Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. If I did, it wouldn't be as cool as what Oda-sensei created.
Author's Note: For those who have seen the One Piece movie Strong World, you may notice some similar themes between that story and mine. I started this story before I saw the movie. Now that I've seen Strong World, which is awesome, I realize people will think I stole some of my ideas from that movie, but I'm going to continue regardless.
To the guest reviewer who said I don't know One Piece at all, I would appreciate some specific examples of where I got it wrong so I can improve. Thank you.
Diffraction
by Mako-clb
Chapter 7: Deviation
Franky's bros weren't speaking. Most of them hadn't said more than a few words since Luffy had silently led them all back to the ship. Nico Robin had offered to fill in Chopper while Sanji headed into the galley mumbling about lunch. Luffy had climbed up to his usual spot on the figurehead, and Zoro had stretched out below but as close to his captain as he could get. Sword-bro looked like he always did when he was going to take a nap, which Franky had learned was often, but instead of closing his eyes, he kept his gaze on his captain.
Franky had tried to lift the mood. First he headed into the galley and offered to help the cook make a SUPER lunch, but the guy had snarled at him to get out without taking his eyes off what he was chopping. Next Franky decided to check in on his littlest bro and Nico Robin. When he peeked into the infirmary, the sight of the reindeer-gorilla being held by Nico Robin as the doctor cried did not bring tears to his own eyes. Absolutely not. But he did decide to leave them alone. Instead he went searching for his Longnose-bro.
Franky found the inventor cleaning the girlie's weapon.
"Whatcha doing?"
Usopp looked up at Franky and gave him a half-hearted smile before turning back to what he was doing.
"I thought I would repair it so it's in good shape when Nami gets back."
"I've been wondering about that thing," Franky said as he leaned over Usopp's shoulder for a better look. "I've never seen anything like it."
The sniper slowly ran his thumb up and down the shaft of one of the segments. "I made it just for Nami. She wanted to be able to fight alongside everyone else. We were facing some really dangerous opponents. Of course, I, Captain Usopp, wasn't afraid," Usopp bragged, but Franky could tell that his heart wasn't in it. "But Nami was worried that she wouldn't be able to hold her own, so she asked me to make her a new weapon. She fought with a staff before, so I went with something she would know. But I wanted to make something better. I read a few of her books on weather, just enough to get the basics, and I made her first Clima-Tact."
Usopp picked up a wrench and tightened one of the bolts on the interior end of the segment. Franky picked up one of the other segments, turning it so he could look inside the metal tube. The connecting system was simple but elegant, using a slot and twist method to lock the segments in place. Inside the bulbous ends were some strange devices that Franky had never seen. He stuck a finger inside the tube to see if he could feel something, but Usopp snatched the segment away from him.
"Don't touch that. You'll mess up the dials. Nami needs this." The sniper held a segment in each hand for just a moment, staring as if he didn't know what to do. Then he set them down on the table and lowered his head. "She needs this. What good does it do to fix it if she needs it now?"
"You gotta have faith," Franky said. "If you guys could rescue Nico Robin from CP9 and the World Government, it'll be SUPER easy to rescue the girlie from wherever she is."
"But we don't know where she is!" The sniper swiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, and Franky pretended not to notice. "She's alone and she doesn't have a weapon. She doesn't even carry her regular staff anymore because the Clima-Tact is so much sturdier. She really liked that. I remember she said that when I gave her the first one."
"So this is an upgrade?" Franky asked, partly out of curiosity and partly just to keep his friend talking.
"Yeah, this is the Perfect Clima-Tact. The first one…" Usopp turned his head to look at Franky. "I almost got her killed. It was just a party toy. I didn't think she would actually fight. I thought she would just use it as a distraction, to trick the enemy so she could run away. It only had one really useful attack, and it was a one-shot move. I figured she could use it if she was desperate, you know?"
A few tears traced a path down Usopp's face, but the inventor didn't bother to wipe them away this time.
"But she fought," Usopp said, even as he cried harder. "She fought one of their top agents. No Zoro. No Luffy. No Sanji. Just Nami, alone, with the weapon I made for her, and she could have died because I thought…"
Tears flowed down Usopp's face.
"Yeah, but she didn't. And then you made this SUPER weapon, and I've seen some of what the girlie can do with it."
"But it doesn't matter because…" Usopp sucked in a breath between sobs, "because I left her alone. If I had just stayed, if I made her come back to the ship with me, Nami would…she would…"
Franky couldn't do anything but stand there, a hand on Usopp's shoulder as the sniper buried his face in his hands and cried. Franky wished he could do something else, but he didn't know what to say or do to make things better. As he reached up to dry the tears from his own face, he didn't even bother trying to deny he was crying.
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Let me out!" Nami screamed as she kicked at the door. She winced as her bare foot hit the solid wood.
Unlike her first night on this ship, this wasn't an act. She had been locked up since just after the storm. Now it was afternoon. Nobody had even bothered to bring her food or water. She had started complaining an hour ago, but nobody had come. At least Arlong had let her take toilet breaks, even if it was only because he didn't want Nami or any of his pirates wasting time to clean up the mess if he didn't.
Nami felt something warm and wet on her sole and guessed that she had reopened one of the many cuts on her foot.
"Dammit! I'm gonna piss myself if you don't let me out of here!" she shouted, giving up on kicking the door again.
Nami started when the door suddenly swung open, but she quickly shifted so both hands were behind her back. As the short, pudgy man came in, Nami quickly made sure the chain was locked around her wrist. The click of the lock was loud enough in the sudden silence that Nami knew the man must have heard it, but she made sure to give nothing away in her body language.
The man gave her an odd look. Then he held up his key ring. "Do you want out or not?"
Nami held up her shackle. As the man unlocked it, she asked, "Where's Remba?"
"Don't get any ideas." He backed out of the little room leaving enough space for Nami to exit. "Our sniper's got an eye on you. So don't try anything funny. That orange hair of yours stands out, so he'll be able to spot you no matter where you go on the ship. Try to get away from me, and he'll shoot something painful but not vital."
Nami didn't know if this man was telling the truth or not, but if their sniper was even half as good as Usopp, then she couldn't risk it. Walking out into the open, Nami resisted the urge to give in to her fear. She put on a brave face, the one she perfected over eight years serving Arlong. Her nakama all thought of Usopp as the liar of their crew, but not a one of them could lie the way she could. When the lives of everyone you cared about were on the line, you learned to lie to the world, every minute of every day. You learned to close off the truth deep inside where sometimes you couldn't even see it yourself. So even though Nami was afraid, even though all she wanted was for her nakama to come rescue her right now, not a single person on this ship would ever know.
"I thought you had to take a piss," the man said. "Or don't you remember the way there?"
Without a word, Nami walked past him and headed to the toilet. Nami had an innate sense of direction, so she rarely had to be shown where something was more than once, but nobody needed to know that. She intentionally hesitated a few times, looking back and forth as if she were trying to remember which way to go. Really she was trying to determine just how large the crew was and what resources she might be able to make use of on the ship.
Unlike the cannons on the Thousand Sunny, this ship's cannons lined the deck on both sides. It was easier for everyone to access them that way, but it also left them open to the elements. This ship didn't have a large, open area like Sunny. The design lent itself to larger quarters and a bigger galley. That probably meant a fairly large crew. Based on how many Nami had already seen, she knew the crew was at least twice the size of the Straw Hats, but size didn't necessarily mean strength. Nami had seen the monster trio take out an entire ship packed with Marines before.
The larger crew also didn't seem to mean more work got done. From what Nami had personally experienced so far, they didn't take very good care of their ship. She wanted a closer look at what they were doing, but she realized she wasn't going to get it when the pudgy man gave her a rough push toward the toilet. Even if he hadn't, Nami's bladder was telling her not to waste any more time.
Nami supposed she was lucky the toilet was empty since the ship only seemed to have the one. She made a mental note to thank Franky for including two on the Sunny. But in the harsh light of day, the filthy state of this toilet made her wonder if she wasn't better off asking for a bucket in her little prison. She cringed at the stinging sensation caused by the many cuts on her feet coming into contact with whatever filth was on the floor. She moved to shut the door behind her, but the pudgy man held it open, and unlike Remba last night, he stayed facing her.
"Give a girl some privacy."
He gave her a warning look, but he did shut the door, mostly. It would take some effort for anyone to see her, even if she wouldn't have complete privacy, and Nami decided that was the best she was going to get for now. Doing her business as quickly as possible, she made sure she was standing confident and proud as she opened the door.
"Hurry up," the pudgy man ordered when Nami just stood in the doorway.
Nami headed back to her prison. She didn't take her time, but she refused to give this man the satisfaction of actually hurrying.
"So are you going to tell me your name, or do I just get to keep thinking of you as Pudgy?"
"You're a cheeky one."
"Did you expect some delicate flower?" Nami asked. "You do know I'm a pirate, right?"
"Fair enough," the man said, and Nami thought she almost heard a bit of respect in his tone. "I'm Fram."
"Fram," Nami repeated. "I'm Nami, but I'm guessing you already knew that."
"I'm not sure what your crew is like, but around here, if you just follow the captain's orders, he'll treat you decent," Fram said as he gave Nami a little shove into her room.
"Thanks for the warning, but I've known enough pirates to know you can't really trust most of them." Nami sat down on the bed and held out her arm so Fram could chain her up. "Considering your captain is the kind of man who kidnaps a girl, I think it's a safe bet that he falls into the untrustworthy category."
"What are you? Seventeen? Eighteen? How much could you know about pirates?" Fram scoffed as he locked the metal around her left wrist.
"I know enough to know that Luffy is the only pirate I'll ever happily acknowledge as my captain."
-N-N-N-N-N-
Robin took a sip of her tea, relishing the taste and the scent as the steam carried the light fragrance. It wasn't really cold enough for a hot beverage, but she found this blend to be particularly soothing, and Sanji had been almost desperate to make something special for her. How could she refuse him when he was so clearly hurting and she had the power to help by doing something as simple as accepting his special treatment? Moreover, she needed the comfort as well. It was not that long ago that Robin had been separated from her nakama, even if she had done so more-or-less willingly. Now that Nami was missing, she better understood how the crew had felt when she was gone. Robin did not like the feeling one bit.
The solution was simple. They needed to find their navigator. The problem was that what little information she had discovered had done nothing to get them closer to that goal. It only served to make everyone feel worse, and Robin did not completely understand why. Robin was an archeologist, so she knew it was paramount to understand people if you wanted to understand both the past and the present. Why did they make those vases? Why did they build their houses that way? Was there a practical reason or a philosophical one?
When she first joined the Straw Hats, it had been because she had nowhere else to go. As time went on, she found each of them and the way they interacted with each other fascinating. She had tried to piece together their histories from their possessions and actions. As she got to know them, Robin had discovered just how right and sometimes how wrong she had been in her judgements. Being older, wiser, and more worldly, Robin thought she would have no problem understanding these young, naive individuals. But Robin was reminded that every person was far more complicated than they appeared at first glance, and that untangling an individual person's history was not the same as unearthing the secrets of a civilization.
Right now, Robin felt that more than ever. She couldn't understand her nakama's reactions. Certainly it was easy to understand their fear and concern for Nami. She was missing. She was most likely injured. Those were cause for Chopper's tears, Zoro's tense posture, Usopp's worry and guilt, Sanji's moodiness, and Luffy's anger and seriousness.
What she didn't understand was why the four young men in particular seemed so hurt that Nami had sold her maps. Robin knew Nami's dream was to draw her own map of the world. She knew dreams were important to this crew—their own and the dreams of others. Had Nami sold the only copies, Robin could understand. But after comforting Chopper, Robin had personally confirmed that there were duplicates of every one of the maps Nami had sold stored on the Sunny. Sharing that information had not made a difference.
Luffy seemed like a puppy who had been kicked by his owner. Usopp had not told a lie or made a boast during the entire meal. Sanji and Zoro were so upset, they hadn't argued once since they all left the shop. The maps had seemed to hold no particular significance to Nami's disappearance, but Robin was beginning to suspect they were far more important than they appeared.
"That's enough," Franky said as he slammed his soda bottle on the table. "I'm tired of you guys moping around. Where's the crew that faced down the Marines and the entire World Government without batting an eye? That's the SUPER crew that's gonna find the girlie."
Sanji jumped up from his seat and let fly a roundhouse kick that knocked Franky out of his chair and on his ass.
"Shitty cyborg. We'd do anything to find Nami-san!" Sanji shouted, hands fisted at his side.
"Of course we will." Robin took a sip of her tea. "Now that we know the map store is unlikely to be related to Nami's disappearance, we should rethink our strategy."
"No! We gotta go back to that store. We gotta get Nami's maps back from that old guy." Luffy pulled his straw hat down. "Whoever took Nami must have made her sell them."
"I don't think that's true, Luffy." Usopp bowed his head, staring at his pasta as he swirled it around his plate. "The shop owner said the maps Nami sold him were drawn on the special paper he sold her the day before. We know she was drawing maps that night. Why would she redraw those maps and take them into town unless she was planning to sell them?"
Luffy pounded a fist on the table. "Why?"
"We have been low on funds since leaving Water 7. I'm sure that has been of great concern to her," Robin said as she calmly set her teacup down. "Selling copies of her maps was actually quite a simple and effective solution. They fetched quite a high price, especially on such a small island."
"Nami's maps are her treasure. She makes them for herself now, not for anybody else. She wouldn't sell them."
The only sounds that greeted Luffy's statement were the click of Sanji's lighter and the thunk of Franky's fist against the floor as he levered himself up.
As the two men sat back down, Sanji said, "I think Usopp's right. If Nami-san thought it was what she had to do for us…"
"She wouldn't!"
"Luffy, she stabbed herself in the hand to save me!"
Chopper gasped. "That's…is that how she got that scar?"
Luffy shook his head.
"Luffy, Nami-san became a slave and a thief just to protect her village."
"But we saved her from that!" Luffy jumped to his feet, his chair clattering loudly as it hit the ground. "I destroyed that room. I beat that fish guy. She's free now."
"She knows that," Zoro said.
Sanji recognized it as the same tone Zoro had used when he told Luffy that they couldn't accept Usopp back unless the sniper apologized.
Luffy spun around to face Zoro. "I'm not him."
"She knows that."
"Then why–"
"Luffy." Zoro just looked at his captain, waiting and watching as Luffy's entire expression changed as if he had been struck.
"Nami was taking care of us," Luffy whispered. "Nami always takes care of us."
Luffy unconsciously ran his finger along the string that secured his straw hat to him even in the fiercest of battles.
"Why didn't she tell us?" Chopper cried. "I wouldn't have bought the candy."
"Nami had to protect everyone she cared about all by herself for a long time." Usopp ran his thumb over the back of his left hand.
"Sometimes Nami-san forgets that she doesn't have to do it all alone anymore."
"So we find her and remind her." Zoro gripped Wado's hilt as he looked at his captain.
"Yosh!" said a chorus of four voices.
As Luffy started stuffing his face with food, Robin smiled. She crossed her arms over her chest, causing several arms to sprout from the floor so she could right Luffy's chair. He dropped into it without even a pause.
"Wait," Franky said as he waved his hands around aimlessly. "Are you telling me the girlie was a…" Franky paused a moment before whispering, "slave?"
"Sort of," Usopp said, still staring at his food instead of eating it. "It's…complicated."
"That's not super at all," Franky said at the same time Chopper burst into a fresh round of tears. "Do you think her…that the bastard who…do you think he kidnapped the girlie to take her back?"
"I beat his ass," Luffy said, the anger in his voice clear even as he spoke with a mouth full of food. "We beat all their asses."
"It was a pirate crew of fishmen," Usopp said. "They took over Nami's entire island. They murdered her mother in front of her."
Franky choked back his tears as Chopper began to wail.
"She was ten, just a little princess," Sanji said, fiddling with the cigarette between his fingers. "They branded her with their jolly roger."
"She pretended to be a member of their crew, drawing maps for them and stealing from other pirates to buy back her village."
"Her pen was soaked in blood." Luffy's voice was low and quiet, but they all heard him. "They made her dream a punishment."
-N-N-N-N-N-
Fram finished up the watch schedule and checked over the list of repairs the shipwright said were absolutely necessary. Based on these figures, they would need to plunder a ship very soon. Attacking a pirate ship wouldn't draw as much unwanted attention from the Marines, but they were less likely to have a good haul. Most pirate ships, at least the ones in the class the Diamond Pirates could easily take on, didn't have that much treasure. Some, but not a lot. On the other hand, plundering a merchant ship meant more valuable items but at a higher risk because the Marines might take notice, and they had to trade those items for beri or other goods without drawing attention for trading stolen goods.
Time to visit the captain. On his way, Fram took a little detour to check on their prisoner. He opened the door and found her asleep, which was the way Fram preferred her. She was far too loud and demanding for his liking. He didn't enjoy hitting women, but he might have to make an exception if she kept up the attitude. It wasn't good for maintaining order that a teenage girl who was their prisoner talked back to the captain.
"Remba," Fram called as the gunner walked by. "You're in charge of making sure the prisoner gets fed today. And if she needs anything else, you can take care of that, too. I'm not in the mood to deal with her anymore today."
"I certainly don't mind," Remba said with a cocky smile. "She's pretty enough."
Fram gave the man a warning glare before heading to the captain's quarters. He would have to keep an eye on Remba now, too. Fram didn't want the man getting attached to the girl. That could cause a whole other set of problems. But right now, Fram had other concerns.
He gave a courtesy knock, and when the captain didn't object, he walked right in. It was one of the perks of being first mate and working with Captain Blu for so long. It also meant he could get right to the point.
"We need money." Fram placed the list of repairs in front of Blu. "We either have to dip into the reserves in the hold or we need to hit a ship soon."
"This seems excessive," Blu said. "Are you sure we can't do with a patch job for now. The crew won't be pleased if we use their share."
"We've been putting off the repairs for awhile since we didn't get very good hauls from the last two ships, and the Straw Hat ship, well…"
"Yes, the Straw Hat ship. That was the luckiest find we've ever had."
"Captain?"
"That girl is our ticket to bigger targets," Blu said. "She can predict real storms. If we combine that with my illusions, we can go after merchant fleets instead of just single ships. Even better, we can go after stronger pirates, ones with a lot more treasure in their holds."
"What we've been doing has been working well," Fram said. "Why risk a change?"
"True enough, but imagine being able to predict a storm, not just where and when it will strike, but how big it will be." Blu steepled his fingers, giving Fram a familiar look.
"It would certainly save on ship repairs. We took a lot less damage in that last storm than we usually do," Fram conceded.
"Not just that," Blu said, giving Fram a calculating look. "We get that girl to predict storms. We stay safe, thanks to her, and out of sight, thanks to me. We don't need to wait for them to flee a fake storm off in the distance. We wait until they're recovering from a real storm and hit them while they're disoriented. Or if their ship goes down, we can retrieve any treasure before it washes away or sinks too deep."
"And you think she'll cooperate?"
"Probably not at first," Blu conceded. "But we'll just have to convince her."
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Thank you for sharing Nami's story earlier," Robin said as she sprouted an extra pair of hands to help her hold up a map of Lynae. "I feel as if I know her much better now."
"Yeah, sometimes it's easy to forget why Nami's so obsessed with money, but I don't think she'd be happy we told you." Usopp pulled a stack of papers out of his bag. "She doesn't like to talk about it, and I don't think she wants people to know."
"I can certainly understand not wanting to dwell on a painful past," Robin said as she traced her finger along the coastline on the map, "but I feel Nami has much wisdom to share. Few people can remain good and kind when they grow up alone, afraid, and unloved."
"Nami's a scary sort of kind," Usopp said, cringing as if he half expected to get a fist to the head for that remark. "She did have it pretty rough, but even though Arlong and his gang were cruel, Nami had her sister and the villagers."
"Better to be unloved and believe yourself to be loved than to be loved and believe yourself unloved." Robin looked up to the sky. "Best of all to be loved and to know it."
"Uh, what's that?"
"Have you never read Kolar? I would think his Treatise on Life would be famous even in the East Blue."
Robin turned her attention back to the map that Sabti had kindly given them. "The kidnappers might have a hideout in one of these coves." Robin pointed to two spots on the map that represented the far side of the island. "They're not visible from the village, but are likely easily accessible and could provide shelter."
Usopp puffed out his chest. "If Nami is there, I can rescue her with a single shot." He slouched and fanned the pile of papers in front of him. "Although, maybe I should stay behind to pass out these pictures."
Luffy's obsession with collecting stacks and stacks of everyone's bounty posters had finally come in handy. After finishing lunch, the crew had cut up the posters so only Nami's picture was left before splitting up to hand them out. Robin and Usopp had stopped at every business on their path to Sabti's shop.
When Robin didn't respond, Usopp nudged her gently with his elbow.
"Yes, of course," Robin said as she rolled up the map before handing it to Usopp. "We can hand out more of these as we head back to the Sunny."
She and Usopp walked in silence. Robin let Usopp go into the first little shop by himself as she approached a group of children. When she rejoined the sniper, she knew immediately by the look on his face that he didn't have any better news than she did.
Another block, a few more shops, and Usopp noticed he was doing all the talking and most of the guiding. That wasn't that unusual. Usopp talked when he was nervous or worried, and he was beyond worried right now. Robin only liked to talk when she thought she had something important to say. Or mostly that was the case. But she usually paid attention, a lot of attention, to what was going on around her. Usopp had always noticed that. It used to make him nervous, like she was sizing everyone up and looking for weaknesses. Well, she probably was, but now it made Usopp feel safe. It was hard to take Robin by surprise.
Right now, Robin seemed miles away, and that bothered Usopp as much as anything else. He needed her focused. They couldn't afford to miss a clue to finding Nami, and Usopp didn't know what to do if whatever happened to her happened to them.
As they headed onto a new street, Usopp hemmed and hawed, but Robin didn't seem to notice. Finally, he blurted out, "Are you feeling okay?"
Robin turned a bit toward the sharpshooter. "As well as can be expected."
"Well, you seem a bit, uh," Usopp paused, gesturing uncertainly, "distracted. Yeah. Distracted."
Robin smiled briefly, touched by Usopp's concern and amused by his nervousness. "I suppose I am. I keep thinking that I am strangely glad that we are very far from the East Blue right now. I would hate for our precious navigator to have to witness the destruction of her village."
"R-r-robin, don't say creepy stuff like that," Usopp squealed. He clapped a hand over his mouth, then cleared his throat. "I mean, there's no need to worry about that. The great Captain Usopp and his three hundred underlings beat the Arlong Pirates into submission and saved Nami's entire island! Everyone is safe now."
Robin turned to look at Usopp, a creepy smile on her face that sent shivers down Usopp's spine.
"Wait, you don't think Nami was taken because of her village, do you?"
Robin shook her head. "There's no reason to think that."
"Then why did you say that?"
Robin half smiled. "Just idle musings."
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Saaaaaanjiiiii."
"Don't you dare say you're hungry," Sanji hissed. "Just keep your shitty mouth shut until we finish this house. Then I'll give you a snack."
"Oh, snack, snack, snack."
"Damn it. Nami-san is missing and all you can think about is food."
"But Sanji, that's why I need food. If I eat, I'll have the energy to look for Nami and kick the ass of whoever took her."
Sanji moaned. "I can't believe that actually made a shitty sort of sense."
Sanji took a long drag off his cigarette to calm his temper before knocking on the door. No use in pissing off whoever lived here before he had a chance to ask about Nami. When he didn't get an answer, Sanji knocked again, pointedly ignoring Luffy's whining.
Robin had tasked Sanji with visiting the wealthy homes located above the town. She reasoned that with his suit and general appearance, he would set the residents at ease far more than their glowering swordsman or the perverted cyborg. Robin herself had wanted to revisit the map shop, preferably without Luffy so there wouldn't be a repeat of the tense scene from earlier in the day. That meant Luffy had ended up paired with Sanji, which suited the captain just fine. He reasoned that where their chef went, so went the food, and Sanji had indeed packed several snacks for his glutinous captain. Luffy was currently holding the food-stuffed, yellow pack. Amazingly, he had only snuck a few treats, which Sanji had seen but decided to ignore in favor of focusing on finding Nami.
After knocking for a third time with no answer, Sanji took one of Nami's wanted posters and quickly scrawled a message on the back, "Missing. If you've seen this beautiful lady, leave a message at Sabti's map shop." He tucked the flyer in the mail slot and then dragged Luffy to the next home.
"Do you really think Nami's still around here?" Luffy suddenly asked.
"I doubt it. At least not right here. But somebody might have seen something if they were traveling back home around the same time as whatever happened to Nami-san."
Luffy hummed, but whether that was because he agreed or because he still didn't get it, Sanji wasn't sure. When Luffy started to dig through the pack, Sanji reached out and snatched it away.
Grumbling a few curse words, Sanji pulled out a bento and shoved it in Luffy's face. Luffy didn't have to be told twice, or told at all. He grabbed the offering and started shoveling it in his mouth, not even bothering with the chopsticks that were inside.
"Learn some damn manners," Sanji said as he resumed walking.
"Nah," Luffy said around a mouthful of seasoned rice. Another mouthful of food, and then he licked the bento clean. Without bothering to even wipe his mouth, Luffy asked, "Hey, Sanji, how come everyone always wants to take Nami?"
"What the hell do you mean? Of course everyone would want a beautiful, talented, intelligent, amazing woman like Nami-san. She has such wonderful assets."
"Well, yeah, she's the best navigator in the whole world," Luffy said. "I only want the best for my crew. But nobody ever tries to take you or Zoro or Usopp."
"They tried to take Robin."
"So is it a girl thing? Do bad guys like to take girls?"
"Anyone who tries to hurt a lady is definitely bad and deserving of an ass kicking to end all ass kickings." Sanji paused to take a quick nicotine hit. "But no, I don't think it's just because they're girls."
"So it's a mystery reason."
"It's because they can do things that nobody else can do."
"But you guys are great, too."
Sanji smiled at the compliment. "Yeah, but there are other snipers, even if they can't shoot the way Usopp can. And there are lots of other swordsmen, and at least one who is better than Zoro."
Luffy nodded, then shook his head. "Not forever though. Zoro's gonna be the best."
Sanji just grunted in what Luffy took to be agreement.
"And Zeff can fight and cook like me. Heck, he taught me."
"Nuh, uh. That old guy was awesome, but not as awesome as you."
Sanji smiled again, although he turned his head so Luffy couldn't see.
"The point is that there are lots of people who can fight and shoot and cook on the Grand Line, but there's only one person who can read the poneglyphs, and I've never heard of anyone who could predict the weather the way Nami-san can."
"So they're really, really special."
"Yeah, Robin-chwan and Nami-swan are two very special ladies," Sanji crooned as they approached the door of the next house.
"I have the most awesome crew ever. I don't think even Shanks has someone who can read the ponygrits."
"That's poneglyphs, you damn…" Sanji shook his head as he knocked on the ornately carved, red door. "Never mind, just stand over there, out of sight."
When a young woman answered, Sanji nearly swooned, but he pulled himself together.
"It's such a pleasure to meet a lovely young lady such as yourself. My name is Sanji. My friends and I arrived on your island recently, and one of our friends has gone missing." Sanji held out the picture of Nami. "Have you seen her?"
-N-N-N-N-N-
"We should split up, cover more ground," Zoro grumbled.
"No way, bro. We gotta stick together."
"If there's trouble, I can handle it."
"That ain't the issue bro," Franky said, raising his sunglasses so he could give Zoro a friendly glare. "I promised three people that I wouldn't let you wonder off. Seems somebody has a habit of getting lost."
Franky held back a little grin as Zoro growled, "I don't get lost. It's everybody else who wonders off."
Franky had to hold back a laugh at Zoro's response. The same three who had made him promise to not let Zoro get lost had also warned him that the swordsman would react like that.
"Well then, we gotta hang together so you don't lose me," Franky said, willing to indulge his new nakama just a little. "Can't afford to lose anyone else when we still haven't found the girlie."
Zoro grunted.
"Not much for talking, huh?"
Zoro didn't answer, and Franky just shrugged and followed him. Every once in awhile he would nudge the swordsman in the right direction when he started to wonder off. Franky usually got a grunt or a glare for his efforts, but it seemed to work.
"Hey," Franky called out to some people walking towards them, "you seen this girlie?"
The group stopped briefly to look at the flyer, but after a few head shakes and negative responses, everyone moved on. The next shop was closed, so by mutual agreement, Franky and Zoro headed to the nearby bar.
Franky took a moment to stretch his arms over his head and look to the sky. "Ya know, I never figured we'd spend more time rescuing the crew than we would looking for One Piece."
"Huh?"
"I met you guys 'cause you were rescuing Nico Robin. Now we're trying to save the girlie." Franky shrugged and let his arms drop back to his side. "Just wondering if this kinda thing happens a lot."
Zoro paused and gave Franky an odd look. "I guess. Luffy usually helps someone before they join the crew. But not a lot of missing nakama."
"Oooookay." Franky followed after Zoro as the swordsman started off again. "Gotta say, none of you are what I was expecting from pirates."
"Not what I expected either."
Franky smiled at that. "You're probably the closest, being a tough-guy swordsman and all. But you're a terrible first mate."
"I'm just the swordsman."
Franky shrugged. "Lookin' at reindeer-gorilla-bro, you'd never know he was the crew's doctor. They're usually old geezers. And with that hair and those fancy suits, I figured Cook-bro for some dandy, not a SUPER fighter."
Zoro snorted. "Dandy." He broke out in full-blown laughter, and Franky thought it made him look more like his 19 years.
"It's good to hear you laugh, bro."
Zoro took a few deep breaths to get his laughter under control. "Not a lot to laugh about right now."
"The island's not that big, and Straw Hat doesn't seem like the kind to give up easy. We'll find her."
"If she's still on the island," Zoro said.
"And if she's not?" Franky asked.
"We'll search the entire Grand Line and cut down anyone who gets in the way until we have her back."
As he pushed open the door to the bar, Franky stood a little taller, proud to be a Straw Hat. With no hesitation, he approached the first person he saw and asked, "Have you seen this girlie?"
-N-N-N-N-N-
Nami wasn't sure how long she'd been napping when the knocking woke her, but it couldn't have been long since she caught a glimpse of the sun low in the sky but clearly well before twilight when Remba opened her door.
He brought in a tray with a bowl, a piece of bread, and a mug. He waited for Nami to sit up before placing it in her lap. It looked like some kind of soup. She wouldn't call the smell appetizing, but her stomach gave a little growl anyway.
"Take your time," Remba said with a sight smile. "Just holler when you're done."
"Thank you," Nami said. She waited for him to leave before she picked up the spoon and tentatively tried a little of the soup. She had no idea what it was supposed to be, but it tasted like the cook had just tossed together whatever leftover ingredients he had with no thought to how they would taste together.
Nami thought of Sanji and all the delicious meals and snacks he would prepare just for her, hoping the memory of his gourmet meals would block out the taste of the soup.
It didn't work.
What did work to distract her from the taste was the jagged end of the metal tray. It was sharp enough to give her a nasty cut, one that drew blood.
She noticed the shredded rag that had been left on the tray, probably intended to be some kind of napkin. Nami held it to her cut to stop the bleeding, wondering if she was doing more harm than good considering how filthy everything was on this ship.
With the way her luck was going, she would probably end up with an infection.
Then she smiled. The rag and the sharp end of the tray were exactly what she needed. Maybe her luck was turning around.
-N-N-N-N-N-
"How can I help you?"
The man who answered the door had gray hair, a terrible sense of fashion, and was, well, a man, so not at all important to Sanji except for the potential information he could provide.
"We're looking for our friend. Have you seen her?" Sanji held out the picture of Nami. This was the last home he needed to visit, and his last chance to find a lead.
The man shook his head. "No, I don't remember her. I can ask my wife when she gets home," the man reached out to take the picture, "but we don't pay much attention to pirates. It's better that way, even though you lot seem decent enough."
Sanji raised an eyebrow at that, not sure if it was meant as a dig or a compliment.
"Sanji, isn't it great that everyone can tell we're pirates?"
"It's not that hard, young man. I saw your ship drifting in the waters off the cove yesterday. We don't get a lot of strangers around here, so it stands to reason you're pirates."
"Shishishi, as long as everybody can tell we're pirates, I don't care how." Luffy thrust his arm up in the air. "I'm gonna be the King of the Pirates, so I gotta look like one."
"Luffy, this isn't the time," Sanji scolded, then he turned back to the man. "If you see her or remember anything, please let Sabti at the map shop know or come see us at the docks. One of us is always on board…" Sanji trailed off as the man's previous words finally registered. "Wait, you said you saw our ship yesterday," Sanji said, gesturing vaguely toward the cove, "but our ship hasn't left the docks since we arrived two days ago."
"Who else could it have been?" the man asked, although he didn't seem sure. "The ship was flying a jolly roger, and there aren't any other pirates around right now."
"Do you remember anything else about that ship?"
-N-N-N-N-N-
"Yeah, I think I saw her." The man at the bar leaned in to get a better look at the flyer Zoro was holding. "Cute little thing. I remember 'cause she got Amin to give her fifty percent off all those spices. That lady charges twice what she pays to import it, and she gets away with it 'cause there ain't any other place to get the stuff. Not since ships started gettin' caught in those weird storms and attacked by pirates."
"When did you see her?"
The guy made a funny face, like thinking gave him a headache. "Yesterday. In the afternoon, I think. Maybe earlier. She was with a weird guy with a long nose."
Franky let out a frustrated sigh. That was when the girlie was with Usopp, which didn't help them at all.
"You guys are the pirates docked in the harbor, right?"
Franky peered over the head of the guy next to him to see an old man looking at them.
"Yeah, but you don't gotta worry. We're not here to cause trouble. We're just looking for our friend."
Franky nudged Zoro, who handed the man one of Nami's pictures.
"She's pretty. I don't remember seeing her, but I gotta ask how you lose somebody around here. It's not like the town's that big. Heck, word's already gotten around that you lost somebody."
Zoro and Franky shared a quick look.
"And?" Zoro prompted.
"Nothing. Just gossip mostly. We don't get a lot of excitement around here. Don't get many visitors either, especially in the last year or so. Definitely not a lot of pirates." The man took a sip of his beer.
"This town have a problem with pirates?" Zoro asked, suddenly on alert.
"Nah. I mean, we don't exactly welcome 'em, but it's not like we can keep you away. Besides, we don't have much to offer, so the few pirates who make it through usually just restock and head on out. They ain't usually in much condition to cause us problems."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm guessing you got lucky and didn't get caught in one a them storms."
"We saw a storm on the way here," Franky said. He and Zoro moved closer to the old man. "What about it?"
"Little over a year ago, ships headed to this area started gettin' hit by pirates. They take other pirates and some of the merchant ships by surprise, plunder 'em. There's always a storm when it happens. The ones willing to tell the tale said the pirate ship just appears outta nowhere. Usually they get hit so hard so fast, they don't got a chance. A few manage to overpower the pirates, but then the pirates just disappear again. Marines tried to lay a trap for 'em once or twice, but even though the storm showed up, the pirates didn't."
"Is there a Marine base nearby?" Zoro asked, his hand automatically moving to rest on Wado's hilt.
"Nah. Nothing close. The Marines set up a temporary base on Onid, but when they didn't catch sight of the pirates after a couple months, they gave up. After that, the attacks on the trade ships died down a bit, but they didn't totally stop."
"Do you get a lot of bounty hunters out this way looking to bring in those pirates?" Franky asked.
"Nah. Nobody knows who they are, so they don't have any bounties, least as far as I know."
"It's not worth hunting pirates that don't have bounties," Zoro said. "The Marines might thank you for bringing them in, but you won't get any reward."
"Right-oh, lad," the man said. "We get the occasional bounty hunter looking for an easy score. They usually wait around for a pirate ship to be attacked so they can snag 'em when they dock, too busted up to fight back. But it don't happen often."
"Why tell us all this?"
"I'm an old man with nothing better to do, and I like a good story. Figure if I share my story, you'll share yours."
"If you've got nothing better to do, help us find our friend." Franky handed the man a copy of Nami's picture. "If you find out anything, you know where to find our ship. And we've got the best storyteller on the Grand Line on our crew. He'll tell you a great story as thanks."
The man took the picture and held up his mug in a silent toast.
-N-N-N-N-N-
It was quiet. There wasn't even a speck of light coming in through the gaps around the door. By Nami's best estimate, it should be close to what would be Zoro's watch on the Thousand Sunny. Right about now he would be up in the crow's nest, lifting weights while he kept an eye on the sea around them.
Nami smiled as she thought about her taciturn nakama. She missed picking on Zoro. She enjoyed getting a rise out of him. Zoro was always so focused on training, sometimes he forgot to enjoy himself. Nami couldn't always get him to smile, but she could usually get him to feel something or react somehow, to break his focus. Zoro's dream was important, and she knew without a doubt that he would become the greatest swordsman in the world one day, but dreams should bring you joy, even when it was difficult. Nami knew what it was like to have a dream turned against you. She didn't want that to happen to Zoro, especially if he was doing it to himself.
Nami gently slapped her palms against her cheeks to break her out of her thoughts. She had almost drifted off a few times already daydreaming about her nakama. Even though she hadn't done much but sit on the stupid cot most of the day, the lack of food and the stress had probably tired her out. It was strange because for years she had been under constant stress, and she often missed meals because she didn't want to spend the money or wasn't allowed.
Nami's nakama had made her soft.
With Sanji making sure that she always had a nutritious and delicious meal whenever she needed one, Chopper treating the slightest injury or illness, Zoro's unwavering protection, Usopp's and Robin's friendship, and Luffy giving her back her dream, Nami was healthier and happier than she could ever remember being since Bellemere's murder. All of that made her stronger in so many ways, physically and emotionally. Nami didn't really think about that too often, not because she didn't appreciate everything her nakama had done for her, but because she didn't enjoy thinking about what a scared, hurt, and broken person she had been before.
Under Arlong, Nami had forgotten what it was like to be happy. She had started to feel it again after sailing with Luffy. Now she spent her days feeling all sorts of emotions she had forgotten or never really had the chance to experience. Her nakama had given her a chance to discover who she really was. That made her soft, weak. It was easier to be strong when you didn't think you had a choice. It was easier to go it alone when you knew there wasn't anyone else who could or would help you. But it was a brittle kind of strength, one that was always on the verge of shattering.
It was easier to hold onto hope for a better tomorrow when you knew that no matter how alone you seemed, there were people out there who were doing everything in their power to find you and save you. Nami would embrace the weakness because it was outdone a thousand times over by the strength her nakama gave her.
Very carefully, Nami crouched next to the door and slowly reached up to turn the knob. Her trick of sticking a waded up scrap of rag into the strike plate had worked. She was an expert in locks, after all. She was fairly certain that it would be difficult for anyone to see the door open from the crow's nest, but not impossible. In case their sniper or another sharp-eyed crew member got trigger happy, she wanted to stay down and out of the potential line of fire.
When nothing happened after a few moments, Nami slipped out of the little room and silently closed the door behind her. She didn't want to give anything away if someone walked by while she was out exploring. There was only slightly more light out here than inside. The moon had set early, not that it would have provided much light, but Nami didn't need it. She had excellent night vision for a human.
Staying close to the walls and keeping both an eye and an ear out, Nami explored the ship. The crow's nest was small and open, smaller even than the one on the Merry despite the ship's size. Nami glanced up to it every so often to make sure she hadn't been spotted by whoever was on watch.
The sail snapped in the wind, one corner not tied down as tightly as it should be. There was a small rowboat on each side of the ship. She briefly considered stealing one and rowing off into the night. She was fairly certain that with some effort, she could manage to get far before they noticed she or the boat was gone, especially if she arranged for a proper distraction on the other side of the ship.
Nami touched her bare wrist. There were things she couldn't and wouldn't leave behind. Besides, she sensed a storm coming. It would be mild, nothing even worth mentioning when sailing on a ship this size, but it could cause problems for a small rowboat with a one-person crew.
As Nami darted around the ship, she located what she guessed to be the crew quarters. There were two rooms, just like on the Merry and the Sunny. Nami doubted that this pirate captain was willing to give up his personal quarters to sleep with the crew like Luffy did, so one door was probably his room. She guessed her things would either be in the captain's quarters or somewhere below deck.
Nami would leave that for later. Taking another glance at the crow's nest, she snuck around to what she hoped was the galley. The door wasn't locked, but as she slipped in, she realized it was some sort of dinning or meeting room. There was room for maybe twenty or twenty-five people at any one time. Nami had estimated a crew of sixteen earlier. Did this mean some of the crew had been out of sight during the storm or was the ship just designed to hold that many even if it didn't now? That was something Nami would have to look out for, especially since it could mean that there might be an extra person or two on watch that she hadn't seen yet.
Just as she was about to slip back out, Nami heard a noise from the far side of the room. Quickly and quietly, she dove under one of the tables. As she turned her head to look in the direction the noise had come from, she saw a door opening. Nami chastised herself for not noticing it as soon as she entered. She couldn't afford rookie mistakes like that.
The pirate walked right toward Nami's hiding place. She held her breath when something that smelled like the cheep grog Zoro sometimes drank spilled on the floor right in front of her. If he stopped to clean it up, there was no way he would miss her, but he only paused briefly before heading out the door Nami had entered. When Nami was sure he wasn't coming back, she got to her feet and made her way to the door he had come through. Listening intently for a few moments, Nami decided the room must be empty and carefully pushed in the swinging door. It was dark inside, darker than the previous room, but she could see enough to know this was the galley. She really needed to get back to her prison before somebody noticed she was gone or somebody else came this way for a midnight snack, but Nami decided she could risk a few extra minutes to grab a quick snack. These pirates were feeding, but with what she had gotten so far, they seemed to want to keep her alive, but not give her enough food and water to really keep her strength up.
She grabbed what she hoped was a clean mug and filled it with water, drinking as quickly as she could. Then she took a peak in the refrigerator. To her dismay, the food inside didn't look that much more appetizing than what they had been giving her. She didn't see any fresh fruit or vegetables, so she grabbed some bread and cheese, eating it as quickly as she could.
Like the galley on the Thousand Sunny, there was another door that led directly to the deck. Listening for a few moments, Nami felt confident nobody was on the other side and slowly opened the door. Making her way further toward the stern, Nami saw a hatch on the floor that clearly led below deck. She tugged on the rope. The hatch lifted with a bit of effort, but it made an audible creek that seemed particularly loud in the late-night silence.
Nami shifted her grip on the hatch from the pull rope to the edge of the door so she could hopefully open the door with more control and less noise. As she slid her foot forward for better balance, she felt something pierce the skin.
Did nobody on this ship bother with proper maintenance? Nami didn't know what had stabbed her, but she knew this would never happen on the Sunny or the Merry. Franky and Usopp both loved the ships too much to let them fall into such disrepair.
Nami couldn't afford to sneak below decks now. Her foot was bleeding. She could feel it. If she went down there now, she would leave a trail, evidence that someone had been down there late at night. Nami couldn't afford that. Even if they didn't suspect her, it might make that Fram guy increase security. She didn't want that. And it's not like Nami could grab what she wanted right now and escape. She couldn't run off the ship and onto a dock. The weather was not in her favor to escape by sea. Nami learned early that a good thief, one who got away alive with the treasure, planned carefully and struck only at the right time. This was not the right time. But now that she had a better lay of the land, as it were, she would be ready when the right time came.
Nami was slowly closing the hatch when she heard muted voices. She couldn't see anyone, but she guessed they were coming from the crow's nest. Maybe the pirate who had come from the galley had been grabbing a drink before his watch. That could be very bad for Nami. She needed to stop the bleeding and get back to her little room. She had no idea what watch protocol was like on this ship. If they did things the way Nami did, whoever was going off watch should take a quick trip around the ship before heading to bed.
Keeping a sharp ear out, Nami slipped her bra off through the sleeve of her top. She sat down and pressed the undergarment to her bleeding foot. Nami breathed slowly, holding her breath with each inhale so she could listen for the tiniest sound. When she felt the bleeding had slowed, she balled the bra up in her hand. Getting to her feet, she darted silently around the ship on tip toe, keeping near the railing rather than the middle of the ship so she could take cover near one of the cannons if she had to.
Luck was on her side, and Nami managed to slide back into her room unnoticed. She pulled the wad of cloth from the door strike and pulled the door closed firmly, hearing the click of the lock. She hid the cloth and her bra under the lumpy mattress, and then, as much as she hated to, Nami replaced her wrist binding. If anyone came to check on her, she wanted to look like a properly secured prisoner. With food in her stomach and some information to ponder, Nami settled in to get as much sleep as she could.
to be continued
Author's note: This chapter took far longer to write than it should have. Luffy would not cooperate, which isn't surprising, but Robin was also being difficult. I hope the fact that this chapter is twice as long as previous chapters helps to make up for it.