Ch. 30- Nami's Smile
One Piece © Oda
Blizzard, Monkey D. Aika, Kumi, Kovar, and Monkey D. Star © Me
As the Straw Hats waited for the memories to continue, they all stood within the black void to think about what they had just witnessed, even though some (Aika, mostly) were concerned if he really did make it out of there unscathed.
"So that's what happened in that room," Usopp said. "It all makes sense, now."
"When Luffy really saw the root of Nami's fear and despair," Sanji began, "he did the only thing he thought he should do and destroy it...it's almost poetic, don't you think?"
"...When we get Luffy out of here," Nami began, "I'm gonna kiss him for this."
"I'm sure he'll enjoy that," Robin humored.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chortled. "Indeed!"
"Hey, look! Something's happening!" Franky called as the darkness fled, and the Straw Hats saw Luffy emerge from the wreckage and rubble of Arlong Park. He was bloody from his wounds, he was panting breathlessly, but he was otherwise alive and in one piece. At first, the Straw Hats seemed a concerned, because for the first few minutes, he didn't speak...but then, he took in a deep breath and yelled at the top of his lungs...
"NAAAAAAAAAMIIIIIIIIIII~!"
Past Nami gasped silently upon hearing him shout his name while everyone else around her stood nearby.
"NAMI!" Luffy shouted. "YOU'LL ALWAYS BE MY FRIEND!"
'I love you, Nami...'
The Straw Hats all gasped silently...except for Nami, who quietly clutched at her chest. As for Past Nami, she stood, silently, for a moment...but then, her eyes began to well up with tears and a smile, small though it was, formed on her face.
"...Yeah...!" she whispered.
"...It was at that moment..." Nami whispered as tears began to fall from her eyes. "It was at that moment I realized...I was free...and..." She then sniffled as she wiped her eyes. "...It was also that moment...that I fell in love with Luffy."
Aika smiled up at Nami, as did the rest of the Straw Hats.
"Too bad it took you two so long to actually say something to each other," said Usopp.
"I think it was because we still needed time to figure things out first," Nami replied.
Soon, the crowd burst into a roar of cheers, some even crying tears of joy. At long last, the symbol of their oppressors had been demolished. At long last...they were free.
Everyone soon ran up to Luffy, grabbed him, and began to toss him up and down into the air. At first, he felt a little awkward, but then he smiled and began to laugh...until they accidentally dropped him on the ground. Even then, though, he still smiled...but then he felt someone put something on his head, and he realized it was his hat. He then turned around and saw that it was Past Nami, who smiled at him, which caused Luffy to smile at her before he stood up...and then, out of nowhere, Past Nami threw her arms around him, causing the memory to turn pink and his heart to start racing.
"...Thank you, Luffy..." Past Nami whispered in his ear, causing Luffy to chuckle as he pat her back.
"Stop right there!"
"Oh, no..." Nami muttered in annoyance as she saw the familiar face of Marine Captain Nezumi of Unit 16.
"Not that rat bastard, again," Sanji muttered.
"Who's that guy?" Chopper asked.
"Captain Nezumi," Nami replied. "He was bribed by Arlong into taking all the treasure I collected. That's why he never arrested him before." She then clenched her fists. "He even shot Nojiko."
"How cowardly," Brook said. "A man must never harm a woman!"
"You said it, brother," said Sanji.
"I hate Marines like that guy," Aika replied.
"You, again?!" Nojiko questioned.
"Yes, me again!" Nezumi smirked. "It's my lucky day! I just got through seeing the whole thing. Well done, I must say. It could've been a mere fluke, but somehow, you bunch of two-bit, nobody pirates actually defeated the Fishmen!"
"Listen to him," Sanji hissed. "Who the hell does he think he's kidding?"
"Bah!" Franky scoffed. "He's full of crap, just like that damn Spanda!"
"Now, thanks to you, the treasure that I was supposed to give to Arlong and all the treasure Arlong Park belong to me!" Nezumi declared. "Throw down your weapons! Your valiant deeds go on the record of Captain Nezumi of Unti 16 of the Marines!"
"Seriously?" Blizzard asked, incredulously. "He's trying to take credit after he did squat?"
"What a jerk," Chopper muttered.
"You can say that again," said Kumi.
Just then, Past Zoro grabbed Nezumi by his shoulder in a bone-crushing grip, causing him to scream in pain.
"Quit being such a wet blanket," Past Zoro said with a malicious grin and an almost demonic glint in his eyes. "We're trying to celebrate our victory, here, you jackass."
A few minutes later, Luffy, Past Zoro, Past Sanji, and even Past Usopp gave Nezumi and his troop a thorough beating, and they were all on the ground, bloodied and bruised in mere seconds.
"HAHAHA!" laughed Franky. "Talk about karma!"
"They certainly had it coming!" Brook added.
"Guuuuhh...!" Nezumi groaned. "You...you better not...mess with me. I'll make you regret it!"
"He's still not getting it, is he?" asked Past Sanji.
Just then, Past Nami walked up to the cowardly Marine captain and seemingly patted his cheek.
"...This is for shooting Nojiko," she started, "and wrecking Bellemere's tangerine grove."
Then, BAM! She struck Nezumi in the jaw with her bo staff, sending him flying into the water.
"Yeah! You show him, Past Big Sis Nami!" exclaimed Aika, which caused the current Nami to smile with pride.
"Well done," Robin smiled.
"I'll say," Zoro smirked.
"Thank you," Nami said with a bit of a gracious bow before she continued to watch her past self continue to punish Nezumi by forcing him to arrest Arlong and his men, rebuilding their island, giving Arlong's treasure to the people of Cocoyashi, and finally, returning all the money that Past Nami stole back to her. Outraged by this disgrace, Nezumi vowed that he wouldn't forget this attack on his person and threated that Luffy had now "incurred his wrath" and that "something terrible" was going to happen to him.
"What was he going to do?" asked Aika.
"You'll see, soon, sweetie," Nami smiled.
"Trust me, it's not as bad as you think," said Zoro.
"...Okay," Aika shrugged.
Soon, the memory shifted, and Luffy was sitting in the doctor's clinic with Past Zoro, the latter screaming in pain as he was getting his stitches replaced. As for the former, he had gotten his wounds patched up and was sitting with the swordsman to keep him company.
"What an idiot, trying to fix such a serious wound by himself!" Dr. Nako scowled as he pierced Past Zoro's stomach with the surgical needle, causing him to scream, once again. "Hey, don't you guys have a doctor on your ship?"
"A doctor?" Luffy repeated. "Not really...but doesn't a musician come first?"
"What?!" Dr. Nako questioned. "Why would you think up such a cockamamie idea?!"
"Well, don't pirates sing?" Luffy asked.
"...Luffy really didn't have his priorities straight back then, did he?" Chopper asked.
"Not really, no," Zoro replied.
"How did you even get by without me?" Chopper asked.
"We learned to live with it for a while," Usopp said.
"Wow..." Blizzard muttered. "I can't believe he never thought of getting a doctor."
"I think the only reason why he didn't think of it was because back then, Nami was the only one with any kind of medical expertise," said Sanji.
"Hey, the best I could do was treat scurvy and minor wounds with a first aid kit," said Nami. "And whenever someone got a fever, all I could do was a put a damp rag on their forehead."
"But you're still so smart, Big Sis Nami!" Aika exclaimed.
"Well, thanks, sweetie," Nami said, "but smart as I am, I don't really know everything."
The memory changed, once again, and this time, it was nightfall. The whole village was alive with music, singing, and dancing. After the defeat of Arlong, it was time for Cocoyashi Village to celebrate their freedom.
"Whoa! Talk about a bash!" Franky exclaimed. "It's...mmm...SUPER~!"
"Yeah, the whole island practically came," Nami replied. "It was one hell of a party."
"Yohohoho!" Brook laughed. "Makes me want to sing, just watching them!"
"But where's Luffy?" asked Chopper.
"There," Nami said as she pointed at the Straw Hat Captain, running off to who knows where with slabs of meat in his fingers.
"Where's he going?" asked Usopp.
"Oh, I told him about this prosciutto and ham that I was eating at the party," said Sanji, "so he ran off to go find it."
As Luffy continued to wander in his relentless hunt for food, he soon came upon Genzo...who, for some reason, was pouring sake over a wooden post, which caused Nami to gasp silently, ignoring the fact that Luffy had startled Genzo with his shouts of food.
"...Whose grave is that?" Robin asked.
"...My Mother's," Nami replied as she felt tears form in her eyes. Even now, seeing Bellemere's grave marker made her feel nostalgic...in a good way, of course. While she was still sad about her adopted mother's death, she was still grateful for everything she had done for her and Nojiko, both, even if back then, she didn't really act like it. Noticing her older sister figure's sadness, Aika went over and gently took Nami's hand in her own while Kumi licked the other hand, causing the navigator to smile at them.
"I'm fine, girls," she reassured. "Thank you."
Aika and Kumi both smiled, the latter wagging her tail, happily.
"What's this?" asked Luffy. "A grave? Did someone die?"
"...Yes," Genzo replied. "Nami's mother...she died, a long time ago."
"...Nami's mom, huh?" Luffy repeated with a slightly somber tone.
'So she's not the only one who lost her mom...'
"...Oh, Luffy..." Nami whispered, knowing he was talking about Star.
"I give my deepest...uh...confidence," Luffy said as he bowed his head. "...Wait, that's not right...uh...my deepest...condiments? No, that's not right either. My deepest...umm..."
"My deepest condolences," Genzo correct.
"Yeah, thanks," Luffy replied.
"...Boy," Genzo spoke. "I heard Nami's going to sail with you and your crew as your navigator...it'll be very dangerous...but...I'm going to trust you to protect her from now on."
Luffy felt his eyes go wide at this, while Nami blinked in surprise.
"But listen here," Genzo began, "if you do anything to take away Nami's smile...I'll hunt you down and kill you. Got that?"
"I wouldn't do anything like that-" Luffy started, only to be interrupted.
"I said 'GOT IT'?!" Genzo questioned, causing the raven-haired teen to gulp before he nodded.
"Yeah, I got it," he said.
"Good," said Genzo. "Now, if you don't mind...I'd like to left alone a little bit longer."
Luffy blinked before he turned and walked away, heading back into town, where everyone was still partying. However, for some reason, the sounds of music, laughter, and singing seemed to be drowned out and everything became a blur, except for Luffy himself. In fact, if the Straw Hats didn't know better, it almost looked like Luffy wasn't even paying attention to where he was going or what he was doing.
"What's gotten into him?" asked Zoro, trying to hide his worry.
"I think it might have been what Genzo said to him," Nami said. "He said he was going to trust Luffy and the others to protect me...I think that might've gotten to him, a little."
"I guess that makes sense," Sanji replied. "If you ask me, the old man might have been putting the pressure on him, just a little."
Before long, Luffy found himself standing on the outskirts of the village, again, but this time, he found himself at a house, and he could make out Past Nami coming out of the door. For some reason, it looked like she was staring inside the empty house for a while, but when she turned around, she gasped when she saw Luffy standing in front of her.
"L-Luffy!" she exclaimed before she sighed. "Don't just sneak up on me like that! What's wrong with you?!"
"...Nami," Luffy replied. "I've been thinking."
"...You? Thinking?" Past Nami repeated in surprise.
"Okay, haha," Luffy joked. "But seriously...there's something I wanna tell you. I just want you to be happy, whatever you decide to do."
"Huh?" Past Nami muttered while the current Nami gasped silently.
"If this is where you wanna be," Luffy began, "I won't hold it against you. This place is your home, after all. All I want for my friends is for them to be free...I will say this, though." He gave Past Nami a serious expression. "I can't imagine my crew having a more awesome navigator like you."
"Luffy..." Past Nami whispered. "Listen, that's really sweet of you, which is kind of surprising, but I already-"
She was soon cut off, however, when Luffy suddenly grabbed her and pulled her into a hug, taking her even more by surprise.
"If you ever decide on what to do," Luffy whispered, "then meet us at the Merry, tomorrow."
And with that, he turned and walked away, while Past Nami reached out after him...and yet, she didn't speak a word.
"Oh my gosh," Nami whispered. "I remember that."
"So that's what he was doing," said Zoro. "I tried to talk to him and ask about where he went and all, but he acted like he was deaf."
"I guess he just didn't wanna talk about it," Sanji shrugged. "Luffy sure can hide his feelings, sometimes."
The memory shifted, once again, and this time, it showed the Straw Hats on the Going Merry, early in the morning. It seemed that the time to shove off had come, and with that, the villagers had come to the group off.
"We decided to go back to bounty hunting," said Yosaku. "Thanks for everything, Big Bro Luffy."
"We'll just say our goodbyes here," said Johnny. "Hope we'll see you again, one day."
"Okay," Luffy said. "You guys take care, then!"
"You, too," Yosaku nodded.
"Hmm..." Past Usopp hummed. "I don't see Nami anywhere. Where is she?"
"Maybe she isn't coming," said Past Zoro.
"What?!" Past Sanji questioned as he glared at Luffy. "Nami's not coming?! Why not?!"
"Hey, don't get mad at me!" Luffy pointed. "I'm still mad at you about you lying to me about that raw ham melon thing!"
"Seriously?" Franky asked. "He's still talking about food?"
"Well, I never exactly told him where to find it," Sanji replied. "It was a pretty big party."
"So she's leaving the money here?!" asked Genzo. "All 100 million Berries?!"
"But she can't go anywhere without money!" exclaimed Dr. Nako. "And besides, she risked her life for all of it!"
"She said it's okay," Nojiko replied. "She'll just steal some more. I tried to tell her to take at least a little money for herself, but she wouldn't change her mind, so I gave up. You know how she is."
"That foolish girl," said Genzo. "We're the ones who owe her after all this!"
"Oh, I had a bit of a plan," Nami smirked, which caused Zoro to groan in irritation.
"Here it comes," he muttered.
"Here comes what?" asked Aika.
"SET THE SAILS!" Past Nami's voice rang throughout the memory, gaining the attention of the townsfolk, and before long, the girl began to run straight towards them.
"Huh?" Past Usopp muttered. "She's running? But why? What is she doing?"
"She said to set sail," Luffy said as he, Past Zoro, and Past Sanji began to weigh anchor and drift off with the tide.
"Wait a minute!" Brook exclaimed. "You were all just going to leave like that?!"
"Wait for it..." Nami said as she watched her past self run and weave around the villager before she finally jumped off the pier, just as the Going Merry was beginning to drift away, and for a moment, it almost looked like she wouldn't make it, but then Luffy gasped as he ran up and grabbed her hand, catching her by the wrist before he hoisted her up.
"You okay?!" Luffy asked.
"...Couldn't be better, actually," Past Nami replied before she raised up her shirt a little (which caused Luffy to blush a little, again)...and not long after, little wallets and coin purses began to fall out and pile around her feet. It was then that the Straw Hats (both past and present) and the villagers realized that Past Nami had picked the pockets of the townsfolk. She then took out a 10,000 Berry bill, kissed it lightly, and smirked at her neighbors.
"Thanks a bunch!" she called, which caused them all to yell at her, angrily...but soon, their anger turned to endearment.
"You pick their pockets, and yet they let you get away with it," said Zoro. "Talk about enabling."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Nami asked with a glare while Robin chuckled in amusement.
"How sneaky of you, Nami," she said.
"Shishishi!" Aika giggled. "Sneaky Big Sis!"
"I see she hasn't changed at all," Past Usopp murmured.
"She just might double-cross us again," said Past Zoro.
"Nice one, Nami!" Past Sanji praised while Luffy only laughed at the trick that his crush had pulled.
"Hey, boy!" Genzo called out to Luffy, who glanced back at him. "You better not forget out promise, got that?!"
Luffy blinked at Nami's father figure for a moment, but then he smirked before he flashed a thumbs up.
"Bye, everybody!" Past Nami called. "I promise I'll be back, one day!"
As the the Straw Hats sailed away, Luffy glanced over at Past Nami and saw the tattoo that the current Straw Hats were all used to.
"Hey, what's that?" Luffy asked. "You got a new tattoo?"
"Oh, yeah," Past Nami replied. "It's a tangerine and a pinwheel."
"A tangerine and a pinwheel, huh?" Luffy asked before he smiled. "Cool. It suits you."
"Thanks," Past Nami smiled back, which caused the memory to turn pink and Luffy's heart to start beating, again.
'...Nami's smile...it's so pretty...because it's real...I don't wanna do anything that might take that away from her.'
"...You could never take away my smile, Luffy," Nami replied as she held Luffy's hat on her head. "You didn't take it away back then...you do nothing to take it away now...and you never will..."
The Straw Hats all smiled at Luffy as the memory faded to black. Soon after, a new memory appeared, and this time, it was night, once more, and Luffy was sitting on the figurehead of the Merry, again. The moment they saw him looking up at the sky, the Straw Hats realized that their captain was talking to Star again.
"Hey, Mom," Luffy said. "Me, again. Hope I'm not bothering you or anything...I'm not, right?"
He took the star's silence as a no.
"So...here's the thing," Luffy said. "I got Nami to join us, finally, but...it turns out her mom's gone, too."
Nami's eyes went wide while the Straw Hats glanced at her.
"So...can you do me a little favor?" Luffy asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but if you see Nami's mom up there...can you tell her that Nami's doing okay, now and she doesn't have to worry about her, anymore? Because...I promise I'll keep her safe. I won't let her anything happen to her and I'll make sure she's happy!"
"...Oh, Luffy...!" Nami whispered as she tried to fight back her tears...but it was just so sweet, hearing him say that, that she just couldn't stop herself from crying.
The stars twinkled slightly, causing Luffy to smile.
"Thanks, Mom," he said before he yawned and stretched his arms. "Oh, man, am I tired...I'll talk to you again, soon, Mom. Goodnight."
On that, he turned and headed off to bed.
"He was so...thoughtful...!" Franky whimpered as he tried to fight back tears."
"...Just when I thought I couldn't love him anymore than I do now," Nami said, which prompted Robin to put a hand on her shoulder.
"Ever since you joined him," Robin began, "all he could think of was your well-being. He really thought that your mother might have been worried about you."
"...Thank you, Luffy," Nami whispered.
The memory shifted, once again. It was morning, now, and the Straw Hats just finished eating their breakfast (Luffy tried to snatch Usopp's food while he wasn't looking). Things seemed relatively peaceful...except for the fact that Past Nami was ranting about the rising price of the newspaper to the News Coo that delivered. Luffy didn't seem to pay much attention to that, though, since he seemed more preoccupied with getting one of Past Nami's tangerines.
"Just one..." he whispered as he reached up to grab the plump, orange fruit.
"Oh, boy..." Usopp said. "3...2...1..."
BAM! Before Luffy realized it, he was kicked in the gut and was sent crashing into Past Usopp, who ended up spilling some Tabasco sauce in his eyes, which of course, sent him screaming in pain at the spiciness of it.
"I thought I told you to keep your hands off!" Past Sanji barked.
"Oh, come on!" Luffy complained. "I just want one of 'em!"
"I said no!" Past Sanji answered. "This is Nami's tangerine orchard! I won't let you one paw on it!" He then went into his "lovey-dovey" mode. "Nami~! See how well I'm guarding your trees~?"
"Yeah, thanks, Sanji," Past Nami replied.
"Wow, she sure had you wrapped around her little finger, Dartboard," said Zoro. "What a sad sight."
"Shut up, Moss-head!" Sanji shouted. "I was just trying to protect her grove from that glutton!"
"Jeez, he just wanted one," said Franky.
"I was...kind of...protective," Nami replied. "I was afraid that he'd eat more than one...ugh...don't I feel bad?"
"Ah, come on," Luffy pouted. "Can't I just have one? You're so mean!" He then stuck his tongue out at Past Sanji.
"I said no!" Past Sanji enforced.
"...Ah, oh well," Luffy grinned. "I'm in a pretty good mood, anyway! Shishishi! We're finally going to the Grand Line, today!"
"That's what he was so chipper about?" Franky asked.
"Well, he wanted to go to the Grand Line, first and foremost," said Zoro.
"Well, at least now he's a bit prepared for it," said Brook.
"The world sure has gotten chaotic," Past Nami noted as she flipped through the pages of the newspaper. "They just had another coup d'état in Villa."
Just then, something slipped out of the pages, causing the group to look down at the deck...and they all gasped upon seeing that it was a wanted poster...with Luffy's grinning face plastered on the front of it.
Luffy's first bounty.
"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!" the Past Straw Hats questioned in shock before Luffy went and picked it up.
"Wow!" Aika exclaimed. "Big Brother's first bounty! How much was it?!"
"30 million," Zoro answered. "That's actually the biggest bounty in the East Blue."
"No way!" Kumi gaped.
"I always knew Big Brother was awesome!" Aika added.
A pause...but then Luffy grinned as he held up the poster for all to see.
"All right, you guys, we're wanted criminals!" he cheered.
"Wanted, Dead or Alive," Past Usopp read. "30 million Berries?!"
"That's a WHOLE lotta Berries!" Luffy boasted.
"Hey, check it out! I'll be seen all around the world!" Past Usopp exclaimed. "Girls might even fall for me~!"
"What?!" Past Sanji questioned. "They put Long Nose in but left me out?!"
"Wait, what is he talking about?" Aika asked. "I don't see Usopp in there."
"Look at that little corner," said Usopp. "If you squint just right, you'll see it."
"Uhh..." Aika muttered before she gasped. "Oh! Now I see you!"
"It's the back of his head!" Chopper exclaimed. "Wow, Usopp! You got on a wanted poster without even trying!"
"But why the hell was Luffy smiling at the camera?" Franky asked. "The same thing happened with his current bounty, too."
"...Actually, I've been wondering about that for a long time," said Nami.
"Perhaps he's just someone who likes getting his picture taken," Robin smiled.
"When I get my first bounty," Aika said, "I'm gonna have a big smile, just like Big Brother!"
As for Past Sanji, he was pouting about not being in the picture and complaining that Past Usopp being in it wasn't anything special. The sniper reassured him by telling him to work hard and that he didn't have to have the role of captain to have one.
"Lucky..." Chopper pouted. "I've fought just as hard as everybody else, and my bounty only went up by 50!"
"Ah, calm down, Chopper," said Blizzard. "I'm sure your bounty will get higher. Honestly, I'm jealous your pictures always turn out cute. I wish mine were like that."
"Ahahahahaha!" Luffy laughed, triumphantly. "Let's go to the Grand Line, men!"
"Yeah!" Past Usopp and Past Sanji cheered, their arms hooked around each other's shoulders, while Past Nami was lamenting about their "apparent doom".
"Hey, guys!" Past Zoro called. "There's an island up ahead!"
"Ooh!" Luffy chirped as he and the others gathered at the stern of the Merry, where an island soon came into view on the horizon.
"What's that?" Aika asked.
"That's Logue Town," Nami replied. "It's the last island in the East Blue before you enter the Grand Line. It's known as the Town of Beginning and End."
"Really?" Aika asked. "Why's that?"
"Because," Nami smiled, "that's the town where Gold Roger was born and where he died...it was also where the Great Pirate Era started."
"Wow, really?!" Aika questioned in amazement. "No way!"
"That's right, kiddo," said Zoro.
"Hey, Nami, what is that place, anyway?" Luffy asked.
"That's Logue Town," replied Past Nami. "They say it's 'The Town of Beginning and End'. It's where the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, was born...and also where he was executed."
"...So this is where the first King of the Pirates died, huh...?" Luffy asked with an eerily serious expression.
"Yep," Past Nami answered before she looked over at her captain. "So...you wanna go there?"
"Shishishishi!" Luffy laughed. "You bet I do! Set a course for Logue Town!"
"Aye-aye, Captain!" the Straw Hats exclaimed as the memory faded, once more.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next time on One Piece: The Fire Within!
Luffy: So...this is where the King of the Pirates, Gold Roger, died.
?: Stop right there, Straw Hat!
Buggy: You'll pay for disgracing me, boy!
Past Zoro: Dammit! Why did a storm have to happen, now?!
Aika: Oh, no!
Luffy: Guys! I'm sorry but...I'm dead.
Kovar: I think it's time your friends got a little message, Straw Hat...
Next time: The Legend Begins
Sorry I took so long with this, but at least it's here, now!
That line with Luffy telling Nami she can stay home was suggested by my friend, Yellowpikmin88. Thanks, pal!
Review, please!