Chapter 14
Beware of the Dog!
There were many things Nami didn't know about herself. She hadn't knowledge of her origins, she could have been the daughter of an empress or a traitor to the government, but she only knew that her mother adopted her as a war orphan. She didn't know why she was able to predict the weather, but as soon as the hair on her arms stood up or her nose itched, she knew when the atmospheric pressure was going up or down. She had no memory of the first time she wanted something and hid it in her pocket, but she remembered in detail the first time she stole a pirate.
He was a man with a broad shoulder and a blue beard who had killed two children to get his parents' fortune. Murder and piracy seemed enough to enter in his ship one spring night.
Despite the fear and bloodshed, the crew had not managed to amass much fortune, but it was enough to make her pockets warm and cool down his bloody mind.
Nami remembered that night with her heart in the mouth and the nerves one step away from suffocating her. She had taken off her shoes to enter and had left anything metallic at the port to avoid unnecessary noise.
In every moment she believed they would catch her, something would go wrong, and they would cut her throat like the little children they used as bait, however, everything went without problems. By the time she left the ship and restored the fortune to the poor parents, the windows were still vibrating slightly from the snoring.
She celebrated all night, caressing the gold coins and bad crystal jewelry she took for her.
The next day the bodies of the children's parents hung from the ship's mast, both tortured, lifeless, with the woman's hands still twisted in search of an empty prayer and a pearl necklace around her neck.
Nami never again caressed a coin with devotion or struck a blow without leaving traces of her presence, that was how the burglar cat made a name for herself. A name against which to direct the rage, a name to incriminate herself.
So, once she entered the palace in search of Ace, it seemed unnatural for the girl to head into the hallway without leaving a footprint behind, a strange sound, the trace of some article of clothing or a strand of hair that spoke of her identity.
In the hallway the noise was enough to raise suspicions, so Nami went there with the certainty that she would find something, by hook or by crook. Luckily, the building was old and owned by people with enough money to have a collection of ridiculous furniture in every corner, so it wasn't very difficult for her to go unnoticed as she moved forward, even paying attention to her shadow.
She didn't take long to reach the landing of the main stairs, full of marines and royal guards who spoke with their arms crossed, sleep and alertness written on their faces.
Even though she hadn't been sure before whether or not Ace would be there, the commotion made it clear to Nami that her suspicions were real.
With the quickness of years of practice, she unlocked an adjoining room with her lockpicks and slipped away into the darkness. In the room there were a dozen rolled up rugs and poorly stacked paintings. The one they had placed centered, next to the window, was burned around the edges. As she approached, a myriad of stone chips stuck in her sandals as she opened the window and climbed onto the facade.
Below, the group of marines talked and argued in the darkness.
Nami took two deep breaths and leaned on the windowsill, her attention focused on the light spilling from a room two windows away. The rain and dust threatened to let her slide to the ground. A bad grip and she would end up three floors away, close to the cemetery.
She need to be careful. Step by step.
A foot on the sheet of plaster. The hand on the windowsill. A step forward. Turn around. Foot on…
The murmuring at her feet increased to an alarming level. Because if she could hear it so clearly, it meant they were screaming. A tremor made her recoil and for a moment Nami felt her heart in the throat as she lost support under one of her feet.
With her stomach inverted, she dared to look down, sure that someone was already pointing a rifle at her.
The straw hat she found facing the battalion left her motionless for a moment, at the mercy of the cold and the storm.
The rain soaked her and despite everything, she felt the warmth she had lost while running through the forest embrace her again. Despite poor hearing and the distance between them, Nami heard the sound of his screams before launching into the fight. And regardless of everything, the regrets, the escape, an acid farewell and the fact that this would probably be the last time she would meet him in her life, it was all worth it when she saw him there fighting for Ace and for her, for giving her the opportunity to fight.
Decisively, Nami took a step forward and continued advancing along the façade. Luffy's scuffle would serve as a distraction while she got Ace out of there.
When she reached the illuminated window, for lack of hearing, she crouched down to look inside.
A whiff of heat reddened her cheeks and to her good luck she found that the window was not completely closed because someone had opened it before. Inside she discovered without much effort the figure of Ace, tied to a marble column of the old structure. His body was covered in wounds and blood was constantly dripping from his nose.
Relief mixed with fear when a figure in a white uniform that she hadn't noticed before came from around the corner to punch the teenager, sending tiny drops of blood onto the ground.
Nami swayed dangerously when a man's arm surprised her just inches from the glass. She heard the screams below get louder as she moved to avoid the void.
The man who had just approached the window stuck his head out and watched the brawl that Luffy was making below. Nami was surrounded by the sweet aroma of an expensive cologne, excessive for a marine, more typical of wealthy nobles with money.
The girl pressed herself so tightly against the façade that she felt as if she would end up melting into the wall. Her heart was pounding so hard in the chest that Nami was convinced the man would feel its vibrations. The strands of hair that preceded the indigestible smell gave her the sensation that they were stealing the orange light from inside the house.
"It's an idiot making noise, don't worry, captain, continue with the interrogation" the man said as he turned around, heading into the room.
Heat poured out of the window as the man entered and furrowed Nami's skin like a blanket.
As soon as he turned around, she stuck her head out again, and Ace's swollen, sore eyes, admiring the window for his brother's confused cries, collided with her. For a moment horror fused with pain in Ace's grim expression and the guard who had pulled back his arm with the intention of disfiguring his face narrowed the gaze outside.
Nami didn't have time to think about strategies, plans or curses. She jumped over the sill with her bo staff in front of her and managed to knock the stinking nobleman unconscious with a single blow to the back of the head. Before the huge punching gorilla had time to take position, she turned around and kicked him in the chest, leaving him without enough air to raise the alarm. He stumbled backwards and with the help of Ace's timely trip, the man ended up hitting a piece of rubbish furniture. He fell dry, with the eyes blank.
The room was silent for a moment before Ace broke the formalities with an insult.
"You are idiot."
Nami was hurt by the insult after all the effort she had put in the rescue plan, but she raised the head proudly and untied him from the column with a simple gesture of her wrist. Too proud to admit it.
"I wasn't going to…"
Ace threw himself on top of her and Nami fell sitting on the ground with the boy's arms around her.
"Ace I don't..."
"You're an idiot and it makes no sense that you're here. I'm so angry… I've already told Luffy a thousand times that I could take care of the problems alone, that he or you should be chosen before me." the boy repeated, squeezing her tightly in his arms. "But thanks, thank you very much for coming for me."
Ace was heavy, his hair tickled her nose and made her sweat, but for once, Nami didn't feel discomfort, instead she felt a relief that left her weak in the bones. The relief of knowing that for the first time since she had arrived on that island she had done something right, a decision that she would not regret no matter how much time passed or no matter how bad things went with Arlong, was enormous.
The sensation was as fleeting as a star when the door behind them was opened by a mountain of white cloth, beard and seagulls, dragging Luffy by the neck.
Ace backed away from her with fear in his eyes as the broad, burly old man threw his brother over both of them.
"You have three seconds to tell me what the hell happened before you regret it!"
Nami trembled, but to her surprise, she wasn't the only one to do so.
"Who…?"
"Grandpa, we weren't expecting you for dinner." Ace whispered in a low voice.
The man lowered his head alarmingly while Nami trembled under the sight of the stars on his shoulder. The dog ears of a cap that was more than unremarkable for a man of that age swung over his temples as he moved.
"Grandpa?" she croaked.
The man turned his gaze in her direction to scrutinize her up and down in a millimetric manner, offended by the name.
"Have you adopted another one?"
I told you that I had it almost finished, I was missing the beginning!
Yesterday I finished it in Spanish and all I had to do was translate it :)
Did you expect this outcome?