Chapter 12: Campaign
"There's no time for the wedding now," Judge informed Nami, Sanji, and Yonji the moment they returned and delivered the new maps to him. His eyes spanned across the maps rather than looking at the three, one hand possessively holding them to his desk as though some errant wind might blow into the castle and whip them away. "You need to leave in two days, Sanji."
"Can't Ichiji, Niji, or Yonji go?" Sanji asked desperately. He'd been afraid this would happen. "Or can't we do the wedding tomorrow?"
Judge finally looked up from the maps to frown at Sanji. "And how would it reflect on the Vinsmoke family if the first marriage of one of my sons was a quiet affair? We must have at least some royals there and a representative from the papers to report on how grand an affair it is. And you not going on this campaign is out of the question. You know this job requires stealth, and that's your specialty."
"Okay, so do you have a new date for the wedding?" Sanji didn't know why he felt panicked, but some part of him was afraid of Nami somehow slipping through his fingers. Since this deal was so important to both his father and Arlong, he couldn't imagine it not happening, but the fear wouldn't go away. He wanted to be married to Nami as soon as possible. Then he could leave without worry, though it wouldn't be his preference to leave her so soon after being married.
"Of course not. We don't know when you'll return. We'll make plans after this campaign." He turned to Yonji. "Did you learn anything about the strength of Yashta's military from speaking with the princess?"
"Their military might is not comparable to ours," Yonji informed him, straightening his spine as he spoke. "As we suspected, they rely a great deal on the protection that Storm Pass gives them. I think the royal family is overly confident in believing they're safe. By bringing a force in through Storm Pass, I believe we would crush them easily."
Judge nodded, his eyes gleaming with pleasure. "Good. We'll begin making plans."
Judge's and Yonji's words made Nami sick. She had no lost love for any royals since most existed to exploit and take advantage of their people. All they did was gain wealth through others' work, but a war would mean that innocent people got hurt. And she would be a part of that.
She hated this. She wanted to refuse to help and save the people of Yashta, but doing so would condemn her entire island to death. An entire people wiped out. She tried to console herself with the thought that Germa 66 would have attacked Yashta eventually anyway. They planned to take over the whole of North Blue and had already conquered several countries. All Nami was doing was speeding up the timeline and making things a little easier for them. All the people they would invade with her help would have been invaded eventually anyway. Maybe by making it easier for Germa 66, she was ensuring that less people would die in the process. She needed to hold on to that thought.
"Sanji, go find Niji and began finalizing your plans," Judge ordered. "He'll be going with you on campaign." He turned a smile on Nami. "Why don't you rest a bit? Your dress should be finished now, so you don't need to worry about anything for the next few days. In three days, I'll be sending you out again on the next voyage."
"Will I be going again?" Yonji asked.
"I'm not sure yet. I'm sending Reiju for sure, but I haven't decided between you or Ichiji yet." He waved his hand at the three of them. "Off with you now."
~.~
Yonji felt giddy as he made his way to his room. The wedding had been postponed, and they didn't even have a date set yet. That didn't mean it wouldn't be soon, but it gave him a little more time to think of something…Maybe he should suggest to his father that he lead the campaign to conquer Yashta.
He could go in with an impressive force claiming he'd fallen so in love with Princess Clarisse that he had to have her and he'd brought all the most important members of his kingdom to have a wedding then and there if she would consent. They could infiltrate the country and conquer it in a night. That might make his father pleased enough to swap Sanji for Yonji to marry Nami.
~.~
"You want us to leave?" Chew asked Judge, crossing his arms. "The wedding hasn't happened yet. It was supposed to be a few days ago, but Nami and your sons hadn't returned from their trip yet."
"Yes, yes, and now Sanji needs to leave for a military campaign," Judge waved off. Sanji had a royal family to assassinate, and then a war to help Niji wage afterward. Countries were so much easier to take over when they were in disarray. "I'm not sure when he'll be back, and when he's back, Nami might be off on another voyage…I'm just not sure when the wedding will be able to take place right now. Things are very busy in the Germa Kingdom. I'll alert your captain when the wedding happens."
"Arlong told us to stay for the wedding," Hatchan said uncertainly. "We weren't supposed to leave until Nami was married."
"But I just told you I'm not sure when the wedding will happen. You're two of Arlong's top lieutenants. There's no need for you to stay here for an unspecified amount of time."
"Then just do the wedding now," Chew argued. "They're both on board right now, aren't they?"
Judge frowned. Of course this pirate wouldn't understand the importance of having a proper showing for the wedding of a royal. "This isn't the marriage of two commoners who can run off and find the nearest clergymen to marry them. My son is a prince. That means there must be dignitaries present. There must be announcements made." And getting out all the announcements that the wedding would be postponed had not been a simple matter. Luckily, he'd began sending them the moment the navigator and the others left for Storm Pass, assuming they wouldn't make it back in time for the wedding. Yes, the wedding was important, but it was just a formality. The maps were what really mattered. Sealing the deal with Arlong could wait.
Chew made a sound of disapproval. "Arlong wanted us to wait for the wedding so we could ensure Nami was being well taken care of. She's a precious member of our crew, after all. What are we supposed to tell him if we leave now?"
Judge narrowed his eyes. "Though she will still make maps for you, the navigator is no longer a part of Arlong's crew. She will be a princess of the Germa Kingdom. Obviously, she will be well taken care of. Your captain not trusting my word that the navigator will marry one of my sons is not an auspicious beginning to this alliance."
"We didn't say that Captain Arlong didn't trust you," Chew said, holding his hands up in a calming gesture. "We're just saying he wants to ensure you're holding up your end of the bargain. For Nami's sake, of course."
"Of course," Judge agreed. "Which is why I will send word the moment the marriage happens."
The three stared at each other until Chew finally nodded. "Okay. But if Arlong decides that isn't good enough, expect us back soon, and the wedding will happen right then if we return."
Judge gritted his teeth, irritated at being ordered around by a common pirate. And this one wasn't even a captain. "I will uphold my end of the bargain. I have nothing to gain from not doing so." It had felt outrageous when Arlong first suggested they cement their alliance by having the navigator marry one of his sons. They were royalty, after all, and the navigator was a commoner from some impoverished village, but he could see the benefits of having closer ties between himself and the Arlong Pirates. Such a relationship wouldn't happen if they only borrowed Arlong's navigator.
Luckily, Judge had a throw-away son. He'd never expected much from Sanji, so it was acceptable to have him marry a commoner, and the alliance had already proven to be absolutely worth it after less than three weeks. Nami was every bit as good as Judge had heard.
"If you're so concerned about the marriage not really happening, why don't I invite the Arlong Pirates to the wedding? I'm sure my soon to be daughter-in-law would appreciate having her crew there. That way, you'll know for sure that the wedding happened. Will that suffice?"
Slowly, Chew nodded. Arlong would probably appreciate being able to see Germa 66's main force up close. "That should work," he agreed.
~.~
Sanji hated this. He and Nami had gotten along so well on the voyage through Storm Pass. He wanted to take the time to build on that and grow closer to her, not run off for some military campaign. Did his father plan to give him any time with Nami after they were married? Since the marriage was merely for the alliance's sake, he had the sinking feeling the answer was no.
If he brought anything up with Judge, he would probably say that Sanji and Nami would have plenty of happy times together after all of North Blue was united under Germa's rule, and if Sanji wanted to spend time with his new wife, he should use that as motivation to work harder so they could obtain their goal faster.
He swallowed hard when he saw Nami walking in the courtyard by herself. He'd been looking for her to say goodbye since he had to leave in a few hours, but he didn't know what to say. Though they'd been getting along well, they were by no means close. Yet.
Hesitating only a moment, he stepped out where she could see him and called, "Nami!"
She turned and the sun glinted in her red hair. The sight made him catch his breath. She really was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. "I—I wanted to say goodbye before I left."
Slowly, in case she wouldn't welcome the touch, he took her hand. "I wish I could stay here with you instead."
A vulnerable look flashed through Nami's eyes and he wondered if she wished he was staying too. He hoped she did. Her hand tightened on his as she quietly said, "Be careful, okay?"
A smile lit up his face. "Of course! I wouldn't want to make you worry." Despite his words, every particle of his being shouted for joy that she would worry about him. "You be careful too, please." He hesitated, then lowered his voice. "And let me know if any of my brothers bother you, okay?" He was about to apologize for being unable to protect her from Ichiji that first night before when he remembered how upset she'd gotten during that conversation and changed his mind.
She looked uncertain, and rather than pressing the issue at the moment he said, "I'll return as soon as I can." He only hoped she'd also be at the castle when he arrived back.