"Wait… Sanji!" Fists balled, Nami slowly approached the blond man. He was no longer familiar to her. This man was something different; someone who didn't give a second thought to inflicting pain on his friends. She couldn't even force herself to use the honorific at the end of his name anymore. It proved to be of no use when she was yelling at him to stop his merciless attack on Luffy, anyway.
Anger clouded her vision, along with her tears, and cheeks burned with what… Embarrassment? Resentment? She couldn't think clearly enough right now to tell. A deep breath filled her lungs and the navigator hit him full force across the face with an open hand. "Goodbye." Her words came out clear in contrast to the unstable emotions overwhelming her. "Sorry for the unnecessary trouble."
Nothing… No response to her at all. He just turned and walked away, which almost hurt more than seeing how he treated Luffy. She wanted him to feel the pain she was feeling, wanted him to suffer as much as she was. What had it been for? All of her concern from the moment he threw his nakama from Capone's castle… what was it for?
"Please believe me on this… I never intended to keep anything from my friends." His words stabbed her now. She thought back to her restless sleep before Luffy and the others arrived. There was a promise she made, that he would get to see her again. That promise was what motivated her to act, to push the others to move towards rescuing him.
Rescuing him from what…? She didn't believe any of the lies he rambled after he kicked Luffy off the carriage. Knowing that he was lying didn't ease the pain of him mocking their captain's dream. Then came the actions that spoke louder than any nonsense he could think to say. No matter what his reasons were, he didn't have to beat Luffy to the point of being bloody.
The captain stood up again and began yelling a promise to Sanji. A promise…? Nami had promised to see the cook again. That promise to trust him was made in a dream. The hard cold reality was the candy-colored hell she and Luffy were currently in; a land where ugly faces in objects that were never meant to be alive ridiculed their pain, and now they were stuck in the middle of enemy territory. She never would have imagined her promise would be fulfilled under these circumstances.
Soon an enraged army would come after Big Mom found out that stupid biscuit commander was defeated. That was what Pound-chan had said. Rather than finding some sort of camouflage, the rubber boy laid out on the grassy field. How could he still believe in Sanji?! The pain he had inflicted on both of them hurt worse than any physical wound.
With a heavy heart, Nami sat down next to her captain. Was Sanji really gone? Was it really so hopeless now? "Luffy…" Her voice trembled with sadness. "We need to hide from the army that Big Mom will be sending."
"No, I promised Sanji!" Luffy replied. "He'll come back!" At least his resolve didn't seem to waiver. The pain further splintered in the navigator's chest. Hugging her knees against her, she tried to comfort herself. She attempted to speak, but her voice cracked and came out in a whisper.
"I hope you're right."