A few people have messaged me now, confused as to what is going on with this 10 years old story.
Well, I started re-reading it (it's been a while and I'd forgot some stuff in it) with the intension of finishing this story, finally. I made a couple of edits but the changes to it just wouldn't take effect. It says it can take 30 minutes, but even 30 days was not enough. So, I deleted chapters 2-14, and any chapters that previously had a Part I, II & III have all been merged together for longer chapters. I released them as smaller parts in the past because people said they wanted shorter and more regular updates.
There won't be any actual new content until Chapter 7, and all the historic chapters still exist on AO3 because I had zero issues updating on there.
Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and all of its wonderful characters.
Crux
"It's not a man … is it?" Nami heard Luffy continue with an in credulous tone.
"Of course it isn't!" Chopper shouted as the three of them were presumably and examining what Usopp had 'caught'. Slowly enunciating every syllable, he proclaimed, "It's. A. fish-man." Though he sounded as if he wasn't quite sure, and still trying to decide for himself if that was indeed what they were looking at.
The way Chopper had sceptically declared that it was a fishman piqued Nami's curiosity. She had remained sitting on top of Sunny's head, waiting for Luffy to return, but she decided to climb back over the railing onto Sunny to see what the fuss was about.
As she reached the helm, Nami could still see Law and Penguin still having a heated discussion. Though Law looked confident with his sword resting over his shoulder, both of them appeared to be uneasy, suspicious maybe, as if they were about to perform a task that they might regret. They made Nami feel nervous. Perhaps it was due to recent events that she was just being paranoid, but she was certain they were talking about her, and her intuition was never wrong.
Feeling a little self-conscious, Nami adjusted Luffy's hat, then kept hold of its rim as she made her way to the lawn deck.
"Go, and do not stray from my orders." Law said, looking a little sympathetic. "I mean it, Penguin." He affirmed in an authoritative tone.
The Heart Pirates' first mate looked to Nami then as she descended the last few steps. "But, are you sure, Captain?" He asked, his eyes had a hint of sadness to them as he regarded Nami.
"Yes, I think so." Law said, then turned to walk away. Penguin stuffed his hands into the pockets of his boiler suit, and his head fell forward the moment his captain spoke, hiding his eyes from Nami with the yellow peak of his hat, but she could still see the frown on his lips.
"Oi, Nami! Come and look at this." Luffy shouted, snatching her attention before she had time to think about what the hell the Heart Pirates were up to.
Nami nodded, then quickly glanced back to Penguin before heading to the starboard bulwark where Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp were huddled. Penguin had already disappeared.
"Stop crowding! I need to examine him!" Chopper scolded the two men, trying to shoo them away as Nami approached.
Luffy and Usopp stepped back, giving Nami her first view of the Fishman.
He was clearly a tiger shark. His slender body and wedge shaped head, round black eyes, and sharp teeth gave away what genus of Fishman he was. There was a dusting of teal spots present on his glaucous skin, where his stripes had begun to fade as he'd matured, hinting at his species. How there was any confusion when Usopp 'caught' him completely escaped Nami. Though, she supposed she had spent much more time with fishmen than all of the crew combined, so it was much easier for her to determine what he was, and what type he was.
Speaking of fishmen ... she wondered, then turned and scanned the deck for Jinbei.
"Have you caught something delicious for me to prepare for Nami-swan and Robin-chwan?" Sanji suddenly sang as he stepped out of the galley, and glanced down at the fishermen and their catch.
Nami didn't bother to look up at him. She suspected she knew the enamoured expression that was on his face at the prospect of cooking for the two women, and she was absolutely not in the mood for his idiocy. Not today.
The tiger shark was by no means appetising. As Nami inspected him a little more closely, she saw that his skin was loose and his hair was sparse. Though the fishman was clearly old, neither of those ailments were due to his age. His mottled teeth gave the greatest clue as to what was the matter with him, it was something that even she could see with her limited medical knowledge. He was severely malnourished, verging on starvation.
"Usopp, help me take his lifebelt off." Chopper requested. There was an urgency to his tone, as though he had already grasped the severity of the fishman's state.
"R-right." Usopp stammered, and began to cut away the fishing wire that was tangled around his body.
"Wa-ter..." The old fishman suddenly choked out, startling Chopper and Usopp. His voice was a faint breath above a whisper, his throat so parched he could barely speak.
"Sanji-kun." Nami shouted up, "hurry." He vanished back into the galley.
"Are you okay, old man?" Luffy asked him, seemingly unaware of his dire condition.
"Wh-who are you? … Where am I?" the man asked in a brittle voice, slowly trying to sit up, and swatting Chopper's hooves away, refusing his aid, and not letting them take off the life jacket.
"I'm Luffy, the man who will become the King of the Pirates!" Her captain explained as he crouched down to be eye level with the fishman. Luffy rested his hand on his knees for support, and gave their guest a beaming smile.
That declaration clearly scared the fishman. His jaw dropped, and is his skin blanched. "You're p-pirates?" he asked as he tried to recoil.
"Uh-huh." Luffy nodded, and Chopper stepped forward to continue his evaluation. The man was weak, and could do little to stop the doctor as he performed a basic medical examination.
Sanji returned then with a glass, and a jug of cold water for the fishman. Condensation had already began to accumulate on the container, and a few beads had pooled enough to run. "Drink it slow, otherwise you may vomit." The cook warned as he poured the fishman a drink and offered it to him.
He glanced at Sanji first, then up to the face of every pirate surrounding him, as though he feared the water may be poisoned. His eyes rested on Nami, travelling up to Luffy's signature hat which was perched on her head as he tentatively took a sip of his drink.
"What's your name?" Luffy asked the fishman, as eagerly as he asked anyone he ever met.
"Nornir." He replied, then continued to slowly sip his water, choking on it slightly, as if his throat had forgotten how to swallow.
"Haha, Narnia? That's a funny name!" Luffy giggled, slapping his knee in merriment.
"It's Nornir." The fishman corrected him, visibly irritated by the mistake. "You can call me Norn."
"What happened?" Nami asked him. She was curious to know how he ended up adrift at sea with nothing but a lifebelt strapped to his chest.
"There's a great storm that frequents these waters. It snapped our main mast in two as if it were a toothpick," he paused for a moment to breath before he continued, "I was shipwrecked about ... " Norn broke off, his brows furrowed and dark eyes rolled in their sockets as if he was searching for an answer. "... I don't know when it was. It's hard to say."
Being dehydrated and lost at sea, Nami felt that it would be easy to feel that the days could seem to roll into one, to stretch on almost seamlessly. Who knew how long Norn had been out there for. It could have been days, maybe even weeks. His experience may have left him a little delirious.
"Luffy, can you help me bring him to the infirmary?" Chopper asked, taking the glass from Norn's hands and looping his arm around his neck.
"I'm fine the man insisted. I don't need you hospitality!" He cried, sounding very adamant that he didn't want any help from pirates, but his stomach growled then, giving away his hunger.
Sanji immediately turned and headed for the kitchen. "Bring him to the galley. I won't allow a starving man to go hungry. And, lunch is ready. I just need to serve it up."
Usopp helped Norn up the stairs to the kitchen. Despite saying that he didn't want any hospitality from pirates, he was quite willing to dine with them, and clearly wasn't as frail as they had originally thought. He shook off the extra help from Chopper, so the doctor and Luffy walked up the stairs behind them, and Usopp was merely a crook for him to lean on.
Nami waited at the door, watching as they sat the fishman down at the table.
"I rescued this guy!" Usopp boasted, but was met with sceptical looks from the crew members in the galley. Of course, everyone knew that it would have been a sheer accident that he managed to 'rescue' the fishman. Usopp's favourite fishing hook and float were still snagged on Norn's life jacket, giving away the truth of the situation, if they needed any proof.
Franky grabbed his cola and vacated his chair in order for Usopp to have a place to seat the fishman, in the chair to Luffy's left and to the right of Robin.
The archaeologist was also sitting at the table, drinking coffee with Brook, who was sitting opposite her, sipping his tea. Franky perched himself on a stool at the breakfast bar behind Robin, and everyone took up their usual seats around the dining table, with Luffy at the head, as always.
"Eat that," Sanji ordered as he put a large bowl of seasoned rice before the fishman.
Rubber hands quickly stretched, reaching for the food. Sanji tried to extinguish his cigarette on Luffy's grabbing hands to stop him from stealing Norn's food. "I'll serve yours in a minute!" he scolded.
Nami strolled up to the table as the fishman began to eat. She reluctantly took off Luffy's comforting hat, instantly missing it and the strange sense of security she felt while wearing it, then placed it back atop her captain's head. He turned to flash a smile at her then. It wasn't as bright as usual, there was concern in his eyes, like he knew they needed to finish their earlier conversation, and not just for Nami's sake.
She smiled at him warmly as she sat down to the table, but her lips fell to a frown as her eyes found the fishman opposite. Nami was wary of him. She was wary of everyone at first so it wasn't anything new, but somehow this time it felt worse. She was ready to blame it on all that had gone on recently, and the peculiar behaviour of the Heart Pirates was also nagging at the back of her mind. It just didn't feel right, and it didn't feel like paranoia.
The door to the galley flung open with a crash, and Zoro stepped in and headed for his seat on the other side of Brook. The heel of his left hand was scrubbing the sleep from his right eye as he yawned while walking. He seemed drowsy, but Nami didn't miss the way his right hand was resting on his swords, and the way it slowly began to creep further down so his thumb could gently push Wado from its sheath. If Zoro was on alert, perhaps Nami was right to be wary.
"Hurry up, idiot marimo." Sanji said in frustration as he placed platters of sandwiches on the table. There was also some curry and a big bowl of rice.
"What was that, Ero-cook? " Zoro growled. His smirk hinted to how much he was looking for a fight, but before he got into a scuffle with Sanji, Norn spoke.
"This is ... " The fishman started, too hungry to finish his sentence in one go. "delicious! "
"It's that good, huh? " Sanji said, his irritation caused by Zoro seemed to instantly melt away. He turned then, hiding the soft smile on his lips, and headed back into the kitchen.
Nami was expecting him to complain that he only accepted gratitude from women, so it made a pleasant change to see him react so humbly to a compliment.
The cook returned then with another platter of sandwiches and a plate of onigiri and set them down on the large table. Nami felt a pang of sadness as she eyed the rice balls. She knew they were intended for Law, and she knew that he wouldn't be coming.
Why had the Heart Pirates fled like that? It wasn't as if she'd had a fight with Law, she merely stormed out on him when she could no longer deal with him, or the fact that he found her difficult to be around. She sighed as she heard his voice in her head repeating though words. Still, that wasn't any reason for them to just up and leave the ship. Had he also abandoned the alliance he'd entered with Luffy? Was that something else she needed to speak to her captain about.
"Where're you from Narnia?" Luffy asked Nornir with an inquisitive smile.
For once it seemed his simplicity didn't annoy Nami. She snorted softly, then reached for some food. It seemed wrong to eat the tuna sandwiches in front of the fishman, so she picked up a couple of ham ones.
Norn's response came slowly "… Fishman Island."
It really was hard to believe that there was someone dense enough to ask a fishman where they were from.
"Oh yea." Luffy remarked, then stuffed a handful of sandwiches into his mouth.
"What happened to the rest of your crew?" Nami asked, eager to get to the truth about Norn, and get a little more information on the 'great storm' that he mentioned earlier.
"Dead. I think," the fishman began to explain between forkfuls of food. "A few of us survived the first storm, but the second one wrecked the life boat and we got separated."
Nami studied Nornir as he spoke, she noticed that Chopper did, too. He leant forward in his seat, probably concerned that there might be other survivors who needed treating.
Norn spoke fairly coldly of his crew mates. She imagined that if she lost the crew amidst a storm she would be beside herself with grief. She was the navigator on board the Thousand Sunny, it was her responsibility to get them safely from one island to the next, so not only would she be mourning them, but she'd also be blaming herself. For Norn to have recently lost all of his crew mates, he showed no emotion, neither positive nor negative, for their passing. Could starvation and dehydration suppress things like that?
Had he seen death so many times that he was hardened to it? Actually, he initially refused help from us, so who is he, really? It was unlikely that a fishman was a fisherman and had lost his crew or family to the storm. He could have been a marine, she supposed, and new to the battleship that had recently sunk. If he hadn't created any bonds with his fellow men then he wouldn't be grieving for them.
Nami knew that the racism towards fishmen and mermen ran deeply throughout the world, especially in the New World. The Celestial Dragons, in particular, hated merfolk to their very core. There was surely no way they would allow one to join the ranks of the marines, not when the Celestial Dragons ruled the World Government. So, just who exactly was this Nornir?
"We were on our way to Prodence Kingdom when we got caught in the storm." Norn continued to explain as if he caught wind of Nami's suspicion. "I have an urgent message for King Elizabello II. I am far from there?"
"That's where we are headed!" Luffy said gleefully, spitting out bits of food all over the table, and all over Norn.
If it angered him at all, then he hid it well. "Really?" Norn asked, perking up at the bit of information, and wiping his face free of the speckles of food. "Could I come with you?"
"Sure!" Luffy agreed without a second's hesitation. "When will we get to Prodence, Nami?" he asked, stuffing another handful of sandwiches into his mouth.
The question took Nami aback, "Erm ..." she started, not quite sure how to explain that she thought they should have arrived there about two days ago.
"Three days. Right, Nami-swan?" Sanji cooed, seeming thoroughly excited. When she failed to answer, the cook continued, "You said when we set out that it would take two weeks, so we are still three days away."
"If that's what I said," was all she could manage to say. Sanji grinned at her, apparently quite pleased with himself for remembering her words, then he returned to preparing some of the food for their evening meal.
Nami knew she was having trouble stringing together recent events in a coherent and chronological order, but how was her recollection of time so stretched and corrupted? Was it all because of the memories she had been experiencing? I thought we should have been there by now. Are we really still three days away?
She could feel herself start to panic at the realisation, and shifted in her seat to try and disguise that fear. Things were obviously a lot worse than she's initially thought.
"Are you really Monkey D. Luffy?" The fishman asked as he looked the Strawhat's captain up and down, scrutinising every inch of him.
"Not what you were expecting?" Robin inquired.
"No. Not all." Norn replied through a crooked smile, sweeping a hand through his thin, ivory hair.
"He never is." Robin smiled serenely as she spoke, picking up her cup to take a sip.
Norn breathed a heavy sigh. "I read in the paper that you were a fearsome pirate, with limitless connections and allies," the fishman said, nervously. When no one confirmed or denied what he had said, Norn glanced around the table before he continued. "I heard from Fishman Island that Shyarly prophesied that you will destroy my home. You, with the devil spawn Nico Robin, and the demon hunter Roronoa Zoro ..." The old man said, his nostrils flaring as he spoke.
Usopp gave Chopper a nervous look, as if he expected a fight to break out at any second, but Luffy simply laughed at Norn's statement. "I liked Fishman Island. They make the best sweets!" he remarked, then continued eating.
"You are very much like Garp, I suppose." Norn acknowledged.
"You know Gramps?" Luffy quickly asked, spitting food all over the fishman again.
"Yes. He is a humble and stolid man. He is as warm and welcoming as you are, with an equally hearty appetite." There was an honest tone to his voice as though he realised that he did not need to fear Luffy. "Though, I think he has a better head for battle," the fishman joked.
"Humble and stolid?" Luffy repeated, looking a bit confused. Nami figured that he had no idea what either of the words meant, not that he might disagree with them.
"Luffy is a bit reckless," she chimed, remembering how he'd buried his feet in the cement at Arlong Park, which allowed Arlong to later drown him.
"That's our captain. He wouldn't be Luffy if he didn't play it by ear," Zoro added as he lounged back in his chair. His cool tone of voice gave the impression that he agreed with their captains way of doing things, but Zoro was much the same, so he couldn't exactly speak against him, even if Nami could recall him scolding Luffy for not taking things seriously.
"Do you never have a strategy when you go into battle?" Norn asked. He seemed completely astonished by how nonchalant both the captain and his first mate were.
Luffy simply blinked at the fishman as if he didn't understand the question, prompting Nornir to continue. "Do you not learn of your enemies strengths and weaknesses before you meet them?" he asked, truly stunned by how carefree Luffy was.
Luffy shook his head, and the fishman's eyes grew even wider.
It was true, Luffy really did always rush into things head first. Though, to his credit, he had gotten a lot better. He was able to follow the plan devised by Jinbei on Fishman Island …Where is Jinbei actually? Maybe he knows Nornir. That question broke her train of thought, but the moment she looked back at Luffy she recalled how he'd loosely stuck to Law's strategy on Punk Hazard as well. He could 'kind of' follow a plan.
Nami wondered then, with the Heart Pirates gone, would they be able to deal with the other Emperor's on their own? Law was strategically gifted, so any sort of plan he could formulate for them to gain any kind of advantage would be welcomed by her. Did I ruin our chances of that?
"Speaking of weaknesses, Mr. Narnia," Robin started, raising a curious brow. "Why are you wearing a life jacket?"
"Are you a devil fruit user?" Luffy quickly followed.
"Ah.." Norn jumped, immediately looking down to the life jacket zipped up around him. "I am. Though, my ability is nothing to be revered, I can't even use it to physically benefit myself," he said shaking his head, and the breathing a heavy sigh, seemingly a little depressed by the very thought of his ability. "It isn't an element that can be controlled," he explained awkwardly, sinking into his seat as he spoke.
"I like you, Narnia. You're funny," Luffy laughed, "but you're pretty useless if you can control your devil fruit."
"It's Nornir." He said with an irritated click of his tongue. "And just because I can't use it on myself, that doesn't mean I can't use it on others. It is just ... it's not really an offensive devil fruit, not like yours is."
Once again, the fishman seemed to shrink as he was talking about his devil fruit. It felt as though he was ashamed of it, especially since he hadn't even told them what it was.
"May I ask how you defeated the Shichibukai, King Doflamingo, if you didn't have a strategy in place?"
King Doflamingo, Nami repeated in her mind. There was definitely reverence there. She noticed then that every single one of her crew mates took note of Norn's question. Sanji stopped preparing food in the kitchen, his head was turned slightly so his left ear was pointing more in their direction. Robin remained still, but her eyes slowly found Zoro. Nami couldn't see him, but she knew he was wary of Nornir from the second he entered the galley.
Brook set his cup down on its saucer with a rattle, breaking the uneasy and deathly silence that had filled the room.
"What did ya say your ability was, again?" Zoro asked. There was a predatory growl to his voice, intimidating Norn into revealing his secret.
"I didn't say what it was. Though it is very good for strategically wiping out an entire crew within a split second."
Everyone's hands reached for the weapons then as Nornir continued. "Let me show you, Monkey D. Luffy, just how useless my ability is."
An excruciating chime started to ring in Nami's ears, forcing her to hold her head to lessen the pain. She wanted to claw at her skull, to try to rip out whatever the source was. Her vision slowly began to blur. She blinked repeatedly, trying regain some clarity as darkness crept into the corners of her mind.
Then, before Nami's eyes, the whole crew vanished from the table. All that remained was Luffy sitting to her left, and the fishman, Nornir sitting opposite, sneering.
She reached out for Luffy, unable to grasp him as darkness took her.
Nami was stirred by the gentle pitter patter of rain on her cheek. The strong smell of grass and foliage quickly filled her nostrils. That, mixed with the sea air caused her foggy mind to question if she was on the lawn deck or not, but as she opened her eyes she knew that was not the case.
She was on a verge of a woodland, not too far from a town. The ringing in her ears was dissipating, allowing her to hear the gentle bustle of a nearby market. Nami pushed herself up, and though her vision was still slightly hazy, she still recognised the town instantly, she would know it anywhere. She was back in Cocoyashi Village.
Nami scurried to her feet and rushed to the outskirts of the village, hissing with pain as the wounds on her inner thighs chafed together. She hid behind one of shops. I have to be careful, Nami thought to herself, sweeping a stray orange tendril out of her face. With her recent experiences with her memories, there was no telling exactly when it was.
As she poked her head around the corner, it was clear that she was in a much earlier year. The street was fairly busy with people, and the wooden shops and stalls were showing little signs of disrepair, not like that had when Arlong had wreaked havoc upon the village. Most of the people paid their patronage to Arlong on time, but when they didn't, he would skitter into the village square and make an example out of who ever had not paid up, sacking their stall or completely wrecking the shop front. On the odd occasion, he would raze a building to ground, but only when he feared mutiny amongst the villagers.
Brightly coloured bunting was strung up high on the coconut trees above the main road. It zigzagged back and forth over the tops of the buildings, taut with rain, and rigid in breeze that blew in from the coast. Towards the harbour, Nami could see the greengrocer smiling happily in conversation with the village fishmonger. The fisherman strolled the streets as he offered his produce for sale or trade, chatting or smiling pleasantly at every person he passed. It felt as though the residents of Cocoyashi had hardly a care in the world, even the rain did not seem to dampen their spirits.
It was peaceful and calm, and as beautiful as she remembered it to be. Nami admired the village with such an effusive fondness it caused a wave of memories to flood her mind, and the nostalgia caused Nami's knees to give out beneath her. She sank to ground as tears welled in her eyes as she took in the town.
I'm home, she thought, except she wasn't. Even though she was there, present in Cocoyashi, it wasn't her home, it wasn't her time, and that made her feel terribly homesick.
Nami had wanted to return to Cocoyashi village for quite some time, but never knew if she would ever see her home town again, and if she did, Nami knew it was going be in the distant future. That thought poised the question again; When is it? What year was it, exactly? A realisation hit Nami then that caused her stomach to flutter with excitement, but also made her feel as though she had been punched in the chest with a tremendous force; Was Bellmere still alive?
Nami couldn't stop the tears from streaming down her cheeks as she asked herself that question. She longed to speak with her, there was so much she needed to tell her, so much she wanted to ask. But if the opportunity were to arise, could she? If Bellmere was alive, would Nami even be able to talk to her. She knew she couldn't explain who she was, but if she saw her mother in person, would she become too overwhelmed and unable to get her words out?
Those tormenting questions pained Nami like a pair of hands squeezing tightly around her neck. She couldn't breathe properly, she couldn't swallow. A chance was standing before her that she never imagined would ever be possible. It was always just a childish fantasy that she toyed with every time she felt proud of herself, or on the rare occasions when she questioned if what she was doing was right.
What might it mean if she had a conversation with her mother? Could she warn her about what would happen in the future, or would it infer some sort of paradox?
Had she warned her? Nami found herself wondering. They'd always been so horribly poor, it was a miracle that Bellmere even had enough money to save both hers and Nojiko's lives. The thought gave her the tiniest bit of hope, even if knowing that a warning would not change anything, it might still mean she could talk to Bellmere. As the rain eased off, Nami wiped her forearm across her face to dry her eyes, determined to find the answers to all the thoughts running through her mind. Nami knew that if she saw her, she'd have a better idea of what to do.
Someone hurried passed her then, splashing in a muddy puddle on the road, and sending a familiar earthy smell into the air. More than reminding Nami of all of the times she had tripped on the old road, playing happily with Nojiko, the more prominent memory that smell evoked was of the time when her sister tackled her to the ground in the square, right after she had just announced to the villagers that she had joined Arlong's crew for money.
She could picture the people looming over her in disgust. Some of the women had covered their mouths at Nami's revelation, heartbreak swimming in their eyes as they regarded the venal child who abandoned her mother the moment she left this world. The scent reminded her of that fateful day, and the pain of hearing Genzo's disapproving voice, asking her to never show her face in the village again.
She had forgiven the people of Cocoyashi for their actions that day, she couldn't not. It was simply because Nami couldn't involve them, she couldn't risk them knowing the truth of her deal. She was alone in her endeavour, and it was better that way. They couldn't know her motive, and so they acted accordingly. Despite knowing that, pain still lingered. She could vividly remember the bitter loneliness that followed. Only Nojiko knew the truth in her mind.
Now, she was grateful for how the people of Cocoyashi had reacted to her. It proved just how much they cared for Bellmere, and over time, Nami was able to harden to their cold behaviour. Nami believed that there was only one way she could stop herself from breaking down as she walked through the deserted streets of the village. She created an impenetrable shell around herself, a mental defence, so nothing, and no one could hurt her. It was how she managed to keep her integrity through all the scorn and alienation. In the end, their behaviour made her stronger, it helped her to survive, and not just on the Conomi Islands, but throughout the entire East Blue.
In her shell, Nami shielded her vulnerable heart, never letting anyone close enough to see or feel her warmth, and never giving up the hope that she could free the village from Arlong's 'protection'. Through the cold persona Nami had started to play, it gave her equanimity. She was able to endure the icy atmosphere of Cocoyashi, and the frost-bitten spirits of its residents. She learnt how to shelter herself from their contempt, eventually even capable of taking sanctuary in being called a witch.
Through her desire to save her village she learned that morality was blurred. Nami came to understand that good and bad were simply a matter of opinion, but she couldn't easily dismiss her own conscience. That was why she choose the dangerous path of stealing only from pirates. She was easily able to betray her targets, stealing all she could from them when the moment was right. Nami told herself that everything she did was to free her village, but even so, she could never bring herself to steal from honest folk.
The frigid portrayal of herself obviously still had some weaknesses, but despite its flaws it still helped Nami to brave the company of Arlong and his crew. It endeared her to him in a way, and secured her position amongst his crew, perhaps a little too much. In the end, he never intended to uphold his end of their bargain and let her go free. 'You're special, Nami. You're our greatest cartographer.' Arlong had told her on more than one occasion, and wanted to keep her close for more than her cartography skills. He believed Nami to be cold and cruel, often commenting on how she abandoned her mother for money. He thought that riches were paramount to her, and through that basis they were alike. They were nothing alike, and her hostility towards Arlong and the fishmen was often difficult to hide.
In spite of her act, and trying to not let anyone get close, Nami cried as she left the Baratie, and abandoned the Strawhat crew after stealing Luffy's ship and loot. It was the first time she had allowed herself to cry since her mother's death. Her impregnable defences had been thoroughly breached, and she sincerely wished that she could meet the crew again. Much as she did then, right in that moment. She wished to see the crew again.
Nami smiled softly at the thought of them, and took comfort in knowing that these surreal flashbacks never lasted too long. Luffy would defeat Nornir, and she would be back on the Thousand Sunny in no time at all.
Nami then lifted her head, just in time to catch a glimpse a young girl with rich lavender blue hair, in a turquoise pinafore dress stroll passed her. Nojiko! She instantly assumed and wanted to call out to the girl, but refrained. How would she explain knowing her?
She poked her head around the corner of the building she was hiding behind, just in time to see the girl duck into one of homes along the main street.
It was Nojiko, and Nami smiled with excitement at the realisation. She did desperately want to speak with her sister, but it simply wasn't possible. Nojiko had just entered Genzo's home, and there were never any outsiders within the village, he would surely be suspicious of her. The people of both Cocoyashi and Gosa were very familiar to Nojiko and herself because Bellmere's mikan grove was set between the two, so it wasn't as if Nami could pretend to be from the neighbouring village.
Before Nami had time to formulate any basis for a conversation, the shrill cry of "Pirates!" began to resound throughout the village, and hysteria ensnared the people. The villagers abandoned their stalls and stands, and ran back and forth in a fit of panic, trying to warn as many people as possible to the impending danger, and packing up their goods and wears so they couldn't be taken.
Nami watched as her younger self and Nojiko left Genzo's house and fled in the woodlands behind the village. "No." She whispered, her lips falling to a deep frown through finally coming to realise the exact moment in time in which she had arrived in Cocoyashi.
"It's the Arlong's Pirates!" A woman shrieked as she fled along the road, away from the harbour as a large pirate ship practically ran aground as it crashed into the docks.
Nami, once again, poked her head around the corner to look down the main street. Her jaw set, but her heart sank as she set eyes on Arlong, the saw-shark captain.
"This village, no … this entire island will be under my control." Arlong laughed.
(Luffy - Point in time: the present)
Luffy stretched an arm towards Nami in a desperate attempt to grab her hand. The fear on her face was reminiscent of when she had called to him on Sabaody, only much worse. He knew that she needed him, and he hated that once again he was powerless to stop what was happening to her, and potentially the rest of his crew.
Her eyes had fluttered shut before his hand touched hers. He did reach her in time, Luffy knew he did, only he couldn't feel her. There was a slight tingling sensation to his skin, like a feather had glided across his palm as Nami's hand passed through his as though she were a ghost. What has Narnia done to her?
Rage started to boil up inside Luffy. He felt as though he'd just swallowed a hot coal that was painfully burning his insides. His right hand turned black with haki as his anger smouldered within him. "Gomu gomu no ..." he seethed lowly through clenched teeth, "Jet Pistol!" Luffy shouted, sending the fishman flying into the kitchen.
He crashed into the cooker, whacking the back of his head on the extractor fan above it, denting both that and the oven door below. Luffy stretched his arms to drag the fishman back, and pin him against the breakfast bar. "Narnia, you bastard! What the hell have you done to my crew?"
"Ha... ha." The fishman spluttered, coughing up a spray of blood as he chuckled. "I sent ... your navigator back to the most pivotal point in her life," he explained through deep breaths, wheezing and struggling to keep his eyes open.
"What do you mean?" Luffy asked, frustrated that he didn't understand at all. What was pivotal point? Was it an island I hadn't heard of? He wondered as he tightened his grip on the fishman's lifebelt and pushed him hard against the counter top beneath him. How could Narnia send Nami somewhere? Was he like the bear?
"I've seen her memories," the fishman sneered, saving his strength and not bothering to fight Luffy's hold in favour of gloating. "I've seen all of their memories actually," he continued to explain, coughing intermittently. "Without her though, it would have just been the Pirate Hunter and yourself, and you would have both died long ago, having never left the East Blue if it wasn't for her extraordinary navigational and meteorological skills."
"I need all of my nakama!" Luffy argued. They were all important to him in their own way, personally and professionally. He had risked his life for all of them, and would do it over and over again. He wouldn't be able to have his adventures without each and every one of them, and he wouldn't want to either.
"Yes, but without her you would never have meet any of them," the fishman laughed. "All she had to do is intervene, and all of this will be undone," he said, motioning with his head and eyes to everything around them. "See how all your crew have disappeared? That means my plan is working. She has already changed something."
"Bastard!" Luffy boomed, and slammed him into the counter again.
(Nami - Point in time: the past)
Nami gritted her teeth in anger, then turned to duck behind the side of the building again, out of view of the main street and the Arlong Pirates who had just arrived. She felt as though she was trapped in a nightmare, but one that no amount of screaming could hope to wake her up from.
She hated Arlong. Despite now knowing how the race of fishmen had been persecuted at the hands of humans, and the discrimination against them, she couldn't feel any compassion for him. Nothing he had endured could justify the unbearable cruelty he unleashed on the Conomi Islands, her home, her family.
Nami squeezed her eyes shut, hoping that somehow if she closed them tight enough everything would just disappear into the black behind her eyes. She remained hidden from sight, dizzy with panic, and sick with rage. Her head began to throb painfully as her heart pounded in her chest, her pulse thundered in her ears, drowning out all the chaos in the village. The wounds on her stomach and inner thighs burned as a result of the blood pumping faster through her system.
When she realised that there was nothing she could do to return herself to the Thousand Sunny, Nami took a few deep breaths to cool her anger. She knew she couldn't act rashly. The fishman's strength, that tremendous power she had witnessed as a child, was very much as real now as it ever was.
As she calmed herself a little, Nami was then able to hear the villagers screaming as they initially resisted the pirates, and that same fear that had been planted in her heart by Arlong so long ago, once again began to blossom.
Nami tried not to hate her cowardice. That fear and sense of helplessness that the fishman had instilled in her was certainly a good thing; a practical device, she tried to remind herself. It was why she made her deal Alrong in the first place. She saw what the fishmen were capable of, and even as a ten year old child she knew better than to fight. Her fear was a good thing. It had kept her, and the rest of Cocoyashi village alive.
Still, despair bloomed in her heart like a burgeoned bramble bush, bearing dark fruit of hatred, anguish and contempt. Its thorny stems and branches entwined themselves around her heart, paralysing her with her own memories of pain.
Nami instinctively reached for her right hip, and as she did, one of the prickly branches ensnaring her seemed to squeeze a little more tightly around her heart, and a suffocating spike of fear pierced through her, I don't have my Clima-Tact! Nami's eye's started to well up as she remembered just what Kurobi did to Gen-san. Even as an adult, Nami doubted her strength would be anywhere near his, and without her Clima-Tact she was completely defenceless. I can not fight them.
"Arlong-san," she heard one of the fishman start to speak. "There's a house behind the village. I can see smoke coming from over there."
Bellmere-san! Nami screamed in her mind, furious that the fishmen had spotted the smoke, and riddled with the suffocating stress of what she knew was about to happen.
She hurried into the woodlands close by, taking a shortcut to the back road leading to her childhood home. Nami could see Nojiko and her younger self not too far ahead, so she kept back and out of sight, ducking into the bushes when Doctor Nako appeared on the road to halt the children's advance.
What can I do? She panicked. She was torn between offering aid to the girls and the prospect of what might happen if she did. Even if she could offer them refuge from Arlong and his crew, that wouldn't stop the pirates, it would not help Bellmere. Their mother was unaware that they were hiding around back, on the verge of fleeing the island when they heard her refuse to say that they were not her children.
Helping her younger self and Nojiko now wouldn't change a thing, it would not save Bellmere.
Nami stared into the distance, flitting between Bellmere's mikan trees, searching for an answer. When her eyes drifted towards the front of her home, that awful feeling of helplessness washed over her again, and anxiety quickly bore its fangs. The pain she felt was as excruciating as a rat gnawing at her insides. Her chest felt tight, making it difficult to breathe, but despite that constricting sensation, Nami felt as though she was slowly falling apart.
I can't do this again. She internally screamed. Nami could see the fishmen bulging around the side of the house, huddled near the front porch. It was already too late to get Bellmere out of there, and her fears were quickly confirmed by the shrill cry of pain that came from her mother's lips.
Nami's knees gave out from under her as she heard Bellmere's agonising wail. She felt like she could be sick at any moment, but nothing seemed to want to come up, the lump in her throat was seemingly too large to let anything past it. How can I know exactly what is going to happen and yet still be powerless to do anything about it? She questioned, crushed with despair.
She managed to drag herself to her feet again, and watch Doctor Nako talking to Nojiko and her younger self. Nami knew he was telling them that they had to leave the village, that it was the only way that Nojiko and herself, and Bellmere would survive. Her heart broke for the second time at the thought of leaving Bellmere.
"I understand, let's go, Nami." Nojiko said to the younger Nami.
She still admired her sister's strength in that moment. She loved Bellmere, and even though she may have said that she wished to be adopted by someone else, that was solely because she didn't want to be a burden to someone she loved so much. She simply wished for Bellmere to be happy, and at the time, she did not realise that her and Nojiko were that happiness.
I have to do something. Nami thought to herself. She cast her eyes back and forth throughout the trees, then along the back of the wooden house, looking for pruning shears, or any kind of tool; something suitable she could use as a weapon.
"That's the share for my two daughters. I don't have enough to pay for myself," Bellmere's confident voice announced.
Nami's head snapped up as she heard those words leave her mother's lips. It had been so long since she'd heard Bellmere's actual voice, and the sound was enough to crush her one again.
"Even if it costs me my life." Bellmere continued, adding to the devastating thought already running through Nami's head. I am too late.
The memory of this moment still stung, even to this day. Nami thought the pain of it had been gently washed away, but as she looked on she realised that it was obviously just laying low beneath the surface, like a dangerous predator stalking her from the depths, waiting to consume her.
Can I survive her death a second time? Nami asked herself.
She got up instantly, wanting to run to Bellmere with her sister and her other self, but she managed to stop herself, remembering her mother's words.
"Nojiko, Nami, don't give up."
As much as she wanted to, Nami couldn't go to her.
"No matter what happens, don't hate the era you were born in."
They didn't even know who Nami was, she couldn't intervene. I'm not meant to be here.
"Don't forget that you always have the strength to smile."
If she let the fishman know that there was someone else in the village they would want patronage from her too, and she didn't have any Belli. Acting now could cause her own untimely death, or get all three of them murdered by the Arlong Pirates.
"As long as you keep on living, great things will happen."
And great things had happened, Nami remembered; incredible things.
"Your maps?" She heard her mother's strained voice ask over the sound of the chuckling fishmen. "That's right, Nami. You have to follow your dream."
And Nami was following her dream.
'Nami. You are my crew now!' her captains declaration resounded through her mind as tears streamed down her cheeks, and she bit down hard on her bottom lip to stop herself from sobbing loudly. She could picture him clearly, standing atop the rumble of Arlong Park. That is how this is meant to end. Nami told herself.
"Stay alive," she heard Bellmere tell Nojiko and her younger self.
'Don't apologise for the life I've had.' Nami remembered herself telling Jinbei on Fishman Island. 'I do not regret it, and I'm having a lot of fun now.'
The great things Bellmere had promised that the future held for her were true. If she intervened in any way, Nami realised she could undo everything. I am living the life she wanted for me. Nami tried to reassure herself, using every bit of strength she possessed to restrain herself.
"Nojiko, Nami, I love you!"
"Die for your pathetic love." Arlong sneered.
And as the gun shot sounded, Nami could see in her minds eye Arlong shooting Bellmere in the face, right before her eye. She also saw her own life flash before her eyes. Every victory the Strawhat's had claimed, every toast she'd made with her friends at every feast.
She knew this was the only way to fulfil Bellmere's wish for her to smile again.
She knew this was the only way to for Cocoyashi Village, and for her, to be free again.
Yet, her heart still broke knowing she had just allowed her mother to die.
20th, 23rd & 26th April 2015 (Review/edited 2025)