Chapter 2

Nami did not head up the staircase. Instead, the minute they broke through the smokescreen she grabbed Usopp's elbow, tugging him sharply sideways right into and through a hedge. She doubled back, closer to where the lion-pervert had grabbed her, but hidden once again by the blessed shrubbery.

The huge stairway was too open- he would have found them in seconds- sure enough, she could hear his growling curses and pounding footfalls now, heading in that direction.

"Chopper?" she mouthed, but Usopp only shrugged. They had lost their crewmate pretty soundly- he had been quite a bit ahead already before that creep had shown up. Maybe he was too far to double back, and when he saw they were fine, he continued up the staircase? If so, he was in danger, now. "We have to go after him," she said, feeling secure enough in their hiding spot to risk a whisper.

"We will- but we have to wait for that Absalom guy to get far enough away. He completely ignored both Chopper and me- he was just after you, Nami. I don't think he's a zombie… so I don't think he's following the same orders."

She thought about it. He was right… Absalom was definitely a powerful enemy, and he bossed zombies around like someone in charge at Thriller Bark. However, they had witnessed followers of an island's big boss go off the rails before- this guy seemed to have some perverted fantasy featuring Nami, and a direct shot with Thunderbolt Tempo hadn't seemed to hurt him much, earlier. His motivations didn't seem to line up with whoever was in charge here, but all the more reason to keep the hell away from him.

If they ran into that invisible freak again, she might not get as lucky as the last few times.

Well, not luck. Her nakama had her back, and their chances of making it separated were slim to none. They needed to stay together. That meant Chopper, too.

"We should try to keep moving but… sneakier," she concluded finally.

Usopp nodded gravely, and the two backtracked, Nami considering how to handle the big open staircase safely. If Absalom went invisible again, he could be standing right in front of them. She could bump right into him… she shivered at the thought. In fact, dwelling on that monster at all put a solid lump of ice in her stomach, remembering how he held her pinned against the wall, when she was at her most vulnerable…

She blanched, trying to avoid the unpleasant memory. No, she did not want to get captured by him. She'd frankly rather take her chances with the zombie horde.

"Gah- hold up!" A tug at the back of her shirt- Usopp had grabbed a fistful of the material, stopping her from moving forward into the open air of the staircase.

"What?" she asked, a little sharper than she intended. Really, she wasn't mad at her friend… but the general fear buzzing around her head had pushed her well past her tolerance and patience with even the people she was closest to.

Idiot. Putting her in that position where she really had had no choice but to kiss him.

No, no she was not even thinking about that right now.

"Maybe there's another way- look, there's a door at the base of the castle. I would think there would be stairways inside… maybe a servant's passage or something?"

"Oh, full of undead servants, no doubt?"

"Well… good point."

She shook her head. "No, we just have to make a run for it and hope no one is there. I don't want to get trapped inside, lost, with no escape routes." She licked her lips nervously, eyes straining through the branches of a smaller shrub as she spied on the stairs, trying her best to notice some sign of an invisible creature lying in wait…

"Nami," Usopp muttered, snapping her out of some rather dark thoughts, "I know we're both scared shitless, but once we meet up with the others it'll be fine."

"Of course- I don't need you to tell me that-"

"-until then, I'll protect you. I'll probably scream a lot in the process, but I'm not gonna just let some zombie-lord steal you away. My pride as a man." The last was said like some kind of mantra, and despite the powerful urge to roll her eyes at the cliche Nami still found herself smiling in response to his earnest tone.

She nodded, willfully forcing herself to believe him. She held out a hand, waiting for him to take it. He did without hesitating, moving ahead and pulling her along at top speed up the stairs. Nami's heeled boots clipped rather loudly on the marble, feet flying to keep up with Usopp's bounding gait. He wasn't much taller than her, but he seemed capable of taking the stairs two at a time in his frantic hurry, and she fought to keep pace. They must have seemed an odd, flailing pair to anyone watching… but thankfully, it seemed no one was.

The very second they had reached the top landing Usopp pulled them to the side and down to the ground roughly, hiding below the banister. The two were breathing hard at this point, sweat soaking the collar of Nami's shirt as she fought to slow her agitated heart.

"I think we made it…" she started, only to immediately be shushed by Usopp.

There were voices, approaching from the darkened hall to their right, and before it became an issue the two tiptoed across the landing, searching frantically for any kind of hiding spot. No closets, no doors, no path except in the direct line of sight of the approaching voices.

But… there was a sack…?

Usopp pulled at the comically large zipper, opening what appeared to be a giant coin purse and stepping inside. Nami gave it one distasteful glare before acquiescing, seeing no real alternative.

When it was zipped up again, they were both glad to note that the darkness was not absolute. Between the spine of the zipper and through thinning spots in the fabric light filtered in, just enough to note that the surprising squishiness of the location was due to some kind of stuffing. The bag was filled with poofy clumps of cotton batting, like an old sofa. Was that what they were in? A decaying sofa, waiting to be taken out with the trash?

Then, the whole world moved.

Nami lost all control of her equilibrium in that moment, falling like a limp noodle against Usopp, who likewise seemed unable to control his flailing limbs. The batting seemed to eat them up, preventing them, once settled, from being thrown around quite as much as the bag tottered back and forth, a deep vibration filling the space in tones like the beginning of speech. Like… the bag… had just asked, "What was that?"

Oh god, it wasn't a bag, or a coin purse, or a sofa.

It was a zombie. Some kind of hollow, stuffed creature brought to life by nothing that science could ever equivocate.

She tried to avoid gagging.

"Hey, Kumacy!" called a far-too familiar voice, that edge of cat-like rumble mixed in with the words.

"Oh, Ero-salom… I mean Absalom-sama…" their hiding-place hummed, it's voice liquid-smooth, deep, and painfully slow. It was good to note that the invisible man's subordinates didn't seem to hold him in very high regard, to insult him to his face. Or maybe, like Franky, the insinuation that the guy was a pervert wasn't interpreted as an insult. "There is trouble afoot-"

Perhaps the bag was going to rat them out. As it turned out, the concern was moot- Absalom didn't seem to be listening at all, instead cutting off the voice with demands that his own problems came first.

"Did three pirates come through here?"

Three? Nami breathed a sigh of relief. That meant he hadn't found Chopper. However… it also meant they were moments away from being discovered…

"Actually, that's what I-"

Again, the bag was cut off, this time by a sharp and demanding female.

"Absalom! This is my room- get out of here!"

The bag, this time with a reverence he did not show the lion-man, greeted the woman as "Perona," but was again immediately shut down.

"You're so not cute when you talk! How many times do I have to tell you to shut up!?" she screeched, her voice cutting and her order halting the bag's greeting immediately.

"You're rather harsh on that bear…"

"What's it to you? He's my subordinate! Anyway, have you heard? We're being summoned by the master. He's going to reanimate number 900…"

Usopp readjusted, and Nami found herself being crushed just a bit by his weight as he reached for the top of the zipper, opening it just enough to peek out. She kept any exclamations to herself and just dealt with the knee to her hip and the elbow in her face as she struggled to eavesdrop on their enemies.

Another voice cut in. Something about a "humming swordsman…" Brook?

Beyond that, it seemed as if three soldiers on Thriller Bark were mostly complaining, and after weighing the risks of being exposed against the possible useful information they may gain, Nami tugged at Usopp's cape to get his attention. She gestured for him to zip the bear back up, and he did.

"Now what?" she whispered in a voice so low it was half about reading lips.

"I guess we're stuck for awhile," her nakama replied, readjusting so he was sinking down in the stuffing again, his weight settling against her side but no longer pressing her down. She let out a little sigh, rubbing at her hip. It would probably be a bruise, the spot where his knee had pinioned her. He frowned, noticing. "Sorry."

"Whatever- at least we're safe, right under their noses. As long as this dumb bear doesn't talk or reach the zipper."

"I don't think it can…" Usopp responded, looking unimpressed, "Seems like a big gap in security… these guys may be tough, but not too bright."

Nami readily agreed. The zombie they were trapped in was very obedient, silent and still as its superiors ominously discussed their surprise at being called for such a momentous occasion, and their general frustrations with each other and the invaders.

Nami, now that she was comparatively safe and not running around, began to let her mind wander to that-which-must-not-be-discussed: The kiss.

She fidgeted, trying to gain a little space and failing spectacularly, ending up with even more of her body pressed up against his. She wished Chopper were here… it would make this less… weird.

It was weird! She could freely admit that to herself, even though she had been doing her best to play it cool since that bizarre scene. She knew- knew- the minute he had made up that stupid lie that it was going to bite her in the ass… then again, it wasn't like she could do much better. She had been about to spit out some outrageous story about actually being a man… Lola probably wouldn't have bought it, anyway.

She couldn't let him know that it was bugging her this much, or the real reason she felt so positively scandalized by the event. She still had the urge to yell at him and somehow make it his fault, but it wasn't like he had been the one to kiss her. Nope. She had done that all on her own. So she just had to sit and stew in the mess she had made, not really able to shrug it off but trying to keep her pride intact.

She liked her friends. When joining a pirate crew that was, at the start, primarily male, it was nice to know that everyone onboard was generally caring and respectful… even when they were all giving each other a hard time. If it weren't for Sanji's constant attention, and very specific times she had caught them ogling her, she might even have described their relationships as sibling-like. They bickered, she bossed them around, they laughed, worked, and drank together.

She wanted to see them as best friends or brothers. That was safe.

Any time it ventured too far from that zone, she made sure they paid for it- sometimes monetarily, and sometimes through snarky remarks. Primarily, the latter was aimed at Sanji, who had to be handled very tactfully. She liked that he did things for her- his obsession was honestly quite useful. However, every once in a while she had to make her boundaries quite clear and shut down his overenthusiasm for her beauty.

It was nice having Robin onboard now, though Sanji still didn't treat anyone quite as... passionately as he treated her.

How would he react, if he found out she had kissed Usopp?

Or that she had kinda liked it?

A quiet, strangled noise escaped her throat at that, and she rubbed at her eyes as if she could somehow reach her brain via that route. What the hell!? Where had that come from?

In her mortification, she had managed to slip, crumpling in on herself like a pill bug as the fabric and cushioning of the bear pressed on her. When she looked up, she found Usopp staring down at her, a puzzled expression on his face. He looked way too serious, just then. Yes, this was a serious life-or-death situation, but she had him giving her that face when her mind was betraying her in that way.

Shit. Did he have any weird, non-platonic thoughts right now, pressed in so close to her? This was Usopp, she was talking about, afterall. Fucking Usopp! Of everyone onboard, he was the one most like a best friend to her, the one she had to worry about crossing that line the least. He never held back on pointing out when she was wrong, never sucked up to her, listened when she was worried about how stupid weak they were. He always had her back when it really mattered.

Did she prefer kissing him to dying? Yes. That was easy. They were both very clear on their "not wanting to die today" mentality.

But to admit she liked it? She stuck to a strict code about this kind of crap, and consequently had never allowed herself to even think along those lines. She kept her flirting strictly professional- no one could guess how little she actually knew about the femme fatale image she liked to think she exuded. As a result… that, she was embarrassed to admit, had been her first actual kiss.

Which was probably the reason she wanted so badly to be mad at him about it.

The bear was moving now, most likely following after its master, the motion a gentle rocking.

"You…" she managed, crossing her arms over her chest with a rather undignified huff, "...need to apologize."

"I… what did I do now?" he yell-whispered, annoyance clear in the corners of his mouth and turn of his brow. "All I've been doing today is apologizing! Is it because I didn't think the invisible man was real?"

That stumped her for a minute. She blinked, still at a really annoying angle that had her looking up at him. Was he… serious!?

"Did you think I had called you into the bath because I liked making an exhibition of myself!?" she snapped back. "Did you actually think I was making the whole thing up!?"

Usopp took just a little too long to answer, as if he were about to respond in the affirmative to both points. Her leg was draped under his, the heel of her boot planted right by his far knee. She kicked it in indignation- perhaps a bit hard.

"Ow!"

"Idiot!"

"Okay! Fair! Ow… you didn't have to resort to violence!"

"Didn't I?"

He rubbed at his knee, grimacing as he glanced down at her. Something- for just the briefest moment- flashed behind his eyes. He looked like he was about to say something, but abruptly forgot, a nervous "deer caught in lights" expression on his face. She had the weirdest premonition from that look… like as he was staring down at her, his thoughts had shifted to something other than complaining. Like he was thinking about kissing her again.

No way. They were literally inside a corpse. And beyond that… just no way.

Before she could come up with some biting comment about his stare he blinked again, and he was back to annoyed. She almost could believe she had imagined it… so that's exactly what she chose to do.

"Okay. Then I'm sorry. You were right."

That wasn't what she wanted him to apologize for. She was quiet for a moment, the rocking of the bear's tottering footsteps bizarrely soothing. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Fine. I'll take it," she muttered, pushing a few loose strands of hair resolutely behind her ears.

The rocking stopped. Booming voices outside. Perona, Absalom, Hilden, Hogback… and something else. The "Master?"

Yelling, now. Something about being the "King of the Pirates…"

Luffy, clearly.

Damn.

"Give Usopp, Nami, Chopper, Sanji, and Zoro back, you overgrown shallot!" Luffy called, and Usopp once again went to peek out the top of the zipper. This time, he moved very carefully, avoiding stepping on her body. The centralization of weight with his feet at a single point in the stuffing made it hard for Nami to sit up -she kept losing her balance in the fluff- so she settled for trying to press an ear to one of the thinner parts of the creature's… ugh… skin.

"It sounds like they got Zoro and Sanji," Usopp whispered, still standing fully with one eye to the hole.

"Why... why would the three monsters be the first to get caught!?" Nami countered, just as the conversation outside took a more personal turn.

The trio that went missing… they were trying to figure out where Nami, Usopp, and Chopper went. And the bear they were in… he was making small sounds, as if he were trying to cut in to speak. The powerful enemies outside were too engrossed in their own conversations- Nami heard "my bride" mentioned far too many times for her comfort.

"Master! He chewed through the cage and is escaping!" cried a squeaky voice.

"Okay.. this I have to see…" Usopp whispered, dropping the zipper down enough to step with one foot outside. Nami wanted to call him an idiot… but she had to agree that they needed to know if Luffy got away, or if he was fighting. They had to see.

She leaned out as well, keeping low to the ground and crouching to peek around the bear below Usopp.

They watched as Luffy wormed his way towards the giant (yes, one could say shallot-shaped) villain, hopeful despite their captain's chains. They watched in confusion as the sharp-toothed man touched the ground, ripping up what could only be Luffy's shadow… something about the act seemed obscene, the shadow ripping from the floor with a sickening squelch. It looked… painful. Violent. He hadn't even really done anything to Luffy yet, but Nami already had a very bad feeling.

Horror-stricken, they could do nothing as the oversized pair of scissors approached the base of the shadow, Luffy struggling uselessly. With a single snip- it was over.

Nami covered her mouth, trying not to let out the strangled cry that threatened at the back of her throat. Luffy sagged, clearly unconscious. She grabbed the front of Usopp's overalls on her way back into the bear, keeping carefully out of sight.

The bear seemed to have had enough at this point. The minute the zipper was replaced, it began to sway, as if it could dispel the parasites inside. It shook side to side, tossing the pair back and forth against its cushioned belly. It would have been fine, if there were not two sets of knees, elbows, and gangly limbs inside to wack into each other. The movements were not too violent, but she wondered if the bear was capable of more.

A reprieve from the "dance" came as a sharp female voice once again yelled at the bear, deeming its movements "goofing off."

Phew.

Nami stayed perfectly still for several beats, waiting for the woman's attention to be solidly off the bear. She was pretty annoyed that, once again, Usopp was crushing her under his weight- as a man, shouldn't he be a little considerate and sometimes fall under her? Ingrate.

He wasn't paying any attention to the narrowing of her eyes, however, as he stared into nothing, head tilted, listening to see if they were clear of suspicion. When he finally did seem to notice that he was, in fact, almost 100% on top of her, he jumped, trying to disentangle himself. This only made things worse in the dim, cramped space, one big-booted foot slamming into her ankle and all his weight shifting to his hand- which of course was on her chest.

"Ow! Are you really this clumsy, because at a certain point it seems on purpose!" Nami pulled at his stupid overall straps, bodily forcing him back to the floor of fluff so she could maneuver more easily to the side. What a shit-show.

"Hey-"

Usopp, in his infinite ignorance, did not seem to realize he had groped her, again missing the point to her anger. Nami was quickly running out of patience- if Chopper were here, they wouldn't be losing their balance in the fluff as much or as easily tossed about. They could probably all three lean on eachother- plus, the reindeer tended to make Nami feel a bit calmer, adding to the "safety in numbers" destressor.

"Take him back to his ship- be careful to remove the webbing. We need him alive."

Had Nami heard that correctly? They didn't plan on hurting Luffy… just like Brook, they were letting him go.

She rubbed at her aching breast, not even caring how it looked, as she struggled to stand up in the tiny space. She settled for kneeling, not wanting to lose her balance and have the sad comedy of errors begin anew. Usopp, after some struggling, managed to do the same, so the two were finally side by side and kept in balance.

The creature started to move again, slowly, in the familiar motion of steps. They were going somewhere else, now…

"Alright… if that guy has Luffy's shadow, we should pay attention to where he puts it…" Usopp whispered, bringing Nami back to the larger concern of their current situation. She nodded. "Maybe we can sneak away later and free it!"

Again, his reasoning was sound… but Nami had a feeling that it couldn't possibly be that easy. Why take shadows at all, if they didn't kill the people they defeated? There were several mysterious (and freaky) things about this island, and she got the distinct impression they were all connected to the shadow-stealer.

Something bad was about to happen to Luffy's shadow.