Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece.
As they were relaxing on the open sea, Nami couldn't contain her curiosity. "You told me I wouldn't survive at all in the Grand Line, right?" she asked. Luffy nodded, yawning in boredom. The boat was too cramped to do anything fun, so he was just lazing about.
She pondered her next question for a second. "So... why are we getting the map right now?" she asked. Obviously, she wanted the map. Her plan was still to go, despite what Luffy said. She was just curious as to his reasoning.
Luffy sat up and adjusted his hat. "You can't survive. I can," he said. There was no boasting involved in his statement, either. He genuinely believed what he was saying. Nami scoffed.
"Puh-lease. You can't navigate to save your life! How do you expect to survive in the Grand Line without being able to get around?" she asked. She was genuinely wondering what his strategy was.
Luffy grinned and pointed. "If you want to be on my crew, I'll protect you and you navigate! Win-win, right?" he said. Nami groaned and backed off.
"I'm not becoming a pirate, you dimwit!" she refuted for what felt like the hundredth time. Luffy shrugged and laid back down.
"Whatever," he said, stretching his arm across the boat to reach into the barrel of apples they had with them. He felt around in the barrel, touching nothing but wood. He froze, snapping his arm back in place. "...Uh oh." he said. Nami, immediately worrying, got up and checked the barrel. It was empty.
Rearing her arm back, she let loose the strongest punch she could muster onto Luffy's head. He recoiled back and rubbed his scalp. "Owww..." he whined.
Nami immediately laid into him. "You idiot! That was supposed to be our food supply for the four days it would take to get to Orange Town! How the hell did you go through it all by the second day?!" she screeched, shaking him around like a ragdoll. Luffy's eyes spiraled, his dizziness taking over.
"Sowwy Nami..." he muttered childishly, even though he genuinely seemed upset. Sensing a bird in the distance, he perked up. "Hey! Maybe I can catch us that bird over there, then we'll have food!" he said in excitement. Just as he was locking onto the bird's exact location, he felt a fist collide with his head.
Nami stood over his prone form, smoke rising from her fist. "What would we even do with a dead bird, huh? We're on a glorified raft! No kitchen, remember?" she reminded. Rubbing his scalp, Luffy made a noise of understanding.
"Oh. Right. No bird, then." He stood back up and peered over the edge of the boat. "What about fish, then? People eat those things raw all the time?" he asked. Nami sighed heavily.
"Just give me a second, I'll adjust the course." She unfolded the massive map of the East Blue she had in her back pocket, heavy ink marks and corrections drawn all over it. It was her custom sea chart that she had been drafting on her eight years of thievery, one that she would rework when she had all the information she needed.
As she slid her finger across the surface, Nami found what she was looking for. "Looks like if we head due west, we'll reach landfall in a few hours. It hosts a small town, nothing too major, but there should be enough to restock on food. And maybe a child lock," she muttered at the end. Luffy grinned, very much ignoring the last part.
"You're amazing, Nami! Now, onward! To new adventure!" the teen shouted, holding his hand on his straw hat to keep it securely on his head as he jumped to the front of the boat. He wanted to be watching when the island came into view.
It wasn't long before the island actually popped into view over the horizon. Luffy grinned and bounced in place, rocking the boat slightly. "Land ho!" he called out excitedly, not minding the fact that both of his companions could also clearly see it. There was no crow's nest for a better view, after all.
Zoro smirked at the sight of the new island. "I wonder if there's a good bar here," he wondered. Nami growled.
"And just where do you think you're getting the money to buy alcohol, mister?" she asked, eyebrow twitching slightly. Zoro glanced back at her and shrugged.
"We got plenty, in case you haven't noticed." He gestured to the large bag of her riches. Nami scowled.
Sitting protectively on her bag of treasure, Nami waved him off. "No can do, this is mine and mine alone," she said. Then she paused. "Well, I could maybe consider giving you a bit. For 300% interest, that is," she smirked. Zoro frowned.
"Fine, whatever. No booze for now," he grouched. He glanced over at Luffy's grinning visage. "Oi, Captain. What's the money situation looking like? Do we have personal expenses for things?" he asked. There was no way in hell he would be sober for the entire journey.
Luffy paused for a moment, tilting his head in thought. "Hmm. Sure, why not?" He motioned to Nami. "Nami is good with money, so she can handle it. But Nami, the money will be the crew's money, not yours alone." Nami frowned.
"I thought I said I wasn't going to join your damn crew," she replied. "For the umpteenth time," she tacked on quietly. Luffy shrugged.
"It's just money. Tell ya what, we split it into thirds and your money is to do with as you want," he reasoned. Nami was about to tell him off for that, before stopping and really thinking about it. It would be nice if she didn't have to worry about them stealing any of her money. She knew she wouldn't be able to stop them for a second if they really wanted to get at her stash.
But a third was way too little. She made a counter offer. "I get half." Luffy shrugged.
"Sure." She almost pouted. She was hoping he would argue and she could have a way to back out of the deal. Now she was basically had to accept.
"Fine," she ground out, throwing a stack of beri at Zoro's head. He smirked as he deftly caught the flying money.
"Thanks, thief," he said smugly. Nami grit her teeth at the loss of what should've been her precious money, and tried to ignore the annoying green-haired menace. Luffy just laughed.
The whole exchange between the crew had taken enough time that they were now nearing the docks. Nami maneuvered the small boat into an open dock and tossed a rope over to Zoro, who was sitting port-side. He snatched it out of the air and tied down the boat, ensuring it wouldn't float off.
The final step was to cover the boat so that her treasure wasn't visible. She took out the beri she needed to restock, lamenting the waste of money that this visit was, and threw her sack of loot into the empty barrel that used to house the apples, covering it with the lid. Perfect.
They would be safe docking here. They still didn't sail with a Jolly Roger, which would no doubt come soon considering Luffy's rambling about being a pirate, so for the meantime they wouldn't be prosecuted by simply mooring at an island.
Luffy leapt out of the boat with an enthusiasm she had begun to associate with him. He grinned and looked around, seemingly barely holding himself back from wandering off. He watched as Nami and Zoro handled the boat, waiting for them to finish so that he could go on an adventure.
Nami was quickly getting irritated with Luffy's boundless energy and inability to sit still. She waved him off aggressively. "Go and have fun, idiot. Not like you'd be much help here. We'll meet back up here in a couple hours," she dismissed him.
Luffy grinned at her and gave her a thumbs up. "Thanks, Nami!" he called out as he ran down the docks and quickly made his way into the heart of the town. Nami almost sighed fondly, but stopped herself. He's a pirate. Don't get attached, Nami, she reminded herself. No matter what he said, she knew that if she tried to rope him into her problems, she would only be sending him to his death.
Zoro quickly grew bored of the boat situation. He knew that Nami had it taken care of, and he understood that she wanted to be the one to handle the money. So he did what very well might've been the only correct move: he left.
Wandering through town, Zoro took in the different sights that had intrigued him. Though it seemed like a commercial area, the shops didn't line up with what he had expected.
There was a weaponry shop on his right, that had both guns and swords on display. In Zoro's experience, it was usually either a long-ranged weapons store or a close quarters one. Mixing the two tended to mean the quality of everything was mediocre.
To the left of the weapon shop, Zoro spotted a prison. Odd, he thought idly. It made no sense to place a prison in a strip mall to beghin with, let alone right next to a weapon shop. If anyone managed to escape, they would have immediate access to dangerous tools. It would spell disaster, quite frankly. He shrugged and decided to ignore it.
Taking a couple of turns at random and heading down new streets, Zoro finally found what he was looking for. He grinned as he opened the door, the sign dangling out front reading Cane Tavern.
Inside was a rather sparse bar, with only a few customers grouped up at a single table. They were talking and laughing loudly, but Zoro didn't care enough about them to listen in. He was just there to drink some sake and relax. He needed it after spending so much time with the orange witch and his hyperactive captain.
Strolling up to the bar, Zoro knocked on the wood of the counter to get the bartender's attention as he slid onto a stool. "Sake. Whatever's cheapest," he grunted out. No way in hell was he buying the expensive stuff, that was just inefficient. He was there to enjoy the burn of alcohol, not the burn of his wallet.
Snorting, the bartender slid a saucer over along with a bottle of sake. "Bottom shelf sake for you, sir," he said derisively. Zoro ignored the man, as well as the saucer, and picked up the bottle to drink directly from it. Taking a few swigs, Zoro let out a sigh of relief. It had been far too long without the sweet taste of the rice wine, and he missed his vice.
When he willingly strung himself up in an execution yard for a little girl, he wasn't given alcohol for obvious reasons. For similarly obvious reasons, when he was freed from the ropes he was more focused on feeding himself. And then they just up and left before he could ask to stock up on the stuff!
Idly, Zoro noticed that the chatter from the four at the table had died down, but it still didn't bother him. He was content with just relaxing for once.
It wasn't until he felt someone tap his shoulder that the greenette sighed and turned to the offending party. "Whaddya want?" he groused. Was it really too much to ask to just drink in peace?
The person who tapped on his shoulder seemed to be the leader of the small bunch. He had on a cardigan much like Zoro's captain, only this one was blue. Around his right bicep was a bandanna that seemed to have a rather intricate pattern that Zoro didn't feel the need to look too deeply at. The guy was rather muscular, but his sunglasses were ridiculous and detracted from whatever intimidation he was trying to go for. Zoro scowled at the guy.
Smirking, the guy crossed his arms. "Was just wonderin' why you were carryin' three swords? Compensating for somethin'?" the guy asked. Zoro snorted in annoyance.
"Hmm, where have I heard that before? Oh yeah, from everyone I fought. Come up with something original, pal," Zoro snarked back. The man in the front stopped smirking, and Zoro saw his jaw tighten. He rolled his eyes at the stupidly low temper of the man.
Before the guy could lash out at the greenette, one of the guys behind him spoke up. "Oi, Soma-san! If I recall correctly, that's Pirate Hunter Zoro! I think he's a bigshot around here in the East Blue," the guy said. The leader, Soma, laughed out loud at that. Zoro just went back to drinking, accepting that they were just going to be talking amongst themselves for a bit.
"Oh, some bigshot in the weakest Blue! That's a riot!" Soma said, prompting a few laughs from the guys behind him. A different person spoke up, a woman this time.
"This guy must think he's all that or something! I mean, three swords, really? And talk about a fashion disaster! Who uses a haramaki these days?" she laughed. Zoro didn't care. His haramaki was comfortable and unrestrictive, and he didn't give a damn about fashion. "And what about that stupid white sheathe? At least color match, you bastard!"
That did it. They could talk shit about him all they wanted, but not Kuina. Not her treasure.
Setting down his half-downed bottle of sake, Zoro stood up and faced the four. He placed his hand on the hilts of his swords, silently preparing himself. He glared at Soma. "Are you done?" he bit out. His tone caused Soma to freeze briefly, but that hardly phased the man. He brought back his insufferable smirk and kept looking down on the swordsman.
"Not even slightly. C'mon, how about a wager? We fight, and if I win I get your swords. I lose, we'll get out of your hair. I mean, what've you got to lose? Some scrap metal?" Soma taunted. Zoro sighed and turned back to his bottle of sake. He saw the bartender out of the corner of his eye, sitting behind the bar to stay out of sight. He smirked. Smart man.
"I'm a swordsman, not a circus act. Leave me," he spat at the man. Soma's smirk once again turned into a frown, and he was clearly straining himself not to fly off the handle. Zoro knew the guy was trying to bait him, but the greenette wasn't stupid or hot-headed. Most of the time.
Unfortunately, it seemed as though one of the other people weren't so hesitant to restrain themselves. Zoro had a sneaking suspicion that Soma wanted to take the fight outside so as to not break his drinking spot as well as have more freedom of movement, but the other guy had no such reservations. Flying at Zoro, the background grunt swung out a fist with a clear trajectory toward the swordsman's face. Zoro scoffed and lifted one of his swords, scabbard and all. With nary a flinch, he blocked the full weight of the punch.
Smirking at the grunt, Zoro pushed forward and sent the guy off balance. With a bit of a showy spin, Zoro gathered his momentum and struck the guy in the gut, sending him launching out the door of the establishment. He stared down the other three in silent challenge. Soma scowled harshly and lifted his fists in a boxing stance, suddenly sprouting some sort of natural armor out of his skin.
Zoro frowned in thought, before putting his sword back on his waist. Acting quickly, he drew both his black blades in preparation for what was going to be a much more difficult fight than he initially anticipated.
Sighing at her (temporary) crew's idiocy, Nami double checked her funds as she walked down the street. Her main priority was food at the moment; it only took a day for the ginger to realize just what Luffy's eating habits were like.
Unfortunately, that meant she had to throw away a precious good bit of money to satisfy him. Nami growled and clenched her fist, wanting desperately to clobber him on the head.
Shaking herself out of her annoyance, Nami began to truly search around. Luckily, she found a fresh food market rather easily. Opening the door, Nami began to browse the options she had before she began to frown.
"Excuse me," she called out. She heard a creaking noise and turned to the source. A door labelled "Employees Only" opened slowly and a middle aged man walked out. He had short brown hair and a rather impressive build. The circular glasses resting daintily on his nose and the humble overalls made him much less intimidating than his muscular build hinted at. Nami waved him over as he stepped out.
"Can I help you, young miss?" he asked, his posture slightly slouched. Nami nodded.
"I was wondering why this store seems rather... sparse," she tried to avoid being rude. But it was true: there were empty crates littered throughout the store, and what precious little crates were stocked only had a dozen or two fruits, at best.
The man frowned uncomfortably. "I apologize. Recently, a group of sailors stopped on by and needed to stock their ship," he explained, a nervous flutter to his voice. Nami tapped her chin idly as she thought.
"Hmm. That's exactly what I was here to do," she said offhandedly. The man flinched slightly, and Nami narrowed her eyes at the sight. "Oh well, do you know when you'll be restocked enough to support ten people for a week?" she asked. There was no way she was going to make the mistake of only rationing for three people. With Luffy on board, that would be stupid.
The man scratched the back of his head, looking sheepish. "I'm afraid not, young miss. We grow all our crops here on the island. The last harvest was just a week ago, so we'll need to wait for a while yet," he explained sadly. Nami nodded. That explained his wardrobe.
The ginger waved off the shopkeeper's words. "Fine, I'll just take what you have." Nami paused. "...You do have more than just this stock, right?" she asked hesitantly. It would be stupid of them to not have any backup stock. Surely they were just displaying the best product as they waited for other fruits to ripen?
Unfortunately not. The man seemed to shrink in on himself once more. "Ah... yeah, this is it. Like I said, we were cleaned out earlier," he tried to explain. Nami glanced around the shop and did some quick calculations.
Whistling in awe, Nami side-eyed the man. "Wow, must've been quite the armada! Fully stocked, this shop looks like it's enough for a few weeks at sea for, what, seventy people give or take?" she tossed out a number. The shopkeeper sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, it was quite the shock! This little town never gets that much traffic," he said. Nami smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. This man was dreadful at lying, she decided. She didn't push the issue, though.
Walking to the door, Nami waved a goodbye at the shopkeep. "I think I'll check out a few other places before talking with my associate! Who knows, perhaps I'll be back soon to buy the rest of your stock!" she called back. The man blinked confusedly as the door slipped shut.
"... But didn't you already say you'd buy it?" he wondered to himself. Sighing, he headed back to the employee's office.
Sliding back in the room, he flinched back at the sight of the person sitting at his desk.
"Welcome back, Nakamoto-kun! Tough customer, huh?" the person behind the desk. Nakamoto meekly nodded. "And you blatantly lied to her! Boy, you're growing some balls, ain't ya?" Nakamoto flinched once more, crossing his arms in a subconscious attempt to curl in on himself. The person at the desk laughed.
"Well, I'll leave ya to it then! Don't forget our deal, Nakamoto-kun!" the person laughed out loud as they stood up with a flourish, the hood covering their face fluttering slightly. As they stepped past Nakamoto, they rested their hand on his shoulder softly, leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Wouldn't want your precious village to... disappear, now, would we?" With that, the person stepped out of the employee office and disappeared.
Nakamoto collapsed with a shuddering breath, sweat pouring down his face and tears pooling up in his eyes.