Disclaimer: Oda-sensei is the amazing creator of One Piece.
Author's Note: I am so, so very sorry. I've been so busy with real life stuff and a few other stories I was working on that I didn't realize it had been more than a year since I updated this. I had about 90 percent of this chapter written for a long time, but the last bit just wouldn't come. I got inspiration earlier today, so here it is.
Diffraction
by Mako-clb
Chapter 9: Course Correction
Hang on.
Just hang on.
That was the mantra in Nami's head as her scream died down. Inside she was still shaking with terror as she watched a man slide past her and into the ragging sea. Nami's knowledge of the weather had given her a pretty good idea of when and how far the ship would heel over, so she had placed herself in the right position to grab the railing at the right time. And she had been lucky enough to be able to hold on despite getting buffeted by wind and water as the ship continued to rock.
But Nami wasn't sure how much longer she could hang on. Knowledge alone wouldn't be enough to save her, not if she wasn't physically strong enough to maintain her grip until the ship righted. If she fell into the sea now, she would be pulled under the churning waters and into the cyclone. She would drown.
She wanted Luffy's rubber arm to snake around her and yank her back onto the tilting deck. She wanted Zoro to grab her wrist in a bruising grip as he hauled her to safety. She wanted dozens of arms to sprout from the railing and secure her to the ship.
Nami wanted her nakama.
Biting her lip to hold back her fear, Nami tried, desperately, to get her feet under her. She couldn't wait for the ship to right itself. They had managed to turn just enough that the ship would most likely not capsize during the cyclone, but things were going to get worse before they got better. Nami needed to adjust the mainsail and fast or when the cyclone dissipated, the prevailing winds would rock the ship hard in a different direction. Given how poorly maintained the ship was, it might even crack the mast. Maybe Nami could hang on, but maybe she couldn't. And maybe the ship could limp to a port, or maybe they would be dead in the water.
Just as Nami finally got into a half stance and was preparing to push herself towards the mast, a wall of water hit her, nearly washing her into the ocean. Nami clutched the railing as hard as she could as she choked on what felt like a gallon of sea water. It burned her lungs and stung her eyes, but she managed to force her breathing under control and her eyes open to see Remba crawling toward her. Nami didn't know why he was heading her way, but that didn't matter now.
"Cut the sail loose," Nami screamed, praying he might hear her over the sound of the wind and crashing waves. When he just shook his head, Nami risked letting go of the rail with one hand so she could gesture to the sail as she shouted, "Cut the ties."
When Remba just kept inching his way towards her, Nami gave up on trying to get him to understand. Instead she looked from him to the mainsail, hoping against hope that someone was close enough and smart enough to do something. By some miracle, someone had made their way to the mast and was trying to cut through the rigging.
Nami felt the subtle shift in the wind that heralded the dying moments of the cyclone just as the rope broke, freeing one corner of the mainsail. In the next moment, the winds died and the column of water that had been reaching high in the sky came plunging back into the ocean sending more waves crashing over the heeling ship. Nami's grip finally gave out, but before she slipped over the railing, a hand grabbed her wrist. Remba wasn't nearly as strong as Luffy or Zoro, but he slowed Nami's fall enough that she was able to get hold of the railing again herself.
There was another round of shouts as the ship rocked forward a bit at the same time the starboard side fell back toward the ocean. It was a rough ride, one that resulted in Nami getting knocked around a bit more, but not as bad as it could have been if Asral hadn't managed to free that one corner of the sail. Nami's estimation of the ship's navigator went up a fraction, which still wasn't saying much.
-N-N-N-N-N-
"One hundred ninety-nine."
Zoro flexed his arm one more time as he looked out to sea.
"Two hundred."
Zoro set the weight down instead of dropping it. He'd already gotten an earful from Franky and Usopp the first time he'd just let his weights drop. Apparently the special wood Franky used for the ship could handle it, but it scuffed the finish or something.
Zoro started swinging both arms in big circles. He'd noticed during the battle at Enies Lobby that his range of motion wasn't what it should be. His sensei would be disappointed that Zoro had forgotten that flexibility was almost as important as strength.
"Twenty."
Zoro turned so he was facing land. He didn't see anyone on the dock or the only other ship in the harbor. And he didn't hear any screams or shouting.
"Thirty."
While they were asking around, Robin had found out that the other ship belonged to the villagers. They used it if they needed to make a supply run. Robin mentioned something about the island needing to bring in most of their stuff from other islands. It wasn't that big and was usually empty, but Robin, the cook, and Franky had searched it anyway.
"Forty."
It had only been two days since he'd last seen Nami. Zoro didn't like it when someone was missing. The crew was still picking up the pieces from losing Merry. Zoro kept ending up in the wrong place, the girls' room when he wanted sake or Chopper's new infirmary when he wanted the toilet. He could admit to himself that he kept expecting things to be where they were on Merry.
"Fifty."
They had lost a nakama. And while Sunny was a fine ship, none of them had gotten over Merry yet. They were each dealing in their own way. Zoro relying on muscle memory that wasn't accurate anymore. The cook complaining about someone moving his spices or some shit. Usopp checking for repairs that weren't needed.
"Sixty."
On top of all that, they were getting used to Franky. Zoro had no issues with the guy, not anymore. Luffy wanted him on the crew. That was good enough for Zoro.
"Seventy."
Zoro had mostly just kept an eye out for Usopp's reaction once things settled down. But surprisingly, Usopp seemed okay with Franky. Heck, Usopp spent more time with the guy than anyone except Luffy.
"Eighty."
And now, Nami was missing. It wasn't that long at all but things didn't feel right without her. And he didn't like that he didn't like it.
"Ninety."
There was nothing Zoro could do right now. Not about anything. And Zoro hated that. All he could do was train to make sure he was ready when the time came.
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Next time, say something," the captain said just before he slapped Nami, "or I'll do much worse than that."
Nami's cheek stung. Hell, the entire right side of her face hurt, and she was pretty sure she had pulled something in her neck when her head snapped around. Instinctively, she touched her cheek. It was slightly damp, and she was pretty sure it was blood. It wasn't much so it was probably just some minor scratches to match the ones on the other side of her face.
It was nothing.
"Worse than kidnapping, deprivation, and assault?" Nami snapped.
"Oh, much worse," the captain said as he glared at her.
Nami had survived worse than this. Nami had done far worse to herself.
"And what happens to the idiots who didn't listen to me?"
"What are you talking about?"
"The girl did try to warn us, Captain," Fram said from just behind Nami. "I heard her shouting some directions. I told the men to follow them, but it was too late."
"So she did predict the cyclone?"
"I'm right here," Nami said, "And, yes, I did. It's not my fault your crew didn't react fast enough."
"How much warning?" Blu asked his first mate, ignoring Nami.
"I don't know how long she was hollering before I got there," Fram admitted.
"More than enough time to have avoided the cyclone," Nami snapped. "I'm not stupid enough to intentionally let the ship I'm on get caught in a storm that could sink us."
"But apparently you're not smart enough to keep your mouth shut," somebody shouted from behind her.
"Or maybe," Nami growled as she turned around, "you're just angry that I'm not willing to take the blame for your mistakes."
"That's enough!" Blu snapped. "From now on, if the girl warns of a storm, I expect every member of this crew to take it seriously."
"Aye, aye, Captain," came a chorus of voices.
Then Blu turned to Nami. "But you would do well to remember that in everything else, you have no rights here, no standing—nothing! If you talk back again, to me or any of the crew, I'll make sure it's the last time you do."
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Naaaaami!" Luffy yelled as he sling-shotted through the trees, nearly going over the cliff into the ocean below. Fortunately, Luffy saw the danger and held onto the trees so he rubber-banded back and right into Franky.
"Oh, not cool." Franky pushed Luffy off him, got to his feet, and adjusted his sunglasses.
"Sorry," Luffy said, followed by his trademark laugh, which turned into an "oh" of surprise when two arms sprouted out of the ground to help him to his feet.
Robin herself appeared a few moments later.
"I take it you didn't find anything," Robin said.
"Nothing but trees," Franky said.
"We have found something, but it remains to be seen if it is useful," Robin said. "Some of the local fauna told our doctor that there is a ship that sometimes sits not far off shore, and the cove below shows some evidence that people have been there. But they have not been seen recently, and there is nothing that indicates who they are."
"Where are Long-nose-bro and Cook-bro?"
"They are checking the cave. There is a rather large one on this side of the island."
"Oh, I want to check the cave."
"I do not recommend it. When the good doctor and I arrived, the tide was higher, and we could see the sea water came all the way up to the cave entrance," Robin said. "I believe it's best if we leave the search to those without Devil Fruit powers."
"But I wanna search the cave."
Chopper popped up between Robin and Luffy and started tugging on Luffy's shorts. "You can help me look for more herbs."
"Boooo. That sounds boring."
"Ah, but Sanji said they're expensive cooking ingredients, and they're similar to some other medicinal plants I've used, so I want to test them."
"They're food? Like Sanji-type food?"
Chopper nodded.
"Oh, then let's pick erps."
"Herbs, Luffy," Chopper called out in vain as his captain went bounding off.
Robin smiled briefly as she watched her captain and the little doctor run around. It was nice to see them unworried by the current situation, at least for the moment. Robin felt a single drop of tree sap hit her cheek. As she absentmindedly wiped it away, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.
Robin turned fully to see Usopp trudging his way up the path, shaking his head and silently crying. Robin's smile faded as she realized there were likely no solid clues to be found here either.
As Robin looked around, hoping against hope that there was some clue here, something they had missed, she felt a droplet hit her head. Then another and another. As the scattered sprinkles became a steady, light rain, everyone froze and looked up to the sky.
The smattering of gray clouds did little to block out the blue sky. There was no reason anyone other than the Straw Hat's navigator would have known it would rain. It was as if the sky was mocking them, reminding them just how much they needed Nami even as their options and their hope for finding her were fading.
-N-N-N-N-N-
Back in her little prison with a throbbing, stinging cheek, more scrapes and bruises than she could count, clothes still half drenched in sea water, and still wired from her near-death experience, Nami was on the verge of tears. They didn't fall. They wouldn't. Nami had learned to control that years ago.
Nami took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out slowly. Zoro had taught her that little trick for finding calm and focus. Well, more she had blackmailed him into telling her. Nami suspected he would have shared if she had just asked, but where was the fun in that?
Nami was lucky that Fram had been in such a hurry to get her out of the way, he tossed her back into her little room without looking around. He missed the hammer that was just laying on the floor. Not that it or any weapon would do Nami any good right now.
She'd had very little chance of escaping before, and she would have even less now. Given the state of the ship, it would be all hands on deck, literally, for repairs. The crew would be checking the hold for damage and to make sure they weren't taking on water. That would go on all day and night until the ship was fixed or they docked. Most likely the later given the damage Nami guessed had befallen the ship.
There was no way for her to get her maps, her bracelet, or the log pose and no way to sneak off the ship.
"Luffy, where are you?" Nami whispered.
to be continued