Chapter Text
31. mythology II [request]
The ten █████████ are the major deities of the ████████ pantheon, and are commonly considered to be █████, ████, ████, █████, █████, ███████, █████, ██████, █████, and █████.
█████, also known as ████ and ██████, is king of the ███████ and god of the sun, freedom, adventure, music, and laughter. He is sometimes depicted in all white, but almost always depicted with his symbol, a red ribboned straw hat. Most of his myths are concerned with the liberation of the enslaved and oppressed, and he is worshipped primarily by them. Though █████ is lord of the skies, it is his wife who dictates the weather and is associated with the stars, and his husband who is associated with the moon.
████ the sea goddess, referred to sometimes as the sea witch or the queen of storms, is also the goddess of cartography, navigation, and fortune, and the protector of women and children. Her symbols are the thundercloud, the tangerine, and the █████████ staff. Sailors of the cardinal seas and the █████████ often leave offerings to her in floating barrels: meat and alcohol, as an appeal to her husbands to lighten her mood, and thus the severity of the waves, or gold and precious stones, to gain her favor directly.
████, also known as █████, is the king of hell and the god of death, swordsmanship, victory, and loyalty. He is often depicted with one eye, wearing a bandana, and wielding three or multiples of three swords. His most renowned sword is the █████████████. It was given to him by █████ the moon goddess. Phases and areas of extreme calm at sea are explained by the myth about his wife’s descent into the underworld to lead him back out. Solar eclipses are explained by the myth about his husband embracing him again after three days and two years of separation.
32. education III
Going out with Luffy and Zoro is the craziest thing Nami has ever done, and she literally used to work part–time at a restaurant that she knew was a front for the yakuza.
That’s what Nami is thinking about this morning as she packs, and Zeus circles around her legs, yipping. It’s the craziest thing she’s ever done, and she’s done a lot of crazy things. It’s also the best, though, and it has no competition in that regard.
Swimsuit, sunscreen… Nami scans her room, wondering if she’s missing anything. No one really knows about them, of course. How they would even begin to explain their relationship to everybody, Nami has no idea. Besides, this country doesn’t recognize marriage equality—but she’s getting ahead of herself. She’s also missing a towel.
Nojiko knows, because Nami tells her sister everything. If Bellemere suspects, and it’s very likely that her mother does, then she hasn’t said anything yet. Genzo for sure has no idea what’s going on.
She’s only met Luffy’s grandfather and Mr. Shimotsuki once or twice, but Luffy’s brothers and Zoro’s cousin probably know, because they’re both terrible liars. Not that Nami told them to hide it or anything. After all, it’s not her place to do that.
Middle school was a whirlwind of confusing feelings for Nami, because it was when Carina came into her life and left it just as suddenly with her family moving again. Then she met Vivi during their first year of high school, and, well… there was nothing she could’ve done about Koza, or about childhood friends finally reunited.
Nami packs a change of clothes. What’s crazier is how Luffy asked them out in the first place, now that she thinks about it. Why did he do that? Nami didn’t turn him down, because she’d grown very fond of the weird boy she considered one of her best friends at that point. Zoro didn’t either, and she knew he wouldn’t, because he’s incapable of saying no to Luffy.
What Nami doesn’t get, though, is why he’s tolerated her for so long. They like each other and all, but Zoro can’t possibly like her that much… can he? Enough to share Luffy with her?
Nami scoops Zeus up, and kisses his fluffy white head. Then she sighs. Oh, well. She’ll have a lot of fun, at least, while the three of them are still together.
33. dizzy
When was the last time Nami has felt this happy? She’s back in Sabaody, back on the Thousand Sunny, and it’s been so long, so long, since she’s last seen Luffy, seen Zoro, seen everyone.
They descend on the ship atop a giant birdlike creature, and Luffy’s face lights up when he sees her. He jumps down before the bird can land, of course, and tackles her onto the plush lawn, yelling her name at the top of his lungs. There’s a huge red X on his chest, and it makes Nami’s own chest hurt. She squeezes him back just as hard.
Zoro hovers over them moments later, mouth twisted into a crooked smile. He lost an eye, Nami notices. Luffy drags him down onto the grass with them before she can think about it further. Zoro protests, but he joins them in a group hug all the same. Nami squeezes his hand, and he squeezes back.
So much has changed, about the world, about them, but they’re still the same men that she fell in love with, and they’re here, on the Sunny, with her. Everyone is. It’s all enough to make Nami feel dizzy, dizzy with laughter.
34. flop
Nami’s head flops onto his lap, and she grins up at him. “Hi, Zoro!”
Zoro reaches down to stroke her hair. He smiles, too. “What do you want.”
She has the audacity to take mock offense, with her eyes widening, her mouth falling open, and a hand covering her chest.
Luffy, meanwhile, leans over his back, and rests his head on Zoro’s shoulder. “Zoro!” There’s a huge grin on his face. “Let’s play!”
Zoro glances down at Nami again. She has stopped pretending to be offended, and is now smirking at him. “Yeah, Zoro,” she says, one eyebrow raised. “Let’s play.”
He ducks his head, but it’s not like he can hide from either of them. Nor does he want to. “Yeah, alright.”
35. honest
Luffy tells Nami that he loves her at least once a day. That’s not surprising, all things considered. When a guy takes it upon himself to rescue a girl and her entire village, that’s typically how he feels about her.
The other guys—her crewmates, now, officially—seem to agree. Sanji, who she’s still getting to know, finds the whole thing romantic. The height of romance, even. Nami would appreciate the sentiment a lot more if he didn’t keep referring to her as the one that got away from him, though.
It’s always apropos of nothing, a statement of fact. At breakfast, Luffy smiles at her and says, “Good morning, Nami! I love you!” His smile grows bigger when she leans down to kiss his cheek before finding her own seat at the table.
“I have great news, everyone,” Nami says once she sits down. “If we keep going at this speed, we’ll reach Loguetown no later than lunchtime tomorrow.”
Luffy cheers. “Sanji! What’s for lunch today?”
“Have breakfast first, idiot! Here, Nami–san, made especially for you.”
Nami watches as he sets down a plate with an omelet and two slices of buttered toast, a small bowl of fruit salad, and a glass of orange juice in front of her. “It all looks delicious. Thanks, Sanji–kun.”
Sanji floats away. Zoro rolls his eyes and mutters something into his sandwich. Luffy, off in his own food world, pays the rest of them little attention.
Nami has realized by now that their cook… well, he’s just like that. Sanji is her crewmate, but she still thinks of him as an easy mark more than anything else. Is that weird? She wasn’t there for his recruitment, so she doesn’t know why Luffy chose him.
Usopp yelps. Luffy just stole a sausage off his plate. Zoro moves his own plate just in time, narrowly missing Luffy’s hand. With a soft sigh, Nami holds a piece of toast up for Luffy to grab. He flashes a grin at her as he takes it, then turns around to face Sanji’s wrath.
The guys that she’s used to dealing with can be divided into three major categories: fishmen (who are repulsed by humans in general), easy marks, and creeps (who are usually also easy marks).
Luffy is an honest guy. Honest and straightforward, almost to a fault. Nami isn’t used to dealing with guys like him.
36. return
“Night, Luffy. Zoro.”
“Sweet dreams, witch.”
“Good night, Nami! I love you!”
"…"
“Luffy?”
“Hm?”
“I love you, too.”
“You're so silly, Nami! I knew that already!”
37. sailor
The sea loves all of her children, even the ones who’ve made deals with the devil, some would say. No, no, it’s especially those who did, others would argue. After all, why would she want to keep them with her so badly, instead of pushing them away?
The others are right. The sea is aware of everyone who travels with her, but she notices when one of her wayward sons prepares to set sail for the first time. She laughs when he’s left with nothing but a barrel to float in, and pushes him along with the waves. She watches him befriend someone who will leave when they reach the next island, then befriend someone who’ll stay, and then another.
It’s just the three of them for a little while. The sea keeps count. Two boys, lost and even more lost, and a girl with the uncanny ability to read her every movement. Curious. Very curious. She’ll keep a closer eye on her.
The boys need the girl, of course, but she knows that the girl needs them even more. Sunlight hasn’t reached the depths of her heart in far too long. If she asks the boys, they will most certainly bring the dawn of a new day to her.
This trio, led by her favored son, is going to change the world. The sea isn’t afraid. She might be a bit excited about it, actually. She’ll keep observing, and challenging, and smiling with them until then.
38. brother
Crossing the Sandora Desert is a relentless task, with its scorching days and subzero nights. Ace is lucky that his devil fruit shields him from the worst of it. He is, after all, fire incarnate, and has been for just over three years. Not only does that allow him to handle the heat and endure the cold much easier than most people, it also frees him this afternoon to think about something way more entertaining than water.
In hindsight, Ace should have expected Luffy not to notice anything. Luffy acts almost entirely on instinct. His younger brother can be very perceptive at times, like he can somehow stare into other people’s souls, but more often than not he is denser than seastone.
Ace would know. He has been the victim of both sides of Luffy. And of seastone.
Take Roronoa Zoro, for example. Ace figured him out within seconds of Luffy introducing them. It wasn’t all that hard for him to do, but he still could not believe how dedicated the former bounty hunter was to his brother. There are so many jokes about the first mates of pirate captains. He is starting to think that they might have some basis in reality. What some call loyalty, others would use a different L word.
Nami the navigator was harder for Ace to parse, but only by a little bit. Though she complains about how reckless Luffy is, especially compared to him, she can’t hide her fondness for his brother. He noticed it when their crew was celebrating his arrival, looking at her as she watches Luffy’s antics.
Ace isn’t sure yet what to make of the other two crewmates that Luffy picked up in the East Blue. Usopp the sniper seems to like joking around more than anything else. Sanji, in addition to being their cook, is very much a ladies’ man, but he did make an interesting expression when Ace lit his cigarette for him. Further observation of them is required.
Nefertari Vivi, the missing princess of Alabasta, and Tony Tony Chopper, a talking reindeer doctor, round out his brother’s motley crew nicely.
So what’s stopping Zoro and Nami from acting on their feelings? Are they being considerate of each other, and the rest of their crewmates? Is it a perceived lack of interest from Luffy? Ace will not lie, some people would consider his brother a late bloomer. It’s true that he loves meat, and beetles, and adventure, but above all, he loves his friends. That much should be obvious to anyone.
…Is it possible that they don’t recognize their own feelings? Do they think it’s just a strong devotion to their captain for saving their lives? Wow. That really might be the reason why they haven’t done anything yet. It just keeps getting better and better.
Ace wonders if he should meddle in Luffy’s love life. Actually, it’s probably his responsibility as an older brother to do so. The crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, could also use the help. If everything goes well, he will consider it his parting gift to them.