Chapter 3: Nami
Zoro woke up the next morning and the first thing he noticed was that there was an arm on his chest. The second thing he noticed, was who the arm belonged to. Luffy was splayed out beside him, his arms flung out to either side and his mouth wide open as he snored.
Zoro raised an eyebrow and carefully removed the arm before peeking into the box that had, until Luffy had woken up for a midnight snack, contained their food.
All that was left was a carrot. A carrot for God's sake! Zoro groaned and Luffy stirred, closing his mouth and bringing a hand up to rub across his face. Annoyed, Zoro grabbed the carrot out of the bottom of the box and threw it at Luffy's head. Luffy woke with a shout and rubbed his nose, the spot where the carrot had hit.
"Is it raining?" he asked and looked around. Zoro smirked.
"Yeah. It's raining carrots."
"Yuck, I hate carrots. They're so- wait a minute… Heey! You threw the carrot that I left last night at me!" Luffy yelled pouting. "Whaddija do that for? Wanna fight?"
"You couldn't take me on even if I did let you pipsqueak." Zoro retaliated, smirk still firmly in place. Luffy's pout intensified.
"Could too! You watch!" and he launched himself at Zoro, who, thinking that Luffy couldn't even throw a punch let alone hurt anyone, merely stood there.
Boy was he mistaken. Luffy's fist landed squarely on his jaw and sent him backwards into the ground. Zoro gasped and sat up, his hand over the now throbbing area and eyes wide. Luffy stepped back, a triumphant smile on his face.
"See?" and he went back to lean against the tree. "I've got a punch like a pistol." and he chuckled.
"Where did you learn to hit like that?" Zoro asked. Luffy shrugged.
"My brother."
"Your-" Zoro began but he was cut off by a loud shout.
"HEY! It's Roronoa Zoro!" a female voice called. Zoro turned quickly and his eyes narrowed as he saw that damn bitch who just would not leave him alone. Tashigi.
She also fought with a sword and during their last battle, Zoro had beaten her hands down in the rain. She was getting out of a dark blue police car, her uniform tight to her body and her hand on the sword at her side. Zoro frowned and grabbed Luffy's arm.
"Come on, we have to go now." he said and then ran, Luffy right behind him.
"GET BACK HERE!" Tashigi yelled and then there was the sound of sirens.
"Move it!" Zoro yelled and ran faster. Luffy squeaked and then had to make his legs move double time to keep up with his newfound friend.
There was the crack of a gun and Zoro instinctively ducked and then jumped behind a parked car. There was a shout and then Luffy dived in behind him.
"What are you doing?" a feminine voice asked. The two looked up to see an orange haired woman looking down at them from inside the car, one eyebrow raised delicately. Zoro glanced at Luffy, who was obviously grinning from ear to ear, rather enjoying all the excitement. The swordsman then looked up at the woman again.
"Lady, we need your car." he said. The woman snorted.
"No way. It'd cost you way more than you can afford." she retaliated. Zoro frowned and then pulled the sword he had named Wadau from it's sheath.
"Damnit woman, either get out or I'll cut the damn thing in half!" he yelled.
"Zoro." Luffy said, his voice suddenly very serious and a slight warning tone to it. Zoro turned back and saw the dark look Luffy threw him. He sighed.
"Please, get out of the car." he repeated.
"HEY!" a Tashigi yelled as she appeared at the other end of the street and looked straight at them. Zoro didn't waste a second as he grabbed the car door's handle and opened it.
"Move over!" he yelled and shoved the woman to the other side of the car. She gave an indignant shout, but Zoro's sword was still out and no way was she gonna tango with a loony and his sword. "Get in Luffy!"
"Uh, right." Luffy squeaked before opening the back seat door and diving in. Zoro had the car going in mere seconds and pressed the accelerator nearly to the floor. The car jumped forward and skidded down the street, it's wheels screeching. A gunshot ricocheted off the back of the car and the woman shrieked.
"You owe me two thousand dollars for that!" she yelled. Zoro snorted. Luffy popped up between them.
"Hi, I'm Monkey D Luffy, who are you?" he asked. The orange haired woman raised an eyebrow.
"Nami." she responded. "Who's he? And why did he forget to take his pills this morning?"
"Pills? Zoro, do you have pills?" Luffy asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"No! I don't have pills!"
"But Nami said-"
"How the hell would she know? Now shut up or I'm gonna run off the road!" Zoro yelled. Luffy giggled and sat back in his seat, ducking low so bullets couldn't reach him. He needn't have bothered for they were out of range of a gun by now but the blaring of the sirens and the flashing of lights could still be seen and heard easily.
"Zoro. I've never been this far away from home before." Luffy muttered, idly picking at a loose thread on his shirt, which, by the way, was looking worse for wear by now. Nami looked over her shoulder at the boy but before she could say anything, Zoro spoke in a soft tone.
"It'll be alright Luffy. I'll take care of you." he said. Nami paused and looked back at the older man, a bemused look on her face. This… man, had yelled at her and threatened to tear her car apart, but yet, he was being so tender towards this boy.
He was either a real softie under all that bravado, or, he was good friends with Luffy. Nami decided she would have to find this out. Climbing carefully into the back seat, she leaned in close and whispered to Luffy,
"How long have you known him?" Luffy thought a moment.
"Two and a half days." he replied and then grinned. Nami sat back, stunned, before she gave the black haired man a calculating look. He noticed and glared at her in the rear view mirror, harsh green eyes narrowed.
He was dangerous, that much she could tell, but she continued to watch him until the sirens of the police faded and the flashing lights disappeared. The car slowed and finally came to a stop on the edge of an abandoned highway.
"Okay lady, get out." Zoro commanded.
"Hey, you can't just leave me here!" Nami replied indignantly. Zoro smirked.
"Sure can. Get out." he repeated. Luffy frowned.
"Zoro…" he warned again. "I don't think we should leave her here. Remember, they're gonna think she's with us, like they did with me." Luffy reminded him. Zoro sighed and bent forward to rest his forehead against the steering wheel.
"Besides, this is my car, so wherever it goes, I go." Nami said before crossing her arms and sitting back in the seat stubbornly. No way was some mamby pamby sword boy with black hair gonna separate her from a very expensive and very stylish car. Zoro's head came up and he turned in the seat.
"Fine. But if you cause any trouble, I swear I will throw you onto the road and leave you here to die." he threatened in a murderous tone. Nami looked back at him with cool brown eyes.
"If you cause any damage to my car, then I'm going to take everything you have to buy a new one." she returned. Zoro snorted.
"Not many cars go for five cents." he replied before turning in the seat, and less dangerously pulling back onto the road.
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It was a long time to the next town. Nami had fallen asleep in the back seat, and Luffy had climbed up front to sit next to Zoro.
"I'm hungry." he stated as though the whole world should know. Zoro sighed and looked out the window.
"Reckon you can chew bark, that's about all we can afford." he replied.
"Eww, I'm not gonna eat a tree… well, not without meat leastways." Luffy commented, resting a finger on his chin. Zoro couldn't suppress the slow smile that spread across his face.
"So, you'd eat a tree if it had meat on it?" he asked. Luffy grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "You're strange Luffy." Luffy laughed, bringing a hand up to rest on his hat as he leaned back. Zoro watched him for a second before looking back at the road. The car rattled for a minute and Zoro cursed.
"We need petrol." he muttered.
"Petrol?" Luffy asked.
"Yeah, to make the car go."
"I knew that!" and Luffy pouted. Zoro sighed and the car rattled again.
"Come on." he growled slapping a palm against the dash.
"There's a jerry can of petrol in the boot." Nami said from the back. Luffy turned and grinned.
"Have a nice sleep?" he asked. Nami gave him a small smile.
"Yeah, until you woke me." she replied. Luffy laughed nervously as he rubbed the back of his head,
"Sorry." he apologised. Nami smiled again. She was beginning to understand why Zoro was nice to Luffy. He was so adorable and so caring, but a little dumb. Spending the entire day travelling with the boy talking to her had been rather enjoyable, considering the circumstances they were in.
"Why didn't you say so?" Zoro muttered as he stopped the car by the side of the road and began getting out.
"I'll get it!" Luffy called. Zoro paused and then smiled.
"Nami will go with you, seeing as it's her car." he said with a nasty smile at the orange haired woman. Luffy grinned.
"Cool!" he cried and jumped out. Nami frowned before following. It was probably a good thing that Zoro had said for her to come out here too, as Luffy almost dropped the can and then tried to pour it in the exhaust pipe, which could have been very dangerous, and when they finally managed to actually get the right hole, Luffy tipped it up too far and petrol ran all over the place, not including the hole.
"Luffy… go and talk to Zoro." Nami muttered as Luffy tried to 'help' again. Luffy pouted and then grinned.
"Okay!" he cried and leapt into the car, slamming the door after him. Nami leaned against the car, the can taking forever to empty it's contents into the tank. She noticed the large grin Luffy was wearing as he chatted happily to the swordsman. He didn't seem the least bit afraid of Zoro, in fact, you could say he seemed a little… enamoured by him.
Nami let a small smile slip onto her face. Just watching the boy, and how well he seemed to interact with Zoro, not to mention herself, she knew he was something special, something different than anything she had experienced before and probably would ever experience again.
All through the day, she had observed Zoro and noted the scowl that seemed permanently glued to his face, but now, watching him through the window, she could also see that he was being affected by Luffy.
He was smiling for one, and laughing too. She looked down and tipped the last little bit of petrol into the tank before putting the lid back on the can and then screwing the cap back on the tank. She dropped the empty can unceremoniously back into the boot and then slammed it shut, half expecting Zoro to drive off without her, but he waited until she got in the car before taking off.
"Okay, let's play a game!" Luffy cried suddenly. Zoro smirked.
"What kind of a game?" he asked. Luffy thought a moment.
"I Spy!" he yelled happily. Nami rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile from rolling across her face any better than Zoro could.
"Who goes first?" she asked.
"Hmm, Zoro! Because he's the driver!" Luffy stated as though it were obvious. Zoro sighed exasperatedly and then looked around, twiddling the wheel a little as they went around a slight curve.
"Hmmm." he hummed as he looked.
"Come on Zoro, you're taking forever!" Luffy moaned as he slumped in the seat.
"Okay, I have one. I spy with my little eye, something beginning with … h." he said. Luffy's mouth twisted with thought as he looked around.
"Hat." Nami stated easily. Zoro glared at her in the rear view mirror. He had obviously meant for Luffy to get it. Luffy whined in the back of his throat and then grinned.
"Nami's turn!" he cried. Nami sighed and looked around again, trying to spot something Luffy could easily guess.
"I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… z." she said picking the easiest and most obvious thing in the car. Luffy hummed as he looked around and then his bright eyes widened as they came to rest on the swordsman.
"Zoro, is it Zoro?" he asked excitedly. Nami nodded and gave him and encouraging smile.
"Yay! Okay, now, I spy with my little eye, something beginning with… c." he said. Nami frowned.
"Car?" she asked. Luffy shook his head, a proud grin on his face. Zoro glanced beside him.
"Car seats?" he asked. Luffy shook his head again, almost fit to burst. Luffy had actually picked something that Nami couldn't guess. Zoro looked around as well and then his eyes came to rest on something under Luffy's chair. A slow smiled crept across his face.
"I know what it is." he teased. Luffy pouted.
"What?" he asked. Zoro smiled and pointed at Luffy's chair.
"CD player." he stated. Luffy grinned widely.
"Yay! Zoro got it!" he cried before moving his arms in some weird dance. Nami chuckled. It was her car and she hadn't even thought about that.
Music! At last, something to do!
"Luffy, down by your seat, in the pocket on the door is a cd case, get it out and give it to me would ya?" Nami asked. Luffy looked for a moment and then twisted in his seat to give the black leather case to her. Nami unzipped it and pulled out a cd. She leaned forward and leaning over Luffy, she pushed it into the tiny slot.
Nami then reached forward towards a small rectangular piece of plastic that covered the little control panel thing. Gently pulling it off, she pressed the play button and the volume. Slowly the sounds of some slow love song came over the speakers. Zoro groaned and let his head fall into the window.
"Break the glass and I'll charge you another thousand in repairs." Nami said absently as she listened to the music. Luffy just stared blankly out the window.
"Why is he asking a random person if they're still his?" he asked suddenly. Nami shrugged.
"He's not asking a random person, he's asking the woman he's singing to. He wants her to know he can't live without her." she replied. Luffy tilted his head.
"Why can't he live without her?" he asked. Nami sighed. Did she have to explain everything to this boy?
"Because when you love someone very much, it hurts when you're away from them. You know?" she replied. Luffy shook his head and Nami groaned, pinching the top of her nose between her fingers.
"How do you feel when you're away from your brother?" Zoro suddenly asked. Nami's head lifted slightly. Was Zoro actually trying to help her? Luffy paused a moment.
"Sad. And my heart hurts." the boy replied softly.
"Right. That's what the guy is saying. He can't live without her, because it hurts so much." the swordsman explained. Nami raised an eyebrow and then a smirk crossed her face. She was beginning to see a pattern here.
"I get it! She's his sister!" Luffy cried. Nami and Zoro groaned loudly.
"Yeah Luf, she's his sister." Zoro muttered. Nami looked at him in the mirror, a smile on her face.
"What are you smiling at?" he snarled. Nami shrugged.
"It's a secret." she replied. Zoro frowned and focused his eyes on the road again. Nami was quite sure she knew what was happening, but, she would let it play out and see if what she thought… would be right.