Never Let You Fall
ZoNami Week – Day 05: Cash Only / Join Me at the Casino
Rating: T (some violence)
Summary: Nami gave herself over to a group of bounty hunters in order to save her friends.
Word Count: 3,197 words
PLEASE NOTE: I thoroughly enjoyed listening to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' "Your Guardian Angel" while writing this, which is one of my all-time favourite songs. It really impacted my writing of this story, so please try listening to it while you read. Thanks!
She didn't regret her decision – anything to keep her nakama safe! Even if it meant sacrificing herself to the bounty hunters that had been hunting them for the last few months, relentless until they managed to capture one of the infamous Mugiwara, hoping to cash in on the fame and fortune that would inevitably follow, she would not change a single thing about the strategy she had devised. Nami would never be able to tell the world how she had turned herself into a distraction so that Usopp could escape and warn the others. No, the Falconers behaved more like stereotypical pirates than her own crew did and were much too proud to admit that they had captured nothing that wasn't given to them tonight.
They were also much more ruthless than she had originally anticipated, but it wasn't anything she could not handle.
Her wrists were bound at her back and yet she tried to walk tall, confident, uninterested in their snickering and cocky debates of what they planned to do with her sixty-six million bounty. They had her blindfolded too, covering their bases of keeping their hideout a secret even though they were already anticipating their victory. She had not felt truly disoriented though until she was shoved from behind; the laughter of the fiendish hunters rose to such heights that it muted the sound of her heels clicking against the cobblestones beneath her feet while she did her best not to fall. Their voice angered her – revived something deep and hateful inside of her – yet she continued to appear unfazed.
Nami knew what it meant to not give into the jabs her captors would make.
She would not show the least bit of discomfort, anger or fear on her face.
Nobody would make her feel frightened by pushing her around ever again.
But she had heard word of the Falconers before in the papers, and she would be lying if she didn't at least admit to herself that they were a fearsome bunch. Long before they had been trailing her nakama after encountering their ship on the open seas of the New World, Nami had read about them constantly in the gossip columns, where their conquests were constantly discussed. Many pirates fell to their greed and villainy – bounties ranging from newcomers to some of Luffy's peers from Dressrosa – which was why she had been slightly concerned when their ships had nearly collided out at sea. Several months later, her capture was the apparent result of the escape she had devised for them that day. How appropriate.
What wasn't appropriate was the way her captors allowed her to walk into the doorframe of whatever building they had led her to. Her forehead had taken the brunt of the impact, her nose thankfully spared, but her ego was made to suffer most of all; clearly anticipating her crash, the entire crew of the Falconers released boisterous laughter that did nothing but add insult to her injury.
She bit the inside of her cheek as hard as she could to avoid showing how angry she was, refusing to allow herself to play the victim to their cruelty.
A heavy-footed kick was delivered to her backside in an attempt to force her forward and out of the doorway. Her lips parted for a startled gasp, but she was thankful that it was empty of any sound. Nami continued to stroll into the mysterious space while her mind pushed itself into overdrive; they were on land still, meaning they were not boarding the Falconer's Jailbird, bobbing on the waters down at the island's port; the air was drier where they were, too, which indicated that they had led her somewhere higher than sea level; there was a great deal of whispering going on, the noise level heavily implying that she was outnumbered a few hundred to one; along with the occupancy, the abundance of sound helped her to determine that they were in a large room, one without much ventilation like a bar or a warehouse.
Oh, Lord, if there had been a Marine base on the island this whole time!
"Well now," came the inebriated drawl of a deep-voiced woman. "What do we have here? You actually brought me back something this time."
The man at her back – most likely the one who had kicked her – whined while remaining mostly emotionless, "She's one of their weaker members right? Second lowest in their crew."
"Mm, that's true. Just figured she'd have more fight in her than to let you all be the ones to bring her in." Teased the woman who appeared to be the leader of the group, what with the way she casually talked down to Nami's escorts.
Slightly taken aback, the man whimpered, "C-Captain Corday…"
"So? Let me see her already!" Their leader was not at all subtle in bypassing her crew mate's taken offense. Her blatant lack of concern for her men caused them to strip Nami of her blindfold with a great deal more aggression than was necessary, and she felt some of her precious orange strands forcibly tugged from her head. But as her brown eyes rose and adjusted to the lighting, she did not show the Falconer's leader the slightest bit of pain when meeting her amused expression.
The woman was muscular, physically intimidating while radiating a great deal of womanly finesse. She dressed more like royalty than a bounty hunter, as if her clothing would speak for her record of capturing pirates without her needing to tell tales of her successes and brag openly. Also a redhead, she had a much darker, more sinister of shade in her hair, while her eyes were grey, reminiscent of a foreboding fog. Everything about Captain Corday implied that she was a force of nature – the air around her crackling as if a storm was constantly brewing in her presence – and Nami hoped that her expertise in handling the weather meant that she would survive her captor's inclinations.
One, of which, was about to be revealed. "Cat Burglar Nami…what an honour it is, to have a member of the Mugiwara before me."
"Tch," feigning disinterest, it was all Nami could do not to laugh at the poor attempt at luring her into a false sense of security. "An honour, or a piss off? You've been following us for so long, it's amazing you had time to turn in any other pirates and keep your profits going. We all have our obsessions, but you're not the first to hunt Luffy down so I guess I never expected this to happen."
Captain Cordy rose from her seat in the middle of the room, the space decorated like a palace's great hall merging poorly with a dive of a bar. Her boots made a heavy thud instead of the expect click-clack as she approached the navigator. The man behind Nami placed his hands on her shoulders and sounded as if he smirked while he forced her to her knees. Unprepared, her legs were awkwardly sprawled out on either side of her body while the imposing woman asked, "You let your guard down." It wasn't a question nor a statement.
The power play of positioning her on the ground did not go unnoticed, yet Nami did not intend to bend in the slightest. She could not decide at first if she should allow herself to smirk until the urge overtook her. With a dignified expression of her own, she shot back and said, "I let my crew get away."
A hush fell upon the rambunctious room as one by one, the words she had spoken threatened the joy of every single person present. The revelation of Nami's plan was just as offensive as if she had spat in Captain Cordy's face; even implying that her snatchers had only bested her because she had essentially given them the permission to was a terribly risky admittance. It was equally insulting if someone had insisted that Luffy wouldn't become king of the pirates, or—
Captain Cordy was easy to rile, it seems, as she dropped her massive boot onto Nami's right knee.
"Whether you let us capture you, or you are just trying to be strong," whispered the gargantuan woman as she leaned forward to speak to her prisoner. It was most likely another intimidation tactic, and yet all Nami could focus on was the added weight being placed upon her leg! Pressure was imposing on her knee at such an odd angle due to her informal seated position that it felt as if her knee cap would crack at any moment! "I am still going to spend your bounty the same way.
"How should I do it? Huh? Everyone! Got any ideas!?" She invited her fellow hunters to contribute to the otherwise pointless conversation, as the navigator couldn't bear to focus on anything other than the focal point of her pain. Warning bells were going off inside of her head, rattling her body, for fear that her leg was about to give way and shatter against the ground.
That mattered not to the Falconers, though. "We could buy a second ship!"
She wouldn't give in and scream.
"Or maybe we could finally afford a decent meal? Some top shelf booze, too!"
She could grimace – or rather, she could not stop herself from showing the physical hurt in her expression – but nothing more.
"We should buy ourselves a pet like the one those Mugiwara have. Maybe an actual falcon!"
Let them laugh at their ridiculous jokes! Nami would not show weakness to Captain Cordy or any of her heartless followers!
"Well, no matter what we buy, I do have one request of the Marines that we give her to." Voice low, those sinister words instilled a wave of nausea in an already stressful situation. The muscles in her strained leg were crying while the men and women in the room begged to know what this special request might be. All Nami desired was for her knee to be freed from such hefty torture!
Captain Cordy showed no restraint as she leaned in – forcing her entire body to lean over her stationed foot – and made sure that Nami hollered in pain just so she could raise her voice higher and proclaim, "I'm going to ask for our reward in cash only! So I can count every beri that she's worth one by one, then spend it like it's nothing! Here here!"
Before her crew could reply, the lights in the room flickered before cutting out entirely.
Murmurs of confusion and blame began to filter throughout the space. Nothing seemed to be worthy of Captain Cordy's attention aside from the Nami and her suffering, but after a few moments, an odd sounding grunt made her jolt. Another person cried out from the opposite side of the hideout, and then a third person sounded as if their jaw had been shattered due to a blunt impact. Chaos had suddenly ensued for the Falconers and it was their turn to be blinded.
While the Mugiwara made mincemeat of them, no doubt.
The relief that coursed through her was not enough to truly conquer the anguish emanating from her knee, but when she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist from behind, Nami knew right away that she had nothing more to fear. The awkward embrace meant that she was being tugged away from Captain Cordy and her imposing boot, making her wince quite soundly for her rescuer to hear. One of Usopp's phoenixes lit up the darkened room and the navigator threw her eyes upwards to look at the face of her saviour in the hopes of finding herself some salvation.
Roronoa Zoro was ever so pacifying to her as he glared at Captain Cordy with the utmost hatred.
The light of the fiery phoenix lasted just long enough for Nami to witness the swordsman landing a solid punch to the Falconer's leader's face. With so much force, he was able to send her backwards, releasing the mutilated knee she had been stomping on. A cry of relief escaped the navigator against her best wishes, but it was inconsequential as she listened to the multitude of French words and rubber-related attack names fire off like verbal artillery; her nakama had arrived and no matter how many members were present, all that mattered was that she was going to be saved.
"C'mon." Zoro instructed her without much instruction as he bent down at her side. He quickly snatched up one of her hands and put it on the back of his shoulder, indicating that he planned to carry her out via a piggy back ride.
As nostalgic as it was – down to her injury! – Nami knew she wouldn't be able to straddle his waist properly in order to keep herself attached to him. "I can't! Zoro, m-my knee." Shit, why was she stuttering!?
There was a split second of contemplation between the two of them, and then it was gone. She could tell through the darkness of the room that he had stood up again, but he seemed to be fidgeting with something at his side before he bent down to scoop her up into his arms—
He had…sheathed his swords in order to carry her out.
"No, Zoro! Put me down! I can just follow you out!" Her memory of Alabasta was over already; there was no possible way she would allow him to put himself at risk when the Falconers were surely taking up arms against the Mugiwara assault! If anything happened to him because of her now, it would most likely harm her greater than any old boot could. She would most likely always believe that Zoro was the strongest man she knew. Nevertheless, a great deal of his power was channeled through his weapon of choice, she knew.
The swordsman made a familiar sound in response, "Tch." Then, he began to run towards the open door of the strange building they all occupied, taking his direction from the natural moonlight that was fluttering in. Her hands gripping onto his shirt of their own accord was not an action committed out of fear for his sense of direction or for his life while he was unarmed – no, she was no longer distraught while in his arms.
And that was why she held onto him: to have that feeling of peace securely in her grasps.
They broke free of the harmful doorway and were greeted at once by a view that would have been most enchanting, if not for the circumstances in which they had found it. There were many hills to be traversed if they planned to reach the Sunny in the distance, the moon's reflection dancing to the ocean's tempo giving the impression that the horrors she had faced tonight were nothing more than a dream and she had awoken to a tranquil reality.
If not for her horribly bruised leg, she might have been able to believe that such a fantasy were true.
"Shit!" The sudden curse startled her, and Nami looked up to observe Zoro's expression. Unfortunately, the side of his body that she was facing was the scarred half of face and his true disposition was cloaked by his injury. However, the exclamation he made was explained when he grumbled, "Your knee looks horrible." The swollen skin, the misshapen appearance, the promising bruise that was already forming had caused the first mate to voice his concern for the navigator; his experience with wounds must have allowed him some medical knowledge, and he could tell just how difficult it would be for her to move about for the next few weeks, at the very least.
But at least she wouldn't be walking through Impel Down…
A bubbling feeling suddenly rose in her chest, compressing her throat, forcing her to emit such an odd sound; it was as if she was hiccupping, or sobbing, or venting her frustrations with incoherent blubbering. No matter the definition of her actions, Nami – a woman who prided herself on endurance, strength of character, tolerance of pain – could not fathom for the life of her why she was suddenly overcome with a need to cry. Yes, her poor leg was tense and immovable for the time being. Yes, she had been captured and treated horribly by the Falconers. Yes, she was viewed as less of a person and more as an entity of monetary value, being prepped to be traded for the very thing she treasured just as greatly as her mikan trees: money.
Couldn't she survive the night without falling to pieces?
She was prepared to demean herself, for allowing some strange emotions that she hadn't even believed she had been feeling to overtake her willpower to remain dignified. The anger, disappointment, lack of respect for herself was about to boil over—
Until it wasn't, when he suddenly informed her, "It's going to take us while to get to Chopper." His words implied that their doctor had waited behind on the ship and hadn't joined the assault on the Falconer's in order to save her. So it was her captain, Usopp, Sanji and Zoro that had formed her rescue party, was it?
Had she unknowingly been faced with a deju vu from Arlong Park too?
"O-Okay." Was the mess of reply she gave him. Glancing down at her throbbing knee, Nami did her best to force herself to at least appear collected for the sake of the swordsman's respect of her. However, when he suddenly leapt over an uneven ledge, her head gently bobbed against his shoulder before resting against it officially. It was an unintentional act, but there was no denying how soothing it was to feel as though she could rest in his arms. Her usual quick mind belated pointed out to her that he hadn't fed her words of encouragement to hold on, or dared to tell her they were almost at the port when he would most likely end up taking them up the other side of the hill they were on any moment; he hadn't fed her lines of comfort, and she hoped it was because he knew she didn't need it.
Zoro's form of comforting her was simply respecting her as she was and doing his best to assist her in any silent way that he could.
Nami hiccupped again as her nails dug deep into the fabric of his shirt. Maybe she would never see the Falconers again, or maybe they would somehow survive the Mugiwara-style throttle that was being bestowed upon them – their survival did not matter to her in the slightest. All she needed now in order to survive the night was to know that she could, she would, and that she had the support of her crew to guarantee her success.
"Thank you." Whispered the tired woman in the arms of the swordsman. There was no conversation to be had – no exchange of words to address her gratitude – however, Nami could have sworn that his embrace suddenly felt tighter just before she gave way to her mysterious feelings and had herself a good, cathartic cry.
Author's Notes:
This idea actually came to me in a dream! That might be why it doesn't feel like it really relates to the theme, but I had to rework it and add in Captain Cordy to justify my usage of the idea. I love the respect that these two have for one another, especially in terms of the way they handle themselves in trying situations. Their individual interpretations of independence are the most similar in the crew, I think, and I love highlighting it as much as I can. I also wanted to show Nami's vulnerable side, and explain why she is comfortable showing it in front of Zoro, even when she doesn't understand why that is. Hope it makes sense, gives you some good ZoNa vibes, and I hope to see you again tomorrow!