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Characters: Strawhats

Genre: General

Warnigns: None

Rating: K

Notes: Does anyone else feel that Nami lost some of her edge halfway through the series? An attempt to explain (poorly).

#2 – The right of cowardice

Nami had earned the right of cowardice.

It was an unspoken agreement between them, them being Luffy, Zoro, Sanji and Lysop: the eldest crew members who had fought and bled for the navigator in ways she would have never been able to. This entitlement didn't come with being a girl. It didn't come with being a pretty girl, either, and it wasn't a perk that came with having been one of the first ones; the ones who had been the start of a journey that took them far out of the familiar waters of their home oceans and thrust them deep into adventure and dangers they'd never imagined, chasing their dreams.

The right of cowardice - Nami had, beyond a shadow of a doubt, earned it.

She had earned it with the spilling of tears and blood; with the endurance of mental and physical wounds, now ugly and scarred; through the display of strength and courage; through sacrifices greater than any a child should be forced to make. It was a hard-earned right; earned in ways they would have never been able to, never would have been willing to.

Cowardice - it wasn't the kind of thing that crossed Luffy's mind; wasn't the kind of thing Zoro would allow to impair his fighting; wasn't something Lysop truly wanted, although he had plenty of it; was nothing that Sanji could tolerate when a beautiful girl was in danger; except Nami was a coward in the truest sense of the word unless she couldn't afford to be.

Because when the chips were down, they flared back to life: the courage and strength that had carried her through 8 years of what could be called only 'slavery' or 'hell'.

When the chips were down, truly down, Nami could and would go the distance: be brave (for them); be strong (because of them).

Even if she didn't want to (because a lady should never be required to fight; that's what a gentleman like Sanji was there for).

Even if she didn't know what to do (which was rare; Lysop was certain he didn't know what to do on a far more regular basis than her, after all).

Even if she was scared (although Zoro thought she had no reason to - she had stood against far more terrifying opponents with even less of a fighting chance and had refused to cower or surrender long before they'd found each other).

Even if she had to face them all alone (but she would never really have to because she was Luffy's nakama and being nakama was one of the few things he took serious; one of the few things worth being serious about).

She would be brave and fight. She would be strong and victorious. She would dare and risk herself the way she had over two years ago when she had tried to protect them from the brutality of Arlong Park.

But when the chips weren't down, when the situation was bad or challenging, but not dire - then Nami was more than welcome to be cowardly and scared.

Because Sanji would gladly fight in her stead.

Because Lysop knew how to cover her getaway (as well as his own).

Because Zoro didn't mind taking her fears apart bit by bit.

Because now that Luffy had made it clear that they were nakama - truly and irrevocably - she was no longer alone.

She could be scared as much as she wanted to be and comfortably fall back into the net of their courage and loyalty.

Nami had earned the right of cowardice - and she was damn well going to make use of it.