One Piece:
Under a Moonlit Night
One Piece © Oda
Story and OCs are mine
Summary- Luffy joins Nami during the night watch. Takes place after Wano. May contain spoilers.
Nami didn't usually take the night watch unless it was mandatory, but for some reason, she decided to take Robin's place tonight. Though the historian was a bit bemused by the navigator's decision, she ultimately let her friend take up the watch. After all, she actually could use a break, she figured.
So, here she was, sitting on the sofa in Sunny's crow's next while she stared out the window with a blanket draped over her shoulders and a warm drink in her hand provided by Sanji. The night was rather chilly and temperatures could drop quickly in the New World. Of course, it was no problem for Nami, with her weather-predicting skills. She knew she could get everyone to jump at their feet at the first sign of an incoming typhoon or change in wind. That was one thing she liked about her crew: no matter what time of day or night, they would always spring into action.
For now, though, she'd just enjoy this peace, quiet, and solitude… well, not complete solitude and not completely quiet. In the navigator's lap was little Aika, who had attempted to stay up with her older sister figure in order to keep her company, but ultimately fell fast asleep. Blizzard the ship's guard dog was also lying on the floor with Kumi curled up beside him. They had also climbed up here, mostly because the crow's nest was so cozy and warm. Besides, Franky had made an elevator system for the two dogs so they could come up and go back down whenever they pleased.
As Nami enjoyed the peace and not-so-quiet, she stared out at the full moon and the twinkling stars above. It was always so beautiful to look at the night sky out at sea, watching as the moonlight glimmered on the ocean's surface. It brought a sense of tranquility…
…And yet, even now, Nami felt this odd tinge within her heart. A kind of anxiety, one that she had never felt before. She couldn't quite place it, though… and she didn't know why she was having it.
All she knew was that she couldn't sleep because of it.
"Nami?"
Nami turned to see the hatch door open and reveal Luffy, climbing up into the crow's nest.
"Hey!" he greeted with that usual toothy grin of his.
"Shh!" Nami shushed, gently. "Be quiet. Aika's sleeping."
"Oh, right," Luffy whispered as he walked over and sat down with Nami. "Sorry for just barging in. I just thought you could use some company."
"Thanks," Nami replied as she cast her tender gaze at Aika, who remained sound asleep on her lap, causing the navigator to smile lovingly as she gently stroked her black hair.
"Aww," Luffy cooed with a gentle smile of his own as he watched his younger half-sister sleep. "Look at her… so peaceful."
"I know," Nami agreed as she continued to gently pet Aika's head while she slept. As she did, Luffy took a moment to look at the face of his navigator, and then, without warning, he gently reached out and cupped her face in his hands, then tilted it up so that she was facing him directly.
"Uh… Luffy?" Nami asked in a bit of confusion.
"…You haven't been sleeping, huh, Nami?" Luffy asked.
"Huh?" Nami asked as her eyes widened slightly. "H-how could you tell?"
"You're starting to get dark circles," Luffy replied. "Are you okay?"
Nami sighed, prompting Luffy to let go of her face. She should have seen this coming. Her captain always seemed to be in tune with her feelings and he always seemed to sense if there was something wrong with her or the others. He was always just so observant and he actually paid attention to these things more than anyone believed.
"Nothing ever gets past you, huh, Luffy?" she asked.
"Nami… you know you can tell me if something's been bothering you, right?" Luffy inquired. "Because you know I'll help you deal with it. You and the others have been there for me, haven't you?"
Nami smiled at him, knowing that as of late, Luffy had been more open about how he felt at times and he could let his crew know about any insecurities or doubts he may be having, so it was only fair that she tell him in turn.
"If you really wanna know," Nami began, "it's just… lately… I've had a lot of things on my mind, Luffy."
"Like…?" Luffy asked.
"Well… after everything that happened on Wano," Nami began, "it's like… reality just hit me right in the face. So much happened there… and now… you're an Emperor of all things. Even now, I still have a hard time believing it."
"Well, it's not like I changed," Luffy answered. "I'm still me, Nami!"
"I-I know, I know that," Nami assured, "but, Luffy… I feel like… everything's happening so quickly and things are gonna get even harder the further in we go."
"…Why does that bother you?" Luffy asked. "We knew what we were getting ourselves into."
"Well… I guess," Nami said. "It's just… I still feel like I don't know what's happening and things become more and more unexpected." She then cast her gaze on the night sky. "Luffy… this all started out as an adventure in the East Blue, where back then, it was just me, you, and Zoro, and then Usopp and Sanji came… then after that, we met Vivi and Chopper joined up with us… but even back then, things seemed simple enough."
"Yeah… I guess they did," Luffy agreed.
"Then Robin joins us," Nami began, "and even then, things still seemed pretty simple… of course, we lost Merry after a while, and Usopp left."
"Yeah…" Luffy whispered, momentarily hanging his head in silent sadness. "But… she was still a good ship."
"Yeah," Nami began, "and then we got Franky and the Sunny, not to mention we got Usopp back… and then after a while, Blizzard joined up with us… and then Brook did… and suddenly, things didn't turn out as simple, anymore. We all got separated… and then after what happened at the Paramount War, we took two years away from each other to prepare."
"We weren't ready, Nami," Luffy replied. "If we entered the New World back then, we wouldn't have stood a chance. We had to get stronger… I had to."
"I know you did," Nami answered before she sighed. "After we reunited and headed to Fishman Island, I felt like things were back to normal, in a way. I felt like we were all still having all those fun adventures… but then, after we left… we ran into even more danger, like with the Neo Marines and Punk Hazard."
"At least we got something good out of it, right?" Luffy asked as he glanced at Aika, who was still sound asleep on Nami's lap while Kumi snoozed beside Blizzard, wiggling her paws as she slept.
"Yeah, we did," Nami said with a smile, which instantly faded away, "but then… we ended up making an alliance with Traffy to take down Kaido… then we ended up getting separated again… then there was that whole mess with Sanji and his family in Totto Land… and after that, there was what happened in Wano… I mean, it's good that Jimbei joined us, but…"
"Nami?" Luffy asked in concern.
"…Luffy… I know this is obvious," Nami began as she looked at him, "but… things are just never gonna be the same, are they?"
Luffy paused as he stared at Nami, who quietly stared back at him.
"You want my honest opinion, Nami?" he queried.
"It's not like you can lie to save your life, anyway," Nami replied. "So go on."
"I think things stopped being the same a long time ago," Luffy answered. "I mean… we're in the New World, now. It's not like we're gonna have all those fun adventures where we run around exploring an island and beat up a bad guy. We're on a hunt to find the One Piece… and let's face it, things are only get tougher the further in we go."
"I understand that," Nami said as she sadly looked away. "I just… think that maybe things are changing a little too fast… and the thought of it has been keeping me awake at night."
"…I hear you," Luffy said. "I guess things have gotten pretty complicated recently, huh?"
"Yeah," Nami agreed.
"But you know, Nami," Luffy began, "even though things will change… I know one thing that'll stay the same."
"What's that?" Nami asked.
"That we'll always be together," Luffy answered with that usual grin of his, causing Nami to blink at him in surprise… yet, she couldn't help but feel a sense of relief. Before she knew it, she started giggling, causing Luffy to do the same. Then, she leaned over and hugged the Straw Hat Captain, who smiled as he returned her embrace.
"Thanks, Luffy."
"No problem."
And so, as Nami turned her gaze on the moonlit night, Luffy grabbed another blanket and wrapped it around himself and his navigator before he gently pulled her in for a hug, both of them watching the moon and the stars together.
It's been a while since I did a nice, soft, sweet one-shot with Luffy and Nami, so I figured I'd just dish this one out. I might have been projecting a bit of my personal feelings into this one, but I think that's okay.
Anyway, review, please!