The navigator was standing against the metal bars, leaning her bodyweight on her right leg as she listened to the conversation between the other two prisoners. It seemed like both of them had turned back into themselves again instead of those horrible tense and seemingly empty shells who answered to Usopp and Sanji's names.

Listening to the marksman's tall tale earlier had been refreshing in a way she hadn't thought was possible. In a way, she had almost tried to believe in the story. It had made her remember that she wasn't alone anymore. Just in this room, there were two others who already had put their lives on the line for her and for each other. Not to mention the other three who were held somewhere in the large building.

They had been separated as they arrived to the large marine base somewhere east of Alabasta; the Captain and the doctor had probably been taken to cells built to hold people who had the powers of the Devil's Fruits, and the swordsman could have been put anywhere where they kept prisoners with high bounties on their heads.

And the rest of them, without bounties or special powers, had been put in one cell block to wait for whatever Destiny – and the Marines – had in store for them.

"Nami? Can you hear me?"

The navigator blinked. She had heard someone calling her name and vaguely recognized the voice as Usopp's. When she returned to reality, she realized that she was leaning forwards against the metal bars of her cell, her forehead pressed against the cold metal. As she looked to the right, she could see the shadow of the blonde cook who seemed to be watching her silently from in side his cell across the hall. His silence was giving her an eerie feeling, since she was so used to his normal lovesick manners. It was almost as if his eyes – even the one hidden under the blonde hair – were looking straight into her heart. That made her feel very uneasy. Her thoughts and feelings weren't something she wanted anyone else to know about.

"Nami, why aren't you answering me?" the marksman's voice called again, this time with a slightly pleading tone.

"Ah…" she said, lifting her left hand to her forehead. "Sorry, Usopp. I was just thinking… What is it?"

The answer didn't come at once. The marksman hesitated as if he thought of asking her what she had been thinking of and then decided not to do that.

"I just wanted to suggest that you move away from the bars, just in case one of the rocks would stray away from the target… Not that I ever miss my targets, but…"

He sounded as if he was about to start with another tall tale, so Nami hurried to reply.

"Good idea, Usopp. Thanks." she said, moving further into her cell. "Now get us out of here."

She could hear him move on the other side of the wall, the sound of his arms scraping against the metal bars as he reached outside his cell. Then there was a soft swoosh that could have come from his sling being swung in the air, but the navigator wasn't sure. She could hear the marksman mutter something under his breath and smiled to herself. He was narrating his own movements to himself.

The swooshing sound abruptly stopped and was quickly followed by a metallic clang over by the control panel and then the squeaking sound as the door to the cell straight across the hall from Nami's cell swung open. The navigator couldn't help but laugh. It would work; they would be free in no time. She could hear the cook hold back a similar laughter.

"Six days, Usopp," the cook said teasingly. "Get it right next time or I'll subtract another day from the bet."

The marksman didn't reply, only the soft sound of the sling, the clang and squeak as another gate was opened. Moving to her left without approaching the bars, the navigator could see that the gate to the cook's cell was wide open, but he was still inside and wasn't making any attempt to leave his cell.

Just as she was about to ask if something was wrong, she heard the marksman send away another projectile. This time, it was the door to her own cell that opened. But as she was about to rush out from the cell and up to the control panel, the marksman called out for her.

"Nami! Stay where you are!"

"What? Are you insane?"

She stared at the wall that divided her cell from the marksman's cell, trying to burn holes in it with her eyes. Then she made another attempt to leave her prison. This time, the voice of the cook was heard from across the hall and made her stop. His voice was heavy and he sounded tired and very serious.

"Nami-san… Please stay there. He has to open all three cells."

"What the...? Why can't I just…?"

"It's just something I have to do," the marksman said from the other side of the wall, his voice sounding cheery.

Another rock flew through the air, but it seemed like the marksman's aim had been a little bit off, because the sound of a door slamming shut was heard, followed by a muffled curse from the cook.

"Five days, shit sniper!" the cook yelled from across the hall, not able to hide the pain from being hit by the cell door as it slammed shut.

"Sorry!" Usopp called back. "It's just that my arm hasn't been the same since the time I was bitten by that basilisk during my trip to the Underworld. My aim was the best in the whole world before that…"

The cook groaned and didn't seem to bother to conceal it this time.

"Just get the doors open."

The navigator wondered if the sniper shut up because of the tone in the cook's voice or because he finally got a grasp of the situation they were in. Whatever the reason for his silence was, it seemed to make him focus harder on his target. Nami could see two rocks fly past her cell in a rapid succession. She couldn't see them hit their targets, but she couldn't have missed the sound of doors slamming open or the overjoyed laughter that rose once the sniper stepped out from his cell.

"There, I told you I could do it." he said, sounding very self-confident. "I believe we had a little wager…"

"Yeah, I remember," the cook replied from inside his cell. "No almost-gone-bad food for five days, not a minute longer."

"Hey! Those five days won't start until we get back to the Going Merry!"

"You didn't say anything about that…" the smug tone in the cook's voice was clear and serious and left Usopp muttering something under his breath.

Nami hurried out from her cell. She couldn't believe her ears, even though she should have expected them to keep her from getting them out of their cells faster because of a stupid wager. She could almost feel her blood boil with annoyance as she stepped out through the open door.

When she got out in the hall, she stopped and stared at the men in front of her and felt her irritation fade away. She had known that they both had taken quite a beating a few days ago, but she hadn't imagined them in such a bad shape.

Usopp's nose was bent in three places and his face, arms and chest were covered in cuts and bruises. He was holding his brown, bloodstained bandana in his hand and had his shoulder length, curly black hair down. Still, he was standing straight, apparently feeling good about himself for getting them out.

Sanji had donned and buttoned his black jacket and was leaning back with his hands in his pockets in something that probably was supposed to be a relaxed and laidback posture, but his back was tense and so was his facial expression. His breath was also very shallow, even though he was trying to hide that as well. A few tufts of his blonde hair were slightly reddish-brown and caked with dried blood and the half of his face that wasn't hidden behind his hair was lightly bruised.He also had a bump on his forehead, but Nami was pretty certain that it was from being hit by the cell door earlier.

But something that they both had in common and that the navigator couldn't avoid noticing was their eyes. Their eyes were more alive than ever before, and there was almost like the fire that had burned within them during the war in Alabasta had flared up again once they regained their freedom.

For a few minutes, they stood in the hallway, just raising their own spirits. Then, Sanji took his hands out of his pockets.

"How does 'let's get out of here' sound?"

Nami agreed. She didn't know how long it had been since the guards had gone by to check up on them the last time. The last thing they needed on their way to find the rest of the crew was to run into a group of armed Marine soldiers.

She could feel her crewmate's eyes on her and was about to ask what they were staring at when the pain in her right shoulder and her left ankle and foot made itself known again. She knew that she probably looked like a complete mess with her torn and bloodstained skirt and the cuts and bruises from her battle against Ms. Double Finger.

"I'm fine," she said shortly. "We should go before the guards get back here."

"Let's go then," Usopp said, his voice trembling a little. "Let's find Luffy and the others and get on with our adventure."

They all put their left hand on the door handle at the same time and pulled the large door open. Then, they silently left the room and started following a corridor leading into the base.


Ha ha! Now we're getting somewhere, I hope. I'm so happy that there are people reading my story, it's a great feeling.

Jaelle- Thank you, I wasn't sure if chapter four made any sense. I like the idea of swords having souls and in a way their own will. It makes the art of sword fighting even more challenging.

Anime Kitty - I'm glad to have someone hooked. Now I just have to reel you in, don't I? I hope you'll like the new chapters as they come. I've already started writing on the next one.