Chapter 3: A World Of Its Own
The sound of the ocean was the first thing she recognized, along with the hot sensation of sand being pressed against her back. Darkness evaded as blazing sunlight shone through her closed eyelids. Her thick eyelashes fluttered before they slowly lifted up, causing her pupils to meet the sight of a cloudless cerulean sky.
Her entire body felt sore, especially her arms and legs. Her throat and lips were torrid and felt like they were on fire, her clothes and hair were damp, and even her eyes still stung a little from being forcefully pushed beneath the water multiple times. She raised her arm up warily to try and create a shadow over her face, hoping to lessen the effulgence of the sun's glare, but weakly grunted as she realized her arm was being held back by something. She glanced over to the side and was met face-to-face with an unconscious Usopp.
Relieved that they hadn't separated during the night, but worried about how he was still passed out, Nami hastily undid his bandanna's knot so that their arms were no longer bound together, and placed a hand over his parted lips. She could feel little wisps of air being calmly exhaled, so at least he was still breathing. Her shoulders sagged in alleviation that they'd both survived a destructive storm, but now she needed to figure out just where they'd landed.
With a raspy cough she took in her surroundings and observed that they were indeed on a beach of some kind, but were completely desolate and laying very close to where the water gently lapped against the sandy shore. Behind them were elongated trees, and from within echoed the faint sounds of birds, many of which Nami didn't recognize. The temperature was luckily not too high, matching only the heat of a normal day on a Spring Island. A soft breeze whispered across her skin, which had slightly darkened from laying beneath the sun. Her stomach growled, and her dry throat thirsted for water. She couldn't lay here all day; now was the time to move.
"Usopp," she whispered with a shake of his arm. He remained motionless.
"Usopp!" Her voice was raised, but he didn't even twitch. Growing aggravated, she slapped him across the face.
"USOPP!"
With a startled cry, the sharpshooter sat straight up as if he was an undead suddenly coming back to life. He rubbed his hand over his aching cheek and glared at Nami, who was impatiently staring at him. "What the hell?" he hissed in a cracked voice before he burst into a coughing fit and dramatically fell backwards onto the sand. "Waterrr! I need waterrr!" He shakily raised his arm up into the air as if he could pull water droplets out from the space above him, the other hand clutching his chest to prevent an unforeseen heart attack.
With a shake of her head, Nami stood up and amiably kicked him in his arm, ignoring his protesting whimper. "Usopp, we need to move our asses and figure out where the hell we are. You really want to lay out here and die?" Her voice had risen in volume, but not at the shouting level she usually used when lecturing or getting pissed off at the crew. Even though she'd rested throughout the night, her body still felt exhausted and she simply didn't have the energy to yell.
With a defeated whine Usopp at last forced himself to stand up and staggered over to Nami's side, shoulders slumped and arms hanging limply at his sides. It was only then that he noticed the forest in front of them, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Uh, where are we?"
Gritting her teeth, Nami pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath to clear away the frustration. "That's what I was just telling you! Is there still saltwater in your ears?"
Suddenly, images of the night before blasted through the sniper's groggy mind. He remembered the inclement lightning, heavy rain, and falling off the ship after Nami. Everything else was a giant blur that involved darkness and water, which sent terrified goosebumps down his back and arm. With a shudder, he lifted his head and apprehensively looked right into his friend's eyes.
"Nami, we're separated from our crew, aren't we?"
"Yes, we are. It was my job to steer you guys to safety, but instead I wound up getting us tossed into the sea." The navigator bit her lower lip and guiltily peered down at her feet like a kid in trouble. "I don't know what happened, but I'm sorry it did."
Usopp placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Hey, it's alright. Besides, if it wasn't for you I'd probably be dead right now, right? You did the best you could, and at least we survived." He grinned with pride. "The great Captain Usopp lives to see another day!"
With an appreciate smile, Nami nodded her head and handed Usopp his bandanna. "Sorry, but I needed to borrow this to make sure we didn't get separated."
The sharpshooter rubbed his fingers through his ebony hair in surprise. "I didn't even notice it was gone!" He rubbed the green cloth against his face like it was his child, while Nami rolled her eyes.
"Come on, we need to move." She gestured for him to follow, which he did as he slipped his bandanna back on and wrapped it securely around his head. They made their way towards the forest and cautiously entered while Usopp's knees shook as they usually did when infiltrating an unfamiliar place where danger could possibly lurk.
[ Dinosaur- They're All Gone]
The moment they stepped into the abundant forest they were swamped by the shadows of trees that loomed high above them, branches stretched outwards like fingers splayed across the sky. An aroma of earth infiltrated their noses as they continued hiking forward, weaving in and out between trees and trying to avoid stepping over roots that had expanded out across the dirt surface. A gentle wind glided amidst the trees that spread a susurrus among the branches and brought a slight chill on the pirates' exposed flesh.
The pair discreetly traipsed through the woodland while eyeing their surroundings for any signs of danger or clues as to where they were. For the most part, the thicket was reticent, with only the occasional bird squawk to disturb the serene atmosphere. The tranquility was almost an unwelcome change compared to how loud and chaotic the Sunny usually was, and it brought about an unexpected moroseness to the two Strawhats.
"Do you think they're okay?" Usopp suddenly asked, breaking apart the awkward silence.
"I don't know," Nami honestly replied. "They may be strong, but the Grand Line is our toughest enemy. We struggled when I was on board, and that obviously didn't turn out so well." She bit her lower lip and pretended to kick a rock as shame settled in. "I don't know how they are going to survive without somebody navigating them. I only hope Robin or Franky can lead them to safety."
It wasn't the answer Usopp was hoping to hear, but it was the truth nonetheless. He playfully punched her arm, hoping for at least some sort of reaction from her. She only peered at him with a raised eyebrow, but it was better than nothing. "You know, our crew does have the dumbest luck. I'm terrified for them, but something tells me they will be okay." Nami watched him with interest. "Heck, I've fought Neptune himself, and let me tell you, that bastard was strong, but I was stronger! Of course, I'm the Great and Mighty Usopp, so there wasn't even a challenge for me. However, Luffy and the others are close to my level, so I think they're going to kick ass and find us!" He wasn't entirely sure if he was trying to convince himself or Nami, but either way, it brought a smirk to her face.
"Neptune? Seriously? Is that the best you can come up with?"
"Hey, I'm not lying! It's true, and I'll even challenge all the Gods to take me on if I have to prove it to you!"
"Yeah, yeah whatever!" Nami waved her hand at him to shut him up, but she was glad he was trying to make her feel better. It was the second time he'd done so within the past 24 hours, which was simply too many times in her opinion. She stuck her head in the air, full of renewed determination as she inwardly vowed to stop the self-pity and survive until the rest of their crew found them.
After roaming around for several more minutes, (with the only sound being Usopp's attempt at whistling and trying to create a canorous atmosphere), the ground began to slope upwards into a hill that was concealed by hefty boulders and leaner trees.
"Sheesh, this is a pain in the ass," Nami sighed as she forced her aching muscles to climb uphill. She wiped away a bead of sweat that had gathered on her brow, wishing for nothing more than a place to bathe and a new pair of clothes.
Usopp trudged along in a torpid manner behind her, occasionally grabbing on to a nearby boulder to help steady himself before he could fall face-first into the lumps of dirt and grass surrounding his water-soaked shoes. "I'm hungry," he groaned while aggravatingly swatting away a pesky fly and clutching his grumbling stomach.
"We'll eat as soon as we find something, but we have to keep going," Nami insisted, trying to ignore her own hunger pains as she pushed on. At last she reached the top of the hill, her hands on her knees to catch her breath before staring up. When she did she was left gaping in wonder, her eyes wide as saucers. "Usopp," she at last managed to say. "You need to come see this."
Unsure as to what could Nami could be talking about, the sharpshooter raised a questioning brow but continued to walk, hoping that maybe she had at least seen some food or even a town. When he made it to her side, he stared ahead, and found himself slack-jawed at the sight before him.
A protracted river of the brightest cerulean curved for what appeared to be miles. Flamingos stood in the water, perfectly balanced on one leg as a flock of bright ivory birds flew above them. Numerous hills could been viewed in the distance, enshrouded on all sides by more trees that swayed gently in the wind and housed multiple fowls that sung their tunes in jovial harmony. A mixture of verdant and azure collided with each other under bright sunlight, creating a scene of paradise.
"Wow," Usopp breathed out in shock. Nami nodded her head in agreement, preparing herself to venture down the hill, but was stopped when she heard a little cheer coming from the man next to her.
[+]
"Nami! There's a city straight ahead!" Usopp excitedly announced, his index finder gesturing directly in front of him and practically quivering in excitement.
Hope pulsed through Nami's veins as she eagerly searched the horizon line for any signs of human life. Sure enough, she spotted a thin cloud of smoke curling itself upwards before vanishing within the air. It wasn't thick enough to be from a fire, so it had to be coming from a building of some sort. "Then I guess that's where we go," she firmly declared.
The two of them exchanged cheerful grins before they nonchalantly descended down the hill, grabbing carefully on to any trees they came across to prevent them from losing their footing. They reached the bottom and briskly headed over towards the direction they'd seen the river, desperate to ease their dry throats and possibly fill their stomachs with fish.
Within moments they reached the water; its surface sparkled like diamonds under the sun's rays and rippled as the flamingos took off, seemingly uninterested in associating themselves with human strangers.
"About damn time!" Nami thought with relief as she bounded towards the water and cupped her hands together before placing them beneath the river. She scooped the water up and sipped it through her mouth, relishing in the moment as cold liquid poured down her throat and seemed to automatically dissipate the heat. A movement from the corner of her eyes captivated her attention, and before she could say anything Usopp trudged through the water with his feet bare, and dove face-first towards the mobile object, splashing her face in the process.
She frowned and wiped away the dripping droplets. "Seriously Usopp?!" She shook her head, feeling like she was reprimanding a child, but was secretly glad at how much the splash had actually cooled her down.
He proudly stood up and showed off his capture- a fish with bright red scales that glistened in the sunlight as it helplessly wriggled around and fought for its freedom. He marched back onto dry land, shaking off any excess water that still clung to his feet. "I suppose we should get a fire started huh? Now, let's see..." He looked around for any possible materials while Nami splashed water onto her face and tried to rub the sweat and faint dirt streaks off. A shadow suddenly hovered over her, bringing a cooling sensation to her back as the sun's heat was temporarily blocked. Goosebumps crawled up her arm as she noticed that above her reflection was a creature that stared straight at her.
With a squeak, she spun her head around, mouth dropped open in shock. A large yellow bird that looked to be a crossover between a duck and peacock peered down at her with a smile on his bill. "Ka!"
Nami hesitantly stood up and placed a hand against the side of the bird's beak. It closed its eyes and nudged against her palm, content and happy, while Nami stared at him in disbelief. "Biri? Is that you?"
Just so you guys know, Biri is a character from the 10th One Piece Movie, Strong World. He's basically a yellow bird with a long yellow peacock tail, red feather on his head, red around his eyes, a duck's beak, and conducts lightning. The English translation is Billy, but they call him Biri in the movie, which I think sounds much better.