Ch. 7- Arrested
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard and Tangerine © Me
Early the next morning, the sun began to rise into the sky. The birds cheerily twittered before they flew off into the sky to find food for their young. The cicadas Luffy awoke to see Nami's face, still asleep. He smiled and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb, causing her to wake.
"Morning," Nami said, sleepily.
"Hey," Luffy greeted. "Sleep good?"
"Yep," Nami answered as she sat up.
"How's your ankle?" Luffy asked.
Nami looked at her ankle and gently rubbed it…and she smiled before she took off the bandages. Her ankle no longer looked swollen and bruised.
"Looks better to me," Luffy said.
"Yeah," Nami said. "Now to test it out."
Then she slowly and carefully stood up, and when she put weight on her ankle, she didn't wince in pain.
"Feels better, too," she added with a smile.
"Good," Luffy said…before his smile suddenly disappeared.
"Something wrong?" Nami asked, concerned.
"…Well," Luffy began, "now that your ankle's better…it means you and your sister will be going home now, right?"
"…Oh," Nami muttered, realizing. "Y-yeah…I guess I do."
"I understand," Luffy said. "I mean…you can't stay here forever, right?"
"Yeah," Nami said, chuckling mirthlessly.
I actually would've liked to, Nami admitted, mentally, but I'm sure Genzo is wondering where I am, by now.
"…Luffy," Nami said.
"Hmm?"
"Listen," Nami said. "There's something I need to tell you."
"What is it?" Luffy asked.
"Well, the thing is…I haven't been entirely truthful with you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Luffy…you see…"
"What's wrong?"
Nami chewed her lip, trying to find her voice again…but just when she opened her mouth to speak, the barn door suddenly burst open!
"Huh?!" Luffy questioned as he and Nami looked down to see men clad in samurai armor.
Palace guards?! Nami thought. But how?!
"There!" said one of the guards. "Get that one!"
"Yes, sir!" said the other two, who quickly made their way up to the hayloft. Before either Nami or Luffy could make a run for it, they found themselves cornered.
"You! Boy!" said one of the guards. "Come with us! You're under arrest!"
"Under arrest?!" Luffy questioned, standing in front of Nami protectively. "What the hell did I do?!"
"For kidnapping the princesses," the other guard said.
"Oh, no," Nami muttered, dreadfully.
"Princesses?" Luffy repeated. "What princesses?! I didn't kidnap any princesses! I don't even know any princesses!"
"There's one standing right behind you!" another guard shouted.
Luffy stared at the guards, confused, but then he glanced at Nami, then back at the guards.
"Nami?" Luffy asked. "Nami's not a princess!" His expression then turned to one of uncertainty, and he turned to Nami again. "Nami…you're not a princess…right?"
Nami looked at Luffy sadly…but then she sighed.
"…It's true, Luffy," she said, her voice filled with regret. "I am a princess…and so is my sister."
Luffy stared at Nami in shock, so much so, he didn't even notice the guards locking his hands in shackles.
"Wait! Stop!" Nami said. "I order you to release him!"
"Forgive us, Princess Nami," said one of the guards, "but your father gave us the order to capture your kidnappers."
"But…but I wasn't-" Nami began, but then one of the guards grabbed her shoulder and began to motion her out of the barn.
"Come, princess," he said. "Let us leave this please and take you back to the palace. Your sister is already waiting in the imperial carriage."
Before Nami could object, she was taken out of the barn with the guards pulling Luffy by his chains. Once outside, she soon saw Ace and Garp, also in shackles, being put inside another wagon.
"Not them, too," Nami muttered before she got into the carriage.
"Worry not, Princess Nojiko and Princess Nami," said the coachmen. "You will be home soon enough."
"But-" Nami began, but Nojiko put a hand on her shoulder and gave a sorry expression.
"…I'm sorry, Nami," she said. "I already tried to explain, but…they won't let me get a word in."
Nami looked at Nojiko before she chewed her lip in despair.
However, little did the sisters or the D Family know…that someone happened to be left behind as the carriage took the 5 people away. Blizzard stared in shock as his masters and his new friends left the farm…but then he suddenly turned and ran off…toward the village.
XXX
Later that day, Nami and Nojiko had finally been brought home to the imperial palace. Needless to say, Genzo was furious, not with them, but with Luffy, Ace, and Garp, who kneeled before him in the main hall of the palace with their arms in chains behind their backs.
"I keep telling you!" Garp said. "We didn't kidnap anyone!"
"Yeah! We didn't even know they were your daughters!" Ace added. "Your Majesty, this all a big misunderstanding! Now, if you would just listen to reason-"
"SILENCE!" Genzo shouted. "I will not listen to whatever excuses you heathens have to say!"
Luffy only sat down in between his brother and grandfather, not speaking a single word.
Nearby, Nami peeked inside the room through a crack in the door, holding Tangerine in her arms. The orange tabby mewled worryingly while Nami gently pet the cat on her head, but she is just as worried as her pet.
"You will suffer for your foolishness," Genzo said. "For kidnapping my daughters, that alone has sealed your fate!"
"But we didn't-" Ace began.
"SILENCE!" Genzo barked. "As Emperor of the Kazeguruma Empire, I hereby sentence you 3 criminals to death by beheading!"
"No…!" Nami whispered in horror.
"Guards!" Genzo ordered. "Take the prisoners to the dungeon! Their sentence shall be carried out, tonight! And see to it that NO ONE interferes!"
"Yes, Your Excellency," said the guards before they took the D. Family away to the dungeons while Nami watched with horror and regret.
XXX
In the dungeon, Ace, Garp, and Luffy sat on the cold stone floor, awaiting their sentence.
"…So this is how it ends for us," Garp said. "Our heads to be cut off by the royal guards."
"To think, Nami and Nojiko turned out to be princesses," Ace muttered. "I can't believe it."
Luffy remained completely silent. However, Ace and Garp could tell that something was on his mind.
"All right, Bro," Ace said. "What's going on here? You haven't spoken one word since we got to this dump."
Luffy didn't speak. He just sat there with a serious, almost angry expression on his face.
Suddenly, the sound of rushed footsteps is heard, causing the three men to look up. Soon, Nami appeared before their cell, panting heavily.
"Nami!" Ace said in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"
"…I just…I just wanted to talk to you," Nami said.
"…There's nothing to say."
Ace, Garp, and Nami looked at Luffy as he finally spoke.
"…Nami…why did you lie to me?" Luffy asked.
"Luffy…I wanted to tell you," Nami said, "but…I just couldn't."
"Why? Because you didn't trust me?!" Luffy asked.
"Luffy, please, don't be angry with me," Nami said, sadly.
"It's too late, Nami," Luffy said, looking away from her. "You betrayed my trust…and even now, before I die tonight…I don't think I ever wanna talk to you again."
Nami gasped at this…but then her eyes began to well up with tears, and she sobbed silently as she turned and ran away. Ace and Garp looked at Luffy…whose face became filled with regret.
"…Lu…that was pretty uncalled for, don't you think?" Ace asked.
"I don't care," Luffy said, looking away.
"Luffy, you tell that girl off about lying to you," Garp said, "and yet you're lying to us. Don't you think that's a bit hypocritical?"
A pause…but then the elder D carriers heard the sound of sniffling. They stared at Luffy in surprise…when they saw tears forming in his eyes, as well.
"Dammit," Luffy cursed. "I thought we had something special…her and me…! The times we laughed together, and when we went fishing in the river together, and when we were at the Lantern Festival! They were all so special to me…but now…it's pretty much gone down the tubes!"
"What are you saying, Luffy?" Ace asked.
"…Nothing has to be said, Ace," Garp said. "Luffy…you loved that girl…didn't you?"
Luffy sniffled and nodded his head.
"…And now…she'll probably never know," he said, tearfully.
Ace and Garp glanced at each other before glancing back at the weeping Luffy sadly.
XXX
Meanwhile, Nami is in her bed chamber, sobbing to herself as she hugged her knees to her chest. Tangerine sat on her bed, trying to provide comfort by nudging her softly, to no avail.
Just then, Nojiko entered the room and sat by her sister's side.
"You okay?" Nojiko asked.
"…What do you think?" Nami asked, sniffling.
"…Nami, I'm really sorry," Nojiko apologized.
"No…this is my fault," Nami said. "This never would've happened if I didn't run away in the first place!"
"Nami," Nojiko said, worriedly.
"What am I gonna do, Nojiko?" Nami asked. "Night will be here before we know it, and when that happens, their heads will roll! Literally!" She then began to sob again. "It's all my fault! And the worst part of it is…he doesn't know how I feel about him, and now he probably never will!"
"…That you love him?" Nojiko asked.
"Yeah," Nami said. "I wanted to tell him…but now…he says he never wants to see me!"
"…Who cares?" Nojiko asked.
"What?" Nami asked in surprise.
"Who cares what he says?" Nojiko asked. "You're just gonna sit in your room and brood while you know that the man you love is going to die, and he doesn't even know how you feel about him?"
Nami blinked at her sister, wiping her eyes with her sleeve.
"…Nami," Nojiko said. "You should at least tell him before he dies. At least that way…he can die happy, right?"
"…You're right," Nami realized, "I have to tell him before it's too late…but how?"
"Simple."
The sisters looked up to see…Robin, sitting in the window!
"All you have to do is ask for a bit of help," she said.
"R-Robin!" Nami exclaimed in surprise. "What are you doing here?!"
"We came to save Luffy, Ace, and Garp," Robin answered.
"'We'?" Nojiko repeated.
Soon, Blizzard jumped in through the window and began to smother Nami in doggy kisses.
"Ha ha ha ha!" Nami laughed. "Oh, Blizzard! I'm happy to see you, too!"
Zoro grunted as he pulled himself through the window and took a look around.
"Nice digs," he said. "This place looks like it has plenty of good booze."
"Zoro!" Nami said. "You're here, too!"
"And so am I, Nami, dear~!" Sanji swooned as he entered as well, and not long after, Usopp, Chopper, and Brook came in after him.
"Miss Nami!" Brook exclaimed. "A pleasure to see you again, my dear!"
"Wow! I can't believe you live in a place like this!" Usopp said, holding Chopper in his arms.
Franky tried to come in…but he soon found that the window is too small for him to fit through.
"AGH! Dammit to hell!" he cried as he tried to get out.
"Franky! You're here, too!" Nami said. "Wait, where are Vivi and Kaya?"
"We had to leave them back at home, unfortunately," Usopp said. "A situation like this is too dangerous."
"Blizzard came and got us," Zoro said. "Started barking like nuts. We knew something was up, so went down to Luffy's place, but he, Ace, and Old Man Garp were nowhere to be found."
"We had him track his scent down all the way here, to your place," Franky added.
"Oh, guys," Nami said. "Seriously, I don't know what I'd do without you!"
"Hey, c'mon," Franky said. "What'd you expect, sis? We're friends, right?"
Nami smiled and nodded her head with the utmost sincerity.
"So, how are we going to rescue Mister Luffy and his family, hmm?" Brook asked.
"I say we cut each one of those guards down," Zoro said.
"Now wait a minute!" Nojiko said. "Doing something like that will land you all in the dungeon for sure!"
"Nojiko's right," Nami said. "We need a plan, but we have to think fast, as well as be quick on our feet, if we went this to go off without a hitch."
"I agree," Robin said.
"Well, Nami, looks like you're calling the shots here," Usopp said.
"So what's the SUPER plan?" Franky asked with a smirk.
Nami smirked.
"Here's what we're gonna do," she said. Soon, everything gathered around the young princess as she whispered the plan to them.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Once again, I'm sorry for updating this SO LATE, AGAIN and that this chapter is SOOOOOOOO SHORT. Good news I'm almost finished.
Review, please!
