Warning: This chapter is a big piece of fluff.
OOOOOOOOOOO
Sunset at Port Gold
By Rio Grande
Chapter Two: Twisting the Knife
OOOOOOOOOOO
Luffy and Nami, determined to find a place to bathe before returning to the Going Merry for fear of the ridicule they would receive from their unforgiving crew, wandered the streets of Port Gold in search of Jon Jon. Nami had decided that if anyone owed them a nice bath, it was he. They brusquely entered the Sandy Merman while simultaneously ignoring the many quirked eyebrows and gagging noises they received. It was only to be expected considering they were covered head to foot in the contents of a particularly grimy dumpster.
They scanned the premises for a smallish boy with a very thin build, auburn hair and scared blue eyes, but Jon Jon was missing. Sighing, Nami collapsed into a chair and rested her head in her hands, before thinking better of it and putting her hands back on the table, away from her filthy hair.
"Great," she groaned. "How are we going to get clean now?"
"Don't give up yet, Nami. Jon Jon at least has to be easier to get a hold of then Hardcandy Sweet," Luffy pointed out. "Here, I'll ask the bartender."
Luffy walked up to the bar and stuck his face right in front of the mousy bartender from earlier that day, giving off a smile with teeth. The bartender looked mildly frightened and backed away, clasping his chest.
"You again? Sandwich boy. What do you want?" he asked, trying to air away Luffy's odorous stench with his hand.
"I gotta question for you," Luffy said. "Do you know a boy named Jon Jon?"
"Jon Jon...?" the bartender replied slowly. His expression darkened and he stepped away from the bar. "What do you want with him?"
"Then you do know him! Could you tell me where to find him, please?"
"WHAT do you want with Jon Jon?" the bartender repeated.
"Hey, that's our business, so why don't you just cooperate and tell us what we want to know," Nami said, stepping in. The bartender's scowl deepened and he reached under the bar for something just as the front doors swung open and in walked Jon Jon, head lowered.
"Heyy, Jon Jon!" Luffy sang happily.
"What the..." Jon Jon gasped, his effeminate eyes widening in surprise.
"Get away!" the bartender cried. "These people are after you!" Jon Jon's eyes immediately started darting around the room, as though he was looking for some sort of escape route, or someone to help him out.
"I don't think so..." Luffy said, stretching his arms out so that he could grasp Jon Jon by the collar and drag him back to the bar.
"Let go of him!" the bartender ordered, whipping out a small pistol from underneath the bar and cooly leveling it at Luffy.
"Uhhh..." Luffy said, staring stupidly at the barrel of the gun.
"No, YOU let go of that gun!" Nami cried, smacking the bartender over the head with her staff so that he collapsed to the ground, moaning.
"DAD!" Jon Jon cried, working up the gumption to wriggle out of Luffy's firm grip and then running around the bar to prop his father's head up. He was out cold. "Why did you have to go and do that?" he asked of Nami, tears prickling the edge of his eyes. "He's just an innocent old man,"
"Innocent?" Nami repeated incredulously. "He just had a gun aimed at Luffy's head!"
"It wouldn't have done anything to me, Nami," Luffy pointed out.
"That's not the point! Did the bartender know that?"
"Listen, he's sick and you've probably made it worse," Jon Jon continued, dragging his father towards a door at the back of the bar. "I've got to put him to bed now. Everyone clear out, we're closed for the night!" The few occupants of the bar looked at each other before grumbling in agitation and moving towards the exit. Nami and Luffy stood in place before nodding decidedly and following Jon Jon behind the door in the back.
The door led to a winding staircase that left the duo on the second floor of the old building. The entire floor was a modestly sized apartment, with a working kitchen, a living room, two bedrooms and of course a bathroom with a fully functioning tub. Nami began to shiver in anticipation at the sight of it.
"What are you doing here?" Jon Jon, who had carefully laid his elderly looking father out on the couch questioned sharply. "Can't you see I'm busy? I told you I wouldn't give you the antidote until you'd gotten that painting from me, and I know you haven't." Where as before Jon Jon had seemed timid and scared in front of the two pirates, worry for his father had made him much more blunt.
"Well, we need a bath and we figured we could take one at your house," Luffy explained, shrugging. "We sort of had garbage poured on us by Hardcandy's men."
"I see," Jon Jon sighed. "So you haven't even found her yet, and you were beaten by her lackies. Maybe you're not as strong as the rumors said..."
"Hey, take that back!" Luffy growled.
"Yeah, do you want our help or not?" Nami questioned, folding her arms. Jon Jon regarded them in silence for a minute, before lowering his head and nodding slowly.
"Yeah... you can use the bathroom to your right."
"Great, I'm first!" Nami said excitedly. "Oh... and I'm sorry about your dad, is he going to be all right? I didn't mean to hit him that hard..."
"You probably didn't, he's just really weak. He's dying, you see," Jon Jon explained tonelessly. Nami and Luffy exchanged nervous glances, suddenly feeling guilty for no apparent reason other than the obvious one that they had knocked Jon Jon's ailing father unconscious.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" Luffy asked earnestly.
"Yeah, get me that painting," Jon Jon replied flatly.
"How is THAT going to help your sick father?" Nami asked.
"Well, my mother was a painter," Jon Jon said, jerking his head at a wall. Soon both Luffy and Nami noticed for the first time that the otherwise minimally furnished apartment was covered in beautiful oil paintings. Most of them were pictures of things found around Port Gold itself. "But she died when I was little, and my father really never got over it. She was mildly famous in her day though, and her best painting by far was 'Port Gold in Spring.'
"You see, Port Gold didn't always used to be this corrupt and dangerous. Once upon a time it sold gold as its main export and people prospered and lived happily. My mother painted a picture of it almost twenty years ago now, before Hardcandy and her posse moved in. Those were the best days of my father's life, when he still had his business and my mother, and neither were tainted by Hardcandy.
"But after Hardcandy took over, she stole my mother's painting from the house and liked it so much she wouldn't give it back. My mom was so heartbroken she stopped painting and eventually died. My father has never been the same since then, either... and now that the doctor has told him he's terminal, all he's been asking for is that painting. I know Hardcandy still has it because it's worth a lot, and I really just want to let my dad see it once more before he goes. He doesn't have much time left now..."
Luffy looked moved as Jon Jon concluded his sad tale, his expression morose. Nami seemed to be slightly effected, but clearly had not let all of her guards down yet.
"That's a really sad story Jon Jon, and I'm honestly sorry for you, but do you really think your father would be happy to know that you got him that painting back by poisoning an innocent boy and making him do your dirty work?" she asked coldly. Luffy looked at Nami with wide eyes, surprised at her harshness.
"W-well no..." Jon Jon admitted, looking down and regaining some of his insecurity. "But how else can I trust you guys, you're pirates!"
"Whatever, it's still dishonorable," Nami hissed, spinning around and marching to the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her, and both Jon Jon and Luffy flinched as she did so. Luffy whistled.
"Wow, you sure got her mad,"
"Yeah, but she's right." Jon Jon admitted in a small voice. "It's wrong to make you do this for me, but I... I don't care! My father needs to see that painting before he dies!" Luffy smiled down at Jon Jon, and patted his head with one large hand.
"Don't worry, he will. I'll make sure of it,"
"Why aren't you mad at me like your partner? You're the one who's poisoned, after all!" Jon Jon said.
"Well, Nami's got her own issues to deal with, as well..."
OOOOOOOO
Some time later, Nami stretched herself out on a bed in the guest room Jon Jon had assigned to her and Luffy, listening to the sound of her friend splashing around in his own bath. Outside the sun had set long ago, and a few stars were spattered across the smoggy, dark sky. She was wrapped in a fluffy robe she had dug up in the linen closet, and had been keeping a healthy distance away from Jon Jon and his father. Both men were in the living room while Jon Jon put an ice pack to his father's head, and if the bartender was conscious Nami could only assume Jon Jon was trying to explain away why he had invited two dangerous pirates to stay the night in their house. She really didn't want to deal with that boy.
'He's so pathetic,' Nami thought to herself, frowning at the chipped ceiling and pushing her wet hair away from her neck. She smelled like soap and shampoo after so many weeks of smelling like salt and sweat, and she found it relaxed her like nothing else. 'Using poor Luffy to help himself because he's too chicken to stand up to Hardcandy. It's despicable.'
Her frown deepened as she sat up and drew her legs to her chest, heaving a sigh. 'I don't know why Luffy is being nice to him. His life is at stake, and I'm so worried! How can he be so calm and collected about stuff like this? I guess... I guess that's why he's the captain and I'm just a navigator.'
Nami was just about to take a little nap when the sound of the bathroom door opening reached her ears, and she looked up to see Luffy with a small white towel wrapped around his waist walk into the room. The young girl gasped slightly at the sight of his nicely tanned, muscled torso and arms, realizing that she had never seen Luffy wearing so little in her whole time as a crew member of the Going Merry. Luffy wasn't smiling, and she bit her lip and looked away when she finally managed to get her eyes off of his surprisingly attractive chest and realized he had noticed her staring. Had she bothered to turn around again she would have seen Luffy giving himself an almost self-congratulatory smile.
"Ahhh, I feel much better!" he declared, stretching his arms. "No more terrible garbage smell."
"Y-yeah," Nami agreed, still averting her gaze and trying to figure out why seeing Luffy half naked was making her heart rate increase. When she heard Luff's wet towel fall to the ground, and realized that he was dressing right behind her, she wondered if it was possible for someone to actually turn so red they stayed that way permanently. Resisting the urge to take a quick peek, she began to speak while staring fixedly at the wall opposite her.
"So are we going to go back to the Going Merry soon? I really don't feel like staying in this slime ball's house much longer,"
"We can if you want, but why are you so angry at Jon Jon? I mean, he didn't even poison YOU," Luffy pointed out as he pulled on his boxers.
"Because I care about you and I'm mad that he hurt you!" Nami shouted before she could stop her self. Gasping, she bit her lip and turned around slowly to see Luffy's reaction. She blushed and mentally bashed herself across the head when she realized that, firstly, he only had his boxers on and his legs were amazing, and secondly, he was smiling knowingly at her. That jerk.
"You care about me Nami, really?" he pressed devilishly.
"Well of course. You're part of my crew, right?" she said quickly, trying to cover up her overly revealing sentence. No one besides herself needed to know that her feelings for the rubber man had begun to change ever since he saved her from Alabasta, and even then she really didn't need to think about it too much herself. It was disconcerting.
"Is that the only reason you're mad at Jon Jon?" Luffy asked, something in his voice telling Nami that he didn't think so. When she heard the sound of him buttoning his pants she figured it was safe to turn around again, and did so with a scowl adorning her pretty features.
"Well of course it is! That's more then enough reason to dislike him, too! Poisoning you is no small thing, Luffy. And I think that – Luffy?" Nami squeaked, for the first time noticing that her captain was turning a few peculiar shades of purple, and was shaking from head to toe.
"Oh my God, Luffy!" she cried, jumping off the bed and attempting to cushion his fall as he collapsed like a deck of cards, grasping his stomach. He was panting and his eyes were opened painfully wide.
"T-the poison..." Luffy gasped harshly. "Don't w-w-worry, it's just an effect of the poison."
"Don't WORRY?" Nami cried, walking Luffy over to the bed and lying him down. "Look at you! You're dying! I've never seen you sick before! I'm going to go out there and get the antidote from Jon Jon right now."
"No Nami, it's all right. I'm fine..."
"The hell you are. Jon Jon, get over here!" Nami yelled, throwing open the door and marching into the living room. She stopped short when she realized she was alone, and quickly spotted a note sitting on the kitchen counter.
'Took my Dad to the doctor's for a checkup, see you tomorrow at sundown.
-Jon Jon'
"See you tomorro- that little rat! He ran away!" Nami growled, crumpling up the letter and throwing it against a nearby wall. She turned and saw Luffy hobbling into the room, having overheard Nami's dialogue.
"Relax Nami, I just had a little attack. Look, it's practically gone now, I feel fine." Luffy assured her, resting his hands on Nami's shoulders and flashing his trademark smile, accompanied by a little goofy sound effect.
"That's not the point," Nami sniffled, tears of frustration standing out in her eyes. "He shouldn't do this to you... it's not right."
"Think of it this way, now we've got the whole place to ourselves!"
"Luffy!" Nami gasped indignantly.
"What?" the boy asked, cocking his head. Nami stared at him pointedly for a minute, before realizing that he really didn't mean what she had thought he meant. She shook her head ruefully, half relieved and half disappointed. How could she have thought anything like that? Luffy was practically a-sexual...
"Never mind... I guess you're right. It will be nice to have actual beds to crash on instead of just cabin bunks. But what about the crew, won't they wonder where we are?" Nami asked.
"Aw, they'll be fine. I just want to sleep on a real comfortable bed!" Luffy explained, but Nami knew it was more than that. He didn't want to worry the crew with his weakened state, and probably figured it was best to avoid the rest of the Going Merry until he had sorted out the whole mess. Nami smiled inwardly at Luffy's selflessness. It was one of her favorite things about him.
"Seriously though, Nami," Luffy said quietly, turning away from the redhead and looking at a random painting on the wall. "Don't be so harsh on Jon Jon, he's just getting by the only way he can in a real bad situation..."
"He should be handling it differently! It's not your fault his mother had her prized possession stolen!" Nami argued heatedly.
"Do you think..." Luffy started slowly, glancing at Nami over his shoulder. "...that maybe you hate Jon Jon so much because he reminds you a little bit of... yourself?"
OOOOOOOO
By the time Usopp made it back to the Going Merry it was already fairly far into the evening. He hunkered up to the pirate ship with a large bag of supplies slung over his shoulder, a light sheen of sweat standing out on his forehead. When he got close enough he noticed that there were lights gently flickering aboard the ship, meaning others had also made it back.
The gangly man climbed up the walkway and then chucked the bag he had been shouldering unceremoniously to the ground, gaining the attention of his fellow crew mates. Sitting on the deck at a candlelit table were Chopper and Robin, with Sanji poking his head out of a door that led to the kitchens. Robin was sipping elegantly from a glass of wine, and there were mouth watering smells emanating from the direction of Sanji's kitchen.
"Hey guys," Usopp greeted in his slightly wobbly alto as he took a seat next to Chopper.
"You're just in time for dinner," Sanji said, ducking back into the kitchen but leaving the door open so he could he could be heard over the boiling water. "Have you seen the others?"
"No, I was actually wondering why they weren't back yet,"
"You know how Zoro gets," Sanji said. "He's probably found the only dojo in this whole port and is practicing his moves out on some unsuspecting masters. Either that or he fell asleep somewhere and was too lazy to make it back,"
"That doesn't explain Nami and our captain," Chopper pointed out.
"No, and I sincerely hope that beautiful Nami is all right," Sanji said, glancing out at the port nervously. It was eerily dark at night, but quite loud. He could hear the raucous yells of the town drunkards from the ship. "It is not safe to be out alone in this place,"
"She's not alone, I saw her leave with Luffy," Chopper said. "If anyone can keep her safe, it's him."
"Even so, I hope we don't stay in this place any longer than is necessary. It has a bad feel to it," Sanji explained darkly.
"Well, it's not the cleanest or nicest town I've ever been to, but I got most of the shopping done today. I only have a few things left for tomorrow!" Usopp said happily.
"I got some wonderful, rare history books when I went out," Robin admitted, reaching into her bag and pulling out a particularly musty and heavy tome. "I can't wait to get started on them tomorrow. This place truly does end up collecting some fascinating items."
"For now, I think everyone should relax and enjoy the king crab I've prepared. I've never seen such large crustaceans in my life," Sanji said, stepping out of the kitchen with a full platter of crabs in his arms. Everyone's eyes widened, and Usopp started to drool.
"Wow, those guys sure are unlucky, missing a feast like this!"
"Quite."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
After Luffy's bold statement, Nami felt herself go rigid, unable to look him in the eye even as he turned around with the most understanding expression on his face. She brought a hand to her cheek and took a step back, shaking her head.
"No I... that's not what I ... meant," she muttered lamely.
"Nami?" Luffy questioned, watching sadly as his navigator stumbled back to the guest room, silent.
Nami had never really gotten a chance to say what she felt about the entire Alabasta fiasco after it was over. She and Luffy had never had any sort of heart to heart about the awkward and traumatic events that had taken place, and Nami had barely even let herself remember how she had betrayed her friends and was manipulated like a worthless pawn.
Maybe it was because of this that she hadn't drawn the parallel between herself and Jon Jon, where Luffy was able to see it so clearly. She paused once she made it to the guest room, clenching and unclenching her hands, taking in shaky breaths and willing herself to calm down.
Had she even ever properly thanked Luffy for what he had done for her? For the colossal gift of freedom he had bestowed upon her? Probably not. The events after the fall of Alabasta were mostly a blur for her, but she was pretty certain she could not remember once walking up to Luffy and simply thanking him from the bottom of her heart.
'I'm no better then Jon Jon...' she thought to herself despairingly. 'No... I'm worse. At least Jon Jon never led us on and made us think he was something he wasn't. He wasn't THAT depraved.'
"Nami...?" Luffy questioned again in an uncharacteristically soft voice, opening the door to her room and finding her curled up on the bed. Her pale form and white robe stood out strongly against the navy blue sheets around her. Luffy came to stand over Nami, peering down at her with a concerted look on his features. "Aw, come on Nami. Don't be that way... I didn't mean to make you mad,"
"Please Luffy, go away..." Nami requested, thoroughly disgusted with herself. Her voice was partially muffled by the pillow she had stuffed her face in, and she gasped when she felt it get wrenched away from her. "Luffyyyy..." she moaned.
"Nami don't be so hard on yourself," Luffy said simply. "You're not a bad person."
"Yes, I am, actually," Nami insisted, sitting up straight and staring Luffy in the eyes. "I am a terrible person! I never even... I never got to..."
"Got to what?"
"Thank you, the way I should... for saving me," she whispered, ashamed. "You're so brave and selfless Luffy. I never would have even stood up for myself, were I in your position. And now I've been ungrateful, and haven't been able to pay you back at all..." She didn't need to explain what events she was referring to, she knew Luffy would be able to tell what she was talking about. Whether or not he chose to continue the discussion was another matter entirely.
"You're not supposed to pay me back Nami," Luffy explained with a small grin on his face, as though teaching a lesson to a slow child. "I saved you because I like you, and I wanted you to stay the way you were. And you did! We got our Nami back same as she always was, and everything was perfect,"
"But it's not fair, it's not fair that you should forgive me so fast after what I did." Nami insisted, unable to accept Luffy's overwhelming generosity. Besides the fact that it was overly kind, it was too much of a burden for her to carry. That someone would risk their life for her just because they liked her as a person was a notion too heady to shoulder. "You're right, I am just like Jon Jon. Using other people to solve my own stupid problems,"
Nami felt the mattress dip slightly as Luffy took a seat next to her, and was surprised when he put an arm around her shoulder, his grip comforting and frightening at the same time. She cautiously looked at him from the corner of her eye while she knotted her hands in her lap. She couldn't believe she was breaking down like this.
"Nami, I don't regret what happened at Arlong Park, okay? And I'd do it again, without you asking, if it meant keeping you safe. Don't you see Nami? You're really important to the crew. Who would keep everyone in line if you weren't around? Or navigate our ship, and get us to the Grand Line? And, Nami...
"You're really important to me."
Nami resisted the urge to gasp. Never before had Luffy opened up to her, and she found that a part of her was eating everything up like a hungry dog. How long had she waited to share a moment like this with her captain? How long had she waited to crack that rubber exterior of his?
"Luffy..." she said, turning around so that she was facing him. "You're really important to me, too. You're the most important," She knew she was stumbling over her words awkwardly, not sure how to phrase what she needed to say without sounding stupid or over the top... but Luffy really was the most important person in her life. She couldn't think of anyone else who came before him, and it was about time she told him so.
Luffy was smiling wider than she had ever seen before, his eyes twinkling merrily. He tackled her in a bear hug that threw her back onto the bed, knocking the wind out of her and leaving them both tangled together in sheets.
"Luffy," she chortled. "I think we just had a bonding moment,"
"Yeah!" he agreed enthusiastically. "We did! We should try it again some time!" Then Nami was full out laughing, pressing her hands to her eyes to cover the fact that she was weeping simultaneously. It was as though there had been some great burden lifted from her chest, and yet the feeling she was left with was almost bitter sweet. How could Luffy make her laugh so easily? Everything he said was like putting the world through a Luffy Machine and then having it be spat out in a much simpler form you were amazed you had never considered before he came along.
She felt her hands get pulled away from her eyes, and looked up to see Luffy hovering over her and staring at the tears that were falling down the sides of her temples and onto the bed in confusion. Bizarrely, she chose that moment to notice that his straw hat was gone, resting on the floor beside the bed.
"Nami?" he asked questioningly.
"Forget it..." she said, pulling him back down towards her. "It doesn't matter..."
Luffy's head was lowered dangerously close to her own so she could find her reflection in his dark eyes, not at all surprised to see that she seemed somewhat frightened. Part of her had no idea why she was wrapping her arms around Luffy's shoulders and licking her lips, and another part of her was cheering with wild enthusiasm.
"Okay..." Luffy mumbled, his nose brushing hers slowly. His face seemed much more mature and focused all of the sudden, and she could have sworn his tone had seemed almost needy. Nami closed her eyes when she felt his warm breath on her face, an endless mantra ringing in her head. 'Omigod, omigod, omigod, omigod...'
"...we should go to bed," Luffy finished, abruptly rolling off of the smaller girl and turning away from her, so that he was curled up facing the door.
"What's wrong?" Nami asked, stung. She propped herself up on her elbow and touched Luffy's shoulder. Had she been wrong? Had he not wanted that? She had thought when she saw his eyes that there had been desire in them as well... but maybe...
"I-I'm fine," Luffy gritted, one large hand clutching his own shoulder so that his fingers turned white. Nami gasped when she realized that her captain was in actual pain, and remembered yet again that he was still suffering the effects of Jon Jon's poison.
"Oh God Luffy, do you need anything? Water, um, an ice pack... something?" she questioned, panicking. First aid was not her forte, and she had no idea how to alleviate Luffy's pain at that moment. "Maybe we should go back to the ship and get Chopper..."
"No!" Luffy said firmly, uncurling from the protective ball he had been in and rolling over. "I just seize up like that occasionally, it's nothing too bad," he assured her, but Nami could see a beads of sweat standing out on his forehead.
"It's not right... this isn't right," Nami mumbled to herself.
"We don't need the crew to find out about this and come down on Jon Jon, he deserves a chance to prove himself, doesn't he?" Luffy asked Nami seriously, putting a hand on her shoulder and looking deep into her eyes. Nami realized what he was getting at, and had no choice but to acquiesce.
"Yeah, he does," she said, wondering if this experiment with Jon Jon was as much for herself as it was for Luffy. He said he forgave her, and had never actually been angry about everything that had happened, but... if Jon Jon didn't prove himself to be a genuinely good person at the end of all this, what did it say about her own character? Was Luffy even thinking of the situation that way, or was she just incredibly neurotic?
"Great. Let's get some sleep, tomorrow's gonna be crazy," Luffy said, pulling the sheets up from under he and Nami. Nami stared at him in silent horror.
"Y-you're sleeping here? With me?" she asked, very quietly. She had assumed he would be returning to the other bedroom, eventually.
"Sure, why not?" Luffy asked, staring at Nami. At first glance Luffy's face seemed to be as it always was in these sorts of situations; adorably dumbfounded, not comprehending the gravity of what he was doing. However, when Nami took a closer look she swore she could detect a hint of playfulness flickering in his expression, as though he was struggling to play dumb. She blinked, shocked, before letting a smirk of her own slip onto her face. All right, two could play at that game...
"No reason," she chirped happily, snuggling under the covers and resting her head on Luffy's chest as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "G'night!"
"'Night," Luffy replied, blowing out the candle next to the bed and then relaxing. Nami was pleased to hear that his heart was beating a bit more erratically than usual – although the same could be said for her own.
'Ha,' she thought triumphantly, loving the feel of Luffy's firm chest against her cheek.
The rest of the night went by in relative peace, Luffy eventually gaining the courage to wrap one of his long arms around Nami's shoulders, and Nami making sure to hold Luffy's hand extra tight whenever she detected another poison induced fit coming on, understanding that her presence helped to calm him down.
OOOOOOOOO
When the sun rose the next morning, light shone in through the window of Jon Jon's apartment and woke Luffy from his sleep. He blinked a few times in confusion, realizing that for the first time in many months he was not sleeping in his cabin on his ship. And, for the first time in his life, he woke up with a girl in his arms. It wasn't that Luffy had never had sex before, it was just that he had never shared a bed with any woman before. And now he had gone and done the opposite with Nami, but he found that it pleased him immensely.
Luffy's night had been an odd combination of the worst, and best sleep of his life. The worst because he woke up every other hour with bone rattling seizures from the poison (it seemed as though when he wasn't physically engaged the attacks came more frequently.) and the best because every time it happened Nami was immediately there to soothe him, and then they just got to hold each other for a while. This was an activity Luffy was currently moving to the top of the list of things he loved to do best in the world, and it was slighted only by eating meat, and being a pirate.
He stared at Nami in abject adoration for a full five minutes before shaking her awake, wanting to get as early a start on the day as possible because he realized that his body might not be good for much as time went on. The eighteen year old navigator made a few gurgled protests before her eyes snapped open in surprise, and she too realized just where she was, and who was holding her in their arms.
"Luffy..." she breathed in her usual, husky morning voice.
"Hey!" he replied simply.
After that there was an awkward period where Nami and Luffy laughed uneasily and edged out of bed, not sure what to say to one another. Just as Nami was deliberating whether or not to change out of her robe in front of Luffy, since he seemed to have had no qualms with changing in front her, Luffy made the decision easy for her by saying he was going to start breakfast and then exiting the room. Nami found herself somewhat relieved; what she and Luffy had done last night had been a breakthrough, for sure, but it didn't mean she was ready to strip for him, either.
Of course, what exactly last night had meant for the two pirates wasn't really clear to Nami, either. They hadn't actually said anything soul bearing except for a few childish 'I really like you's, and although the experience had certainly left Nami with the knowledge that she found Luffy sexually attractive on some level and obviously had more then just friendly feelings for him... what her captain felt in return was an entirely different matter all together. Inwardly sighing, and wishing she were the type of person who could easily talk out relationship issues such as this, or even that Luffy was a bit more mature, Nami finished dressing and decided it would be better to work on the bigger problems in her life, first. Finding Hardcandy Sweet and getting an antidote for Luffy being pretty obvious ones.
It hadn't really hit Nami just how worried for Luffy she was until last night when he started having visible attacks. They scared her, mostly because she could do nothing to help Luffy when they happened, and because Luffy was completely defenseless himself, something she rarely saw.
'And he's willing to go along with Jon Jon, and get his painting for him, even after everything he's done...' Nami thought to herself, shaking her head. 'That idiot. He shouldn't have such faith in people,' But even Nami knew she didn't really mean it.
In the kitchen Luffy was making an omelet. Or, he was trying to, anyway. The eggs seemed to have missed the pan a bit, and had instead landed on places like the counter, the floor, Luffy's face, the windows, the ceiling... Nami was still marveling over the fact that Luffy had managed to get egg yoke to drip from the ceiling in the short period of time she had spent dressing, when she noticed him trying to put a whole half of a green pepper in the grimy pan he was using for his omelet.
"Uh, no! Stop!" she exclaimed, rushing forward and taking the pan from Luffy before he caused more damage to the kitchen. She grimaced when she realized the pan's handle was slick with raw egg as well.
"What's the matter?" Luffy asked imploringly. Nami forced a smile.
"Well, it looks like you've got a great start here on breakfast, Luffy, but why don't you go clean yourself off and let me finish. Okay?"
"All right, if you want to," Luffy said, shrugging his shoulders and wandering off.
By the time Luffy returned, clean, Nami had straightened out the kitchen as best she could and had one large omelet cooking away. With all of the eggs Luffy had wasted, it was all they had left, so Nami decided they would split it.
"Are you feeling any better?" Nami asked of Luffy as they quickly inhaled breakfast. She knew it was a stupid question, because if anything Luffy's condition was only going to get worse, but she couldn't help asking about him. Luffy nodded vigorously, but did not look Nami in the eye.
"I'm GREAT!" he crowed. But Luffy was nothing if not the perfect stoic, and Nami could tell he was not great, at all.
'We've got to find Hardcandy, right NOW.' she thought determinedly.
"That was delicious if I do say so myself! Now let's go," she said abruptly, jumping to her feet and clapping her hands together with determination.
The two were on the street in a matter of minutes, deciding to snoop around the area near the Cursed Pearl bar, where, if all else failed, they knew they could find Hardcandy at five.
"Maybe she lives around here," Nami said once they arrived.
So they had started questioning locals in the area about Hardcandy. They really didn't care if her henchman came after them once more for snooping, because the overgrown lollipops could potentially lead them to Hardcandy, and this time they would make sure not to get caught with the dumpster trick again.
"Oh, are you those folks from the Straw Hat Crew who are looking for Hardcandy?" one woman taking out her laundry asked, looking slightly frightened. She checked all around her to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation, and even then spoke in very low tones. The pirates were beginning to get used to this sort of reaction, but her words confused them.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" Nami asked.
"Oh, everyone's heard about it by now. Hardcandy has it out for you – she thinks you're moving in on her territory and has decided to get rid of your crew,"
"Wow, news travels fast," Nami commented.
"Does that mean she's going to come after us personally?" Luffy wondered, looking slightly happy at the prospect.
"Well, maybe..." the woman said, unsure as to why the two young people looked so thrilled to hear that a dangerous crime boss wanted them dead.
"This could be a real breakthrough Luffy! Maybe if we draw enough attention to ourselves she'll fall right into our laps," Nami gushed eagerly.
"Yeah, I just hope her men don't bother the rest of the crew. They don't know what's going on," Luffy said.
"Aw, they can take care of themselves. Besides, they're pirates, I doubt they'll be surprised if locals come and try to harass them. It happens often enough anyway," Nami pointed out.
"Haha, that's true!" Luffy laughed, pulling his straw hat down further over his eyes. He turned and started to walk away when Nami noticed his back go rigid, and heard him suck in a rather violent gulp of air.
"Luffy," she said urgently, coming to stand by him and taking his large hand in her smaller one. He was having another attack, but she had started to learn how to properly help him through these episodes. "Breath, okay?" It took a few minutes, longer than last night, but Luffy eventually regained control of his body and stood up straight once more, shaking his head almost unconsciously.
"Whoo, sorry about that," he said goofily.
"You don't have to be sorry," Nami said sincerely. Luffy's smile slipped off of his face almost unconsciously, and he looked down at Nami with an odd gleam in his eyes.
"Nami, I..."
"DIE, FREAKS!" a hysterical voice pierced through Nami and Luffy's little moment like a pop song in a monastery, and both teens glanced fearfully upwards to see none other than Twizzler and Licorice glaring down at them from the apartment they were standing next to. A whizzing sound passed by Luffy's head and he let his eyes snap briefly to the side to observe the red and white striped arrow now embedded in the doorway next to him. Looking up, he found that Twizzler had his crossbow aimed at he and Nami, and Licorice was swinging his bubble gum ball and chain over his head threateningly.
"Gyahh!" Nami gasped, jumping behind Luffy fearfully. "What is it with those guys and roofs? I swear to god if they try and throw garbage on us again..."
"Don't worry Nami, they won't get a chance to!" Luffy declared, propelling the upper half of his body forward so that he stretched out all the way to the roof of the three story building. "Heyyy!" he greeted the two gangsters, grinning maniacally and creating an altogether disturbing picture.
"God, you really area a freak!" Twizzler screeched, firing another arrow at Luffy that the rubber man easily took in to his stomach, and then shot back.
"JESUS!" Licorice cried, barely scrambling away from the arrow and then attempting a mad swing at Luffy with his chain. The chain managed to wrap itself around Luffy's thin neck, strangling the boy and forcing him to leap onto the roof as Licorice jerked the chain back with a quick thrust of his hand.
"Give 'em hell, Luffy!" Nami shouted from the ground, even as her friend was pulled from the street and onto the roof, his face a peculiar shade of blue.
Egged on by Nami's cries of encouragement, Luffy let a scowl settle onto his youthful features and he gripped the length of chain in front of him with both hands. A gurgled war cry was ripped from his throat as he used all of the strength in his elastic body to pull Licorice towards him. The slimy gangster looked shocked and slightly afraid, but refused to let go of his chain even as Luffy's tanned, scarred face was drawn closer and closer to his own.
"How the hell is a kid as skinny as you so freaking strong?" Licorice wanted to know as Luffy finally got him so close they were standing eye to eye. Luffy merely smiled all the wider, an evil sounding chuckle bubbling up from his throat.
Without warning Luffy violently head butted Licorice, and the man was so shocked that he reflexively let go of the chain, whimpering in pain as he fell backwards onto his butt. Luffy wasted no time unwinding himself and taking in a lung full of fresh air.
"Ahhh, much better!" he sang, even as another one of Twizzler's arrows hit him between the eyes. The arrow came to a halt momentarily as Luffy concentrated on keeping it in place, the back of his head stretched out as far as it would go to keep the deceptively tasty looking arrow from piercing through his skull. With a final grunt of effort, he thrust the arrow back at Twizzler.
"Even your HEAD is rubber?" Twizzler balked, disgusted. "Where do you keep your brain?"
"I don't know," Luffy admitted honestly. "I guess I don't have one anymore..."
"I'd have to agree with you," Licorice rasped, struggling to his feet and pointing over the edge of the apartment. Luffy got an uneasy feeling in his stomach as his eyes followed Licorice's finger "Because only a man with no brains would leave his girlfriend defenseless like you did,"
Peering over the edge, Luffy had his worst fears confirmed as he spotted Nami being handled by three other henchman into a horse-drawn carriage in the street. The carriage was shaped like a big, pink, marshmallow peep, and the horses were decked out in sparkling uniforms complete fake unicorn horns fastened to their heads.
"Luffy!" Nami cried before she was roughly shoved into the carriage, her hands tied behind her back with a big, blue ribbon. "I'm sorry..." Luffy said nothing, his eyes intense as he watched Nami's form disappear, and the the horses begin to move.
"Don't think of using any of your stretchy tricks to get her back, or we'll have our men knock her out – permanently," Twizzler threatened from behind Luffy as he and Licorice backed up towards the exit.
"If you ever want to see your navigator again you'll meet up with Hardcandy Sweet tonight at sundown, at her hideout. You understand?" Licorice sneered. Luffy said nothing, his expression shielded by his ever present straw hat, and the raven haired man growled with frustration. "Are you even listening to me you dolt?" he exclaimed.
"You better start running," Luffy said in a chillingly calm voice. "Or I may not be able to wait 'till sundown to kick your sorry asses!" The captain of the Going Merry screamed the last part of his statement, making Twizzler and Licorice jump in surprise, before they hurriedly ran out the door. They started chasing after the carriage and left one very ticked off rubber man oscillating with rage behind them, wondering if his body could hold out until sunset for the showdown with Hardcandy, or if he and Nami were in a bit over their heads. But, amidst all other confusion, there was one thing Luffy was now sure of.
It was time to find Jon Jon.
OOOOOOOOO
Author's Notes:
I noticed that someone said that they thought Luffy was out of character last time... well, I think he was definitely acting more like himself in this chapter, don't you? (---biting sarcasm.) I'm sorry but I just can't help it! Luffy is just one of those infuriatingly elusive characters who you just want to pin down and force to confess all of his inner most feelings, because that's the way his creator designed him so that people like me would keep reading the comic and watching the show and writing fanfics about a stupid rubber boy I have a ridiculous cartoon crush on. Anyway, I hope you had fun reading – next chapter is going to be a bit different, in that there's a big fat twist to the plot that I'm sure everyone will enjoy. (Nami wakes up – it was all a dream!) (No, no one would enjoy that plot twist. That would be dumb.) Thank you for wading through all of the musshiness of this chapter, and don't kill me for making Luffy and Nami's relationship move in fast forward. I'm just making up for the utter lack of romance on the show in my own pathetic way.
Also, I'm going on vacation this Friday for two weeks and may not be able to get to for a while, so if you don't see an update soon that's why. Sorry folks, I need to swim.
Peace,
Rio Grande.
p.s – to the person who lives near the Rio Grande – yo! That's so cool! I mean, I live no where near it, in fact I live in NYC, and I'm not even Hispanic... but I was like, wow, I like how Rio Grande sounds. And lots of other cool pennames are already taken... Thanks for reviewing!