Stolen // One Piece

chapter thirty-three

Brook had guessed that the ship's navigator had developed certain... romantic feelings for the goofy captain of the Straw-Hat pirates. The living skeleton could see it in the way Nami moved around him, the way the captain's hat always seemed to find its way mysteriously onto the orange-haired woman's head, and the way the two were often found together, laughing and chatting as if they had spent their entire lives together.

When he had first joined the crew, he had slyly asked the anthropomorphic reindeer how long the two had been "courting" (Chopper had laughed at the musician's outdated terminology and then explained why his assumptions were incorrect). Upon learning the navigator was single, he had promptly asked to see her panties, which earned him a solid uppercut.

Nami was undoubtedly one of the most beautiful women of all the world. Robin as well, though Brook knew better than to ask for her panties, for both she and Zoro would most certainly snap every bone of his in half.

Brook knew that Nami was incredibly attractive, and much of the younger men on the ship most likely thought of her as such. Though Sanji's attraction toward the woman was incredibly evident, Usopp was more subtle in his playful flirting with the fiery redhead. Franky was simply too old, so he had absolutely no intention or any desire to hit on her. Brook's flirting wasn't from attraction, more from friendly banter, though technically he also was much too old for the beautiful Cat-Burglar. Zoro wasn't attracted to the ginger at all, so their relationship was more sibling-like. Chopper was a reindeer, and the baby of the crew. It would have been weird if he hit on the navigator.

Luffy, however, was a tough nut to crack. The way he acted, his behavior implied that he wasn't attracted to any woman (or man, for that matter) and that he had no desire for any love that wasn't nakama-related. He loved the entire crew with his whole heart, but perhaps his friendly love for the navigator had evolved into something stronger.

Perhaps the Captain is... in love with her?

The skeleton man thought back on a memory of Luffy, in which Nami had been sun-bathing on the deck and Luffy sat by her on the grass, picking his nose.

Eh... maybe not.

Despite the captain's disinterest, the navigator was quite obviously interested. Her slight smiles and the soft giggles they shared, heads bent low together. The way her fingers lingered only slightly longer than they should have. The way she always seemed to gravitate toward him, no matter what adventure they were on. The way her eyes lit up and sparkled when he stepped into the room.

The whole ordeal was rather tragic, unrequited love with the one man who had insisted on saving her from her childhood monster. The first person she had let close to her heart, and he only saw her as his friend. Perhaps he could write a song about it.

When Brook had overheard Nami and Zoro discussing the fact that a certain navigator had "pressed her lips against his," he wasn't too surprised. Brook was a good man, a kind friend, and he wouldn't dare imagine telling the rest of the crew what he had learned.

Brook had found her late at night, hiding in the Observatory Crow's Nest, cradling a bottle of sake like it was a newborn child.

"Beloved Navigator, I am not Chopper, but I do not think that consuming so much alcohol in such a short amount of time is healthy... Perhaps you should give me the bottle?" Nami looked up at him, her eyes red and puffy with tears spilling out the corners.

She drunkenly slurred as she told him to "fuck off," and that she, "didn't take orders from old men." Brook clutched at his empty rib cage in mock-hurt.

"Why, Nami! I may be a skeleton, but I am far from old!" Brook laughed at his dumb joke, before gently plucking the bottle from the ginger's hands. Nami made a noise in protest but was much too drunk to do much about it, so she sighed and leaned backwards onto the floor. "Would you like me to go find Robin?" Nami thought for a moment before shaking her head no. Brook stared at her, and sat down. "May I ask you what had caused your tears?"

"None of your buissiness," she slurred, wiping at her face with the sleeve of her hoodie. Brook nodded.

"Fair enough. Would you like me to leave?" While he didn't much want to leave her alone to cry, crying alone seemed to cheer her up at times. The ginger grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket and peered up at him with worried, watery eyes.

"Please ssstay," she pleaded, "I... I don't wanna be alone." Brook nodded. Nami leaned her head against his shoulder, and the two stared out the window together.

"Why are you so sad lately, Nami?" he asked quietly, looking down at her. "Luffy is safe, he's recovering. Why are you so sad?" She hesitated before answering.

"He's gonna be in so much pain. Emotionally," she added, reaching for the bottle still in Brook's hand. He sighed and stretched out his long arms to set it down as far from her as he could. She stopped struggling for it after a moment.

"We're gonna help him," a soft voice said from behind the pair. Usopp finished climbing the ladder and stepped over to them, sitting on Nami's other side. "We just can't let him hurt himself is all. He'll try, but we have to remind him that we're here for him." He reached for her hand and squeezed it gently, offering her a small smile. She sniffed and returned his grin.

"I wanna make sure he's okay," she said, leaning against Usopp, but reaching to hold Brook's hand. The trio leaned back onto the floor and after a while, Nami's eyelids fluttered shut.

"We will." Usopp yawned and closed his eyes, folding his arms behind his head. Brook nodded.

Into the quiet darkness, Brook whispered, "We always will," before drifting to sleep, himself.