Stars in the Sky

This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yoai/yuri pairings.

I was re-watching Alrong's defeat, and this one bunny popped up.

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Summary: Pirates had always been seen as villains by Nami. That view hadn't changed until the Straw Hats came along.
Timeline: From Nami's childhood to Arlong's defeat
Main character(s): Nami, Straw Hats

Pirates

As a child, pirates were nothing more than malevolent villains in stories of far away lands and marines were heroes of the people. Pirates were evil. Marines were good. Pirates raped (though she hadn't understood what that meant back then) and plundered. Marines protected the weak and returned stolen goods.

Back then, she had viewed the world through rose-tinted glasses. Despite being poor, despite being a burden (or so she had thought) to her adopted mother, life was good. Nothing bad would touch her. Pirates and evil had no part in her world.

Then He, a monster in monster skin, came into her life — the evil she had only speculated about invaded her home and single-handedly destroyed her happiness and her future — and the marines did nothing to help. He stole her village. He branded her as His — a mocking gesture, a chain to bind her, a reminder of the hostages, beloved people who now shun her for being in league with their dictator.

Her greatest talent became her greatest love and hate. And her hatred of pirates grew and grew.

For eight years, she sailed East Blue and honed her skills as a thief, returning to her village from time to time with armfuls of sea maps, maps she wished she had drawn under different circumstances.

Then he, a monster in human skin, literally dropped into her life. During the fight with the clown, she had agreed to cooperate with his two-person pirate crew for the moment. They were strong. She was going take their strength to her advantage. Or so she had told herself. There was the nagging whisper that she had felt accepted.

That whisper grew into a shout, especially with the addition of a coward pirate-wannabe.

Somehow, their laughter and idiotic antics shaded white into her blackened world of pirates. They were pirates, pirates who saved people, pirates who didn't have any money except for the ones they stole from the clown and the ones given by their sharpshooting liar's friend, pirates who never plotted destruction (except of their enemies) or raids, pirates who spent their days chasing boredom with fun and games.

For a while, she forgot her plight. For a while, she forgot the village waiting for her 100 million belli. For a while, she felt like she belonged.

When the harsh reality of her situation returned, through His bounty poster, she left the ragtag group at the first chance she got, ignoring the wrench in her heart. The longer she stayed, the more she set her goals aside. She mustn't do that. She mustn't forget the reason for her hardship. She had to leave before it became impossible for her to do so.

To her greatest surprise, they showed up, searching for her, fighting for her, despite all her attempts at pushing them away. Even her beloved village took up arms against their tyrant. Not knowing what to do anymore, she, with tears running down her face and blood flowing from the symbol of her imprisonment, whimpered for help.

And the idiotic, smart, childish, serious captain pounded her greatest nightmare into mince meat, proclaiming her as his nakama for all to hear.

Pirates had been distant.

Pirates had been black hate.

Pirates had been streaks of grey on black.

Pirates were now a messy canvas filled all sorts of colours and patterns, with a large, welcoming, straw hat painted right in the middle of it.

She had never been so proud of being a pirate.

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What do you think of my drabble/one shot fic? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the drabble/one shot themselves and the OCs (if there are any)

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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra