Author's Note: Get ready for a dash of nakamaship, a pinch of adventure and 3 cups of fluff. I would love to know your thoughts on this story- it's always nice to read some comments, lets me know people actually read this lol. Appreciate the rockstars who left reviews, this chapter is for you! 3
Chapter III: Ink Marks
Luffy couldn't draw for shit— this simple fact was as clear as day to Nami and the rest of the Straw Hat crew.
Not that such specific skill was required or ever needed in their seafaring adventures. But everytime the rubber captain would trade in his brute strength for brush strokes, it was equal parts amusing and annoying to the crew, particularly to the Straw Hat navigator.
During the early days of their journey, it had been a struggle for Nami to gather accurate geographical data for her mapmaking when there was little to no luxury of her surveying the islands (you can only do so much exploring when you're constantly running into trouble or running for your life). So to make up for this, Nami had initially asked Luffy to help supply her with visual descriptions of the island, seeing as he's always the first to run off of the ship in search of adventure and the most likely to travel large portions of the islands (swinging from tree to tree or building to building with rubber powers would certainly help).
This proved to be a fruitless endeavor, however, with a captain that had the attention span of a starfish ("There were trees, a lot of trees! Then a mountain… or was it a hill? Maybe a volcano? Well, it looks like some sort of dessert… Then there were trees again… then I saw a cool-looking bug…"). And when Nami reasoned he may just be a visual person and tried her luck by making him draw it instead, she had better luck deciphering ancient poneglyphs than the mess of Luffy's god-awful doodles. Nami had to thank her lucky stars everyday when Robin joined the crew, the latter more than willing to sprout extra helping hands to scout the areas and provide the navigator with the info she needed.
And how could Nami ever forget the dreadful day she had lost 100,000 berries because of Luffy's atrocious drawing skills? When the crew had gathered to play a simple "Guess the Drawing" game during one of their parties, they soon found themselves forming a competitive team of two and raising the stakes that Nami was so sure she would win.
Though she had to begrudgingly admit it was her fault, as well as the several tankards of beer she drank, that a wager was even set in the first place, the money-hungry navigator hadn't anticipated she would have an idiot like Luffy on her team and for him to suck so bad at drawing (much to her chagrin, his drawings always ended up looking like male genitalia) that her team ended up losing so badly—a humiliating defeat the green-haired swordsman lorded over her for the next couple of days.
After that day, Nami would be damned if she ever let Luffy draw so much as a squiggle in her presence.
Unfortunately, the Straw Hat captain had other ideas.
"No, Luffy!"
"Come on, Nami!"
Nami glared at the black-haired boy sitting across from her. She then turned her attention to Usopp and Chopper beside her with a concerned look. "How's it looking, Chopper?" she asked, blatantly ignoring the look from her captain.
The reindeer doctor had just finished applying the brace around the sniper's wrist. "Based on my initial assessment, it's just a small hairline fracture. But it could take at least six weeks to recover and he'll need to wear this brace in the meantime."
Sitting on the other side of the sniper, Franky patted Usopp's back, "How 'ya feeling, my man?"
In response, Usopp puffed his chest out proudly and flashed a big grin at his crewmates scattered around the dining area. "Oh honestly, guys! It takes more than a broken wrist to take down the brave warrior Usopp! Did I ever tell you about the time I broke several bones when I single-handedly fought off three giants …"
Good to know his spirit isn't broken, Nami thought as the sniper launched into another one of his outlandish tales while Chopper listened intently. Her thoughts soon drifted to the situation at hand. To no one's surprise, the marines had just launched another attack on the Straw Hat ship. With monsters for crewmates, they were thankfully able to escape with minimal harm, save for Usopp's broken wrist and the damaged mainsail proudly bearing their jolly roger.
As the navigator, Nami was naturally more concerned how the damaged mainsail would still be able to catch wind properly. And while they do have a spare sailcloth they could use to replace the torn sail, the captain was more bothered by the loss of their insignia's display and protested on hoisting a temporary plain sailcloth while Usopp recovered.
"See, Nami? It'll take weeks for Usopp to recover!" added Luffy. Nami simply raised her eyebrows to him in response, "And?"
"He won't be able to draw the jolly roger now…"
Nami continued to stare at him blankly. "So?"
Luffy cheerfully pointed a thumb at himself and flashed his signature bright grin. "So I'll be drawing the jolly roger! Shishishi!" Nami gave him a hard look and with a stern voice, replied, "No."
The captain frowned, crossing his arms in annoyance. "Why not? The Fox Pirates or whatever liked it when I drew their jolly roger!"
Zoro, Usopp and Sanji snorted, amused by the memory of his jolly roger drawing during the Davy Back Fight with the Foxy Pirates. "Jolly rogers are the pride of a pirate crew, so we can't sail without one!" he added, banging the table with a fist for further emphasis.
"Jolly rogers are a symbol of terror meant to instill fear in others. Do you really think we'd scare enemies off if you drew a dick on ours?" drawled Sanji with narrowed eyes as he prepared tea behind the counter.
"On the contrary, that would be a rather scary jolly roger! Yo ho ho ho!" chimed Brook, earning a solemn nod of agreement from Usopp and Franky.
"Come on, you guys! I'm great at drawing. Let me draw the jolly roger!" insisted Luffy in a huff. Nami could only sigh loudly, "You know what? Let's put it to a vote. All those in favor of Luffy drawing our jolly roger, raise your hand…"
No one but Luffy raised their hand, making the captain frown at his so-called nakama.
"All those opposed to Luffy drawing our jolly roger…" Everyone but Luffy raised their hands, Robin even sprouted a few extra hands for good measure as she gave him a small comforting smile, "Sorry, Captain."
Zoro shrugged, casually leaning against the wall. "Hate to agree with the witch and shitty love cook but dicks should be kept inside a pair of pants, not displayed on jolly rogers."
The crew hummed in agreement as Luffy grumbled and muttered, "Fine."
As a compromise, Nami temporarily patched up the damaged sail's tears and holes so they could still make use of it until Usopp recovered well enough to draw for a new jolly roger. While Nami and Robin held their own when it came to drawing, the long-nosed sniper was still unmatched when it came to artistry, and a proud symbol of pirates such as a jolly roger should look nothing but the best.
Thankfully, they wouldn't have to wait for another six weeks. Nami felt the warm humid air prickle her skin as she caught sight of an island in the distance through her binoculars. Warm temperature, high humidity, clear skies, she noted mentally.
"Everyone, we're approaching a summer island! Get ready!" she announced from the helm, making their captain holler in excitement.
Chopper jumped at the news with sparkling eyes. "Oh, a summer island! We can heal Usopp's wrist much faster now!" Robin looked up from her book and gave the reindeer beside her a curious stare, "Oh, how so?"
"Luminara celestialis, or more commonly known as glimmermint, is a medicinal plant that often grows in warm, humid environments such as summer islands. Glimmermint is rich in silica and has remarkable bone-healing properties. If we combine that with some veridora and seren, I should be able to shorten Usopp's recovery time to just three to four days!" explained the doctor with an eager nod.
Ecstatic, Usopp scooped up the reindeer doctor in a big hug with his good arm as Franky joyfully struck his signature pose, "That's suuuper good news then!"
Once they've dropped anchor, Nami gathered the crew to hand out the money for their supplies and call out everyone's delegated tasks. Sanji and Robin were assigned to look for food and provisions while Franky and Brook were tasked to scour for possible engine and mechanical equipment.
With a broken wrist, the sniper had no choice but to stay aboard the Sunny. Chopper still needed to perform a few standard tests on Usopp and mix the veridora and seren in advance, so the orange-haired navigator volunteered to look for glimmermint in his stead, which then left her with either Luffy or Zoro as her travel companion.
Figuring the Straw Hat captain would be the lesser of two idiots and knowing how restless Luffy could get, Zoro was assigned to guard The Sunny and stay with Usopp and Chopper while Luffy would help Nami in her search.
"'Kay! So where do we find this mystery plant?" asked Luffy with his hands behind his head.
Chopper pointed to a photo from his medical book, "This is what glimmermint looks like. It's a slender purple plant with tiny clusters of bioluminescent nodes nestled within the leaves. It glows even in the daytime, and you can find it deep within the forest among Lumigrove Oak trees!"
Nami took one last look at the photo and gave the doctor a thumbs up with a wink, "A glowing plant should be fairly easy to find, huh? Leave it to us!" She turned to her captain who's already raring to go. "Ready, Luffy?"
Nami stiffened in horror as rubber arms wrapped around her waist ominously. Luffy grinned at her, "Yosh, let's go!"
Eyes closed, Zoro snickered as Luffy stretched and launched towards the island, followed by a string of screams and curses from the navigator echoing in the distance.
"Namiii, I'm hungry."
Nami let out an annoyed sigh, walking a few steps ahead of the complaining captain. "You're always hungry. And you just ate before we left the ship."
After three hours of hiking and an unwelcome encounter with several venomous beasts called dreadclaws (taken care of by Luffy), the navigator and the captain were already deep in the forest and far away from possible towns or cities, not a sight or sign of glimmermint anywhere. Though her feet were beginning to hurt, she was determined to find the plant for Usopp and Chopper, even if it took all day.
Luffy patted his stomach in sadness, which gave an audible growl. "Should've asked Sanji to pack us some food."
"We're looking for medicinal plants, not going on a picnic in the park." she pointed out, observing the plants in their path with discerning eyes.
Luffy suddenly grew silent and stopped in his tracks, sharply turning his head towards the left portion of the woods. Nami noticed his silence and turned to look at him quizzically. "What is it now?"
He didn't answer, instead, he launched himself up on a tall Lumigrove Oak tree, climbing as high as he could go. The ginger was about to call after him when his arm shot down and not-so-gracefully yanked her up on the tree beside him.
"Damn it, Luffy! I told you not to do that. You—mmmph!" He placed a hand on her mouth to cut her off. "There's people nearby" he said, yanking a branch out of the way to give a better view and staring ahead.
Nami followed his gaze and peered in the distance. She saw smoke coming out of several nipa huts within the forest clearing, surrounded by men, women, and children in bright, symmetric garments and beaded hair.
She cocked an eyebrow in interest as she observed the people closely, noticing dark, bold lines, patterns and symbols beautifully adorning every inch of the men and women's arms and torsos as they chopped wood and prepared grains and vegetables by the fire.
This caught Luffy's eye as well. "What's that on their body?" he wondered aloud.
"It looks like tattoos…" mumbled Nami absent-mindedly in thought when a realization suddenly struck her. "Oh, I remember! Robin told me all about this tribe and their culture. They're the Windwood Kin tribe, and they're well known for the intricate ink on their body, or as their people call it, their 'ink marks'".
Luffy looked at her in wonder. "Eh? How's that any different from a tattoo?"
Nami shrugged in response, "Not much except for the name and the tradition behind it. From what I remember, ink marks start as a rite of passage for their tribe when you turn sixteen. They believe every ink mark on your body holds a purpose; a key to knowing and remembering, deep down, who you truly are…" They both stared as a young girl traced the ink marks of her mother's arms in fascination, making Nami smile. "It's more than an expression of art, it's their symbol of pride."
Grinning, Luffy replied, "Sounds a lot like a jolly roger to me!" Nami chuckled at that, shaking her head. "Figures you would see it like that."
The black-haired captain leaned against the trunk of the tree, relaxing. "So do they choose their own mark or do their captain—" "chief" Nami swiftly corrected him. "-their chief choose it for 'em?"
Nami pondered for a moment, trying to recall the information shared by their archaeologist. "Both, actually! They usually choose marks of their own but they have this sacred ceremony called 'kin marking'. Those within the tribe with a special bond—may it be family to family, lover to lover, friend to friend—-can choose and draw ink marks on each other. The marks won't be revealed to one another until after the ink marks are etched on their skin, to symbolize that you trust and know one another on a deeper level. It's supposed to bond you forever."
Luffy's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa! That's so cool!"
Nami looked down at the tattoo on her left shoulder and caressed it softly. Luffy followed her eyes, head tilting curiously and stared at her tattoo as well. "Would you ever want to get a mark like that?"
She shrugged in nonchalance. "I don't know. But it sure beats getting forcefully branded and inked like property…" As her words trailed off, her eyes caught a faint glow in the far distance, opposite the tribe's small village. "Look, Luffy! I think that's glimmermint!"
They descended the tree and headed off to the direction where the navigator saw the glow and true enough, they finally found the evasive glimmermint. Once Nami and Luffy filled both of their backpacks with the glowing plant, the captain—in true Luffy fashion— wanted to dash off towards the tribe to get something to eat. The stern navigator had to inform him via a painful yank on the ear that the Windwood Kin tribe were also known to value seclusion and solitude and were not too keen with outsiders, so they trekked off.
While heading back to the Sunny, Luffy appeared to recall something. "Me, Ace and Sabo did something similar like those ink people do."
"Oh? What did you do?" asked Nami, curious.
A big grin broke out of his face, "We shared a cup of sake when we were kids, that's why we became brothers! Shishishi!"
Nami couldn't help but smile fondly at the image. "That's cute."
It's not often Luffy reminisced and shared stories of his childhood— not that he was ashamed of his past or hiding something dark. The black-haired boy simply preferred to look straight ahead and live in the moment with no regards to the past.
Though the happy-go-lucky captain was an open book to many, it still felt like there was a lot to know about him. So in the rare instances he talked about his past, Nami made sure to listen well and make the most out of it.
"So what else did the three of you do when you were kids?" she inquired, hopeful to hear more. For some reason unbeknownst to the navigator, Luffy seemed happy and comfortable enough to share more with her, launching into tales of their childhood.
As Luffy told her about the trio's fight against the Bluejam pirates, their many training sessions against wild creatures, and growing up with Dadan and the mountain bandits, they barely noticed that they were already back at the Sunny. Though three hours didn't feel like enough, Nami already felt closer to her captain and was grateful for the opportunity to bond with him.
"Seems like you had such an inseparable bond with Ace and Sabo." she remarked. The two have already dropped off the plant at Chopper's infirmary and were in the kitchen to get refreshments and snacks. "Though I'm not sure I could do that whole ceremony thing you did…" She raised a glass of mikan juice to her lips and continued with a playful smirk, "I don't share my sake."
Mouth full of fried potato snack, Luffy stared at his navigator and seemed to think for a moment. He then brought a fist to his palm, a thought clicking in his head.
"I've got it!"
Nami was lounging in the Sunny's aquarium bar, reading her meteorology book while sipping a glass of mikan juice, when Luffy barged in unannounced.
"Oi, why did you run out of the kitchen earlier? Usually, we have to keep you out of it." she quipped.
Luffy ran up to Nami, eyes twinkling in mischievous delight. He then raised one of her feathered brushes and bottle of ink in his hand, excited.
"Let's do a kin marking!" he declared, determination in his voice.
Nami choked on her juice. She stared at him, dumbfounded. "What on earth are you going on about, Luffy?"
Impatient and fired up, Luffy sat down next to her. "We'll do that thing that the ink people do. We'll mark each other!"
Just when the orange-haired navigator thinks she's gotten used to her captain's antics, he comes up with something as random as this. She scrunched her eyebrows at him, still baffled by the idea. "And why would we need to mark each other?"
Luffy gave her a look that said 'Duh!' and put his arm over her tattooed shoulder. "'Cos we trust each other and know each other better than anyone!" he explained as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. He then flashed her his trademark toothy grin, "And it'll bond us forever!"
A warm hue tinged at Nami's cheeks at the thought of being bonded forever to her captain. She brushed the thought aside—he meant something else, something more innocent, surely. "Have you forgotten how awful your drawings are? Why would I want that kind of mark on my body?" she reasoned, cocking an eyebrow.
Luffy pouted like a sad puppy. "Come on, Namiii. I know you better than anyone. Trust me!" He then crossed his arms and continued, "You already said no with the jolly roger."
Nami sighed loudly in exasperation, feeling a headache coming on.
It's not like the mark will be permanent, she thought. And he might keep pestering me about the jolly roger if I say no to this too.
"Fine." she relented, shaking her head at the overjoyed captain. "If you draw something obscene on me, I will personally throw you off this ship, Luffy!"
Luffy simply laughed. "Don't worry, Nami! I'll give you the best mark ever!"
Nami narrowed her eyes. Somehow, she doesn't feel reassured by that.
Like a traditional kin marking ceremony, the captain and the navigator opted not to show the ink marks to each other until after the marking. Since their ink marks would not be permanent, Luffy pointed out that they should keep their marks for the rest of the day, to make sure the ink will work its mystery powers to bond us, he explained with an urgent nod.
Nami dipped the brush in ink and edged closer to Luffy.
She gently placed her hand on his bare chest, feeling her pulse quickening. They decided that whoever draws the mark will also choose where to draw it. She brushed her fingers across his skin and settled on the spot above his massive scar, right where his heart should be.
Drawing a breath, she put the tip of the brush on his skin and began the marking. As she traced careful lines, Luffy's eyes remained focused on her.
Feeling a bit flustered by his gaze, Nami cleared her throat and knitted her eyebrows in concentration, "You ever thought about getting a real tattoo?" she questioned.
"Nope, not really!" His eyes turned to her mikan and pinwheel tattoo and a grin broke out from his lips, "Yours look cool though! Ace's looked cool as well."
This made Nami pause a bit. Though the captain talked earlier about his childhood adventures, it still surprised Nami to hear him mention Ace again. Learning about kin marking really did make him reminisce on his own unbroken bond with his sworn brothers.
"What does the crossed out 'S' on his left bicep mean, anyway?" she asked cautiously, taking a quick look to see how Luffy would react. He seemed unfazed by the question but Nami swore his voice became a tad quieter when he answered her, "It stands for Sabo."
Moving her brush with purpose, her fingers accidentally grazed his scar. She stared at it for a second and couldn't help but think about the pain, the loss, and the battles he had endured over the years— collecting nothing but scars in his wake. Though he doesn't bear any tattoos like she and Ace, his scars itself already tell the story of what he had been through.
As Nami drew the finishing touches, a small smile formed on her face. She was convinced—no, she was sure— that she chose the perfect mark for her captain.
"Done!"
"Oh, man! I can't wait to see it!" He grabbed the brush from her hand, wide grin returning. "My turn!"
Without missing a beat, Luffy placed his hand on the nape of her neck and inched his face close to hers.
Nami tried really hard to focus on the fishes in the tank and not look at the rubber man whose face is mere inches away from hers. How the hell did it get hot in this room all of a sudden?, she shouted in her head.
Goosebumps ran up her arms as he gently trailed his fingers along the base of her neck, sliding down just below her right collarbone. She soon felt the tip of the brush glide across her skin as Luffy began the marking.
She couldn't help but wonder what kind of mark would Luffy think to draw on her.
Perhaps another mikan? Or money?
Maybe it was something he liked. Like meat. That's definitely something he'd draw.
Her thoughts were quickly interrupted by the black-haired captain. "Hey. Didn't your sister also have a tattoo? What does hers mean?" he asked, tongue slightly poking out in concentration.
Nami smiled, the memory of Nojiko's intricate swirls flashing in her head. Just like Luffy, Nami didn't share much about her past—not wanting to dig up any bad memories or painful feelings. She's already had eight long years of that. But if someone like Luffy could open up and share a piece of his past, why couldn't she?
She took a breath and recounted how Nojiko got hers so Nami wouldn't have to feel bad about her own tattoo. She shared how it hurt when the needles pricked her skin when Arlong marked her when she was ten and how it hurt even more when the villagers looked at her in horror when she showed up with the sawfish jolly roger on her shoulder.
Then she told him how she felt free when she was able to remove her old tattoo and replace it with her own symbol, even freer after she finally got her freedom and set sail with newfound friends.
As she spoke of her experience, Luffy remained silent and just resumed his work as he listened, smiling when she mentioned feeling free.
"All done!" he chirped proudly.
What? Already?
Nami wasn't sure if it was a good thing or bad thing that Luffy didn't spend more than five minutes drawing the mark on her. "You go look first," she said, grabbing a small mirror and handing it to Luffy.
Luffy took the mirror and held it up to his chest.
His eyes lit up and his mouth gaped open in astonishment upon seeing the bold, energetic strokes of a blazing sun etched on his skin— with jagged lines extending like fiery tendrils, each one dancing and flickering with a life on its own.
She smiled softly at him, "I don't know if you know this, Luffy, but you have a power that's far greater than that Devil Fruit of yours..."
Luffy's attention snapped towards her in wonder.
Nami raised her hand and lightly traced the mark she had drawn on his chest. For a moment, she swore she could hear him draw a sharp breath.
"Everywhere you go, people just can't seem to help but love you…" she said, chuckling lightly. "You have this remarkable ability to draw people in, and it doesn't even matter how long you've known someone, you just… you just bring so much light everywhere."
Luffy's eyes widened at her statement. She then places a palm on top of his mark, against his beating heart, meeting his gaze.
In an almost quiet whisper, she said, "It just amazes me… how even after so much darkness, you continue to burn brighter like the sun, hotter like…like…"
"Like fire." he continued.
He knew. He knew and understood that this was more than an ink mark to represent just him. It was meant to honor his late brother, Ace, as well. And even though she hadn't said it directly, this was also her subtle way of expressing how much light Luffy brought to her life.
He placed his hand on top of hers with a smile, his face softening. "It's perfect. Thanks, Nami."
And for a moment, they stayed like that.
Nami cleared her throat to break the tension, grabbing the mirror from him and holding it up to show her reflection. "Guess it's my turn then!"
She couldn't figure out what he drew at first and only stared in confusion.
It was unlike any other drawing Luffy had made in the past. It was simple and minimal— three curving lines on top of one another. The top and bottom lines were shorter than the line in the middle and followed along the curve of the center line. Whatever it was, it looked… good?
As she continued to examine it, the gears in her head finally started to turn.
"It's a wave!" she mused, and Luffy nodded enthusiastically with a big grin.
"Why wave?" Nami inquired.
She expected him to say he simply thought it was cool or it was an easy mark, but to her surprise, Luffy launched into an explanation of his own. "I used to sit by the cliff and watch the waves after training with Ace and Sabo. I'd watch the waves too when I waited for Shanks to return to the village. It was my favorite thing to do, still is!"
Nami thought of all the times he would watch the sea by Sunny's figurehead, realizing now it had been a pastime of his all along.
"Not sure why, but I never get bored when I watch the waves. It's strong and powerful… then calm and peaceful the next…"
His eyes averted to the swimming fishes in the tank, his thoughts drifting, "It's… exciting and unpredictable…"
Excitement getting stronger in his voice, he continued, "It's freedom… it's adventure…"
Luffy returned his gaze to her, a soft smile on his lips. "It reminds me of you."
His smile widened at the look of surprise on her face, "Waves carry pirate ships and pirates towards their dreams… just like you do with mine. Without you, I can't ever be King of the Pirates!"
Nami felt a subtle warmth color her cheeks, taken aback by his words. Although Luffy wasn't the most eloquent person, he had clearly put some thought into her mark (an amazing feat, considering it was Luffy). And to associate her with something he loved, she couldn't help but feel happy.
"Not bad, Captain. Not bad." she retorted with a small smile.
He patted her on the shoulder, chuckling. "See? I told you I know you better than anyone, Nami!"
Nami couldn't help but sneak one last remark in. "While that's touching and all, you seem to be forgetting that you're a Devil Fruit user. You do remember waves can kill you, don't you?" she teased, raising a playful eyebrow.
"Yeah, well…" He raised an arm and traced his fingers softly along her collarbone and the ink mark he drew, sending a small shiver down her spine. She met his gaze and he grinned, "Good thing I like danger, right?"
Nami was at a loss for words.
She wasn't sure if they were still talking about the wave or something else entirely. There was no time to think or talk about it, as they heard Sanji hollering it was dinnertime just outside the aquarium bar.
Over dinner, the other Straw Hat pirates noticed the marks on the captain and the navigator, praising Nami for her artistry and Luffy for actually being able to draw like a normal human being for once.
Aside from Luffy offering to give their other nakamas their own ink marks (which earned a resounding 'no' from every other member), Nami doesn't remember much about that dinner, her thoughts mulling over the events of the day all throughout meal time.
And as she went to bed, she kept absent-mindedly tracing the ink mark below her collarbone. Although it didn't make any sense, she swore she could feel the mark prickling her skin. Or was it his touch that made her skin tingle? Now that didn't even make more sense!
The next morning, as Nami took her bath, she carefully avoided scrubbing or rinsing the inked wave off of her collarbone. For some weird reason, she had the urge to keep the ink mark on. What's one more day, right?
As she took a seat and joined the others for breakfast, she caught the attention of the captain across the seat from her. Their eyes instantly fell on each other's ink marks.
Upon seeing that both of their marks were still visible and intact, they smiled.
For the next few days, their ink marks stayed until it faded naturally on its own, but the bond, as Luffy claimed, was now etched on their skins forever.
