Category: Mild Romantic Fluff, Friendship Fluff

Characters: Nami and Mokey. D. Luffy

Requested by: snow3bunny (Ao3)

"Nami! Wait! What about heading to Zou?" Sanji shouted after her as Nami strode steadfastly through the battle-torn streets of Dressrosa. The various factions of the Straw Hat Pirates and their ally Trafalgar Law had certainly made a mess of things in their efforts to escape Doflamingo and Admiral Fujitora. Buildings were reduced to crumbling stone and bent metal, while overturned carts and abandoned goods littered the sandy streets. Here and there, a lingering civilian stared wide-eyed at the carnage, having nowhere to escape the bitter war that had suddenly erupted in their home. Everything the Straw Hats had known about the ruthless pirate leader was a lie; he had been playing them like a fiddle the entire time, and they were now ensnared in whatever trap he had set for them, wiggling like flies trapped in a spider's web. "Nami! Wait up- ow, damn it!" Sanji cursed as he tripped over a large section of concrete, fumbling around it in his feverish pursuit of the navigator. Nami had no interest in heading to Zou on the Thousand Sunny; the others could handle it. Now, her captain needed her.

"Luffy is in trouble! This operation is a monumental failure, and if we don't get ourselves together, we're gonna end up dead!" she snapped at him over her shoulder. She vaulted herself over a rather large section of collapsed wall and landed in the sandy road with a huff before continuing on her way. She had no idea where she was going, really; she had no idea where Luffy was or what he was doing now. It was illogical for her to abandon the ship as she did and stomp off into the battlefield looking for him. Something had possessed her, though. As the plan had unraveled around them, she felt this overwhelming need to rush to his side. Nami was not strong, and she knew that; she barely held a candle to the powerful men she sailed with. Still, she knew she could do something to be of use, something to help her captain in the battle to come… More than anything, though, she just had to know that he was safe. She continued plodding along, her Climatact clutched tightly in her hand, and her mind was so bent on finding the captain that she was not aware of the danger around her.

"Nami! Look out!" Sanji shouted, but she could barely hear him over the sound of rumbling earth and creaking stone. A shadow fell over her. She whipped around to find that the building beside her had sustained massive damage. It was currently collapsing, with an entire sidewall groaning and falling right in her direction. Sanji immediately moved to jump up and destroy the wall with a well-delivered kick, but was unable to do so as a neighboring building succumbed to the stress and sent him scurrying in the opposite direction to avoid being crushed himself. With a shriek, she whirled about and made a mad dash for the edge of the shadow. She was unable to hear anything but the blood roaring in her ears and the crashing of glass and rock. I'm not gonna make it! She thought, and threw herself on the ground covering her head, praying that somehow she escaped unscathed.

Suddenly, the sounds of the crumbling building were replaced by the unmistakable roar of rushing flames, and Nami peered out of her fingers to see the bright red and gold flare of fire blast over her head and rocket into the wall. The heat was so intense that it practically seared her skin as the wall exploded, sending bits of glass and rubble raining down on her. She cried out and covered her head once more, the debris slicing through the skin on her arms and legs, but that was certainly preferable to being squished flat. Once the earth stopped shaking, she sat up and looked to the ruined building, just a pile of rocks and dust with a few lingering flames flickering about. What was that? It was almost as if… No, but he's dead! She thought wildly, and whirled about when she heard footsteps crunching on glass and gravel, presumably her rescuer.

"Phew! That was a close one. Good thing I came along, huh?" the stranger grinned at her, the bright pink scar on his face stretching as he smiled. A large black hat partially concealed his wavy blonde hair. A pair of goggles rested on the brim, and the black cloak he was wearing fluttered slightly in the breeze. He looks like Luffy and Ace, she thought in mild delirium, struck. "I think I'm getting used to these new powers."

"Nami! Are you okay?" she heard Sanji shouting from a distance away, and she turned to see him clambering over the rubble, slipping and sliding through the loose stone that had formed a wall between them and prevented her rescue. Once he was safely on the sandy ground, he trotted over to her, looking at the stranger warily. "Thanks for your help, but who are you?" The young man opened his mouth to answer, but went stiff as a girl's angry shriek drifted out from a nearby alleyway.

"Sabo! You can't just run off like that! We've got a job to do, ya know?" the girl snapped as she stomped out of the alley. She wore a hat too, a puffy one, and her hair was a blondish-gold color that curled upward at the ends; a scowl disfigured her pretty features. She stalked over to the man and promptly whacked him in the back of the head.

"Ow… Koala… I saw this girl was in trouble! Don't hit me!" he whined, and as he pouted, Nami thought that he resembled her captain even more.

"Nami!" The navigator turned back to the entrance of the alleyway to find, to her surprise, Robin strolling out of it, apparently accompanying the two strangers. "What are you doing here? Aren't you on the Thousand Sunny?"

"Robin? Do you know these two? Oh! That must mean you're part of Luffy's crew too!" Sabo grinned cheekily.

"Wait! You know Luffy?" Sanji gasped, raising his golden eyebrows.

"Yeah! I'm his big brother! Well, his other big brother, besides Ace," he cackled and put his hands on his hips and puffed out his chest. Wow, now everything makes sense, Nami thought begrudgingly. Her eye twitched in annoyance at the ridiculousness of the situation; somehow, she had stumbled upon another member of Luffy's family that none of them knew about who had somehow acquired the late Ace's powers. After a minute of absorbing the information, it clicked in her mind.

"Wait! If you have the Flame Flame Fruit powers, that means Luffy lost in the Coliseum!"

"Eh, not exactly. Luffy went to tend to Doflamingo, and I fought in his place. I'm the only one in the world he would be okay with having Ace's powers, after all," Sabo mused. Nami breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that her captain was not lying on a stretcher somewhere, or worse, beaten to the brink of death. Still, it was only a small measure; he was still fending off a Warlord of the Sea, after all, and the limited encounters she had with the chaotic man had proved he was ruthless and borderline insane.

"So… You don't know where he is now?" she asked with a small sigh. Back to square one, it seems. Sabo shook his head sadly, then slid his hand into his pockets.

"Ah! I've been rude. We haven't had proper introductions. I'm Sabo, and this is my partner, Koala," he told them with a cheeky grin.

"Hiya!" the girl chirped with a giggle.

"I'm Nami, Luffy's navigator, and this is Sanji, our cook," she explained. "We came looking for him. Everything's gone south… Our crew is all split up on and off the island, and Luffy is going to need some back-up." Sabo nodded knowingly, then smiled at her.

"It does me good to see Luffy has good friends that are worried about him! I don't know where he is now, but we know where he's gonna be- Doflamingo's palace… But, you know, he may not want you to come after him, Nami," he pointed out. "Doflamingo is a pretty dangerous dude, and if he's the Luffy I remember, he's gonna wanna take him down one-on-one." Nami's shoulders slumped slightly in disappointment. He was right, of course; even if she showed up, Luffy would just tell her to find somewhere safe to hide until it was all over. Still… I… I have to know if he's safe. I have to see him, she thought resolutely, and tightened her grip on her weapon.

"I don't care! I'm gonna find him, and he can tell me himself if he wants me to go!" she snorted haughtily. The others blinked at her in surprise, especially Sanji and Robin; they knew she was persistent, but she was also the most logical of their merry band of fools. It was unlike her to do something so glaringly reckless. Before anyone could say anything else, however, the air suddenly echoed with the voice of one Doflamingo Donquixote.

"Hello, citizens of Dressrosa, Coliseum contestants, and Straw Hat Pirates," the flamboyant man cackled in the sky. Nami whirled around, looking at the roofs of buildings to try and discern where it was coming from, but he was nowhere to be found; no doubt, he was using some kind of unique ability to project his voice throughout the kingdom. "A certain someone has entered this little kingdom of mine, whom I have a little offer for… Some of you know her very well," he chortled, and the crazed yet calm tone of his voice deeply unsettled Nami. I don't like this! "I know you can hear me, Nami." The orange-haired girl stiffened, her eyes locked on the blazing blue sky where the man's voice danced. "I have a little… Proposition. Come to my palace in Dressrosa and turn yourself over to me. Be my navigator… and my woman. In exchange, I will leave the rest of the Straw Hats in peace, and I'll even leave Dressrosa and allow the kingdom to be free…" Her heart hammered in her throat like a war drum, pulsing with the sound of his smug words, and she clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles glared white. "I think that's pretty fair, considering how much you all have caused trouble for me. You have one hour. If you refuse, then I'll proceed to slaughter each and every one of your friends, and then I'll come for you." He then laughed cruelly for a minute, his maniacal giggles bouncing through the war-torn ruins of his kingdom, before the air fell silent. Nami could not tear her gaze from the sky, and she imagined him staring down at her, watching with amusement as she reeled with the hard decision she had to make.

"That bastard! I'm gonna rearrange his face!" Sanji fumed and stamped his foot, sending cracks rippling through the street in his ire. He whirled on Nami, batting his eyes. "I'll protect you from that evil man, Nami! Don't you worry!" For once, she ignored his flirtatious promises. She was too busy trembling.

I have to turn myself over? She thought wildly. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe, and as she placed a hand over her chest, she stumbled backward. Her legs turned to jelly, and Sanji caught her as she fell, easing her down into a sitting position. I have to turn myself over, or he'll kill everyone else? She had faith in them, sure, but look at how much had gone wrong so far… They were scattered throughout the kingdom, facing off against Doflamingo's dangerous lackeys, and hadn't even managed to reach the Warlord. Who knew what was happening now? Her crewmates could be lying somewhere, bleeding and helpless, and Nami was the only thing that kept Doflamingo from giving the kill order. She knew what he wanted- the same thing Arlong had wanted, her impeccable navigating skills, but he also wanted something of a more nefarious nature. If Nami accepted, she would be a prisoner again, but her sentence would be much worse this time.

If she refused, her friends would die.

"I have to go to the palace." Sanji, who had been kneeling next to her, jumped to his feet.

"You aren't going to give yourself up, are you, Nami? Don't let him get in your head! He might not even do what he says!" he objected.

"Maybe I can work out another deal," she offered weakly. Even as she said it, she did not herself believe it to be accurate; Doflamingo was not likely the type to be bargained with. Still, she knew for a fact that he was a man to carry out his threats, and she just had to pray that he did the same with his promises. She rose from the dust, her resolve bringing breath back to her lungs, but Sabo stepped in front of her.

"Whoa, Sanji's right. You can't trust Doflamingo. Besides, it's not over yet! Luffy could still be-"

"We don't even know where Luffy is!" she screeched with much more volume and anger than she meant to. The fear and anxiety had taken control of her now. She hugged the Climatact to her chest, as if that would disguise her violently quaking body. "Don't you see? Everything is falling apart," she whispered. Her friends were scattered to the wind. Doflamingo had the upper hand. He had the army; he had the power; he even had the Marines behind him. They'd had a chance, but it had been a fool's chance, and it was now gone. They had tried their best. Now, it was up to Nami to keep them from being utterly destroyed. "If there's a chance I can save everyone… If there's a chance that I can save Luffy… I have to go."

"Nami…" Sanji frowned at her, but was seemingly no longer in a mood to argue with her. She took a deep breath, steeling her nerve, and went to set off down the road again until she heard another voice echoing through the sky.

This time, it was her captain's voice.

"Namiiiiiii! Can you hear me?" he shouted. Unlike Doflamingo's voice, which seemed to be everywhere at once, she could distinctly hear his voice coming from the direction of the palace. "You don't come to this palace, ya hear? You are my navigator! Ain't no way in hell I'm gonna let a snake like Doflamingo have you!" As he addressed her, she felt her heart swell with happiness, and her bottom lip quivered as tears flooded her eyes. "Just trust me, okay? I'm gonna kick his ass! Ya hear that, Doflamingo? I'm gonna kick your ass! I'm gonna kick it twice as hard now! Just you wait!" His voice abruptly vanished as he had presumably riled himself up and stormed off to do just as he had asserted. Nami, left in the streets below, bowed her head as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

Trust you, huh? Okay… I will, Luffy… I will… She reached up with a hand to wipe her cheeks, trying to collect herself, and looked up when she felt a hand on the top of her head. She glanced up, expecting it to be Sanji, but it was actually Sabo.

"Don't worry! We'll keep you safe! After all, somebody's gotta protect Luffy's girlfriend!" he snickered. She went pink, going stiff as a board.

"Eh? I'm not his girlfriend!" she cried, making Sabo blink in confusion.

"You're not? But he made this huge deal about you, and you made such a huge deal about him."

"We're friends! Good friends! That's it!" she asserted and turned away so they could not see her bright red face. Jeez. Me and Luffy? Talk about asinine, she thought as she ground her teeth. Still, she could not help but think of the way her heart had warmed as he proclaimed that he would fight for her. Luffy… I believe in you.

I trust you, Luffy… I'll stay safe, just like you asked. Just promise me that you'll come back safe to us… to me.