The Golden Fighter Sub-Arc
A/N: Hello everyone, this is a one shot following the Straw Hats after the events of 'The Golden Fighter.' Nami will be the primary character of this story.
The Straw Hats head to Alabasta to hide from the Marines and any pirates, who want their heads. As they travel the seas, Nami stares at the ocean wondering what the future holds for the crew. With Luffy no longer there, can the Straw Hats adjust themselves, or will their future be dark forever?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to One Piece.
*SC* = Scene Change
"Talking"
'Thoughts'
Lonely Sea
A single ship with the head of a lion in the front sails the sea. The night sky gives off a small light onto the deck of the ship. A lone woman with long orange hair stands near the railing of the ship staring towards the sea. With her back towards the interior of the ship, nobody will be able to notice the small amount of tears running down her cheeks. It has been a week since that fateful day. The day Monkey D. Luffy disappeared from the world.
The orange hair woman misses him. She misses his warmth, she misses his smile, and she misses his big heart.
"Luffy," said Nami as she wipes her tears.
Nami stares at the open sea as a small breeze washes by her. She closes her eyes as her long hair waves in the wind. She wonders where he is. What is he doing? Is he okay? There are so many questions needing answers, but there is no way to gain those answers.
The orange hair woman recalls the meeting between the members of the crew after the events of the battle.
Flashback
Chopper cries as he learns of Luffy's death. The rest of the crew sits in the same room with sad expressions on their faces. They won the battle, but loss the most important member of their crew.
Nami watches as each crewmember suffers.
Franky, Brook, Chopper, and Usopp sit in their individual chairs crying. Sanji has an increasing pile of cigarettes near him, as he lights another one. Zoro sits on a chair gripping one of his katanas trying to calm down.
Nami looks at Robin, who remains silent. However, Nami can tell the woman is suffering inside. Besides Robin is a cup of coffee. So far, Robin has refilled that cup ten times.
Everyone is suffering from the missing Luffy. Nami has cried the past few hours since the battle. If only she could see a physical Luffy only to know if he is alive. Nami digs into her left pocket taking out a piece of paper.
"Luffy might still be alive," said Nami catching the attention of the entire crew.
"What do you mean?" asked Zoro.
Nami hands Zoro the piece of paper. Zoro reads the paper raising an eyebrow.
"IBB, Nami," said Zoro. "What does that mean?"
"I'll be back, Nami," said Nami.
"How does this prove he is alive?" asked Zoro.
"Well, um, I don't know," replied Nami.
"See, we cannot give ours hopes up," said Zoro.
"When did he give you that?" asked Sanji.
"Before the final battle," replied Nami.
"See, how could we prove Luffy is alive?" said Zoro.
Everyone remains silent. Nami's hopes come falling down as Zoro makes his point. He makes a valid point, how would she know.
"What do we do now?" asked Usopp.
"We head towards Alabasta to recover for a while," said Nami. "We need to stay together."
The rest of the crew nods their heads in agreement. As of now, the new world is not a safe place for the weakened Straw Hats.
Flashback Ends
Nami sighs again as she prepares to head towards her room. As she continues to walk to notices a newspaper lying on the grass. She is surprise the wind has not taken the paper. The orange hair woman walks towards the newspaper. She takes it in her hand and lifts it. Nami opens the newspaper and on the front page is a story of the Straw Hat pirates. The marines released information about the death of Luffy. Nami narrows her eyes as anger boils inside of her.
A couple days of ago, the marines attacked the Straw Hats during their journey back to Alabasta. Among them was a marine of captain level, who demanded a challenge against Luffy. When Luffy did not appear, the captain of the marines questioned the Straw Hats. Immediately, the captain laughed stating that Monkey D. Luffy is afraid or dead. When the Straw Hats remained silent, the captain knew that Luffy was no longer there.
Immediately, the captain attacked the Straw Hats only for him to lose the battle. However, he escaped with the knowledge of Luffy's situation.
Now, there is a news article spreading the news of Luffy's death. What made it worse is the fact the marine captain has all the credit.
Nami crumbles the newspaper and tosses it. How could that man gain any credit when Luffy is still alive? She will not let even Zoro ruin the only hope she has. Deep inside, she knows Luffy is still alive.
Nami heads towards her room and goes to sleep.
*SC*
The next day, Nami exits her room in the early morning. She grabs a water plant pot and fills it with water. She heads towards her tangerine grove and begins to water. She looks around as if searching for someone. Suddenly, Nami's eyes widen and then she closes them. She places the water plant pot down as tears begin to form in her eyes. She was looking for Luffy as if he was about to come and steal her tangerines. She wants him to steal it. She wants to yell at him, just to know he is alive.
The feeling of loneliness flushes through Nami's body. Even though the crew is here, without Luffy, everything still seems empty.
"I miss you Luffy," said Nami to herself.
It took this recent adventure for Nami to realize what Luffy truly meant to her. She loves him. She will do anything to have him back. Why did he have to leave? Why is he gone, while she stays here?
*SC*
Breakfast, usually, it is an exciting time for the Straw Hats. Luffy will usually be there to steal the crew's food. The crew will always fight against him to keep their food on their plates. However, for a week, it has been quiet. Nobody is talking, nobody is yelling at Luffy, and nobody is smiling. It has been so quiet. This deathly silence has been uncomfortable for the crew, yet nobody has had the courage to speak during this time.
Nami sits while trying to eat. Each bite is a heavy bite. She does her best to swallow her food, but finds it very difficult to do so.
The orange hair woman stares at the crew. Each member eats in silence. This has become a habit. A habit she hopes never stays, but she knows it will. It will be a while before any sort of happiness returns to the crew.
*SC*
Nami sits on her beach chair trying to get a good tan from the sun. She wears her sunglasses watching the crew continue their own activities. She turns her head and notices Usopp and Chopper fishing. She notices their sad expressions.
"It is not the same," said Usopp as Nami tries her best to listen.
"I miss him," said Chopper with tears in his eyes.
Nami clenches her hands as she tries to hold back her own tears. Nothing is the same without him. He is not there to prove the excitement and happiness for the crew.
The orange hair woman stands up as she heads towards her room. She needs to finish drawing the remaining maps.
*SC*
Nami sits in her chair and begins to draw her maps, but as times passes, she begins missing Luffy even more. He was always there to screw her up. He will accidentally spill the ink ruining her maps. He will sometimes drag her away from her maps back to the outside world.
The navigator places her pen down. Once again, loneliness seeps through her heart. It is so lonely without him. The seas are not the same. The bright ocean seems so much darker. The winds seem colder than ever before. Loneliness, she hates that emotion. She hates the feeling of being alone. Sure, she has the crew, but everyone seems so distant. It is as Luffy was the rope that kept them together and united. As if, he was the light that lit the path for the crew. She is the navigator, yet it was Luffy, everyone followed.
"Oh Luffy," said Nami with a weak voice. "We need you, I need you. But, I will wait. I know you will return. I will keep our crew together. I will do my best."
*SC*
The day progresses the same like the past few days. The crew continues their activities. This is the Straw Hat crew, yet nobody seems the same. Nami knows it will take the crew time to recover. For some reason, she feels like the only person who believes in Luffy being alive. Every time she brings the subject up, the crew shuts her out as if trying not to get their hopes. She understands, but there is the possibility, yet it can go either way.
As night comes along, Nami appears at the same railing as the night before. The moon shines brighter, yet it does not provide any warmth. The cool air strikes Nami's skin like little knives. The immobile ship splashes against the sea. Nami sighs again as the same feeling of loneliness strikes her again. Why did Luffy enter her heart just before his disappearance? Would it have hurt less if he did not? No, it would have hurt no less. He was her nakama and her love. If he will only provide some clue of being alive, but there is nothing.
Nami begins to hear footsteps. Someone places his or her hand on Nami's right shoulder. The orange hair woman can tell who it is by the light steps and the thumping of heels.
"Robin," said Nami in a depressed tone.
"You are not alone," said Robin.
Of course, Robin would know what Nami is going through. The black hair woman has been like a big sister to Nami. She would always be there for her.
"Why do I feel like I am?" inquired Nami still looking towards the sea.
"Because," started Robin. "He is part of your heart. As well as everybody else. Of course, Luffy seems to hold a stronger part of your heart. You miss him. Your heart has a hole that cannot be filled. It is a loneliness that even we cannot fill."
"The sea seems so much bigger than before," said Nami. "It feels emptier."
Robin grabs Nami and hugs the younger woman.
"Let it out," said Robin.
Nami begins crying again as she cries among Robin's shoulder.
Zoro and Sanji watch from afar. They wish Luffy were here. It is not the same without him. The two pirates turn to each other with mutual understanding. They can only hope Luffy is still alive, somewhere.
Usopp heads towards the door leading into the ship. He walks alongside Chopper and Franky. All three of them are on the verge of tears. This week has been terrible. The pain of losing Luffy even though there might be a chance of his survival. Usopp knows there is a chance and he must hold onto that small glimmer of hope. Chopper tries to hold in his tears, but it is useless as he and Franky both cry. Their sorrow is too great to hold inside of them.
Brooke enters the kitchen after witnessing the event outside. He grabs his violin and begins to play a sad tune. He has lost so much in the past. He has spent so many years alone. The one person to believe in him is now gone. However, he too feels a small amount of hope. He hopes that not all is lost. There is still a chance of Luffy's survival. He has to wait for a miracle, if it is possible.
Back outside, Nami's tears begin to slow.
"I miss him," said Nami within Robin's arms. "I love him so much."
"I know," said Robin.
Robin releases Nami as the orange hair woman digs into her pocket. She takes out the piece of paper with Luffy's poorly drawn picture. She closes her hand as one last tear run down her cheek.
"I must remain strong," said Nami.
*SC*
Another week passes as the crew lands on a hidden port in Alabasta.
"Wow, we got back so much faster," said Usopp.
"Of course," said Franky. "This is the best ship around."
Nami walks onto the recently made port just for their ship. She looks ahead and notices Vivi running towards them. The blue hair woman crashes into Nami with tears running her cheeks.
"L-Luffy," said Vivi.
"I know," replied Nami.
Once again, Nami cries, but her tears stops shortly after.
"Come on, we need to go," said Nami.
"All right," replied Vivi wipes her tears. "I have a place in the castle for everyone."
Vivi notices Robin and simply nods her head. Robin smiles back as the Straw Hats follow Vivi.
Nami continues to walk behind Vivi as she looks around. She sighs as the heat of the island makes itself known on her skin. Nami knows that one day Luffy will return. It will be a bit lonely without him, but she still has other great friends. All she has to do is be patient and wait for the man who saved her to return.
*SC*
A lone figure, with black hair, stands on the edge of a cliff watching as an unusual green sun begins to rise. The figure sighs as a straw hat hangs around his back with the string around his neck. Suddenly, another figure approaches the black hair man from the right.
"We need to go Luffy," said the yellow hair man with whisker-like features on his cheeks.
"Okay," replied Luffy.
Luffy waits a few more seconds as he closes his eyes. Flashes of his crew go through his mind. Brook, Robin, Chopper, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Franky, and Nami flash through his mind.
"Nami," said Luffy. "Everyone, I'll be back."
Luffy turns around and follows the yellow hair person as they begin their adventure.
"Hey!" shouted Luffy. "Wait for me!"
"Hurry up slow poke!" yelled the yellow hair boy.
*SC*
A/N: Well, this is the end of 'Lonely Sea.' This is only my second one shot. I hope everyone enjoyed it. I wanted to give a small story about the Straw Hats after the events of 'The Golden Fighter.' Nevertheless, this is only a small side-story and is not part of the main arc. Thanks for reading and please review.