When she awoke, it was cold.
So cold that a shiver ran through her entire body before she could even open her eyes.
Had she left the window open overnight? But she didn't hear the sound of the ocean at all...
Sleepily, she reached for her blanket to pull it up to her chin.
However, her fingers met only a stone floor, which seemed to be the main cause of the incredible cold that Nami felt.
She blinked tiredly and stared into the light of a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling. The stone floor beneath her extended in the same pattern across the walls and ceiling of the tiny room she found herself in.
In the next moment, she saw the black iron bars in front of her.
She was in a prison cell.
Alone.
Nami felt her breath quicken as memories returned to her.
How she was sitting in her room, adding another name to the list she had created for her baby.
How she turned around with a joyful smile, expecting either Robin or Sanji when she heard the sound of the door opening.
And how the stranger immediately pulled something over her head, leaving a very large bump behind.
Her memories after that were still blurry, probably due to the head injury. She remembered reaching for her Clima-Tact to defend herself. The fight itself was a sequence of blurred images, but the fact that she was no longer on the Sunny clearly spoke to her defeat.
Had they been attacked?
Had the others been caught, too?
»Hello?«, Nami called out loudly, but no one answered.
Apparently, she was alone down here.
This triggered both a suffocating fear and a sense of relief.
Hopefully, her friends were all safe. Which hopefully meant they were already on their way to kick her captors' asses.
Nami leaned back and shuddered again as the cold stones touched her bare skin. She still wore the dress she had chosen this morning for her trip to the town.
Only now, it was covered with dirt and other stains. Wait, was that blood?!
She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts. She didn't even know if it was still the same day or if she had been unconscious for more than a few hours ...
However, the others were not here yet to rescue her.
So, it couldn't have been that long.
Right?
A creaking sound echoed in the distance, followed by increasingly loud footsteps. Nami held her breath as if the person would turn back if she remained silent enough.
»Well, who do we have here?«, she heard a voice before seeing the face.
Black boots appeared in front of her cell, followed by a green cloak. She blinked against the bright light and only a moment later recognized the green, slicked-back hair.
The curled eyebrows made her pause for a moment. Sanji?
No, he wasn't her Sanji-kun. But whoever he was... he looked shockingly similar.
»Aren't you going to say anything?«, the man continued, after she just stared at him in annoyance.
»No«, Nami replied, raising her chin. The movement did little to make her look more prepared in her current crouched position in the cell.
»Nothing? No Who are you? or Where am I?« He raised a quizzical eyebrow. »What do you want with me?«
Nami bit her lips and averted her gaze. She wanted answers to all these questions, but a part of her hoped he would just leave once he lost interest in her. She just had to wait for the crew to rescue her. And her gut feeling told her she should stay as far away from this guy as possible.
She heard the rubbing sound of clothing as he moved. However, he seemed to have only changed his position.
»Quite small in here«, he remarked as if he were a guest inspecting her apartment. He clicked his tongue. »Odd, it always seemed much bigger to me before. But apparently, that useless cook deserved it.«
Her gaze flickered to him again, and he laughed.
»I thought that would make you more talkative«, he said with a malicious grin.
Nami couldn't stand the sight.
He had the same mouth as Sanji.
The same lips she knew by heart after the first weeks of their relationship.
She couldn't bear to see that grin on his lips, even if it wasn't really him.
»Although I still wonder why you would associate yourself with such a human disgrace as Sanji.« The man made a disgusted face.
The insult against Sanji made her inhale sharply, abandoning her intention to ignore him. »Don't talk about him like that!«, she snapped, but he just laughed.
»Don't worry, you'll soon realize what a disappointment he is when you see the rest of us«, he replied. The disgusting grin never left his face. »It's never too late to change your mind, you know«, he added and Nami felt sick as he actually winked at her. »I have a weakness for beautiful women. And you are really, really...«
»Yonji!«, another voice, this time female, interrupted. The man in front of her fell silent, but he looked rather unaffected as he glanced towards the source of the sound.
»Reiju, I'm busy«, the man – apparently Yonji – replied as if he were engaged in some business. The woman – Reiju – also approached the iron bars.
She wore a tight pink suit and had pink hair. She didn't look at Nami but focused all her attention on the man.
»Father says you should come to the throne room«, she said, completely ignoring his words. »How do you even get the idea of hanging around down here? You know we are supposed to stay away from her.«
Yonji clicked his tongue again but said nothing more about it. He cast another glance at Nami, making her hair stand on end, and walked past Reiju.
His steps became faint, the door squeaked again, and then it was quiet.
Only now did the woman turn to her, allowing Nami to see her entire face.
The sight took her breath away, not because she was so beautiful – which she was.
But her blue eyes were the reason her heart skipped a beat.
The same deep blue as Sanji's.
She swallowed.
Where had she landed?
»Please excuse my brother's behavior«, she said with a much softer voice now. »He is rotten to the core.«
Nami stared at her for a long moment before finding her voice again. »Where am I?«, she finally asked the question that had been tormenting her all this time. For some reason, she trusted Reiju much more than Yonji.
»You are in the castle dungeon of the Germa Kingdom«, she replied with the same gentleness in her voice.
Nami's mind raced. The name sounded familiar. »Germa as in Germa 66?«
Reiju nodded. »Exactly.«
She remembered reading something about it in a book. Germa 66 had always only been a legend in her eyes, but apparently, it was a reality.
Nami continued to stare at her. »What do you want from me? Why am I here?«
»Well, that's a somewhat longer story«, Reiju replied, smiling slightly. However, the smile didn't reach her eyes. »It has to do with my brother.«
»Yonji?«, Nami replied questioningly.
Reiju shook her head. »Sanji«, she corrected.
Perhaps she should have put two and two together based on the physical similarities, but her mind refused to connect Sanji with that disgusting guy from earlier. Except for a few external features, he had nothing in common with him.
»You're Sanji's sister?«, Nami said lamely.
Reiju nodded again. »And Yonji is our brother. And then there are also Ichiji and Niji.«
That was a lot of information at once. Nami's still aching head was spinning.
»Wait...«, The names circled in her head and strangely fit together. »Does that mean they've been numbered?«
»Exactly. Quadruplets. I'm older.« Reiju informed her, this time with an amused smile.
Nami put a hand on her stomach and shook her head. She had driven herself crazy in recent weeks to find a name for her baby, and then there were parents who numbered their children...
»He never mentioned you«, Nami finally told her.
Reiju didn't even blink. »I'm not surprised. He has certainly led a much happier life since he left the kingdom.«
Her gaze fell on Nami's round belly. »I'm sorry for how you've been treated«, she said softly. »I will make sure they get you out of the dungeon.«
She looked in the direction of the apparent exit and turned away from Nami.
»Are you leaving?«, Nami asked, surprised by the panic that came over her at the thought. She had so many questions, and Reiju seemed friendly enough to provide answers.
Reiju nodded. »I have to go to the throne room. But I'll be back soon«, she promised before turning around and heading towards the exit.
Her steps became quieter, the door squeaked again, and then everything was quiet.
Nami was alone again.
And only now did she allow the tears to surface.
Where had she landed, and what did Sanji's family want from her?