So I've decided to continue my little oneshot with intros to each character in the One Piece verse. I'm having a lot of fun writing these so I doubt I'll stop.
The first time Nami saw the strange young rubber man interact with the infamous Rononoa Zoro, who had supposedly come to the rescue, her first shocked though had been, Huh. I don't recall any mentions of the pirate hunter having a brother.
But then, she could tell it wasn't quite like that. The soft glance she saw Zoro shoot the other, the way it was returned with bubbling excitement, and the dangerous edge Zoro had when he addressed Buggy were all too familiar to her.
An image of Nojiko standing fearlessly toe to toe with the village bullies in order to defend Nami popped into her mind, followed by a wave of longing and determination. She didn't have time to think about home, though. Not while the impending threat of Buggy and these two weird guys loomed.
But, they were seemingly being dealt with. And by Ronona Zoro, no less! But then, what had she expected? If all the rumors about the so-called pirate hunter demon were true, then Nami guessed she really should have expected nothing less.
It wasn't until after the echoing explosion of the Buggy ball aimed at Buggy himself had receded did Nami's first thought have the chance to enter her mind again. Instead of taking cover like she had when the Buggy cannon had gone off (by taking cover she meant diving for the ground, screaming) Zoro had rushed straight for the cage Luffy had been encased in, and was now on his knees against the bars, talking softly with the boy within.
Staring at them, Nami cautiously pushed herself up and after swiftly looking at the unconscious wreak of Buggy's crew, made her way over to Luffy's cage.
'-Are you sure?' She heard Zoro urgently mutter at the boy, who answered with a cheerful nod and a 'Yosh!'
Finally reaching them, she made it just in time as Zoro shoved his hands through the bars and grabbed Luffy's wrists, pulling the younger man's body forward so he could examine him thoroughly. As Zoro lifted Luffy's arms robotically and trailed his fingers down them, Luffy giggled.
'Zoorrrrooo,' he whined, pulling one of his hands away. 'That tickles!'
Zoro, finally sure that Luffy hadn't been wrongly hurt in his absence, shook his head, a small grin making its way to his face as he dropped Luffy's hand and reached out further to gently rest it against Luffy's face. 'Just making sure,' he ruefully answered.
'But, Zoro!' Luffy shot back. 'You're much more hurt than me! You gonna be okay?'
Zoro grinned at Luffy, pulling him closer again. 'It's just a flesh wound,' he passed off easily. 'Bit of sleep later and I'll be fine.' He gave Luffy a charming smile, one Luffy had no trouble believing in.
'Shishishishishi,' Luffy giggled again, before leaning forward and pressing his face against the bars, right up against Zoro's, their forehead touching tenderly.
Nami suddenly had the feeling she was intruding on something private, and that if she was caught intruding on it, Zoro would personally kill her. Clamping her mouth shut from the hysterical yelling she had been about to unleash, she turned her head away.
'Uh, you two phsycos…' she prodded, still staring intently at Buggy's pathetic and out for the count crew. 'Hello? Buggy's crew? Buggy? Will awaken at any minute, yeah?'
At this the two finally noticed her presence, and while Luffy turned to her with a grin as wide and cheerful as ever, Zoro regarded her with a suspicious and closed look of dislike. Nami immediately felt herself bristling at that look. She used a similar look like that to clearly tell men where they stood with her and where they should stick it. To have such a look thrown casually at her first -oh, she wasn't going to like this guy. At all. Didn't he have any respect for women?
'Who's this?' Zoro asked rudely, staring at her.
'That's Nami!' Luffy answered eagerly, reaching through to take Zoro's hand. 'She's going to be our navigator!'
At this, Nami stiffened angrily. 'Who says?' She sniffed haughtily. 'I already told you kid- I hate pirates!'
Luffy looked confused. 'But I'm saying,' he answered, as if that was all that mattered. Zoro started chuckling, glancing at Nami's infuriated glare with amusement. 'Yeah, didn't you hear him?' he let out, grinning. 'Luffy says.'
Nami actually stamped her foot, only slightly, before huffing. 'You two are impossible!' She accused. 'First you're all so happy and casual about Buggy- an extremely dangerous pirate captain- then you're all crazy and ready to fight- even after you've sustained serious injuries- and now this! Acting like children!'
'Yeah, whatever,' Zoro answered casually, turning away from her to start examining the cage for a way out. Luffy was completely preoccupied, humming his own little tune as he watched Zoro feel the cage bars. 'I've already tried that!' he offered Zoro helpfully. 'But maybe with your swords…'
Zoro shook his head, grunting. 'With this injury, I don't have as much strength behind my swing,' he ground out, sounding ashamed. 'I won't be able to cut the bars like this.'
Nami shook her head at the two of them and glanced over at the unconscious Buggy. She should really grab what she could and get out of here now. It was how she did things; how she survived. But, Luffy had really helped her… twice… She couldn't just leave him and his green-headed buffoon here to die.
Setting off with determined strides, the arguing of Luffy and Zoro faded behind her as she made her way toward Buggy. It only took her a few minutes to pilfer his collection of brass keys and figure out which one matched the cage's iron signature.
By the time she trotted away from Buggy smugly, key in hand, Zoro had picked up the cage with Luffy in it and was now making his way down the hill. Nami's steps faltered, and her mouth fell open, key completely forgotten. 'Holy crap…' he muttered to herself, before taking off after the two insane men.
'What are you doing?' she hissed, finally catching up to them, shocked at the amount of distance Zoro had covered in the short amount of time she had been with injuries like his.
'I'm milking the cows,' Zoro grunted sarcastically at her, shifting the cage awkwardly as he took another hard step. Luffy, who had drifted into a somewhat out-of-it daze, snapped to attention at that. 'Huh? Cows?' he questioned in excitement. 'Are we gonna have meat soon?'
Zoro stumbled another few steps, pausing to catch his breath. 'Sure, buddy,' he said with a short grin that he aimed up at Luffy. 'We'll get all the meat you want later.'
'Sweet!'
'Are you crazy?' Nami tried again, shock driving her for an answer to his ridiculous and damaging behavior. 'You'll kill yourself trying to lug that thing all the way through town!'
Zoro gave a bland, annoyed look that clearly said bullshit. 'There was no way I was gonna leave Luffy up there with those creeps,' he spat out, struggling onwards. Nami slowed to a stop at that, finding it almost too hard to believe. Just how long had these two known each other? To go that far for the other, no questions asked…
She found herself remembering that one moment in the fight, when Luffy had called out to the staggering, bleeding Zoro, and with one connected, knowing look, Zoro had gained reassurance, strength, confidence, and had known exactly what to do. Nami found herself marveling at their connection. It was… truly something beautiful. And from the way those two acted… it was like they knew it, too.
What… what kind of friken pirates were these strange two?
After everything Nami had recently experienced with Buggy, it was no surprise she found herself unable to sleep that night, kept awake by the swirling thoughts of everything that had happened, everything that would happen, the treasure she had obtained, when she would have to return to Arlong…
The list was impossibly endless.
And then there was Luffy and Zoro. Her new "crewmates." She sighed, pushing herself up from the small cot within Buggy's tiny cruiser. Since when had that happened? Everything had rushed by so quickly. The defeat of Buggy, the fleeing from the town, and the agreement she made with Luffy; to stick with them until her needs were served. Then, she would ditch, and take their treasure. That sounded right.
So why did she find her heart growing so attached to the dorky boy and the brooding man?
Shaking her head quickly in attempt to throw all such thoughts out, she swiftly stood and exited the tiny cabin for a bit of fresh air.
The moon was high and shining, and the sea was calm (just as Nami had predicted the day before). Nami breathed in the cool salty air, already feeling the calming affect it had on her working it's magic. The other tiny dingy that contained Luffy and Zoro bobbled along next to her boat (formally Buggy's) and out of slight curiosity, she glanced over at it.
What she saw had the breath catch in her throat in surprise at first, then fondness.
Zoro was leaning against the side of their smaller boat, his legs crossed and sound asleep… and Luffy was curled in his lap, his hands folded between their two bodies, clutching at Zoro's shirt. Both of their faces were contented and peaceful, their bodies matching perfectly like a lock and key. Of course. Zoro was the lock, and Luffy was the key to it all. Strangely fitting, and endearing.
Nami didn't know what she had expected, but as she watched the two men sleep against each other, she found subconsciously that this was exactly she had expected, after everything she had seen from the two young men. She surveyed the two tightly intertwined bodies for a while, a small, loving and rare smile caressing her face.
Oh, yeah. Now she remembered why she felt the overwhelming need to give it all for them, to finally let herself go and be free with them…
… because they gave her hope. They were her friends.
Zoro suddenly grunted, and shifted his body around onto his side. Luffy gently started to slide out of the swordsman's lap, but as he did Zoro's hands were suddenly there, supporting him against his bigger body as the both of them slid down from the side and onto the floor together.
'…'Ro…' Luffy mumbled, nuzzling his head unconsciously into the man's chest.
'Mmmm… sush…' Zoro mumbled back in exceedingly bad and tired english, his hand coming up to rest against Luffy's face. '…Shleep…'
Nami smiled once more, her heart truly warming at the sight, before turning and heading back into her cabin, finding that her thoughts were thankfully and blissfully quiet for the moment.
