"Luffy, come on, you can make it! We're almost there, don't worry, you're okay, it's okay…" Nami whispered as they trudged through the Sabaody trees, making their way toward tree number 41, where the Thousand Sunny was parked.
"N-Nami? Why a-are we here? Chopper isn't at Sunny, he's in town…" Luffy muttered, growing heavier by the second as his body submitted to the pain.
"Shhh… It's okay, Luffy. W-we don't have time to take you to a doctor… or find Chopper… so I-I'll try to stop the bleeding for now, okay?" She winced as he tried to nod, his head slumping onto her shoulder. He was pale, so, so pale. She'd never seen him like this; it was scaring her more than she could bare.
Gritting her teeth, Nami raised her head, staring up at the deck of the Thousand Sunny. If Luffy was okay, he could've just stretched his arms and pulled them up, however that obviously wasn't going to happen.
Okay, Nami, how are you going to do this? You can't use the baton; Luffy can't take the impact of hitting the deck. What can you-
She was interrupted when a female voice, one she recognized from earlier, said, "Need some help?"
Nami turned, gasping at the woman. She was gorgeous, more beautiful than, she had to admit, even herself. The woman stopped in front of her, her auburn hair flecked with gold in the midday sun. Her stunning blue eyes scanned the scene in front of her, taking in the situation.
Now, Nami was a far cry from ugly with her summer-orange locks and chocolate-brown eyes, but this woman was something else. Nami was glad Luffy chose this moment to pass out, otherwise she would have knocked him out herself.
Not that he cares about that kind of thing, she thought, internally rolling her eyes before focusing back on the problem at hand.
"Can you get him up on our ship?" Nami asked. She assumed that because the woman had caught a bullet, and escaped alive from fighting a Celestial Dragon, (who really weren't that powerful, but still) that she could get Luffy on the ship without too much trouble.
The woman gave her a small smile before raising her hand, extending her pointer finger toward Luffy's body. She then slowly lifted her finger to point to the deck and, to Nami's surprise, Luffy's body followed it, floating gently through the air and landing with a soft thud upon the grass. Nami screamed as she felt her body lift into the air, and she glared at the woman, wishing she had warned her.
Instead of picking a fight, however, she studied the woman's hands. They were gloved in white satin, and underneath she could see strange markings inked in black. They seemed to tell a story; sketched across her hands and up her arms were whorls and shapes that melded together in a pattern that seemed to shift and move as if it were alive.
The woman set her down on the deck and then, surprising Nami once more, jumped and landed gracefully before smoothly standing. She reminded Nami of a predatory cat, unequaled in grace and fatality. Nami didn't know what it was, but the woman seemed to radiate power; it was like standing near a bomb seconds away from blowing. Unfortunately, the woman was Nami's only help in saving Luffy's life, so she'd have to trust her for now. It didn't mean she wasn't wary, though.
The woman stepped around Luffy's body and headed into the medical bay, her hips swishing as her heels softly clicked on the thin grass of the deck. She pushed the door open and headed inside, muttering something about bandages and alcohol.
How does she even know where that is? Who IS this lady? Nami thought as she walked over to Luffy. He was still unconscious. She waited until she heard a 'Okay! Bring him in!' before she lifted him under his arms and staggered over to the woman.
They managed to get him inside before flopping him on the medical bed, Luffy grunting in pain as he hit the sheets. The woman was immediately there with clean bandages and rubbing alcohol. She snapped her fingers and a bit floated over and placed itself in between Luffy's teeth.
"Bite it." She ordered. Nami opened her mouth to comment that Luffy was in fact unconscious but she stopped as Luffy bit down, hard.
How the heck did she know he was conscious? Nami shook her head, deciding not to ponder her abnormal situation. She jumped as the woman grasped her arm, the fabric of her satin gloves brushing against Nami's skin. The woman dragged her outside the Med. Bay, closing the door behind them.
"Look. I need to get the bullet out, and I can't work with you in there- I have a feeling Luffy will try to act tough in front of a member of his crew and not tell me how much pain he's really in. I know we just met but you're going to have to trust me."
Nami nodded. She knew that she should insist to stay with her captain, especially if he's defenceless, but she had a feeling that this woman knew what she was doing and at least for now she had to trust her.
"Okay. But if you do anything other than help him, I'll kill you." The woman simply smiled, turning to head back into the infirmary.
Nami clenched her fists at her sides, fighting the urge to go after her. He'll be okay, he's fine, Nami, get a hold of yourself. You have to be composed when he wakes up; he'll blame himself if you worry. But despite the little pep talk as soon as the door closed behind the woman Nami slumped to her knees, burying her face in her hands as she began to sob. She cried until the sun faded into darkness and night fell, she cried until her crew began returning.
"NAMI-SWANNNNN!" The cook of their crew, Sanji, cried. Nami winced as he jumped onto the deck, turning her face away from him. He was such a ladies man, flirting with every woman he saw and, if he ever saw one cry, he'd kill whoever made them. She couldn't let him see her then, because technically it was Luffy who was making her cry. She didn't want him to come to further harm from the wrath of the love-cook.
"Nami-Swan? Are you okay, my princess?" He swooped to kiss her hand and she yanked it from his grasp, muttering "Not now, Sanji. I can't-I can't deal with this right now." Sanji stepped back immediately; he might be a flirt but he knew the limits.
"I'll...make you a night-time snack." He said, walking into the kitchen. Nami sighed in relief; if Sanji had seen the woman they had on board he probably would of died, literally. He had a history of getting nosebleeds around pretty ladies, and that woman was far more than pretty.
Nami was shaken from her thoughts when she heard a grunt and a thud, meaning that her first mate had come back.
"Zoro...Is that you?" She asked, hesitant. He glared at her, rolling his eyes.
"Who else would it be?" She smirked, forgetting her pain for a second.
"Well...You found your way back here. I couldn't know for sure if it was really you." The swordsman was renowned for his terrible sense of direction; he couldn't follow someone in a straight line. She smiled lightly as he huffed and went into the men's quarters slamming the door behind him.
Now that he was gone she was alone again, and her sadness came back in a crushing wave of despair. It was her fault, and hers alone. If she had only moved Luffy wouldn't have had to save her and-
"AGHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Nami started as Luffy screamed; the woman must've just removed the bullet. Zoro and Sanji crashed out of the rooms and onto the deck, demanding to know what was going on, but no one was there. Nami had kicked open the infirmary door the moment Luffy screamed. She couldn't believe what she saw.
In front of her was the woman, washing and drying her white-satin gloves. Luffy lay on the bed, now sleeping peacefully. The bullet wound on his side was nowhere to be seen; his skin was as smooth as if it had never existed.
"Ah, please excuse the scream. I had to removed the bullet and stitch the skin together at the same time so he didn't lose any more blood; it's painful but effective." She said, patting Luffy on the head. He rolled over, snoring slightly. Nami noticed that she had slipped on her gloves before touching him. What's that about?
"Who the hell are you?!" Zoro snapped, his left hand already drawing one of his swords. Sanji was on the floor, his eyes replaced by large hearts. Blood was leaking from his nose and Nami rolled her eyes as he muttered, "Mellorine, mellorine!" while giggling pervertedly. The woman eyed him and smiled gently; she seemed to have experience with this kind of reaction.
"Sorry to intrude, my name is Rouge D. Kira." She motioned for everyone to leave Luffy and stepped out onto the deck. Zoro, still wary, sheathed his sword but did not release the handle. Sanji was now unconscious from blood loss, still muttering in his sleep. The woman, now named Kira, lightly stepped over his body and turned back toward Nami. She seemed to consider her next words carefully, a thoughtful look crossing her face.
"Miss Nami… do you know-no, does your captain know about...what's happening right now?" She seemed to tread lightly, as if the subject upset her greatly. Nami racked her brain, searching for anything important Luffy had told her recently. She shook her head, coming up with nothing.
Kira seemed to deflate, a small sigh escaping her lips. Neither Zoro or Nami missed the remorseful look that flashed across her face before she once again smiled pleasantly.
"Ah...I see. Then it's best we wake your captain, he needs to hear this." She said, glancing pointedly toward the first mate. Zoro rolled his eyes and entered the sick bay. There was a thump and a yelp and then some whining before both Zoro and Luffy walked out, the latter now rubbing a lump forming on his head. He then noticed Kira and immediately grinned, forgetting the small hurt.
"Hey, you're the pretty lady that helped us! Thanks!" He laughed, and Nami felt a vein throb in her forehead at the word 'Pretty'. She decided to be nice and not punch him, however, only because Zoro would catch on that she was jealous. She was distracted from her thoughts as Luffy made to scamper to the kitchen only to be stopped by Kira, who once again had a forlorn look on her face. All three of them paused at this, noting the sadness emanating from her. Even Sanji woke up, sensing the mood.
"I have something to tell you.." She started, wincing slightly. Luffy cocked his head to the side, his normally goofy grin replaced with a serious frown.
"What's wrong, Lady? Is everything okay?" She winced more at Luffy's words, bringing her hands up to rub her temples.
"To be honest, no, and I'm only telling you this because it affects you directly, Monkey D. Luffy. Actually, he didn't want me to say anything, but I felt you needed to know so I sought you out…" She trailed off as if trying to wrap her brain around what she had to say next.
"Well? Spit it out already, woman." Zoro said, narrowly avoiding Sanji's kick.
"That's no way to talk to a lady!" They began fighting like always and Nami fought the urge to punch them both. They stopped mid-fight, shock overcoming their fear, when Kira continued speaking. Luffy's eyes widened and Nami gasped, covering her mouth.
"It's your brother, Portgas D. Ace. He was...captured by the navy. He's scheduled to be executed in twelve days."
Kira stared at the circle of people around her, their eyes boring into her, waiting. All nine of the Straw Hat pirates were assembled and waiting for her to explain. She took in a breath and began, forcing her voice to stop shaking.
"Four months ago a man named Marshall D. Teach committed a heinous crime on our ship, the Moby Dick. My captain, Whitebeard, was furious and when Ace offered to go make Teach, now known as 'Blackbeard', pay, Whitebeard didn't refuse." She was interrupted by a reindeer(?), who appeared to be the ships doctor.
"What crime did Blackbeard commit?" He asked innocently, his little nose twitching. Kira felt her anger rise up again, washing over her in waves. That horrible night flashed before her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time and when she spoke her voice sounded gravelly, like something was caught in her throat.
"He murdered a crewmate in cold blood and stole his Devil Fruit. That specific crewmate happened to be both Ace and I's very close friend Thatch. Thatch found the Devil Fruit on his last voyage, and on our ship the rules are whoever finds it gets to eat it. What we didn't know was that Blackbeard had been searching for that specific Devil Fruit his entire life and would murder even a friend to get his hands on it."
Luffy raised his hand and Kira giggled slightly at his childish antics.
"Yes, Luffy?"
"I remember Ace telling us about hunting Blackbeard the last time we saw him. He said that he was gonna kick his ass, and he looked pretty serious."
Kira's head bowed slightly in what almost looked like shame. "Ace and Blackbeard met and fought. Ace lost and Blackbeard traded him into the Navy. Now the Navy wants to publicly execute him for two reasons. One, he is the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates. Killing him will show that the Navy is stronger than Whitebeard. Second, he is-"
"-Gold Roger's son," Luffy finished, his eyes shadowed by his hat.