its winds.
As the cyclone became smaller on the horizon, however, she couldn't find herself relaxing, and Nami stared after the massive, swirling column.
Something landed on her shoulder then, and she jumped, "Eee!"
"Hahaha! I scared you!" The something patted her shoulder, revealing it to be a hand, and the laughter was Luffy's. She frowned, turning to face him, "Nasty weather, huh?"
She huffed slightly, but said, "You don't feel it like I do though."
"Well … I've been feeling down on the weather." Nami blinked before she smiled, and then laughed. He watched her, staring before his own eyes began to twinkle, and he grinned widely, and said, "There it is!"
Her eyes widened, gaping at him slightly as a blush came across her cheeks, "Eh?"
"It's back!" He grabbed her shoulders, and turned her around to point up toward the dissipating clouds, "The sun's back! Deck party! Sanji! Sanji! I want a huge barbeque!"
Rapidly, Nami blinked, turning to watch him shout at the blond man. As they sailed on, the storm began to evaporate almost instantly around them. As Sanji began to head for the kitchen, Luffy grinned back at her with a snicker, and grabbed her wrist.
The sun gave everything a warm glow.
"Do you feel good as I do now?"
Starting to smile back, Nami said, "Yeah, the weather's nice."
"Shishi! Isn't it?"
THE END