Charm Everlasting Chapter 1, an one piece fanfic

Chapter 1

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'RUN!'

The three letter word rang through her head like church bells on a Sunday morning. Three angry men pursued after her with swords as sharp as the wind. They swung at her with brute ferocity, though she was a good pace ahead of them.

"Get that bitch!" one screamed, swinging his sword above his head.

"She's got me treasure!" yelled another one, blade glistening in the morning sun.

The girl wasn't about to slow down to their words. She knew she was much faster than them. But she was also aware of her tired feet that carried the rest of her aching body. Time was surely running out and so was her energy.

'I need to find somewhere to hide!'

The girl quickly turned into a narrow alley. The three men roared after her, but she was able to elude them in time to reach a safe corner.

"Where she go, Pete?" cried the skinny pirate, sheathing his sword. Pete scanned the area with squinting eyes, but to no avail.

"I dunno! She must've gone hiding! You guys go ahead, I'm gonna check this here alley!"

'Shit!'

The girl was now trapped. Or for a second she thought. She didn't notice the door right next to her until now. Hastily, she tapped the door with a shaky fist. Footsteps moved closer.

"You here little girl, little girl? Don't be so shy. I'm only gonna take back me treasure is all…and maybe slice open that pretty neck of yours!"

'Please open up! Somebody please help me!'

The girl's taps became harsh pounds as the footsteps neared even closer. With the other hand, she held on tight to the sack of treasure she acquired from the pursuing pirates. Sweat covered her entire body.

"Ah, so you are hiding over here you runt! Just wait till I acquaint you with this here blade of mine!"

'It's over. It's really all over. I'm no match for him! But I'm not gonna give him this treasure! Never!'

The girl inhaled deeply. She was ready to give it her all. She wasn't about to let him take away her stolen treasure. However, before she could take action into her own hands, the door she knocked on opened. Out came a young teenage boy with bright blue eyes and the same color hair as the girl in front of him. With a raised eyebrow, he listened carefully to the angry words of pirate Pete.

"Closely, closely here I come! Giant Pete and his sword of blood!"

She closed her eyes. Pete was just three steps from the corner. Just then, a hand quickly grabbed the girl's arm and with the other, clasped her mouth. The girl screamed through the hand as she flailed at him with all of her strength. However, the sack she still grasped was hampering her movement. The boy tugged her inside and slammed the door shut, right when Pete turned the corner.

"Gah! What the hell are you doing!" she screamed at the boy, her entire body shaking with the adrenaline of fear.

"Saving you!" he retaliated. A pounding on the door silenced them both.

"Open up, ye bastards! Open up, or I will crush this door to pieces!"

The boy quickly pushed her to a dark corner of the room, though the entire house was pretty much dark for the most part.

"Stay hidden and be quiet," he instructed. "I got this."

The girl slowly nodded, still clutching her treasure close to her chest.

The boy walked over to the door and opened it.

"How can I help you good sir?" he asked with a hand behind his back. There was something bulky tucked in his pants. It almost looked like a gun.

Pete was huffing madly, sweat of his own pouring down his massive face. He bore his rotten teeth at the boy. His stench was so great that it reached the nose of the young girl. She tried with all her might not to cough or gag.

"You haven't happened to see a girl with orange hair around here, have ya? Looks a mighty bit like your hair," he snarled, his body odor now reaching a new wave of sour. The girl pinched her nose shut, but she found it hard to breathe. Even the boy was struggling to keep a straight face with the foul smell.

"N-No I h-haven't," he squeaked. His body was shaking. The smell was insanely distracting. Pete obviously didn't understand the concept of taking a shower at least once a day.

"No, huh?" Pete grunted. "You couldn't have missed her. She was carrying a sack full of treasure. She was pretty cute looking too. Looked about your age. Hard to miss such a thing."

The boy shook his head one last time, taking a step back. The girl was very close to passing out.

"I'm very sorry, but I have not see—"

"ACHOO!"

The wind outside was now more audible with the entire room now deadly silent. The boy's jaw dropped to the ground. Pete's mouth twisted into a large grin. He now could see the girl cowering in the corner of the room.

"I-I'm so sorry," she whispered. "It smells so bad."

"YOU BITCH!" roared Pete, pushing the boy away and charging at her with his sword above his head. The girl let out a scream, shielding herself with the sack of treasure.

'This can't be it! No, please!'

BAM!

The girl's quivering eased a bit as she slowly opened her eyes. In front of her stood Pete, who was now moaning loudly. His face was grimaced in pain. After taking a few steps forward, he came crumbling to the ground. The girl let out a scream.

"It's okay, it's okay!" assured the teenage boy, rushing to her side. She looked at him with fearful eyes, the grip on the treasure loosening somewhat. The boy dropped the gun he held in his hand and held her own hand with his. She looked into his eyes.

"Sorry for scaring you like that. I didn't want to shoot him…but he left me no choice. I'm so sorry." His gaze left hers as he solemnly looked at the dead man on the ground.

'He saved my life.'

The girl took one last look at her hero as she found herself falling into darkness.

"Hey! Are you okay!?"

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"Mmmmmmm."

"Hey, hey, don't force yourself so quickly."

Her eyes shot open. The girl was lying on a bed, bundled up in a warm blanket. A fire was kindling softly and she could hear the patter of firewood crackling. The breeze outside simmered down. She felt incredibly tired for some reason, like she hadn't gotten rest in years.

Next to her, sat the young man who saved her before she passed out. He forced a smile at her.

"Sorry, did I wake you up? The noise from the fireplace must be irritating."

She rubbed her eyes gently while shaking her head.

"No, no. It's time for me to get up." She looked at him and smiled, remembering something important.

"Thank you."

The boy sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "It's no problem ma'am. Er, what did you say your name was?"

The girl stretched her arms in the air, moaning lightly. The boy couldn't help but blush at her grace. The simple act of the girl stretching seemed so elegant for some reason.

"My name is Nami," she finally said, looking at him in the eyes. He bashfully looked away.

"What a nice name," he quickly returned. Nami giggled at his innocence.

"What's your name?" she asked. The boy looked back at her and straightened his posture. He cleared his throat with a little exaggerated gusto.

"My name is Naku."

"Naku, huh?" she repeated out loud. "That's an interesting name."

Naku cocked his head. Was his name really interesting?

Nami noticed he was feeling somewhat awkward and decided to change the subject.

"What happened to that smelly pirate? Is he dead?"

Naku looked at Nami and then at the ground. He frowned.

"Yeah…he's dead. I killed him."

A silence crept around the room. Nami didn't mean to make him feel so bad. But murder was nothing new to her. She felt a sudden rage build within her.

"Don't feel so bad, Naku. Pirate scum deserve nothing but death. They are all nothing but filthy bastards!" Nami clenched her teeth, her hands tightly closed into balled fists. Naku could feel her anger grip the surrounding walls. Should he tell her?

"Nami," he said, trying to be soothing as possible. Nami glanced over at him. His eyes were focused at the floor. "What if I told you, my dream is to become a pirate?"

Nami blinked at him for a few seconds, letting the question sink in. She sighed.

"You have to do what you want to do, I guess. I hate pirates so much. They took the life of someone very dear to me," she whispered. Naku noticed her eyes began to tear up.

She hastily wiped them away and then looked at him, smiling. "But you did save me from a pirate. I won't hold anything against you, I promise. Follow your dream, Naku."

He felt a grin creep up on his face. "I will! And what's your dream, Nami?"

She felt her eyes go to the sheets. Naku waited patiently, watching her hazel eyes dance in an orange glow from the flames.

"My goal…my goal…is to collect a hundred million berries!"

The flames dashed in the fireplace. Naku could only blink in wonder.

"A…a hundred?!" he gasped, letting the realization sink in. He mentally noticed that she said goal and not 'dream'.

Nami nodded while grinning. "Yup! That's my goal! I won't stop at nothing! Those pirates tried to take away my treasure. Well…I kind of stole it…but it's mine! Oh wait!"

Nami jumped from the bed and screamed. She felt her balance disappear.

"Nami!"

The girl fell into Naku's arms. After an awkward moment, Naku helped her to her feet.

"You have to be careful! You're body isn't ready to be up and about."

Nami ignored him and continued to scan the room.

"Where…where's my treasure!?" she gasped.

Naku put his hands on her shoulders. "It's okay! Your treasure is in the other room, safe and sound, I promise! No one will take it, I swear!"

Nami's breathing settled back to normal. She let out another sigh, falling back into the bed.

"Thank goodness," she murmured. She looked back at Naku. "Thank you."

"No problem," he said, going over to the fireplace. "Get some rest, Nami," he whispered, putting the fire out with some heavy dirt. He gave Nami a wink and a thumbs up. Nami nodded, smiling.

Naku walked towards the door and remembered one more thing. "Before I forget, there are more pirates outside. They seem to be still looking for that treasure…and that big guy. I'll make sure to keep you safe…and the treasure. So don't worry, okay?"

Nami nodded. "Okay."

Naku grinned at her and opened the door.

"Goodnight, Naku."

Naku turned around and smiled back at her. Her face was still glowing, even with the fire put out.

"Goodnight, Nami."

Naku closed the door behind him and leaned against it. He felt his heart race a tad bit.

'She sure is something else, huh.'

Naku happily marched to his room, excited for the next day to come.

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The two spent the next two weeks together in Naku's house. Nami learned that Naku was really a former Noble who ran away because he hated their nature and evil intentions. Naku revealed to her that he hated the World Government and all their ideals. She understood why he wanted to be a pirate so badly. She wouldn't say anything ill about pirates while he was around. In turn, Naku discovered why Nami hated pirates so much. She trusted him enough to tell him about her past. He felt angered at the Arlong Pirates and swore to challenge them if he ever crossed paths with them in the future. Nami had her doubts. But she never revealed why she needed a hundred million berries. And he never asked why.

During the two weeks, the Huff Bun Pirates who came to the island to ransack the town gave up finding Nami and the treasure sack. Their captain, Pete, had disappeared and they had no clue what to do from then. After resting for two weeks, they decided to leave. There wasn't much valuables in the town anyway. When they officially departed, Nami decided to head out to sea again in order to accomplish her goal.

"I can't thank you enough for what you've done for me," said Nami, lifting the treasure sack and tossing it behind her back. Naku had a sad look on his face that Nami noticed.

"Is everything okay?"

Naku quickly nodded his head, forcing a smile.

"Of course! You have to go for your dream, I mean, goal!"

Nami smiled. "The same with you, Naku. I hope one day, you will become a true pirate. I wish you the best of luck."

"Wait, Nami."

She cocked her head a little as she waited for him to speak. "Hm?"

"Nami, thank you for giving me a fantastic two weeks! You're awesome, I mean, amazing! Wait…oh gosh."

Naku's face turned tomato red. Nami's face softened as she lowered the sack to the ground. She walked right up to him and pulled him into a warm embrace. Naku was speechless.

"I won't forget you, Naku. You saved my life and you are the only guy I've ever really trusted. So thank you. Thank you so much."

Nami gently ended the hug, much to Naku's dismay. He had to prevent all his might from getting a bloody nose.

"I-I w-won't f-forget y-you, N-Nami!" he stammered, his face revealing all too much. Nami giggled and picked up the sack.

She boarded her small boat that she kept hidden from the invading pirates and set the sails. Naku rushed to the coast, ready to bid her a safe journey.

"Will we ever see each other again?!" he yelled, the wind picking up speed.

Nami gave him a reassuring smile, a real, genuine smile.

"I know we will, Naku! I have a feeling that we will!"

Nami waved him goodbye as her boat slowly set for the sun. Naku continued waving, even when her boat was out of sight.

"Nami," he whispered.

From that day, Naku decided to pursue his dream of becoming a great pirate. He would do so, and hopefully one day convince Nami to join his crew.

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Nami continued her journey and goal of stealing treasure, and then stashing it away back in her hometown. After two long years of plunder, she eventually ran into a spunky and mysteriously adventurous boy named Monkey D. Luffy. At first, she distrusted him and his motives of being a pirate, but soon came to realize that he was more than just a pirate, but a person with human emotions. After many adventures with him and some other goofballs, she returned home to her village where Luffy dealt a devastating blow to her captor, Arlong, and broke the shackles which held her heart. Nami eventually grew a real fondness for Luffy and the Straw Hat Pirates, and decided to become their navigator. Sadly, she did in fact forget Naku, the boy who saved her two years prior.

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Two Years Later…

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"Nami! That hurt!" yelled Luffy, clutching his sore head. A large bump emerged from his hair.

The day had started out like any other day for the Straw Hat Pirates. Well…a day where they weren't fighting another pirate crew. Everyone lazily did their business across the ship. While Zoro and Sanji argued over something like they always did, everyone else did their tasks in solitude. Luffy was the same…at first. He was fishing alongside the rail of the Thousand Sunny before his eyes found a 'mystery' firefly buzz past his silly grin which replaced his determined frown. He pushed his way past Chopper and Usopp before bursting through the bathroom which Nami was occupying for her morning shower. Perturbed by his rudeness and stupidity, she bonked him multiple times on the head. Despite being made of rubber, Nami's punches were always strong enough to hurt the rubber boy. A victorious grin was all that displayed on her face.

"Serves you right, pervert!"

Nami booted Luffy from the bathroom and back outside. He continued to rub his sore head.

"Why is she all mad," he grumbled. His pain was replaced by joy when Sanji announced he would be preparing lunch.

"Yahoo!"

Luffy raced down the steps and stood in front of the kitchen door, looking inside. Sanji was getting ready to prepare the meat and vegetables.

"Looks so good!"

Usopp called Luffy over so the two could fish together before they ate. He happily complied. After an hour of fishing, Sanji announced lunch was ready and everyone piled inside.

"Smells good."

"Sure does!"

"Better be some good sake with this."

"My butt hurts!"

"You're a baby."

"My bump feels better!"

"That's good, wait, say what?"

Everyone looked at Luffy. He grinned at them wildly.

"Nami gave me a bump!"

Sanji's jaw dropped to the ground. He grabbed Luffy by his t-shirt. "She gave you a WHAT?!"

Luffy's brow raised.

Zoro grunted behind the cook. "What's got you fired up, Eyebrows? That time of the month already?"

Sanji glared at the swordsman with laser eyes. "This bastard said Nami gave him a hump! I'm gonna kill him!"

Zoro tsked in disgust. "You really are a pervert, aren't you…"

"What did you say?!"

"Stop making so much noise, Sanji-kun."

Sanji received his very own bump after Nami pounded on his head from behind. Luffy clapped his hands, laughing.

"Now we both have bumps, Sanji!"

"You don't say…"

"Which reminds me, Luffy."

Nami bonked Luffy over the head a second time. He fell over and crashed on the ground.

"Nami, common! What's your deal?!" he hollered. Nami clapped her hands together.

"You left the door open when you left. A bunch of bugs came into the bathroom."

"But you're the one who opened it!" he retorted.

Nami bonked him over the head again. Luffy whined in distress. Zoro grunted under his breath.

"Looks like it's that time of the month for everyone…"

Nami hit Zoro over the head with a fierce punch. The swordsman let out a cry.

"You all need to grow up!" she barked and nonchalantly took a seat at the table. Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro moaned from their beatings. The rest of the crew gave some thought before taking their seats. Robin sat next to Nami.

"Is everything okay?" she asked Nami, taking a sip of tea left by Sanji. Nami let out a sigh of frustration.

"Yeah. It's just, something about today is making me feel itchy. Like on the inside."

Robin nodded but didn't quite understand what Nami was talking about.

"Today is…today is like another," she whispered. Robin raised a brow. What on Earth was Nami talking about?

"Dinner is served," announced Sanji, waltzing over to the table with trays of food. Luffy's eyes glittered gold.

"Where's all the booze, cook?" asked Zoro. Sanji gave him a face.

"You know where it is, idiot."

Zoro grumbled and got up to shuffle around the bottles of sake. Luffy began to stretch his rubber arms in order to grab all the meat.

"Careful, Luffy!" yelled Franky, shielding himself from the barbecue sauce Luffy was splashing everywhere from all the meat.

"Seriously, you idiot, stop taking all the meat!" cried Usopp. Luffy continued to scarf down as much meat as possible. Nami was beginning to boil up inside.

"Gimme that meat!" yelled Usopp, tugging on a large piece of meat that Luffy also wanted.

"It's mine!" yelled Luffy.

"You have enough!"

"There is never enough meat!"

"Stop pulling you dork!"

"Gimme!"

"No you gimme!"

"You suck!"

"Stop arguing you two!"

"Stay out of this!"

"Toei!"

Nami was about to smash both of them into the table before Luffy's grip on the meat released and the entire steak smacked Nami in the face. She crashed backwards, her Log Pose breaking into tiny pieces. The kitchen grew completely silent. A bird chirped in the distance.

"Birdy," whispered Luffy. Usopp smacked his head.

"Nami-san! Are you okay!" asked Sanji, picking Nami up. She quickly shooed him away, her eyes filled with tears. Blood was coming from her hands. Luffy's mouth fell open.

"N-Nami…are you okay!?"

Sanji kicked Luffy across the room and landed a thud on top of Usopp's head.

"You guys hurt Nami-san! You guys are idiots!" yelled Sanji.

Chopper quickly tended to Nami's hands, but she brushed him aside. Nami's gaze was glued to the Log Pose that was now in broken fragments. The band was all that remained. She walked over to Luffy who slowly got up.

"Nami, are your hands oka—"

SMACK!

Nami delivered a strong message across Luffy's face as she marched right past him outside, slamming the door behind her.

"She closed the door at least," grunted Zoro. Sanji looked ready to kick him across the room but the damage in the kitchen was already at a worst.

"Luffy!" roared Sanji.

Luffy eyed Sanji from beneath the brim of his hat.

"Go apologize, now!"

Luffy nodded slowly and walked towards the door. Usopp followed.

"I have this under control, Usopp," whispered Luffy.

"But Luffy, it's my fault too…"

"No."

Luffy opened the door and closed it behind him. Usopp returned to his seat.

"Would anyone like a song?" asked Brook, pulling out his violin. A slice of meat smacked the skeleton right in the sockets. "Delicious, Sanji-san! Yohohohohoho!"

Luffy looked around the deck for any signs of Nami. She was nowhere outside. He looked at the crow's nest but knew she probably wouldn't go there. He then figured she must have gone to her room. He stood outside of it and took a deep breath. After a moment of hesitation, he knocked.

"Go away, Luffy."

"Nami…I'm really sorry about your hands."

"I said, go away!"

"Please come outside. It's such a nice day."

"Go away!"

Luffy scratched his head and gave it some more thought. If Nami didn't come out, Sanji would hurt him again. Plus, he needed to see if she was okay. Her hands must be in severe pain.

"I'm coming in, Nami."

"You better not."

"Well, here I go!"

"No!"

Luffy opened the door. Nami was curled up on her bed, her eyes focused on the wall ahead. She didn't dare look at Luffy. He closed the door behind him.

"Go away, Luffy. I already told you to go."

Luffy ignored her and proceeded forward.

"I'm warning you. I will hurt you."

Luffy walked right next to her bed.

"I'm going to count to three."

He took off his hat.

"One."

He gave it a look.

"Two."

He put it on Nami's head.

"Three…"

Nami let out a sigh of defeat. How did Luffy always get her to calm down? He was something else.

"Luffy…"

He sat on the bed next to her and smiled slightly.

"What do you want?"

"I want you."

Nami's eyes shot right at Luffy's, startled.

"Y-You w-want," she stammered.

'Did he just say that?!'

"I want you to be okay, Nami."

Nami slapped her face. Of course that's what he wanted.

"Are…are your hands okay, Nami?"

She sighed and showed Luffy her hands. They were cut up but no longer bleeding. He took them both in his own and studied them. Nami could feel her face heat up.

"W-What are you doing?" she asked warily.

Luffy grinned.

"Just makin' sure they're okay! They seem better than before! That's a relief!"

He gently rubbed them together with his own hands, feeling her smooth skin. Nami raised an eyebrow.

"They feel better too! Just like a long time ago!"

"What are you talking about?"

Luffy let go and looked at the wall.

"When you hurt yourself trying to save Usopp. At your village you stabbed your hand. But afterwards I felt it and it felt better!"

Nami blinked a couple of times and then laughed. Luffy laughed with her. Luffy was such a confusing person.

"You are such an idiot," she said simply, patting Luffy's arm. He grinned.

"But I'm totally awesome, aren't I?"

Nami looked at him. The ray from the sun hit his face almost perfectly. He actually looked good from where she was sitting. His face always had that plastered smile that was always a sight for sad eyes. She needed that smile. It made her smile all the time. Suddenly, she felt her hand move towards his.

"Luffy I…"

"Luffy! Get on out here!" yelled Zoro.

Luffy jumped from the bed and looked at Nami.

"We're okay then?" he asked innocently. Nami exhaled softly and nodded. Luffy grinned.

"Good!"

He slammed the door shut.

Nami threw herself back on her bed and looked at the ceiling.

"He really is something else…isn't he…"

She ran her fingers on the palms of her hands. She remembered Luffy holding them. His hands…had they always felt so soft? She only could remember a few times when he touched her. He always did it so gently and caringly. A guy who could pummel down the mightiest foes had the softest touch. How ironic.

"Nami!" hollered Luffy. "Come outside!"

Nami groaned. She was in a really comfy position. How it would feel for another to share the bed with her. Luffy…

Nami shook her head violently and walked outside.

"You forgot the door," mocked Zoro with a fleeting grin. Nami rolled her eyes and slammed the door.

"Is Nami-san feeling better," asked Sanji, rushing to her side and feeling her hands. Surprisingly, Sanji had rough hands compared to Luffy's soft hands. What the heck was with this crew?

"I'm fine," she said, pulling her hands away. "What's going on, Luffy?"

Luffy had his face gleaming at an island ahead. Of course she didn't know about the island…someone broke her Log Pose.

"What island is that?" she asked.

Usopp cleared his throat. "It appears to be some sort of island."

Nami gave him a look.

"We'll find out when we get there!" beamed Luffy.

The Straw Hats prepared to land ashore.

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"Captain! Captain!"

A chubby sailor rushed toward the bar and barged through.

"What is it, Bart?"

"Captain, there are pirates landing ashore!"

The captain tapped his chin. He was unsure if this would be a problem.

"Do you know what pirates they are?"

Bart pinched his face. It looked full of fear.

"Y-Yeah! I-It's…It's…the Straw Hat Pirates!"

The captain's eyes immediately shot open.

"Should we attack, sir? Their captain, Monkey D. Luffy is worth four hundred million berries! He's dangerous!"

The crewmates inside the bar gave each other looks. Straw Hat Luffy certainly had a fearsome reputation. His crew was fearsome as well. However, the captain let out a laugh. The rest of the crew were confused.

"Sir?"

"Let them come!" he sang. The orange-haired man took a big swig of beer. "Ah! Tis a good day to live my men! Rejoice!"

"The captain's gone mad!"

"He's insane!"

"Either that, or brave!"

"Brave, yes brave!"

"We have the bravest captain!"

The crewmates began to sing and dance around the bar. The captain continued to chug the beer, finishing it with a clatter.

"At long last! At long, long last! I finally get to see her! I finally get to see her!"

He walked towards the bar doors, putting on his black captain's hat.

"I finally get to see you, Nami!"

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So this is the beginning of the story. Please tell me what you guys think!