Honor Among Thieves
Nami and Carina on a regular night.
Written for the OP Nami Zine.
"That's probably far enough," Nami muttered to herself, peering through the darkness at the waves. A light breeze blew a few wisps of short hair into her eyes, the night just cool enough to raise goosebumps along her skin.
The sea bobbed the small dinghy gently on its surface, the creaking of the wood caused by the gentle waves that buffeted the sides was soothing to Nami's ears. She glanced up at the sail and turned around. She could barely see Carina in the dark, her body more like a vague outline resting near the sail. "Bring it in," the young thief voiced, the sound dispersing into the night air. The rustling of the sail being pulled in and tied down mingled with the sound of Nami's own heavy breathing as she shifted and pushed a few heavy bags of sand overboard, their weight would make it harder for them to drift off course while they rested.
She wiped her forehead once finished and gravitated towards the center of the boat, her...companion joining her. "Finally! My feet have been killing me for hours!" came Carina's voice, for the first time in a handful of hours as she flopped into the middle of the boat. Their precious cargo clinked and jostled together as her back settled against the sacks. Nami pursed her lips before she sat as well, resting opposite of Carina.
"You're the one who wore the too big heels, I told you you should have gone with the cute black flats," Nami stretched her hands above her head and stared up at the black velvet of the sky, sequins of stars twinkling like the champagne glasses at the party they'd snuck into a hours prior.
"Aaaand I told you that they make me look too much like a child, not exactly good for trying to blend in," Nami could hear the over dramatic eye roll in Carina's voice. A bag rustling was followed by the unmistakable metallic jingle of coins, the sound filling Nami's ear. "Anyway, it worked out. I can definitely buy some better fitting heels with this, ha!" Carina cackled.
Nami sat up and allowed her hands to run across her own sack of beri, silverware, and jewelry. She wished it were morning already so she could count it out, but the dawn was still a few hours away yet. "What about you, any thoughts about what you're going to spend your half on?" Carina asks, flopping back into her bed of gold and ivory.
The box buried in the orchard, the smell of damp earth like cemetery soil filled her nose. She took a breath and looked over at her...compatriot with a slight tilt of her head. Carina always asked her this damn question. Even back ages ago, on the very first day they met.
Nami crinkled her nose, recalling that infamous day. They'd both been scoping out the same house on Elbort Island and, coincidentally, decided to hit it on the same night. There, on the top floor, they'd both reached for the door handle at the same time and nearly sent the guards into a mass frenzy.
She smiled ruefully. The next few encounters were far more antagonistic. Carina tried to set the marines on her, she got back at Carina by locking her inside a closet. Good times. Actually…
"Hey… why did you propose we team up?" Nami asked. Carina stopped shifting around and seemed to let Nami slide on answering her last question, for the moment. The waves lapped gently against the boat, a slight wisp of cloud whispering across the moon now rising on the neverending horizon.
"Makes the job simpler and more fun, duh," Carina laughed.
Nami raised an eyebrow. "Really? That's it?"
"Oh my god, Nami, are you getting all mushy on me?"
Nami' expression blanched, shoulders hunching. "No, of course not! I just want to know if you'll get in my way in the future!" she protested as Carina laughed and chanted, much like a child, "Nami likes me, Nami likes me!" With a disgusted noise, Nami turned away, glaring out at the water.
After a moment, Carina quieted down. "Hey… it's okay if you were being mushy ya know," she commented blandly. Nami curled up even further, regretting ever bringing it up. Because no, it wasn't okay. She didn't have time for sentimentality! Belle-mere flashed across her vision, then Nojiko's face the last time she'd seen either of them. Nami clenched her jaw tightly.
She didn't have time for friends. No matter how badly she wished the opposite were true.
"I guess I thought we should team up because... I'd never met someone like you before," Carina offered into the wind. Nami froze, remaining silent. "I teamed up with some thieves before, but all they ever thought I was good for was bait. Because I was 'too young', and a girl, ya know?" she continued. Nami gnawed at her lip, watching the wavering reflection of the moon on the water's surface.
"But then I met you, and you're good! Almost as good as me!"
Nami scoffed. "Better than you."
"You wish," Carina laughed airily. "But...really. It's nice to not do this alone anymore."
Despite trying so hard to stop it, a smile appeared on Nami's lips. "Now, who's getting mushy?"
"Pfft, see if I save you the next time we get in trouble," she could hear Carina blowing a snide raspberry her way. Nami rolled her eyes. "Yeah yeah, whatever," but there was a smile in her voice. The quiet of the water and the wind surrounded the pair, the two staring up at the glittering stars.
"So... you never answered my question." Her words startled Nami, the sack clattering from her movement. She'd hoped Carina had forgotten. "What?" she asked dumbly, trying to think of something to distract her.
"What you're gonna buy with your half of the treasure."
"Oh that. Probably something cute," she lied. It tasted bitter on her tongue after Carina had just been so...open with her. Carina hmm'd in response, and Nami released the tension building in her shoulders. The quiet resumed, the stars drifting overhead.
"You couldn't have thought up a better lie?" Carina blurted out.
"I wasn't lying!" Nami winced, her desperation sounding fake to even her ears.
"Ha, you only get defensive when I'm right!" Carina crowed. There came the sound of her weight shifting, and then the shape of her pale face appeared above the red haired girl. "Come on, you can tell me!" Nami was about to wiggle away from her, but didn't like the idea of abandoning her part of the treasure so, instead, she simply crossed her arms and hunkered down.
"Namiiiiii, I won't tell anyone! Is it for a boy?" Nami rolled her eyes, admitting to nothing. "Ooh, saving up for one of those fancy schools in the Grand Line?" Carina rolled onto her back, her face now resting right next to Nami's. "Are you a thief just to spite Daddy?"
"I think you're projecting Carina," Nami snorted.
"Ugh, come on, tell me!"
"What are you, five?" Nami sighed heavily. She knew Carina well enough by now that once she became interested in something, she wouldn't ever let up.
"I'm gonna keep guessing until you tell me," Carina sing-songed. Nami settled in as Carina immediately began bombarding her with speculations ranging from shoes, to world class beer, to opera tickets. Nami wasn't sure why she didn't just give in and simply say yes to one of those outlandish ideas, every time she went to open her mouth guilt flooded her and forced her to remain silent.
"Ugh, you're no fun," Carina groaned, finally seeming to run out of steam. Nami relaxed, the two of them gazing up at the stars, the tops of their heads touching.
"Saving up money for a sick mom?"
Nami winced, hard. The guess was close, too close. Dammit, Carina'd lured her into a false sense of security. Nami's palms became clammy, sweat forming. She didn't want to talk about this. Not ever. Not with anyone. She just wanted to get the goddamn money, free her village, and then forget any of this had ever happened!
Carina went silent. Nami as well. Fog had drifted over the moon now, casting everything in a hazy shadow.
"Hey... did I ever tell you about the first thing I stole? I bet you can't guess what it was," Carina nudged her. Nami glanced over at her, still tense. "Come on, I will bet you 10% of my half if you guess it," Carina elbowed her again. Nami frowned, but the lure was tempting.
"I'll even give you a hint. It's very important to the Horseshoe Kingdom."
Nami blinked, that name was familiar. "Wait, you're the one who stole the Golden Horseshoe?!" She'd been planning that heist for ages when it just up and disappeared! Carina grinned, her teeth the most visible part of her face. "Ding ding ding! Yep, that was me!"
"Ugh, I was gonna steal that!" Nami muttered, glaring at Carina while she snickered.
"Well I saved you then," her eyes gleamed in the dark. Nami raised a brow. "Saved me? From what?"
"It wasn't even made of real gold!"
Nami gawked at her companion and then laughed, laughed so hard for a moment she couldn't breathe. "Well, still owe me the 10%," she said, finally catching her breath. Carina thumped her on the shoulder. They coasted off into silence, watching the moon and the stars before drifting off to sleep.
In the morning, Nami steered them into a little cove, away from prying eyes so they could go their separate ways. The sand was cool and damp under their feet, as Carina grabbed her sack and threw it over her shoulder. "Well, see you next time!" She said brightly before trudging away up the nearest dune. Nami watched her go before facing the dinghy and poking through her treasure. It was only after she finished counting her sack and began prepping the boat for the trip to Cocoyashi that her foot bumped into what should have been one of the sandbags. A bag that had made a decidedly NOT sandbag-like noise.
She froze then bent to further examine the bag. Instead of sand, the burlap was filled with beri, silver, and jewelry. Far more than 10%. Nami bit her lip, the flesh going pale under the pressure, and looked back up at the sand dune where Carina had disappeared.
"Yeah... until next time," she whispered, wiping away the tears forming in the corners of her eyes, before setting sail for Cocoyashi.
Notes:
I really really loved Carina in Film gold. I adore the idea of Nami and her just being a girl thieves duo. I wish she was canon (she is in my heart).
This was written for the OP Nami Zine. Check out Running With the Waves on twitter! Let me know your thoughts.
As always, thank you for reading and you can find me on twitter at buggyisbest!
