This chapter is what I dreamed about a long time ago, and the reason why this story exists.
Chapter 13: A True Hero
The first specks of morning light danced across the temple's floor as the sun's rays stretched over tree tops and entered through the temple's opening stone arch. Birds resting in nearby trees were beginning to waken and chirp greetings to each other as they fluttered from their branches and descended to the grassy ground in search of a morning meal. Their little happy songs were carried by the gentle breeze through the entrance of the lone building in the middle of the verdant forest, awakening the slumbering navigator.
Her thick-lashed eyelids fluttered twice before slowly rising up. She noticed right away that she was most certainly not in the same position she'd been in when she'd fallen asleep, for instead of sitting upright with her back against the stone wall she was now laying on her side with her head resting on something soft.
A soft snoring sound was emitted above her. Slowly she turned and saw Usopp still sitting up, looking as if he hadn't so much as twitched throughout the night. The cape didn't even cover him anymore, as it was now enshrouding her body like a blanket. Her head was on his lap, and his arm was draped over her waist.
Nami smiled and decided that whether he had moved her to her current position or not didn't matter. She'd slept pretty decent, and was actually enjoying having her head pressed against him. He was smooth, and even through his pants she could feel heat radiating off of his skin. It was rather comfortable.
Carefully she sat up and covered her mouth with her hands to conceal her yawn. Rubbing her eyes she shifted the cape off of her and wrapped it around him before standing up and stretching her arms out.
"Good morning."
She smirked and looked down at Usopp, who was rubbing the back of his neck and moving his head from side to side. "How'd you sleep?"
He groaned a little as he slowly stood upwards and pushed his hands against his spine, pushing his stomach outward. "I'm a little stiff but I did manage to sleep at least a little. You, on the other hand, slept like a rock." He gave her a teasing grin as he bent down to retrieve his fallen cape.
"And why do you say that?"
"Because you were snuggling against my legs all night. I think I even heard you snore a couple times." He ducked and laughed as she quickly slipped her shoe off and threw it at his head.
"Liar! I do not snore!" Nami stuck her tongue out and walked forward to retrieve her shoe.
Biri himself was just beginning to wake up. The increasing volume of surrounding birds was finally loud enough to rouse him from deep sleep. He opened his large beak to yawn and stretched his feathers out. As he looked down to the forest's floor to see where he could get breakfast from, he noticed three figures walking across the bridge. He didn't recognize them at all.
An unpleasant chill ran up his spine and out to his feathers. He had a bad feeling about these strangers, and needed to warn his friends.
"CAW!"
Both Usopp and Nami froze.
A cry. Biri had spotted somebody.
"Damn, we need to get out of here!" Nami hissed as she quickly slid her shoe back on and grabbed her Climatact, her eyes scanning the entrance of the temple in a hasty panic.
Usopp finished tying his scarlet cape around his neck before firmly grabbing his Kabuto and running towards the entrance with Nami. Both of them were hoping that whoever they came across wouldn't be in large numbers, as Usopp had used most of his pellets up during the previous battle and Nami could only take so many out at a time with her weather attacks.
They ran through the temple's opening and dashed down the stairs. The Straw Hats stopped halfway through their descent when they noticed three people standing at the end of the bridge. Their hearts raced as their eyes set upon the familiar face in the middle.
Lady Margaret stood tall and proud, her ruby lips twisted into a dark smirk. Her golden curls had been pinned up into a bun behind her head; only a few thin wisps stuck out above her forehead. Her eyes glittered dangerously. "Usopp and Nami, I presume?"
Nami took a deep breath to calm her nerves down and pointed her Climatact towards the city's most powerful woman. "And to what do we owe this pleasure?" she sneered, her scowl deepening as she recognized the man with the ponytail standing loyally next to his leader.
Her eyes narrowed. She should've known that he giving her the ball tickets was part of some stupid plan.
"Do we somehow know you?" Usopp asked with confusion evident in his tone. He was aware of who she was, but why she seemed to be seeking them out was rather odd. He noticed the black-haired man on her right side was the same one who had announced her arrival at the dance.
"Oh, we aren't on familiar terms, but I believe you know my brother very well." The blonde woman held her head up and jutted her chin up. Her eyes flickered with anger. "Shiki."
An involuntary gasp escaped Nami's mouth. She forced her legs to remain upright so she didn't stumble backwards in shock. Behind her Usopp made a similar noise and she could've sworn she heard him gulping. "Shiki is your brother?" she managed to breathe out at last, her grip tightening on her Climatact.
"Indeed. In fact, that sword in the temple behind you used to be his. After his capture, the Marines cruelly took the blades out of his legs so he couldn't walk anymore, and decided that maybe I would want a little memento to take from him. What idiots!" she spat, her beauty transformed into an ugly scowl. "I played those fools rather well, thinking that my brother got what he deserved and I would help them capture more Pirates like him. They'll do anything for a powerful woman with a pretty face."
Nami frowned and looked at Usopp. "Geeze, and you think I'm conceited?"
Before he could so much as utter a reply, both him and Nami were sent flying forward as if they were nothing more than paper dolls. They groaned as they toppled down the stairs, their weapons released from their grips as the steps bumped against their heads and spines until they landed face first on the ground. Aching and bruised, the navigator sat up and rubbed her sore forearms, grimacing as her fingers caressed tender skin.
Usopp had accidentally bit his lower lips while falling, resulting in a small bloody bump near the center of it. He spat out droplets of blood and glared at their attacker. "What Devil Fruit did you eat? Your powers aren't natural."
The blonde woman stood in front of them and laughed. Suddenly, there were clones of her everywhere, all chortling and smirking proudly at the two fallen pirates like a wolf about to devour its prey. "I was about ten years old when I ate the Psychic-Psychic Fruit, and it's taken me quite a while to perfect its ability."
Realization dawned on Nami as she forced herself to stand up, the Climatact now rightfully back in her hands. She faced the one speaking behind her. "So that's how you were able to help the Marines out!"
"Indeed. Those morons were on their knees throwing money at me while begging me to aid them. I played along, of course." She twirled a golden curl around her finger as she now stood over the sharpshooter, who rolled over to grab his weapon and toppled onto his feet. "The Devil Fruit has been a blessing and a curse. I used to not be able to sleep at night because all I could see were visions, and they always popped up at the most inopportune moment. I eventually learned to control their occurrences, and mastered all the abilities that come with being a psychic, such as bilocation." All of her forms disappeared, leaving the real one to walk around. The two Straw Hats followed her movement carefully.
"I can also do this." Lady Margaret raised a hand up, and there was a swishing sound as the temple's sword flipped through the air until she caught it by its sheath. "I foresaw my brother being victorious and taking over all the oceans. With our power we could've ruled the world, but then you came in and ruined everything!" She narrowed her eyes at Nami, her ruby lips tightened into a bloody red line. "If it wasn't for you going against our plans then we would've succeeded! You and your stupid crew should've died, especially your incompetent captain!"
"Don't you dare badmouth Luffy!" Usopp roared. "He's a far better person than you or Shiki could ever dream to be!" He fired a flaming pellet at her, but she vanished and appeared instead behind him.
"Boo."
Before he or Nami could even turn their heads they were sent flying forward. They rolled several times in the dirt until landing painfully against one of the many hefty forest trees. Biri had watched the whole scene from above, but he couldn't stand seeing his friends getting hurt any more. He shot downwards and stood protectively in front of them with his wings spread out and little electrical sparks cackling out on the tips of his wings.
"CAW!"
"You stupid bird! You were involved in my brother's demise as well!" Rage twisted Margaret's face as threw the sword forehead, catching Biri by the scarlet feather on his head and pinning him backwards against the tree. Feeling useless and frustrated Biri flapped his wings around and cried out in irritation while Usopp and Nami cautiously stood back up.
"Biri, calm down," Nami soothed as she pet his beak gently, wincing as the little sparks burned into her fingertips. She turned her head back towards their opponent and flipped her weapon in the air so the poles became unattached. She spun the poles around faster until yellow orbs floated through the air.
"Thunder ball!"
Zaps of lightning shot down, electrocuting the two men who had escorted their Lady and assisted in tricking the Straw Hat. Unfortunately, Lady Margaret teleported herself to a completely different spot, watching with annoyance as her two henchmen fell into a distorted heap. "Useless idiots," she muttered with an eye roll. With a deep breath she raised her arms up, stilling all of the electrical air balls while Nami watched dumbfounded. Pleased at the reaction, the blonde spread her hands out, catapulting all the bubbles to any nearby trees.
Bark spit out flames that licked at the roots and trunks of the trees. Usopp quickly pulled the sword out of Biri's feather and dropped it to the ground as he stumbled backward with widened eyes. "Holy shit."
"Margaret, what have you done!?" a deep voice snarled from near the bridge. All four figures turned around and saw the bearded Marine who had captured Nami with a small fleet of men behind him. They were all armed and ready to shoot at a moment's notice.
"Ah, thanks for joining us," Margaret cackled. "We're having another party, but you're actually invited this time."
Nami grabbed Usopp's hand and began pulling him towards Biri, who had bowed his head so his friends could climb on and they could leave while the Marines distracted the psychic. Before Nami could even lift a leg to climb on she felt herself being lifted helplessly into the air.
"Nami!" Usopp cried as he jumped up to grab her hand, but her fingers were just out of reach.
"Please, stick around for a while," the blonde purred. "If you attempt to leave I'll make sure this pretty little doll breaks into so many pieces that nobody will even want her anymore, and we wouldn't want that."
The Marine Captain drew forth his sword and pointed it out threateningly. "Dammit woman, you're insane! Everybody is going to burn alive because of you!"
Nami struggled as she floated in the air, her arms and legs moving about like one who was sinking underwater and trying to reach the surface. Her weapon was lying in separate parts on the ground below, meaning she had absolutely no way of defending herself.
Usopp lunged forward and shot another pellet. "Atlas Comet!" Four tails of smoke resembling an Atlas Beetle smacked into Margaret's backside, causing her to lose control of her power over Nami. The navigator screamed as she fell.
"Biri!" the sharpshooter yelled. The bird took off and caught Nami on his back, bringing her back down to the ground as they reached out to grab Usopp. They needed to get away from these powerful people, because the three of them were not going to win, especially when the forest around them was falling into piles of ash.
Cries of confusion were heard as all of the Marines' guns were pulled out of their hands and lifted up into the air, their barrels flipped around to point at the Straw Hats. "Now, you three aren't going to move, or I will kill you," Margaret smiled evilly, revealing perfectly white teeth. She moved to the side as the Marine Captain charged forward and attempted to stab her spine with his blade. "I'm psychic, and well aware of what your moves are," the woman said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I suggest you stop."
The air was becoming unbearably humid. Thick curls of grey rolled along the once luscious forest floor, filling lungs with smoke and eyes with tears. "Biri, get out of here!" Nami coughed out as she hopped off the bird and pushed him away. "We'll distract her, you go!"
Biri shook his head, but Nami gave one of his wings a squeeze. "Don't argue with me. Find help. Please."
"She's right. You're our best chance." Usopp agreed. "We'll be fine. Go."
With a defeated cry the bird shook his head and took off while his two friends began throwing attacks.
Nami found the pieces of her Climatact and once more began spinning them until electrical balls appeared agan.
Margaret burst out laughing at the seemingly pitiful attempt for an attack and shook her head. "Is that all you-"
"Sky Dragon Star!"
Bolts of lightning shot down from the sky as Usopp fired what appeared to be an electrical dragon out of his Kabuto. The lightning bolts met Nami's electrical bubbles, sending sparks flying everywhere. All of the present Marines, including the Captain, cried out in pain as their bodies were jolted and zapped by wave after wave of lightning.
Lady Margaret screamed in frustration as the bolts traveled through her bones, making her insides feel like they were being fried. When the attacked halted she was barely standing. Her once beautiful hair was now spread out in multiple directions and had burnt black tips. She twitched around and fell to her knees until the remaining sparks left her body. All of the guns except three fell to the ground behind her as her power slipped away.
A triumphant smile broke out on Nami's face as she and Usopp high-fived over their successful team work. "We won Usopp! We won!"
He grinned at her, before turning his head just in time to see the guns aimed towards them.
"No!" The once powerful Psychic screamed. "I will not lose to the two weakest members of the Straw Hats!" As a few more guns were raised up behind her, Nami pressed herself into Usopp's side; her body shook violently. The fire had grown even closer, leaving no room for escape. They were goners.
Usopp looked behind them, and then back at Nami. His eyes met hers, and he suddenly knew what he had to do. He took her trembling hands in his and smiled. "You'll be okay. Be free Nami."
Her eyes widened. "Usopp?"
The shapshooter squeezed her hands before dropping them and looking forward. "My name is Usopp, and I'm not weak! In fact, I'm the one who assisted in bringing down your bastard of a brother!"
Margaret growled as more guns were raised up. "And you're gonna pay!" she screeched. "For you, Shiki!"
Usopp shoved Nami away just as the guns were fired. Seven bullets were shot into him as his eyes focused upwards on the little patch of blue sky that hadn't been drowned out by smoke. As he fell onto the ground and blood dribbled out of his mouth, he remembered the words Nami had spoken to him earlier.
"That mask isn't what created our weapons or saved me. You, not Sogeking, did. You don't need a mask to be a hero because you were already one to begin with."
He smiled, because he now knew Nami was right.
He really was a hero.
[The Island-My Name is Lincoln]
Time seemed to slow down.
She watched in horror as he was shot in multiple spots; from his chest to his legs, to his feet, to his arms, and his stomach. He fell onto his back, with blood trailing out from the right corner of his mouth and a dazed look in his eyes. Her heart slammed into her chest and her throat turned into a knot.
"Usopp!" she screamed as she ran towards him with outstretched fingers. Tears were sliding down her cheeks as she fell onto her knees beside him and placed both hands on his face.
His bloodied lips slowly turned into a smile. "I'm a brave warrior of the sea now." His voice was quiet, making it difficult to hear above the cackling of the fire.
"You've always been a brave warrior of the sea," she sobbed while rubbing his face. She looked down and saw his clothes drenched in blood. She felt like rocks were being thrown around in her stomach as panic consumed her. She was usually calm and knew what to do in these types of situations, but at the moment she was anything but calm.
Her best friend, the one who had made her feel unashamed and brought true light into her life, was now lying before her and bleeding to death. They were about to be burned alive, and she didn't know what to do. She pressed her forehead against his, allowing her tears to fall onto his face.
"You've always been my hero, Usopp."
"NAMI-SWANN!"
Certain that the smoke and despair were only fogging up her mind, she ignored the voice and continued to softly stroke Usopp's face while nuzzling against his forehead. His breathing was starting to grow shallower.
"Nami!"
This time she did lift her head, for the voice sounded close by. What she saw made her sob hysterically.
Running towards her were five figures, followed by one flying behind. Luffy was in the front, his usual happy expression one of determination as he saw her crying over and cradling Usopp. "Chopper, grab him!" he commanded.
The little reindeer galloped over in Walk Point before transforming into Heavy Point. Carefully he reached down and scooped Usopp up into his arms. "Nami, I know you're worried about Usopp but you have to let go of his hand," he soothingly said.
Nami hadn't even realized she'd grabbed onto his hand. Her lower lip trembled as more tears fell. She let go and watched as Chopper ran back in the opposite direction, leaving her on her knees. Luffy reached down and placed a hand on her shoulders. "Let's go home Nami."
The Navigator could only numbly nod. The rubber captain whistled. "Oi! Biri! Fly her back to the ship! Robin, go with her!"
Robin quickly ran over and helped her friend to her feet. "It'll be okay Miss Navigator. Let's go."
Biri flew over and lowered his head so both girls could climb on before taking off and flying directly over Chopper.
"You fools!"
The remaining Straw Hats looked over in confusion as Lady Margaret lifted her head up. "Your friend will die, and this entire island will be burned. Nobody will survive!"
Luffy chuckled. "Lady, you're as stupid as your brother." While he ran over to the stream and began swallowing water, Sanji and Brook looked at each other sheepishly. They were the gentleman type, and didn't believe in harming a woman.
Luckily, the electrocuted Psychic was terrified by Brook's appearance and took off screaming.
"This is why I don't take you out anywhere," Sanji moped as he lit a cigarette. "The chicks always run away."
"Yo-ho-ho! They always break my heart, even though I'm dead and don't have one."
A thick stream of water was suddenly shot out over their heads, extinguishing the spreading fire. Luffy had inflated his entire body like a balloon and filled it with water, leaving a lot of unhappy river fish to flop around. He turned slowly to make sure he didn't miss a single flame. Once the fire was extinguished, he put the left over water back, allowing the fish to swim once more.
"Wow, that was actually smart," Sanji mused as he and Brook began walking back towards the ship.
Luffy ran to catch up to them, his head low and water dripping off his chin. "We need to make sure Usopp is okay. Let's hurry up. Nami was crying, and I promised her old man that wouldn't happen anymore."
The two beside him nodded in agreement, and together they all made their way back to Sunny.
[+]
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"Usopp bro! Nami sis! What happened?!" Franky stood at the helm of the ship with Zoro, his sunglasses resting on top of his blue head and his eyes filled with concerned.
"We'll worry about that later Franky. I need to get him to the infirmary," Chopper rushed out as he ran down the stairs and into his medical room. Droplets of blood followed behind him like a trail, making Nami feel sick as she jumped off of Biri's back and trailed behind.
When they reached the infirmary, Chopper set Usopp down on the table and began stripping him of his bloodied clothes. "Nami, you need to stay out of here."
The orange-haired woman shook her head as she stood nearby. "I'm not leaving him Chopper!"
"Yes you are! You'll be a distraction and I have to focus on saving his life because if I don't do something now he is going to die!" The little doctor's hooves shook with each word, his eyes filled with tears as he stood over his unconscious friend who groaned and whimpered in pain.
Nami knew he was right, and that time was running out. She didn't want to leave Usopp's side, but her standing in there wasn't going to help anyone. She hesitantly stepped out and closed the door, squeezing her eyes shut to try and block out the insufferable noises. She felt like she was trapped in a nightmare, only this time Usopp wasn't there to pull her out. Instead he was dying, and she couldn't do a thing for him.
"You need to stay strong for him Nami." Robin calmly advised as she silently walked towards her friend. "Believe in him. He's strong."
Nami's heart felt like it was shattered into a million pieces, and as more tears fell from her stinging eyes, she suddenly knew why, and maybe a part of her always had.
"Robin, I'm in love with him."
The archaeologist smiled sadly before reaching down into her black shoulder bag and pulling something out. "Here. You hold onto this."
Shaking even more, Nami reached out and took Sogeking's mask.
"When he wakes up, you need to say those words to him."
Nami nodded in gratitude and made her way back up the stairs, trying not to look down at the bloody droplets that stained the wood beneath her feet. She ignored the stares of the other crew members as she pressed the mask tightly against her chest and walked in a trance-like state. Sanji, Luffy, and Brook had arrived back at the ship, and while Sanji wanted to comfort her he knew that she needed to be alone right now. The Straw Hats looked at her with sympathy. Even Zoro, who rarely showed any form of sadness, had a far off look in his eyes as he watched his friend's shoulders shake with each step she took, knowing that there was a good chance their friend wouldn't survive the night.
Nami entered her and Robin's room and closed the door behind her. She heard orders being given above, and then the ship was moving. They were finally leaving the island, and while she should've been happy she was instead falling to pieces. She crawled onto her bed and laid there with the mask pressed up against her forehead. Her body shook, and she emitted a painful cry that could be heard throughout the ship. She cried like she had never cried before.
If he died, then her heart would die with him.