Chapter 2: Nami
WORRY
No matter where we are, I'll take us to where we need to be.
"Right," Rachel had gathered them together again, "We've figured out Roronoa Zoro's movements, but the age at which the Pirate King died is still a mystery. Eugene and I have been looking into other crew members to determine a timeline."
"So whose story are we going to hear this time?" Seth asked.
"Cat-Burglar Nami," Eugene answered. "She was the second person to join the crew, according to the old sightings, after Roronoa Zoro."
Nicole and Carter leaned forward, interested.
"We are still trying to determine which of these items connects her to Monkey D. Luffy, but we believe it is this," Rachel pointed to the odd compass. "She was a navigator, and this must have been the type of compass they used a millennia ago. We have also found an old copy of the atlas she drew." Rachel pushed a book forward for the others to look at. "She was the first person to ever produce a map of the world. Of course, today it is much easier because we have satellite imagery, but at this point in time this was one of the biggest achievements in human history. This copy here is an eighteenth edition, since most of the original copies have been destroyed or are at museums."
Nicole pulled the book towards her and started flipping through the pages. "I studied her in some of my classes," She said, "Her work was decades above anyone else in her era. Once this hit the market, people didn't care that she was a pirate, her legacy was this."
"How long do you think it took her?" Felix asked.
"Probably years," Nicole said. "She had to sail everywhere, and then it would have taken her at least a few days to measure all the heights and radius of the islands. Take that, and multiply it by the number of islands in the world… It's thought that the dates here below the description are her start and end date. If that's true, then she spent nearly half a century working on this."
"That kind of talent doesn't come from just anywhere," Carter said with a grin.
"Yeah," Nicole agreed. "It's a shame her daughter didn't take up navigation and cartography."
"Aren't you a cartographer?" Seth asked.
"I have a minor degree in GIS Technologies," She said with a nod, "I figured it would help me in with my analytical archeology." She flipped to the full page map of the Grand Line. "This is the route the Pirate King took to get to Raftel," She dragged her finger along a series of islands all connected by a bright red line. "At least, that's what some of the senior analysts think."
"We do have their log book now," Eugene said, leaning over Nicole's shoulder. "Henry is currently working on restoring it, but once we have the text we can start translating. We can confirm this once we do."
"That would be amazing," Nicole said with a grin. "Of course, it really wouldn't be a surprise to learn that it was true. What I want to know is why this island here," She pointed to an island about two thirds the way through the New World, "Is red. She follows a normal colouring scheme until this one. And it's the only one. I've actually been to the island, and it's just a bunch of cliffs and a forest. It's nothing special, there's no monument, and there's no treasure."
"Maybe something happened there," Rachel said. "We will have to wait for the translation to be complete. Anyway, her solo movements started in East Blue, most likely around here."
Nojiko watched Nami from the kitchen window. She was worried about her baby sister, but she would never admit it out loud. Nami was much stronger than she looked. Nojiko also knew her sister well enough to know when she wanted to be left alone. Today seemed to be one of those days.
It hadn't been that long since Nami returned. Just over a month ago, a small vessel appeared at the docks. Nami had changed, so much so that it took a minute to recognize her when she climbed out of the boat.
At first, everyone was happy. They had heard the news of Strawhat Luffy claiming the One Piece, and Nami was greeted with cheers. But she hadn't looked very happy when she arrived, and when someone asked about Luffy she burst into tears.
After that, it wasn't hard to figure out what happened. Genzo had been muttering about Nami's smile for the past couple of weeks, and Nojiko was trying her hardest to bring it back. It was an effort in vain, she knew. It would take more than just her efforts to bring it back completely.
Nojiko didn't blame Strawhat for her sister's tears. If Nami cried over him, then he was worth her tears. That made the Strawhat boy a decent person in her books.
She shook her head and continued watching Nami as she stood in the orchard next to a half-full basket of tangerines. Nojiko joined her a few hours later, sitting on the grass and started trimming the branches.
"How're you holding up?" Nojiko asked.
Nami sighed, lowering her clippers and running a gloved hand through her hair. "I'm not going to say I'm good, but I'm doing better now."
Nojiko smiled softly, "That's good." They worked together for a while longer, before heading back to the house. "Genzo invited us over for dinner," She said. "Help me carry these bushels down to his house?" She pointed to a couple of canvas bags by the door.
"Of course."
Nami grabbed one and easily slung it over her shoulders. Nojiko struggled with the weight of the second bag, marveling internally at Nami's new strength. They walked to the village together, talking about nothing important until they reached Genzo's home. It was nice.
But despite the quiet and the familiarity of home, Nami still didn't feel comfortable. Staying in one place was making her itch, and she'd often wander the island just to keep moving. When a cruise ship arrived during their annual Freedom Festival, it gave Nami an idea. She only told Genzo and Nojiko, and they were the only two to see her off two months later when the next ship arrived in their harbour. As she left, Nojiko pressed a sprig cut off from one of Bell-mere's tangerine trees into her palm. "Plant that and it will grow."
"You're always welcome here," Genzo whispered. "Never forget that."
...
The passenger ship was mid-sized and moderately crowded, but that morning on the forward deck it was nearly empty, aside from a few workers. Nami enjoyed the fresh air and sipped hot coffee from a paper cup as she stood by the railing and watched the sunrise. She picked up the drink from Robin after a few late nights working on her maps. The coffee in her hand wasn't as good as Sanji's, but it still did its job and woke her up.
Nami glanced at the sky. They were in for a clear day, cooler than normal, but still bright and sunny. She took a deep breath of the morning air, pulled her sweater tighter around herself, and crumpled the now empty cup. She spent a moment more in the air before leaving to find a garbage and return to her cabin to get ready for that morning's shift.
She grumbled a bit as she pulled on the waitressing uniform. It was small, tight, and spoke of the pervy old men who owned the ship. She had to hike up her climatact holster to keep it underneath her skirt and out of sight, and she needed copious amounts of concealer to hide her very recognizable tattoo and scar on her left shoulder, as well as the scar on her forearm. That scar wasn't recognizable, but it was noticeable and the stuck up old men she served wouldn't want a pinup girl to have any flaws. Fixing her hair and glancing in the mirror once more to ensure nothing about her looks revealed her identity, she left for the dining room. Why did she have to work again? Why couldn't she just have been a passenger? Oh, that's right. She was broke. They went to all that trouble of finding Raftel and there wasn't a single Eneru-be-damned beri on the island. Some ultimate treasure.
She arrived at the fancy restaurant and spent the morning and part of the afternoon taking orders from rich snobs and delivering fancy dishes to those rich snobs. When three o'clock finally rolled around she yanked off her shoes with a groan of relief and walked back to the staff room barefoot.
"Heya, Nina!" Someone called behind her, and Nami turned at the sound of her fake name.
"Oh, hey Izumi!" Nami smirked and closed her locker with a snap.
"I'm headed to the hot tub, wanna come?"
"That sounds great," Nami said with a nod, "Give me five minutes and I'll meet you there." Nami left the staff room and headed to her cabin to change. Quickly shedding her work uniform and washing off the foundation on her shoulder, she changed into a bathing suit and dark t-shirt. Grabbing a towel and sticking her climatact into her bag, she went to find Izumi.
She spotted her friend flirting with one of the ship technicians, and Nami pulled Izumi away.
"Oi," Izumi protested cheerfully. "I almost had him. He is caving to my charms!"
"I'm sure he was," Nami grinned. "Come on, my feet are killing me."
Izumi followed Nami to the lower deck where one of the hot tubs was located. The one down here wasn't as popular with the passengers so the staff took full advantage of that. Besides the two of them, there were three other people already sitting in the water. They slipped into the hot water and Nami tilted her head back in bliss. "This feels so nice! I hate waitressing."
"I hear you," Izumi said. "Those rich bozos drink so much alcohol I can never get a break! But I suppose bartending does get better tips than waitressing. Although I'm landed with double the work whenever Risha ditches the bar."
"You ain't reported her yet?" One of the shipwrights asked. "She's always doin' that."
Izumi laughed, "I can handle it for now. But," At this point she grinned manically, "I'll be able to blackmail her soon. All of her tips will be mine!"
"Careful," Nami warned playfully, flicking water at Izumi. "You don't want to get caught doing something like that. Especially by our boss."
Both Izumi and Nami shuddered. "I'll have you know I'm not scared of him. Besides, who hasn't done something like that in their life. I'm not ashamed of it! I used to plant chocolate bar wrappers in my brother's room so he'd get in trouble instead of me."
The others in the hot tub started sharing their stories, and Nami thought back to her own childhood. She never really had the opportunity to do that, not with her childhood. She frowned, and drew her knees up to her chest.
Izumi caught Nami's frown, "Hey, is everything alright? You got all gloomy."
Nami sighed and shook her head. "It's nothing. Just some bad memories."
"Want to talk about it?" Izumi offered.
"No, it's nothing. Really. I'll be fine. I'm just getting tired."
"Nina," Izumi said sternly. "I've only known you for two months, and even I can tell that there's something bothering you. Spill."
"I went through some troubling times as a kid," Nami said lowly. "I had to steal to survive. I just don't like thinking about that time in my life."
"Oh Nina," Izumi reached over and grasped Nami's hand. "I'm sorry. But you can't be blamed for that. I'm sure the marines wouldn't have held youresponsible. You had to survive. Besides, you've changed. You're a good person now."
Nami really wanted to correct her, to start ranting about the injustices and the bribery and hypocrisy. But she managed to hold her tongue and smile at Izumi.
That night she lay in her small bed and listened to the music coming from the main hall. It was a stiff sort of music, the kind of sound you would hear in stuffy ballrooms. The sound was making her miss Brook's jolly tunes. His music promised freedom and danced with the waves. She rolled over and pulled the pillow over her head, letting the swaying of the ship lull her into a dreamless sleep.
The next morning started with a drizzle, and Nami was on edge. The air pressure felt strange. Her sharply refined senses told her that there was something building in the atmosphere. She remained on edge for the next few hours, hoping that the storm would dissipate as they normally did in East Blue's climate. That, or travel over the Red Line to wreak havoc in the Grand Line.
Her hopes were for nothing, though, because just after the lunch rush finished something in the air snapped. To the ordinary person, there was nothing unusual going on. Sure, the waves were larger than normal and the wind was blowing harder than usual, but there was nothing to fear. As the afternoon slowly progressed, the waves continued to get larger and the wind whipped through the sails faster, sending ropes snapping. The morning's drizzle turned to a full downpour, and guests were starting to panic. Most of the staff were charged with keeping them inside, but Nami wasn't focused on her task. She was staring out the open atrium doors at the rapidly darkening sky.
"Nina! Get away from there!" Izumi shouted over the roar of the wind, and grabbed Nami's arm. "It's not safe."
"It's a cyclone," Nami said, her eyes locked on the funnel cloud hidden within the greys of the sky.
"What? No way! Those never happen in the blue seas!"
Nami pulled her arm out of Izumi's grasp and ran outside. Izumi called out after her from the doors, but didn't leave the safety of the atrium. It was years of practice that let Nami keep her footing on the pitching, water slick deck.
She reached the main mast and cupped her hands to her mouth, "YOU HAVE TO TURN! STARBOARD! RIGHT NOW!"
"Get out of here, girl!" The technician Izumi had been flirting with last week shouted down at her. "We know what we're doing! Get back!"
"YOU'RE HEADING STRAIGHT TOWARD THE EYE!" Nami shouted back. The wind whipped her hair out of its bun, and the rain had long since soaked her uniform. "TURN STARBOARD AND CATCH THE BACKWIND! WE CAN STILL ESCAPE!"
"This is just a thunderstorm. Let the professionals handle this."
Nami's anger flared. Professional? She was a professional. She could navigate the waters of the Grand Line blindfolded. She had sailed in the New World and come out alive. She had brought her crew to Raftel. He had absolutely no right to call himself a professional if he was going to get an entire ship of people killed because he couldn't recognize a damned cyclone when it was literally right in front of him.
She shucked her shoes and grabbed one of the snapping ropes. She scaled the riggings with practiced ease, and arrived at the top in a matter of moments. Some of the workers were giving her baffled looks, but she ignored them. "You are in no position to call yourself a navigator. Step aside and let someone who actually knows what they're doing handle this." She began shouting orders, her anger and professional demeanor making some of the other sailors cower in fear and follow her every command. Slowly, a little too slow for her liking, the ship turned in the desired direction. She gave a few more orders, sails were dropped, and the ship surged forward. It groaned under the stress of the wind and water, and Nami cursed, momentarily forgetting that this ship wasn't made of Adam's Wood. But the ship held, and in a few minutes they had reached the edge of the storm.
The rain, while still coming down hard, was no longer torrential, and the winds had calmed exponentially.
"Woah," Someone said. "That… I've never seen a storm that big before. How the hell did you know how to get out of it?"
Nami narrowed her eyes and squeezed water out of her hair. "I've navigated the New World. This was nothing."
"The New–"
"That was out of line!" Izumi's flirt interrupted the spluttering sailor and stopped in front of Nami. To someone less experienced than her it would have been an intimidating position with his height advantage and massive size difference. But Nami had faced down people much larger and a hell of a lot more intimidating than the idiot in front of her.
"I'll admit that navigation is not my job aboard this ship. But if I hadn't stepped in, right now all of us would be dead. You should think about that while you explain your actions to me!" She gestured widely at the storm still raging behind them. "You think you could have survived that? That storm would have torn apart this flimsy ship in a heartbeat if we had gotten any closer!"
"That doesn't matter!" He shouted back. "One mistake could have killed us all!"
"I've sailed through worse storms in the New World! I don't make mistakes!"
"You didn't follow orders!" He yelled. "That alone could cost you your job!"
Nami slapped him, and the shock shut him up. "Oh no," Nami drawled, severely unimpressed. "I just died, but at least I still have my job." The sarcasm in her voice was tangible, and then she snapped again, "You can take your damn orders and shove them up your ass. I'd rather be alive than dead. He didn't die for me to just throw my life away at someone else's incompetence!"
"Who died?" Someone asked, and Nami paled slightly "Shit, did anyone fall overboard?"
"Never mind that," She muttered, and stormed away. People were starting to emerge from the safety of the ship, balancing carefully on the wet deck. Nami walked passed them and into the atrium, where she was engulfed in Izumi's arms.
"Oh my god, Nina! You're okay. Thank the heavens. I was so worried! Never do that again!"
Nami laughed and hugged her friend back, "I'm fine," She assured her.
...
Nami retreated to her cabin to enjoy a hot bath, and hadn't been bothered by anyone for most of the afternoon. She hoped that the technician (Izumi informed her that his name was Bothen) she challenged would be too embarrassed to do anything. Her hopes were dashed when a pool boy knocked on her door and said that the ship's captain wanted to see her.
She nodded, and was left alone again. She grabbed her climatact, shoving it under her shirt and trekked to the upper cabins. The captain of the ship, a well-aged man named Joseph, answered the door before she had a chance to knock and ushered her inside.
The bridge was a long building on the uppermost deck of the ship, with a window spanning the entire wall facing the bow. The help sat in the middle of the room. A variety of navigational charts were pinned to the walls and tables beneath them carried a variety of equipment and tools.
"It's Miss Nina, correct? Thank you for joining us."
Bothen and a few other people in high quality uniforms were also present. Bothen looked positively smug, and Nami resolved to wipe that look off his face.
"It was no trouble," Nami said.
"Of course, of course. Now, Mr Bothen has brought to my attention your involvement in this afternoon's incident. He said you undermined his command and refused to follow his orders."
"He would be correct," Nami said stiffly. "However, I felt that he was insufficient as a navigator and his orders were liable to be questioned. He did mention that we were heading straight towards the eye of the cyclone, correct?"
"He has assured me the situation was under control."
Nami didn't think it was possible, but Bothen looked even smugger than before, with a hint of glee thrown in there too. "I took over operations when I realized his heading. I turned the ship ninety four degrees starboard, away from the eye of the storm. This maneuver caught the tailwind, which brought the ship to a safe distance and reduce the risk of capsizing. If we had continued on the heading, we would not have survived."
Joseph looked conflicted. "You took on this duty without a proper navigation licence?"
"Sir," Nami said, struggling to stay calm. "I have more than enough experience navigating. These new navigation licences only came into effect last year, and I have not yet had the opportunity to get one. But my experience is genuine and does not need a plastic card to ensure its quality."
"Oh?" Joseph looked interested now. "Where did you learn?"
"I grew up reading books about weather and navigation–"
Nami was interrupted by Bothen jumping in, "Reading and practical experience are two very different things! Just because–"
Nami turned her glare on him. The same glare that could subdue even Zoro. "I wasn't finished speaking yet. Kindly shut. Up. Anyway, I grew up reading books about weather and navigation, and I was the sole navigator on a ship that sailed through the Grand Line and the New World. I have plenty of practical experience when dealing with this kind of weather phenomenon."
"Really?" Joseph looked excited now, while Bothen lost some of his smugness to an angry scowl. Then Joseph frowned, "When why are you working as a waitress on a ship like this?"
"My crew returned to East Blue after an event and then disbanded, and I need to earn money to keep travelling." She answered.
"I see," Joseph mused, tapping his chin. "I have an idea. My head navigator has the authority to issue navigation licences. I'll speak to your boss and have you transferred to the navigation department. I'll have the head of navigation observe your work for a week and if you fulfill the requirements he'll be able to qualify you for one."
Nami blinked a few times. "You'd do that for me? That's incredible! Thank you so much!"
Joseph nodded, "It's no trouble. In the end, it would probably benefit me to have a navigator as experienced as you claim to be on this crew."
Nami nodded, "I can get started tomorrow morning. Where should I go?"
Bothen's glare intensified as Joseph began going over the details of Nami's new position. Nami just smirked back.
"Sporadic movements through East Blue for how long?" Seth asked. "It was almost like no one recognized her. I mean, she's the one who drew a map of the world! If she wasn't spotted for being a Strawhat, then she must have been recognized for being the author of the first atlas."
"At this point in time, she hasn't yet completed her atlas," Rachel said. "And she was an extremely intelligent woman. She must have disguised herself. In fact, there are several notes here about several lookalikes. Three names, one of them is Nina, the second is Natasha, and the third is Natalie. These are names she must have gone by when she was in hiding."
"Don't forget, Roronoa Zoro managed it, and so did Nico Robin." Zack pointed out.
"Okay, so she hid. But just wandering around East Blue isn't going to get her very far," Nicole said. "Can't she just sail on her own?"
"She could, but that would cost money. It's been discovered that she spent a significant amount of time on high class passenger ships. She must have disguised herself as a noble and then robbed people of their valuables when they were not in their cabins."
"Ah, Rachel is so good at deducting," Seth swooned. Nicole shook her head and Carter laughed at him.
Rachel smiled. "Alright. Let us continue."
Nami was awake bright and early the next morning, pulling her hair back into a sensible ponytail. Her uniform had been delivered the night before. Cargo pants with plenty of pockets that were large enough to hide her climatact and store a variety of other equipment. The only issue she found was the shirt, which was sleeveless. It wasn't an issue with waitressing, she could just cover it up with makeup and that would be that. But with working on deck there was too much of a risk it would rub off. She temporarily solved the problem by wrapping her shoulder with medical tape.
She reported to the navigation office at six am sharp, with the sun just starting to peek over the horizon.
"You must be Nina," A middle aged man said when she walked into the room. "The captain told me to expect you. I am Antony, head of navigation. You'll be stationed with Doverick. He'll be going over the basics of terminology, functions, and equipment."
"I already know all that stuff," Nami protested.
"Sorry, Nina, it doesn't matter what you know when you apply for a licence. Everyone needs to start with the basics. Hell, even if the Strawhat's navigator wanted to get one she'd have to start at the beginning too. Head up to the main deck, Doverick should already be out there. Join him and report back after your rotation. I'll be waiting for a report."
"Yes sir." Nami said, and left. She found Doverick already in the rigging, tightening some of the ropes. He was a young man only a few years older than her. She climbed up and introduced herself, and the two of them got started.
It was a long and boring week, and Nami found herself missing the radical weather that the Grand Line offered. She made friends with some of the other people who were constantly up in the rigging, and told them horror stories about the Grand Line. Most of them accused her of making it up. She didn't mind that so much, because if she were in their position she wouldn't have believed her either. Hell, she still didn't believe half of it and she lived through it herself!
Finally, at the end of the week, Captain Joseph and Antony presented her with a small piece of plastic that had her name and picture. She celebrated with Izumi and Risha that night, and the next morning she was back up in the riggings. Her new position as a navigator was much more rewarding than waitressing. Time seemed to move much more quickly, and before she knew it, months had passed.
One of the benefits of the ship, she had to admit, was bringing her to some of the islands she hadn't yet visited. Her time stealing for Arlong had given her a bit of a head start with her map of East Blue, so as of yesterday, she only had Loguetown left to map (on account of her previous hasty escape before they had entered the Grand Line) and then she will have completed the entirety of East Blue. And to her luck, Loguetown was the next stop and final destination of the cruise ship.
She was sitting in the crow's nest with her journal and a clipboard, sketching out a rough map of the entire Blue. The sun had just come up and there was a steaming cup of coffee beside her, she knew it was going to be a pleasant day.
"Morning, Nina," Nami heard Doverick's voice and she glanced away from her journal to flash him a quick smile. "What are you doing?"
"Morning. I'm just putting together a rough draft of my map."
Doverick sat down on the edge of the crow's nest and leaned over Nami's shoulder. "What's it a map of?"
Nami grinned up at him, "Can't you tell? It's a map of East Blue." She tapped her pen against the page. "Just missing Loguetown."
"Wait, of the entire East Blue? Hold crap, Nina, that's amazing! Is the scale accurate?"
"Of course it is," Nami scoffed. "It's my dream to draw a map of the entire world. There's no way I'm going to be discredited by something as stupid as an incorrect scale."
"That's a crazy goal," Doverick lowered himself down to sit beside her. "It's also impossible unless you plan on sailing to Raftel. I know you've been to the New World, but the rumors I've heard about the last stretch say it's worse than anything you could imagine. Nobody except the Pirate King's crew has ever come back alive since the time of Gold Roger!" Nami tapped her pen against her journal and was silent for a few moments. "I mean, I'm sure you could do it," Doverick exclaimed, mistaking Nami's silence for anger. "It'll just be really hard, and really dangerous, and there's a good chance you'll die, and–"
He shut up when Nami held up a hand. "I know it's dangerous," She said. "Someone… A friend… Shit, my captain always said that you need to be prepared to risk your life for your dream, because if you're not willing to do that then you don't deserve to achieve it. He always said that he knew the risks, and if he died, then he died doing what he believed in."
"Well, that is some good advice." Doverick said.
"Thing is, though… he did die. Before he achieved his dream."
"I… I'm sorry, Nina. I had no idea."
Nami shook her head, "No, I don't want any pity. That's not why I'm telling you this. He died to save us. He died to save his crew. If I just give up now, and don't chase my dream because I'm scared then I wouldn't be worth his sacrifice. He gave up his dream for us, so I'm going to achieve my dream for him." Her voice shook, but her eyes were determined as they stared out at the horizon.
Doverick placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"Besides," Nami said cheerfully, "The weather around Raftel isn't as bad as the rumours say. Sure, it rained acid a couple of times, and the most of the waves were larger than a tsunami, and it could get hot enough to boil water on any metal left outside, but if you knew what you were doing, it was bearable. One of the most important things, though, when travelling that far down the New World, is that you need to have a crew you can trust. That's why nobody besides the best have ever made it back. Not trusting your crew only leads to complications. People try to do all the jobs at once because they don't trust another has done it properly, and then nothing gets done. When you trust your crew you don't have to worry about anything but your own job." Unbeknownst to them, Bothen had just started his morning shift and had started listening from behind a sail.
Doverick raised an eyebrow, "You speak as if you've been there before."
Nami laughed, "Would you believe me if I said I have?"
"I'd be skeptical, of course. There's no one with the name Nina on the Pirate King's crew. In fact, I'm pretty sure their navigator is Cat-Burglar Nami."
"What if I told you Nina wasn't my real name?"
"I'd ask for proof," Doverick didn't miss a beat. "Well?"
Nami placed her journal and pen on the wood in front of her, and then started unwrapping the medial tape covering her left shoulder. She revealed her tattoo for the first time in months, and that, accompanied with her scar, was enough proof for Doverick.
"It's an honour to meet the one who navigated Raftel's waters, Miss Nami."
"Thank you," Nami said cheekily. "You're not going to tell anyone, are you? About me, or even about my captain?"
Doverick shook his head, "No. I'll keep your secret. I don't have much respect for pirates, but I do have respect for people like you. Just tell Izumi, I don't think I'd be able to keep a secret from her for long. Besides, she's my cousin. She's probably the only one who could get it out of me."
"Thanks," This one as sincere, and she started flipping through the pages of her journal. She handed it to Doverick when she reached the page she was looking for. "I've been working on my map since I was just a kid, but when I joined up with Luffy I was able to go even further than just East Blue. I have the hardest part done. I just need to finish the Grand Line and the other three seas."
"You say that as if it's just a jaunt in the park!" Doverick exclaimed, flicking through the pages. "It's going to take years, just with the travel time, not to mention all the calculations you'll have to do, and drawing the maps… I live relatively close to the beginning of the Grand Line, and even just thinking about the time it'll take for me to get home. This is insane! I can't imagine being in your shoes."
"I know," Nami said. "But it's something I've put my mind to, and I'm going to finish it." She placed a hand over an ugly x shaped scar on her left forearm. "But it's something I've put my mind to, and I'm going to finish it."
Doverick handed back her journal, a look of awe on his face. "Amazing." He paused for a moment, "Hold on, your captain, you said he didn't reach his dream. Does that mean–"
"He's still the King," Nami cut him off sharply with a quiet hiss. "We made sure of that."
"Sorry," Doverick looked abashed, so Nami took pity on him and changed the subject. They started talking about various navigation techniques used in the Grand Line and the blue seas, and soon the others joined them in the riggings to start the day.
When Nami was called to meet the captain, she didn't think anything of it this time. She walked into the bridge with her head held high, but faltered when she spotted Bothen in the room.
"Nina," Joseph greeted quietly. "Bothen has informed me of something I must discuss with you, and I need you to give me honest answers.
"Al-alright," Nami said, a bit hesitantly.
"He overheard an unusual conversation the other day," Joseph started. "May I ask, are you a pirate?"
Nami froze, her eyes widening and her fists clenching at her sides. "Why?"
"Well, if you are indeed a pirate, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the ship at our next stop. Pirates are dangerous people, and if it got out that there was one employed on this ship I would go out of business. It is too much of a hazard to keep you on board."
Nami seethed at Bothen's expression, desperately wanting to punch him in the face. "I see," She said, her voice a monotone. "Then I believe I will be honest. Yes, I am a pirate. Has Bothen informed you of which crew I am a part of?"
"No," Joseph said. "He said he didn't have that information."
"Good." Nami said. She stood up straight and tilted her head to the side. Her eyes flashed angrily. "I will leave tomorrow when we make port at Loguetown. You will never see me again."
Joseph looked sad. "I wish I was able to keep you on my crew. You're a valuable resource. If only you hadn't gone into piracy; you might have had a bright future ahead of you."
Nami's mind froze at the phrase 'valuable resource'. It made her think of Arlong. It made her think of the first person to want her as a person and not just her skills. Who had died saving her life. Nami snapped.
"I DID HAVE A BRIGHT FUTURE AHEAD OF ME!" Her bellow could be heard I the hallway outside of the bridge, and people stopped to listen to the shouting. "I HAD A FAMILY, AND A DREAM, AND A MEANS TO ACHIEVE IT. I WAS WITH PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T LOOK AT ME AS JUST A FUCKING RESOURCE. I HAD PEOPLE WHO TRUSTED ME WITH THEIR VERY LIVES! MY CHOICE OF LIFESTYLE HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO DO WITH MY TALENTS OR WHO I AM AS A PERSON! YOU SIMPLE MINDED MORONS DON'T UNDERSTAND THE HIERARCHY OF PIRACY ENOUGH NOT TO FEAR EVERY PERSON WHO SAILS UNDER A BLACK FLAG! PEOPLE LIKE ARLONG ARE THE ONES YOU SHOULD FEAR. NOT ME. NOT MY CREW!"
"Are you done," Bothen taunted. Nami whirled to face him, her hand already curled into a fist. She wasted no time slamming her fist into his face as hard as she could. She felt a satisfying crunch beneath her hand, and Bothen was sent flying into the wall. His body left a dent.
Bothen howled in pain, the sound raspy, clutching at the ruins of his nose. Blood steadily dripped from between his fingers.
"Yes, now I'm done. If you ever insult me again, I'll show you exactly what I can do."
She looked up at the ship's captain, who was staring at her in horror. "I'm not a danger to most people," she said. "Just idiots. I'll be off your ship tomorrow morning when you dock. I'll expect my pay no later than ten o'clock tonight. If you don't want to see me, just slide it under my door. Good night." She spun on her heel and strode determinedly from the room. She slammed the door open and startled the small crowd of people listening in. "I'm the best damn navigator in the world!" She called to Bothen over her shoulder. "I hope you run into another cyclone!"
She packed her things angrily, tossing her old waitressing uniform across the hall. She pulled on a plain white t-shirt and decided to keep the cargo pants, stuffing her pockets with the navigation equipment she had pilfered over the few months she had access to it. She ignored the constant knocking that was probably Doverick and Izumi, and an envelope full of money was pushed under her door at precisely ten pm.
When the ship docked early the next morning, she was off before the gangway had even been lowered.
She spent the morning wandering around the stores, not buying anything. Izumi found her in a café, next to a window that looked out over the town square, and slid into the seat across from her.
"There's an interesting rumour going around. People are saying you were fired."
"Nah, I just quit," Nami mumbled into her cup. Izumi raised an eyebrow, and Nami groaned. "Fine. Joseph found out I was a pirate. Bothen overheard me and Doverick talking a few days ago."
"So that's what that bastard was hiding from me," Izumi cackled. "You're seriously a pirate? You don't look like one."
"Yeah. I'm a pirate. I even have a bounty."
"Seriously?" Izumi gaped at her, "What did you do?"
"Doverick seriously didn't tell you anything?"
"Not a word."
"Huh. Glad he kept his word. Anyway, my first bounty was sixteen million–"
"Hold up. First?"
Nami nodded, "My second, and current, is sixty million."
"Holy crap. Again, what the hell did you do?"
"Joined the Strawhat Pirates," Nami said softly. "My real name is Nami. If you're going to freak out, can you do it later? I don't really want to attract any unwanted attention."
Izumi didn't freak out, but she did laugh. "Wow. I'm talking to a member of the Strawhat Pirates. This is kinda amazing. Oh! You're going to pay for my lunch."
"What? Why?"
"You guys found the One Piece, you're like, stinkin' rich! Makes me wonder why you were working on that ship. You could've been a passenger."
"The One Piece wasn't exactly what everyone imagines it to be," Nami said weakly. "Besides, we were perpetually broke. I ain't paying for your lunch."
Izumi stuck out her tongue. "Ah well. What made you tell Doverick, though?"
Nami shrugged, "We got along really well, and he isn't a gossip. He kinda reminds me of a laid back Sanji, but without that stupid sex drive."
"Mm," Izumi hummed. "He likes you, too."
"Woah, I am not interested in dating."
"Not like that, calm down. You look a lot like his sister Natasha. Talking to you probably reminds him of home. That's kinda why I was drawn to you too, at first."
"You're close to him?"
"Practically siblings," Izumi said with a nod. "His parents raised me. Our island was attacked by pirates when we were little. My parents died in the attack, so Uncle Rhett and Aunt Clarissa took me in."
"That's right, Doverick said that he didn't like pirates."
"The same attack that killed my parents also killed his little sister."
"Natasha?"
"No, Natasha's twin, Natalie."
Nami offered up a sad smile. "I didn't know that."
"That's alright. We don't talk much about the attack. Anyway, the reason I came to find you was to say goodbye. I live on Senra Island, so stop by if you're ever in the area. I'll miss you!"
She took off after that, and Nami was left with the bill. She cursed quietly and stuffed her receipt into her pocket, determined to find Izumi and make her pay up.
After she left the café, she found a cheap inn and enjoyed sleeping in for the first time in what felt like forever. She spent the next week and a half finishing her map of the island, and then completing her first full map of East Blue. She took extra time with this, ensuring that the ink was completely dry, there were no smudges on the paper, and when it was complete she coated it with a clear plastic resin that Usopp had come up with. She carefully tucked the map into a folder, placed the folder into a large book to ensure it wouldn't get crumpled, and checked off the first item on a list of six.
"One down, the rest of the world to go."
...
She finished West Blue in much the same way she did East Blue, but she was much more cautious this time. Since she still had her navigation licence she used that to her advantage. She boarded a ship in West Blue and got a job as a navigator. The only difference was she kept people at a distance. She didn't want to get close to anyone, in case they discovered who she really was.
It took her over three years to finish West Blue, having to start from scratch in an unfamiliar sea. She had to jump from ship to ship to get the entire sea. But at long last, she had finished. She checked off another item on her to-do list. She decided to tackle the Grand Line next, and then the New World. She already had the hardest parts done, it would be a breeze.
...
She did find Senra Island, and once she learned the name of the island she made a point to track Izumi down. To her luck she was only a town over and the locals were more than happy to point her in the right direction.
She knocked on the door, and when Izumi opened the door she threw her arms around the red-haired pirate with a squeal. "NINA! Wait, I mean NAMI! You're finally here! Took you long enough!"
"I had things to do," Nami teased. "Also," She shoved the café receipt into Izumi's face. "You owe me money."
The look on Izumi's face sent Nami into a fit of laughter, and once Izumi got over her shock she joined in. "I can't believe you kept that stupid thing. Hell, I can't believe you even remembered! Oh my god, that's amazing. Come in, come in."
She dragged Nami into the house without waiting for a reply, and Nami squawked as she almost lost her balance. "Calm down, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Doesn't mean I'm not excited to see you again! What have you been up to? I know you've been drawing your map, where have you been so far? My little cousin hasn't stopped talking about pirates since I told him I was friends with one. Oh! You need to meet Natasha, too. The two of you look so alike it's scary!"
Nami laughed as Izumi continued to ramble. It was nice seeing a familiar face again. With a pang, she realized she hadn't run into anyone from her crew yet, she hadn't seen them in years, not since they all went their separate ways."
"Natasha hates pirates, though, so that might be an issue. So how are you doing?"
Izumi finally stopped talking long enough for Nami to answer. They sat on the couch with tea and talked late into the night. Nami accepted Izumi's offer to crash in her room. Doverick showed up the next morning, too, and he was just as happy to see Nami as Izumi was. He insisted on dragging her around town. They stopped for lunch in a small park by the main plaza with kebobs from a nearby stand.
"This was a great place to come and read, I'd come here all the time when I was younger," Doverick said. They took a seat at one of the picnic tables behind a small plaza with two large stone monuments facing the center where a fountain had been built. When Nami finished her lunch she wandered around to the front of the monument.
"What is this place?" Nami asked, when Izumi and Doverick joined her. She reached out to run a finger down the list of names etched onto the front. "It's beautiful."
"It's a monument to the fallen marines and victims of an old pirate attack," Doverick said softly. "Both of us have family named here."
"Many pirates ruin lives," Nami said, just as quietly. "They just take."
"Aren't you a pirate?" Izumi asked, raising her eyebrow.
"I am, but we're not the type to pillage and plunder. We're just in it for the adventure." Nami ran a hand through her hair. "My adoptive mother was killed by a pirate, and the same pirate enslaved the island. He forced us to pay him to live, one hundred thousand a month for adults and fifty thousand for children. Bell-mere… We weren't a very rich family, and she could only afford enough for me and my sister. Arlong shot her in front of us. When Luffy showed up, he defeated Arlong and freed my home. And he didn't even ask for anything in return. He did it all just for me."
"Pirates are people too, I suppose," Izumi said. "Hold up, what was your mom's name?"
"Bell-mere," Nami said. "Why?"
"Because," Izumi grasped Nami's wrist and pulled her to the first monument; she ran a finger down the list of names until she reached a name. "That name is right here."
Nami stared at the name for a long moment. "When did this battle happen?"
"Fifteen-oh-four," Doverick pointed to the date near the top of the stone. "Why?"
"Bell-mere found me," Nami said. "She found me and my sister Nojiko in a village that had just been raided by pirates. She took us from the battlefield and brought us home with her."
Doverick had turned from Nami to the monument the moment Nami said Nojiko's name, and was scanning the list of names as fast as he could. "Here, Nami. Take a look at this." He pointed out a particular name, and Nami gasped.
"Nojiko?! Why is her name on this?"
"Briva and Leonard had a daughter named Nojiko. She disappeared from her daycare during the raid." Izumi said.
"Do you have any pictures? Of Nojiko? Of Bell-mere? Nojiko is pretty recognizable. She's got," Nami frantically started waving at her head, and was shushed by Doverick.
"We can get a picture later; I don't think Briva and Leonard are home right now. But we can take a look through the old records in the library. They might have something."
Nami could just nod as her two friends led her to a large building. They spent the next couple of hours digging though old newspapers and reports. Finally, Nami unearthed a bundle of photographs from a folder with the date of the attack stamped on the front. Each photo had a report attached to it, with the marine's rank and date of death.
"I found her," Nami said, and immediately had Izumi's and Doverick's attention. She help up a shaking a hand, the picture depicting a smiling woman. Her marine uniform contrasted greatly with her dark red hair, and she had a cigarette handing out of her mouth. "It's her. It's Bell-mere."
"But she died in that battle. Look, here's her death date."
Nami shook her head, "No, it's her. I swear it. Here," She dropped the report on the table and started digging in her bad. She drew out her journal and opened it to the front page. "Take a look at this. This is the three of us; me, Nojiko, and Bell-mere!"
"Rick, they're nearly identical. Even the haircut is the same!"
"But…" Doverick shook his head, "It's not… Natalie died in that battle! You… If…"
"Your mom must have been presumed dead," Izumi told Nami. "That means you must be from this island."
Nami shrugged helplessly. "Maybe? Bell-mere was killed when I was ten. If she knew where I was from she didn't have a chance to tell me."
Doverick furrowed his brows, "That picture, that girl there is Nojiko?"
Nami nodded.
"She… She just might be Briva's kid. And you… You look identical to my sister. If you were born on this island… You might be Natalie."
Nami shook her head, "That's crazy! You found your sister's body, right?"
"No, we didn't," Doverick said slowly. "After a year, everyone unaccounted for was declared dead. I… Natasha and Natalie, they were identical twins. And they both had a birthmark on their left hip…"
Nami stood up at that and pulled her waistband away just enough for them to see the light crescent shaped mark on her left hip. Izumi gaped, and Doverick went pale.
"This… Might just be one hell of a coincidence. Let's… Are your parents around? We can confirm… We shouldn't jump to conclusions."
Doverick agreed, and Izumi led the way to his parents' home, nearly skipping the whole way there. Doverick knocked on the door, and a girl that looked eerily like Nami opened the door. Natasha, she assumed.
"Hi Rick, what're you – hey, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. Are Mom and Dad home?"
"Sure," She glanced curiously at Nami, "Come in."
They were led into the living room and the three of them took a seat while Natasha went to get her parents. Once Rhett and Clarissa sat down, Doverick and Izumi explained the situation to them. Throughout the explanation, a young boy kept peering into the room.
Nami stayed quiet, feeling out of place. It wasn't like she didn't want to find out where she came from, she had always been curious. But she was Bell-mere's daughter first, and it had been hard thinking about a biological family while Bell-mere's loss was still fresh in her mind. And then her life was full of stealing, and she couldn't afford to daydream. And then when Luffy entered her life, her thoughts turned to her dream.
When they finished explaining things, Clarissa tearfully brought out an old photo album. They pointed out small traits their baby had, traits that Nami shared. The mole beside her bellybutton, the fact that she only had one dimple when she smiled, the crooked thumb on her right hand. The uncanny resemblance to Natasha was also hard to overlook.
Throughout the whole ordeal, Natasha stayed as quiet as Nami.
The deal was sealed when she showed them the picture of Nojiko.
"That is poor little Nojiko! She looks so much like her mother…" Clarissa began to cry, and Rhett sat still, looking very shocked. The small part of Nami's mind that wasn't freaking out made a mental note to write to her sister as soon as possible.
They insisted that Nami stay for dinner, and Nami agreed to stay on the island long enough to get to know her new-found family. The little boy, Riley, had all but bounded out of the kitchen when they told him to come met his long-lost sister. She spoke of her life with Bell-mere and Nojiko, her travels, her dream to map the world and her progress so far, and her friends. Apparently neither Doverick or Izumi mentioned that Nami had once been a pirate, and that was fine with her. Clarissa seemed like someone who worried over everything, and Nami really didn't want to be coddled.
A few days later, Natasha cornered her and dragged her down to the beach. "I was seven when they finally told me I had a twin sister," She said. "I found an old picture, and saw the both of us."
Nami kicked off her shoes and rolled up her pants. "I knew I was adopted my whole life," Nami said. "All the other kids in the village called their parents mom and dad, but I always called my mom Bell-mere. I asked her about it, and she told me." Nami tilted her head back and let the sea breeze wash over her. "I'd probably have figured it out when I was older, if she didn't tell me. The three of us looked nothing like each other."
"It's strange," Natasha followed Nami's lead and took a few steps out into the surf. "I mean, what're the chances that you'd meet Rick and Izumi, and then discover you're related to them. It's…"
"Strange?" Nami finished. "I know the feeling. I knew I must have had family out there, but I never actually thought I'd find them."
"At least you had a good life. Mom's glad of that. She was afraid that you had been taken and raised as a pirate or whore."
"I was raised by a good person," Nami said. "But Bell-mere died when I was just a kid. And… And I haven't told you the whole story."
Natasha glanced over curiously, "What do you mean?"
"I've only told you about the good things that happened in my life. Not the bad." Nami ran a hand over her left arm, starting at her shoulder and ending on her wrist. Natasha could see a scar on her forearm.
"I'm a pirate. I know you hate pirates, but please don't hate me!" Nami pleaded.
"I hate pirates because they took away my sister," Natasha said, her feet splashing in the water as she approached Nami and pulled her into a hug. "I could never hate you!"
Nami hugged her back, clinging to her like a lifeline. "I haven't been this close to anyone since we disbanded. I haven't let anyone… I miss them all! And… And…"
"Tell me," Natasha said gently.
And Nami did. She told her about Bell-mere's murder at the hands of Arlong, and then the eight years of torment she suffered at his hands. She told her sister about stealing and running for her life. About being locked in a room and forced to draw maps until her hands bled.
"I'm surprised you still like doing it."
Nami laughed at that, and then told her about the strange boy who fell out of the sky and proceeded to beat the crap out of the two thugs from Buggy's crew she set on him. She told her about how he didn't care about her dirty past, and how he appreciated her as a person more than her skills. How he did respect her skills because it was something she wanted to do. She told her about him attacking Arlong, and freeing her home from his tyranny.
"Wow." Was all Natasha had to say.
"I hate pirates too," Nami admitted. "But I couldn't hate him. I could never hate him. He's not… He wasn't… Until the very end, he never had a speck of evil in him. He's the man who saved me from Arlong, and then he offered me a place on his crew. As his navigator."
"Nata-Nami," Natasha said softly.
"And I said yes. I joined his crew, and we travelled, looking for adventure, and freedom, and happiness. I'm not a bad person. My captain wasn't a bad person. We were just slapped with that because all pirates have a reputation because of our flag. And the government hates us because they can't control us. They cower under the illusion of power. Hell, Luffy has the most power in the world right now, and he isn't even alive anymore!"
"Luffy?" Natasha questioned. "I know that name. That's the Pirate King's name."
Slowly, Nami raised her hand back to her shoulder and rolled up her sleeve.
Natasha recognized the mark on her shoulder. Cat-Burglar Nami's tattoo. Of course, she knew her sister went by Nami now, but to actually be a pirate from the most powerful crew on the sea?
"Nami," Natasha said quietly, and Nami choked back a sob as she looked out over the water. "Mom will just be glad to know you were happy. So will Dad. He was a marine, but he's retired now and he wouldn't care. And I'm happy that you're alive. I've always wondered what kind of person my sister would be if she had a chance to grow up. And now I know."
Nami snorted and rubbed a hand over her eyes, "And now we're both old."
"We're only twenty-seven!" Natasha protested.
Nami agreed to tell their parents the truth, and both Clarissa and Rhett were horrified to discover this. And they were even more shocked to discover that Nami was a proud member of the Pirate King's crew. She stopped keeping it a secret, and she even gave the mayor their flag to hang in the harbour to ward off any future attacks.
"I know I shouldn't ask this, but you said that Strawhat Luffy died. Is it really safe flying his flag when he isn't here to protect us?" Clarissa looked concerned as she stared up at the newest addition to the port.
"We have thousands of allies that are around. We have a large following, and people who are willing to do anything to keep his memory alive… The revolutionaries are on our side too, and with them keeping his secret it's much easier than trying to do it on our own. They knew about his death the moment it happened. They had his vivre card. But they agreed with us, that we should keep his death a secret."
"For how long?" Rhett asked. "The death of the pirate king would be hard to keep a secret."
"For as long as we can," Nami said. "This era belongs to us. To him. And he will reign for as long as possible."
Before she left she planted the tangerine sprig Nojiko had given her beside the memorial monuments. She taught Natasha how to care for it and when she left she promised to keep in contact and visit whenever she could. And then she continued on her quest.
She did visit often. Whenever she passed the island she made a point to take the extra few days to make the detour. She got to know the rest of her family, but the member she got along with the most aside from Izumi was her little brother Riley. Once he was old enough to know the truth about her, he would beg her to tell him stories about her adventures and about all the pirates she met.
His current obsession was on the newest emperor, and Nami had to do a double take when she saw the wanted poster.
"Usopp?"
"Yeah," Riley exclaimed brightly. "He's so super strong, and amazing, and he's so cool!"
Izumi snorted, "Not the kind of person I'd look up to."
Nami shrugged, "He's not that bad a guy."
"You know him?" Natasha asked.
"Uh, yeah. This is his third wanted poster. You guts might know him as Sniper King, or God Usopp."
"I've never heard of the second title," Natasha mused. "Sniper King, though, I've heard of. He was… Wait, Sniper King was a member of the Strawhats. He was your crewmate?"
"That's right."
Izumi groaned, "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. I had the biggest crush on Sniper King when his wanted poster first came out. Is this what he looks like behind the mask?"
"That's right. He's the one who built my climatact," She patted her holster. "He may not look all that impressive but he is really smart and he was a valuable member of the crew. And he's probably richer than any of us are… Although when we split up, I never imagined he'd get this far. Go Usopp."
Riley spent the rest of Nami's visit pestering her about getting the Great Captain Usopp's autograph.
...
When she reached the island they lost Luffy on she hurried, not wanting to spend any more time than necessary. She coloured that particular island red instead of following her green and brown colour scheme (for years, historians and geographers would wonder over that particular colouring and its significance) and moved on.
After sixteen years of traversing the Grand Line, travelling up and down the length of it and making sure she had reached every single island, she travelled to East Blue when she heard about the Emperor Usopp's execution, held in Loguetown. She stood at the back of the crowd to stay under the marines' radar, her hand wrapped tight on her climatact. She cried when the silver blades came down, the flashing silver of the blade piercing his flesh and coming back red.
He was the second person in their crew to die, and this was the first time she saw him since they split up all those years ago. She left the plaza when the celebrations started, taking refuge in her room. Seven people left. She wondered if the rest of the crew knew, she wondered if their allies knew. They must have. She wondered what the people of Dressrosa would think, seeing their God struck down by the World Government.
She constructed her climatact and ran a hand down the handle, seeking the familiar comfort. When dusk came, she emerged from her room and picked up a flower from a street vendor. A single yellow daisy. She made her way up to the graveyard behind the marine base on the island and snuck in through the back gate.
Usopp's grave was easy to find. It was the only one that had fresh turned dirt. The grave was unmarked, just a single stone. Nami grit her teeth. Usopp deserved far better than that. She drew out a dagger and carved an x into the marker, as deep as the hilt of the blade and twice as wide. Then she placed the flower on top and said her silent goodbyes.
When she turned to leave, she met a pair of eyes watching her from the back gate. Nami jumped, and readied to defend herself before realizing that she was looking into the eyes of a child.
Nami knelt down and sheathed her dagger. "Hello," She called gently, and the child backed away. "I'm not going to hurt you. My name is Nami." She held out a hand.
"You puttin' a flower on that pirate's grave. Does that mean you is a pirate too, lady?"
"Yes. But I'm not a bad person. I'm very nice."
"Mama said pirates was bad people. She said dada was a pirate and he was mean and bad and left her by herself."
"Not all of us are mean." Nami said. "I'm a very nice pirate. I promise."
Slowly, the child stepped forward, and Nami noted the filthy feet, tangled hair, and rags they wore. "Kiva. That my name."
"It's very nice to meet you, Kiva. Do you need help getting home?"
"Don' has a home," Kiva murmured.
"What about your mama?"
"Mama gone."
"Do you have any other family?"
"Nu-uh."
"Alright." Nami stared at the child and was reminded of herself. They couldn't have been older than four, maybe even three years old. "Do you want me to be your family?"
Kiva's eyes brightened. "You wanna be my family?"
Nami smiled gently, "Yes. I can be your family."
Kiva looked down at dirty hands, and then ran forward to latch onto Nami. "I wanna be your family. Please."
Nami wrapped her own arms around the child and lifted them up. "Okay."
...
"Well, her letter does say that she found her biological family," Zack pointed out, as Eugene finished translating the letter and told the others what it said about Admiral Kiva. "Which means that she was adopted by whoever raised her. Doesn't really matter if her daughter was adopted instead of being the rumored Pirate King's kid."
"Ages don't match anymore, anyway," Felix said. "We know the Pirate King died before he was twenty six. She would've been twenty seven at the latest possible age to have the kid. Records show that she was 43 when she had her kid. But… That might be different now, since the kid was adopted. But I suppose if Admiral Kiva was that age, she would've joined the marines when she was twelve, which was way too young."
"Then the kid, Kiva, had absolutely no connection to Monkey D. Luffy?" Rachel said with a frown. "I suppose this will put the supposed descendants of her down a few notches."
"They'll probably fight the claims," Zack said with a shrug. "Rich people always do that."
"Phoenix Industries still refuses to do business with them, though; they've always claimed that they weren't actually related to him." Carter pointed out.
Rachel made a few notes in her journal, "We can deal with that later. Right now, we need to make sure all of our proof is verified." She sighed, "This would be so much easier of their CEO would cooperate with historical societies. Carter, you've met the CEO, right?"
"Only in passing," Carter said. "I was borrowing a few old documents to finish a research paper on the supposed biology of Devil Fruits."
"Alright, so after she found her daughter what happened?" Nicole brought everyone's attention back to the matter at hand.
When cleaned up Kiva turned out to be a fine young girl. Her hair, when washed and untangled, hung to the middle of her back and was a lovely dark brown, and her eyes were just as blue as Sanji's were. She was a very curious and inquisitive child, always getting into mischief and asked a lot of questions. She was always happy to travel, and despite her constant complaints of the heat in South Blue or the cold of North Blue, she was always happy to come across a new place.
She picked up drawing really quick, often stealing Nami's scrap paper and old pens to draw with. When Nami found out, she began teaching Kiva about the basics of mapping, even going as far as to add some of her island sketches to her growing book of maps. She had yet to bind them into a proper book, but she was getting close.
When she did finally finish, she returned to Cocoyashi Village for the first time since she boarded the cruise ship over four and a half decades ago. She introduced Kiva to her first family (and the girl got along better with them than she did the family on Senra Island). She moved into Bell-mere's old home and set up a study in her old bedroom. She was glad it was empty, since Nojiko had gotten married and moved in with her spouse. She took Bell-mere's old room, and Kiva set up her stuff in Nojiko's old room.
Then she spent the next few years creating her book. She started with East Blue, each island having its own individual page, and then finishing with a map of the entire East Blue. She followed the same pattern with West Blue next, followed by North Blue, and South Blue. The Grand Line was next, and the New World came last. The very last page of her book was a map of the entire world. From the cold north to the sweltering south, from the Twin Capes to Raftel. It was all there. She had been around the entire world. Nami sat back. She was done. It had taken her a lifetime. She felt complete.
Her hands were permanently stained with ink, she had thick calluses on her fingers from holding a pen, and her skin was leathery from the sun. And she couldn't be any prouder. She brought out the book for Kiva to see that night, and they cooked up a feast to celebrate. That was also the night Kiva admitted she wanted to be a marine.
"I know you don't like them, Mom, but I think I can make a difference. If I can become Fleet Admiral I can start controlling what they do, right? And I can make the decisions about executions and which pirates to go after. That way I can get rid of the corrupt pirates."
"Kiva," Nami held up her hands to stop her daughter's ramblings. "I've told you this before. You can do whatever you want. If that means you want to be a marine, then I'm not going to stop you."
"I thought you'd be mad," Kiva admitted quietly. "You hate most of them."
"I hate most pirates too," Nami pointed out, "And I still call myself one."
"That's true…" Kiva picked at her food. "I don't want to disappoint you."
"You could never disappoint me," Nami assured Kiva. "Never."
"Thanks, Mom."
Nami realized that this is what Bell-mere must have felt when she took in her and Nojiko. She knew that her life as a pirate and her constant travelling meant that she would never have any children of her own. She had briefly considered settling down and getting married, but had dismissed the thought as soon as it appeared. No man could ever be as important in her life as Luffy had been. Maybe she and Luffy would have gotten married one day, but she never had the courage to talk to him about something as serious as that, and then it had been too late.
If she was being completely honest with herself, she never gave having children much thought until she ran into Kiva. It had been difficult at first, adjusting her lifestyle to include another person, when she had been on her own for so long. But looking at the young woman sitting in front of her now, she felt proud. She helped raise this person, a person who wanted to do the world good.
"I assume that means you want to come with me when I go to get this published, right?"
Kiva smiled sheepishly, nodding.
"Well then, you had better start getting packed. We'll be stopping at Dawn Island first, and then I can take you to the marine base in Shell Town to get started."
"Really?!"
"Yes really. Now if you're finished eating you had better start getting ready."
Kiva jumped up from her chair with a cheer and dashed to her room. Nami heard her scrambling around enthusiastically, and remembered being that age. That was decades ago, now and she was getting old. Her hair, once a brilliant orange, was now white. She had laughter lines around her eyes and lips, and her joints ached more often than not. Ah well, the next generation was getting started.
...
Like Nami promised, they travelled to the Goa Kingdom. It was a fairly easy trip, and Nami let Kiva do all of the navigation. It wasn't a surprise that they made it quickly and safely; Nami had full confidence in her daughter's abilities. They disembarked in High Town and made their way to a print shop at the edge of High Town and Edge Town.
"Hello!" The cheery old man at the counter greeted. "How may I help you today?"
Nami hefted her bag and pulled out her atlas, dropping it in front of him. It landed with a loud thud, making the shopkeeper jump. "I'd like to get this published."
He blinked sceptically at it, "Ma'am, we do have a page limit. This definitely exceeds it."
"This is a map of every island in the sea from here to Raftel," Nami said bluntly. "I think you would be willing to spare no expense publishing it."
The shopkeeper's eyes widened as he pulled the book towards him and turned it around. Opening it, he started flipping through the pages. AS he progressed, he got more and more excited. "Excellent! Amazing! Glorious! This… This is incredible! All of this… It's your work?"
"That's right."
He reached the final page and stopped, his jaw dropping in shock. It took him a moment to come up with a coherent sentence. "This… It's the whole world?!"
"It is," Nami confirmed.
"How in the world did you manage to draw Raftel?" He nearly demanded. "Only the two Pirate Kings and their crews have ever been there, even in this day and age."
"My name is Nami. I was the navigator for the Strawhat Pirates." She was no longer afraid of being recognized. She was too old to care anymore.
"I… I see."
"Oh, don't give me that. I'm much too old to continue pirating. I just want to get my maps published. To prove to the world I travelled and completed my dream."
"Al-Alright. I'll do it." Nami could almost see the beri signs in his eyes and could relate.
They spent the next few hours negotiating terms. Nami set Kiva loose to have some fun so she wouldn't get bored handing around the shop, and then discussed price, royalties, inscriptions, and materials. They struck a deal; Nami spent a few nights in the city while the shopkeeper printed the first few copies of the second edition. She went back to pick up her original copy at the end of the week, and then travelled around the island to Windmill Village.
Makino greeted her, looking too old to still be working the bar. But the old woman remained cheerful, despite her missing son. She informed Nami that she was the last one to come by, so when Nami wrote her letter she brought the metal box up with her.
It was a long, hard track up the mountain. Nami missed her younger, fit body. But finally, she reached the gravesite.
She took a seat in the soft grass, and took a look at the sheer amount of keepsakes were around. Everything from Zoro's sword, standing guard over the stone, to Sabo's top hat, to the Alabastian Royal Crest. It showed her just how many lives Luffy had touched, and how many people cared for him.
Just sitting here, beside him, she felt like she was back on the Thousand Sunny, lying in the grass with one of Sanji's drinks. She could almost hear him laughing. How she missed that sound. She basked in his presence, knowing that he would have been absolutely ecstatic about her finally drawing the world.
"Captain," She finally greeted. "It's been such a long time. But I've finally done it. I've been to every island in the world, from the top of the Red Line to the bottom of the ocean. I just wish you could have been beside me while I did it."
She sighed, breathing in the crisp mountain air. "I've done so much with my life. I found my biological family, I adopted a kid, and I travelled. It was hard, after you died, but I've had a good life." She reached forward, tracing his name with her finger. The stone was rough under her ink stained fingers. "You were the first person to look past my abilities and see me. You wanted me because I was your friend. Not just because I was a good navigator. You didn't care how ugly my past was."
She reached for his hat, carefully picking it up and placing it on he her head. The nearly forgotten feeling was comforting, and she sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes. "Why was it me you threw your hat to? Why did you have to die?"
She would never get her answers. She gripped the brim of his hat and cried. Tears streamed down her face and splashed into the dry dirt below her. It was a long while before she finally lifted her head. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her log pose. The same log pose Crocus had given them when they first entered the Grand Line. She carefully set it down beside a model of the Thousand Sunny. Then she grabbed the metal box, opened it, and placed in her letter, her book of maps, and the log book she still had from their journey together. She could see another book in the box already, and the sheer number of letters all addressed to Luffy astounded her. She smiled, closed the box, and set it right beside the grave. It would not be opened for another thousand years.
She stood up and picked up the amulet. The metal shone brightly in the sunlight, no sign of its true age, and she opened it.
More tears began to fall, and she replaced both the amulet and the hat.
The last thing she did was plant a tangerine sprig behind his grave, willing it to grow and protect. "Thank you, Luffy. The world will never forget you."
...
She and Kiva arrived in Shell Town a few days later. They walked slowly up the road together, Nami giving her daughter last minute advice. They ran into a young recruit on their way, and the young man was very happing to introduce Kiva to the base's commanding officer. The interview didn't last very long. They took one look at Kiva's skills as a navigator and practically hired her on the spot.
Nami stayed in town for a few more days, ensuring Kiva got settled in. The last thing she did before heading home was give Kiva her climatact.
"Make me proud," Nami said.
"I will, Mom. I promise."
Nami sailed back in the direction of Cocoyashi Village, and then changed her mind. She picked up a compass, picked a direction, and set off. She wasn't going to die sitting at home. She was a pirate. She was a Strawhat Pirate. She was going to live life to the fullest, until her very last moment.
"We still don't know what happened at Red Island," Seth said, as Rachel finished speaking.
"No, but I have a theory."
"Oh?" Felix looked at his partner. "Do share."
Rachel frowned, and then shook her head. "I'll tell you later. I still need more evidence."
"Come on," Zack sighed, "You got us all worked up for nothing."
"Stop whining," Seth jumped to Rachel's defence. "I'm sure Rachel has a perfectly good reason for not telling us yet."
"Thank you, Seth," Rachel said. "So the adoption of Kiva and the completion of the atlas were what the Cat-Burglar achieved after the separation of the Strawhat Pirates. Quite an accomplishment for a single person."
Nicole continued to flip through the atlas, coming to the dedication page. "This is a translated version," she said, looking up at Eugene. "Is this a direct translation?"
"No," Eugene shook his head. "The people who translated that edition wanted something that would flow, because it sounded kinda choppy in today's languages."
"What should it say?" Nicole asked.
Eugene dug a notebook out of his pocket and flipped to a page near the beginning. "Ah, here." He held it out for her to take.
Nicole read it out loud. "From hometown port to the end of the sea. North to South, East to West. Tell me where to go and I will get you there. I will see the world, and let you see it all through my eyes. April 18, 1526 – June10, 1567." She sat back, "What does that mean?"
"Who knows," Eugene said. "But it must have been important to her. Enough that she used it on the dedication of the most important book at the time."
Well, I'm sure she knew its significance."
"I wouldn't worry about it that much," Rachel said. "All of the Strawhats were elusive and secretive. It was probably meant for the rest of the crew, and not anyone else."
"Interesting," Carter said.
"Yeah, but not helpful," Zack said.
"Anyway," Nicole closed the atlas and handed Eugene back his notebook, "Get back to digging. The more we find the more funding we get. GO!"
"YES, MY LOVELY NICOLE!"
"Can I help?" Carter asked, "This looks interesting."
"Sure," Zack said, jerking a thumb at Seth, "So long as you can stand that lovesick idiot."
"We need to get back to work as well," Rachel said. "We found the first edition of her atlas in this box, and Eugene needs to translate it. Felix. Finish the ship. How much longer do you need?"
"Not that much longer now. This is gonna be some of my best work to date!"
Nicole stayed put as they all dispersed, before opening the atlas to the page that held Red Island. "Mysterious indeed. What happened a thousand years ago?"