Author's Note: Okey doke, guys! Here's the second chapter! :D I've been making a lot of changes to what I had originally wrote, because hell yeah, I can do that since it's all completed! :D Something I could not do had I written by ear and posted each chapter before its completion! XD However, I have to make those changes to several documents, so here's hoping I did make all the appropriate changes to all of the documents… X( I'll have to double check before I post anything! However, this chapter should be fine! Anyways, enjoy! :D
Charmed Heart
Chapter 2
After unloading all of the treasure with the other guild member's assistance, Chopper had looked over Scales' wounds and some livestock was bought to feed him. Luffy and Nami finally headed back inside the guild to get something to eat themselves.
They spotted Robin seated at one of the tables as she read, with Zoro laying out over the bench with his head in her lap as he dozed. Spotting the couple entering into the dinner hall, Sanji removed his apron and told the staff he would be right back as he made his way towards them.
As they approached and as if sensing their presence, Zoro opened an eye and smirked at them. "Taming dragons now, are we?" he asked, just as Sanji made it to them.
Robin also looked up from her book and offered the couple a smile. After having spent so much time there, the three had decided to take the difficult tasks, passing all of them and joined the guild months ago.
Nami huffed and said, "Well, it wasn't our intention when we first arrived there. Luffy was about to kill him, but he had such sad eyes. He's a good boy now, and all the virgin girls were returned safely and unharmed to their village."
"Aah, such lovely maidens~! I'm glad to hear they were returned unharmed~!" Sanji said as he cupped his hands to his cheek.
Zoro scoffed at this and said, "So, what'd the old man have to say about it?"
Luffy pursed his lips and said, "Well, he wasn't happy… but don't care. We'll figure it out with Scales."
"Scales, huh? Cool name," Zoro said and chuckled.
"Thanks!" Nami beamed.
Luffy again pursed his lips and said, "I still think Big Teeth is better."
"That's a horrible name."
"Thank you, Zoro! I agree!" Nami said as she laughed at Luffy's disappointment. Soon, they were all laughing together.
"Oye."
To the voice, they all turned to see Ace approaching them, but his eyes were on Nami. "The old man wants to see you."
"Me?" Nami asked as she began to frown and even glanced at Luffy, but then she looked back at Ace and asked, "He's not going to fuss more about the dragon, is he?"
Luffy nearly scowled and said, "Alone? What's he want her for?"
"He didn't say, and yeah, alone," Ace said and sighed at Luffy.
"There's no way I'm letting her go alone!"
"Luffy, you know the old man. He'll just kick your ass outta there," Ace said as he shook his head at his younger brother.
"It's alright, Luffy," Nami said as she looked up at him. "What's he going to do to me, anyway? It'll be fine," she said as she leaned up to kiss his cheek.
Still appearing concerned, Luffy sighed and nodded. "I'll be right outside, in case you do need me, okay?"
She smiled up at him with affection and nodded. "Okay." Taking his hand, they both then made their way towards the old man's office.
Luffy assured her once more that he would be right there, and she offered him one more smile as she stepped into Garp's office, closing the doors behind her. Her heart was pounding in her chest, and her hands were clammy, but she lifted her chin up at the old man anyway as she stared him down. "You asked for me?"
"I did," he replied from behind his desk as he continued to write something down. "Have a seat," he said without looking up at her.
With a bit of a frown, she made her way further in and took a seat before his desk. They remained in silence for some time, until he finally set his quill within its inkwell and looked up at her. He gazed back at her for some time, which unsettled her, but then he said, "I understand that you don't think highly of me."
A deeper frown creased her brows as she regarded him, and then she said, "I have a very good reason as to why."
"I'm well aware of that. I, now, need you to understand why I made those decisions," he said to her in a hard tone.
"Understand them?" she asked, seeming unwilling to understand at all, or perhaps skeptical. She did not like where this was going.
"Yes," he replied, but then he said, "Luffy is my responsibility as is every mage who is a member of my guild. Everything each one of these mages does, including Luffy, reflects upon my guild. We have to uphold and maintain the reputation that we have, or risk being taken advantage of or lose credibility. Our skills and services come with a high fee, because we take on the jobs most others can't and won't do, and we get the job done right. Luffy, the idiot that he is, took on a job with him being in a horrible condition, which led to the destruction of your village."
She huffed out in irritation. She knew this already. What point was he trying to make, exactly? "I am aware of this."
"I know that you are, girl. Luffy had to take responsibility for what he had done, and he had to pay the consequences as well. That's where you came in. He'd gone easy on you. Even if he was responsible for destroying your town, payment was still promised and due. Something else would have been done about your village. It was another matter and not a part of the original contract," Garp went on to explain.
However, Nami was now glaring back at him. She was still not sure she liked or accepted what he was saying.
"Now, do you want to know why I made you continue to work for the guild, other than to just pay off your debt?"
Nami blinked at this as she stared back at him. "There was another reason?"
Garp's lips and brows dipped down into more of a frown. "Yes," he replied, simply.
Nami lowered her eyes, actually giving this some thought. What other reason could he have had to make her work for them?
When she did not reply, though he had not really expected her to be able to figure out, he said, "You were free, girl."
Nami looked up at him, and her frown softened more into confusion. "Free?" she whispered in that confusion.
"That's right. Free; you were free. Luffy had fulfilled his part of the contract, despite the destruction. After ten years of enslavement, you were free," Garp said with the same harsh tone.
Nami swallowed and rolled her eyes closed as she felt a sinking feeling within her gut. "I was free… and yet… I was ungrateful."
"Yes," Garp replied in a much quieter tone, "Luffy freed you and your village. Your town was destroyed, but you were free, and you threw that great feat back into Luffy's face. Of course he and the guild would have taken responsibility for the destruction, girl. It's also another reason Luffy brought you here against your will. You were irrational and unreasonable, and beyond explaining anything, nor would you have trusted him to keep his word."
When he put it like that, he made her feel small and horrible, and thinking about how cruel and horrible she had been to Luffy, despite how well he had treated her, made her heart ache. He had only lashed out after becoming fed up of her treatment of him, but he had always apologized. Tears welled within her eyes and a droplet glided down her cheek, to which she wiped away with a quick swipe of her hand.
"I'm not trying to make you feel guilt, girl," Garp said, a tad gentler than he had before. "I only want you to understand what it means to be a Guild Master. The idiot needed to also be taught a lesson, and this is why I also did to you what I did."
Nami lifted her chocolate brown eyes up to him, and then she nodded her understanding. She could only imagine what it must be like to be him. It was like having to be a strict parent to hundreds of children; all of those children being powerful mages.
"Now, in line about the guild. Though you work for the guild and you work with Luffy, you have yet to officially join it," he said as he regarded her closer.
She blinked several times as she considered this, but then she shifted her eyes away. "I wasn't sure if I… wanted to… or really could, and so I just haven't asked about it."
"I figured as much. You are aware of the tasks that must be fulfilled, and I'm sure you're also aware of how difficult they can be, seeing as your friends had to go through with them. I also understand you might not be confident in your abilities, since you are new to them."
"That's right," she replied in a quiet tone, refusing to look up at him.
"I wanted to let you know I'm making you an official member as of today, if you accept the offer."
Nami's head snapped up, unsure if she had heard him right. "Excuse me?" she whispered in her surprise.
"It's not everyday someone tames a damned dragon. Killing a dragon is easy… but taming one… Well… that's an entirely different story. I think you're more than qualified, and your abilities are also rare and should be monitored closely by experienced mages," he said with a grunt. He did not really want to admit that he was impressed by the girl's abilities as well as to how quickly she had mastered them. "You should have more confidence in yourself."
"I…" she started, speechless. After a while, she just took in a breath and said, "I accept. Thank you…"
"There's one more thing," Garp said as he pulled a drawer out from his desk and lifted out a long wooden box, dwarfed within his large hand. "I wanted to give you this," he said as he stood up and handed it to her over his desk.
Blinking at the box, she stood up from her chair and accepted it from him. Not bothering to sit back down, she opened it up and gasped at the golden chain within, as well the jeweled heart pendant attached to it.
Her eyes darted up to his in shock. He was giving her this gift?
Garp's eyes were on the pendant as he said, "It's not just a necklace. It's a powerfully enchanted charm. It is very old, it is very rare, and it was extremely hard to find. It's been inspected by our experts here many times over. It's the real deal. It was made for and by someone of your abilities, which is why, I guess, it's shaped like a heart. It helps with your abilities, and at the same time, keeps you protected. Your abilities are rare and downright priceless, which could be dangerous. An attempt was already made on you once. I won't let it happen again."
She took in a harsh breath as she glanced back down at the necklace. He said it was extremely rare as well as very old, which meant it must have cost a fortune. Not to mention, he went through all the trouble to find it, just for her, and just like that, he was just giving it to her. She felt tears once again welling in her eyes as she looked up at him.
Without another thought, she made her way around his desk, surprising him, and wrapped her arms around his much larger body. "Thank you!" she whispered as the tears began to fall.
Garp's expression softened as he gazed down at the tiny bit of a girl, and then he lifted a hand to give her head a pat. "You must also understand how important you are to my grandson. What's precious to him… is also precious to me."
More tears seeped through, and she even hiccupped as the tears fell harder. Her arms tightened more around him, and then she nodded in understanding once more.
"Know that you are protected here. You will always be protected and safe here," he said, as he reached down to pluck the necklace from its box. "Here," he said, and she lowered her head as she pulled her hair to the front for him to place it on her.
A bright smile formed as she nodded once again and whispered, "Thank you. I do feel safe here."
"Good, this was all I wished to discuss with you. You can tell the idiot waiting outside that you're just fine," he said and smiled to seeing her bright smile.
This made her laugh as she wiped away her tears with a sniffle and lifted her head to charm him more with her smile. "Thank you," she said again before turning to head out, the old man watching her the whole way.
As soon as she opened the door and stepped out with tears in her eyes, Luffy was ready to do battle as he scowled, glancing in at the old man. Nami laughed, sounding nasally as she gazed back at Luffy. "It's alright, Luffy. Don't get upset," she said as she closed the doors with the box still in one of her hands and the necklace sparkling just above her bosom. "I'll explain what happened."
He blinked to this, but then he just nodded, noting the long wooden box as well as the sparkly necklace, but just took her free hand within his and headed back to the dinner hall to get their dinner as she explained what had happened.
Dragon slipped into Garp's office through a hidden door, and Garp turned to look at him. "You didn't ask her," Dragon said as he approached Garp's desk and sat within the chair she had been seated in moments before.
"No, I did not," Garp said as he sat down and lifted his eyes towards the doors beyond Dragon. "Not yet, anyway. It wasn't a good time."
"It's time sensitive," Dragon said and frowned back at his father.
"I am aware of that, Dragon. I will ask tomorrow. I want to speak with Luffy as well," Garp replied with a sigh. "It won't be easy."
"No, it won't," Dragon said and turned his head to gaze out of the window.
To Be Continued…
Ending Author's Note: Ominous… Very ominous… What didn't he ask her!? D: I don't know! Actually, I do. :P Bahahahaha! Garp is such a softy! Stay tuned for the next chapter! :D
