A/N: Okay, real quick I just want to clear up confusion now, this is after they leave Little Garden... yes... I did skip three whole arcs.
Normal Temperature
"Thanks for worrying about me," Nami whispered between heavy breaths and turned away to head up the stairs. Usopp worriedly stared at her as she climbed the steps as if nothing was wrong, despite her temperature of forty degrees (celsius)
"Oh! She's better now?" Luffy queried, having never been sick before.
"You idiot." Usopp calmly lectured "She's acting tough."
When she climbed through the hatch and into the storeroom, she collapsed against the wall. Her shoulders heaved up and down with each gasp for air. The thought of laying back down in her warm bed with the soaked towel on her forehead grazed her mind, but that wasn't an option. They needed to get Vivi to Alabasta. No matter what.
Under her breath, Vivi muttered every word on the paper. From that stemmed theories of the outcome of the war and what might come of Alabasta.
Nami held out the Eternal Pose, expecting the needle to be pointing straight, but to her dismay, it was off center. She approached Zoro who sat on the railing, pumping iron.
"What were you watching all this time?!"
"What're ya talking about?" Zoro asked with a frown forming on his face "The ship's been going straight."
"Yeah, straight at a right angle!" She countered and held the Eternal Pose up to his face "Look at the compass!"
"I don't need to. I was watching that big cloud up there" He pointed to the large cumulus cloud that just barely blended in with its smaller counterparts.
"Clouds move and change shape!" Nami yelled and felt a throb of pain in her temples. "Oh, geez, my head is killing me" She groaned as she gripped her head in a futile attempt to rid herself of some of the pain.
"SO then just leave this to me and go to bed!" Zoro said with wide eyes. Even with such a gruff voice, his overwroughtness and worry still passed through.
"I'm here because I can't leave this to you!" She said, earning a tired lower from the swordsman. She peeked her head up, untangling her fingers from her short orange locks and looked into the distance. "The air's changed…" She muttered under her breath. Even with the burning sensation she felt, there was no doubt about it.
"The air? It's been nice weather this whole time." As much as she wished she could rely on Zoro's insight, she learned from past experiences that the weather in the Grand Line is irregular and doesn't listen to reason.
"Never mind. Just get the others!" She hurriedly yelled.
Zoro did as he was told and made good use of his loud voice. Taking their time, Usopp and Luffy, followed by a reluctant Sanji, came out of the room. He gave the order, and was glad to hear that silence followed, meaning he had given the right direction.
"What's going on, Nami-san?" Sanji politely asked. "The waves are quiet and the weather's nice…"
"Wind" She breathlessly said. It wasn't until he repeated her that she elaborated, unaware of the person sneaking up behind her. "An immense wind is coming directly this way…I think" She turned around to face her clueless crewmates, but an unexpected hand was placed on her forehead.
"What?" Nami asked in confusion. Luffy closed his eyes to determine how feverish she really seemed to be. His palm began to delicately warm up, slowly but surely the heat from Nami's forehead transferred to his appendage. One second later though, he could feel the scalding heat coursing through his palm and spreading through the rest of his hand.
"Hot!" He yelped and immediately pulled his hand away "You're super hot! Yeah, you should really stay inside the ship! Let's get you to a doctor!" He continued to shriek with worry as he repressed the need to blow on his searing hand.
"Mind your own business!" She angrily fought back "This is my normal temperature!" Despite not saying anything, it was obviously just a front. Even if what she said was true, he would have known- not just because no one's everyday temperature was forty degrees. As incredible as she was for hiding her suffering and pushing it down to help a friend, there was no way Luffy was going to let her continue to hide her pain. Not to mention, there was no one else in the world he would want more to be his navigator. And if finding her a doctor meant sailing over every damned sea in the world, then he'd do just that.
A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. So sorry for the long delay and short chapter. I've written and rewritten this chapter more times than I can count and wasn't exactly sure where to start or end it, but I'm pretty content with it now. Please R&R and again, so sorry for the very late chapter.
While I was gone, Nami4Life practically revived me and brought me out of my rut.
Your short comments and interactions with chapters make me so glad to know that you are enjoying it... even if it kinda is literally just me narrating what's happening in the show.
Also, a huge thank you to all who followed & favorited!