𝔸 ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕕 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕚𝕤𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟

Chapter 14

Nami felt her blood race around her body, spurred on by her rapidly beating heart. "So you're awake now sleeping beauty," he stated mockingly as he ripped the clima-tact from her grasp. "You know he didn't cry out even once the whole time I tortured him," he said, throwing the clima-tact to the ground with a resounding clatter. Nami grimaced at the distance between her and the weapon and at the look of victory on Methias' face.

"But every time he slept or passed out he kept on muttering," he spat as he sauntered towards her, "Nami, Nami~" he impersonated. "Over and over again, made me want to throw up," He said, hand spinning in a circle as she fake gagged for emphasis.

Nami felt her heart ache with both longing and hurt. She had wanted to be with him more than anything when he had called for her, it hurt to know she couldn't be there when he needed her most. But she was here now, and she wouldn't let Methias hurt Luffy again. With that resolve she leapt for her staff, dodging under his reach. She skidded to her staff and spun, prepared to sweep his feet with the regained weapon, but he was leagues ahead of her.

Methias' shin dug into her gut his kick knocking the wind out of her. Nami slid across the floor, hitting the workbench, sending beakers filled with mystery liquid crashing to the ground. Nami pushed herself up on all fours as she heaved, her breath escaping her with each erratic pant. Methias laughed "What you thought you could just waltz in here, save him and go back to adventuring?" Nami couldn't stop the drool and tears that dripped from her face, she breathed, heavy and desperate.

"It doesn't matter, we knew this would be hard, and it doesn't change what we have to do." Nami seethed, as she spat the extra fluid that had collected in her mouth onto the blood splattered ground. Nami stood, her legs like jelly beneath her, her clima-tact, a cane to keep her upstanding. Nami launched herself forward, twirling her weapon, keeping him in the dark over her next move. Her heart thrummed in her ears, a steady wardrum spurring her onwards. "No matter what. I WON'T LET OUR JOURNEY END HERE!" Nami roared, she swung again and again, he slipped past her each time. Nami's breath rattled from within her but she didn't slow.

Swing, spin, dodge, attack, again. Swing, spin, dodge, attack. Nami was a storm of her own creation, never slowing, never giving up. Even as he pushed her back with both hands on her clima-tact. Both Methias and Nami fought for purchase over the other, He pushed her back, her spine hitting the examination table, her captain sat lifelessly against it to Nami's right. "Your stupid journey was already over the moment your captain took your place" Methias spat, tearing the clima-tact Nami held, forward, into the driving force of his knee.

The appendage buried in her gut and Nami choked as she forgot how to breathe. Methias ripped the clima-tact from her hands and Nami was once again reduced to a quivering mess on the floor, now with no support to hold her up. Methias stared down at Nami gasping for air, throwing down her clima-tact, he reached for her, an animalistic sheen to his glare. He gripped Nami's hair in his hand and dragged her across the room, the women yelped and tore at his had with her fingernails. He threw her across the room with enough force that she collided hard with the wall after tumbling across the ground.

Nami felt her world spin around her, her gaze fell to the pale complexion of her captain, tears came to her eyes as she realised that only a few weeks ago had she seen him smile and laugh for the last time. She would miss the way his smile had never failed to crinkle the edges of his eyes as he had looked at her. And how he could be an absolute fool but when he sat on the sunny's head and stared out upon the horizon, hair and vest tousled by the sea breeze, he could be utterly bewitching.

She'd never understood how someone could be so contradictory, foolish but intelligent, boyish but handsome, annoying but loveable. She had never realised it until this moment, but Luffy, at some point, had become someone she could no longer live without. Someone who, when she imagined the future and what could be, he was always there without fail.