Author's note: I do not own One Piece.

Enjoy reading~!


Nami screamed in pain and hatred. Comforting hands embraced her. Robin sadly looked at Brook as she continues to caress the navigator's hair. They were there because they wanted to talk to Nami about something and just decided to turn the lights off as to surprise her. They did that because Nami keeps on closing the door at them whenever they try to speak to her about the silent sobs. It was Brook's idea to sneak off inside the women's quarter to corner Nami. The door opened and what they saw Leon did to Nami surprised them.

Robin felt guilty for doing nothing while something terrible is happening to their navigator in front of them but Brook held her in place. Robin's intense look to Leon made the man stop and notice them hiding from the dark corner of the room.

Brook has a blank expression in his face, not that because he is all bones and such but it was still felt by both the women at his side.

Hurried footsteps were heard from the deck and someone tried to open the door but it was locked. Suddenly the door went crashing to the floor as Zoro with Luffy and Sanji tries to break in to see what happened to Nami. Franky with Chopper sitting on his shoulder, was behind the three. They all looked at Nami and saw the horror in Nami's eyes. It was like she was being abused or attacked by Arlong himself.

Robin and Brook were beside her. Brook was expressionless which only means that something really did happen and Robin, they were surprised about Robin as that woman never showed much expression but today as the dark-haired woman comfort Nami, there was pain and sadness in hers as well.

"WHAT HAPPENED?" Zoro went over to them and shoved Brook to answer him. But he didn't get any response to any of them.

"Nami..You have to tell us so we can help you." Luffy looked serious as he crouched in front of Nami. He can't do something unless he knew what was going on. He learned from their journey not to be overly impulsive unless you are sure of something.

Sanji didn't even notice his breathing became hard as he think of all possible things that could have happened to Nami while they were all preparing to sleep.

But Zoro was impatient.

"What HAPPENED Nami!? TELL ME!" Zoro shouted. He can't wait any longer. He knew it was something about that Leon. He wanted to hear from Nami and tried to ask her again "Nami!" his tone was deadly serious and he tried to reach for Nami's shoulders. His fingers lightly touched her skin. Nami immediately looked at the swordsman with such hatred and fear in her eyes and screamed, "NO! no! NOO!" She wiggled herself as if she was trying to shake off something that was visibly not there. She crawled in one corner looking at all of them like a scared kid who just experienced torture and physical abuse.

Robin covered her mouth as she gasp at what she saw and tears started to fall from her eyes. Luffy's eyes where hidden from the brim of his straw hat. Sanji went outside. Zoro was extremely worried. He was hurt as Nami seems to hate him more now and he felt anger boil inside him. The swordsman thinks he knows already who had done this to her.

"GO NOW!" Robin commanded them. Zoro can't breathe. He didn't want to go but he has no choice as Nami looked at the new comers as if she was scared at them. Scared at her friends. Scared at him. Luffy then pushed him and Chopper outside and Franky stayed behind to guard the door.

A loud thud was heard near the helm. Zoro and Luffy with Chopper went to the helm to see what was going on and where did that loud thud came from. They saw Sanji standing boldly in front of Leon who was now in a fetal position. He was shaking and rolling over as something pained him greatly in the gut. Chopper went over to him. It was obvious that Sanji kicked the man at his gut.

"Stop this Sanji!" Chopper cried as he felt that Leon has already a few broken ribs.

Zoro went over to them and shoved Sanji at the railing with much force. Chopper thought Zoro meant good but the swordsman unsheathed his swords.

"Get.. OUT.. OF.. THE….. WAY….. CHOPPER!" Zoro seems to be just restraining himself and waiting for Chopper to just move.

"ZORO!" Luffy hissed angrily at him but the swordsman didn't falter at the hidden command from his captain. He positioned his feet and placed one of his swords at his mouth. He tries to breathe to calm himself but his heart beat just went faster getting ready to attack violently. He ran forward. Chopper didn't know what to do, the reindeer just stood there frozen in place.

Zoro was about to attack the helpless man when suddenly he was smashed unto the floor. His eyes went dark and blurry and his ears seemed to have been damaged by his fall. He fell at his back and spread his arms at the deck as he catches his breath.

Luffy stood over him. "You should have known better not to attack a helpless man Zoro. Your emotions are taking over you. I know you are better than this." Luffy said.

The captain went toward the man and helped chopper get him to the infirmary. Zoro stood up and leaned at the railing. From the corner of his eyes, he saw Sanji stood up and dusted of his black suit.

"I know what happened, but don't you DARE ask me." Sanji gritted his teeth with still his cigar on it.

He went to the man's quarters and closed the door behind him leaving Zoro out by himself.

"Why does it feel like I'm the only one who doesn't know anything and why did Nami have to confess? It would have been easier if she didn't. It would have been easier for me to help her." Zoro covered his face with his palm as he tries to remember that time when Nami confessed.

He looked at his surroundings. He felt someone was approaching and it was Robin and Franky.

"You should stop denying yourself." Robin commented as it seems that the archeologist heard him.

"Yeah Bro!" Franky agreed.

"Tch. Love is dangerous. It's for the coward." objected Zoro.

"Cowards are the ones who can't even face and accepts his true feelings." Franky informed the swordsman.

"Nami needs you." Robin told Zoro as he stood up and went towards the woman's quarter. He thought Nami just needed him to go there literally. He didn't understand that what Robin said means something more.

Zoro was now in front of the newly fixed door of the women's quarter. He slowly opened it and saw a sleeping Nami with dried tears in her cheeks and occasional hiccups as she breathes.

The swordsman wondered why Robin told him that Nami needed him and just decided that maybe he was needed to guard her from any harm that could enter the women's quarters. He was not a dense man so much, he was just trying to push away the emotions and feelings that would clearly deter him from achieving their goals. He didn't even try to read between the lines, which he is clearly avoiding.

Zoro made his way beside Nami's bed and looked at her as the moonlight made its way through the window of the room. It touched and glows her features.

He sat at the floor and closed his eyes as the image of her lingered at his mind. He decided that he would just guard her there in the bedside. Being so near to her made him smell her orange scent, and sleep was now what his body tells him. Slowly as his sight becomes blurry, he nod off at the side of Nami's bed and he fell asleep, though his image of Nami sleeping stayed inside his head.

….

Franky was still outside with Robin. He was about to tell her to sleep inside the quarter but Robin took hold of his hands. He turned around and saw the dark-haired woman lying in the lawn deck. She motioned him to accompany her. Franky decided to lie beside her. They both stared at the stars in the night sky.

There was silence. The ocean waves and the rustle of the tangerine groves with the wind are the only things that can be heard.

Franky looked at Robin who was still staring at the sky. Robin felt his gaze and decided to talk.

"Nami told me it was okay to tell you the rest of the story. But she warned us not to tell Zoro."

Franky was speechless. The navigator trusts him her story. But what bothered him is why Zoro was not allowed to know.

Robin reached for his hand and when the cyborg saw this, he took her hands and rested it on his.

"It started like this but I will tell you first the things that happened earlier." Robin began to tell Franky what Leon did to Nami that earlier evening and how was it that Robin and Brook was inside the quarters already.

"When everyone went outside the room and you decided to guard the door for us, Nami questioned us why we didn't help her when she was abused and Brook simply answered her 'It is your fight Nami. You have told us that it was something you have feared for so many years. It is good that you face it now.' In which Nami just nodded at the skeleton. I think Brook was right though. Nami should overcome this. Lately she has been losing her confidence and will to achieve her dreams because of what happened between them and Zoro. She was also feeling insecure and vulnerable lately and earlier we learned that this was the month that IT happened to her and it was still hunting her every night. That was the reason of her sobs every night; she was having nightmares about IT. Nami admitted to us that she confessed her feelings to Zoro to maybe expect from him some comfort and security that would make the nightmares go away but as we know, it didn't happened the way she planned. We saw that this impact Nami's behavior in a bad way as she was rejected by the one she thinks would help her the most."

Franky was kind of annoyed at Zoro right now 'Damn that kid!' He thought. He held on Robin's hands tightly and asked "What happened to her?"

Robin then decided to tell Franky about Nami's past. "It all happened when she was still living with Arlong and his crew. She was taught to entertain every one of his guest. We all know that she was there as his slave and being forced to entertain pirates, the ones she hated the most, she pretty much didn't obey him. Arlong loves to see her abused state. He loves to see Nami suffer from his hands and he thought of a plan to make the girl's life more miserable. The merman decided to arrange marriage for her. It was a boy from a noble family and that boy was Leon…. Arlong's pawn."

To be continued…


Author's notes: Next chapter will be the detailed flashback of Nami's past with Leon, so stay tuned for more updates!

I was thinking of updating twice a week or thrice a week. What do you think?

If twice a week it would be Monday and Thursday and if it is thrice a week it would be Monday, Wednesday and Friday! Let me know what you think is the best update schedule! Any schedule is fine with me.

Please review! J I would really appreciate it!

Thanks to Novi-chan for the review and the continuous support! It encouraged me a lot!*hugs*