Chapter Text
Vivi woke up with a start when she heard the sound of footsteps on her roof, quiet and muffled but still audible through the haze of sleep.
Consciousness returned to her in a rush, cold air filling her lungs and cold fear gripping her heart as she slowly slipped a hand out from under the blankets, fingers wrapping around the knife on her nightstand, dragging it closer as she slipped out of bed. Her bare feet hit the tile, ignoring the chill of the desert night in favor of slowly sliding the window open, wincing at the squeak it made.
Vivi swallowed thickly as she stepped onto the ledge, heart thundering in her chest. Vivi knew this was dangerous- but it wouldn’t be the first time someone had gone after her father in the dead of night. As important as her life was, his was more… Alabasta needed him. So despite the long drop to the desert sand below, she climbed up onto the roof of the building.
She’d expected a masked figure, a terrifying shadow in the night, maybe even Pell perched on the decorative spire- What she wasn’t expecting was a gorgeous redhead in attire wholly inappropriate for the freezing desert, standing with her back turned in front of the skylight with a bag in her hand.
Princess Vivi, a royal beauty herself, had never seen a woman so alluring. Her short red hair was curled at the ends, the slope of her neck and shoulders full of hidden strength, her thin waist pronounced with the way her hip was cocked. She was beautiful.
That was the last thought Vivi had before she lost her footing and fell backwards off the roof, letting out a yelp as she teetered backwards and-
She opened her eyes, not knowing when she’d shut them, to see that gorgeous face staring right at her, the woman’s arm wrapped tight around her waist to keep her from falling. It felt like a cheap romance story and yet…Vivi had never been more flustered in her life, cheeks splotchy red with embarrassment. The woman smiled and pulled her up, arms sliding away when she was sure Vivi could stand on her own.
“Be careful Princess.” She chuckled, voice amused, as she stepped back to hoist that bag up again,
And then she smiled, giving Vivi a cocky salute, before she was off. Princess Vivi stared after her until she disappeared from view, swallowed by the city.
A shadow flashed in the corner of Vivi’s eye and she looked up, seeing Pell soar through the air after the woman, and she couldn’t help but chuckle. Somehow she knew he wouldn’t catch her… It almost saddened her that she wouldn’t see that face again.
Of course, when Vivi found herself on that ship, staring up at those same brown eyes and that cocky smile- she knew that somehow, fate was on her side. Nami, huh? Vivi would remember that name for a long time to come.