Forgot to mention, but for Zou, I'm wearing Connor Kenway's clothes.
Songs
Going through the Jungle: Connor's Chase Theme (Assassin's Creed 3 Unreleased Soundtrack)
Top of the Cliff: Temple Secrets (Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack)
Christina: Fight Club (Assassin's Creed 3 Soundtrack)
The Archives: Arno's Return (AC Unity Soundtrack)
Templars Assemble: Blackbeard (Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides Soundtrack)
Announcing and Picking Targets: Sakusenkaishi Osowareru Mura (One Piece OST)
4 New Master Assassins: Family (AC Syndicate Soundtrack)
Nami's Training: The Very Very Very Strongest (One Piece OST)
Nami and Luffy Flashback: Fairy Tail Sad Song [Piano Cover] (Fairy Tail OST)
Nami's Observation Haki: Dragon Force (Fairy Tail OST)
"What do you mean, we're here?! All I see is a giant thousand year old elephant!" yelled Nami.
"That's exactly what Zou is." Law and I responded at the same time. "Franky, steer us around to the left side. There's a hidden underwater platform that will take us up to the docks, where the other ships will be.
"Alright. If you say so." Franky steered us over, and I said my name out loud before a giant metal pillar came out of the ocean and lifted the Sunny up towards the top of the elephant. The ship was placed on a water slide, and we slid down until a giant storage facility door opened, revealing a large docking station, where many ships already were. The lights turned on in the room after the Sunny docked, revealing the other ships.
"Look at all these!" Franky and Usopp looked around at the flags.
"Yep. Hancock's ship, Jinbei's, Shanks', and of course Dragon's own personal ship is over there." I pointed to the large flagship of the Revolutionaries, with a large serpent-like Dragon figurehead.
"Mine's here too. Which means that my crew is already here as well." Law pointed to his own submarine. Luffy looked around all of the ships.
"No one's here." he said.
"So then they're all on the island. Let's get going, then." I led them over to an elevator at the back of the docks. I pushed the button for up, and we all got in.
"We're going to have to walk through the jungle for a bit before getting to the main base on the island.
"That's fine by me!" Luffy said excitedly.
"So Aaron, who are all the Master Assassins?" Zoro asked.
"Well, in terms of strength, the order goes Jinbei, Hancock, Rayleigh, Sabo, Christina, Myself, Shanks, and then Dragon at the top."
"Dad's stronger than Shanks?"
"Yeah. I suppose you can think of it like this: Shanks is about twice as strong as Luffy, a little bit stronger than myself. Dragon is about twice as strong as Shanks and myself, so that would make him close to 4 times as strong as Luffy."
"That's crazy…" Nami muttered.
"You said that the Brotherhood knows about each of us, right? So are they really okay with having people that are not members of the Brotherhood on the island?" asked Robin.
"Well, as long as they're affiliated with the Brotherhood, they're allowed. So of course Luffy and any of us are allowed here because he's Dragon's own son."
"Are you planning to have any of us join the Brotherhood then? Law said he would." They all looked at Robin and myself, surprised.
"...Well?" asked Sanji.
"...Just four of you. I want the four strongest of you to join the Brotherhood as well as Law."
"So Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and…Franky, I'm guessing?" asked Chopper.
"No. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Nami." I corrected. Nami looked down.
"I thought so…" she mumbled.
"I still don't get what's so important about her." Usopp mentioned. Nami slammed her fist into Usopp's head, knocking him out.
"Why don't you try it yourself, Usopp? You unlocked Observation Haki in Dressrosa, didn't you?" Usopp rubbed his head.
"Y-Yeah. So try to sense Nami's latent power? Let me give it a try." Usopp closed his eyes, and after a moment or two, he gasped loudly.
"What is it?" asked Brook.
"N-Nami's haki...is...almost equal to Zoro's!" he yelled. The weaker members of the crew all jaw-dropped.
"Exactly. Because of the fact that she has Conqueror's Haki too, which only one in a million people can use, she is equal to Zoro and close to Luffy in terms of sheer haki."
"So she's as strong as Zoro?" asked Luffy.
"No. In terms of haki, yes. But Zoro is a master swordsman, and Sanji's kicks are still a huge force to be reckoned with. Of course, Nami can use haki with her Clima-tact, which will amplify her power exponentially, but she's not as strong as the Monster Trio or myself." The elevator suddenly stopped, and opened up, revealing the entrance to a jungle. We started walking through it.
"And the Templars? I know you mentioned who they are a long time ago, but let's clarify." Zoro mentioned.
"Well, things have changed since three years ago. For starters, Aokiji left the Marines, so he's not a Templar anymore."
"Aokiji was a Templar?" asked Luffy.
"Well it makes sense, right? All three of the Admirals usually are. But anyways, there's Kuma, Mihawk, Fujitora, Kizaru, Akainu, and Ryokugyu as the Grand Master. And Doflamingo was too, but he's dead now. But…" I thought about seeing Arlong at Dressrosa.
"But what?" asked Nami.
"I have a feeling that the Templars are making their move and recruiting new members." I looked down.
"What makes you so sure?"
"...I saw someone in Dressrosa that shouldn't have been there."
"Who?" she asked.
"Arlong." She gasped, and everyone looked at me.
"He was with Hawkeye, watching the fight between Luffy and I and Ryokugyu. He helped out a few times with his new powers. I'm sure of it, that he's a member of the Order, although I always had a feeling that he would be one day. That means that he's more than likely making a target out of us. Don't worry about it right now. We'll get to that later. Here we are." The trees cleared, and we walked up to a large cliff, seeing two people standing there.
"Sabo. Dragon." I greeted. Sabo turned around and walked towards us, while Dragon simply glanced behind him.
"About time you guys made it here!"
"You left Dressrosa early, did you see what happened while we were there?"
"Of course." Dragon responded. We all walked up to him.
"Luffy." He looked at him.
"Dad."
"Welcome to Zou, everyone." He turned around, and presented the island's main attraction to us. Everyone was in awe. From the top of the cliff, there were multiple waterfalls rushing down into a large pool and bar. Past that, there was a large freerunning course and training ground where soldiers were practicing Archery and their hand to hand and weapon related skills.
"Is Amy here?" I asked Dragon.
"She's in the archives. We'll see her later."
"Alright. Let's go gather everyone else. This is a perfect time to practice your Leap of Faith."
"Leap of Faith?" they all asked.
"Follow my lead." Dragon and I spread our arms out and dived off of the cliff, landing in a giant stack of pool towels below. Sabo stuck his hand out.
"Who's next?" he said, smiling. They all jaw-dropped. But one by one, they dived off into the same pile, and did it with great skill and efficiency.
"Luffy, I'm doing this with you." Nami said.
"Okay. Hold my hand." They walked up to the top of the cliff, hand in hand, and dived off together into the towels. They both got out together. I smiled.
"What am I gonna do with the two of you?" I said, shaking my head. Sanji was angry, and everyone else smirked. I walked over to the bar, seeing Rayleigh and Shanks sitting there. Rayleigh was wide awake, and turned to us, but Shanks was passed out, drunk.
"Rayleigh!" Luffy yelled happily. Then he looked over and saw Shanks asleep.
"SHANKS!" he yelled. But Shanks was still out cold. I walked over and slammed my fist down onto his head.
"Wake up, dumbass. Luffy's here." Shanks fell backwards out of his seat, and tumbled into the pool.
"H-Huh? What? Luffy?!" He climbed out, soaking wet, and looked at Luffy, rubbing the back of his head, smiling.
"Hey Luffy. How are you?"
"...Gum Gum Rifle!" Luffy fired up a spinning punch and slammed Shanks in the stomach, sending him flying back into the pool again. He came out, angry.
"What the hell was that for, you little bastard?!"
"Shanks! Let's fight!" Everyone jaw-dropped again.
"Nami." I looked at her.
"Already on it." She walked over and knocked Luffy unconscious.
"Let's keep going." Luffy woke up and started talking to Shanks casually, instead of just outright fighting him.
"Jinbei! Hancock!" I called out. They were watching the Assassins train.
"Luffy!" she screamed, and ran over. Jinbei smiled and followed her.
"How are you two doing?" he asked.
"We're doing well." she responded.
"So all we're missing now is Christina. Where is she?" I asked.
"Take a guess." Jinbei sighed, pointing over to the large fighting ring, where many Assassins were knocked out of the ring unconscious.
"That woman is such a handful." I muttered. We walked over, and saw her defeating three people at once.
"Don't tell me that this is all you guys have! I haven't even broken a sweat yet!" she announced. I jumped up into the ring.
"I'll make you do more than that." She glanced behind her.
"Welcome back."
"Thanks. You haven't changed a bit."
"Neither have you. You still look like you're in your 20s."
"Well you do too. Our devil fruit powers slow our aging appearance, so we appear younger than we actually are."
"Is that true?" asked Sanji.
"Yes. Aaron's devil fruit is a Piece of Eden, so he has that perk, while Christina's devil fruit powers draw on the moonlight, so they look like they're in their young 20s as opposed to their real ages." Jinbei confirmed.
"Alright, come with us. We have some business to go over with Dragon."
"Okay. I guess I won't get a good fight today after all." she sighed. She grabbed her coat and put it back on. We started heading towards another elevator.
"By the way, notice anything different about me?" she asked, spinning around once.
"You're wearing Evie's clothes?! Where did you get those?"
"I happened across them on a job. I decided to take them for myself."
"I've been collecting the rest of the legendary armors. I don't have hers, but you got them for me?"
"I got them for myself." she snapped.
"They belong to me. I'm a direct descendant of Evie."
"True, but you're never going to wear them, they're women's clothes. I'm your best friend, won't you let me keep them?" she pleaded, trying to look cute. I sighed.
"Oh my goddddd…fine." She jumped up in the air, cheering.
"The two of you are a recipe for disaster." Jinbei sighed.
"Uh huh." We arrived at the elevator in the cliffside. It opened when I pushed the button for the archives. We all walked in, and the elevator began to go down. After a minute or two the elevator became transparent, and we could see through it.
"Welcome to the Brotherhood Archives." Dragon said. It was a massive library filled with books, computers, and different artifacts and mementos. At the very back towered statues of Altaïr, Ezio, Connor, Edward, Arno, Jacob, and Evie, circling around the whole room.
"Incredible." Robin whispered.
"Anything you want to know about all over the world is recorded somewhere in here. Let's go." I said, as the doors opened and everyone stepped out. Dragon led us to the back of the hall, where we saw Amaryllis sitting at a table, reading today's newspaper.
"Well, well. Look who's here." She said, folding up the newspaper.
"Hello again. I haven't seen you for quite a while." I told her. She looked over at the rest of the crew and saw Luffy. She began to laugh.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"Nothing, nothing. You're just the spitting image of Garp, but you're not a Marine." she chuckled. "I hope you've been doing well, Luffy." she grinned at him in a way that reminded him of his own smile. Luffy drew a blank for a few seconds, trying to figure out who she was.
"Think hard." she told him. For a brief second, Luffy remembered her holding him when he was a newborn.
"M-M-Mom?" he choked out.
"Bingo." she responded. Luffy started tearing up.
"Come here." she smiled. "Captain's don't always have to be so serious." Luffy ran over to her and tackled her in a hug.
"Mom...I missed you."
"Me too."
"People will believe that, right? I look like her, so when Luffy and I get married, they'll know!" Hancock fantasized. Everyone sweatdropped.
"You ruined it." I told her. She pouted. Luffy and Amy broke away. Then she became serious.
"Aaron, have you seen the newspaper yet today?"
"No. Why?" She handed it to me.
"Take a look." She handed it to me.
"...I knew it. Arlong didn't break out of prison, he was released again. He killed Edward Weeble, a Warlord, and got his bounty raised to 500 million, same as Luffy's. He officially became a Warlord this morning." I threw the paper back onto the table.
"Another thing. The Marines are going to broadcast a program over the TV on every channel in only a few minutes. We should watch it."
"Alright. To the couch!" yelled Zoro. Everyone went to the giant couch in front of the giant flat screen TV. Nami sat next to Luffy, as usual. The TV turned on, and there was a view of the execution platform. All of the marine soldiers were beneath it, watching. There was a speaking podium with a microphone attached to it in the center of the execution stand. All of a sudden, everyone calmed down. A single figure walked out of the hall behind the execution stand. Once he came into view, he walked up to the podium.
"Ryokugyu." Luffy mumbled.
"You know, I'm getting really tired of seeing that green suit." I sighed. He adjusted the microphone and spoke into it.
"Thank you all for coming here today. I have a very important announcement. Today marks a very special day. The day when the marines begin to take down the pirates for good!" Everyone mumbled in confusion for a few seconds, but gradually cheered.
"Since the beginnings of civilization, two groups have battled each other over political views. These groups are known as the Assassin Brotherhood, the ones who believe that humanity moves forward through the free will of the people, and the Templar Order, who believe that in order to progress, people need leaders to guide them. On October 13, 1307, the Templar stronghold was raided by Master Assassin Thomas de Carneillon and his followers, and all of the Templars, including Grand Master Jacques de Molay, were arrested. In 1312, Pope Clement V officially dissolved the Order, and on March 18, 1314, Jacques de Molay was burned at the stake in front of King Philip IV of France and the Pope. From that point on, the Templars became an underground organization, deciding to influence societies behind the scenes, through politics, the economy, industry, transportation, the arcane, and so on." He smiled. "The Templars still exist today, right here and right now. Today is the day that the Order comes out of hiding! I am the Templar Grandmaster of the New World!" he announced. I clenched my fists, and Nami grabbed hold of Luffy's arm.
"And as of this moment, Sakazuki and I switch jobs. From now on, I'll be the Fleet Admiral of the Navy. Sakazuki will once again become Admiral Akainu. Now then, I think it's best that I introduce the rest of my comrades who serve in the Order. I'll work my way up to the top. First off, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, with a bounty of 296 million berries! Bartholomew Kuma!" Kuma walked out onto the platform. "Next, I want to reinstate this man's position as a Warlord! Sir Crocodile, with a bounty of 81 million berries!" Crocodile walked out.
"Interesting." Dragon commented. Luffy was indifferent.
"That bastard." Sanji said angrily.
"How…?" asked Usopp.
"I broke him out of Impel Down. He fought with me at Marineford. My guess is he's just been traveling around on the seas since then." Luffy responded.
"Next up is a member of the Worst Generation, and one of the eleven Supernovas, rookie pirates who achieved a bounty of 100 million or more in their first year of sailing! Basil Hawkins 'The Magician', with a bounty of 320 million berries!" Hawkins walked out onto the platform as well.
"Him too?" asked Zoro.
"Our next member was Donquixote Doflamingo, who had a bounty of 340 million, but as you saw in Dressrosa, I killed him. So we found some new members, already including Crocodile and Hawkins. Next up is another Supernova, and one of the strongest ones. Eustass 'Captain' Kid, with a bounty of 470 million!" Kid walked out and stood next to Hawkins.
"Him, huh?" Luffy mumbled.
"Didn't you and Law fight alongside him before?" I asked.
"Yeah. He's really strong, and one of my rivals."
"You might have seen the newspaper this morning. Former Warlord Edward Weeble caused us a lot of problems recently, so we sent out one of our best to take care of him. I don't think he's back yet, though-"
"I'm right here." Arlong walked through the hall and out onto the platform. Ryokugyu frowned at him.
"You're covered in blood."
"It's not mine." He grinned. The Green Admiral quickly smiled and chuckled. The rest of us were giving a range of reactions, from simply frowning, to growling, to gasping.
"Warlord and Former Sun Pirate General Arlong, with a bounty of 500 million!"
Nami held onto Luffy even tighter.
"Next is another one of our best. I'm sure you're familiar with him by just his reputation alone. The strongest swordsman in the world and another member of the Warlords, Dracule 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, with a bounty of 600 million!" Mihawk walked out and stood next to Arlong.
"There he is…" Zoro murmured, leaning forward.
"After that, we have Issho, otherwise known as Admiral Fujitora!" Fujitora slowly came out and took his place. Sabo narrowed his eyes.
"Now we have our top three. Our third in command, Borsalino, also known as Admiral Kizaru!" Kizaru spared no time in arriving and used his light powers to teleport next to Fujitora. The marines roared.
"Our second in command, Sakazuki, also known as Admiral Akainu!" Akainu walked out and took his place next to Kizaru.
"And as I already announced before, I'm the Grandmaster, and the strongest one here. Now then, quiet down for a moment." The Marines were cheering so loudly that he had to make them calm again.
"This is all well and good, but a Templar is nothing without a target to take out, right? As I've stated before, eventually each and every pirate and revolutionary will be wiped out, but I'd like to start by making some examples out of a select few. Our first targets will be the members of the Straw Hat Pirates, and the other members of the Assassin Brotherhood!" Everyone cheered once again.
"And since I'm such a nice guy, I'll let you guys choose your targets yourself. You each get no more than two. Here are your choices." A giant monitor lit up behind them showing pictures of everyone.
"'Cotton Candy Loving' Chopper, with a bounty of 100 berries. 'Demon Child' Nico Robin with a bounty of 130 million berries. 'God' Usopp with a bounty of 200 million berries. 'Humming' Brook, with a bounty of 83 million berries. 'Cyborg' Franky with a bounty of 94 million berries. 'Cat Burglar' Nami with a bounty of 66 million. 'Black Leg' Sanji with a bounty of 177 million."
"But we're not even comparable to you guys!" Usopp complained.
"Templar Grandmasters are thorough. Ryokugyu has no intention of sparing the weaker targets."
"Now for the big titles! 'Pirate Hunter' Roronoa Zoro with a bounty of 320 million! 'Surgeon of Death' Trafalgar Law with a bounty of 500 million! 'Straw Hat' Monkey D. Luffy with a bounty of 500 million! 'Pirate Empress' Boa Hancock with a bounty of 80 million! 'Knight of the Sea' Jinbei with a bounty of 460 million! Revolutionary Army 'Number Two' Sabo, with a bounty of 600 million! 'Moonlight Goddess' Christina Elingston with a bounty of 730 million berries!"
"Your bounty is that much and you didn't bother to tell me?" I looked at her, frowning. She winked.
"'Dark King' Silvers Rayleigh, with a bounty of 900 million! 'Devil's Child' Aaron Hawthorne with a bounty of 1 billion 200 million! Emperor 'Red-Haired' Shanks, with a bounty of 850 million! And finally, the most wanted man in the world, Revolutionary Leader and Brotherhood Mentor Monkey D. Dragon, with a bounty of 1 billion 500 million berries!" The Marines' cheering became out of control.
"This is it. Pay attention." I instructed.
"So why don't we start at the end? Kuma, who would you like to hunt down?"
"...The Cyborg...Franky." Franky's picture disappeared from the monitor. Franky looked surprised.
"Crocodile?"
"Nico Robin." he said, looking down. Robin's eyes narrowed, and her picture disappeared from the monitor.
"Hawkins."
"I think I'll take the Skeleton and the Reindeer. I find them interesting." Brook and Chopper's pictures disappeared.
"Kid."
"Law and that Long-Nosed Sniper, Usopp." Usopp and Law's pictures were removed.
"Arlong."
"Do you even have to ask? Nami and Jinbei." Jinbei grunted and Nami held on to Luffy, scared. He squeezed her hand.
"Mihawk?"
"...Roronoa and Hancock." he said, his hat covering his eyes. Zoro wasn't surprised, and Hancock frowned, remembering their brief conversations at Marineford.
"Fujitora."
"I'll take Sabo and Christina. He and I still owe each other a rematch after what happened at Dressrosa. And she peaks my interest." Their pictures disappeared.
"You two fought there?" Usopp asked.
"Yeah. It ended in a draw, but I wonder if he was holding back."
"Kizaru."
"Hmmm...how about Black Leg and Rayleigh?" The photos disappeared once again. Sanji gritted his teeth, and Rayleigh had a serious look on his face.
"Akainu."
"Straw Hat and Red Hair." he announced in a firm voice. Luffy clenched his fists while Shanks sighed.
"Excellent. Then leave Aaron and Dragon to me. Meeting adjourned." They all turned around and went back through the hall. Amy shut the TV off. Everyone was silent for a moment.
"Well there we have it." I sighed and stood up. "Remember who picked you as a target, because they're also your target as well. Learn everything about them that you can, and train yourself in order to defeat them." Dragon stood up and looked at them.
"You five said you wanted to join the Brotherhood, right? Come with me." Everyone followed him over to the elevator again, and went down further into the hideout. We came out into a large ceremonial hall.
"Line up. You five stand in the middle. The rest of the masters stood on the sides opposite of each other, while the other Straw Hats stood off to the side. Dragon and I stood up at the top of the stairs, holding a display box with 5 Master Assassin necklaces. Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, and Law walked up the middle and knelt down at the bottom of the stairs.
"You want to do the honors?" Dragon asked.
"Sure." I walked forward. "Do you swear to uphold the tenets of our creed, and fight for the freedom of mankind?"
"We do."
"Stay your blade from the flesh of the innocent. Hide in plain sight. Never compromise the Assassin Brotherhood. Do you swear to uphold these principles at whatever cost necessary?"
"...We do."
"Nothing is true, everything is permitted. 'To say that nothing is true is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.' These are the words recited by Ezio Auditore himself. Do you swear to understand and follow this principle until death?"
"We do."
"Then rise, Assassins." They stood up again. I went to them one by one, presenting them each with a necklace.
"Welcome to the Brotherhood." I smirked. Everyone clapped for them.
"What about armor and weapons?" Sabo asked.
"It depends on personal preference. Only Christina and I did that, but if you guys want to…"
"I'm good." Zoro said.
"Me too." Sanji responded.
"I'd rather not." Law said.
"Nope." Luffy mentioned.
"Me neither." Nami smiled.
"Okay then. We just got here, you guys don't want to leave yet, do you?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads, wanting to stay for a little while longer.
"I have to head over to Solacia. I'll be there for two weeks or so." Hancock told us.
"Alright. We'll be heading there next, so expect to see us in another week or so." She left.
"I have to go as well. I'm helping King Neptune out with a few concerns in politics, so I have to go back. It was nice seeing all of you." Jinbei said, saying goodbye to everyone and leaving.
"You two?" Dragon asked Rayleigh and Shanks.
"I have nowhere else to be, I can stay." Rayleigh said.
"Me too." Shanks said.
"Sabo, Christina. You two have somewhere to be?"
"Not yet." Sabo told him.
"Nope." Christina said, humming to herself.
"Good. Luffy, Christina, I leave you two in charge of teaching Nami haki. The rest of you can use your time as you please." I told them.
"Sure." Luffy smiled.
"Okee doke." Christina responded, now whistling.
"Have fun, you three. Christina, try not to kill her." I looked at her.
"Whatever do you mean?" she asked innocently. I facepalmed.
X
"Alright, Nami. Let's start with Observation Haki, since Sanji mentioned that you began sensing the presence of others. Put this on." Luffy handed her a blindfold.
"You're kidding, right?" she asked nervously.
"This is the same way that Rayleigh taught me. You'll have to withstand our blows."
"Don't worry, we won't use haki."
"If you say so…" Nami put the blindfold on and sat down. Luffy and Christina stood behind her.
"Nami, try to hear our movements, and predict them."
"I'll try." Christina stepped forward and readied her attack.
"Finger Pistol." She concentrated her power into the tip of her finger, and thrust it towards Nami. To both of their surprise, she dodged it by shifting her body to the right.
"Well well...you're farther along than I thought you were. I'm going to use multiple strikes now, alright?"
"Go for it." Nami was thinking about what they said.
'Hear their movements, and predict them.' Nami focused hard, and dodged the first few of Christina's strikes, but then got hit by the next few.
"Rgh! Ow!" she yelped. Christina stopped and looked at Nami clutching her sides. A little bit of blood trickled onto her fingers.
"Are you alright-"
"Don't worry about me! Keep going!"
"..." She used her finger pistol again, and once more, Nami began dodging them successfully, only to end up getting struck again.
"Mmph!" Nami cried out. She clutched at her wounds again.
"Nami!" Luffy bent down next to her.
"I'll be fine, Luffy. Really." she smiled weakly.
"No. We should take a break."
"...One more time. One more time, and then we'll take a break."
"...Fine." This time Nami stood up and stood opposite of Luffy.
'Predict the attacks. Hear them. Sense his presence…' Nami's mind suddenly flashed to when she asked Luffy about haki on Fishmen Island.
Nami walked down to the aquarium room, hoping to get some time alone with Luffy. Robin had told her that he was watching the fish. Luffy, Aaron, Zoro, and Sanji all said that they could sense all three types of haki inside of her. She wanted to ask Luffy what it feels like to have the abilities, and to be able to sense the presence of others. To have the power that only one in a million people had. She could have asked one of the others, but Zoro wasn't the best at explaining things, Sanji would be too preoccupied and in love with her to explain, and Aaron would just tell her some mystic shit about it or something. Not that Luffy was any better. He'd probably just say that it's a 'mystery power' or something like that. But she loved Luffy. The two of them were close, and when push came to shove, he's the one that she can rely on the most. She walked into the aquarium room to see Luffy laying down across the large lounge couch that circled around the room. His hat was covering his eyes, so she seemed to be asleep. He slowly inhaled and exhaled, and she could see his chest move up and down ever so slightly with every breath that he took. She walked over and took a seat next to him, watching him with a smile on her face. Her eyes unconsciously trailed from his face down to his muscular chest, and...the massive, X-shaped scar burnt into his skin. She immediately became upset. She traced her finger over it gently.
"Luffy… what happened to you?" she whispered.
"Mmm…" he shuffled in his sleep, and slowly woke up. His hat fell off of his eyes, and he looked up to see Nami looking at him.
"Nami? What are you doing here?" He looked down at his scar to see Nami's hand there. She quickly pulled it away. Luffy sat up.
"I-I came to ask you about a few things."
"Okay...What's on your mind?"
"That scar, first. How did you get it?"
"Oh. That…It's a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere."
"Jinbei told me that after I passed out, he carried me away from Marineford. Akainu pursued me relentlessly, and eventually fired a beam of magma from his fist then went right through the two of us, forming a hole, and leaving us scarred. It took a while to heal after that." Nami was on the verge of tears.
"You...You almost died…?" she asked quietly.
"Yeah…" he looked down.
"Why did you pass out?" she was gradually getting quieter.
"Ace...was killed right in front of me. I still have nightmares about it. Akainu's fist through his chest...him dying in my arms. His blood was all over my hands, and the next thing I knew, my mind shattered." Luffy told her solemnly. Tears were streaming down Nami's eyes. Luffy didn't even blink before she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace, crying into his shoulder.
"Na...mi…"
"I'm sorry. It's just...I'm so happy you're alive." she sobbed.
"...I'm happy you are too...Kuma told me before he sent me off that I would never see any of you again. I didn't want to believe it. While I was training, I always thought about meeting you guys again. I couldn't wait to see you, Nami." He returned the embrace.
"What else did you want to know?" The two didn't show any intention of breaking away from each other.
"About my haki. You said you'd teach me how to use it. What is each type used for?"
"The first type is called Observation Haki, and you've already seen it in action. I used it when dodging all Hody's Shark Arrows. It's about sensing your opponent's presence, and predicting their attacks. The second type is called Armament Haki." Luffy took his arms off of her and hardened his arm, turning it black. "This is supposed to act as an armor that enhances your attacks. It is also the only effective way to harm logia devil fruit users. Lastly, there is Conqueror's haki, which as I'm sure you've heard by now, only 1 in a million people possess." Luffy quickly unleashed a short burst of it throughout the room, seemingly making time freeze for only a moment. Of course, Nami was unaffected.
"Against any normal opponents, that small amount would have been enough to take out a couple thousand soldiers instantly." Nami's eyes widened.
"So i could learn to do that?"
"No." Luffy said firmly.
"What do you mean? I thought you were going to teach me?"
"I can teach you the first two, but Conqueror's Haki is something that you have to master on your own." Luffy put his hands on her shoulders. She opened her mouth slightly.
"You're like me, Nami. Someone who can use all three types of haki is a rare case. We're special, you and I. And for people like us, sometimes haki comes naturally instead of by hard work and effort."
"I-I see…"
The next morning, Robin came down to read a book and watch the fish, but instead found Luffy and Nami leaning against each other, sleeping peacefully, their heads lying on one another's. She smiled, and left them alone.
'Maybe it isn't a matter of trying hard or focusing my energy. Maybe it comes to me naturally. I'm always stressed and fed up because of the antics of our crew, so perhaps if I relax and feel out my opponent, I can do it.' Nami took a deep breath and exhaled.
"Gum Gum…" Luffy took a stance. Nami decided to listen instead to the sounds of wildlife around her. The rushing water, the chirping of birds. Then she could see it. Luffy's aura. It was blue in color. She saw him move into his stance. She could see his movements and predict them, even with her eyes closed!
"Gatling!" He started throwing a barrage of punches at her. At first, he held back a little bit, but once he saw her elegantly dodging each and every one as if it were nothing, he grinned and increased speed. Nami still dodged them, never taking her feet off of where she was standing. She just moved her head slightly when a punch was about to connect, letting her dodge with a level of mastery. Luffy stopped, and caught his breath before reaching around and taking the blindfold off of Nami.
"You did it." he said, smiling at her. She smiled right back at him.
"I remembered. You told me that to some, like us, instead of using effort to bring out our haki, sometimes it comes naturally. So I decided to relax and calm myself."
"In any case, nice job!" Christina told her. "Now then, those wounds from before." She walked up to her.
"Oh, right. Let me go find Chopper-"
"No need." She put her hand on Nami's head. "Haki Healing." A small wave of haki was sent into Nami's body, and a few seconds later, her wounds were healed just as quickly as they formed.
"W-Wow...Haki can do that too?" she asked, amazed.
"Right. It's part of the next step, Armament. I'll teach it to you later."
"You can use it too?" she asked Luffy.
"Yep!" he said happily. "So can Aaron, Dad, Shanks, and Hancock!"
"Sabo and I can as well." Christina commented.
"And the others?"
"Jinbei can use Armament Haki, and Luffy said that both Zoro and Sanji can use Armament and Observation. And then you can use all three. In any case, Nami, let's take a break for now. You unlocked your first form very quickly. I'm impressed."
"Thanks, but compared to yourself and Aaron, who had mastery over all three types at just 15 years old…" she pouted.
"But it took us more than 10 minutes to master each form."
"...Alright. Luffy, let's go get a drink or something."
"Sure!" He picked her up and carried her off to the bar, making her cry out in embarrassment. Christina just shook her head and smiled as the two disappeared from sight.
"Luffy, you don't have to carry me there!" Nami complained, blushing madly.
"But I want to. You tired yourself training. I don't want you to overexert yourself." They finally arrived at the bar and Luffy plopped her down on one of the bar top stools. He sat next to her.
"What can I get you two?" asked the bartender.
"Aaron?" they both asked at the same time. I turned around.
"Oh, hey guys. Normally, Christina or one of her officers serves drinks, but I'm covering for her today because of your training. Speaking of which, how's it going?"
"Great. Nami learned Observation Haki already!"
"There's a big difference between learning and mastering, Luffy." I told him. "What do you two want to drink?" Nami ordered a tropical pineapple and coconut smoothie, while Luffy just asked for a bottle of coconut rum. I handed them their drinks. Then, all of a sudden, I threw a punch at Nami. However, she moved her head to the side, still drinking.
"This is really good. Thanks." she smiled.
"Hm. You are good at it after all. You're welcome."
X
"So you learned how to use Armament Haki too now?" Rayleigh asked Nami as everyone was packing up on the ship.
"Yeah. It took me longer than Observational, but I still managed to do it."
"Well then, congratulations. You didn't get to Conqueror's yet, did you?" he asked.
"No, not yet. Luffy said he'd teach me on the way to the next island."
"Alright then. Good luck."
"Thanks Rayleigh." She grinned at him. Everyone got on the ship.
"Hey, before you take off, there's something I want you guys to know." Dragon told us.
"What is it?"
"Now that you know all of the Templars, there's four among them that are especially dangerous. Arlong, Mihawk, Kizaru, and Akainu are all considered Master Templars."
"They are?" I glanced over.
"Master Templar?" Zoro asked.
"They're in the same class as a Master Assassin. They're the elites of the Order."
"I see."
"In any case, stay wary of them. Where are you guys heading next?" Dragon asked.
"Well, Luffy's birthday is in a few days, so I was gonna take everyone to Solacia as a present to him."
"Oh yeah, it is!" Sabo remembered.
"Happy early birthday then, Luffy." Dragon and Amy told him together.
"Thanks!" he smiled.
"Here, this is a present from the three of us. Some spending money for Solacia." Dragon tossed a large pouch up to Luffy, who caught it.
"How much is in here?" he asked, while placing it on the table.
"15,000 berries. Have fun." Sabo smirked.
"Wow. So much?" Luffy asked, holding Nami back from stealing the money.
"Well, you'll need it, considering where you're going."
"Hm?" all of the Straw Hats looked at him questioningly.
"You haven't heard of Solacia yet?" asked Dragon.
"I'll explain it to you later." I told them.
"For now, goodbye. I'll see you again when it comes time. Good luck." Dragon told us. And with that, the ship began to sail off. The Sunny was brought down off of the elephant by another elevator pad. It was a nice and sunny day out. Clear skies, and warm, but not hot.
"So what's this Solacia place Dragon mentioned?" asked Robin.
"You haven't heard of it either?"
"No. Sabo never mentioned it."
"It might be because you weren't a member of the Brotherhood. In any case, Solacia…" I smiled. "...Is a paradise on earth."
End.