The Trip to Meet the Navigator While I Can (A Day Long Chance)!

A hikikomori* who collects wanted posters of beautiful pirate ladies

Alvida… Boa Hancock… Whitey Bay… Jewelry Bonney… Nico Robin… Nami─ that was where my hand stopped.

I had a big grin as I gazed at the bunch of wanted posters of the pirate beauties. I never got tired of staring at this collection every day, and among them the one I spent the most time appreciating was the Straw Hat Pirates' navigator, Nami-san.

Anyways, she was cute, a transcendent beauty, everything you could want in a girl, sexy enough to die for─ there just weren't enough words to describe her. Even if you made a new word that meant all of that and more, I still don't think it would be enough to describe her existence. In my pirate beauties ranking, she was the unshakable first place.

That she wasn't a Devil Fruit User, just a normal girl, added to her good points. She's the same age as me, 20 years old. It's not particularly important, but her height is 169 cm, which is good. Since I'm 170.2 cm, that makes me just barely taller than her (Though, if Nami-san wears high heels, I guess that doesn't really mean anything…).

I'd really like to meet you, Nami-san, I strongly think. I want to meet you, I want to meet you, I want to meet you, truly from the bottom of my heart.

The real one must be a spectacularly godly beauty, I can't help but think.

I constantly fantasize about what I could do for a chance to meet her.

For example, if I became a pirate and set out to sea, someday, somewhere on the Grand Line, I might meet her. Or the reverse, if I entered the Marines and chased after the Straw Hat Pirates, I could possibly meet here on that patrol.

But─

It's impossible, I think with a derisive smile at myself, bringing those fantasies to a close.

Becoming a pirate, entering the Marines, they were both things I just couldn't do.

Meals, the toilet, and baths. Outside of those, with the exception of when I go to the bookstore, I don't leave my own room.

I don't go to school, or go to work, continuing to live my life confined to my room as I have for the past two years.

Why do I live such a life? The reason is… I'll leave that to everyone's imagination. I can easily say (although it's not really easy to say) that having a human relationship is scary, and once I stopped working at it, I was never be able to go down that path again, resulting in putting distance between myself and things like the "world" and "society."

This past year or two, I've been living in what could be called a less safe zone of the Sabaody Archipelago. Sabaody was close to Marine Headquarters until recently, when it switched places with the G1 branch. At least that's what my mom told me once, but I really didn't have an interest in hearing about that. It's a little dangerous to go out, but with my goal of going to the bookstore, I can just skirt around the pirates as they come and go through the grove.

Going between my house and the bookstore is fine. As long as I can make it, there's no problem. I'm perfectly happy. So that's fine.

No─

It's really not that great.

I really do understand that. I understand, but what can I do to change my lifestyle? That's what I don't know. Hurry up. I have to do something. But I don't have the courage for that. I don't know of any other ways either.

So I pretend not to feel anything as I stay shut up in my room day after day.

Until that day─

On my way back from the bookstore, I casually picked up a flyer laying on the side of the road.

Written in large print on that flyer was "Nakama Wanted." In the center of the flyer was a Jolly Roger and under that was the name "Monkey D. Luffy."

"Monkey D. Luffy?!" I said and without a thought looked at the flyer a second time.

Wasn't Luffy the Straw Hat Pirates' captain?

According to the flyer, Captain Luffy was recruiting for his departure to the New World.

I returned home and in my room I read the flyer over and over again.

Today, the Straw Hat Pirates were at the Sabaody Archipelago. So that went without saying that Nami-san was here too. On the same island as me, on these very grounds, Nami-san was out there.

Just imagining it made my heart beat harder and my body temperature rise.

I should try going out, I thought. Just one millimeter. Of course, I wouldn't have the guts to become one of their nakama, but if I went to where Captain Luffy is, I might be able to admire Nami-san's face, I thought. If I didn't get to talk to her directly or only got to see her from a distance, both were okay. I mean, this was the perfect chance to go near the real Nami-san, right…?

But─ but─ it really was impossible.

I don't even go to idol concerts, to say nothing of going to a place where pirates were seeking new nakama. There was sure to be swarms of pirates there.

Swarms? Even though one pirate alone was scary? Why was I even considering going to a gathering of pirates in the first place when I only go to the bookstore? It's impossible. 100,000,000% impossible.

But… Nami-san. Ah, the beautiful Nami-san! Not a flat wanted poster, but a solid, real Nami-san.

If I let this opportunity pass me by, I probably wouldn't get another chance in the world to go near Nami-san. Before the Straw Hat Pirates left the Sabaody Archipelago, I had to go there.

I want to meet you, Nami-san.

But I don't want to meet scary pirates.

But I want to meet Nami-san.

But I don't want to meet scary pirates.

…I waffled back and forth between the two 100,000,000 times.

o-o-o

With a click, I opened the door and went to the kitchen where my mother was.

Having somehow felt my incorrigible form, my mother had turned to me with a startled expression.

"Are, are you going out?"

"Yeah."

"To the bookstore?"

"No." I took a deep breath and declared, "I'm going out to where the person I love is!"

… I said that, but I had to prepare myself first.

Since I was going to place where pirates were gathering, I would need to look like a pirate too.

So for that, I went to a store selling party goods and purchased some stuff.

To be a pirate, I'd have to wear an eyepatch and a hook on one hand. Also a pirate captain style hat and a beard.

It was all there. They were indeed selling all of that.

Because they were party goods, they looked shabby compared to the real thing. And below the waist, I was wearing plain old jeans and sneakers, so the sense of unity was zero. But for a spur of the moment costume, it would do.

After leaving the party goods store, I quickly felt tired. If I thought about it, this was the first time I'd gone shopping outside of the bookstore.

But this was no time to get tired. I had to go to where the Straw Hat Pirates were.

There was the name of a bar written on the flyer. It wasn't somewhere I'd usually go, being a bar in one of the not so safe groves.

How scary…

I really want to go home…

But if I go home now, this "adventure" for the first time in two years and my failure of a cosplay will all be over.

And that's no good.

With my faltering will bolstered once more, I took all my courage and headed for the bar written on the flyer

o-o-o

However, when I got there, there didn't seem to be any Straw Hat Pirates there.

More than that, the state of the bar itself was strange. It looked like lightning had struck as the whole building was burned black.

Geez, what do I do now? Is it okay to go inside?

In front of the shop, an old man with a receding hairline who appeared to be the owner was cleaning the burnt wood.

In a timid voice, I tried asking him, "Excuse me… I heard if I came here, the Straw Hat Pirates would be here, but…?"

"The Straw Hat Pirates?" He looked at me with annoyance. Now that I was looking more closely, the old man's face and clothes were also covered in soot. "If it's them you're looking for, they're not here anymore."

"They're not…?"

"That's right. See, they were trying to get some vigorous girl to go with them, and then, suddenly there was lightning striking inside the shop. Seriously, what am I supposed to do about this?" he said, but I wasn't interested in hearing anymore of that story.

"So then, do you maybe know where they were going…?"

"Who knows. If you really want to know, why don't you try asking some of the pirates walking around here?"

Huh…?

Ask the pirates? Me?

"The Straw Hat Pirates, huh?"

The man with a big scar in the center of his face glared at me. Because of the scar, it looked like he had the character for misfortune, 凶, on his face.

Y-yes, that's right! I struggled to say in return, but only got out in a desperately quiet voice, "S-sure."

"If so, then you'll want to go to Grove 46. I heard that the new recruits to the Straw Hat Pirates are gathering there right now."

"So it's Grove 46, huh…? Thank yo─ Thanks a ton." **

As I sluggishly and silently looked around, the guy with the misfortune character on his face returned to the table his nakama were at.

Dwaaaaahhh, I let out all the air I had in one breath, crouching down where I stood.

I went to a different bar than the lightning struck one, because there were bound to be pirates there, to ask after the Straw Hat Pirates whereabouts. And now I had just completed that mission.

I thought I would die. It was so tense and frightening. My body was covered in sweat, as if I'd soaked in a bath. I even sweated off the attachment for the party goods beard somewhere, but I didn't have time to feel bad about it.

I asked them. I was able to ask them, mom. Though it may have taken three years off of my life. But I knew the whereabouts of the Straw Hat Pirates.

I was tired. Completely exhausted already. But I couldn't afford to just stay here forever.

Grove 46. Nami-san is there.

The pirates were gathered in the plaza

There were tens, no, there might have been over a hundred of them. Either way, they had scary faces, and I knew just being near them was scrapping away at my health and will gauges.

Of course, I didn't have the courage to head for the center of the group. That's why I stayed at the edges of the group, somehow refraining from mixing in with them. I tried not to talk with anyone, praying the whole while.

Beyond the group of pirates was a half destroyed stone building that had been turned into a stage and I could see some pirates wandering around there.

From the member's mood, they had to be the Straw Hat Pirates. And among them must be Nami-san─ I thought, but my heart was trembling, my head was spinning, and I could barely stand.

Clam down. I came this far, so I'm alright. I'm going to burn Nami-san's form into these eyes.

But from my position at the very back of the group, the stage was a bit far away. Not to mention I was nearsighted.

Keeping calm, I went to pull a small pair of binoculars out of my pocket, but I forgot I was wearing the hook on my right hand. Since I didn't need the hook at the moment, I took it off and pulled out my binoculars and peered through them, but this time I forgot I was wearing the eyepatch. Ugh, I clicked my tongue, and removed the eyepatch too. Then I once again examined the forms of the Straw Hat Pirates on the stage

I roughly looked them over, but Nami-san wasn't there. But no need to rush to hasty conclusions. She might be standing at the back of the stage, I just have to calm down and look them over one by one.

First there was the giant in a straw hat, so he had to be the captain, Luffy… he seriously doesn't look as cool as his wanted poster, but whatever.

Then, the regent guy is their shipwright, let's see─ Franky, right? The masked guy would be Sogeking. The one in the black suit, Black Leg Sanji. The guy with three katana at his waist was easy to identify as Roronoa Zoro.

But, who was the guy with the big ruck sack and mustache? There was no way it was Chopper, right? I still hadn't spotted the figure of Nami-san, or their archeologist Nico Robin. Eh! It couldn't possibly be that the ladies were gathering elsewhere? No way! …hey, hey, they can't be serious, right? Not after all I went through to get here. Disappointed, I lowered my binoculars─ wait a second!

Speaking of that, I didn't look at the people on the left side. She's petite, so it was too early to conclude that Nami-san wasn't there, so checking at least once should be fine.

With that decided, I turned the binoculars towards those people. And there I noticed it.

T-that person, their hair color, it was orange, right? Ah! And that shoulder tattoo too! That was it! It looks small from here, but that was probably the fault of this perspective.

But, I couldn't see her face yet. That downy, extraordinary face. Nami-san, show me your face! Then she turned that precious face towards me!

My wish got through, now raise your face Nami-san. Let me see it clearly. Let me see it. Let me see it.

"… huh? Who are yooouuu?!"

That woman had the same hair color and tattoo as Nami-san, but her face and style didn't quite match Nami-san's wanted poster.

Are my binoculars are broken? I thought, looking in a different direction to check the condition of the lenses, but they weren't broken.

Eh? What's this? Who is that? Don't tell me that the wanted poster's picture was edited? That this is the real thing?!

"This isn't real, right? Tell me this is a liiie!"

As I screamed, a nearby pirate grabbed my shoulder.

"Bastard, shut up already!"

But as worked up as I was, I stared back at that pirate, saying "Don't touch me! I'll kill you!"

Sorry! I thought, backing away from him.

My face had turned white with rage. I came to meet a goddess, not find out she was a fake goddess!

On the ruins stage, the giant Captain Luffy was screaming something. "Hurry up and find the other criminal! But first, I'll make an example of this man!" or something like that. But I already didn't care about what Captain Luffy was saying. Nami-san wasn't Nami-san. My dream was shattered I wasn't sure I could recover from the shock I'd just received. What is this, what did I do to deserve this, I seriously thought I was going die, making it all the way here, and yet─

"Hold it right there, pirate scum!"

Suddenly, that angry shout and the sound of gunshots were heard in the plaza and my thoughts were cut off.

In retrospect, I was astonished.

Weren't there a lot of Marines, heavily armed Marines, gathering here?

"Straw Hat Luffy, as well as you subordinates! Surrender peaceably! We've blocked all of the exits and entrances to Grove 46! There's nowhere for you bastards to run to!"

Are you seriouuuus?!

The plaza suddenly fell into absolute chaos.

As the fight between the pirates and Marines began, the sound of gunfire and clashing swords began to sound from all around.

"Take out the pirates!"

You've got it wrong! You've got it wrong! I screamed as I ran around the plaza. I am not a pirate! Just a nice little hikikomoriiiiiiii!*

A pirate cut down by a marine fell down at my feet and I let out a scream. Hiiii!

A bullet someone fired scraped a nearby stone and drew blood from me. Zozooo!***

Damnit! Which wat do I go? I want to go home, I want to go home, I want to go home!

As I blindly ran around, a man as big as a mountain appeared out of nowhere and fired a laser beam from his mouth! Pew! Boom…!

What was this?! It couldn't get any worse, right?!

As tears, snot, saliva, and other fluids gushed forth from me, I struggled to escape.

I'm going to die. I don't want to die. This is really it. There was no excuse for going outside. If I had just stayed in my room. I really want to go home to that room.

Amidst the dust clouds and rumbling earth and blood and screams, I didn't have the time to prepare for my imminent death, as I was too busy running for my life.

And then before my disbelieving eyes, there wasn't just a laser beam unleashing giant.

A marine using a giant axe prevented Straw Hat Luffy from continuing forward and brought him down with a single blow. "Straw Hat is not a worthless piece of trash like you!"

No way, those guys were fakes?!

I was surprised, yet at the same time relieved. In other words, all those people on the stage had to be fakes. Thank god! That 'corrected' Nami-san wasn't the real thing!

Then came surprise "Number 2."

That guy with the big ruck sack and mustache was the real Captain Luffy.

No way, the real one is here too?!

Furthermore, the real Zoro and Sanji also rushed there, making it a gathering of three of the real ones.

And yet, the three real ones aimed to quickly escape the plaza.

My mind couldn't keep up with these swift developments, but thanks to the marines mobilizing to chase those fleeing three, the confused state of the plaza was calming down.

Thank goodness. As long as I don't get caught, I should be able to return home.

With a huff, I fell to my knees. I'd also lost my captain's hat somewhere while running around, but there was no way I was going to search for it. I'm going home, back to that room…

"The real Straw Hat Pirates are in Grove 42! After them as fast as you can!" I heard those words from the marines running by.

I see. So the real Straw Hat Pirates are in Grove 42, huh…

What should I do? I thought.

No, no. It's not 'what should I do?' put forth a different inner voice of mine. If you go to a place like that, it'll just be dangerous, right? Not to mention that the Marines are already on their way. If you go, what will you do? You just barely escaped with your life this time.

But, if I go, at that place─

I put my hand to my chest. Can I still run? I tried asking myself.

I can run.

I stood up.

By the time I crawled over to the cove of Grove 42, the Straw Hats' ship was already under cannon fire from the Marines. The cannon balls fell near the ship with a bam!bam!

Ack! This is bad! Nami-san!

But then a different pirate ship ─one with two giant snakes pulling it─ appeared and the Marines' cannon fire stopped for now.

Thank goodness, and in this gap I ran down the mangrove's roots, getting closer to the Straw Hats' ship. But I was still afraid of taking a hit if the bombardment began again. Their ship was about 100 meters out if front of me and with a good feeling welling up in me as I hid in the root's shadows, I used my binoculars.

On the deck of the Straw Hats' ship, below the real Captain Luffy, the faces of the crew were looking his way.

But, having made it here, I didn't check their faces one by one. Before I did that, my senses were stolen in an instant.

Waving long orange hair, a goddess wearing a bikini top and jeans─ Yes, it was Nami-san!

^%*&X X%^#* X%*^#!

This indescribable feeling penetrated my entire body.

Her beauty and style far outstripped what the wanted poster shows. All of the world's 'beauty' was collected and crystalized right here!

Nico Robin was a beautiful woman too and, of course, in my sights. She was in my sights, but through my exhaustion from getting here, I only had eyes for Nami-san.

How beautiful. How lovely. A fine flower. She was too much. Where she was just seemed to shine. All I could do was sigh at the sight.

But this time of bliss didn't continue for long.

The Straw Hats' ship became encased in a giant bubble. I knew it was a system for sailing under the ocean surface.

On the decks of the ship within the bubble, Nami-san tranquilly gave instructions for departure. Even with the Marines still near by and posing a threat, she didn't appear frustrated or scared, instead just seeing to it that she fulfilled her job as the navigator.

I see, I thought as I noticed what was happening over there.

Right now, over there, Nami-san's brilliance wasn't due to just her beauty. It was also seeing her own role done as it should be under her honest efforts. A Sense of Purpose, those words floated through my head. Surely that was the source of Nami-san's inner light.

How amazing, how cool, I frankly thought.

Comparing myself to that, a feeling of uselessness didn't gush up.

Wasn't there somewhere in this world that I too could shine? What I wouldn't give to be there. Those were my thoughts.

It felt as if my heart which had been shrinking for so long was finally at ease.

Nami-san's lively form pierced the blackness caught within my chest.

The Straw Hats' ship began to sink into the sea. The time for them to set sail had finally come.

I gripped my binoculars tighter.

I was determined to keep watching Nami-san's figure until the very end.

In the moment the ship disappeared into the ocean, Nami-san raised her fist up on the deck. I'll never forget that shining smile.

"Nami-san! Good luck! I'll…! I'll…!"

Imperceptible tears flowed down my face.

I kept staring at the sea where the Straw Hats' ship disappeared for a while.

The binoculars left clear marks around my eyes.

Opening the front door, I found my mom waiting for me.

My mother greeted her son, face and limbs covered in abrasions, with a smile.

"… welcome home."

"I'm back…"

"Did you meet them? That," Mom took a moment to choose her words, "… person you love?"

"Yeah…" I said with a nod.

The strong and beautiful navigator I went to meet today.

I thought I was going to die, but the payoff was huge. No, thinking I would die was also part of today's payoff.

"… Mom."

"What is it?"

"I… I'm going to start trying to find a school or job…"

"Really?" Mom put a hand in front of her mouth. "…Thank you."

I shook my head. The thanks should go to Nami-san.

Translation Notes

Yes, there was a line of symbols for incoherency of thought in the novel. Not the ones I used, they had actual shapes, but 1) I don't know how to make Word do those and 2) I'm not sure ff would have taken them.

The * point

Hikokomori, for those of you unfamiliar with the term, refers to people who shut themselves away in their rooms and barely leave for anything besides the bathroom, like the narrator described his lifestyle.

The ** point

The narrator has some Japanese speech style corrections here, a formal to less formal/tough guy one to be exact. Unfortunately, it's not a long enough bit of speech to make noticeable or anything in English.

The *** point

Considering that there is clearly what are sound effects after the Pacifistas arrive, I believe the 'zozooo' was meant to be a bullet sound effect.