Chapter 2
Zoro yawned loudly, running his hand through his hair before making his way down from his perch in the crow's nest aboard the Sunny. The warmth of the dawning sun on his back and the orange-tinted glow across the ocean's surface made him smile slightly, and he paused in his descent down the rope ladder to appreciate the serenity of scene around him. Whatever Gods that may exist knew that peace on this ship with this captain was a dream in its own right.
"Oi! Breakfast is ready!"
The love-cook's call was answered by a multitude of bustling bodies emerging from all over the ship, heading to the ship's dining room to eat some of Sanji's delicious breakfast. Not that Zoro would ever tell Swirly Brows what he thought of the cooking, of course.
He planted his feet on the grass deck of the Sunny and turned in time to see both Chopper and Usopp tumbling towards the kitchen door as they fought mid-sprint to get to the table first. The end result was them tripping over each other, bouncing into the kitchen with a crash, and having Sanji yell at them. Brook and Franky were the next through the door, laughing boisterously at the antics of the pair before them. Jinbe, Nami, and Robin followed next, the latter pausing to look over her shoulder at him and send him a flirtatious wink before continuing on her way.
Zoro scowled slightly, a little warm on the inside due to her…attentions. Robin was unique in how she could easily throw him off-balance, something that he prided himself on not allowing to happen. For whatever reason he found her hard to handle at times, not used to having to deal with the unique set of problems she presented, especially more recently than before now that they'd begun this...tryst of theirs.
Speaking of problems…Zoro thought to himself, spying the orange-haired witch among them. Zoro noticed she seemed especially shifty to start the morning, more than usual.
He watched as Robin made a comment to the younger woman, only for Nami to jump slightly and not directly look Robin in the eye. Robin giggled at something and made to follow Nami who had hurried into the dining room following the exchange.
Odd, Zoro thought to himself. And even more odd was the absence of the loudest, most flamboyant person in the crew, unheard of around any of the meal times. A quick check with his haki confirmed that Luffy was indeed not in the dining room, rather Zoro found his presence in his room still asleep.
He changed direction, instead of climbing the steps to the dining room, he made his way across the lawn to the door leading to the hallway on the deck level. He opened the door and immediately heard the muffled commotion of his crewmates above him, eating and laughing.
Zoro turned right as he entered, ignoring the door in front of him, and a left at the next corner. He walked the length of the dim hall, the only sound coming from the soft steps of his feet on the wooden floor. He passed the aquarium to his left, pausing a moment to appreciate the dancing pattern of light being reflected across this section of the hall, as the sun shined through the top of the tank. Fish danced away in the tank, blissfully unaware of the fact that they were all just in waiting for Zoro's rubber-headed captain to pick which one of them he wanted for dinner. He looked through the glass tank to the room perpendicular to the aquarium, the viewing area where the crew could lounge and relax while enjoying the fish.
Not the only use, Zoro thought, as his dark-haired archeologist crew mate popped to mind. Again.
Zoro sighed to himself before continuing his trek towards Luffy's new room, willing away thoughts of Robin and their newfound…whatever it was they had going on.
Lost in his musings (rather, desperate attempts to keep Robin out of his mind at the present), Zoro wandered on, choosing to focus on this relatively new part of the ship following Franky's renovations of the Sunny to include Luffy's new room. Zoro rounded a corner to his left, putting him now behind the aquarium. Luffy's room was in the center of this hallway, which wrapped around the aquarium in a square. The entrance to this single hall, and the exit back out onto the deck, was directly opposite of the door to the captain's quarters. Franky had plans to install other rooms on the hallways lining the side of the aquarium, though he wouldn't go into detail on what he had planned. His only explanation involves an assurance that the new rooms would indeed be "super".
The nondescript wooden door in the middle of this hall was not enough to completely snuff out the sound of Luffy's massive snores, and Zoro briefly questioned as he approached the door on his right how the hell they managed any sleep before Franky built Luffy's new quarters. Furthermore, the oddity of Luffy still being asleep when breakfast was ready struck Zoro, and a slight wave of sadness washed over him as he considered what had been the motivating factor to the new room being made and wondered if it had been the reason Luffy was still sleeping now.
"Oi, Luffy. You don't have to be ashamed…"
Zoro stopped in front of the door and banged hard on it. The door creaked a bit and rattled on its hinges due to the strength of the knocks, but anything less would never rouse his captain.
"Hey, Luffy! Wake up! Breakfast is ready, come get your food!"
No sooner had the last syllable rolled off the swordsman's tongue had there been a loud bang and another loud thud, resulting from Luffy nearly blasting the door to his room off of its hinges and running straight into Zoro, who then careened into the wall and then the ground, painfully.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Zoro fumed, looking up at his captain standing above him with a blank expression.
Luffy erupted into laughter after a second, "Zoro you idiot, what are you doing down there?"
"You're one to talk! I came to get you for breakfast-"
A light seemed to go off in Luffy's eyes at the mention of food, and he gasped dramatically. "That's right! Zoro, food!"
"Wait, no!" Zoro yelled, too late, as a rubbery arm stretched and wrapped around his right leg in a death grip. A second later, Luffy took off in a dead sprint through the hall with Zoro bouncing against the ceiling, the floor, and the walls as Luffy ran.
Another bang was heard, and the swordsman was momentarily blinded by light signifying that he and Luffy had made it to the deck. A short moment later a cacophony of noise entered Zoro's ears, before he was thrown upwards slamming into the ceiling before crumpling unceremoniously into his seat at the dining room table.
He sprang up instantly and drew two of his blades, glaring at the rubber headed idiot he called his captain. "What the hell is wrong with you? I'll cut you!"
Luffy, mouth somehow already full, yelled in fright after Zoro's outburst, running around the table desperately avoiding the swings of Zoro's swords as his vice-captain gave chase. "No! Nami, save me! Somebody!"
The rest of the crew watched and laughed, avoiding the sprays of food from Luffy's mouth as he pleaded for help (being able to interpret Luffy's speech while his mouth was full was an acquired skill, and completely necessary for survival as often as he was eating).
Finally, mercifully, Sanji stepped in perhaps more to save whatever sanctity this dining room had left than concern over their rambunctious captain. A minute later, a thoroughly-scolded rubber man and an annoyed swordsman took a seat at the table, sitting next to each other.
Zoro sighed, again, and as he fended off food theft attempts put forth by the man on his left wondered what shit star he had been born under to be sentenced to life aboard this ship with this rubber-domed moron as his captain.
But of course, there was no place he'd rather be.
Another threat with a butter knife quickly thwarted another one of Luffy's attempts to steal food from his plate, leaving the captain to harass Usopp on his left for some of the sniper's food. It was then Zoro noticed that it was indeed Usopp sitting next to Luffy, and not one orange-haired navigator, who was sitting on the other side of Robin to his right.
In fact, Luffy noticed as well, stopping to peer questioningly at Nami, before carrying on with his assault on the food supplies.
Zoro eyed her then, wondering why she wasn't sitting in her usual seat next to Luffy, and she quickly, very quickly looked away. Narrowing her eyes at her, he noticed that she was trying very hard not to meet his gaze while adorning a slight red haze on her cheeks.
Luffy oversleeping and being late for breakfast, and Nami avoiding Luffy as she clearly seemed to be doing and being flustered about it (Nami jumping because of Robin before entering the dining room came to mind), were maybe coincidental on their own, but together? Something must have happened, Zoro concluded.
About damn time, he thought, before reaching over and slamming his fist on the top of his captain's head for sneaking some meat off his plate. Damn nuisance.
Breakfast, as always, was a raucous affair. Forty-five minutes later, and dozens of swats at rubber hands by the crew (Usopp had even erected a fort of dining utensils to protect his food, to no avail), saw Nami preparing a beach chair on the lawn of the Sunny to relax after having set the ship on its way to wherever their destination was for the day.
She was worried about breakfast on her way to the dining room.
She had woken up that morning wrapped tightly in Luffy's arms, her face buried in his chest and her hand splayed across his abdomen. She was so warm. She peeled back a little bit (not that she really wanted to, Luffy's chest was a wonderful sight to her eyes, and even more wonderful to be in contact with) so that she could see his face.
He looked so peaceful. She raised a hand and brushed a stray strand of hair from his face. She softly traced his facial features with an index finger. His eyes, his nose, the scar under his right eye, his cheekbones, his lips.
She gently placed a kiss on his lips, smiling as he stirred.
Waking up to him like this, encircled by his arms and held to his chest was wonderful. Heavenly, even.
A thump from upstairs jolted her, and she panicked. She quickly slipped from his grasp, an impressive feat considering his strength, making sure to not wake him as she escaped his grip (she noticed how his arms searched for her, even as she left them, and her heart melted just a bit). After a moment of hesitation, she turned and slipped out of Luffy's room, rushing up through the doorway and racing to her and Robin's shared room hoping that none of their crew noticed her or where she came from.
She had fled from him. Ran right from his arms after he had comforted her the previous night. It was cowardly. She felt guilty for leaving him there alone, thus her worries.
And it got worse.
She sprinted into her room only to find Robin was awake, getting ready to go to breakfast. She looked up from putting on a pair of comfortable looking heels and smiled at Nami.
Devilishly.
Damn, Nami cursed to herself. Of course Robin knew. Of everyone on the ship, the fucking spook would know.
Nami played it off, turning away from their archeologist and striding over to the dresser on her side of the room to grab her clothes for the day. Pulling out a black top, a small white pair of shorts, and her bikini Nami made her way to the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day.
She pointedly ignored Robin's giggle on the way.
And of course it got worse.
On the way to breakfast, of course Robin would tease her.
"Say, Luffy doesn't seem to be around yet," came the whispered needle. "A bit odd wouldn't you say, Nami?"
She jumped, and Robin giggled again at her discomfort, and she bolted to the dining room. She chose a seat away from her normal seat next to Luffy, which ended up placing her between Robin to her left and Jinbe to her right.
Zoro had gone missing too, it seemed, which dulled the comments about Luffy not being there. The fact that both of them were missing brought less attention to the oddity of Luffy's absence. Though every time their captain was mentioned, Nami felt Robin's teasing gaze on her. Which she ignored, of course.
A short few minutes later there was a bang, and everyone turned to the door in time to see Luffy grinning like an idiot, dragging Zoro like a sack of potatoes behind him. Another bang saw Zoro's head smash against the ceiling as Luffy threw him up in the air, which lead to a mad chase as Zoro tried to slice their captain clean in half for his antics.
The crew, including Nami, laughed at the scene and Nami could help but think of all the people to fall in love with…
Love?
Her cheeks burned at the thought, and out of the corner of her eye she spied Robin glance at her curiously, but mercifully chose not to tease Nami any further.
Finally, the pair sat down, and breakfast was underway in its usual chaos.
Luffy had noticed that she wasn't next to him. Their eyes briefly met before she turned away.
Love?
And she caught Zoro staring at her. She didn't dare look him in the eye, having guessed that he disappeared earlier to find and wake Luffy. He was probably already suspicious due to Luffy not being the first in the dining room and had obviously noticed she wasn't in her usual seat. She prayed that he wouldn't say anything and luckily her prayers were heard.
And here she was, forty-five minutes later. The ship was on its way, she was away from problem elements of the crew (Luffy, Luffy, and Luffy), and she could now relax and soothe her frayed nerves.
She lounged on her beach chair, soaking up the mid-morning sun while donning a cute red bikini. She liked red, Luffy wears a lot of red.
Stop!
Nami sighed to herself, closing her eyes behind her dark tinted sunglasses.
"Trouble in paradise, Nami?" Robin spoke softly, from the beach chair not far to Nami's left.
Nami peered over at their archeologist, dressed in a black bikini and orange tinted shades. A book was opened (of course, Robin always seemed to have a book within her grasp), placed face down on her lap to save her spot.
Nami could tell that she wasn't trying to tease her (thankfully), and also that she wouldn't be escaping this talk.
Nami turned away and looked down to her hands which had made her way to her lap. Her own book, borrowed from Robin, rested in her lap unopened. She traced the hard cover with her hands, stalling for time. Irony struck her then, as the book in particular was a romance novel Robin recommended.
She chuckled softly to herself. A romance novel. Of course.
"So it's Luffy then, is it?"
Nami's head snapped up and she quickly turned to her companion and offered a mighty shush, with her finger over her lips. She glanced around in a panic, but no one was in the immediate area.
"No need to be so jumpy," Robin sang. "Franky took the boys down below deck to show off another one of his inventions, and our captain managed to persuade even Zoro and Jinbe to go with him. And Sanji will be busy in the kitchen for quite some time, as you know."
Nami smiled, knowing that Luffy's "persuasion" likely was reminiscent of the scene this morning when he dragged Zoro into the dining room by his leg.
She looked down at her hands again, flexing and smoothing her fingers over the pink cover of Robin's romance novel that inhabited her lap. She sighed. "Where do I even start?"
"How about with what happened last night," Robin replied, with a knowing smile on her face. Nami looked at her and gave a grin of her own.
And she told Robin. She told Robin about her nightmares (Robin already knew, of course, being roommates). She told Robin of wandering the ship, of somehow ending up in front of Luffy's room. She told Robin of Luffy, his behavior, holding her to his chest, of his clumsy invitation into his room. She told Robin of how he comforted her, about how he explained how well he knew her, of mercilessly tickling her, of how she leaned in to kiss him because she just felt that she absolutely had to and of his reaction to her and of his arousal. She told Robin of how Luffy tucked her close to his chest and how she drifted off to sleep with their hands intertwined and his heartbeat in her thumping powerfully at her back.
And she told Robin how she woke up, buried in Luffy's strong chest, of how serene and peaceful he looked. And she told Robin of how she panicked, and how she left him there, and how she felt guilty for it.
When she was done, the sun had climbed to its maxim in the sky, and the boys had long since ventured out from below deck and Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had already organized a game of tag. Zoro was taking a nap, leaning against the rails having successfully fended off Luffy's attempts to get him to join in their shenanigans.
She looked down again at her hands and that damn book in her lap, almost taunting her given its contents. She was also well aware of how Robin was peering at her curiously.
"And how did you feel? How do you feel now?"
Nami sighed. "Last night? Confused and happy and scared and everything in between. Now? Confused and scared and guilty…"
"And not happy?"
Nami shook her head, hair brushing against her back with the movement. "No! When I think about it, about what we did, about how he felt and how he held me close and waking up with him…it's so wonderful! But…"
"But then you're confused, scared, and guilty all over again."
Nami bit her lip and said nothing, choosing to be silent and watch Luffy run away from Usopp, shouting and hollering as the later tried to catch him. Jinbe stood behind the wheel of the ship, periodically looking over his should at the commotion behind him. And of course, Zoro was lost to it all, sleeping like the dead in one of his many naps.
"What is there to be confused about, Nami?" Robin pressed on. "Certainly not how you must feel for him? I mean for one, out captain is quite attractive, wouldn't you say?"
Nami still said nothing and just continued to watch, while trying (and failing) to tamp down the flush that was starting to rise on her face.
"And it isn't unpleasant to imagine him in situations like the one on page two hundred and fifty three of that book in your lap. How did that scene go? 'His lips gently ghosting just under her navel, he trailed soft kisses down her belly creeping closer to her core. His arms delicately spread her legs, the sight of his head between her thighs burned itself into her memory, and the feel of his tongue against-'"
"Is the only reason you let me borrow these books to get me to imagine racy scenes with Luffy?" Nami snapped, turning her head to pin her raven-haired friend with a dark glare.
"So you have imagined yourself being with Luffy in those kinds of situations then?" Robin shot back, bringing her hands to her mouth as she giggled.
Nami clamped her mouth shut, face burning.
"Imagined him 'dipping to plant a kiss on her core, moving his tongue in light circles around-'"
"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, burying her red face in her hands while Robin fell victim to a wave of laughter.
"Oh Nami, I'm only teasing. Just trying to lighten the mood a bit. Don't be so embarrassed."
"It is embarrassing though!"
"Why? You're a beautiful young woman and he's an incredibly handsome young man. You two have an incredible friendship and he's a staple in your life. Why is it embarrassing that you'd imagine him like that? That you'd imagine the both of you like that?"
"B-because he's Luffy!" Nami sputtered.
Robin tilted her head at Nami, evaluating her. "Is that why you're confused? Because it's Luffy?"
"Well, yeah! Because it's Luffy," Nami replied. Robin remained silent, but Nami knew she was expecting an answer. She sighed softly and leaned back against her chair, so she could stare up at the sky through her dark sunglasses. "It's just…I don't know how to explain it. Last night was so different. So bizarre that I have a hard time even believing it happened. Luffy changes like the currents in the ocean from one minute to the next, but last night was abnormal even for him. When he held me like that…and said those things like that…and kissed me and everything else, it was like he was a different person almost…"
"I see," Robin said after a short pause. "So you're confused because you haven't been paying attention."
"I – what?" Nami said incredulously, glancing at her friend.
"You're an incredibly intelligent woman, Nami. But even the smartest of us can miss things," she said softly, her gaze wandering over the deck.
"What do you mean by that?"
Robin turned back toward Nami, "Only that you're confused because you think Luffy's behavior was strange last night, because he was so attentive and caring and gentle with you. I don't find it strange in the least because there's nothing strange about it, because I've been paying attention to both him, and you."
Nami looked at her quizzically.
Robin smiled and shook her head, "I'm surprised you didn't notice. Luffy's different with you."
"What are you talking about? He loves all of us."
"Yes, he loves all of us, and we all love him. He's our friend, our captain, and to many of us, or all of us, our savior. But that doesn't mean that our relationships with him are all the same," Robin replied. "For instance, both Zoro and yourself are the two people closest to Luffy in the crew. You were the first two to join with him, Zoro is his right hand and his first mate, and you are his navigator who directs his ship to where it needs to go. That's no secret and there's no shame in that."
"But Usopp-"
"Yes, Usopp is his friend. They do all types of silly things together. And so does Chopper. But they are not Zoro, nor are they you." Robin looked at Nami, whose face twisted into troubled thought. She swung her legs over the side of the beach chair she was relaxing on and leaned forward, grabbing Nami's hands in her own. Nami's gaze drew to Robin. "As I said, all of us have different relationships with Luffy. Luffy has impacted us all in different, extraordinary ways that wound up with us riding this ship on his insane journey of dreams.
"It's fine, Nami, for you to have a different relationship with Luffy. We all do. I would say that I'm closer to you than I am to Sanji for instance. Which is just fine. It doesn't make him and I friends any less. It's fine that you and Zoro are closer to Luffy than anyone else. He's got enough room in his heart for everyone on this ship, and then some. There's not any reason for you to feel bad about that. Nobody holds anything against you or Zoro for that."
Robin smiled at Nami, who still looked a bit unconvinced, before letting go of Nami's hands and returning to recline on her beach chair.
"Regarding Luffy's attention to you, specifically last night, he's always been like that. Perhaps it's instinctual, as you tend to gravitate towards him especially in times of trouble. He tends to keep an eye on you, or something to that effect. Not that he views you as weak or doesn't respect your strength," Robin said, the last bit to quell an indignant expression that had made its way on Nami's face. "Let me finish before you make any judgements."
Nami nodded her assent, and Robin smiled with her acquiescence.
"As I said, Luffy tends to keep a closer eye on you than anyone else, though I don't think it's necessarily an active intention on his part. Sometimes it is, but other times he just does it... Again, I think it has a lot to do with how you gravitate to him. In times of duress, you lean to him. We all do, but you lean exclusively to him. Zou, for instance. When we first met up again on Zou, you ran right towards Luffy. You've known Zoro and Usopp just as long, or almost as long, as you have known Luffy, but it was Luffy you ran to. Was his reaction to you then any different than last night?"
Nami thought back to Zou, about how scared she was because an Emperor was responsible for the kidnapping of one of their crew, about how guilty she felt because even after training for two years to prevent exactly what had just happened she was able to do nothing about it, about how scared she was that Luffy would be disappointed in them, in her.
She thought about how safe she felt in his arms when she ran right to him and hugged him, about how she felt everything would be okay despite how she was crying, simply because she was with him again. She shook her head in response to Robin's question.
"See? There's plenty of other instances too. Chopper told me of how you guys first met him, when Luffy scaled a mountain with his bare hands in a blizzard carrying you and Sanji on his back to make sure you were both safe, a task that you had originally entrusted him with, according to Sanji.
"And I don't think I'll ever forget the look on Luffy's face when I had told him that you went with Enel on Skypeia. Luffy has always done crazy things, but he does even crazier things when it comes down to the people he cares about, and crazier still when it involves you. Zoro told me about you stealing the Merry just after meeting Sanji." Robin glanced at Nami, smiling deviously.
Nami had the grace to look ashamed, but only just.
"Zoro told me how he suggested that they leave you be. 'No! Nami's going to be our navigator, and nobody else!' he had said then. You've always been his navigator Nami. His, and his alone. He's made that clear to everyone who thought they could take you from him. Arlong, Enel, Shiki. Oh yes, especially Shiki. Have you ever wondered why he was so mad? That he thought he had lost you, and that you gave up on him and didn't believe in him anymore?
"No Nami, his behavior last night was no different than anything else he's ever done in regard to you. He's broken those who have tried to chain you, climbed a mounting with his hands and feet in the middle of a blizzard to save you, fought a man claiming to be God to take you back."
Robin paused another time and turned to consider Nami again. "Not exactly the soft display he may have shown you yesterday though…Tell me Nami, has that hat of his ever found its way onto anybody else's head but yours?"
Nami opened her mouth to answer, but Robin held up her finger to silence her before she spoke.
"No, that time that Usopp took it while Luffy had on his fake afro doesn't count. Has Luffy ever put it on anyone else's head himself? Besides that adorable little girl from Wano, that is."
Nami smiled at the thought of Tama, who had latched onto Luffy during their adventure in the Land of Samurai, and their subsequent war against the Emperor, Kaido. His defeat had led to the cementing of Luffy's status as an Emperor, having already been considered the fifth Emperor following their stint in Whole Cake Island.
"No," Nami answered softly, thoughtfully. "He hasn't."
"Then isn't that your answer?"
Nami smiled a small smile, touched that such a gesture on Luffy's part, to be entrusted with something he considered to be his greatest treasure, would be an act of comfort that was singularly for her. How he had brushed away all of her worries and fears, be it before razing Arlong Park to the ground or on God's ship or on the eve of a fight with one of the four rulers of the sea, it was meant only for her.
She looked up and spied him, laughing and running away from Usopp and Chopper, easily outpacing them as they tried to tag him. She watched as he stopped and called them into a small huddle, hushed whispers now drawing Jinbe's gaze to them as he noticed the lack of noise.
She laughed as Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp managed to procure a mountain of water balloons from seeming thin air and pelt Zoro with them. The formerly sleeping swordsman sprang forth from his position cursing and chased after the trio as they yelled to Jinbe for help. Jinbe, for his part, only laughed as he watched the ongoing.
Robin joined her in laughter, and Nami fleetingly saw a brilliant smile on Luffy's face, one that filled her with warmth for no intelligible reason.
"Seeing him in perhaps a different light, Nami?" Robin asked, noticing the tender look that had befallen the navigators face. She continued as Nami turned sharply to face her, "No, that's not it. You've thought of him in that light for a while now, haven't you?"
Nami took a steadying breath before her reply.
"For so long now," she began quietly, "he's been a pillar in my life. The pillar, having left home on this journey. I suppose you're right, I have always run to him. How could I not? He saved me. I'm free because of him."
Nami paused and thought back to the events at Arlong Park. How frustrating it was because she was trying to save them, couldn't he see? How he had refused to leave and how he had stopped her from stabbing herself any more in that godforsaken tattoo on her shoulder. How she had yelled at him and how he gently placed his treasure on her head and screamed to the heavens that he would help her.
And how he had risen from the ruins and rubble of Arlong's disgusting estate, having broken her tormentor and declared on top of the rusticated stone that he would always be her friend.
Nami pulled her legs up to her chest, hugging them tightly with her arms as she rested her chin on her knees to watch Luffy run around Jinbe to avoid Zoro's wrath.
"I suppose I first noticed it on Weatheria. Maybe I had always been somewhat conscious of it, but I think I first actively noticed it then. We had just gotten separated, and I had been trying to get back to our meeting place, but the News Coo came along and delivered that terrible news. And it hurt. It hurt so much that Luffy had watched Ace die in his arms, and I wasn't even there to help him. And then it hurt that even being there was irrelevant to begin with, I was so powerless on Sabaody, what would I have even done in Marineford to begin with? Besides be a burden to him?
"And what stuck out the most to me, after all the pain and hurt was just how happy and relieved I was that he was alive. Hurting and in pain, but alive. I was just so relieved when he sent us that message, if only because we had indelible proof that he had made it, and that he was okay. I wanted to be better for him. We had just gone with the flow up until that point, and when he needed us – me – the most, I failed.
"I worked every day on that island to make myself better so that when next we met up, I'd be worthy to stand at his side as a member of his crew. To actually be able to do something when the situation called. Because beneath all the bravura and hot air," she shared a quick, sly smile with Robin, "and there is a plethora of bravura and hot air, he needs us. He can't do it alone."
Nami turned to her head to look at Robin, her right cheek resting on her knees.
"I love him Robin. I imagined then what it would have been like if it had been him, not Ace, that Akainu took, and it hurt so much to even consider a world without him. I don't want to see that world Robin, I don't want to wake up and not see his face, his smile. I love him Robin, and I'm scared."
Tears had started to sill from Nami's eyes, traveling down her smooth cheeks and dripping onto her legs beneath her head.
"Why?" Robin asked.
"It could change everything."
"It will change nothing, as I explained. Only reinforce what already existed."
"But what if it goes wrong? What if it goes bad and we're never the same?"
"Nami," Robin gently chided, "don't say things that you don't believe. There will be ups and downs, of course, but you two are too close and care too much for that. The very fact that you love him given how…high maintenance he can be is proof enough that you don't even consider that to be feasible. And we already know that you could light the world on fire and he'd never think any differently of you."
"But the crew-"
At this, Robin chuckled. "Foolish girl. As I said, we've all seen it. We all have different relationships with each other, with him, and we guessed at how the two of you could end up. And how could we even stand between that and call ourselves your friends? What are we really, Nami, other than boys and girls who fell in love with adventure? Is it really that odd that some of us would fall in love with others? Are the two not the same thing? Is falling in love not an adventure? Go for it, Nami. Worry about Luffy and yourself, you'll find no argument among the crew. And no need to worry about a certain cook, either. We both know his act is more for show."
Nami's lips trembled slightly and she gave a choked sob as she held back laughter at the thought of their pervert cook.
"We're pirates Nami. By nature, we do what we will. So do what you will," Robin smiled. "As for your guilt, abandon it. Luffy would never hold such a thing against you, and if you still feel like that then just talk to him."
Robin tilted her head at Nami, and Nami nodded in return. "Good. Now some advice – hurry and dry your tears. Haki is a wonderful thing. Our captain has been antsy for the last five minutes or so to see what's wrong with you, and you know that asking him to be patient is like asking the grand line to exhibit consistent weather patterns. Unless you want to explain to him exactly how you feel at this moment?"
Nami gasped and looked forward, sure enough Luffy was sitting cross legged on the ground near Jinbe staring at her with his lips sucked into his mouth, Usopp and Chopper nowhere to be seen. The second they made eye contact Nami rushed to wipe the tears off her face, and when she pulled her hands away from her eyes Luffy was squatting just in front of her legs on her beach chair, forehead mere inches away from hers.
She yelped in fright at his appearance and recoiled away from him, leaning backwards so that she was pressed against the reclining back of her chair. Not an obstacle for Luffy however, as he simply stretched his neck closer towards her, ignoring the barrier her legs presented to him.
Even the shade from the brim of his hat, which was touching the top of her head because of how close he was, couldn't stop her cheeks from burning due to his proximity. She had half a mind to give him a good thump on top of his rubber head for being much too close but decided not to after seeing his expression.
"Nami," he whispered.
"Luffy," she whispered back.
"Why were you crying?"
"I wasn't crying." Because of you.
"Your eyes are red."
"You're seeing things."
"I felt you crying with my Haki."
"Your Haki was wrong."
Luffy frowned childishly (which was entirely too endearing to Nami, she decided) and turned to Robin. "Robin, why was Nami crying?"
"She was? I must not have noticed."
"But you were talking."
"We were," Robin responded.
Luffy reached down towards the deck and picked up Nami's book, which had fallen off the side of her chair in her haste to create space between her and Luffy. "Was it because of this?"
"I can't say," Robin said. "I can't remember our navigator crying, Captain."
Luffy turned back towards Nami, this time completely disregarding any concept of personal space such that his forehead was pressed against hers. He examined her closely, and Nami held her breath, hoping that he would just drop it.
"I see," Luffy said sagely, catching both Nami and Robin off guard. "Mystery tears."
There was a brief silence before Nami erupted into laughter, Robin joining her in a fit of giggles.
"What?" Luffy asked confusedly, looking back and forth between the pair as they laughed.
"Nothing," Nami said, pushing him back causing him to fall backwards on his rear on the chair. "You're such a goofball."
"I am not!"
"You are too!"
Luffy opened his mouth to respond again, but a lightbulb seemed to go off in his head and his eyes widened.
"Nami!" he exclaimed, excited all of a sudden.
"What?" she retorted, happy that he dropped his earlier line of questioning and had moved on, albeit randomly, as is his wont.
He grinned a big grin and started to bounce happily, shaking the chair with his movement. "Come play with us!"
"What? No!"
"Why not?" he asked scandalized, as if appalled that she'd even think to turn him down.
"Because," she huffed in response, "I'm relaxing and sunbathing. I can't do either running around with you!"
"But Nami," he whined, "you do that every day! Come play with us!"
"I don't want to!" Nami shot back.
Luffy puffed out his cheeks in frustration at her continued refusal, which Nami found rather cute if she was being honest. She cocked her head when he stretched an arm out behind him grabbing something from across the deck. Her eyes widened when she recognized what it was.
"Don't. You. Dare." she growled.
"Come play, then," he said back.
"I don't want to," she said through gritted teeth.
Luffy grinned a mischievous grin and moved his hand over her head, the blue water balloon in his grip pulsing as he flexed his fingers around it.
"Luffy, if you even think about popping that balloon on me, I'll hit you through the Sunny."
"But Nami," he said, smiling wider, "you'll have to catch me first."
Pop.
Her eyes widened as the freezing cold water splashed over her head, and in that instant, she completely understood why Zoro had chased Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all across the ship. She closed her eyes and took a deep, steadying breath in an attempt to control her anger, but it was moot as soon as the cold seawater made its way from her head down her back and chest.
"Luffy!" She yelled in rage, opening her eyes again and taking a mighty swing at him with her right hand.
She missed, of course, as he was no stranger to her fury and knew better to stick around to experience it. He dodged her blow easily and took off across the deck. Robin and their talk momentarily forgotten, Nami chased after him while he laughed hysterically.
She didn't hear Robin's chuckling, nor did she see a knowing glance the archeologist shared with Zoro.
She chased Luffy in circles around the main mast, before following him up the steps to the foredeck where he circled Jinbe, trying to hide from her wrath behind the fishman before bolting away yet again. Luffy sprinted back down the steps past Usopp and Chopper, who were sitting near the railing of the ship creating more water balloons.
"Gimme those!" Nami shouted, scooping up a pile of water balloons from the pyramid the two were creating.
"Hey!" they both shouted in protest, only to be quelled by an evil look Nami threw over her shoulder, causing the two to hug each other in fright.
Nami threw a water balloon at Luffy, which he easily dodged as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Another three Nami threw at her captain's back, and another three he dodged with ease, all sailing over his shoulder as he moved towards the aft of the Sunny.
A "yohohoho" signified that they had passed by Brook, and his "that's dangerous, Nami-san" was met with silence as she had tunnel vision at the moment, entirely focused on catching her prey.
Her next throw also missed Luffy, who had now made his way up the side steps leading to her precious mikan trees near the stern of the ship. He turned and began to climb the steps backwards, still easily keeping away from her clutches. She only had two water balloons left.
He stuck his tongue out at her and teased her with his hands on the side of his head, like a child would. In his mirth, he took too large a step and his heel caught the top of the staircase. A look of surprise flitted across his face before he tumbled backwards.
Yes! Nami thought, she sprinted as fast as she could taking the steps two at a time, reaching the top just in time to catch Luffy rolling over preparing to get back up and begin running.
She lunged at him and tackled him. They rolled over a few times, before Nami managed to stop their movement, her straddling his waist looking down at his smiling face. She grinned a devious grin and held up the two water balloons she managed to keep a hold of while they tumbled. A look of shock crossed his face as she held them over his head and popped them right in that stupid face of his.
He sputtered and coughed as the seawater drenched him. Quickly, while he was distracted, she grabbed his hat off of his head and stood before taking a few steps away.
"Hey!" he shouted, sitting up from his spot on the ground.
"What?" she smiled coquettishly, turning back to him. "I am a thief, you know."
He smiled another large smile, a radiant smile that made her heart take an extra beat. "I know."
And she ran. As fast as she possibly could down the steps on the other side of her mikan trees, opposite of where they had climbed up and, head headed once again to the bow of the ship. She was distinctly aware that he could have caught her with ease, just as she was distinctly aware of how he would have never stumbled like that to begin with, or how he could have easily righted himself while falling or after he had already fallen.
"Luffy's different with you."
She was at the middle of the ship when she felt his rubber arm wrap firmly around her waist. She squealed as he picked her up and pulled her to him. She hugged his hat firmly against her chest, as if it was the most precious thing in the world to her.
A short moment later and she was pressed against his chest, forehead to forehead with Luffy. They laughed together as he spun her in the air, and when he put her gently back down on the deck she jammed his hat back down on his head, forcing his head down.
They continued to laugh.
He brought his head back up to meet her and pressed his head against hers again.
"Nami," he called softly, breathing steadily as if he hadn't just run all over the ship.
"What?" she asked, panting from the exertion of keeping up with him and trying to regain the breath she had lost laughing.
"Save me," he whispered, grinning.
She pulled her head back in confusion as he unwrapped his arm from her waist. And then her eyes widened as he jumped up to the rail of the ship.
Their eyes met for a long moment, and he grinned even wider before putting his hand on top of his head, intending to keep his hat in place.
And then he jumped.
She gasped, running forwards to the rail and looking down at the water even as landed with a large splash. She saw his grinning face as he started to sink.
"Luffy!" she yelled. She didn't even hesitate before diving in after him.
Just before she hit the water, she heard yells from the ship, but then only silence as the water enveloped her. The salt water stung her eyes briefly as she opened them to find her captain drifting slowly downward, still gripping his hat to his head and still grinning.
Idiot.
She heaved downwards, easily swimming the approximate five feet between them. She hooked one of her arms under his and redirected them, adjusting her body to begin swimming upwards. They broke the surface shortly thereafter, gasping for air. Nami's chest heaved and her lungs burned as she greedily sucked in air.
Uproarious laughter met her ears, and she turned to her right and leveled a withering glare at Luffy, even as they were both still sputtering for air. He missed it though, as his eyes were closed from laughing so hard.
"Luffy!" she yelled, holding him above water.
He continued to laugh, not acknowledging her. They ignored the line of rope Usopp cast towards them, as Luffy was preoccupied with laughing his head off and Nami because she was getting ready to give him the mother of all scoldings.
She turned and walloped him on the head with a mighty blow. "What were you thinking?"
He had the audacity to stop laughing and look at her in confusion, ignoring the curious (and panicked, in the cases of Usopp and Chopper) gazes of the crew above them.
"What?" he asked, as if he had done nothing wrong to warrant her hit.
"What do you mean 'what'?" she scolded, "you could have drowned."
"Nope!" he smiled, "I told you to save me!"
"What does that have to do with anything?" she growled.
"Everything," he laughed. "I knew you were going to save me!"
"How could you have possibly known that?" she retorted angrily, as they continued to bob with the ocean.
"I saw it," he replied, "I knew you'd save me."
She glared at him then, confused by his statement. "Don't ever do that again!"
"But we're ok!"
"That doesn't mean you should have done it!"
He cocked his head at her and raised an eyebrow at her, "C'mon Nami, don't be angry. You know it was fun!"
She turned away from him, which was difficult enough while treading water with what basically amounted to dead weight on her back. "It was not."
He laughed again, softer this time and whispered gently in her ear. "I told you Nami, I know you. You can't lie to me."
She shivered with his breath on her ear, and turned back to him and glared, unwilling to concede that while he did almost give her a heart attack, it was fun.
Luffy suddenly pulled her close to him and stretched his free arm up to the ship, pulling them out of the water with less force than usual due to the weakening effects of the ocean on his body.
They popped over the railing, and Luffy put her down gently, while he sat on the rail. She turned to him, and as she opened her mouth, he took his hat from his head and pressed it gently down on hers, her head sinking slightly with the pressure of his hand.
She reached up with both hands and grabbed the rim of the hat on both sides of her head, surprised by his actions. She lifted her head so she could see him under the brim of the straw hat. She was caught off guard by the intensity of his stare.
"Are you happy, Nami?"
"Huh?" she sputtered, confused by his question.
He sat before her in silence, monitoring her, waiting for her answer. She was confused, until she realized the source of his worry. He saw me crying…
"Luffy's different with you."
"Of course, I'm happy!" she replied earnestly, a bit desperately in order to ease his concern.
He regarded her sternly momentarily, as if searching her. She suddenly felt very exposed under his gaze, still clutching at his hat as water dripped from her body onto the deck. She distinctly noticed that none of the crew were near them at the moment, having vacated shortly earlier, perhaps of Robin's accord.
Then he grinned widely, a big grin that made her stomach tumble in circles and opened his mouth to say something to her.
And a drop of rain landed between them. Both of them stared at the ground where it had landed. A chill ran up Nami's spine and she looked to the sky, still clear of any clouds. The sun shined on them brightly.
She glanced at Luffy, who was still looking at the sky. Quickly she turned away from him, his hat on still on her head. She ran towards her room to get her jacket.
"Everyone!" she yelled as she ran, "to your positions! Hurry! There's a big storm on the way!"
A door opened behind her.
"Hm? Really?" Franky's voice reached her. "There's not a cloud in sight!"
She bolted across the lawn to reach the Girl's Quarters under the foredeck of the ship, slamming open the door and rushing to her closet. She pulled out a light, white raincoat and slipped it on before speeding towards her door.
"Idiot," she heard Sanji call to Franky, "if Nami says it, it must be true."
She ignored them and took a quick right, up one of the two staircases on either side of her and Robin's room. She took the stairs two at a time, preparing to bark out orders to Jinbe at the helm as well as the rest of the crew. She noticed that Robin had already used her ability to slip their beach chairs in their room along with their towels and books.
The moment her foot touched the top step, the world was swallowed by darkness.
A bolt of lightning lanced brilliantly across the sky, arcing like a serpent through the clouds that had suddenly appeared and swallowed up the sun. Thunder boomed, exploding in a massive blast that rattled the ship.
Then came the wind, a ferocious sustained gust that swept across the sea with the force of a furious hurricane. Nami struggled to keep her balance.
The rain came next, in driving sheets that chilled her to the bone. Another arm of lightning danced across the sky, illuminating the sea with the fury of the heavens. She struggled to the rail behind the helm that overlooked the grass lawn and the back of the ship.
When she finally was able to maintain her balance long enough to reach the rail, she began to bark orders to the crew.
"Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Chopper, Brook," she yelled mightily. They all looked up at her, "Reign in the sails. Zoro, Sanji, Franky, you three take the main sails. Chopper, Brook, you take the foremast! Robin, use your ability to make sure they don't fall off!"
"Aye!" they all yelled in unison, scurrying off in a cacophony of motion to complete their task.
She turned to Jinbe, "Jinbe, to thirty degrees to port! We'll ride the current out and away from this mess!"
"No."
Luffy's voice was quiet, but intense. It carried across the entire ship, despite the howling wind and the booming thunder and the pelting rain.
Everyone on the ship froze.
"Luffy!" Nami yelled, both her and Jinbe turning towards the lion figurehead of the Thousand Sunny, where its captain stood resolute. "Luffy, this storm is bad! We have to get out of here! We risk capsizing the ship if we stay in this weather too long, we're bound to get a rogue wave!"
Another harsh gust of wind blew across the ship, stronger than any before it. Nami quickly grabbed the sides of his treasured straw hat, pulling it down desperately to keep it on top of her head.
"We do nothing."
"Luffy!" she yelled, furious at his refusal to heed her words. Her. His navigator. The one person you were supposed to listen to without question, outside of the captain. "Luf-"
"No. The only people that tell this ship where to go are the people on it."
Thank you everyone that reviewed the first chapter. They were all very kind, and much appreciated. Hopefully this chapter lives up to the previous one. Unless you hate cliffhangers, because then it might not. Mistakes should be snuffed out, but if you notice any, let me know and I'll try to fix it. Review please!
Until next time!