Chapter Text
The sea air whipped violently tonight, the Merry’s sails flapping against the wind as she floated across the East Blue. They had left the island of Cocoyashi weeks ago, Arlong now a bad memory that still hung in the back of the navigator’s mind. She was leaning against the railing, fingers wrapped around a bottle that had grown dangerously low as the breeze stung her face beneath the full moon. Her crewmates, a term that still felt foreign leaving her lips, had gone to sleep hours ago, all collapsing into their hammocks after a long day spent preparing for their arrival to Loguetown tomorrow. Nami brought the bottle to her lips, taking one last swig with her head thrown back, the amber liquid burning her throat as it went. Warmth spread through her chest, a respite from the bitter air that nipped at her skin. The feeling was fleeting however, as the heat that flooded her body dissipated, and Nami hugged her arms around herself, tugging her sleeves over shivering hands. She gripped the railing as her head buzzed, she wanted to remain here all night if she could, watching as the waves crashed against the ship, bathed only in a sliver of light on the stretch of dark ocean. A yawn that fought its way through her throat felt otherwise and Nami sighed, stretching her arms above her head trying to fight it. Her eyelids felt heavier now and Nami finally gave in, turning heel and making her way towards the galley. Her legs felt like jelly without the rail support, and Nami chose to blame the lack of sleep instead of the emptied bottle that remained in her hand. She pushed a hand to the galley door, swinging it open harder than she intended as it clanged hard against the wall. Nami nearly tripped over herself in the commotion, failing to take notice that she was not alone. The navigator dusted herself off, cursing under her breath. Her hand fumbled for the lamp above her, fingers wrapping around a brass knob. As warm light bathed the room, Nami leapt off the counter, a startled yelp escaping her throat as she came face to face with the resident swordsman, Roronora Zoro.
The bottle escaped her fingers and shattered upon impact on the sticky floorboards. Nami swore again, craning her ear for the sound of her crewmates’ footsteps coming towards the cacophony occurring in the kitchen. Zoro did not lift his head at the sudden disturbance, instead remaining focused on the unpeeled orange pinched between his fingertips. Nami was blinking in disbelief, as if steam could pour from her ears any moment.
“Why the hell are you eating in the dark?!”
He remained quiet, swiping a thumb across the fruit before piercing the skin, juices dripping down onto the dining table. Finally, he looked at her, as he popped an orange slice into his mouth. He was smirking, then spoke, slightly muffled.
“Why are you drunk?”
Nami’s mouth fell open in shock, “I am not drunk! I am tired. Just very tired.” She forced a yawn and bent down on shaky knees, gathering up some of the glass.
Zoro cocked his head down at her, smirking, “didn’t know a lack of sleep could make you smell like that.” For a moment, Nami considered driving one of the shards into his hand at this insult, but relented. Instead the navigator whipped around at him, ready to fire back but her balance quickly wobbled and she fumbled forward. Nami winced as she peered down at her finger, which had gotten nicked in the slip, a trail of crimson already racing down her hand. In a flash, Zoro was beside her and grumbling, “shit, Nami what am I gonna do with you,” as he took his hand in hers and brought her fingertip to his lips, sealing them over her small cut. The navigator stilled, eyes zeroed in on her crewmate’s mouth. His eyes had drifted shut as he sucked at her stained skin. Nami had seemingly drifted far above her body, only returning to the floor beside Zoro when he removed his mouth, her fingers still laced in his. She yanked her hand back as if she was on fire, staring at her crewmate like he’d just bitten off her pinky.
“You ever hear of a towel?”
Zoro frowned as he wiped his lips, a faint drop of blood that had gathered at the corner, disappearing into his sleeve.
“Couldn’t find one.”
Nami’s eyes finally left his mouth and fell to her finger, the stinging red cut now a faint pink.
“I really don’t think that was sanitary.”
“Pfft, you saying I got germs?”
“No telling what you’re carrying around.”
“You know, a thank you is usually appreciated in these situations.”
Zoro hadn’t inched back at all and Nami was suddenly feeling very warm and the cramped kitchen space had grown stifling. She began to force a yawn, pushing a hand into her locks and scratching at her scalp. The swordsman didn’t seem to get the hint, his massive frame still blocking her in. Nami huffed and pushed up from the floor, attempting to bring herself to stand. Her legs wobbled immediately. Zoro rolled his eyes as he stood, linked her arm in his and brought her to her feet in a quick yank, her hands landing on his chest. Still too close. Nami’s eyes remained focused on her feet as she backed away, not daring to look him in the eye. She hesitated for a moment in the doorway, then spoke softly.
“Thank you…enjoy your snack.”
Her eyes fell to the half-eaten orange that now lay abandoned on the table, before quickly disappearing down the hall without another word from the swordsman.
The navigator hauled herself down the steps, no longer caring about the amount of noise she made. When she reached her room, she slammed the hatch door so hard she worried it may have been stuck for good. Nami let her head fall back against the peeling wallpaper and brought a cupped hand to her mouth, breathing into it. Her eyes watered at the smoky scent that burned her nose as hard as the liquor had burned in her chest earlier this evening. Whatever. He’s still an idiot. Nami huffed and began to strip bare, her skin had grown increasingly hot since her time out on the deck. She stumbled over to her bed and fell into the sinking mattress, her hair sticking to her forehead as she nuzzled a nose into her pillows. The gentle rock of the Merry eventually lulled her to sleep, her buzzing head finally clear of any green-haired annoyances.
The next morning, Nami’s buzzing head had been replaced by one that was intent on hammering out of her skull. The early sunlight, bleeding into her room, stung her barely open eyes and she threw a hand over them, a weak attempt to shield herself. Her body was screaming at her to stay in bed. To sink so far into the mattress, she couldn't be found. But today was their last major stop before the Grand Line and the crew desperately needed to stock up before continuing their journey. Briefly, Nami imagined a day in which she left her crewmates in charge of purchases, just to shudder at the thought and shake it away from her mind. Too frightening even as a hypothetical. She finally pulled herself from her pillows and gathered a fresh set of clothes and her toiletries, before making her way to the bath. Nami sighed in relief when she saw it was empty, not having wanted to deal with Sanji who seemed to have a strikingly similar bathing schedule to her.
Freshly showered and clothed, Nami made her way back down to the galley for the crew’s mandatory meeting on their budget. These were held before docking at any village, as her crewmates seemed hellbent on going broke in a matter of hours. The navigator saw she was not the first to arrive once she reached the end of the stairs, seeing their cook hunched over at the dining table, scribbling down his shopping list. Breakfast had already been prepared and despite being low on groceries, Sanji’s cooking still looked mouthwatering. His curly brows were knit tightly in focus, when he noticed the girl standing before him, her hair still damp and dripping. His tongue practically rolled out of his head, eyes going wide as he stood, pulling a chair out for their navigator.
“Good morning angel.”
Sanji swooned with an outstretched hand to Nami. Her fingers had barely dusted his palm when a wall of muscle moved past her in the tight space, “blocking the doorway idiots.” Zoro grumbled and fell into the pulled out chair, legs outstretched with his arms behind his head. The cook immediately turned around, fuming at the swordsman.
“That seat was for Nami you idiot!”
Zoro shot one eye open at Sanji then let it rove over to Nami, lingering for a moment then shrugged, “she took too long.”
She noticed the cook’s shoulders begin to shake and quickly took his hand in hers, wanting to avoid a big blowout alongside her migraine. Sanji’s breathing slowed and he shot a sweet look at her, guiding her into the seat he had just occupied.
His fingers remained laced in hers for a moment as he leant closer and whispered, “sorry about him,” as he set down a plate with fresh fruit and fluffy eggs piled high.
“Enjoy, angel.”
Nami couldn’t help but blush slightly at his gentle words. He smelled of an intoxicating mix of mint, honey, and tobacco and even though she would never admit it, his whispered sweet nothings sometimes did get the better of her. She rested her head on her chin, leaning closer to the cook and cooed,
“Thank you Sanji.”
Nami brought her hand to his tie that had become loose in his frustration towards their crewmate and straightened it with a quick tug, her fingers lingering against the smooth skin of his throat. An act that made Sanji visibly swallow as a bead of sweat began to gather at his brow. A huff could be heard across the table and Nami lifted her gaze from Sanji’s blushing form to Zoro, who was rolling his eyes so far back into his head they reached his skull.
“When the hell is your little meeting supposed to begin anyways?” He grumbled, killing any moment between the navigator and chef.
Nami’s brows furrowed at him, the irritation she felt towards him last night rearing its ugly head again. “What, got a big day of sword swinging and naps ahead of you?”
Zoro only grinned, his canines flashing, “you say that like it’s a bad thing.”
Nami rolled her eyes this time, laughing humorlessly, “well as fun as that day sounds, we can’t start this ‘stupid little meeting’ short with two crewmates.”
She ceased any more conversation with him and stabbed her fork into the sweet glazed ham on her plate, moaning into the bite. Sanji was practically vibrating in his seat beside her, before busying himself with refilling her glass of juice. As if on cue, their two remaining crewmates filed into the galley. Luffy pushed past Usopp, causing his face to connect with the floorboards beneath him, as the captain made his way to the breakfast prepared. Zoro launched a hand out from his seat, pulling Usopp back to his feet as he swore loudly at Luffy. Their captain simply ignored him in favor of piling his plate full of meat. Sanji’s voice began to rise again, demanding Luffy save food for everyone else. The bare minimum level of quiet that Nami had just begun to enjoy quickly slipped away as she buried her face in her arms, it’ll be a miracle if this meeting ever begins.
They docked at Loguetown in the early afternoon, sun beating down the crew’s backs as they entered the historic village. Since breakfast, Luffy had practically been bouncing off the walls in anticipation of this stop. He hadn’t stopped talking about visiting the site that Gold Roger was executed. Nami smiled at her captain’s childlike wandering, eyes searching for any sign pointing him in the right direction. She worried a brow, wondering if maybe someone should set out with him. Luffy often had a tendency to get himself into trouble, but Nami shook her head, resigning that this was something Luffy wanted to experience on his own. Everyone had split off, their allowances sitting deep in their pockets. Everyone, except for Zoro.
He was scratching at his chin, mouth in an almost pout, and Nami had an inkling he wanted to ask her something. This was the first time they'd been alone since her blunder in the kitchen last night and suddenly Nami wanted to put as much distance between them as possible. A phantom of his lips ghosted over the scarred skin and Nami swore inside her head. Why was she so fixated on this? Her eyes looked him over once, he still hadn’t asked his question and was faced away from her in awkward silence. Because he’s a freak that’s why! Nami nodded at her own realization, her crewmate was simply a weirdo for sucking her finger and she was having a perfectly rational reaction to such behavior. With a small sigh of defeat, Zoro turned towards her, “Nami can I-”
Before he could even finish his sentence, her face broke into a wicked grin, “Of course, I’d be happy to lend you the money.” Any thoughts of last night cleared from her mind at the prospect of charging the weirdo a hefty interest rate.