Endless Loyalty

Climbing Ships and Sailing Mountains - Chapter Five

The sky is black. Harsh, angry waves crash and roil, battering the Going Merry's hull as we push through the relentless storm. The further from Loguetown we sail, the less lightning we see, though the rain and wind seem determined to stay with us. The constant downpour, coupled with the ruthless spray of the sea makes it near impossible to see straight. A few escaped tendrils of hair stick to my face, sending water directly into my eyes. I swipe at the water for what must be the millionth time and fix my eyes on the horizon.

"What am I looking for again?" I yell over the howl of the wind.

"The beacon being relit or the Red Line. With this storm, you'll probably see the beacon first." Nami shouts, studying the map in her hands as she stands in the open galley doorway. The aged parchment thrashes in her hands, the wind threatening to rip it to shreds. "According to the map, we should be spotting the Red Line any time now."

Nami's brow furrows and she leans closer to the flailing map.

"What is it?" I ask, squinting back at her through the rain.

"Something about how this is drawn... I can't quite make sense of it..." She shakes out the parchment again, her brow furrowing further as the lines of a frown etch into her face. "It just makes me worried about how dangerous our path really is."

I step closer, standing just inside the galley as I peer over her arm at the map. The image on the page is hard to interpret. My brow furrows and my nose wrinkles.

"Is that supposed to be a mountain?" I ask, my head cocking to the side as I try to understand. "Or some kind of... canal?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out." Nami states, still not looking away from the map. "Would you gather the crew? I wanna go over this with everyone."

"You got it." I bring my fingers to my lips and let out a piercing whistle. Every head turns to me in surprise, staring as I shout, "Crew meeting in the galley! Let's go!"

I beckon our crewmates with a wave, turning to step fully into the galley and out of the rain. I flash Usopp a friendly smile as I pass him on my way to the table. He smiles back but remains at his post manning the rudder. I slide onto the bench facing the wall, wiping the water from my face and shaking it from my hands.

"Hey! Watch it!" Nami snaps, snatching the map up off the table before water can touch it.

"Sorry." I show her my palms in surrender as my eyes widen, "Not my fault the sky is dumping buckets out there."

"Well keep it away from my map!" Nami snips, her amber eyes flashing in the lamplight.

I offer her a silent salute and overt my eyes. I know she's the navigator, but I clearly underestimated how much the role and her maps mean to her.

Note taken. Don't offend the maps.

The wet slap of Luffy's sandals fill the room as he skids to a halt and plops down next to me. Water droplets fly from the ends of his hair, making Nami shriek and jerk away from the table completely, her precious map clutched to her chest. I laugh loudly as he hops onto the bench, choosing to squat and bounce rather than actually sit beside me. The whole bench wobbles beneath us, threatening to topple over as Luffy grins at Nami and I.

"Sit still." Zoro grunts, shoving Luffy down so his feet slip out from under him and his ass hits the wooden bench with a thud.

"Sorry." Luffy laughs loudly, completely unbothered by his swordsman's gruff tone and rough shove.

Zoro doesn't say anything as he takes a seat opposite his captain. My eyes follow the swordsman, watching the way the lamplight flickers across the strong lines of his face. Water drips around him, pooling beneath his seat just like Luffy and I. His face is set in that same almost scowl from earlier, his sharp eyes scanning the room. He leans back on the bench, his back hitting the wall and his hands sliding behind his head. His eyes close and he seems to relax, though I get the distinct impression that if a threat suddenly appeared, he'd still be ready to face it.