Chapter Text
Nami fiddled with the hat, brushing delicate fingers over the rough, curved surface of straw, inspecting and admiring the precious object. It looked weathered, the colour having faded slightly since the first time she laid eyes on it but despite the multiple scars it had suffered, the three slashes on top most prominent of them all, the hat held strong. It continued to hold strong no matter what hardships it endured and she thought how fitting it was that it belonged to someone just as abundant in tenacity.
If the straw hat were a person, what would it say? If Nami could, she would ask what it had seen, the numerous places it had been to and people it met before it found itself on top of the future Pirate King's head. Where was it made, where did Gol D. Roger find it? Did the former Pirate King wear other hats before it? And what led to Red-Haired Shanks wearing it instead? So many mysteries.
At the navigator's place on her lawn chair laid out on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, the light of dawn shone down on her and the treasure in her hands. And she realized, what a lovely sight the straw hat made. It looked just like the dawn out on the horizon, down to the detail of the red band resembling the sea reflecting the red light of the Sun. She held it up, right in front of the horizon and she knew, it was the one of the beautiful things she had ever laid eyes on. It mattered not what current small holes the hat's brim had been inflicted with from yesterday's encounter with the remnants of the defeated Beasts Pirates, it was perfect in her eyes. But Nami knew that her captain would not hold the same opinion.
She sighed and picked up her sewing kit, cracking open the intricate, flowery-designed box to reveal her tools. A variety of threads greeted her sight and she picked up the yellow roll of thread, closest matching the colour of the straw hat. She wondered what she would do if she ran out of that thread. Perhaps her hair could make for a good substitute? She liked the idea of sewing a piece of herself into the hat that had given her hope, that had given her freedom over two years ago, immortalizing her gratitude in the weaves of the hat. Alas, her hair was more than likely not strong enough to hold as long as the thread in her hand, and she took hold of a single string to slot it into her needle. Nami was ready to work her magic into the hat.
The navigator carefully poked the needle through the edge of the first hole and weaved the thread to span the hole, before doubling back to string the second thread across. It was soothing work, keeping her hands busy and letting a sense of peace settle within her as she worked. Goodness knows she needed that peace, traveling with such a rowdy crew in the most dangerous waters of the world. She thought again of what the straw hat would be like if it were a person. She liked to think it would thank her each time she repaired it, perhaps cough up some beris in gratitude. She would certainly be a fair amount richer if that were the case. But more importantly, she would ask what it was like to be so treasured, to be so valued by the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. How did he compare to its previous owners? Were they as kind and benevolent as him? Nami hoped they were and she had a feeling she was right.
The first hole was finished and she begun work on the second of three in total. The light morning breeze felt wonderful and painted a smile on her face as she continued to dance fingers, threads and a needle around through the straw hat. In her calm, serene state, she almost did not hear the sandal-clad footsteps approaching her.
"Yo!" The famous owner of the equally famous straw hat called out quietly, trying not to startle the woman who worked to repair his treasure. She whipped her head around with a small gasp anyway and gave a quiet sigh of relief when she realized that it was just Luffy.
"You startled me. What are you up so early for?" Nami asked, resuming her skillful work, deftly maneuvering the needle and thread in her hand.
"I dunno. Just woke up I guess", the Fifth Emperor of the Sea sat cross-legged on the grass beside her.
"And miraculously you're not hungry first thing in the morning?" She asked dryly.
"Yeah, cuz I used the secret hatch to enter the kitchen and then I got a chicken leg to eat", he answered proudly with a cheeky grin.
She rolled her eyes in amusement. "Figures. Just don't let Sanji-kun find out", she warned absent-mindedly, finishing her mending of the second hole.
The captain shrugged. "He won't notice one, it's okay", and he plopped his head onto Nami's lap, resting his cheek on her bare right thigh.
"Are you actually awake or did you just find me to use me as a pillow?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, a small blush dusting her cheeks at the intimacy of the situation.
"Hmmm, both I think", Luffy smiled, nuzzling her thigh with his cheek. "You're comfy."
She hummed in response and turned her attention back to the hat and the final hole that required her attention.
The pair simply lounged in peace, Nami humming a light tune as she worked to entertain her regular customer. Sewing and weaving, she thought once more of a personified straw hat and wondered what its owner would think if it were actually a person.
"Luffy, have you ever thought about what your hat would be like if you could talk to it?" She inquired good-naturedly.
"Nope. A hat being a person seems kinda weird", he responded, rubbing his eye.
"Really? In a world with sky islands, underwater civilizations, magical fruits that can let you do literally anything you could dream of? I don't think it would be all that weird", she said amusedly.
"Then I'd tell it to not eat my food", he pouted slightly, earning a melodious laugh from the navigator and his lips quirked upwards upon hearing it. If he were better versed in the common language and had a little more brainpower, he would've thought it to be music to his ears.
"Well, I would thank it. Thank it for giving me hope when it seemed like I had lost everything", she smiled as she finished patching the last hole, putting away her tools and closing her sewing kit to lay it back on the grass. "It's always been a symbol of stability to me," she gently placed the hat back on her captain's head.
"That sounds nice, stabil-whatever", he yawned and she chuckled, ever amused by his ignorance of certain words of the language. She observed his current position, bent awkwardly over her lap with his back curved, his legs still crossed on the ground.
"Why don't you lie on the chair with me? It's more comfortable up here", Nami suggested softly, mildly self-conscious about what the change in position would entail.
Luffy peered up at her lazily before getting up, and he promptly laid himself almost completely over her, burying his head in the crook of her neck and laying an arm over her midriff along with a leg over her own.
Her face steamed in embarrassment at this new, much-more-intimate-than-expected position and she had half a mind to shove him off before she felt the straw hat being placed on her bright orange head.
"Looks nice on you", he mumbled sleepily as he curled further into her side and wrapped his arms around her, fingers lightly clutching the pink fabric of her tank top.
Slowly, a wide smile dawned on Nami's face, because she now knew the answer to her most important question. She turned to her side to face Luffy and pulled him closer to her, his head cushioned against her bosom. She pressed a light kiss in the scruffy hair of the slumbering man and held him tenderly, letting the straw hat lie at an angle on her head as she dozed off peacefully in the orange and red light of dawn.
Being so treasured was the most wonderful feeling in the world.