Chapter 11

"And this?" Mitsuki held up a top.

"I've worn it before," I told her, glancing up.

"So toss it?" She asked. "It's pretty though."

"This is how I make room in my closet," I shrugged, sorting the gold and treasure from most valuable to least. "Keep it if you want, but your piles getting kind of big, and I'm wondering how you're going to take that with you."

"They're nice clothes," Mitsuki sighed, looking at the pile she had accumulated during the closet clean out. "And waste not, want not. Maybe that's how I'll save all my money –by reusing material."

"If you want," I shrugged. "I figure so long as the money is spent on me, it's not a total waste, especially when it comes to clothes."

"Ugh," She said, lifting her bag and glancing at the clothes. "This is going to be impossible."

"Maybe Luffy will give you his old backpack," I said. "It was pretty big."

"I'll have to ask him later," Mitsuki murmured, "Along with why he couldn't feel your heart racing."

"You're still going on about that?" I asked. "That's just Luffy for you. He thinks in strange ways."

"But it was your pulse," She frowned. "It's not like it's open for interpretation."

"Maybe it is to Luffy," I said.

She was silent as she folded the clothes she had taken.

"Is that everything?" I asked after a few moments pause.

"Yeah," She said, sighing. She pushed her hair out of her face and looked at me. I watched as she opened her mouth to say something, but she stopped, closed her lips and went back to folding.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," She said. "But isn't going to get my sister out of the way for you guys?"

"Out of the way?" I repeated. "We don't have a certain direction to go in. Luffy wants to be Pirate King. No matter what path we take, I'm certain that he'll get there."

"I'm grateful," She said, bowing her head and wiping her eyes. But her hands didn't seem to be fast enough to catch her tears. She brought the shirt she was holding up to cover her face as she broke out in sobs. "Thank you."

I was about to comfort her when the door was thrown open. Chopper looked surprised to see us in the situation we were in.

"Nami's making Mitsuki cry!" Chopper ran away.

Mitsuki and I exchanged glances before we burst into giggles. She smiled despite the tears that slid down her cheeks.

"Nami strikes again!" Usopp called from below. "Evil witch Nami! Evil witch Nami!"

"Oi! Nami! Pick on someone your own size!" Franky added.

"Shishishi," Luffy's laughter was heard across the entire ship as the crew broke into ridiculous chaos.

I shook my head, unable to stop myself from grinning. I finished looking over the gold, and placed it back in my treasure chest before I got to my feet. I loved being rich. Grabbing my shopping bags, I headed for the closet. Removing them from their bags, I began placing them on the shelves and hangers.

"You're not going to go and beat them up?" She asked after a while.

"I may hit them when they're being rude or acting like complete idiots, but they're trying to cheer up a crying Mitsuki," I smiled, but didn't turn to face her. "For trying to make someone smile, there's no reason to cause a fuss." I paused, and said, "But I might hit Usopp for the evil witch bit later."

She giggled, "I like it here. It's lively."

"I'm glad," I glanced at her, hanging the last article of clothing up before kneeling beside her on the floor to help her fold the pile she had. "You should have folded it as you took them out."

"I didn't think that far ahead," She admitted.

"On the sea, you need to be able to think ahead. I know you're not planning on becoming a pirate, but thinking ahead gets you out of a lot of problems."

"You going to teach me that on top of gambling?" She grinned.

I ruffled her hair, "Nah. It's a life lesson to learn."

She smirked. "Well, I got plenty of time to learn then."

"Mm," I agreed. I folded the last shirt and laid it on one of the piles she'd created and stood up once more. "Well, now that the closet is done, I'm pretty sure we can go relax on deck now."

"So all we had to do was the closet?" She asked, placing the piles in the corner of the room.

"Yeah," I said. "Robin and I don't usually mess up the room anyway. It's a different story for the guys, and if we didn't have a cleaning day occasionally, I'm sure it'd be disastrous in there."

She laughed. We went onto the deck, and I closed my eyes against the sun, taking a deep breath and letting it out. I looked at the log pose on my wrist, and then remembered we were following the eternal pose instead. I took it out and made sure we were heading in the right direction still.

"Want a mikan?" I asked her, putting it away.

"The ones we picked yesterday?" She asked.

"Mm," I said, "I think you deserve a treat."

"Do they taste good?" She grinned deviously.

"If you have to ask, obviously it means you don't want one," I headed down the stairs.

"I was kidding! Of course they'll taste great," She followed me. "After, can I look at the library?"

"I don't see why not," I shrugged. "I have to work on the map for Akaki Island anyway."

"How? We're not there anymore," She said.

"It's just a basic map, until we go and explore it more, but I got a good view of it last night."

"Last night?" She frowned as we entered the dining room. A slow smile crept across her lips. "You disappeared with Luffy. Did you confess?"

"Confess?" My heart jumped at the idea. I shook my head. "No, of course not. I just realized my own feelings. How on earth could I confess?"

She rolled her eyes as I opened the fridge. I grabbed a few mikans, and a few other fruit, setting them down on the counter beside me as I kicked the fridge closed and locked it. Then I gathered the juicer and a knife –not one of Sanji's, of course.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"I decided juice would be nice right about now," I said.

"So we're having mikan juice," She said, getting an understanding of what I was doing.

"In a way," I said, gesturing to the other fruit laid out. "Fruit juice; we'll make enough for everybody."

"Are we going to go and give it to them too?" Mitsuki watched me as I cut the fruit in half.

"As if," I rolled my eyes. "Making it is enough. I'll just call them in."

She laughed. "So you're nice, but not too nice."

"If I were too nice, they'd be out of hand," I shook my head. "I mean, I hardly control them now."

"I think you do a good job," She told me. "And like I said, I like the liveliness."

"Mm," I nodded. "I like it too."

"Even if they get out of hand?" She questioned.

"They wouldn't be my nakama if they knew how to be serious on an adventure," I smirked.

"How cute," Hancock said, rolling her eyes as she climbed down the ladder.

"Do you want some juice?" I asked her, ignoring her previous comment.

"So you know how to be civil?" She sneered

"I can spit in it, if you want. That wouldn't be very ladylike though."

Mitsuki snorted with laughter.

"I'm not thirsty anyway," She said coldly.

"Suit yourself," I said, pouring the juice into cups. "Mitsuki, go call everyone in, alright?"

"Mm," She went to the door. As it shut behind her, I heard her shouting down to everybody. I smiled. She was a sweet kid.

"So why are we going to that girl's island?" Hancock asked. It annoyed me how Hancock addressed her.

"We're not going to Mitsuki's island," I said, taking sip from my own cup. It was cold going down my throat. I shivered happily. "We're going to the island that her sister's kidnappers are residing on."

"Like there's much of a difference," She muttered. "Either way, it interferes with Luffy's dream. But that's Luffy for you, putting others before him."

I put the glass down harshly on the counter. "That is like Luffy. So if you understand, don't complain. He's not in a rush, and neither are we. We enjoy helping people along the way. If you don't, then get off our ship." Mitsuki walked back in, followed closely by the crew and Luffy.

"What's going on?" Usopp asked.

"It's nothing," I ran a hand over my face and gesturing to the cups of juice. "Just drink and go back to work."

"I think I'll drink it out on deck," Franky murmured, grabbing his glass and heading out.

"Mm," A few of the other guys agreed. Robin, Zoro, Luffy and Mitsuki remained in the end.

"Luffy, I cleaned the bathhouse," the empress changed her personality in a heartbeat.

I was fed up with all of this, "Stop! I hate watching you do a complete change whenever Luffy walks in or out of a room!"

"Nami," Robin said tentatively.

"I'm fine," I snapped. I regretted it immediately, but I'd apologize later. "I'm just sick of dealing with an empress that doesn't know anything about living a hard life! She thinks she can just –"

"Nami, stop," Luffy spoke firmly.

I did stop. But it wasn't because he told me to. Or maybe it was. I was just surprised that he had told me to stop. I grabbed my glass, downing it quickly and placed it down in the sink roughly. I went by everyone, and climbed the ladder. Tears stung at my eyes, but I wouldn't let them see.

"Nami," Mitsuki called after me.

"Don't," Zoro said. "Let her be for now."

I stomped over to the mikan trees, taking a deep breath. It didn't help. I sunk between the branches, hiding amongst their leaves and leaning against the main mast. I wrapped my arms around my knees, and tightly shut my eyes. I wouldn't cry. But I was frustrated. I couldn't understand why Luffy would protect her in a situation like that. I wanted to shout, to let all that anger out instead of letting it just sit and boil inside of me, but that would mean giving into the fact that he had protected her.

I didn't go down for lunch. But when Sanji called everyone to the table I finally got out of my hiding place amid the sweet smelling foliage. I walked across the deck, around the observation room, and sat down with my legs hanging between the rails. I made sure I was on the furthest side so that I wasn't noticeable from the deck above the kitchen, nor the crow's nest. There were barely any waves. It was so calm, but it didn't really settle the feelings I had inside.

Watching the sea made me want to jump though. Not because I was suicidal –and I knew it would be a suicidal move, because lunch had just begun, making Sanji and Zoro unable to save me if I so needed, and there was nothing around for miles. If I didn't die from being pulled under by currents, then I would surely die from exhaustion and drowning. And that wasn't how I wanted to be remembered. But if I were to jump, it would be because I wanted to just get away. As far away as I could.

Eventually I headed inside to the library, where I sat at my desk and unrolled the maps I'd made, slowly going through them all, between my island, Commi Island, up to Sabaody Archipelago.

Was I too stuck in the past, believing Luffy would always take my side? He was with her for two years… I had barely been with him for one. Sure, we went through a lot, and Luffy would consider everything we've been through a precious memory…

Maybe I couldn't compete with Hancock after all.

The thought made me furious.

I could compete. Luffy didn't want to marry her. He said it so often. And I don't know how I could live with myself if I simply just gave up. I put the maps away and moved to the shelf, pulling out one of the books. I didn't open it though, just ran my fingers over the spine. Last night –between leaving Luffy on the deck and going to bed after the short discussion with Hancock –I'd came up here and placed the leaf in the book. I would leave it there between the pages for two weeks before actually making it into a bookmark.

I kept the book beside me, knowing that it should be pressed underneath other books, while I worked on the map of Akaki Island. When I finished what I knew of the island, I looked up to see the sky growing orange with the late afternoon.

I still wasn't hungry, but I felt a lot better now. I placed the book underneath a few heavier books on the shelf. I checked the eternal pose, placing it on my desk, along side the log pose. I'd have to get them to correct the course, but I still wasn't up to talking to anyone. I crossed my arms, leaning onto the desk and resting my head on my folded limbs, and just stared at the eternal pose.

If I fell asleep, I don't remember. The eternal pose was missing when I opened my eyes, but I wasn't worried about it. Someone had laid a blanket across my shoulders to keep out the bitter air of the night. I smiled half-heartedly into the dark, empty room, and sighed.

It was lonely.

I remembered this feeling. It was the same feeling I'd felt when I'd left Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Usopp to go to Arlong Park. I hated this feeling. I wanted to rip it down, scrunch it into a ball and throw it out into the sea.

Standing up, I wrapped the blanket tighter around me and went to a window that faced the bow of the ship. I could see Luffy sitting on the figurehead. I also saw Zoro climbing up to the crow's nest, but that wasn't important. I watched as Luffy glanced back and up at Zoro, who paused. Perhaps he was saying something to the captain. Luffy nodded, and turned back to sea. I noted that the sails were tied, and the anchor down for the night.

My stomach growled, and I went to the door. I eased it open, and closed it gently behind me. As silently as I could I walked across the deck to the ladder that led to the dining room. I glanced up at the crow's nest, and then at Luffy, who had turned once more, this time seeing me before I could reach the ladder.

He didn't move a muscle after seeing me. I met his eyes across the distance, and then turned away deliberately, climbing down the ladder to the dining room. Which one of us was being stubborn? Who was in the wrong?

When I opened the fridge I discovered a plate of food left aside for me. I took it out, and place it on the table. I ate in silence. It was so strange. It was…

It was lonely.

I fought the food down over the lump in my throat. I fought all the food over that lump. I felt nauseous.

When I was done I went back up the ladder, not glancing over my shoulder but knowing Luffy was still there, and went to where I was sitting earlier with my legs between the rails. But I didn't sit. I just stood there. Stood there, and stared out at the moon, and memories of the night before flooded my mind.

Suddenly an arrow sprung out of the water, just missing my arm, but taking the blanket off of me and piercing it to the wall. A person came up right after that, swiftly. So swiftly. In my surprise I had forgotten to cry out, but instinct made me grab my Perfect Clima-tact. I didn't know where he or the arrow came from. Just as I was about to attack, he sprung over the edge and hit my arm with enough force for me to drop it. He was strong.

"Lu–" I began to call out, but his hand went over my mouth. I bit him, but he didn't seem to notice. I bit harder and harder until I could taste blood. Annoyed at most, he brought my head down and his knee up, and the two met roughly. I winced in pain. The impact wasn't enough to make me go unconscious, but to mess up my coordination.

He lifted me into the air, and leapt over the edge, back into the depths of which he appeared. Water rose above us, and I hoped Luffy heard the splash. He'd come save me. I know he would.

There was a sucking noise and the water drained around us. A door opened, but from my position all I could see were feet.

"Got her?"

"Mm," My kidnapper said.

"Put her with the others."

That was the entirety of their conversation. I was brought down a long corridor, at the end of which I was thrown into the room. I landed on my side, and struggled to my feet. The door closed, and I started banging on the door.

"Hey! Let me out!" I called. "Luffy! Luffy!"

I needed to apologize to them all. To Robin. To Mitsuki. To Luffy, and –dare I say it –to Hancock –

"It's no use," Someone said behind me. "We're in a underwater ship. Whoever you're calling won't hear you."

I turned, discovering that several girls were in the room with me. All were quite pretty, except for the bruises they must have received from trying to fight back.

"Where are we heading?" I asked. "Do you know?"

"Mm," One of the girls said. "I've heard them saying something along the lines of falling doom… what was it…?"

"Furunmei?"

"Ah, that's it," The girl said. "How'd you know?"

I looked at the door, kicking it one last time before going and sitting cross-legged against the wall. I smiled as I looked around. Five girls all kidnapped. "Lucky for you, that's exactly where my crew was heading."

"Crew?" The same girl asked. She seemed to be the one with the strongest resolve.

"Mm, I'm a pirate," I said. I've never been so relieved in my life. I would be able to sort out my problems just the same in a few days.

"For which crew?"

"You don't recognize her?" The girl in the corner murmured. Silence met her. The girl rolled her eyes. "She's Cat Thief Nami. Of the Straw-hat pirates."

"Really?" The first girl asked.

I smiled, "Mm."

I shifted so that I was more comfortable. If I were going to be on this ship for another two days, might as well get used to it. The floor was cold, and there was nothing in the room except for the other girls, but the conditions were livable. I hoped Luffy and the crew were quickly able to realize that I was headed for the same place that held Mitsuki's sister.

I wondered how much gold they had aboard…

I noticed the girls looked a little scared of me. I sighed. Hopefully, two days would fly by.

Though, I must admit, that my current companions were much better than Hancock.

A/N: Though I hate to say it -especially after being a consistent updater! -the next time I update will probably be a week or so from now. This next week will be super busy for me, but if I can find the time to write I will definitely post it! My apologies!

Thank you for reading thus far, and please review! :)

~Foxchicka