One Piece Fan Fiction ❯ A Log Pose to Nami ❯ The Luck of a Name! A Man of D. Falls! ( Chapter 4 )

A Log Pose to Nami

The Luck of a Name!

A Man of D. Falls!

Long after the sounds of the fight had died away, Nami kept expecting Luffy to come barging through the door, and claiming he was there to save her. It was silly, however - such a thought as that, as if he would come in with a beaming smile, charging into the room like he was her hero, and sweeping her off her feet.

When Alvida and Buggy finally entered, she asked, “Where's Luffy?”

“Oh, shove it,” she said. “You're not getting out of here without a Marine escort. Forget about a rescue.”

“They're coming for me,” said Nami. “They can do anything.”

Alvida laughed, “Enies Lobby was a whole big lie. I think it's a cover up for the revolutionaries breaking through somehow. No one could possibly have overtaken that place though, and even if you guys did, more than half your crew must be dead. I bet no one else will come for you at all since I booted your captain over the side of the ship.”

Twitching, Nami averted her eyes from her, “Yeah, he'd do something stupid like that. I'm sure the others saved him though. You're in for a surprise later.”

“Feh! What others?” Buggy said, “No one else but Straw Hat got on board. I saw him come flashily crashing onto the deck in some dingy. He was alone.”

“What …?” He came alone? How did he follow us by himself? She suddenly recalled his haggard appearance. His skin and lips had been sunburned and chalky, and Nami looked toward the floorboards near the door, realizing that he had tracked in blood, Was he wearing his sandals?

Alvida covered her mouth with a hand to laugh, “Oh, the look on your face! Don't worry. I'll be sure to put the treasure he brought with him to good use.”

Her jaw dropped, And he found some treasure for me!? She almost came to tears, “Don't touch my treasure! Luffy stole that, so it belongs to our crew!” Mine! All mine!

Chuckling, Buggy said, “It was almost worth losing his dead body overboard since we got the loot. 24-karat gold, exquisite pearls and fine jewelry from the West Blue - it doesn't add up anywhere close to his bounty though.”

Pulling out a string of pearls, Alvida placed it around her neck, “What do you think? Does it suit me?”

Nami blinked at it slowly, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she realized that nothing she said would ever come to explain the inexplicable pang in her chest or the reason why she wanted to break down and cry.

“Oh, I love pearls,” she said, eyeing the necklace she had placed around her throat. “What do you think, Luffy?”

When she turned to show him, his mouth was full of food he had picked up from who even knew where, and so he swallowed it quickly, “I thought you liked gold.”

“But pearls look so good on me, don't you think?”

For a wonder, he actually nodded, and she flushed red with pleasure at the unsaid compliment, but then, he said, “You're going to steal that, aren't you?”

Nami made a face at him, “Of course. I already have a pocket-full, stupid. Now shut up or I'll get caught.”

Feeling her knees start to give out, she wondered if he had been thinking of her when he had taken the pearls, and if he had even remembered that conversation. Nami would have collapsed if it hadn't been for the restraints that held her securely to the wall of the ship. What other kinds of treasure did he get for me? He … he must have thought of me if he got those pearls.

The two pirates cackled together while Buggy said, “It's stunning, Alvida! Everything looks flashy on you!”

Alvida just smiled, and then waved to Nami a goodbye as they left her. Their task complete - telling Nami the bad news of her drowned captain, and the treasure he had stolen - they had nothing else to ruin her day with, and thus departed from her.

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She clung to the hat, keeping it firm against her head like when he would put it on her. If she concentrated, she could smell him - the odd aroma of pork, beef and fish infusing her senses.

Nami wasn't sure if the smell reassured her, but it gave to her the impression that he was actually beside her, and that comforted her.

Alvida and Buggy had traded her in for the sixteen million berries that she was worth, and then Nami had been forced into her current `living space.' Looking up from her cot, she peered through the cell bars to the other women in the jail block. As piracy wasn't common among women, she only saw two others with her as this was the female block - kept separate from the men. One of them was staring right back at Nami, smiling.

“Aren't you the ship whore of the Straw Hat crew?”

Her eyes widened in offense, and she stood up, “I'm their navigator! I make sure that those boneheads don't get themselves lost or drowned” - she swallowed nothing at that thought, seeing Luffy sink down through the water - “or … or whatever else those morons are likely to do.”

“Sorry, my mistake.”

Blinking, Nami paused in her tirade, confused by the woman's calm attitude, and the immediate apology, “Huh?”

“It's Monkey D. Luffy, right?”

Sinking back onto the bed, she leveled her gaze with that of the other woman, “Yeah, that's him.”

“D. is a dangerous name,” she said.

“What do you mean?”

“Just hope that you have half the luck that man has.” The smile was still there, and Nami swallowed nothing, staring at the odd grin and pondering over those words until the woman said, “He's sure a handsome one though, hmm?”

She blinked in puzzlement, not certain where the change in topic came from, but she said, “Luffy? Handsome? He's like a little kid.”

“Is he now?”

Nami opened her mouth to answer, ready to shoot down that notion before she realized that she was still clutching tightly to his hat, and recalled when he had put it on her head before dealing with Arlong. His laughter chimed in her head as he carried her through Water 7, looping around and over buildings. She had looked up once, terrified and unsure, but his grin had chased it all away - all until they had landed, and she beat him for risking her as he had.

Taking the straw hat off, she inspected the weave, seeing some of the repair work that she had done in the past. Amending her previous statement, she said, “Most of the time.”

She saw his smile, “You fixed it, Nami! You're awesome!”

“Do you miss the man of D.?”

“Yeah,” she said without a second thought, and put the hat back on, mimicking how Luffy would have done it. “I do.”

“So,” the older woman said, “when is your crew coming to pick you up?”

Biting her lip, she said, “They're not. Luffy came alone, and he was thrown overboard. Even if he did survive somehow, I can't think of any way that he'd figure out how to get here.”

“You lose faith in him too quickly,” the woman said, and Nami looked up at her from under the brim of Luffy's hat. “Men of D. never give up.”

“Unless he's dead,” Nami said, and then her hands shook. Covering her face, she lowered her head, and started to bite her cheek, forcing back stricken tears, You better not be dead, you stupid idiot … Hearing the woman laugh, she raised her face to glare venomously, “Stop it! Don't laugh at me!”

“Looks to me like you're in over your head with this one,” she said softly. “Careful. Remember what I said about luck.”

“Who cares about luck!?” She shot to her feet again, clutching at the hat, and bringing it to her chest, and wished it were his head that she was cradling, “He's injured, half-drowned at the worst, and that idiot couldn't feed himself to save his own life! He'd get lost at sea in minutes! Even if he did get out onto the ocean, whatever he's using would sink long before he got anywhere. He doesn't have anyone right now, and the only one that's close enough to really help him is me, and …” Nami finally started to weep “And I need him more than he'll ever need me. That's sad, isn't it? Luffy's out there by himself with no one but his own foolhardy spirit and I need him. It's pathetic, right?”

“There's no shame in needing people. Monkey D. Luffy is no different. If he didn't need you, he would've sat on that shore, and watched you sail away to rot in that jail cell.”

“That's what I'm doing though, and I don't have my Perfect Clima Tact either, so I'm more than useless. He doesn't need that.”

Cackling, the woman said, “You'd be surprised about what a man really needs.”

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It had rained, snowed, and even hailed all within one hour of each other while Luffy was going across the sea. So far, he had managed to stay upright for the entire duration, but he was already becoming tired once more. The rest that Ace had granted him was starting to wear away, and he wondered how long he had actually been sleeping before he had been revived. He was grateful that his wound had been treated too, but it continued to ache gently as he worked at the waves - his stomach and arm pulsing in turn.

Luffy checked the log pose again, and adjusted his course to match where the needle was pointing. Pausing long enough to shade his eyes from the sun to see further, he grinned. He could see the long form of an island in the distance, and so he reached into his pack for the water canteen from Ace to take a gulp before he started to row once more.

“I'm getting Nami back,” he said, his determined smile still in place. “She's going to navigate for me, and eat mandarin oranges in front of my face to tease me, and hit me whenever she's cranky, and laugh with and at me.”

He swallowed nothing, feeling his cheeks actually heat at another thought, but he continued to smile. Buggy and Ace had both said the same thing, and that word had inspired notions to attempt something that had seemed impossible in the beginning. Now that they were so close, however, he was certain that they were only a stone throw away from it. He only had to do it once, and then he would know for sure, but he was already confident of what her feelings would actually be.

Just once wouldn't hurt though, he grinned even wider - which was only possible due to his rubber body. Only one time … or two … or three … Luffy laughed at himself, scratching the back of his head, She'd beat me for sure after that.

Raising his head, he checked the log pose, and made sure the needle was still pointing at the island before he continued, seeing her face, and almost expecting to see her form on the beach and waving to him.

“Luffy! Come off that log, you'll drown, you big oaf!” She peeled her orange, and smiled brightly, “We can go into town for a little bit if you want, but you better not pick any fights or we'll get caught.”

“No,” he said, “I just want to go home with you.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Come rescue me!”

Blinking when the sound of a gun cocking interrupted his little reverie, he directed his attention to a Marine ship that was fast approaching. Several guns were already pointed at him, and he scratched his head, wondering why they were even bothering with guns anymore since they no longer harmed him.

“Straw Hat Luffy!” Someone called from the deck, and he shaded his eyes to look up at a man standing there, “Surrender now, and we will not open fire.”

With a grin, he indicated the guns, and said, “Those are no good against me.”

“Oh, no,” the officer said, “I think they are. Cadet Yamato! Fire!”

The sound of the gun firing surprised him - they always did even though he had no real need to fear them - but what really shocked him was that the bullet pierced his rubber flesh just above his chest. Crying out, he took the hit, and then attempted to roll the log back upright as the impact had almost knocked him over. Seizing a hold of his shoulder, he grimaced at the solemn looking man, grinding his teeth, “What … what kind of bullets are those?”

“Sharpened and pointed to break through even your hide, and tipped with Kairouseki to bring you down.”

Luffy realized a moment too late that his vision had been blurring, and he toppled over, hitting the water, and sinking below, unable to move.

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Yeah, I know that there's no action in this one, but I needed to transition into the action since there's been so much jumping around in the story - also, I wanted to try playing with Nami, so tell me how I did with her? Be honest. Also, I've just come up with something for readers to do. Please, if you're reading this, review with the word `heso.' That's really all you have to say. You don't have to say anything else except `heso' - though I would love it if you did. XP

chuck: Of course, you do! I rock. Thanks for reviewing!

Chibi-Chichan: Aaah, if you're so far behind …! Go read some more wonderful One Piece. Or watch it on YouTube, for the fans of One Piece are many and love to share. To put it simply though, a log pose is a type of compass used on the Grand Line because regular compasses don't work there. You should be able to wiki it without getting any spoilers. Thanks for the review and support!

Gabe Logan: Thanks, so much! … Ack, I see so many Luffy/Nami stories in your profile, but I can't read Spanish …! …:D That's a good excuse to learn it now though. XP

overlord: Who said that dawn was even approaching? Fuwahahahaha …

BlackNhite: Yeah, everyone seems to be talking about `em now … But they will appear in the story, so worry not. So, people haven't been integrating the gears into their stories yet? How odd … :D Ah, well, I guess that I beat many people to the punch then.

Zinfer: Since you reviewed twice in two different chapters, I must now respond to both. Ahem … AAaaaaaAAAaaagh! …… Did I win? Thanks for your reviews!

onepiece fanatic: Wow, all these Ace fans seem really nice. I'm not that used to how different One Piece fans seem from other anime fans, but it's awesome so far. Okay! Thanks for reviewing!

sempai-sama: Ooh, another one thinking about the rest of the Straw Hat crew? Don't worry. They'll appear in one shape or form in this fic.

CSI Kaizoku: Aw! Okay, I'll try to keep everything surprising and entertaining for you so that you keep hanging!

catho: Eeh? Why were you going to cry? :D And yes, ma'am! I'll do what I can!

Koinu: XP Thanks!

wheathermangohanssj4: Thank you so much! Now that's what I'm talking about here! I'm just trying to keep most chapters around this length, and … -shrugs- well, there was just nothing more to add to the chapter, so I updated it. As for Luffy's attacks … XP Yes, I totally forgot about adding `Giant' during Gear Third, so now it's fixed. And the others? I'm either going to reveal what they're up to at the end or give them their very own chapter after a cliffhanger (just to see who I annoy).

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