Author's Note: Man has it been a while. I can already feel the rust stinting my writing's zenith. But I'm going to push through. So I hope at least some of you stuck with me up to this point.
Schools been hell but summer is nearly here. Can't wait to have some extra free time! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Check out my friend "davidjoker's" stories as well as anyone else on my friends list. Sorry again for the incredibly late chapter. Hope you're still interested enough to drop me a nice little review! Enjoy!
This takes place parallel to Luffy's chapter so keep that in mind.
(Nami)
As Nami applied cover-up to her bruised lip, she couldn't help but stare at her reflection with a solemn look. Not looking forward to the date she was preparing for, she thought to herself the way she frequently did, about how she ended up in her situation.
Not just the 'dating a guy you don't love' kind of situation. It was more like 'dating the incarnation of the devil' kind of situation. Shitty circumstance, right?
"How did things get so screwed up?" she asked herself while dabbing the finishing touch of cover up onto a bruise. It blended into her face as best it could so her work was done. She walked out of her room and out of the now empty house. Nojiko had recently left for work so Nami didn't have to explain that she was going out to see him.
As she waited for the bus, the orangette couldn't help but chastise herself. "You let it get this far. It's all your fault." After these thoughts sank in, her subconscious immediately began to defend itself.
"How could I have known Arlong was such a maniac?Don't all people look the same anyway? I mean you can look more intimidating but that doesn't say much about your personality. You can look tough but be a softie and vice versa. Evil is hidden behind the most ordinary of faces."
She knew she had a point. After all, it's not like you can tell who's an abusive person just by looking at them. All people are capable of violence, cruelty, and manipulation. She just happened to find someone who mastered them all.
"And yet if all people are capable of this, then that can also be said about Luffy, right? He probably would have turned out just like Arlong. Weather he wanted to or not. All men probably eventually become like that. Cruel, abusive, or just plain selfish. So it's actually Luffy's fault. Not your fault at all" Nami battled inside her self-conscious.
She frequently looked to place blame but recently, her problem's source had been difficult to locate. "It eventually happens in every relationship. Right? Or is it actually my fault for bringing him into my screwed world? Or is it Arlong's fault for being such a monster in the first place?"
The bus arrived and although it pulled into a normal bus stop on a normal sunny day, in Nami's eyes, it looked like the ferry across the River Styx. She got on in a begrudged manner before taking her seat and zoning out past her window. Arlong was waiting at the last stop so Nami closed her eyes and let the fatigue of her seemingly endless strife wash over her.
Nami dreamt about of her late adopter Bellemere. She was a redheaded woman and a nurse in the marines. She never forgot to mention that she joined the corps because she didn't want to sit idly by while people around the world suffered and needed help. After a brutal battle was fought on an unknown continent, she was apparently tending to a wounded man in the middle of a decimated town when she heard the faint crying of a baby.
Following the noise, Bellemere stumbled upon a blue haired girl of no more than six holding an orange haired baby no older than two. "Is this your sister?" Bellemere asked, earning a negative nod from the blue haired child. "I just found her."
Moved to tears by the fact that in such a gruesome place, such innocence could survive, she brought the two girls back to base where she eventually adopted and began to raise the pair. These two girls were Nami and Nojiko. After hitting a bump in the road, Nami woke up to unpleasant memories that followed the bittersweet meeting.
They grew up poor but for the most part they were happy. In the eighth grade outside of the school, Nami was being bullied by this group of girls due to how she dressed. Nojiko's hand-me-downs were generally all she wore because it was what they could afford. Before she could be physically hurt, a high-schooler named Arlong came in and stopped them. Nami being as young as she was, was mesmerized by his bravery and kindness. They began to hang out more with Nami not caring that he, 1) was three years older than her, and 2) barely ever went to school and instead, just hung out with his 'crew'.
Nami invited him over to her place one day after she got out of school to hang out. Sitting at the table together, the pair were interrupted when Bellemere came home and entered the kitchen. Looking at the two wearily before letting her gaze settle on the young male, she asked who he was.
"Arlong, Mom. He's my boyfriend" Nami answered with a smile as she grabbed his hand across the table. Arlong slipped his hand away from hers and with an evil smirk said, "Yo, what's up lady. Hot daughter ya got here."
Bellemere's eyes widened before she spoke in a deadly serious tone, "Arlong, you'll have to leave. I need to speak to Nami alone. Also it's almost dinner time."
"Shahahaha, no grub before I bounce? What bullshit. Alright lady but I'll be back."
As he walked out of the room and Bellemere followed him to the door, she opened it and uttered a "No you won't because you're not welcome here anymore" and shut the door on him.
"What the hell! Are you serious right now?! What is your deal!?" Nami complained as her surrogate mother just scoffed.
"I've seen guys like that before Nami. Sometimes even overseas when I was a marine. They're very bad news. Besides you can do way better. In looks and in personality. Did you see his manners? You need someone who will do anything for you and that type of guy isn't Arlong."
Nami couldn't believe what she was hearing. Staring at her mother wide eyed, she yelled a loud "This is bullshit" before running upstairs to her room.
Sighing loudly, Bellemere sat down at the table and lit a cigarette. One day she would understand. "One day" she thought.
Nami went without food for the night as she didn't want to see Bellemere. She also hurried out of the house that morning and was off to school. However what happened next would change everything for the orangette.
While Nami was in school, Arlong and his crew went to her house and beat Bellemere to death. They made an effort to hide the body but neighbors anonymously called the police after hearing struggles coming from the house. Arlong was arrested as the prime offender but the only one personally notified was Nami since Nojiko was at work when the news was given. She told Nojiko herself but unable to deal with the grief of fighting with her redheaded mother and the guilt she felt, she told her sister that a car accident claimed her life.
It took much time for Nami to heal emotionally and even then, life was rough and the wounds scarred. Nojiko had to attend night school to get her degree and worked a day job seven days a week. But she didn't mind. It was better than receiving support from the government and risking being separated from her sister.
After remembering the event that permanently damaged her for life, Nami recalled her junior year of high school. She was doing really well academically as usual but the anomaly was that she was dating Roy. Roy Turner was captain of the baseball team, although that wasn't what sold him for Nami. He was almost six feet tall with chestnut messy hair and green eyes.
To catch the orangette's interest, Roy set up a scavenger hunt that utilized maps that ended up leading to an invitation to the fall invitational dance. He did his research and learned that she loved maps so how could she say no.
Nami liked him not solely because of his personality or looks but due to the fact that he was the kind of guy Bellemere described all those years ago. He had a clear direction in life, as a possible major league player. His fall back option was to be a nurse. He treated Nami well and they both had fun times together. He was well mannered and for the first time in years, she was happy.
This however did not last long as towards the end of the year, Roy showed up to Nami's house with a broken arm, bruised lip, and two black eyes. Before Nami could even ask what happened, Roy said "Your old boyfriend did this. Your real boyfriend. Why'd you have to play me like that? Well he said he'd kill me if I didn't dump you. So that's what I'm doing. You're not nearly worth the trouble, Nami."
He limped away as best he could as tears rolled down her face. She followed after him until she was a half street away from her house but he never looked back. She didn't understand. Roy WAS her boyfriend. Who would have done this? Suddenly, Nami felt cold hands clasp onto her shoulders. She jolted at the sudden contact and turned to see a smug looking Arlong.
Her breath hitched in her throat as he laughed his poisonous, "Shahahaha" laugh. "He was rude, yeah? Well that's what he gets for tryin to steal ma girl. Pipsqueak's lucky I aint killed him, Shahahaha."
"Ho-..How are you here, bastard. You got life in prison!?" Nami stammered beyond shocked.
"I broke out for ya babe. Be happy. Now I can keep ya forever. Ya belong to me now so no more of this silly shit, got it?"
She couldn't believe what she was hearing. This monster wouldn't let her go. How could the police let him get back to her? It was beyond unjust and just sickeningly wrong.
"I'll go to the police. What makes you think I'd submit to you?" threatened the orangette before she was smacked by Arlong. She went to fall before he violently grabbed her by the cheeks with one hand and squeezed.
"Bitch if ya tell any of the fuzz, then I'll kill ya sister. Hear me? Then you're next. Don't even tell her anything about me after I'm ya man. You wouldn't want a repeat of mommy dearest do ya?" he threatened as he released Nami to her knees.
Tears streamed down from her face as she shook violently. Her fate was sealed. She would forever be victim to Arlong. She tried her best to make things right but evil wouldn't give up on her.
"Shahahah" Arlong laughed before walking away, leaving Nami to cry on the curb in hopelessness.
As the bus pulled up to the final stop, Nami saw Arlong and his cronies waiting for her. They moved their base to the next town over to avoid getting caught by the police. Nami also had to change schools after the incident with Roy to avoid further suspicion so now, she had to finish out her high school career as well as begin the rest of her life chained down by this creep. But at least she met Luffy and his friends before the nightmare was over.
Arlong looked at her unhappily as she got off the bus. When she got close enough, Arlong scolded her with a, "You're late, bitch" as he slapped her onto the floor causing the cover up on her lip to become useless. Another cut could be seen blossoming.
Nami got up slowly as she held her face. Her mind actually soothed her by saying "At least he hasn't touched you sexually yet. You're safe until graduation per the agreement so take these little blows until then. After that, well let's not think about it."
She didn't actually care about herself anymore. She knew her fate was anchored with stone, the moment she made the mistake of speaking to Arlong. She knew that now and nothing could undo that. Just like nothing could undo the murder of Bellemere. And nothing could undo what happened to Luffy, or the feeling she had for him.
Author's Note2: Okay so I feel like this was sooooooo rusty. Seriously I'm so terrible now, all of you stop reading! No just playing but I'm going to work harder in the future so that my quality never drops this low again and I never miss this many updates again. Who needs school anyways lol?
Yeah so this was mostly backstory. There isn't any comedy so I'm sorry for that but this was necessary. So, sorry again and drop a review please. Stick around for more stories and see you around!
Edited- 8/5/16