Stolen // One Piece

chapter twenty-four

Nami was curled up in the fetal position as she laid on her office couch. The bright sun was centered in the sky, and the sunlight that filled the room was dissipating as it rose further. There were so many things that needed to be done, and time was running out.

The gentle rocking the Thousand Sunny usually put her mind at ease, but now all it did was highlight the fact that time was passing, crawling on, and yet she lay there, unmoving. Her heart thudded solidly in her chest, heavy from the weight of Luffy's absence. She willed herself to move, even if it was a mere inch, but she couldn't find enough strength in her body to do so.

Untrue, she griped within the walls of her mind, she could move, if she wanted to, but that was the downside to her logic : she didn't want to. While one voice in her head demanded she move or made at least some effort at moving, the other, slightly louder, voice insisted it wouldn't make any difference whatsoever. Luffy was still missing.

Still gone. Not there.

But maybe I could find him?

He's probably dead.

Don't say that!

It's a logical assumption.

But maybe he isn't? He's only missing?

Or maybe he doesn't want to be found.

Of course he wants to be found! Luffy hates being alone!

Maybe he doesn't want anything to do with me.

Tears had welled in her eyes and she slowly blinked them away. She hadn't considered that,  perhaps, Luffy didn't want to be around her. Perhaps he was tired of being treated poorly by her. Perhaps he wanted to be left alone.

"Nami-san?" At the mention of her name, Nami looked across the room and was greeted by Robin, who's face was worn with sorrow and exhaustion. Still, Nami could not bring herself to sit up, or move anything other than her stinging eyes. "Are you alright?" The younger girl sighed.

"I'm fine," she choked out, her voice sounding far away as she closed her eyes. "I'm fine." A soft huff escaped Robin's throat as she crossed the room to sit next to the navigator. She carefully lifted Nami's head and then scooted so her head rested in Robin's lap.

"It's okay that you miss him."

"No," Nami whispered softly as her tears slipped down her face. "Missing him doesn't solve anything." Robin let this hang in the air as she contemplated what to say next.

"Perhaps," she began slowly, "not physically, but acknowledging the fact that you miss him identifies a problem, which leads to the process of creating a solution, or multiple solutions to handle said problem." Nami sighed.

"The solution will take time. I don't want to wait. I just want him here. With me." Robin nodded, and softly stroked the navigator's hair, and began to hum a tune that Nami did not recognize, but it felt strangely familiar to her ears. The combination of affectionate contact, and the strange lullaby Robin was humming, along with the slow rocking of the Thousand Sunny was soothing. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.

~   ~   •   ~   ~

When Nami awoke, she felt as if something was... off.

She was alone in her office, and the sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon, and its last few rays filtered through her windows, bathing her office in red-orange light. A pale blue blanket had been draped over her body, and as she sat up, it slipped down onto the floor.

She rubbed her eyes, yawned, and stretched her arms upward as she adjusted to her surroundings.

At first, she attributed the feeling of off-ness to the pain in her stomach, most likely due to missing dinner, but she silently identified the fact that the off-ness was not simply caused by hunger. She stood slowly, her bare feet padding softly against the cold wooden floor. She placed the blanket back onto the couch and stepped to the ladder, and climbed up to the oddly empty deck. She heard no noise, other than the waves crashing gently against the Sunny's hull, and the occasional call from seagulls flying overhead. The other Strawhats were probably doing their own things. Nami crossed her arms in thought as she stared at the ocean.

All was well.

And yet... it wasn't.

What could have possibly been filling the young woman with such a feeling of altered reality? Luffy? The lack of routine?

Nami sighed, and adjusted her footing as she squinted at her feet in concentration.

Was it loneliness? Had Luffy's absence truly affected her this strongly? No, it had affected her, but this was not a symptom. Then what could it be?

She sucked in a deep breath in realization.

The air.

It was thick, and humid, and felt unnaturally tangible. It was still, as though a heavy blanket had been dropped over the ocean.

The world was calm. No birds sang overhead. Not one person on the entire ship made any audible noise. The waves, the air, and the rocking of the Thousand Sunny had decreased so suddenly that for a moment Nami thought the ship had gone off course at some point while she was sleeping, and the Straw Hat Crew now rested on the Calm Belt.

She rushed over to the railing and looked down, and was incredibly relieved to see that there were waves still rocking against the Sunny, albeit small.

She looked up, and although there were no clouds in sight, she felt It coming.

A hurricane.

Nami dashed over to the emergency bell and rang it once, twice, then too many times to count. The crew rushed onto the deck from each place they came and rushed to follow each instruction that flew from the navigator's mouth. Sabo and Ace, thoroughly confused, watched as each of the others sprinted across the deck as if there was currently a visible threat, but said nothing, as it was widely accepted that one does not question Nami.

The Straw Hats rushed across the deck, adjusting the sails, turning the wheel and closing the windows, and preparing. As Nami called out for Usopp to tighten the rope while Robin ties it, and Sanji rotated the sail with Zoro's help, a light rain began to fall upon the Thousand Sunny. Soon, however, the rain began to fall in heavy sheets, and a strong wind picked up and filled the sails. The Thousand Sunny was carried away from the cyclone now growing in size, and Nami slumped against the balcony railing. Sabo and Ace stared at the hurricane now behind them, with one singular thought on their mind:

Nami was not to be reckoned with.