Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.
I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.
To the people who reviewed, followed and added this story to their favorite list thank you very much! You make me so, so happy!
And I'd also like to remind you good people that the one-shots in this collection are not related to each other in any way. Well, not unless I specifically note in my updates that they are connected. But still if you want to think of it that way then feel free to do so, as I did not mention any specific timeline for each story.
Warning: OOC possible.
Little Bits and Pieces of Heaven
Chapter 5: Red is the Color of…
"I can't believe you just went full idiot on me!"
The orange-haired beauty complained with a huff as she made her way across the street in angry strides, the heels of her shoes clicking loudly against the pavement.
The street was completely empty and rather dark despite the lamplights lining it, but Nami did not mind it a bit. Sure in normal circumstances (aka situations where she's not in a downright pissed mood), she would not traverse this road without any companion (which most preferably, would be one of the monster trio); especially after Robin warned them earlier that the place is a favorite leisure spot of some notorious pirates, ruffians and even the marines.
But who the hell cares?! Damn it. Let them come and try to attack or arrest her. She's in a very foul mood right now; her hands are itching to hurt something…
… or better yet, someone.
"Can't you move much faster than that?!" She spun around sharply to face her companion who was walking ever so slowly behind her. "I swear your still-to-exists grandkids are already up to their ears with their debts to me!"
"Shut up woman!" Zoro snarled. He had enough of her bitching these past few minutes. It was making his head throb painfully.
"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" Nami fumed, marching towards him with an expression on her face that she meant to choke the life out of him right there and then.
Zoro did not even bother to evade her fist as it hit the side of his head with a much stronger force than usual. Maybe it'll help lessen the dull ache in his head. Another pain to numb the other pain.
He watched as Nami's face scrunched up into a much more furious expression when he just took her abuse with a straight face. Ah, he mused. Zoro, one point. Sea witch, still bitching.
She turned away from him without another word and started walking again, heels creating angry clicking sounds that echoed along the silent street.
He moved to follow her and winced slightly when he felt pain on his side. He muttered a curse as he clutched the spot, feeling the blood seeping through his haramaki. Damn it! Was he really that preoccupied earlier that he did not noticed he got nicked?
He shook his head, silently berating himself for not concentrating enough that he let a really weak enemy get the better of him.
Why is he in this predicament again? All he wanted was to have a relaxing night with some booze in some nice bar on this nice town…
And now he is stuck with a bitchy and totally-furious-at-him Nami.
Damn his luck!
Suddenly there was a prickling sensation on his nape. He tilted his head a little, listening intently. It was faint but he can't be wrong.
Footsteps!
And too many not to be THEM. He thought irritably.
Using Kenbunshoku Haki, he was able to sense that 'them' are not too far from where they are.
Kuso!
He realized that Nami was nearing the corner of the street, right where their enemies are coming from. If she turns the corner she would be face to face with them and…
He did not bother finishing his train of thought.
Moving as fast as he can, he ran towards Nami. The crazy woman probably couldn't hear the footsteps coming because of the sound her equally crazy high heels are making.
When he reached his feisty crewmate, Zoro grabbed her swiftly by the waist and shoved her towards the dark alleyway on their left.
"What the—?!"
"Ssshh…" Zoro shushed her, not even bothering to give her a glance. He was staring back at the street. "They're here." He muttered curtly and beckoned at her to move farther down the shadowy part of the alley.
The cat thief groaned inwardly. Damn! Those guys were fast and persistent. And here she thought they already defeated them earlier.
Still, thanks to their lucky stars (if they have any), that it's not the marines that are pursuing them but just a bunch of trained ruffians who knows how to handle people who tries to swindle them.
Well, at least they are the lesser evil of the two…
The sound of running feet filled the air. Nami heard a familiar voice ordering the men to search the vicinity for the two pirates.
"Quickly!" The gruff voice barked above the noise. "They still haven't gotten that far. Find them!"
Nami sighed inwardly. What a drag. She had high expectations that she'll be coming back to the Sunny with a lot of cash on hand from gambling and conning some gullible players. Kami knows how badly they need to re-stash their ship's treasury. Especially since shopping for food—meat, to be exact, and lots of it—for their gluttonous captain is bound to reduce them to being flat broke... for a long time.
She was doing so damn fine mooching a lot of beli & jewelries from some awestricken patrons whom she managed to charm and captivate. She was about to hit the jackpot (the vault itself) with the help of a totally enthralled gambling house manager—a rather lewd man—whom she managed to wrapped around her pinky with false promises of giving him the best night of his life.
It had been such a good plan, but when the despicable fart started wrapping his arms around her to smooch her…
All hell broke loose.
And right in the middle of it is the demon pirate hunter himself.
There goes her plan down the drain. Zoro single-handedly wiped out the whole area much to Nami's surprise and delight. And the best part of it all was that he unintentionally destroyed the vault, leaving all the riches inside it for Nami to take.
It should've ended with the two of them hauling sacks of treasures back to the ship instead of running away from incessant pursuers, empty-handed.
They didn't expect the manager to be able to call for back-up immediately. The gambling house is ready for all kinds of disturbances and attacks and has a special security unit to take care of such problems. Before Nami can even touch one, single beli from the vault, Zoro was already clashing swords with them.
Unexpectedly, the members of the security unit are quite skilled, that even Zoro—monster that he is—had a bit of a trouble taking them down.
And she was damn sure she electrocuted them enough to render them unconscious until the next day before dragging Zoro away from the skirmish.
Damn them and their persistence. They must have realized that the troublemakers are actually wanted pirates and was determined to catch them for the bounties on their heads.
Beside her Zoro shifted and she realized that he was tying his bandana around his head.
"Hmph," she sniffed haughtily. "Just make sure they're not going to get up and start chasing us again."
"Be quiet woman and just stay there."
"I'm still not finished with you. Just wait 'til we get back to the Sunny you moron."
"Whatever witch." The swordsman growled at her before stepping out of the shadows.
"Kokujo O Tatsumaki!"
Nami opened her eyes and sighed. She silently watched the steam coming from the tub rise towards the bathroom's ceiling. It had been a long day.
A long and arduous day.
Finally they were able to get back to the Sunny Go without any other disruptions after Zoro successfully dispatched their pursuers. The moment they boarded the ship, she gave him her most venomous glare before walking away. She ignored all questions and greetings directed at her (mostly from their captain and the cook) and headed straight to the girls' room, banging the door close behind her.
She was mad—correction—she was livid. And she can't stay in the same room with that baka pirate hunter without feeling the need to scratch his remaining eye out.
The Sunny's navigator stomped her feet on the water and watched it splashed around her.
Why in the world does Zoro need to stick his stupid head into her business?
To say that he was lost and accidentally found his way to the gambling house where she was might be reasonable.
But to cause an uproar just because of… what exactly?
Nami didn't have time to think about it earlier. She was far too busy trying to get her hands on the money while thinking of a good escape plan to even contemplate the reason.
Their swordsman doesn't really have this weird penchant for starting any scuffles unless provoked. And as far as she knows, there is nothing in the gambling house that might goad him into tearing down the area into bits and pieces.
So why?
There was a soft knock on the door and a voice belonging to their archeologist called her name.
"Nami?"
"Hai!" She answered wearily.
Robin opened the door just enough to poke her head in. "Sorry to disturb you but cook-san prepared some tea and snacks." A small smile of amusement was on her lovely face. Nami understood the underlying message of that smile. Robin just saved her from their resident peeping Tom's antic. "He was hoping you'd join us," she added. "It might help you feel better."
Nami nodded with a smile of her own. "Will do." She moved to stand up from the tub.
Robin was about to close the door but hesitated slightly. "Oh, and Nami?"
"Yes?"
The Hana hana no Mi user threw a not-so-small bag on the bathroom floor.
"Zoro told me to give this to you." Robin explained. "It's yours he said." She gave her a meaningful smile before closing the door.
Nami approached the bag and picked it up. Her eyes automatically lit up when she saw what's inside it. But then, she noticed something unusual with bag.
That idiot!
It was rare for her to go and visit the men's quarters as she knows that the place reeks too much of sweat and testosterone, not to mention that the boys have this nasty habit of leaving their discarded clothes piling up not only in the laundry basket but on the floor. She wrinkled her nose in disgust before opening the door. She didn't bother knocking. It's not like all of her male crewmates are currently there.
She stepped inside and saw someone lounging on the low sofa on the left side of the room, a bottle of sake in his hand.
"What do you want?" Zoro asked rather curtly when he saw the orange-haired woman entered the room.
Nami glowered at him for a full minute. She honestly thought Chopper would confine the stupid swordsman inside the infirmary for the whole night. But here he was, relaxing and drinking to his heart's content.
Zoro eyed her warily when she did not answer before bringing the bottle to his mouth, downing its remaining content. His bare feet were propped up on the sunken table, boots discarded and left haphazardly beneath him. His swords were on the sofa across him and his haramaki and yukata were missing.
A half-naked Roronoa Zoro is always a sight in the eyes, except when he is sporting a white bandage around his midriff.
"Oi," he called out to her again when she just continued staring at him. "What the hell are you spacing out there for woman? Like what you see?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
That made the navigator scoffed. "Puh-lease. I'm not here to ogle at you."
Zoro smirked, expecting an answer like that. "Then why are you here? If this is about the recent increase in my debt, I'm sure the bag I gave you can cover all of it."
As if on cue Nami threw the bag, aiming at his face. Zoro raised a hand to catch it without so much a glance.
A cocky grin appeared on the swordsman face. "What is this?" He queried in an amused tone. "You're throwing them away just like that? I thought you worship this stuff." He tossed the bag on the table and its contents spilled out. Valuable jewelries, precious gemstones and gold coins littered across the table.
"Still not enough for you, you greedy witch?" Zoro asked with a sneer. If he was not mistaken the contents of the bag would be enough to clear all his debts with Nami and still keep him debt-free for some years.
Though knowing how cunning and greedy the Mugiwara's navigator is, he's sure she will still find a way to keep him indebted to her for the rest of his life.
"I could've brought back much more than that!" Nami snarled at him. "But you just had to appear and ruin everything you big oaf!"
Zoro's good eye narrowed dangerously. No surprises with this. Nami is the type of person that when you offer your hand, she will not accept it but rather will demand for your whole arm.
"Tch," he sounded out. "Not good enough for you huh, you wicked onna?" He stood up, deciding he needs another bottle of sake for this conversation. "The least you could do is say thank you for that bag. But gratitude just isn't in your vocabulary right?"
Nami crossed her arms in front of her. "Thank you for the bag Zoro!" She said, sarcasm dripping in her voice. "If you weren't such a big idiot, we would've taken much more than that!"
"You're welcome woman." Zoro shot back in the same tone. "And while you're at it, you can also thank me for saving your damn ass!"
"Arrrgh!" Nami shouted in frustration. "That's just it you blockhead! I didn't ask you to save me! You didn't need to save me! What the hell are you saving me from anyway?!" She yelled at him, stomping one foot on the floor to displace all her aggravation.
Outside they could hear footsteps moving hurriedly away from the room. The guys must've heard Nami's angry shouting inside and decided it'd be much better (and safe) to stay somewhere else for now.
"That damn disgusting manager is groping you for crying out loud!" Zoro exploded. "What am I supposed to do? Clap my hands or something?! My job is to protect your ass woman! I don't give a shit if you're not happy about it! Just suck it up and deal with it!"
"That's just utterly stupid Zoro!" Nami growled at him. "I was seducing him so I can get the vault's combination and do away with the money!"
"No sea witch! He was forcing himself on you and you're trying to push him away!"
That stopped Nami. Was it…?
"Don't tell me you're really planning to go all the way with that revolting piece of shit!" Zoro inquired with so much spitefulness that it shook the former thief to the core. "Well sorry for worrying about your stupid ass!"
Everything just suddenly clicked into their right places for Nami. So that's the reason why their monster of a swordsman brought devastation to that poor gambling house.
"You are jealous," she murmured.
Zoro's head snapped towards her. "What?!"
Nami let a small, wry smile appear on her lips. "You are jealous Zoro."
"Wha-what the heck?! No I am not woman!" Zoro snarled at her. "I am not jealous. Where the hell did you get that idea?!"
"Zoro—" she said name with a hint of amusement.
"Listen Nami," Zoro cut her off. "It's my job to protect you and everyone else in this crew! Jealousy has nothing to do with it!"
"If it's only that Zoro, then there's no need to literally obliterate the gambling house!"
"Witch!" Zoro growled at her. "Even if Luffy or that ero-cook is the one who found you in that situation, I am damn sure that that place will still be destroyed!" He plopped down on the sofa again. This whole goddamned conversation is depleting his strength.
"Nami," the swordsman grunted. "If you are not happy with all this me-saving-your-ass-shit, then you can just go damn straight to Luffy and tell him to order me to stop protecting you." His good eye stared straight at her brown orbs.
Stop protecting her?
That made Nami bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling. She was used to Zoro losing his temper with her, what with all the bantering and blackmailing they've been doing from the moment they sailed together. But this… this is different.
She may not admit it—not even to herself—but she always kind of love it when the swordsman comes to her rescue.
Silence filled the room as the both pirates avoided looking at each other. Nami can feel the heat rising on her face as she tried to keep her tears from falling. Out of all the arguments she had with the former pirate hunter, this was probably the worst one.
It made her feel rotten when she realized that despite everything she did to the green-haired man, he still wants to protect her. He saved her earlier from that lewd manager, fought the enemies so they could escape, managed to snag a bag filled with treasures and gave it all to her… he did all this without so much a complaint and with an injury that she wasn't aware of because she was far too busy bitching and grousing at him.
He deserves some gratitude for everything and all she did was bitch at him again and accuse him of being jealous.
"If I ask Luffy and he did order you… are you going to obey him?" Nami asked quietly.
Zoro stared at her for a moment. Luffy will not be amused by that request. To him, they should all protect each other, no matter what. He broke into slight smile. "What the hell are you talking about woman? As if Luffy will agree to that."
His answer made her smile. "Yeah, like he will." She heaved a small sigh of relief. "He won't budge even if I blackmail him."
Zoro glanced at navigator; he could tell earlier she was so close to tears. Knowing that he was the cause makes him want to bang his head against the wall.
He shouldn't have said that.
He stood up and approached the orange-haired girl. She looked up to meet his eye.
"Nami, I…" he paused, looking like he was not sure if he should say what is on his mind.
"I'm sorry Zoro," Nami apologized. "I'm really a bitch."
That made the him laugh. "You are always a bitch." That earned him a punch on his arm. "You're forgiven. Just take that damn bag of treasures and let's just call it even ok?"
She nodded in agreement. "I'll just find another way to make you indebted to me again."
"Never doubted that sea witch."
Nami smiled at him. "Aren't you going to apologize too Zoro? That was rather nasty of you, you know…"
The swordsman's face turned slightly red. "You're nastier." He took a deep breath and extended his hand. "I'm sorry too Nami. Truce?"
She eagerly took his hand to shake it. "Truce."
When they let go, he turned and grabbed the cloth resting on the sofa, slipping it on. It was a red version of his usual yukata. Sans the sash.
Nami gazed at him with surprise. "What happened to the green one?"
"Huh?" Zoro looked down at what he was wearing. "Oh it's in the laundry; it's got blood on it."
"Even your haramaki?"
He nodded.
It was just unusual not to see their swordsman without his usual green yukata and haramaki.
"You should take care of yourself more," Nami chided him. "If I hadn't seen the blood stains on that bag," she motioned at the sack resting on the table. "I wouldn't have known you were injured earlier."
"I'm ok. A wound like this won't kill me." Zoro patted the bandaged area confidently. "Besides Chopper had already seen it and patched it up flawlessly."
Nami snorted. "I won't say it twice. Just don't forget that it is your job to protect me."
The smile Zoro gave her made her heart flutter. "That's something I won't forget woman. Or you'll charge me even in the afterlife. Now, kindly go back to your room and get some rest."
"And where are you going?"
"I need my sake. That conversation we had is exhausting." He answered while shoving his feet inside his boots.
"Yeah I'll probably do that." Nami agreed, feeling glad that they were able to patch things up in the end. "But not before I collect my stash!" She leapt forward to gather the scattered treasures, placing them back in the bag.
"Good night Nami," Zoro said before walking towards the door.
"Good night Zoro," she answered back. "By the way…"
Zoro turned his head to look at her.
"Red looks good on you," Nami commented.
A teasing smile appeared on the green-haired guy's face. "It does?"
The pretty navigator nodded. "Red looks good on you," she repeated. "As long as it's not your blood, Zoro." The look she gave him was so intense that it made him want to reach out and touch her face.
He understood what she was trying to convey to him. Everything was there in that simple line she uttered so earnestly.
He nodded back and gave her a smile, silently telling her that he will take care for himself because she asked him to.
She answered him with a grateful smile and murmured a soft 'thank you Zoro'.
"Nami?" He called out and she lifted her head to gaze at him.
"Hmm?"
"I don't want to see red again." He said and watched with fascination as the navigator's eyes widened with the realization of the implication of his statement.
He chuckled before stepping out of the room to grab another bottle of sake in the kitchen, much to the chagrin of their resident love cook.
- The End -
Again, I am reminded that things do not usually go the way you planned them to. This is not how I envisioned this chapter. But to be honest, I kind of like the way it turned out. Kinda long right? Longer than the first four stories.
Anyway, READ and REVIEW please. Make me happy. Ok? I'll try to write an update as soon as I can since my muses are currently on a roll right now with ZoNa fluffs, so I might as well grab the opportunity. And I'm still debating with myself if it's a good idea to write a multi-chaptered story for this two. Bah, whatever. I'll just post it here anyway.
