Crimson Tides

A New Friendship

Nami Kirisame was known for many things. Her fiery personality, her obsession with tangerines, her odd friend group, or her notorious thievery.

She had once only had Robin and Vivi as friends, with the Gap Yokai liking to bother the Magician and the Shrine Maiden, and the three developing a friendship. Then Zoro and Kuina had stolen spring, and Vivi had stopped them, befriending the two of them.

Then Chopper and his moon friends had made an eternal night. Of course, Robin, Vivi, Nami and Zoro had stopped the little creature, and also become friends with him. Then there was the incident with Usopp and his shrine, which had been resolved.

Nami had a lot of friends, most of them causing trouble for the Magician and the Shrine Maiden at some point.

Nami was sure that she'd meet someone new soon, it had been months since Usopp had befriended their group. She was currently floating around on her broom, relaxing for once. Of course, people were trying to bother her, with the news girl Hancock following her that entire morning, nagging her about something.

"Nami! It's important!" The dark haired girl yelled at the ginger. Nami sighed and looked back at Hancock, who looked peeved. She raised her eyebrow, questioning what the girl had to say.

"Nami, look across the lake!" She said, pointing across misty lake. Nami turned her broom and her eyes widened. A giant red mansion sat on the opposite shore line, which hadn't been there last time Nami had been to the misty lake.

"When the hell did that get there?!" Nami yelped in surprise. Hancock shook her head in exasperation.

"I'm not sure. I saw it yesterday evening though. Whoever owns it must be powerful and wealthy. It might be dangerous." Hancock said. She said other things, too, but Nami wasn't registering what the girl was saying to her. She had stopped listening at 'wealthy.'

"Say, do you think I could get some of their things without anybody noticing?" Nami said, interrupting the news girl. She stared at Nami, and shook her head.

"When I tried going to the house, it never seemed to get closer by flight. And when I approached the front gate, the guard acted very strange." Hancock explained the the magician. Nami raised her eyebrow and shrugged.

"Like I'd be scared of a single security guard. Plus, if I go to the gate and then up to the windows, I'll reach there in no time!" Nami laughed, readying her broom. Hancock sighed again in defeat.

"Alright. Have fun over there! Don't die." Hancock waved as Nami already started racing away. Nami was speeding across the lake, approaching the mansion quickly. It's reflection looked like blood in the lake.

"Nami Kirisame, fight me!" A voice yelled. Nami screeched to a halt and looked towards the voice. It was Monet, the resident ice fairy. Another fairy, Rebecca was trying to get the ice fairy to stop.

"No." Nami said, before flying off again. Behind her an indignant yell came from the ice fairy. Nami didn't care though, that wasn't why she was at misty lake right now. She saw the mansion getting very close at this point.

She approached the gate of the mansion, seeing nobody there. Wasn't there supposed to be a guard? Nami laughed. This was going to be easy! She flew her broom up to the window and opened it. It creaked open onto darkness. She stepped inside the very. dark hallway, the window staying cracked open.

The place was very medevial feeling, with candle holders lining the walls, and a red carpet stretching down the hallway. Nami felt slightly creeped out. It felt like it would be the kind of place were ghosts would congregate.

She stepped down the halls, making sure to not make too much sound. She didn't want to be caught. Not that she would be. A Nami wandered, she realized that the mansion seemed strangely empty. There was the occasional large room or set of armor, but no people in sight.