ApologiesNoExcuses, GO!
-o~O-O~o-
Chapter 14: Royal Cruise Quest! Moments On Going Merry!
Roronoa Zoro was rarely concerned. He was more of the type to just relax and let things happen. Or train. Mostly just train. Call him a one-track kind of guy, but the point still stood. But after what he witnessed not even a full day prior, he couldn't really help it.
Whiskey Peak had been… well, it had been something. Sure, in hindsight the trap was obvious, and Zoro hadn't fallen for it anyway, so kind of a moot point. Nami had as well, which made sense. She was the smart one. So Zoro was damn sure that Abel had noticed as well, but hadn't said a thing.
Granted, he'd been on a mood ever since his weapon got shredded. It had been suffocating to be around Abel's aura of depression and angst. Wouldn't really be out there for Abel to let them walk into a trap out of spite. But then he'd actively drunk himself into oblivion, and it stopped making sense. Despite all the evidence to the contrary- Arlong Park was a good example -Abel was all about self-preservation.
Hell, he'd shot Zoro in the ass to save his own. He still remembered that, but could understand why he did it. Didn't mean he couldn't still be mad about it. But he was damn certain Abel wouldn't just let himself be incapacitated in the midst of a trap like that.
And then there was the night… The reason Roronoa Zoro, the feared ex-pirate hunter, was outside in the dead of night, unable to sleep. Zoro could hardly find words to describe it. He'd just remained sober and aware, with a full plan to take on the whole of Baroque Works in the night. The fish-bastard had a similar idea. That was the plan, but then… everything went off the rails, when It had appeared.
Zoro tensed as his eyes sharpened on reflex when thinking back on it. He could still recall it with perfect clarity. Baroque Works agents being cut through like cheese, falling amongst themselves, none able to even perceive what was happening to them. Hell, even to Zoro, it was as if the wind itself was stabbing the people full of holes and slashing at their bodies. He'd followed the trail, and eventually made himself a target.
A deep frown marred Zoro's face in the present. He was proud of himself, as a swordsman. He acknowledged that he still had a way to go, Mihawk was proof enough of that, but he was skilled, strong, and most of all, sharp. It was his battle instinct that saved him from an attack he could not locate.
A stab from a familiar rapier he had sparred with before. Only, not at all like that.
Zoro had sparred with Abel a few times. The crossdresser was not lying when he said he was a novice to swordsmanship. But that didn't explain why he was so vexing to fight. He wasn't strong, the guy might as well be made of wet noodles and lacked staying power. But holy hell was he fast. Every single stab and slash was precise and quick, aimed with precise purpose. His footwork was flawless and nimble. He was absolutely relentless, making up for loose defenses by not allowing for an offense to take place. And then there were the god damn mind games.
Every swordsman, intentionally or not, followed a certain rhythm. In battle, one way to win is recognize and disrupt this pattern, to push your own offensive.
Abel had no rhythm to speak off. Hell, the guy seemed to actively disrupt his own rhythm when one appeared, to keep him guessing and alert. The meticulous mental gymnastics required to maintain something like that, constantly, was insane. It really shouldn't shock him that someone as finicky as Abel played with misdirection so much. He literally leaves openings in his stance, just to exploit any attempts to go at them. He read Zoro like an open book, while actively making reading him impossible.
While Zoro would certainly win most, if not all, spars, Abel did not make it easy in the slightest. Abel wasn't strong, but the man was talented in more ways than Zoro imagined he himself could ever be.
When he'd matched blades with Abel… no, It the previous night, it was a whole different beast. Gone were all the mind games and precise attacks, replaced with wild abandon. It was less like fighting a man, more a force of nature. Unnameable and utterly unpredictable. But the worst was that he had to focus with all his will to even see the damn thing.
He'd experienced just how effective Abel's Faint technique was. Like he could make himself so inconsequential that you just automatically ignored his existence. But from what he'd gathered, it was really hard to do in the moment, and was almost useless to people who already knew you're there.
That didn't seem to be a problem for It. Even as he tracked Its movements, It kept flickering in and out of his perception, as if going invisible for less than a second. He'd admit to sighing in relief that not too long after the assault had started, It slunk to the ground, out for the count and snoring.
Abel hadn't woken up yet, but seemed to be fine physically. But mentally… Zoro kept himself from shivering. The face on that thing…
"You've seen It too." The statement instantly causes Zoro to tense up. Damnit, he'd been distracted to not notice him approaching. Calmly he turned his head to see Arlong not too far away, leaning on the wall of the main area of the Merry.
Arlong… Zoro was still grasping for what could've driven Luffy and Able to think bringing that fish-bastard was a good idea. The guy had literally tried to kill them earlier, and arguably done so much worse to Nami. But still, he had noted that the fishman had played nice for a while now. Not necessarily pleasant. Distant, more than anything.
At least he was still armed. He was not.
He narrowed his eyes a bit, making sure his reservations were clear. "The hell are you up here for?"
"You know why," Arlong groused. And he did. Everyone was uncomfortable around the fishman being in the same room as them, so he'd taken to sleeping on the deck, or the storage room. Sometimes the crow's nest, too. "But you did see It, didn't you?" Arlong face was no-nonsense and severe. "Whatever it is that hides behind that fools mask."
"… Yeah," Zoro admitted, returning his gaze to the moonlit horizons. "Was like he was a completely different person."
"Except that thing was not a person at all," Arlong spoke, not moving a muscle, except grossing his arms. "It's like staring at-"
"Nothing," Zoro interrupted. "An empty spot where something should be. An innate lack off… something." Voicing it somehow made it more mysterious than it was before. "He hides it well. Really damn well."
"Tch," Arlong scoffed. "I've been around Grand Line for a while, way back in the day. And I've never seen anything like that." He didn't sound pleased, for some reason. Upset, even. Zoro wondered why. "… That man's dangerous."
"… Yeah." Zoro had to admit to that. "Guy might be made of paper, but if anyone called him weak, I'd punch them out personally to save them the trouble."
For a while there was silence between them. A sort of understanding that couldn't really be put to words. In that moment Zoro thought he understood Arlong a bit more. Enough to conclude that the fishman was as untrusting of them and they were of him. And yet, here they were, sharing a moment only the two of them had truly experienced.
The two shared a look of mutual understanding. Something Zoro himself had clued in on not long ago.
Abel Cain was someone to be kept an eye on.
-o~O-O~o-
The following morning, everyone was in relatively good spirits. After the Whiskey Peak fiasco, which most of them missed out on, it was almost as if nothing had happened.
Only almost though. A certain bluenette was still in an adjustment period.
After having to play the part of a cold-blooded bounty hunter for so long, to survive, to remain undetected and safe, the sheer exuberant energy the Straw Hats exuded caused Vivi some whiplash. It really didn't help her conflicted feelings that her long-time friend and confidant could very well be dead right now.
'Igaram…'
Vivi shook her head. No, she couldn't get weighed down by her friend's sacrifice. She had to make sure it was worth it. To make it back home, safe and sound. Vivi sighed deeply and took a breath, letting determination fill the hole she had made in her heart.
"Beri for your thoughts?" Still a bit jumpy, Vivi softly yelped when Nami spoke up from beside her. "Huh, someone's on edge."
Vivi schooled her nerves and collected herself, giving the fellow girl a smile. "Sorry about that. I guess I'm still getting used to the… erm…"
Nami placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Oh, I know what you mean," she said with a nod and a warm smile. "These guys are something else. But you get used to them." Her eyes went over the deck, bustling with different kinds of activity, easy to see from the top of the observation deck. Then her brows furrowed. "Well… some of them."
Intrigued, Vivi trailed her gaze, which led to the man with three swords- Zoro, Vivi reminded herself of the crew's names -currently clashing blades with the large fishman with the strangest looking sword Vivi had ever seen. Both of them moved with fierce purpose, putting their all into their strikes. Both men were quite intimidating in their own unique ways. They were given a wide berth by the others.
They seemed pretty invested in their sparring, paying no heed to anyone outside of one another. Vivi was no expert, but even she could spot dedication when she saw it.
"You've got some interesting people in your crew, Nami-"
"He's not." The abrupt coldness in Nami's voice made a shiver go up Vivi's spine. It sounded so different from the tone she'd used not a few seconds prior. And looking at her, Vivi could see the firm coldness shine in her eyes, fixated on something. Trailing her line of sight again, led to the saw-nosed fishman.
Vivi didn't want to think the worst of the people currently helping her, least of all the only female companion she had. Perhaps the two had some sort of history? However, she never could voice her question, as something else caught both their attentions.
"UUUUUUUGGGGHHHHHHHHH," someone groaned, very loudly. It seemed to come from the mess hall. "Sanjiiiii!"
"What?" Came the cook's somewhat irritated response.
"You know how to make hair of the dog?" The voice, which Vivi was starting to recognize, moaned pitifully. "I think we have the ingredients…"
"Reap what you sow."
"Don't make pull out the cutesy shit, I am not in the mood right now."
…
…
A suffering sigh escaped the cook. "Fine."
"Thank you," the other person said, with something approaching sincerity. "Also, stop staring at my ass."
"Then don't wear shorts!"
"They're hot pants, you uncultured swine!"
As the sound of arguing intensified, Vivi drew her attention back to Nami. Her expression must've given away her question, as Nami just offered a tilted but fond smile and a shrug.
A few moments later, they spotted the person in question step outside and saunter up the stairs to the observation deck, sipping a beverage of some kind. His expression spoke clearly of contained suffering. But what really caught her eye was what he was wearing.
The deathly pale person currently wore a fairly simple, if revealing ensemble. An orange crop top with rolled up sleeves, beige hot pants that clung snugly to his derriere, along with light brown heeled boots. His hair was brown, somewhat short and tomboyish, combed to the left.
That is to say, a complete departure from anything the crossdresser had worn before.
"Nami," Abel greeted the girl with a nod, leaning on the railing in a way that, intentionally or not, really showcased the arch of his back and bottom. A man should not have curves like that. If Vivi didn't know better, she'd think the person she saw was a model.
"Enjoying the hangover?" Nami playfully ribbed at the man, who just grunted and sipped his drink in response. "Gonna be honest, thought you were all about hems and dresses."
"I can have variety," Abel grumbled into his glass. "I rock dresses and skirts like the best of them, but sometimes you just wanna flaunt your stuff. You know?" He capped the question by arching his back in a way that enhanced his rear, this time completely intentional. "I know I'm breathtaking, but that's no excuse to stare, Princess."
Vivi flushed and was about to defend herself, but stopped at spotting the self-satisfied smirk on the crossdresser's lips. Instead she huffed, but then recalled that Abel hadn't exactly been awake for her backstory. "Um, actually, how'd you know?"
"Ah, right," Abel mumbled, taking a sip of his hangover cure. "Sanji mentioned I'd missed some developments." He turned around, letting his elbows rest on the wooden surface of the railing. "Lemme guess, you're wondering how I figured out you're actual royalty, right?"
Vivi blinked. "Um, yes. That's absolutely right." She eyed this seemingly easygoing man intently, trying oh-so hard to not be distracted by all the bare skin that almost shone in sunlight. "You keyed in on my ruse right from the beginning. What gave me away?"
Abel gave a chuckle, downing his drink and setting the glass on the railing. "Well, Princess, first I need to give props for your acting. Pretty convincing," his smile turned a bit predatory, "for anyone but a true master."
The man then pushed himself off the railing, and then started to strut. It took a moment, but eventually Vivi recognized that he was mimicking the way she used to walk while "in-character" as Miss Wednesday. Exactly.
"You give yourself an air of confidence in the way you walk. Real "badass bounty hunter" airs, and all that," he went on, taking a few more steps, hips swaying, before he turned on his heels to face the pair of girls. "Tell me, did you spot the mistake?"
Vivi shared a brief look with Nami, trying to come up with an answer.
"Trick question, there was no mistake," Abel stated with a shit-eating grin. "Well, not really. You're a bit too graceful with how you move. The sort that only comes from a lifetime of being groomed to be a proper lady," he explained, waving his finger around in a lecturing manner. "Despite appearances, your steps are a little too soft to come from a true rough-and-tumble chick coming to wreck your day. Though, in your defense, you'd have to be an obstinate nitpicker to notice these things."
Vivi was… gobsmacked, honestly. Ever since their first interaction, she'd kept Abel Cain in her mind as someone to look out for. And to hear his observations proved him to be incredibly observant and analytical, to an almost absurd degree. Vivi couldn't help but be impressed.
"That, and you clearly reacted when I first called you Princess'," Abel noted with a grin. "If you want to commit to an act, relax and don't worry too much. Might sound counterintuitive, but being tense just opens a way for revealing tics to surface."
"Wow, you really know your stuff," Nami said with subdued wonder. The crossdresser just scoffed and placed one hand on his hip and the other close to her mouth in a mockingly regal manner. What really topped it was how the voice coming out of his mouth was a pin-point approximation of a haughty high-class socialite trophy wife.
"What, you thought I, the incredibly talented and attractive Abel Cain, master of womanly wiles, and humblest one of all did not know how to act? Perish the thought, darling."
The effort got a chuckle out of Nami, while Vivi was just plain impressed. The disparity between what she knew and now bore witness to was so vast, yet without foreknowledge and the ham, she'd buy it wholesale. Then Abel dropped the act and took on a more comfortable stance.
"But seriously, I do believe I need to be filled in on what went down after I passed out from out-drinking a nun." The crossdresser blinked blankly before staring up at the sky. "Why is that statement leaving my mouth? And is why is it true?"
Nami took it from there, filling Abel in on the details of the day prior. Outwardly he gave no indication on how he felt about these events, and just listened patiently. After Nami got to the end, Abel's only response for a few seconds was a defeated sigh and a far-off look Vivi couldn't decipher.
"Alright. I wake up from a bender, and suddenly I'm involved in ferrying runaway royalty and keep them safe from a vast underground crime syndicate," Abel said in a distressingly despondent manner. "Sure, why the fuck not? Casual fair on the high seas." He looked Nami dead in the eyes. "We getting paid, right?"
Nami's response was a bright smile, Beri symbols in her eyes, and a thumbs up.
"Well, silver linings," he muttered, turning his calculating eyes towards Vivi. The gaze was somewhat uncomfortable. "Now, I don't believe I got anything but your fake-ass code name, miss…?"
"Vivi," she answered almost automatically. "My name is Nefertari Vivi, princess of the kingdom of Alabasta."
"Alright then," Abel stood a bit taller, back straight and posture perfect. He placed a hand over his heart and gave Vivi a serious look. "While I may not have willingly signed up on this effort, nor was my opinion consulted, you'll find my meager capabilities at your service, your highness."
Vivi blinked in surprise at the sudden shift in mood, but appreciated the words either way. "Please, you don't need to treat me as anything special. Just call me Vivi."
"Oh, good, because that is just about as much mandatory politeness as I care to give," Abel groused, seamlessly transitioning from severe to annoyed. "Just try not to be too much of a bother, m'kay Blue?"
"Er, right, of course!" Vivi gave a slight bow. "I thank you-"
"Yeah, cool," Abel mumbled, attention or interest in her instantly vanishing as he turned to leave, ruffled Nami's hair on his way out(much to her chagrin), only to stop upon spotting the spar going on on the lower deck. "Huh, those two are unusually chummy." He leaped down to the lower level without so much as a glance their way. "Hey, Zoro! Seen my sword around?"
Leaving a speechless Vivi miming a fish behind. She'd never had that kind of interacting with anyone before this day. Not as a princess, or as a bounty hunter. At a total loss, she looked at Nami, hoping for some sort of response. The other girl just smoothed out her own hair and gave Vivi an apologetic look.
"You get used to the mood shifts," Nami said with a smile that seemed quite shallow. "… Eventually."
Somehow that did not encourage her of any future encounters.
-o~O-O~o-
"Uuuugh," I let the table feel my groan. It must share my pain.
"How about you eat the food, and not the table," Sanji remarked with a significant amount of sarcasm. I did not appreciate that, but was too beat to care. Better to just raise my head and actually fill the void in my gut.
"Why do I have ideas?" I ask the air as I let heavenly goodness empower my battered spirit.
"Why were you doing 2v1 with those two?" Sanji asked idly, not out of actual interest but to rub in how monumentally dumb thing that was to do.
To elaborate, I'd entered into an impromptu sparring session against both Zoro and Arlong. No holds barred. A guy with three swords and a beefy fucker with a god damn saw-sword against a stick figure with a shiny stick with a pointy end. In hindsight, really should've seen how this would go.
"Seemed like a good idea," I mumble between shoveling food into my mouth. "Needed to work on my situational, spatial, and general awareness. And to get experience on being outnumbered by people way out of my league."
"Surprisingly sensible so far," Sanji noted.
"I think I did well." I was absolutely wrecked. I'd focused my all to deflecting and dodging from the get-go, and yet I felt like a massive bruise on legs. By some contrived miracle I wasn't hit even once, but that's only credit to my absolute determination to not die. Both of those people are god damn monsters.
Still, gotta play it cool. Abel Cain doesn't show weakness.
…
"You know," I start as a thought comes to me, "it never really occurred for me to ask, but how old are you, Sanji?"
He stops what he's doing(chopping vegetables for a stew) for a moment to look back at me with a quirk to his one visible(weird) eyebrow. "Why?"
"I'unno," I breezily admit. "Just came to me that I don't know that much about you, is all."
Sanji just silently gave me a measuring stare. Honestly, after all the shit I pull on him, I didn't really expect him to dignify me with an answer.
"… 19."
"GOD DAMNIT!" I slam my fists onto the table in a sudden bout of impotent rage. "I'm up to my elbows in god damn kids on this ship! ARGH, you're making me feel old!" I take a moment to ponder on the implications. "… Is Arlong seriously my only adult friend on this vessel?" Another moment, another thought. "Oh god, is Arlong my only friend?!"
"I'm adult enough, thank you very much," Sanji responded with only a mild glare, not rising for my shenanigans.
"Psh, sure," I roll my eyes at him. "Get a few years on ya to catch up, maybe I'll consider it." Feeling vindictive, I decided to push the offensive. "Maybe get a few kisses from ladies who aren't grown-ass men in disguise while you're at it."
This time his glare had more fire in it, as he clicked his tongue and turned back to his chef duties. I let him know I feel his ire with a good laugh, then go about finishing my food.
…
Am I giving Sanji way too much shit? Perhaps. His fault for continually being so amusingly responsive. The guy is just so much fun to mess with to just not to, you know? Bonus, I was fairly certain that his chivalrous(bullshit) compulsion to never hit a woman had very confusing feelings about me, considering that despite my constant egging on, he'd never taken it anywhere physical. Oh, he'd threaten and rave, but Sanji would never follow through.
After finishing my meal, I already feel like being alive isn't a form of karmic punishment. For all I do or say, Sanji is a treasure, without a doubt.
"You know, I don't think I'll ever grow tired of how immaculate your cooking is," I say conversationally, knowing full well Sanji won't respond to me right now. "Truth be told, your food back at the Baratie made me appreciate eating again."
I spotted a slight shift in his posture, meaning he'd reacted to what I'd said. Interesting. Let's dig a bit deeper on that, shall we?
"Honestly, that was the first thing I'd actually tasted in a good ten years," I continue, keeping my tone light and casual. "Taste buds had kinda gone numb over the years. Too much alcohol in my diet and food that might as well be garbage. At that point, I mostly just ate out of a base survival need and obligation. But your cooking was like medicine for the senses." I try to sound sincere, because for once I am. "So, thanks for that."
I took my time to enjoy the quiet that came after, letting my words simmer in Sanji's mind. The ball was in his court now, and I would let him decide what to do with it like a big boy.
"… When I was just a kid a ship I was working on was attacked by pirates and then sunk in a sudden storm," Sanji said in a reminiscing tone.
"Whoa, dark," I noted in a blithe manner, receiving a brief glare. Okay, shutting up now, message received.
"… Anyway," Sanji continued, "I was saved from drowning by one of the very same pirates who'd attacked us. Together we washed ashore on a barren rock in the middle of the ocean. No land as far as the eye could see. We only had a limited amount of food and water, with no knowledge of how long it would take for a ship to pass by. The pirate made us stay on opposite ends of the outcropping, scouting for ships. He gave me a bag of provisions to keep myself alive, and kept a much larger bag for himself."
Oh wow, this is for real story-time, huh? I suppose I'll give him the severity this talk demands. "Sounds like a rough break."
"It was," he admits, never once stopping his cooking, back facing me. "I was naive back then, and a brat. The situation was entirely unfair. But I also wanted to live, so I did as the pirate told me to do. Days passed by, me trying to ration what I had the best I could. Then a week, and still nothing in sight. My provisions ran lower by the day, until I had nothing but a piece of bread so stale I couldn't take a bite out of it. And through it all, the pirate never talked to me, and I was honestly too scared to start anything either… until two weeks had passed and I was at the end of my rope."
… Jeez, this is getting more serious than I thought.
"One day I just snapped from the gnawing emptiness in my stomach. The pirate hadn't moved the entire time, and his bag was still as big as ever. The unfairness of it all broke me, so I grabbed a knife next to the pirate to kill him and take his food for my own."
"… But you didn't," I state. A light shake of his head is answer enough for me.
"I couldn't," Sanji confirms anyway. "In a fit of anger, both at him and myself, I cut the bag open instead." He finally turns off the stove, seemingly done with his work for now. Still, he does not turn to face me. "It was not food in the bag, but treasure."
That… honestly surprised me. "Excuse me?"
Sanji laughs bitterly, with a hint of nostalgia. "The pirate never had food in the first place. The only food on that cursed rock was with me the entire time."
I let that info sink in as I observed it from different angles. "So, wait, this guy was still alive after fasting for two weeks straight?" I don't even try to mask the disbelief. "I mean, I know some people can be determined fuckers, but damn."
"Oh, he was alive all right," Sanji said with a shake of his head, seemingly out of still lingering disbelief. "The old bastard had eaten his own leg to feed himself, just so I could survive with what he gave me."
Compiling all the facts in my head was simple, and looking up my memories brought a reaction. I pulled out the Codex- fuck if I know from where, these hot pants don't even have pockets -and let the pages fly until I found the page on the Baratie. "… Red-Leg Zeff," I read the name out, closing the thick tome with a snap and looking vacantly ahead. "Wow."
A brief silence overcame us, me processing this incredibly personal story, and Sanji… I don't even know. It was him who broke the silence first.
"By a miracle we got saved not moments after. But afterwards I never looked down on food ever again. Never underestimated it's value." he spoke with fondness. "I'd never let a person go hungry if I could help it. To suffer like I had."
…
I let out a sigh. God damn you, you shitty cook.
"The last time I remember eating food and being happy about it was a homemade meal from my mom," I said, leaning back on my chair and staring at the boards in the ceiling. "It'd been a bad day for me, in more ways than one. Teasing, bullying, things like that. Living the life of a girly freak of nature. Usually I kept a strong front, but that evening I just broke the moment I got home."
I hate reminiscing about the past. It's why I drink as much as I do. But after listening to Sanji pour out his backstory like that, it just feels wrong to not reciprocate a little.
"I think I was 16 at the time," I continue, keeping my tone neutral. "Mom didn't know what was wrong. I never told her about it, any of it. Never wanted to, would have made me weak. Or that was my reasoning anyway. Still, she did what she could, and made my favorite dish. Made with love, and all that sentimental crap. But eating her cooking always made me feel better, no words required."
I close my eyes, drudging up more memories of that time, so long ago. But not too many. "Not long after, everything about my life spiraled out of control. All my problems peaked and I made extremely poor choices under a very toxic mindset. Amongst the thing that occurred during this brief period was me leaving home to live on my own." That memory was… quite clear. "My mother and I exchanged… not so kind words, to put it mildly. And I haven't seen or been in any form of contact with her since. Food kinda lost its luster after that, not to mention the descent into alcoholism…"
I opened my eyes to see Sanji facing me and giving me a sympathetic look. I shrug. "What can I say, I'm just a whole bundle of issues." I then hop onto my feet and do a pirouette. "Now let's stop with the sad backstory sharing crap! I do believe it's time for supper, and I am famished!"
"You literally just ate a few minutes ago," Sanji remarked. In response I clutched my chest and fell to my knees, looking up at him with wide watery kicked-puppy eyes and a tremble to my lower lip, and really put on the waterworks.
"A-are you saying I'm fat, Sanji-kun? *sniff* S-so mean! Bwhaaaaa!" I fake cried my non-existent heart out and made a river of salt, straight from a facsimile of a broken heart.
Watching him instinctively fluster and start showering me with apologies and corny lines, then realize the ruse and explode on me was the perfect concoction to defuse the remnants of angst from the atmosphere.
…
-o~O-O~o-
Nami's day took a weird swerve when she decided to take some time to do some mapping in the confines of her own room. It all started when she went to sit down in front of her desk, only to shriek as her legs bumped into something underneath it, causing her to leap back. As a side-effect, she tripped on her chair and went down with it. It was not pleasant.
Upon sitting up(and bemoaning her poor, poor back), she spied something under her desk she'd inexplicably missed before. Or rather a someone. A very pale, scantily dressed someone(at least the sleeves on his orange crop top covered his arms this time), and a pair of blue eyes glaring right back at her.
"What the hell are you doing there?!" Nami screeched in a perfectly justified outrage at having a(admittedly familiar) creeper invade her personal space. That being her room. Him being huddled underneath her work desk like some sort of weird bogeyman somehow made it worse.
"I am not here," Abel responded with the frankly intelligence insulting and juvenile airs of 'No, you don't see me' and 'No, I am not underneath a desk hugging my knees right now'.
Speaking of, "Why are you in my room? No, actually, WHY ARE YOU UNDER MY DESK?!"
"It is a snug fit," was Abel's completely self-contradictory answer. However, the way he delivered it made Nami's outrage simmer down considerably. It was neutral, matter of fact, but lacking any of the usual snark or bite that Abel usually wielded like lethal(or highly irritating) weapons.
Not to mention that the look in his eyes, while closer to a peeved glare, also showed a glint of something more unexpected and very not-Abel in it.
Melancholy.
"Abel," Nami started uncertainly, "are you… okay?"
"No."
The navigator's eyes went wide at the immediate, straightforward admission. It was just like the other answers. Brief and utterly humorless.
Getting back on her feet and picking up the chair, she set it a bit away from the desk, facing the man beneath it and sat down. "Want to talk about it?"
"Talked with Sanji a moment ago." Abel's answer was once again immediate, further cementing to Nami that something was wrong. For a moment Nami waited for elaboration, but as seconds ticked by Nami realized that the man wasn't about to say a thing without being prompted to do so.
"Seriously?" Nami whispered to herself, while musing that Abel undoubtedly heard her, the perceptive bastard that he was. Still, it seemed like she'd have to squeeze water out of this stone if she were to learn anything. "What did you talk about?"
"Stuff." Suppressing a heavy eye twitch at the infuriating non-answer took Nami more willpower than she'd imagined it would. But then, than god, Abel actually continued. "Made me think about my mom."
Nami blinks, dumbfounded. That was… not at all what she was expecting to be the source of Abel, smartass extraordinaire, sulking beneath a desk, hiding like a child who didn't want to be found out.
"Okay," Nami starts uncertainly, not really sure what to do with the information. "And this upsets you, because…?" She let the question hang, partly because she had no idea how to finish it.
For a moment, all she received was a glare that might as well have gone right through her, as if she didn't exist within line of sight. Then, Abel answered her question with another one. "What is the last thing you remember of Bell-Mère?"
Nami's eyebrow rose as her brows furrowed. "Why do you-"
"Answer the question." A shiver ran through Nami's entire body at the firm command that left the crossdresser's lips. That, combined with his eyes being dead set on her own, unblinking and lacking a certain shine they always held, caused a wave of discomfort to come over her.
"…" Nami closed her eyes and took a deep breath to gather herself. It would hurt to remember, but… something told her that, despite probably knowing the answer already, Abel wanted- no, needed to hear her say it. "The last thing I remember of… of Bell-Mère is…" Deep breaths. It was over now. She could do this. "It was… when she protected us, Nojiko and me. Gave her life for us, so we'd be safe… before…"
Her eyes hardened and her lips drew into a thin line. No matter what had happened during her time with the Straw Hats, despite what they all had done for her, Abel included, she just couldn't ignore the massive Sea King in the room. "Before Arlong murdered her!"
The name came out like poison. She'd been immensely upset with Abel over his decision, furious even, as she'd made abundantly clear at the time. Even now, despite the fishman having been… not pleasant by surprisingly amicable, she just couldn't not look at him and only see the monster that had made her life a living hell for most of her life, who'd taken so fucking much from her. Even when he'd apologized for killing her mother- and wasn't that a shock to the system -no matter how hard she tried, she just could not find it in herself to forgive Arlong for anything.
Looking back at when she'd been angry with Abel, she wasn't really upset specifically because he'd brought her tormentor along on some well-meaning attempt to redeem humanity in Arlong's eyes. She could agree that, if successful, it could only be a good thing, but that wasn't the real reason she'd been so apoplectic with anger towards the crossdresser.
If she was being completely honest, it was because Abel hadn't said anything about his hare-brained scheme to her. He knew about their history, he knew about Nami's suffering, he'd seen her stab herself out of spite at the tattoo that used to inhabit her shoulder and what it represented. And yet, the man who Nami earnestly had started to respect on-and-off, hadn't even so much as hinted at his intentions.
Sure, she would never have agreed to it, but it still hurt to not be shown such consideration. In fact, the fact that it did indeed hurt surprised Nami herself, making her even angrier. Because a part of her wanted to respect Abel. Despite all his weirdness and rampant assholery, she'd experienced personally when he was serious, sincere, empathetic, and even kind(in his own way). The man might be in the middle of a constant mood-typhoon, and was probably faking 90% of it, but he'd shown courage and dedication in face of odds he had no reason to be involved with. Hell, he'd literally broken himself, several times over, for her sake. Nami refused to believe it was all just a case of personal pride, as Abel had insisted it was.
"I'm sorry." She was broken out of her mental tangent at the simple phrase, spoken with actual emotion behind it, and she saw Abel's whole demeanor had shifted to something less sulking and broody. "I suppose I screwed up big time, back then."
Nami was almost at a loss for words. "How'd you know?"
"Ha, I'm me," He scoffed, with an actual grin(not quite a smile). "Observing and analyzing people is kinda my thing." He looked her dead in the eye, grin widening. "That, and you get really expressive when you're mad and don't try to hide it. Not that it'd help with me."
"I… see," Nami said, once more at something of a loss for things to say. As a perhaps pleasant surprise, Abel actually took the reins of the conversation, after actually leaving his hidey-hole and just plain sitting on her desk.
"I guess I really have to apologize for… well, not saying a damn thing, with Arlong." It was really scary how quickly the crossdresser could get to the heart of the matter. "Gonna admit, kinda dropped the ball on that one. I totally deserved to almost break my back on that chair."
"Yeah… Again, sorry. I didn't mean to… go that far," Nami admitted, not wanting to think on when Abel, already severely injured, got even more so because she couldn't keep her temper in check. "Sometimes it's just hard to remember that you're… well…"
"About as durable as a dry leaf?" Abel offered. It was not an inaccurate comparison. "Well, I do make it a point to act tougher than I am, so I guess I get it. Hell, my god damn book can take more of a beating than I can!" His proclamation was topped with the white-covered tome he pulled… from literally nowhere.
"Uhh," Nami's brain tried to compute. "Where did that from?"
"No clue," Abel admitted, looking at the stark cover of the Codex. "This is the third time it's just there. I even made a point to leave it in the mess hall." He put it down beside him on the desk. "The first time I tried to fling it into the sea. Literally the moment I turned around it flew out and brained me in the back of the head."
"Your book makes no sense," Nami deadpanned.
"I know right!" Abel exclaimed, actually emoting with his body for the first time since this conversation began. "Literally ever since my 'mysterious benefactor' gave me this fucking thing, my life has been a nose dive into insanity! Do you have any idea how stressful all this is! I just want things to make sense, but instead I get a kid pirate captain who's made of rubber because of some magic fruit, a book that seems to be indestructible and almost certainly fucking magic, a world so fucking backwards that pirates are dime a dozen, AND a whole new race of people who are oppressed because of a god damn slave epidemic!"
Nami could only stare and let Abel finish his impromptu rant, leaving the man breathing heavily as he tried to collect himself. As it was Abel, it either didn't take very long, or escalated by magnitudes. Thankfully, it was the former.
"Sorry, just," he started after one final deep exhale, "I have been bottling some of this for a long while."
"No, it makes sense," Nami tried to waive the whole thing off. "I agree. Ever for me, ever since I ran into Luffy, my life has taken turns I'd never even dreamed of."
"Psh, I can believe that all too well," he said, his grin becoming a bit more like a smile, which then shriveled into a frown. "I really am sorry for not talking to you about my plan- sorry, gamble for Arlong." It was still so bizarre how he could just melt into different moods on a dime. "I suppose it's pretty… clear that I'm not really what you'd call a good people person, or a good person in general. So being nice and considerate of others is… kind of a lost art to me."
"Yeah, I can tell," Nami remarks, to her surprise, with some fondness. "Still, I think that adds to your charm."
"Young lady, we don't bullshit in this household," Abel said with a mischievous grin and the voice of a curmudgeonly old man. "We call bastards by name, understand?"
Despite making absolutely no sense, Nami couldn't help but laugh at Abel's silliness. After so many years under a tyrannical thumb, it felt good to genuinely laugh from the bottom of her heart.
The smile her laughter got out of Abel was brief, and seen he was back to being quite severe.
"My mother and I parted on very unpleasant terms," he admitted, matter-of-fact. "It was a dark time in my life, and I was not in the best mindset, so I left home and mom behind with cruel words I, in hindsight, shouldn't have said." He looked at his feet intently. "Over ten years, and I never once got around to mending that connection I so cruelly severed. And after coming here, probably never will. And why?" He gave a rueful smile. "Because I'm an apathetic coward, who'd rather stew on his own misery, than actually try fix things out of fear."
To Nami, Abel's story stuck a chord. She stepped closer and Abel moved a bit to give her space, and sat on her desk, next to him. How he knew that was what she'd intended, it didn't matter. She joined him in staring at their respective footwear.
"The day… Arlong came along, Bell-Mère and I had a fight," she began, pouring her own soul out. It only seemed fair. "We'd always been poor, but that year had been worse than before. One day Bell-Mère gave me a new shirt, which was just one of Nojiko's old ones. I was a real brat about it, and got mad at Nojiko and…" Just remembering it hurt. Was it like that for Abel as well, Nami wondered. "I yelled that Nojiko wasn't my real sister and Bell-Mère, well, didn't take kindly to that. I just made it worse by shouting how I'd wished I'd been adopted by someone rich, and just ran away… but when I finally decided to go back…"
"I get the picture," Abel said, placing a hand on Nami's shoulder. "No need to get into details."
"… I'm just," Nami's mouth marches on, desperately choking down a sob threatening to escape her. "It was the last memories I have of her. She died, for me, for us and… and I was just so ungrateful and…"
As her eyes start to grow misty, the hand on her shoulder shifted, and Nami found it on her head, pulling it to rest on Abel's shoulder. "She didn't hate you, not even for a second. Because that's what mother's do," he said, with absolute certainty. "Now stop being an idiot. You still have the ability to cry for real, so let yourself."
Nami wasn't sure if it was the open, comforting gesture, or the definite kindness underlying his harsh-sounding words that did it, but she allowed her tears to fall, down her cheeks and into the soft fabric of Abel's top, her sobs no longer contained to the very back of her throat. In that moment, she finally allowed herself to be sad, in an open way she hadn't allowed herself since her childhood. And another was by her side, holding her close the entire time, stoically waiting in patient silence.
They remained so for some time.
-o~O-O~o-
Usopp had a mission. An important one, or so he told himself. It was a task given to him by Abel, after all.
He'd been tinkering in his little space for quite a time, which was starting to become his AND Abel's space. Usopp might have a knack for tinkering, but the crossdresser's talents in chemistry were multitudes above his own. Combined with Abel's general genius and Usopp's craftiness, they could indeed achieve great things. Which is why Usopp had to succeed at his task.
Abel had already helped Usopp make his own Stars more potent with his superior chemistry, but this time Usopp was the one helping Abel broaden his arsenal. The two had been planning this little collaboration for a while now, and had split into two teams to figure out parts of it.
Abel focused on the chemistry side of things, which, considering their aim, was way more dangerous, so Usopp was happy to leave it to him to figure out. But it would still be for nothing if he couldn't do his part when it came to the overall design and make it work.
After Abel had lost his rifle- and gotten over the ensuing angst filled episode -the crossdresser had come to the conclusion that he needed to broaden his arsenal to make up for the loss of range he'd suffered. And since, while very good in their fields, they both just could not build a new rifle from scratch with what they had, Abel had suggested a different, more volatile option.
To put it simply, the two were crafting explosives.
Now, Usopp wasn't entirely unfamiliar with explosive things. His Gunpowder Star being a prime example. But that was pretty simple, all things considered, to implement.
Nothing about what Abel had described sounded simple, at all.
Thankfully, Abel was taking on the truly hard, potentially dangerous part. It was Usopp's mission to craft the rest to make Abel's work actually mean anything. And while simple in theory, putting their idea in practice with no baseline to fall back on was an absolute nightmare.
Not to say he hadn't made progress, Usopp was this close to plugging one potentially disastrous design flaw. Problem was, it would require more tweaking in other areas to work properly, which was it's own monster to tackle. And even then, he'd need to wait for word on Abel's research before finalizing any designs.
But Usopp could do this. This wasn't something big, or scary, or god damn terrifying. It was blueprints and small parts, things he was used to, things he was good at. A scaredycat he may be, but this was well in his ballpark. And to help a friend, well, that just made it all the more important he do this right.
…
It was still a bit strange to have an older person as a friend, or at least he liked to think he and Abel were friends. The age gap between Abel and himself was, while nothing major, still quite large. Usopp, for all his (false)bravado, he was still a kid, really. But Abel was an adult, despite how he acts most of the time. By default, he had more experience than Usopp would have for along time. Experience that really helped him deal with things, such as designing a bomb from scratch.
… Okay, bad example.
Usopp shook his head. He was getting distracted. He had almost cracked how to do this without causing the whole ship to explode on accident.
He just hoped could be useful. Even if just in this small way.
-o~O-O~o-
Monkey D. Luffy was a restless soul. He simply couldn't stand around doing nothing for too long before his entire being demanded something to do. A trait which made long voyages across the Grand Line a bit of a trying task. But, ever an adventurous soul, Luffy always managed to find something to occupy his time.
Now, whether or not this something was a good idea is another matter. But mostly Luffy was perfectly pleased to just interact with his crew, or just watch them interact with each other. As he currently was, just leisurely observing everyone else on deck from on top his favorite seat on the Merry's figurehead.
Usopp was cleaning the cannon and giving the large hunk of metal a good shining.
Nami was on the observation deck, lounging and enjoying the privilege of Sanji bringing her drinks, while occasionally glancing at the Log Pose to make sure they weren't straying from their course. Vivi had joined her in a friendly chat.
Sanji was hovering over Nami and Vivi's every wish and whim(of course), while occasionally stopping by to make sure the ship didn't steer off their set path(on Nami's orders, obviously).
Zoro was busy sparring with Arlong, something the two had done more frequently lately. Zoro to improve as a swordsman, and Arlong to shake off however much rust he's accumulated over his years of taking it easy. The grin on Zoro's face spoke of his satisfaction with their little arrangement.
And while technically not part of his crew, Luffy was glad Arlong seemed pleased as well. Maybe one day that might change, though that was not something Luffy was going to push. It was Abel's idea, but the choice was completely in Arlong's hands.
Speaking of the crossdresser, Luffy didn't see him around the deck anywhere. At first he thought Abel was hiding using his cool disappearing technique, but then his gaze wend to the one direction it hadn't yet, up, where he spotted the familiar pale figure in the crow's nest, holding a spyglass and looking out to the sea ahead.
With a grin, Luffy came to an impulsive choice. He wanted to talk to Abel. So he hopped on his feet and shot his stretching arm to grab the railing of the crow's nest and effortlessly rocketed himself up, landing on the railing like a monkey, or something.
"Heya, Abel!"
The crossdresser flinched from the rubber boy's sudden arrival, and most likely also due to how loud Luffy was, as was expected. In the moment his grip on the spyglass faltered and it slipped out of his hands, which Abel quickly made to catch with an impressive movement, twisting around and bending backwards to dive after the falling object. The spyglass was saved, but left Abel hanging from the crow's nest by one foot hooked over the railing.
"God damnit, Luffy, what the fuck?!" the pale man cursed, doing his damnedest to not flail and accidentally fall, using his full body to focus on getting back into the crow's nest safely.
"Shishishi," Luffy laughs with a wide grin. "What'cha doing?"
"Trying not to die, apparently!" Abel barked, finally getting a grip on the railing with his free hand and pulling himself back in and on his feet, with a relived sigh. "Whew, that was close." He eyes his spyglass. "If I broke this, Nami would bit my head off."
He went back to looking out at the sea. "But to answer your question for real, I'm just keeping an eye out for land. It's been a while, so we should be getting close to the… whatever place it is we're heading towards."
"Neat!"
"Not really," Abel shrugs. "Being a lookout is, bar none, the most dull task to take on a ship. The only reason I'm even up here is because there's been nothing major enough to chronicle, and I really needed some peace and quiet." He turns to give Luffy a narrow side-eye. "Hint, hint."
"Oh, so you're bored?" Luffy asks.
"Missing the point, as usual," Abel says under his breath, returning his attention forwards. "I'm not bored. More… Hmm… I suppose I just needed a break from a personal project that is trying my patience."
"Hmm? What's that?" Luffy asked, curious on what Abel is working on.
"No offense Luffy, but I highly doubt you'd understand the technicalities of the scientific method," Abel replied in a tone that very much intended some offense. "But to simplify, I'm trying to re-purpose some things I can no longer make full use of."
"Sounds complicated," Luffy said, scratching his head.
"It is," Abel dryly affirmed. "I see land, by the way."
Luffy followed his extended pointer finger, and, if he squinted his eyes, he could see a small speck in the horizon. Immediately, his excitement bubbled over.
"LAND HO!" Luffy shouted with all his heart, causing Abel to reflexively cover his ears, only to realize a second too late that he'd let go of the spyglass to do so.
"NO!" He screamed and dove to catch it, but it was already too late.
*Crack*
"ABEL!" Came Nami's enraged yell, eyes locked on Abel's now upside down form high in the mast.
"IT WASN'T MY FAULT, DAMNIT!" He yelled back to defend himself, and the two got into a shouting match. Soon after, Usopp would thankfully confirm that, aside from a small crack on the lens, the spyglass still worked fine, but Luffy was too excited to pay much attention.
Soon, a new adventure would unravel before them, in the Prehistoric Island ahead.
-o~O-O~o-
Kept you waiting, huh?
And I am so sorry for the… lengthy period of silence. I have been going through some stuff, and just recently got back in the groove of things. Still, deepest apologies for those who've waited for ages. I appreciate every one of you who give this garbage fire of a story the time of day, and your reviews (eventually)gave me the push I needed to draw up this chapter of peace before things pick up again. I really wanted for each character to have something, no matter how small. But I definitely have a soft spot for Abel trying to act like a normal, nice person.
While writing this, I also decided to… bump up a certain event in the original rough timeline. And next chapter, I realized, was the perfect time to implement them into the fray.
Next Chapter: Welcome to The Jungle! Huntress of Little Garden?!
-Riding on a Boat, C-Hablerie