Chapter Text
Finding Shanks was not at all difficult when one knew where to look, Marco only had to hear the whispers of the Red-Hair Pirates to fly to him and his crew. There were bottles on the soft sand when he landed on the island, the air reeked of the wild parties thrown by the Yonko and the lingering echoes of laughter long past. Some members groaned at the sight of him, still too blurry-eyed from whatever party they had. The winds whistled in the background as he dragged his feet to the only person awake, the red-haired man that rubbed his temple with that hand of his.
“Partied hard, did you yoi?” He kept his voice respectfully low, though he had the itch to raise his voice at the groaning, younger male. Years ago, they stumbled into this island with clashing swords, with Roger demanding for Oden’s help. Now, he came here into this island once more for the sake of Pops. For the sake of Pops’ granddaughter. A child that could never be claimed openly, freely or lovingly. The opposite of all the members of Whitebeard, they were claimed with pride and joy. If the world was kinder, Pops would claim her even louder with the fierceness of the waters.
The pirate dragged his thumb across his lower lip, a flicker of suspicion in his gaze before it faded into that easy joy the man had been known for. “What brings the First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates to my territory?” the man joked though his eyes drifted to the snoring men that surrounded them. “Can’t imagine our party had been loud enough to be heard from Moby Dick. Can’t think of anything we’ve done to warrant such a visit.” He laughed. “We’ve been good boys, no looking for trouble and not poking any of Whitebeard’s territory.”
Marco only remained silent before taking a seat beside him. The tree bark dug right into his thigh, a dagger against his skin while his eyes wandered to the dark ashes of a campfire that died long ago. His mind wandered to the sea of memories, to the heavy grief painted on his eyes of the blood son long since dead and of the granddaughter left behind. “You saw the latest bounty that came out, didn’t you?” Shanks’ smile did not falter; his own eyes became graver. “The girl they wanted alive. A 460 million bounty. They named her the cursed fugitive.”
Shanks rubbed his stubble, a quiet grimace on his face before it shifted into that joyful one with the wild laugh. “People are talking about her, aren’t they? Catches eyes, doesn’t she?” Marco grimaced. The younger members of the crew still talked about her, the unaware ones. Shanks laughed, almost playfully but ever so sharp as the blade dangling on his waist. “Don’t think you or Whitebeard care for her looks or even her bounty.” His hand rubbed one side of his temple. “Kaido would. Big Mom but Whitebeard? Not his style.”
The waters gently crashed against the sands, a little whisper of the harsh truth that would escape his lips. “He cares when it’s one of his own,” Shanks’ smile dropped at those words while Marco picked up one of the fallen bottle. He swirled the remains of the drink, just a little bit. “We saw her once, before the bounty came out but Pops had…his suspicions. She resembles a woman that he dearly loved.” He paused. “A child came from that union. A boy. The world never knew about him, Pops included.” Another deep breath. “He died but not before leaving behind a girl. The girl that the World Government wants alive.”
Shanks leaned his body forward; all smiles faded on his face. “One of his own, huh?” His hand wandered to his heart while his dark eyes inspected the waters kissing the sand. “Even Whitebeard can create bonds of his own.” The quietness of his voice gave no hint to his thoughts. “A tragic fate for him, huh? For all the boys he claimed…he never got to know the one who was truly his.”
“Just like Roger did,” he acknowledged. The secret spoken to him by Whitebeard, the secret he kept close to his chest like a clothing drawer. Shanks’ eyes didn’t sharpen, nor did he seem at all surprised by his declaration. “You know it better than anyone. Roger raised you and Buggy like his own,” he paused. “Yet the child born to him never had that chance, though he would deny it. But one mention of Roger’s name…and you see it. He resembles him in his youth, I remember. All those who have seen Roger in his youth, can see it.”
The red-haired captain didn’t smile, just closed his eyes like it did when the whisper of the dead came up. “I saw once…when he came to thank me. I had my suspicions,” he chuckled. “How is he? Still seeking trouble or has he started to cool down under the presence of Whitebeard? Roger was temperamental too.” He sobered up. “But temper can burn bright…but not for long.”
Marco closed his eyes. Everyone knew, everyone—including Deuce—tried to teach the boy about restraint. One insult about them, about Whitebeard, led the boy to act. He was a good commander, a good person, but too easy for the world to read. “He’s checking on Pop’s granddaughter,” he paused when the man raised his eyebrows at him. A quiet interest. “He’s unaware of her relationship with Whitebeard, he’s grown…attached to her.” His mouth curved into a tired smile. “Was furious with Teach when he reduced her to something vulgar.”
Shanks didn’t laugh at those words, just gazed at the whispering water. “Oh? Took a liking to her, did he?” His words were teasing but his hand ventured to the scars on his face. Years ago, the male never had such scars. “Can’t blame him. She’s a striking girl.” Marco grimaced. “Anyone with a pair of eyes would notice her. Some of the younger ones were…taken by her poster. They say her smile looked like it could warm the deck.” He chuckled, low and deep. “If I were Ace, I’d watch her closely. Pirates have a habit of stealing whatever catches their fancy.”
Oh, he knew. Whitebeard spoke of the past with fondness and grief, with heavy eyes as he spoke to him of how Shakky, the partner of Rayleigh, had been seen as a prize for war. That men fought for her like tales of old. His captain would not laugh at the implication of his granddaughter having such presence. A sudden sigh threatened to escape, he chose instead to shut his eyes and thought of Ace before he left. Far too eager to leave, though he lingered around the crew…far longer than expected. His eyes focused on Teach, far wearier like he truly read the weather. “I won’t know until he comes back if he truly took a liking for her…or if it’s just something casual for him.” He paused. “Ace is a boy that prefers casual relationships over commitment. He has an…allergy for it, just like Benn over there.”
Pops believed Ace was developing feelings for her, just the fact he gifted the Log Pose without argument and flared up when Teach behaved his vulgar self-gave whispers of potential. Then the poster came out, and it burned brighter than ever. Thatch believed Ace would be a fool and seek a casual relationship with the woman if she was better. Pops believed differently. He? He had only one way to know. If his heart was at war, his habits would shift like the winds. Marco lowered the bottle, his eyes wandered to the waters. It had been a week since Ace left, far too long, but was this a sign?
“For her sake, I hope he doesn’t decide to act like old Benn,” Shanks chuckled and glanced at the snoring man to the side. At the pipe laid carelessly on the ground. “I caught a glimpse of her once when I visited the island, little thing but has a set of pipes on her.” He picked up the forgotten bottle; finger traced on the curve. “I met her mentor too, reminded me of Oden with his behaviour.” Shanks paused. “But unlike Oden, he grieves and carries duties like a blade. He loved that girl, always pulling her away from wet-eared boys away from her…or so he boasted when he drunk. Declared she would be far more beautiful than some woman called Tsunade.” He exhaled. “Says she looks like her mother but has her father’s colouring. From what I understand, he trained the man too…saw him as his son.”
Marco closed his eyes; Pops would be pleased to hear. To know that his blood son had been taken in and did have someone to act as his father. Exhaling, he inspected the golden sand beneath the soles of his sandals. “Got him drunk enough to confess such secrets, Shanks?” The red-haired laughed, heartedly and amused, while the other men snored, a loud symphony for them. “Can’t imagine a grieving man would spill such secrets when sober. Even Oden kept his heart sealed.”
Shanks heaved a sigh; sandal dangled helplessly from his foot. “Never got him drunk. He drinks just like me,” he paused and rubbed the stubble of his chin. “Fate can be such a funny thing. On the last day I was in the island, I met him and that little girl.” His lips twitched with faint amusement—nothing like the loud laughter of their shared childhood. Though he was slightly older than Yonko. “I caught intel of the Uzumaki Clan, the shadows of them and that was enough for me…so I went to get a couple of drinks with the boys.” He howled. “That girl came in, hair blazing with fury as she demanded for her mentor to train her.” He exhaled. “The man complained, she was blunt and tell him that it was better to train her than moon over some woman that she calls the Old Hag.”
It sounded like a different woman, a carefree child with laughter on her lips and joy in her eyes. Nothing like the girl he had seen in their territory, but it explained the girl in the poster. Marco rubbed his own jaw before allowing his hand to wander to his own messy hair, it felt too soft for the hard truth stumbled upon. “Pops think she might be the keeper that you’ve been looking for,” he paused. “Izo went to her home island and heard you visited, asking about that clan. She is known there as an Uzumaki.”
The winds whistled at that moment as the male rubbed his chin. “Uzumakis are known for their red-hair in that land, but not all heritages bleed through,” his lips twitched like there was some inside joke that he was not privy to. “But the chances of her being the keeper could be high but there’s something else that would need to be confirmed. That clan has their thread woven with another clan, they are either enemies or…the best of friends. Sometimes both.” He exhaled. “Now I wonder if that boy she is obsessed to save with…is a member of that clan.” Shanks rubbed his chin. “A priest of old in that land spoke of how one child born from each clan, every so often, form a steel-like bond. Most become brothers, few become lovers but all…end in tragedy.”
Marco grimaced. “What are you trying to imply for Whitebeard? That his granddaughter is going to have a tragic fate? He would kill anyone linked to that clan if this is the case!”
“Calm down, Marco. It’s a tale from that land,” Shanks reassured him as his eyes drifted to the waters. “Not known to many. We had to hunt down one of the last priests of the Uzumaki Shrine to get this information,” he paused. “But they did mention something interesting that Whitebeard might find interesting about his granddaughter.” Marco frowned and the male exhaled. “The priest said that the children born into the Uzumaki Clan have a tendency to fight against the tide and do as they wish when they deemed a matter to be important—whether they were raised in that clan or not. It is that tendency alongside their special blood that makes them the only ones capable of being the keeper of the most dangerous. Many have tried, only they could be the keeper…and survive.”
The more he heard, the more he wondered of how he would release such details to Pops. Pops was a man growing older by the minute, who straightened his spine and acted like nothing weakened him. He balled his hands into a fist and closed his eyes. Should he mention to Pops about his granddaughter being obsessed with someone? No, he would not. Pops would try to find the boy and have him killed, or he would look the other way. Either way, it spoke trouble for them. Then there was Ace. If the hot-headed boy found a girl he liked, why would he be the one to crash his reality? It would just make him go back to his old habits if it was true.
“Pops asked me to come here because he fears that he would not live long enough to protect the girl from the World Government,” he decided to say with a tight voice. “He’s worried for the day he is gone. The World Government rarely want those that are alive only,” Marco flickered his eyes to the bright green leaves. “He believes if she is the keeper, then it explains why the World Government wants her alive only. He request that you help him protect her, just like he keeps your captain’s son identity a secret.”
Shanks chuckled.
“A threat, eh? You know I would’ve done it anyway,” he exhaled and brushed his finger against the hilt of his blade. “The world will end if the World Government gets her, her freedom will be lost…and I would never wish to see a child that had once been lively become a shell of herself.”
Marco only closed his eyes and stared at the empty bottles, at the sharp reflection of the sun. He could only imagine what type of kid she had been, for the teenager he saw was not a happy one. Just a woman trying to survive. If the world was kind, she would be a woman trying to live. Not just survive. For the sake of Whitebeard, for their sake, he hoped Ace did develop feelings and was not on his way of repeating his bad habits. Nurses and civilians were one thing, but a grandchild of their Pops deserved far better than a causal relationship.
(Coconomi Island)
Usopp swallowed and winced when Zoro sliced through another raging Fish-Man. For the past couple of hours, they wandered through the forest with him declaring that he was the one to shoot Arlong and then have the swordsman smile that terrifying smile of his and pull his blade out to finish them. Oh, he was lucky he found him or else he would be as dead as the fish found in the fish market. Just the thought alone brought another shudder down his spine. How was he going to be the brave warrior of the sea if he couldn’t stop shaking? He swallowed the blood-soaked air just as his eyes wandered to the bushes.
There were quiet rustles in the bushes, little mouse-like rustles, and then he swore he saw white smoke whispering through the gaps of the bushes. Yet, there was no lingering scent of gunpowder. It smelt…normal, like it was apart of this planet. Could white smoke be natural? No, nope. There was absolutely no way that it was natural. He inched closer to Zoro, who didn’t seem to flinch at the cloud-like smoke. Could Fish-Man do that? God, he hoped not. Those monsters were already fast, if they could now be connected to the skies…then what hope did he have? What hope Zoro have? Their tactic relied on him drawing attention while Zoro fought them head-on.
His hands wandered down to his slingshot while Zoro’s hand wandered to the hilt of his sword. The bushes whispered once more and without thought, their swordsman launched himself just as blond hair peaked out. To his surprise, Naruto held the tip of Zoro’s sword with the pinch of her fingers. The swordsman blinked while Usopp stared at the stone-face of their Quartermaster. The sun shone down on her golden hair, now it resembled golden flames underneath the light. Her eyes held twinkles of amusement but…there was an oddness in her shoulders, a sudden stiffness that had never been there before. His friend was never this mountain-like.
“Naruto, where’s…Luffy?” He decided to ask her. The woman flickered her eyes at him, her eyes softened for a moment before she released Zoro’s blade. The swordsman grunted, slid his katana back into its sheath, and plopped himself down to the soil. In the distance, a few of the Fishmen groaned, a little loud one that chilled his blood. They should keep going. Though, they now had Naruto with them, which was better. She would never dangle him like bait.
The woman remained silent for a moment, her head turned away from them. His throat tightened at her action, for one wild moment his mind considered the horrible possibility that Luffy was…no, he was wrong. Naruto had the tendency to be dramatic with her actions. For his friend, every unspoken word from her weighed far more than her spoken words. Even her actions spoke a different language to her own words. Seconds passed before the woman sighed. “He’s in Nami’s home with Sanji and Nami.”
“Nami?” Zoro grunted. “You talked sense into her?”
Naruto didn’t smile at those words; her face slipped into a grimace. With Naruto, he understood she had a habit of drawing truths as if they were her blades. Exhaling, the older woman slipped her hands into the pocket of her pants. “I didn’t talk sense to her,” she paused and darted her eyes to the bleeding Fish-Men. “One of their own tried to attack us. I made him an offer,” her words became thoughtful and quieter. “He told me that the marines are being paid to look the other way, I…didn’t know Nami was there and you can imagine the rest. When someone’s hope is shattered, it never looks good on the despairing person.”
Her voice was quiet, thoughtful and almost pained. Rarely had he heard Naruto use that kind of tone, it tightened his throat and made him wonder for a moment of what happened to her. Zoro didn’t seem to share the same thought. The male twisted his body around, no doubt ready to charge straight into Arlong Park with Naruto being there. “Why didn’t Luffy just charge right into Arlong Park?” Zoro levelled his stern gaze on Naruto. “What did you tell him to have him stay in Nami’s home instead of doing what he always do?”
“I told him that we need to shift the battlefield to our favour,” she acknowledged. Usopp frowned at the heaviness of her voice, the quiet stiffness in her movement. Zoro eyed her with those cold eyes, the ones where he judged inaction than action. “I knew someone that resembled them. I…always thought fighting him in water would get me killed,” she exhaled. “I made the same call with them. Arlong is a tyrant, he would absolutely make Arlong Park fit him and water is…Luffy’s weakness.” She scowled. “What good is eating the devil fruit if he drowns and is unable to fight them? I want us to live with the least number of injuries.”
Oh, he was grateful that Luffy wanted Naruto, for he would never know what would happen to them without her. Would Zoro lose a limb without her presence? Would Nami have done something extreme like stab herself from the grief? She was their planner, their thinker and the one person capable of reasoning with their chaotic captain. If a day came, she left them, what would they do? Who could keep Luffy from being his chaotic storm? Not him. Definitely not Zoro. The swordsman encouraged it. He shook his head. Why would he think such negative thoughts?
“And have you thought of a plan?” Zoro lifted his head and gazed at the drifting white clouds. “We can’t waste all our time planning, Naruto. We’ve been here only a day ahead of you, already got Usopp wanted by them.” He flinched while the woman swirled her head at him. The man smiled, utterly too pleased with the hell that he unleashed. Naruto, on the other hand, just stared at him with those dead eyes. Oh, those eyes always brought a shudder down his spine, always reminded him of dead fish. “Won’t be long before they start combing through the villages to find him.”
She exhaled. “Will need to think about that,” she paused and glanced at his slingshot. “Got more of your explosive pellets or would you need to make more…because I got an idea on what can be done for you.” He blinked as the woman picked up one of the fallen branches. With a quiet hum, she began to draw strange patterns into the soil in language unknown to him and in a pattern unseen. “Never done this before, back home…everyone can use it but we need the hunting squad to be destroyed. Zoro needs to be with Luffy, me too…and Sanji is needed there.” She began to curse under her breath. “Maybe…but one wrong move and he’s alone.”
He reached forward and grabbed the muttering woman by her steady hands. She jolted and then stared at him with those calm eyes, he hated those eyes. Sometimes, he wondered if his friend would ever just display her emotions openly, would make it easier for all of them to read her like a book. Kaya read her, called Naruto gentle, but times like these when she seemed like a closed book. “Naruto, I need to make more but…why are you muttering? Can’t you just tell us the plan!” His voice trembled. “I got lucky by finding Zoro but I don’t know how to survive if he goes with Luffy and Sanji! I can’t go to the Going Merry to make more items ‘cuz the Fish-Men surround it!”
“I can make explosives for you but I need you to collect as many rocks as you can,” she told him. “We can’t attack till tomorrow because I need to do some…experimenting.” He opened his mouth to question her, but she silenced him with her palm. “Don’t ask. If I explain the concept to you, we’re going to be wasting time ‘cuz you’re going to ask too many questions.” Her hands ran through her hair. “Tomorrow, I need you to attack the hunter groups by yourself…but your way.” He blinked and the blonde sighed. “Zoro is a swordsman, he would refuse to hide but you? Luffy called you his sniper, snipers hide in the shadows. You’re going to play the role of a ninja.”
He swallowed. “But ninjas are cool! Calm! And collected! I’m none of those things!”
“Usopp,” the woman’s voice became softer, strangely gentle in the whispers of the summer winds. That straightened his spine, made his lips wobbled because Naruto was rarely soft with him. To him, she was the sergeant, the big sister that rarely displayed her gentle side to him. Luffy got it. The others did. He got the harsh woman of winter, not the gentle woman of summer. “Do you know what the term shinobi means? The actual term, not the one given by everyone else?”
He shook his head. Was there a difference in terms? Usopp darted his eyes to Zoro. The male had chosen to close his eyes, almost as if he allowed himself to be soaked by the winds of this island. With the tightness loosening in his throat, he asked her. “Is there a meaning behind the term shinobi?” In the tales spoken by the villagers, of the ninjas, they spoke of battle tactics and calmness. Everyone knew a shinobi was the opposite of him, he wished he could be as brave of a warrior as them.
“A shinobi is someone that endures,” she explained to him with that tired tone of hers. Her lips almost had that bittersweet smile like she understood the term far better than she liked, like it was one of those steamed vegetables Naruto hated to eat but forced her to eat. He would know. She always made a face whenever she ate them, the same greenness he had, but unlike him…she forced herself to finish it up. “When you’re being scared, I’m not telling you to forget about it or it doesn't matter. I’m telling you to act even when you are being afraid.”
Usopp nodded and looked to the groaning Fish-Men that laid on the grounds, still whimpering from their moves. He could do that. He could try to do it. “I’ll try but…if anything happens to me, you’re explaining to Kaya!” It was a joke, a harmless one to remind himself that he needed to live for Kaya, but there was a sudden grief in her eyes. The one that always came whenever hints of love was seen. Sometimes, he forgot about how his friend ached for it because the last week had him seeing three boys falling backwards for her. For Naruto whenever she showed her quiet softness to them.
“I know,” she exhaled and shut her eyes. “If anything happens, I’ll explain things to your girlfriend.”
Nami pushed the slices of the tangerines to the side, her eyes lingering on the sweet orange stew before flickering her eyes to Sanji. Her mouth had threatened to drop when the cook decided to push for her right, to just punch that Fish-Man on the face. In Baratie, she never missed the fondness in his voice. The way his eyes tracked the doors as if to capture a glimpse of their steadiest member, their prettiest member. Now, he did the same. He always snuck glances at the door with the quiet eagerness of a puppy. It was almost nauseating and bittersweet to witness it, even worse when she knew the receiver was as blind as a bat.
She continued to stir the stew, watched the liquid stick to the spoon, and listened to the quiet whispers of the world outside. Luffy was still outside, still dangled on her mother’s tree just like an upside-down monkey. Just as free as ever. It would not be long before she could be free, before this village would be freed from the shadows of Arlong. She swallowed the sweet tangerine air, then shoved the spoon right into her mouth. It tasted so sweet, so good, like the world could be good to her. Sanji glanced at her, a delighted smile on his face, nothing like the quiet, fond light that he had when Naruto came through that door. Even when Naruto had been outside, his eyes tracked her with that devotion of his.
“You know Beautiful cares for you,” Sanji began their conversation with that quiet voice of his. His fingers went down to his pockets, to pull out the lighter that was his constant companion. She, on the other hand, just took a small bite of the stew with a shaky heart. Oh, she knew. She knew very well that Naruto cared— that her heart carried love as vast as the ocean— and…it terrified her. Less than Luffy but more at the same time. Luffy thought of tomorrow when it was tomorrow, Naruto…constantly thought of it like a song. “She just looks at things differently. She just sees things several steps ahead.”
The tangerine stew tasted so bitterly sweet at that moment, just like her heart at this moment. She lowered her head even as the door facing the tangerine creaked open. “I know she does…but not now,” she closed her heavy eyelids and placed her head on top of the palm of her hand. “You spent more time with Naruto now, your feelings still haven’t died yet, Sanji?” Best for them to focus on the aspect she noticed during their time in Baratie. Of his quiet devotion for their kindest member, the one that was painfully blind to the wandering eyes of men. Better than to dwell on Naruto’s insistence, why must the woman always make her think of the future? Of a future she didn’t quite want to witness just yet.
Sanji smiled, that quiet tragic smile of a man that knew when a heart was sealed, and began to light up his cigarette. The light in his eyes softened before they darted to the door, the one that Naruto had went out from. The girl barely glanced at her when she left, though her eyes shone with guilt. It was worse when she had such eyes, for clinging to her annoyance at Naruto just made her feel like a villain. Just like Arlong. She was even tempted to call out to her, bark at her for being so weak at her conviction, but it hurt. It hurt to inflict pain to the woman that kept her word like a blade.
“She’s the type to deny things for herself for other people,” Sanji mused with that quiet, tired laugh of his. “I noticed that about her during the journey here. If I make food, she eats it but…she eyes Luffy like she wants him to be fed more than her.” He slid the cigarette between his lips with deliberate care. “Everything she does and will do…is for the sake of this crew. It’s hard not to like someone that never chooses herself, makes you wonder what happens when she truly smiles from her heart.”
Nami only remained silent and ran her hand through her hair, at the loose strands that threatened to fall from her grasp. Naruto’s smiles, when they came—unguarded and sincere—were like the aftermath of a rain. So beautiful and radiant that it ached. It washed over you, made whatever crap a person went through…seem like nothing. She sucked a deep breath and just gazed at the photo of her mother, that smiling face that only came in dreams and memories but would never be seen in the light. Just in the shadows. Her foster mother never married, was far prouder to call her and Nojiko her daughters…even when she had been a brat to her.
“I know,” she listened to the sweet whistles of the wind, to the soft squeak of the door as the wind came with greeting. “But I just wish she let me hit them,” her chest tightened as the memory of Naruto’s calm eyes crept into her mind. “I hate how she thinks several steps ahead, of some future that…I don’t know I can believe in.” Her throat tightened. “I get her point. That’s the part I hate because why can’t I just hit them? Why must I choose to be the bigger person? I get the idea but…” she growled. “It just sucks! I’m barely surviving, Sanji!”
The man nodded and blew out several rings of smoke—small ones and big ones. Impressive really, almost a reflection of the depth of the thoughts. “She is also barely surviving,” Sanji paused and gazed at the drifting black rings of smoke. “Doubt she would say it, if she never been in the same situation. She’s…different,” he grimaced. “Doesn’t seem like she had ever been treasured as a girl or taught to care for the temple that is her body.” His words sounded almost bitter. “Unless I put food in front of her or make a face, she won’t eat when her body demands for it. When I think of what she did, I…wonder how she ended up thinking like this.”
When she thought about it, her stomach lurched with the annoyance that always came whenever she saw Naruto denied herself more portions. “When it comes to Naruto, you really avoid that poetic stuff, don’t you?” The male didn’t blush, only laughed at her observation. The ashes from his cigarette rained down on the floors of this dingy farmhouse. “I would think you would do that stuff more with her.” His lips twitched, then he released a loud laugh that drown out their thoughts. Her thoughts, mostly.
“She isn’t like you,” Sanji acknowledged when his forced laugh died down. Those eyes softened, wandered to the tangerine tree with the single dangling tangerine. “She isn’t a flower that uses and accept men when they shower attention on her,” he tugged the cigarette to the corner of his lips. “She just denies herself and refuses to see her own beauty. If I speak about how mesmerising she is, the gold in her hair…the bond we have might just disappear. She hates my smoking and my poetic words.”
Nami took a bite of the tangerine slice, the juice stuck on the corner of her lips and she swiped it. “And you’ve no plans of telling her, do you?” Silence settled between them just as Luffy crept through the door—clumsily like he always did. His dark eyes focused on her, that knowing glint in his eyes. “She would appreciate it,” she paused as her own lips curved downwards into a scowl. “God knows she likes the small things in life, she never demands for more.”
It was strange how Naruto never wished for more, how she never thought to make Johnny or Yosaku do the work in the kitchen for her. She knew if the girl used her voice, the tired, soft one, then those boys would be more than happy to act as her puppets. It was pathetic of the boys. Not Naruto. Their quartermaster would never think of doing it, she just hummed and furrowed her eyebrows whenever those two boys tried to help her. She would insist they ate, insist because they were guests. It only stirred them more. Honestly, if she didn’t know how good Naruto was, she would think the woman was the best puppet master known to man.
“She would like it, would thank me, but she might feel pressured to accept my feelings,” Sanji said with a dragged-out sigh. She blinked as the male picked up the pot of stew and put it on the countertop. His eyes seemed heavier at that moment like the thought had weighed him down. “If she gives me a hint—her version of a hint, then I would declare it to her as loud as possible.” She snorted and he stared at the window, to where the tangerine trees stood. “I don’t wish for her to feel pressured to accept my feelings or for her to be closed off from me. She would do it in a heartbeat; some men would have the courage to open her up again and show her that she is a woman easy to love. Other men would have the courage to push her open again, only to add immense pressure on her…me?” He exhaled. “I would respect it.”
Nami closed her eyes and found her fingers tapping against the tabletop, one slow beat each time. “Then you’re going to wait forever, Sanji. Naruto is just…” she struggled to find the right words to describe her, throat tight and eyes shut. “Obtuse when it comes to men and their feelings for her.” Sanji didn’t laugh, just had that resigned, knowing look on his face. She sighed. “You might regret it when some man is willing to say he has feelings for her.”
The male nodded. “I know but if it makes her happy, then…regret is mine to carry.”
She only remained silent, closed her eyes and clicked her tongue. Shaking her head, she gazed to the door and stiffened when it opened to reveal the tired, slumped form of Nojiko. The breeze followed behind her, a quiet whisper to the room, as dark eyes focused on her before it wandered to the other members of the crew. To Luffy. To Sanji. Before it landed once back at her with those thoughtful eyes, concerned eyes. It was not long before her sister finally clicked her tongue. “Nami, you’re here,” her sister said flatly. “Who are these people?” She paused. “I’m guessing they must be with the long-nosed guy.”
Nami remained silent. She rubbed the back of her neck and pressed her lips into a thin line before closing her tired eyelids. It felt like the world was getting too heavy for her. “They are apart of the crew,” her throat tightened as her sister continued to stare down at her. “They’re…going to help me, Nojiko.” The silence pressed on like a blade to her neck. “I had to ask for help, Nojiko. There was no other option.” Her mind calculated it when that Fish-Man uttered those cruel words to her about the Marines. Dirty marines that took blood money.
The heated silence stretched far longer than she cared to admit. Then, her sister shut her eyes. “You could’ve come to me and Genzo, not to them. We’re your family, Nami.” She flinched at the reminder while Nojiko began to pace through the creaky floors with thunderous steps. “This village would help you! All of us know what was going on…so why would you ask an outsider before asking us?” Her sister swallowed. “This whole village is ready to up rise if you just say that you need our help too.” Her eyes threatened to burn up at that declaration.
Releasing a shaky breath, she turned her head. “I know. I don’t want anyone to die for this,” she clenched her jaw. “But these guys? They might be strong enough to defeat Arlong.” Her mind wandered back to Naruto, to her bounty poster. “We…got someone with a bounty higher than Arlong, so there’s a chance that they can beat him.” She didn’t know why their Quartermaster had such a high bounty, could imagine with that steady iron morals of hers, but it didn’t come out of nowhere.
Sanji grimaced at the reminder while Luffy tilted his hat down. Nojiko eyed them with curiosity, the quiet stir of suspicion in her eyes, and she found herself turning her head away from this. Zoro would never lie about this. Bounties weren’t a joke, they were a signal of power…and of danger imposed from the World Government. The silence stretched for a moment longer before her sister darted her eyes at the boys. “Which one of you have that bounty?”
“It ain’t us,” Luffy declared with a grin. The male plucked the hat, rolling it around his arms, before he closed his eyes. “Naruto is the one with the bounty but…” he trailed off, eyebrows furrowed together. “But don’t remind her. She isn’t happy right now.” Nami frowned at him while Sanji eyed their captain. He shrugged. “Don’t know why but it isn’t about her bounty.” The male pressed his hat down; his eyes studied the ground before. A frown played on his lips. “I really don’t know why. Just know it’s about what I told her,” he exhaled. “I don’t get why it made her sad.”
Nami pinched her nose. “What did you tell her?”
“Nothing important,” Luffy prattled. “She went to go and get Usopp and Zoro, so it isn’t a big deal.” He shrugged. “But she had a really funny look on her face.” The boy tried to make a face, but it resembled a sad clown…and it only deepened her frown. This was not important. If Naruto focused on work, on rounding up the others with ropes of intention, then they wouldn’t discuss it. Her village was far more important than whatever emotional mess Naruto was in.
Sanji didn’t seem to have the same thoughts. His lips were curved into a scowl. “What the hell did you tell her, Luffy?” The boy opened his mouth to tell them, only for the doors to swing open. Nami swirled her head and paused when she saw Naruto standing before them, her face was as cold as a sculpture—nothing like the expression described by Luffy. If it was not for the village, her heart would ache and she would drag the girl by her ear to dig the truth out of her. Only way to get Naruto to open up, though the woman never forced her to open up. She just…sat there like the gentle sun, drawing them in with her warm eyes.
“What’s happening here?” Naruto asked with a frown on her face. Sanji clicked his tongue while Luffy just stared at the girl. Nojiko eyed Naruto, suspicion in her eyes. Nami clicked her tongue and stood up, body trembling like a weak leaf, before making her way to her sister. With a grimace, she nudged her sister with an elbow and shot a warning look at her. The blonde blinked and repeated herself. “What’s going on, Sanji? Why are you raising your voice at Luffy?”
The blond-haired male dragged his breath before turning his head away from her. “Nothing is going on,” he declared with a steady voice, only tiny hints of a shakiness could be heard. Naruto noticed it. Her mouth had tightened after all, no words came out. Sanji continued by making his way to the pot of stew. “You should eat, Beautiful. Your complexion is far too tired,” he poured the stew into the bowl. It hissed on contact.
“No time to eat, Sanji,” the woman declared, taking a seat on the opposite of her. Naruto snuck a glance at her, eyes studying her for a moment, before turning her head away from them. “We need to make plans, I got to make some weapons for Usopp ‘cuz we need the hunters to not be near Arlong Park,” she held up her fingers like she ticked off priorities on a list. “I need to confirm with Nami if Arlong did anything to change his lair to give him a fighting advantage.” Nami parted her lips at this, and the woman looked away. “What? If we’re going to do this, I’m going to fight dirty so we can fight fair later. I know dirty tactics, I know how this works…this is no different.” She began to rub her head. “If he did anything with water, like underground water tunnels, then I would need to destroy it. At night. Then in the morning, we can start the fight.”
Nojiko gurgled, a loud interruption to draw attention on her. Her big sister folded her arms against her chest. “You’re talking about a job for 10 people! And who are you to make plans?” The woman clenched her jaw. “This is our home! I know we would die but this whole village would want to help Nami out with this!” Her eyes hardened. “We can’t allow you guys to risk your lives for this!”
“I can do the job of 10 people, not the first time I’ve done this sort of thing,” Naruto responded calmly. Her lips pressed into a thin line as a thoughtful glint came to her eyes. “You want to make this fair?” Nojiko jerked her head and the woman remained silent. Her fingers began to draw images on the table, her eyes drifted to the trees. “Back home, job like this would cost a lot. When Nami no Kuni was taken over by Gatou, Tazuna lied and came into agreement with my village to pay the actual rank money when it finally profited from the bridge. I only got paid around the equivalent of 20,000 berries—should have been paid higher at the time.” Her eyes focused on her. “Your village? You pay only 10 million berries from this.”
Nami slammed her hands on the table. “Naruto! You’re asking too low of a price for something as major as this!” This type of money was practically nothing compared to what the woman planned to do. Luffy frowned at her. Sanji jerked his head while Usopp just eyed the woman with confusion. “People would ask for higher!” Her heart stopped when her mind processed what Naruto had just said. At the mention of another place being taken over. “You’ve done jobs like this before, Naruto?”
No words were spoken as the woman scowled and turned her head away from them. The air suddenly trembled while everyone focused their eyes on the most mysterious member of the crew. Finally, the woman mumbled. “We weren’t supposed to take the mission,” she explained tiredly. “Tazuna didn’t have the money for an A-rank mission, so he lied to the village about the payment. I was just new to the job: me, Sakura and Sasuke. When we found out the truth, Kakashi-sensei asked us to make a choice: retreat or to continue on with the danger.” She clicked her tongue. “Tazuna told us a sob story about his daughter and grandson, couldn’t say no…but Kakashi-sensei had to negotiate with him later so he has an explanation for the council.”
Usopp cleared his throat. “Naruto, what the hell were you doing before you came to Syrup Village?”
The woman kept silent and made her way to the pot.
“I was a soldier,” she answered tiredly. “Or a mercenary would be a better word: the village doesn’t give a shit about morals unless the one with the bigger pockets paid.” She flung open the shelf doors, humming in that tired, soft voice of hers. “Better term would be…kunoichi. I worked for all sorts of people,” she grimaced and exhaled. “But that isn’t really important right now. The whole kunoichi thing will just be a pain if they send someone back home to deal with me,” she hummed. “That’ll be in the Grand Line. I doubt that man or even Shikamaru would think I would come to the East Blue.”
Nojiko cleared her throat. “But you guys managed to free that place, right? You think you can do the same with a different group of people?” Her eyes focused on Naruto before flickering her eyes to the others. “Because if you can, Nami would give you the same money that she planned to give to Arlong.” She nodded at that. It would go to their ship, to the expenses that they needed with a captain like Luffy. Also for clothing. God knew she wanted clothes and a new tattoo when this is over. “Think that will be fair for you? What you and your captain are planning to do…is irreplaceable for us.”
Naruto remained silent. “Ask Luffy. I’m not the captain here, I’m just doing what we need to do to even the playing field. If it’s up to me, we won’t take the money.”
“It’s going back to Nami,” their captain sad with a shrug. “As long as I fight Arlong, I don’t care.”