Ordinary is Sometimes Extraordinary

Lemons and a Restaurant on the Sea

I was sitting down back leant against the entrance of the kitchen. I was writing a story idea down in my little notebook outlining a basic plot and characters occasionally glancing up to watch Luffy and Usopp play with a cannon in the corner of my eye. It was a soothing pastime that filled in the boredom that was created from spending days on the sea.

Boom!

The sound made me look up from my writing.

"Nice shot" I whistled in appreciation, watching as the reef in the distance exploded.

"So cool Usopp!" Luffy cheered.

"Of course it was," Usopp boasted.

I grinned and watched Luffy instantly assign Usopp as the sniper, I was proud that my internal joy and fangirling had lessened than earlier instances (exposure therapy really does work).

Amusement lost after the show, I turned back to my notebook, flipping absentmindedly through my book. Shifting past story ideas I found the page I was looking for. Again my nervous habit of making lists had appeared, and I'd documented possible solutions and goals for this arc.

Most though we're focused on Nami, undeniably the two of us girls had grown close. We joked together and her dry wit and easily provoked nature grew on me. I saw Nami as a close friend, surprisingly right up there on the list with Minerva a thought that both saddened and comforted me.

I felt awful about the choice that Nami would have to make in the upcoming storyline, and had resolved to fix the situation the best that I could. There were at least three pages of planned out notes of possible solutions, most were reliant on getting the crew to beat up Arlong earlier than in the actual storyline. The main problem with that answer was Nami didn't want our help.

She had a solution to her problem and believed she could handle it on her own. Nami would never have asked for Luffy's help in the anime if she hadn't been completely helpless watching her village march off to fight and die at Arlong's hand.

I had to somehow find a way to get Nami to accept our help, without having her suffer as much as she did to reach that point. Creative answers had sprouted from my hyperactive imagination and midnight inspirations. One of the more confusing ideas I'd come up with, god knows when, was to "lock her in a tower like rapunzel" and involved a sea king, an angry cow, and a year's supply of ketchup to beat up the marines kick Arlongs ass, then we'd climb up the tower, wake Nami up, and knock her over the head hard enough she forgets about the fishmen."

I was seriously starting to fear for my mental health.

"Come out you damn pirates!" An angry voice called out, I took that as a cue to put the notebook away.

"Huh who are you?" Luffy asked.

Ignoring him Johnny swung his sword to take out one of Merry's railings. "Are you wannabe pirates trying to kill my partner!" He screamed as the sword swung out.

Thankfully I'd been prepared for the outburst jumping from my seat at his arrival, I took the strike with my tessen instead. I grunted using both my arms to stop the attack, straining against the stronger man who looked surprise by my presence.

"Hey don't attack my Storyteller!" Luffy yelled, wrapping his legs around Johnny he launched him backwards into one of Merry's walls as I landed with a thump on the lower level.

"Lost by a hair," the bounty hunter's mutter made me laugh even as my heart raced from the sudden adrenaline rush.

"Hey if it isn't Johnny," I looked up at Zoro who was standing above the deck just exiting the kitchen.