Disclaimer: I do not own OP. Happy reading.

Nami hated Thursdays.

Thursdays were such...such a tease. It could be Friday, but no just one more day to go. Thursdays were days where her high school teachers loved to hand out tests or pop quizzes. And for Nami, Thursdays were the days in which Arlong wanted to be paid.

"No later than 12:00 am. Or you know what happens."

The orangette sighed, staring up at the ceiling of the apartment that she shared with her older sister, Nojiko. She didn't feel like getting out of bed and hauling her ass to school, but she knew she couldn't hide in her house all day. Not without Nojiko pouring ice, cold water all over her.

"Nami," Speak of the devil "Get up! It's time for school!"

"I'm coming!" Nami tiredly shouted back, pushing herself up and yawning.

'Today is gonna be a normal day.' She thought to herself as she put on a red crop top with the word "Cake" written across it in large, black, bold letters.

I'm gonna go to school, do my work, avoid as many people as I can..'

She shrugged on a simple, black jacket and pulled on some baggy, black sweatpants.

'Go to work...'

She brushed and pulled her long, silky, orange-red hair into a tight ponytail.

'Maybe buy some more groceries..'

Nami put on some black tennis shoes to complete her outfit. After wiping her face and brushing her teeth, Nami emerged from their small bathroom and into the kitchen where Nojiko, eating a piece of toast.

They couldn't exactly afford to have waffles or pancakes...or cereal.

Nami grabbed an orange, and sat across the tiny table from Nojiko. She began peeling it quickly. "Mornin, sis."

"Mornin." Nojiko tiredly replied. "You want a ride to school?"

"It would be nice." Nami replied, popping an orange into her mouth. She loved oranges, almost as much as she loved tangerines. They made her feel really at home.

The two then settled into a comfortable silence. Nami didn't have much to do; there was still twenty minutes BEFORE school would start and the sisters couldn't afford a tv...Nami opted to stare at her sister.

Nojiko was certainly one beautiful woman. Her hair was in curly, blue waves that went past her shoulders. It was held back by a pretty, red headband with a bow on it. Her eyes, those large, blue eyes that were once filled with curiosity and mischief, were tired and had dark circles underneath them. Her full lips were frowning.

Nami hated it when her sister frowned.

"Nami, you have enough to pay him right?" Her sister finally broke the silence, looking her in the eye.

Nami nodded in response. "Uh huh. Do you?"

"Yeah." Nojiko replied. "So listen, my boss is making me work later hours today."

Nojiko and Nami both worked at a small smoothie shop. However, the smoothie shop wasn't enough to pay for all the bills, even with their checks put together. So Nojiko was also a cashier at a store ten minutes away from their apartment.

"Could you please be home before at least 7? You'll have to walk home and I just want you to stay safe. I know your shift at the smoothie shop ends at 5:30. It shouldn't be a problem for you to be home early."

"How are we supposed to pay him the money?"

"After I drop you off, I'll give the money to him. Then I'll go to work. Okay?"

Nami didn't like that idea. She didn't like it one bit; usually Nami was the one to give Arlong the money. She hated letting Nojiko walk up to that man all on her own...though she knew her sister was strong, she knew that Arlong's men were a shady bunch; and while they wouldn't dare lay a finger on Nami's head, they wouldn't have any qualms about hurting Nojiko.

"No. I'll just go after my shift. I'll take the bus. It'll be quick, I promise. And I know I'll be home by at least 7:20. I promise." Nami replied.

Nojiko sighed. "If that's truly what you want Nami. I'll call you at exactly 7:20 though. And don't even try to lie to me, ya hear?"

Nami nodded her head quickly.

"Now come on." Nojiko suddenly gave her a smile. "Get in the car. It's time for school."

Nami and Nojiko had been living in Grand Line City for two years now. It was great, at least for Nami, to finally live in one place for more than six months.

As children, the girls were often moved from school to school since Arlong and his gang were constantly relocating from one base to another. It was something that Nami abhorred, almost as much as she hated the man himself.

Moving to different schools was never an easy thing to do. Nami and Nojiko always had to distance themselves from the other children, always had to put up a wall. They were forced to rid themselves of their childish nature when they were both at a young age.

And it was because of him that they were so broke. Most of their money, each month, went to paying him for their lives. Another large portion of their money went to paying bills and for gas. The last bit was for food and clothing. They couldn't afford anything more than that, not with how little they are paid at their jobs.

Nami wasn't even sure if she could ever go to college. Nojiko had to give up on her dream of going to college and becoming a doctor. She had to give up that dream in order to take care of herself and Nami. That was something Nami felt guilty about; the fact that she was part of the reason that Nojiko could never pursue her dream.

Nami knew she could never pursue her dream either. That dream of hers that she's had since she was about six or seven; the dream of becoming a meteorologist.

"Nami," Nojiko began as they pulled up to Grand Line Academy, "Have fun at school. And be safe. I love you, älskling."*

Nami opened up the car door and sighed softly. Hearing her sister speak in their native tongue always made her feel happy. "I love you too, ful."*

She stepped out of the car door and gave a soft sigh. 'Just a regular Thursday.'

But Nami would soon learn that today was not going to be any other normal Thursday.

Älskling- "Darling" in Swedish.

Ful- "Ugly" in Swedish.

A/N: Yoooooo guys. I'm back sorta. So um yeah xD New story wooo! And this is one story I really do plan on finishing!

I know this first chapter was kinda boring, but more action/drama will come with these next few chapters! You can count on it!

However, I do need a bit of help. You see, I have this story planned out but I don't know whether to pair Nami with Luffy or Law. My default pairing will be Nami x Luffy, however, if more of my reviewers want it to be Law x Nami then I will certainly change a few things! So please leave a review and tell me what you think of the story so far! I'd be so incredibly happy ❤