One Piece: Blame it on the Rain

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

Summary- While Nami goes shopping, she tells Luffy to stay and wait for him, no matter what. Is the captain willing to keep his word, even whilst he sits in the middle of a rainstorm? Luffy/Nami, pre-time-skip, post-Thriller Bark arc.

"Okay, guys! I'm off!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you, Nami, my dear?"

"Yes, Sanji (heaven forbid). I'm sure."

The Straw Hats had docked at another island, today, and when Nami heard about a sale that had been going on at a boutique, she just HAD to go. She gathered up whatever money she could get, as well as one of her new purses, and prepared to disembark from the Sunny. However, she also took an umbrella with her.

"It's going to rain, later today," Nami said. "Make sure that everyone gets inside and stays there until it stops. It's gonna get really wet out here."

"Of course, Nami!" said Sanji.

"Hey, Nami!"

Nami looked over and saw Luffy approaching her.

"Nami, can I come, too?" Luffy asked.

"No, Luffy," Nami answered. "This is more of a girl's thing."

"Oh," Luffy said, sounding disappointed.

"Oh, don't worry, Luffy, honey," said Nami. "I'll be back. I promise. Until then, I want you stay here and wait for me, okay?"

"Okay, Nami," said Luffy. "I promise."

"And I might bring you back a treat," said Nami before she pet her boyfriend on the head, affectionately. "You'd like that, huh?"

"Yeah!" Luffy answered, excitedly.

If Nami did decide to bring him back something, he really hoped it would be some yummy meat!

"Bye-bye, Luffy!" Nami called as she left.

And so, Luffy sat on the railing, waving after Nami until she was far out of his sight, and even then, he still sat there, waiting for his girlfriend to return. He kicked his legs back and forth, and then whistled a tune (rather badly). Before he knew it, he was getting bored, already.

Suddenly, RRMMMMMBB! There was a loud rumbling sound. Luffy looked down, at first believing that it was his tummy, but then he looked up at the sky and saw gray clouds starting to form, and the rumbling he heard was the thunder.

"Hey!" Sanji called. "Luffy! Hurry and come inside! It's gonna be pouring down raining, soon!"

Luffy didn't seem to hear him.

"Luffy!" Sanji barked. "Come on, you idiot! What are you waiting for?! You should be inside like the rest of us!"

Luffy still didn't move.

Sanji sighed.

"Fine!" he yelled. "If you wanna stay out there and get soaked to the bone, be my guest!"

With that, the cook slammed the door to the kitchen behind him, leaving Luffy to sit on the railing, just as the rain started to come down. At first, it started to come down in tiny droplets, but then, it came down on him, harder and faster, and then, it became a huge downpour, but still, Luffy sat in the middle of it.

"I promised Nami I'd wait for her," said Luffy.

XXX

The rain continued to pour down, soaking everything beneath. While everyone else was inside, warm and dry, Luffy still stayed outside, sitting on the rail, cold and wet. Not to mention hungry. This time, the rumbling of thunder was accompanied by the ones emanating from his belly. Luffy just realized that he had missed lunch, today. Sanji was making pan fried chicken dumplings with some special sauce to dip them in.

Still, Nami said that she might bring him back a treat, so if he couldn't eat the dumplings, he could always have that to look forward to. When Nami says that she might bring Luffy something, she usually did make good of her promises.

XXX

Robin came outside later that afternoon with an umbrella in hand. Actually, two umbrellas. She approached the railing where she found her captain, clothes completely drenched to the point where they stuck to his skin. The rims of his precious hat and his jet black hair drooped with the heavy rainfall. He was visibly shivering, and Robin noticed that his cheeks had flushed a bright red.

"Luffy," the historian called to him. "I brought you an umbrella."

"Thanks," Luffy said. "Just leave it right there."

Robin nodded and left the folded umbrella beside Luffy.

"Ah…ah…ACHOO!" the captain sneezed, a small drop of mucus forming from one of his nostrils which he unsuccessfully tried to sniff back up.

"Luffy," Robin said. "The others are getting worried. You should come inside. You're catching a cold."

"I can't," Luffy answered. "I…I promised Nami…I'd wait."

Robin sighed.

"I see," she muttered. "Well, in that case, Luffy, you can keep waiting. I just hope you don't die of hypothermia, first."

Blizzard, who had been watching from the safety of the men's quarters through the doggie door, whimpered not just at the morbid comment from Robin, but also out of worry for Luffy. He understood that Luffy was loyal to Nami, but he just wished he didn't have to go this far for her.

Seriously, Luffy, Blizzard thought. I don't know whether to admire you for this or feel worried for you.

XXX

10 o'clock at night.

At last, the rain had stopped.

The Sunny's lawn deck was dampened from the downpour and sparkling from the raindrops reflecting the light of the moon.

Drip…drip…drip…

The raindrops fell from Nami's tangerine grove…and off of Luffy's hat.

He was still waiting. He had missed lunch, missed snack time, dinner, and dessert, was soaking wet to the bone, and he felt just plain miserable…but even still, he sat there on the railing…waiting for Nami to appear.

At this point, Luffy started to worry about her.

Why hasn't she shown up, yet? She's been gone since after breakfast.

What if she got lost? What if she ran into the Marines or mean pirates? Or worse…what if she met another guy and decided to Luffy for him?!

Luffy, who had not made one move since Nami had left, was about to go out into town to see if he could find her, but then, he soon found that there was no need to…because he finally saw her appear around the corner of a building and approach the Sunny, her arms full of shopping bags. However, as she neared the ship, she soon spotted her shivering boyfriend, sitting on the railing.

"Luffy!" Nami cried as she set the bags down on the ground and ran up to him.

Luffy weakly smiled at Nami and simply uttered, in a stuffed-up voice, "You're back. I missed you."

"L-Luffy, I missed you, too, but…but…" the navigator stammered as she looked her captain over, "…what are you doing out here? Have you been out in the rain, this whole time?!"

Luffy nodded.

"But why?!" Nami asked.

"You told me to wait for you, right here, so I did," Luffy answered.

Nami gasped, silently, and mentally hit herself for not being more specific to Luffy, for she had forgotten that when someone says one thing to the simple-minded, he takes it another way.

Luffy thought that when told him to wait here, she meant for him to stay and wait outside in the rain.

"Oh, Luffy, baby," Nami said as she hugged the captain, not caring about his soaked clothes. "I'm so sorry. When I said wait right here, I didn't mean right on this very spot! Now you're all wet and cold because of me!"

"And I'm hungry, too," Luffy said. "I didn't lunch, or snack, or dinner, or dessert. That reminds me…Nami, you brought me my treat, didn't you?"

Nami smiled.

"Yes, Luffy," she replied. "I did, like I said. It's a nice big piece of Sea King meat. It did cost a lot, but it was for you."

"Thanks, Nami," Luffy said. "Ah…ah…ACHOO!"

"Did you catch a cold out here, too?" Nami asked, although she found that it was obvious due to Luffy's flushed cheeks, but Luffy nodded anyway. "Okay, come on. Let's go and see if Chopper's awake."

Luffy nodded in agreement before he followed Nami away to the sick bay.

"Hey, Luffy?" Nami called to him.

"Hmm?" Luffy hummed in reply.

"Thanks for…waiting for me, even in the rain," Nami said.

Luffy gave Nami his signature grin and chuckle.

"But next time, when I tell you to wait," Nami began, "I'll try and be more specific as to where to wait."

"Okay," Luffy said.

Smooch! She gave her captain a small peck on the lips, which he returned, only he made it longer and deeper, and then pulled away.

Nami smiled. She must be very lucky if her boyfriend was willing to wait for her to come back from a shopping trip in the middle of the pouring rain. She didn't think she would ever another man like Luffy.

"Hey, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah?"

"If I go somewhere, and it's raining…would you wait outside for me?"

Nami giggled.

"Yes, Luffy," she answered him. "I would."

THE END

Sorry if it's too short. This is the best I could come up with.

Review, please!