Stolen // One Piece

chapter forty-two

It was late. The stars twinkled overhead as the Sunny rocked against the waves. Nami sat outside on the grass, staring at them. The crew had landed on the new island, but she hadn't left as she was waiting for any news on her captain's health. Most of the others had gone to bed by now, save for Chopper and Luffy's older brothers, but Nami refused to sleep until she knew Luffy was going to be alright.

As she sat there, she noticed a familiar, shy head of blue-green hair peek out from behind the door to the Sleeping Quarters, and then upon noticing her, quickly dart back behind it. She chuckled softly.

"Hey Kaito, I haven't seen you in a while. Thought maybe you fell overboard," she teased, adjusting so that she sat cross-legged, leaning her on her elbows behind her. The boy sheepishly stepped out onto the deck.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Miss... I didn't think anyone else would still be up..." he mumbled, head down as he walked toward her. The navigator smiled warmly at him.

"Ah, well," she replied, stretching and leaning back onto the deck, "I often find it difficult to sleep on warm, peaceful nights, too beautiful." He nodded.

"How are the projects with the boys, going?" Nami inquired, referring to the inventions that had kept the anxious boy hidden below deck. Usopp had taught him how to use chemistry to create explosives, and since then Kaito had been so fascinated that he worked nearly night and day (Sanji had been kind enough to bring the boy his meals, most days).

"Good," the boy muttered, offering no further details. A long moment passed before he spoke again. "Do you think he'll be okay?" Nami hesitated as she considered her reply.

She wanted him to be okay, to bounce right back and go back to his usual shenanigans, but Chopper didn't even know what was causing him to vomit blood. There wasn't anything wrong with him on the surface (besides the remaining wounds from his torturer, but Chopper knew none of Luffy's injuries would have caused internal bleeding) and so the reindeer was stumped.

Everyone had been repeating the same phrase, "Luffy is strong, he'll be okay," for months, but that same mindset had prevented them from noticing their captain's rapidly deteriorating mental health. Thus, the words felt insincere and nearly sickening as they pushed past her lips.

"Of course. It's Luffy, he'll be fine." She watched as he nodded silently, shoved his hands in his pockets, and shuffled away toward the Sleeping Quarters.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~

The Captain was awake when she slipped past Chopper, as he was exiting, into the medical bay. He was leaning his shoulders pushed against the wall behind him, head resting so that he was staring blankly at the ceiling, absentmindedly wringing his hands in his lap. As Chopper closed the door behind him, Nami approached the bed hesitantly, stopping about mid-way.

He didn't look at her, though he knew she was there. The previous events of that day had made him anxious, weary of how they would interact. Nami could sense that he was uncomfortable, so the awkward air in the room felt suffocating.

"How are you feeling?" she asked after a moment, taking a small step toward him. He made an odd noise in response, somewhere between a sigh and a grunt, raising his shoulders.

"I've felt better." Finally looking at her, Luffy forced a large smile, but to Nami it appeared more like an intense grimace. She pursed her lips in reply.

Another awkward silence ensued, and the navigator shifted her weight back and forth on her feet.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she mumbled, dropping her head. Nami felt like a little girl, apologizing on a playground for accidentally hitting Nojiko with one of her toys. The captain's chest felt too tight, though the blank stare on his face would never betray him. "It's just," she began again, looking up at him, "you've been so sick.. and I've been so worried about you." Luffy watched as her eyes got soft, and he could practically feel her sorrow in the small frown upon her face. A small amount of the pressure in his chest dissipated.