Chapter 37

The price to pay

"Turn to starboard, heading west! Leave the sails out!"

Standing at the bow of the Sunny, Nami issued her orders with assurance and behind her, all her companions were running to obey her as quickly as possible. Since the young woman had understood that a powerful underwater current close to the surface was strongly influencing navigation a few weeks earlier, their crossing was much more serene - even if the climate changes and hazards of the New World rarely guaranteed a safe journey.

Right now, the redhead was leaning over the waves with concentration, studying the whirlpools that rose to the surface in an almost unpredictable way. This natural barrier made it difficult to approach their next destination visible on the horizon, a small archipelago of two islands. As they progressed, the Sunny had seen several boats turn around and head for another island of the triple Log-Pose in view of the murderous agitation of the ocean. Conversely, the Straw Hat crew wasn't used to giving up at the slightest obstacle. On the contrary, the prospect of taking this step had even galvanized some of them before some others faint from fear…

"We're almost past, I want the helm twenty degrees to the north!"

Franky immediately turned the helm and the Sunny instantly glided over the waves, slightly altering her course.

"We're slowing down but not enough," Nami noted, frowning, "Shorten the mainsail further, I need precision!"

Perched on the mast, Zoro and Luffy immediately complied and the ship decelerated again. The redhead nodded then. "Usopp, get ready to engage the paddle wheels. We need to get out of the whirlpools despite the lack of speed and the port isn't wide."

"I'm ready!" The sniper said.

"The island is getting closer!" Chopper got enthused on the deck.

"It looks lively," Robin added.

"We can see the second island eastward," Brook noticed.

"We continue north," Nami repeated, "The second island has its own whirlpools barrier even closer to its shore but also denser, except on the southern tip of the island. It's so difficult to access that it's uninhabited."

Her friends didn't try to talk further and a few moments later, the Sunny turned up in the port after a few swerves to escape the deadly traps along the coast. At the navigator's signal, Zoro and Luffy bent the sails while Usopp engaged the paddle wheels, allowing the ship to effectively slow down. Franky then maneuvered his ship to find a place at the pontoon to dock amidst a multitude of boats and soon, the whole crew was gathered on deck.

The sun was still high in the sky in the middle of the afternoon and the exploration of the place was particularly tempting.

"Riverview is a real pirate island," Robin told them, "There are taverns, wanted crews and disreputable people on every corner."

"Pirates?! We must find their treasure then!" Luffy immediately got enthused.

"It's also an excellent place to stock up and relax because the Marine stays away most of the time," The archaeologist continued. "It must be said that this natural barrier requires excellent navigation skills."

"We'll need to guard the Sunny," Nami chimed in, "In this context, we can't afford to leave her unattended."

"It seems more prudent indeed," Her friend confirmed, "I can do it all right actually. I have nothing special to buy and as for entertainment, a book will be more than enough for me."

"I'll keep you company, Robin-san!" The skeleton offered, "Lately, I haven't been able to compose and I intend to catch up tonight!"

The young woman thanked him with a smile and both went to the galley to prepare a cup of tea while Chopper patted his small backpack. "I need medicine and then I'm ready to search for that treasure, Luffy!" He offered his captain.

"Awesome! Let's go!" At these words, the straw hat boy jumped over the railing and the little reindeer could only do the same as quickly as possible so as not to lose sight of him.

Eventually, Zoro jumped onto the dock as well. "I'm gonna take a walk. I'll be back tomorrow," He said to the rest of his companions. The swordsman didn't take offense at their lack of response and, busy walking away, he didn't notice their gazes either, which followed his figure until he disappeared into the port.

"Maybe we should go with him," The sniper finally said.

"He didn't offer to follow him and I'm not sure I like the places he frequents."

Usopp sighed but could only approve Nami's words. Beside them, Franky put his large hands on the shoulders of his last two crewmates, trying to keep a light atmosphere among them. "The three of us are gonna have a super afternoon!"


Usopp cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Uh, do you really think that's a good idea? It's still… peculiar."

"What does it matter?"

"Nothing, nothing, but… What about Luffy?"

"Luffy doesn't have a say in the matter anymore and anyway, I don't think he'd have been bothered by this kind of thing. Even before."

The sniper grimaced. "If you say so… But never mind him, are you sure it's a good thing for you to do? That's not like you," He insisted.

Nami shrugged and the sniper couldn't help but sigh. He then glanced over to Franky in order to find some inspiration. The cyborg was waiting for their new drinks at the bar a bit further.

Usopp turned his attention back to the redhead who was watching the other patrons of the tavern they had entered a few hours earlier. The place didn't look like much and they had expected to walk into a den of disreputable pirates given Robin's description of the island but the atmosphere wasn't stormier or dirtier than many of the bars they had been to before actually. They had settled quickly at a small wooden table near the window overlooking the port after stocking up on food and cola. Time had then passed quickly while the three friends were chatting.

Yet right now, Nami was fiddling with her glass, her straw sucking up the last drops of her cocktail. For a few minutes, the young woman had been scanning the room in search of her next prey and precisely, a handsome blond young man had just sent her a second fruity cocktail which perfectly revealed his intentions.

The sniper swirled the rest of his own pineapple juice in his glass. He didn't know how to tackle the problem. The afternoon was coming to an end and the evening could have started under the same peaceful auspices as the previous hours, but Nami was now focused on other activities. Activities that kept her busy more and more often as soon as they disembarked on an island long enough to rest a little: the navigator began to get drinks from charming strangers and over the hours, she robbed them to better move on to the next one in the blink of an eye.

"You don't approve of Zoro's behavior so why are you doing the same?" He tried again.

Nami raised an eyebrow at his remark. "It's completely different. Zoro's trying to move on and he thinks that because he's sleeping with anyone, he'll forget about Sanji. He's an idiot and I won't make the same mistake."

"He doesn't do that all the time!" The sniper defended him.

"That or drinking all night isn't better, even if he can hold his liquor," The navigator eluded while finishing her cocktail.

Usopp sighed when hearing the final judgment of the redhead. Zoro had also adopted new habits for some time and he didn't hesitate to spend the night outside the Sunny now. At first, his crewmates had thought he was absent because of his legendary disorientation but gradually, they had realized that very often, the swordsman wasn't far from the ship.

In ports, there was indeed everything that sailors or pirates at sea for too long were looking for as soon as they disembarked on any land: alcohol, fights and sex. And obviously, Zoro liked the atmosphere even if his friends had never seen him come back bloodied so far. It seemed that the swordsman appreciated being able to drink despite his very limited means and the strong and cheap alcohol was a great deal. As for the rest, his companions had already seen him leaving these places in the company of very expressive men or women and even if none of them had witnessed what followed, they weren't naive.

Usopp couldn't help drawing a parallel between the swordsman and navigator of the crew despite the denial of the redhead. Admittedly, their methods weren't comparable but both were obviously trying to move on because they were suffering.

"How's what you're doing so different?" The sniper insisted, "You use men to buy you drinks and steal their wallets, that's not the smartest thing either…"

Nami glared back and Usopp grimaced, trying to find the right words. "I'm just saying that you know it won't work for Zoro if he's just trying to forget so it'll be the same for you. You have to move on, sure, but… in a healthy way!"

"I'm here to improve myself and stealing from people is my specialty," The young woman replied.

The sniper shook his head. "Luffy offered you to board with him for your navigational skills, not for larceny!" He reminded her.

"I don't have only one string to my bow."

"Of course not," His friend approved, anxious not to hurt her on this sensitive point, "But you seduce men to rob them, it's risky," He pointed again. "What if one of them finds out, seeks revenge or hurts you?"

"I know how to defend myself," The navigator swept aside, putting down her empty glass.

Usopp did his best not to shake the flippant young woman in front of him for her to come to her senses. He was trying to get the message across in a roundabout way but she wouldn't hear it that way. He needed to be crystal clear.

"Nami, men can be dangerous, especially in the New World!" He continued, a hint of worry in his voice, "Some people have this strange power when their limbs turn silver and even Luffy struggles to deal with them! If you end up alone against several of them, you won't be st-"

"Don't you dare finish this sentence, Usopp."

The navigator's hand had whitened around her glass and the sniper swallowed his saliva, aware of the word he had almost uttered.

"Th-That's not what I meant." He then shook his head, realizing that his whole demonstration had just fallen through. "I'm sorry… I just want you to take care of yourself, that's all…"

"And I thank you for your concern but I'll be fine on my own. Luffy was very clear and on this point, I agree with him. I know I can improve and if it's one way to achieve this, I'm ready."

At these words, the young woman got up, plastering a seductive smile on her lips in the direction of the blond who had so generously offered her the cocktails. She winked at him and he smiled confidently in return, clearly interested. The redhead then twisted a strand of her hair around her finger as if considering his proposal before taking a few steps in his direction with a mischievous look.

Usopp sighed again and a few moments later, Franky came back to sit next to him, placing three drinks on the table. He then noticed the empty seat of the navigator before watching her pretend to drink in the words of the blond she had joined at the counter and he shook his head.

"Nami-sis is doing it again?"

"She thinks she needs to toughen up to please Luffy and it may seem like a good idea but considering the means she chose…"

"She's hurt, bro, she's trying to cope."

Usopp slumped in his seat, defeated. "How did all the couples of our beautiful Sunny come to this? You mind telling me?" He suddenly asked his friend with annoyance. "I tried to talk to Luffy but this idiot keeps his mouth shut for once! He wouldn't tell me and I don't get it, I'm sure he has feelings for her! And Zoro, of course he remains silent as a tomb! Apart from using his own body as a punching ball, what else can he do? Not to mention we can't even talk to Sanji!"

"Love is a tricky thing," The cyborg reminded him, watching the navigator flutter her eyelashes exaggeratedly in front of her next prey to better hypnotize him. "It hurts so it's hard to get over it."

Usopp took his head in his hands. "But everything was so obvious!" He lamented, "They were meant for each other! Sanji managed to distract Zoro from his swords and make him a bit human and Zoro managed to make Sanji understand that his unhealthy love for girls has nothing to do with the kind of relationship he really wanted! There were so few possible candidates with these criteria! And what were the odds of them being in the same crew, huh? Didn't they see that as a sign?!"

Franky shrugged and Usopp continued on, now indignant. "And Nami and Luffy! Is it easy to find someone who can give hope to a tortured girl or to satisfy a guy who has the ambition to become the King of the Pirates? No, it's not, so why are they looking for something they will never find elsewhere?!" He then downed a large sip of his drink before continuing, more outraged than ever. "And here they are, each on their own, pretending that the other doesn't exist anymore! And that won't work! What's wrong with them? What happened?!"

"What happened is that life goes on," The shipwright sighed, "Sanji has found the All Blue and the New World is more dangerous than we thought…"

At these words, the sniper suddenly froze to stare at his friend. "Do you mean that our dreams condemn us to grow apart from those we love?" He got frightened. "Because that's not what I signed up for!"

Franky shook his head. "I don't think it's mandatory, but the kind of goals we set requires sacrifices and we change as a result."

Usopp dropped his head on the table, mortified. "All I wanted was to cross the oceans and go back to Kaya to tell her all my adventures! Nothing more…"

The shipwright patted his friend's back with his huge hand to comfort him. "Don't despair, bro. Don't despair…"


Franky and Usopp's conversation had evolved towards the sniper's latest invention when the door to the tavern opened again. Nobody took notice, not even the two members of the Straw Hat crew who were busy debating the quality of the chestnut wood and it was only when the figure stopped in front of their table that they looked up.

"Luffy? What's going on?" The sniper asked. He got alarmed, immediately on the alert when he saw his serious face.

"Robin said we need to get back to the Sunny right away and Chopper went to get Zoro," The captain explained, "Where's Nami?" He then asked, looking for her.

"She…"

The sniper didn't have time to tell him that the straw hat boy had the answer to his question as his gaze fell on the navigator now sitting on the blond's lap.

Sensing that she was being watched, Nami looked up in turn and found her captain's intense eyes scrutinizing her. She had the strange impression that the surrounding noise was fading away and that she was now alone facing the straw hat boy despite the distance between them. All her senses seemed to focus on him and the way he was looking at her seemed to pierce her. She then felt her body tense on the stranger's knees and her cheeks flushed slightly but before she could even move or say a word, her captain beat her to it.

"The Marine is coming; we need to go."

His loud voice shattered the intimacy of their exchange as well as the conversations throughout the tavern and Nami suddenly plunged back into reality. Around them, the other customers froze.

"The Marine?"

"They never come around here!"

"The port is tiny! If they show up, we're screwed!"

"I can't take the risk, I'm outta here!"

"So am I!"

In a few seconds, the bar was clear of its patrons and Luffy finally turned away, putting an end to the look he still shared with his navigator. The young woman then heard her handsome stranger trying to find out if she would come back but she ignored him and moved off from his lap to go towards her friends.

When she reached them, she walked past them without stopping. "We need to take advantage of this mess to sneak out, there's no time to lose."


"What are they doing, these idiots? They're gonna have us surrounded!"

From the deck of the Sunny that had just weighed anchor, Nami anxiously watched the small port which was now teeming with panicked ships trying to leave the area at all costs. The river mouth was narrow and made navigation delicate. More than once, the cyborg had steered at the last second to avoid collision with another ship eager to flee.

Unfortunately, the more time passed, the more the anarchy intensified. Indeed, a dozen Marine ships were now visible side by side on the horizon. They were probably chasing a pirate ship that had just made its way into port and some officer boats would soon cross the border of whirlpools in pursuit, blocking any retreat by sea this way. On the other side, all the pirates previously on the island tried to flee but the natural barrier added to the enemy lines and everyone was stuck in the jam-packed port.

Nami had to admit that the maneuver was clever on the part of the pirates hunted down by the Marine: in the midst of the tumult caused by the arrival of the officers, they would blend into the crowd and escape their pursuers while others would be caught in their place. She didn't plan on being among those though.

"They're gonna run into us!" Chopper's frightened voice suddenly yelled from the back.

"Shit!"

Franky veered once more to starboard to avoid the collision and the ships grazed at the stern but the timber remained intact. The crew was thrown under the force of the change of course anyway and Luffy laughed as he wrapped himself around the mast to keep from slipping.

Face down on the grass of the deck where he had fallen, Usopp shook his fist. "Watch where you're going, you speeders!"

"They are totally panicking," Brook commented at his side, grabbing his hat on his head to prevent it from flying away.

"They're becoming more and more dangerous," Zoro approved as he was also watching the sea.

"I think they realize the trap in which they fell," Robin noted, "Some officer ships will enter the port and they can't escape by sea due to the whirlpools because it requires controlled navigation. The rest of the Marine ships that remained behind the barrier would shoot them down before they even crossed it."

"We're in the same mess!" The sniper lamented, "Maybe we should have hidden inland…"

"The Marine will sink all the ships that remain in port, especially if the ship they're pursuing escapes them," Nami replied, her gaze still fixed on the horizon.

"What do we do then?" The cyborg asked from the helm before turning it to port this time.

"We must leave the port or it'll be a massacre," The navigator decided. "Franky, sail along the island from the east as close as possible to the whirlpools of the second island. The path is more dangerous but we should have enough space to use Coup de Burst without our speed being stopped by a ship. It's our only option."

"Let's go!"


Moments later, the Sunny was approaching the east coast of the nearby second island. The eddies created by the whirlpools caused the ship to rock dangerously though and the shipwright gritted his teeth to keep her on the trajectory indicated by the navigator.

"These morons are doing the same thing we do!" Usopp noticed when he saw a few pirate ships trying to follow the Sunny's example, "We're gonna be spotted because of them!"

"I hope for them that they have a solid ship," The redhead replied, her binoculars still fixed on the ocean to guide the cyborg.

"The Marine figured out our tactics, they're going to use cannons," Robin warned them.

"Dammit," Zoro growled, unsheathing his swords.

Nami faced her friends, worried. "We can't use Coup de Burst here!" She got alarmed, "It's not deep enough, the power of the cola will eject stones on the Sunny!"

"We're gonna defend our ship until we can leave," Luffy assured her while positioning himself next to his first mate, determined. "Just let us know when the moment's right."

Her captain's words reassured the redhead who nodded firmly in return. She then picked up her binoculars and studied the ocean for a moment before looking up again. "Okay. Chopper, Brook, take care of the sails; they mustn't get in the way!"

Her two friends immediately nodded and leapt towards the mast while Robin and Usopp also walked towards the edge, ready to defend the Sunny.

"Franky, turn slowly to starboard! The current is too strong around here!"

The cyborg turned the helm and the ship slid through the rough water. In the distance, the first cannon shots rang out and Luffy used his enormous belly to send back the cannonballs thrown in their direction. Behind them, a ship that had followed them took the burst head-on and the bow of their boat exploded under the impact.


The battle was raging. The Sunny had now sailed around the main island, getting as close as possible to the second island to escape Marine fire despite the devastating whirlpools surrounding it. Several ships that had done the same had sunk, caught in the vortex. The others had perished under the avalanche of cannonballs the four naval vessels that had followed the fugitives threw without stopping. The Straw Hats were now the only survivors and all fire was focused on them, forcing the crew to work even harder.

Zoro sliced the cannonballs that Luffy and Chopper - with his Heavy Point form - had failed to repel and Usopp tried to explode them from afar while Robin pushed back those Brook deflected with his attacks thanks to a dozen of her hands. Still focused on navigation, Franky and Nami were trying to concentrate despite the tumult surrounding them. They had no room for error.

"All right, let's go, get ready!"

The redhead's voice was a relief and the cyborg immediately used the Coup de Burst button.

At this moment, a cannonball escaped the vigilance of the fighters and rushed towards the archaeologist who had her back to it. Nami's cry of fear alerted her friend who barely had time to take a step back. If her reflex prevented her from being swept away at the same time as the railing in front of which she was standing, she couldn't escape the crack that the impact created. The dark-haired woman lost her balance, the wood of part of the deck collapsing under her feet.

"Robin!"

Nami reached out and her fingers brushed those of the archaeologist who was falling overboard, her eyes filled with terror. Carried away by her momentum and terrified to see her friend escape her, the navigator didn't immediately realize that she was also losing her balance. When she noticed, it was too late. Thrown into the void, she felt the Sunny tremble under the power of cola that was accumulating in her holds.

"Robin! Nami!"

The straw hat boy's right hand wrapped around the archaeologist's waist and the other clung around the redhead's, stopping them in their fall. The crack in the deck widened as the captain abruptly reversed the weight of his body to pull the two girls towards him. The power of Coup de Burst grew stronger and the wood shattered beneath his feet as the cola energy was released.

Brook straightened up, his eyes bulging.

Usopp and Chopper screamed in terror.

Zoro sliced up another cannonball, his face tense.

Luffy slid to his left and focused all his strength in his right arm as he fell towards the ocean.

Robin was abruptly pushed back to the deck.

Nami felt her back hit the raging sea, the straw hat boy's arm around her waist instantly loosening when touching the water.

Franky slammed his hand down on the number one Soldier Dock button.

The Sunny took off towards the sky.


Yeah, cliffhanger! I hope you like it!