One Piece:

Unrefined


Theme: #15 – Silence / #7 – Reflection

Rating: K (Pre-Time Skip fluff!)

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Nami

Timeline: Post-Time Skip


He had been there, hadn't he?

Thinking about the conversation from breakfast as she scribbled some notes onto one of her many maps, Nami dawned upon a realization that had escaped her notice for years. The crew had paused their meal to address a simple sneeze from her end of the table and progressed into reminiscing about their adventure to Drum Island, when she had been quite ill and required the crew to recruit a doctor. She had tried to fight her debilitating sickness and leave her bed, continue on in her duties as the navigator and help the Going Merry survive a wicked storm, however, she was rendered immobile quite quickly afterward. Having no choice but to rely on her nakama to care for her weakened state, she had never felt so woozy and so grateful all at once.

Zoro had been part of the reason that she had begun to feel worse though.

She couldn't forget his idiotic attempt to steer the Merry onto the course of some whimsical cloud, and a most undignified snort escaped her. When her headache had worsened, Zoro the lost boy had told her to leave the ship's navigation to him, which was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Still, he had helped her summon everyone to the deck and did not question her when she warned him that a massive cyclone was approaching, regardless of her incoherent state. And if memory served, he was with her the night she was sleeping and the rest of her nakama slept in her room with her. Passed on Carue, wasn't he? And poor Sanji was absent, most likely having put up a fight but accepting his night's watch duty regardless.

But no, that wasn't what the revelation she had just experienced. Looking out the window above her surveying desk, she watched a fierce flurry fall from the darkened clouds above and felt as though the snow always had a way of reminding her of that island. Punk Hazard had been icy as well, but nothing compared to that one hundred four degrees fever and the hike up the mountain it took to even stand a chance of treatment. Resting her chin in her palm, Nami sighed then as another thought struck her: Usopp was right – she did cause a lot of problems for the crew. From illnesses to kidnappings and defecting to two other crews (however temporarily), she was not the ideal nakama from time to time. Thankfully, the Mugiwara loved her, no matter her spontaneous flaws.

Even Zoro, it would seem.

This holiday was oddly persistent in its attempt to thrust the swordsman into her line of focus; from shopping trips to tree-retrieving to sudden flashbacks, she had never thought so much on Roronoa Zoro's existence and his capabilities as a person when compared to their time docked on Beruna Island. Even when there were less nakama than there were now – on their New World adventure – he had been merely a reliable companion. Minus his horrible sense of direction, his inability to wake up when needed, and his disagreeable nature… What was her point, she wondered?

Yes, he was flawed as well, and a prominent con to his personality that she usually glossed over was his withdrawn nature that sometimes made him come across as emotionless or uncaring or void of any really compassion. Sipping one yet another mug of hot chocolate, Nami wasn't so oblivious as to think that she was any kinder, at least for the most part. She even giggled now in remembrance of forcing him to try her spicy hot chocolate and the outburst that it caused.

Nevertheless, that still was not the memory that had caused her to partake in such a deep reflection.

No, what Nami was thinking of, was the time he had been with her, when no one else was. It was when they had begun to approach Drum Island and Luffy was bouncing in his seat to see their next destination. She had barely been conscious at the time and it hadn't been for a long while, but a sound emerged in her mind of Zoro saying, "Go have a look." A phrase so simple, and yet she had the distinct impression that his dismissal of their exuberant captain had left the two of them alone. That was nothing special on its own since they lived on a boat together for a few months by that point and had grown close due to proximity and shared experiences.

But there was something about that knowledge that…possessed her, so suddenly.

She was pretty sure that the emotionally-inept first mate had found other responsibilities on the island and mostly avoided her the rest of their time there, but Nami had assumed it was because he placed a great deal of faith in their captain, and must have known there was no point in arguing with Sanji when it came to deciding who would help them along the way. He never even wished her well or asked her how she was once they had all reunited, with a new doctor in tow. No, she was meant to understand that he was happy for her good health and that he expected nothing less than a full recovery for her. He was a silent man, even when he had stayed with her for that short while in the Women's Quarters on the Going Merry.

His energy had been nearby, something her exhausted body could sense the entire time but had never put into thought until now. He never sat, never spoke. Zoro had been sure to position himself nearby but not too close, oh no. No one else had contracted anything from her – had he been playing it safe with the distance? That seemed unlikely, given that he swam in the icy waters on Drum Island later that very day. And she highly doubted that the man who followed a cloud on the sea was wise enough to considered contamination.

He had been there, though.

Indeed, he had. Roronoa Zoro had stayed with her on his own for a small while during her sickness. While everyone else was on deck and examining the discovered island, he was with her. It wasn't for very long and it wasn't so important, given that she herself was in and out of consciousness the entire time. Regardless, Zoro was a silent man. It was the energy he emitted or the looks he gave that usually acted as a telltale sign in terms of what he was feeling, how he perceived a current event or conversation. It made her curious now, though: what had been the expression he had worn when left alone with her, ill, near death, with no one around to examine his visible response to her condition? If only she had been healthy enough to open her eyes, maybe she would have—

"Hey! We're back!" Came the captain's voice from outside of the library, echoing throughout the build of the ship. Coincidentally, she imagined that lunch was just about to be served. Another sigh escaped her as she stood up from her desk; it was very unlikely that Luffy and the mind-consuming Zoro took advantage of her Christmas spirit and bought themselves the high quality winter clothing they'd need with the gratuitous money she had given them. Another argument would most likely break out when she judged their poorly insulated coats or their cheaply made boots. She had simply hoped and prayed that they could complete at least one task without her supervision. Was it so foolish of her to dream such dreams?

As she proceeded to exit the library and rejoin her nakama in the very kitchen that they had conversed in earlier, where their overtly concerned words gave her reason to think about the swordsman more so than ever before, Nami realized that she had a new approach to take with Zoro: she could silent, just like him. Maybe if she was calmer, gentler, or let him fill in the pauses that fell between their chats, she might receive a different response from him from time to time.

Maybe she could ask him about those few moments when they had been alone on the Going Merry.

…On second thought, it would be too difficult to conform to his restrained ways. It suited her best to force him to open up in order to get what she wanted. The macho silent persona was so overrated – Nami was certain that once she got Zoro talking, he'd have a lot of interesting things to tell her. And just maybe, there would be other shared moments between them that needed further reflection, on both of their ends.


Author's Notes:

I didn't want to splice in a potential cute moment between them, when it could potentially seem OOC for Zoro and diminish Nami's reflection. It's important to note that she remembered that moment, and that she's curious about his…unique way of showing affection. These Christmas themes will amount to something, so I hope you enjoy them and continue to keep up with their silly festive love!

Thanks so much for reading~