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“This seat taken?”
“Nah, but I am not going to b e much fun ,” Nami sipp ed her beer on a log off to the side of the celebration. She was resting her feet for a few moments before throwing herself back into the revelry, full bodied.
“Think I need the quite. You strawhats are a loud bunch, I like it, but it’s a lot,” Penguin was indeed having a good time, but the Heart Pirates didn’t celebrate like this. They would have some drinks, pig out, but the celebration of the strawhats was much more than that. Easy to get swept into and quickly exhausting, but something you’ll yearn to rejoin the moment your feet stop feeling numb.
The pair drank and watched other dance, Usopp and Ikkaku pairing off for a while but keeping it platonic, more hesitant members of the Hearts being dragged into things, mostly by Luffy while Jinbe held down the official “I’ll just sit and watch” table with Jean Bart and a few barrels. The light of the fire shifted in glow and for a brief moment gave Nami and Penguin a spotlight on the sidelines.
“Oh shit, you’ve got a tat?” Nami’s hand went to rub at her shoulder, covering the pinwh eel orange.
“Yeah, for years now. It’s in my wanted poster. Didn’t notice?”
“Nah, bit too egotistical to look at bounties that aren’t mine and my crews. Who did it? I’ve been looking to get one myself.” Penguin was one of the few Hearts that didn’t have a tattoo. Even Bepo had a simple stick and poke on a paw they did one day deep into the sea and many miles under, mostly just to see if they could.
“Back in my hometown, by a professional, sorry I can’t help you there, but most ports will have someone decent enough. I even got some additional work done back in Sabody,” Nami rolls up one of her pant legs, which comes as a surprise to Penguin that she could do that because of how tight her pants appeared.
A stylized compass rose sat on her calf, the same color as her shoulder piece. She had to get really picky with the dye when she was getting it done, to not just color match it fresh but to have it keep the same color as it fades, so she had chosen something that looked a good bit different when it was fresh and then as it faded it finally started to look right. Usopp had helped her out with that.
“Shame. Anyone else on your crew?” Penguin had noticed at some point that there were actually very few tattoos on Strawhats. It wasn’t like the Hearts, which thanks to their dive suits, unless your tattoos were on your face like J ean Bart or on your hands like Law you wouldn’t b e able to tell at first glance.
“Well, Jinbe has that sun, from well, his time with the Sun Pirates, plus he’s got a really interesting full back piece that he doesn’t show off all that often. Kiku isn’t on our crew, but her too, about a quarter of her back and shoulder has a really nice floral design on it. Not really stuff you see everyday, but if you want to get something done now, she could point you in the right direction,” Nami pointed to the people as she spoke, Jinbe’s loose robe showing off his chest tattoo but not the one on his back and Kiku not showing much skin at all.
“Fuck it, want to go on an adventure with me to go get a tattoo?” Penguin and Nami finally broke out of their spot on the sidelines to go acquire Kiku from the main party to go with them on their little adventure.
Nami was the one who stepped in first, partner dancing with Kiku from the center area of quite a bit of mayhem and dancing her out to the outskirts of the party so she could actually hear the tall woman speak. That’s where Penguin would ask her about a tattoo artist, ask her to come along , and then go from there.
“Oh, I can show you guys there!” Kiku said, a pleasant buzz knocking away her typical shyness.
“You and Sachi are close right? Do you want to go pick him up before we go?” Penguin shook his head at Nami, so the trio went on their merry way.
Their group wasn’t the only one celebrating after the downfall of Kaido, every street they passed on their way into town also engaged in their own form of revelry, child friendly or not.
The trio made their way down the streets, guided by the tall swordswoman. Even with the added foot traffic of a celebration, they were given fairly easy passage because most people recognised the samurai dragging them along. The guiding led the trio through what could almost be a tour of the town, Kiku guiding them from the heart to some of the seedier edges and stopping everywhere else because she was a half drunken local and insisted she knew a shortcut, even if it took them more time in the end.
They eventually ended up in front of the store safe and sound and not too lost, though if they were Nami had no hesitations about her crew being able to find her in the morning, they’ve found Zoro in worse positions than newly sober in a tattoo parlor. They could find her if she hadn’t even left town, and failing that she could find them.
“Are you open?” Kiku called in a soft voice as they entered, no sign out front to tell them if it was or not.
“Of course, through I’ll have to do a bit of a sobriety test before I agree to do any work. Drink makes your blood so watery and I hate the sight of the stuff,” The artisan said from behind the counter, an older man with half graying hairs more on his chin than his head.
“Alright man, test me!” And Sachi began the few quick things to show that while he had been drinking like everyone else, he was in his right mind enough that he hadn’t had much. Nami and Kiku looked through flip books that the artist had left scattered around for other clients to see what they wanted.
“So Penguin, what are you thinking of?” While Kiku was mostly scanning through designs to look at what she would find pretty, Nami was searching for something for Penguin.
“A penguin, duh,”
“Seriously? Isn’t that too on the nose?”
“Nah, I think it’ll look great! Does he have one of a penguin?”
Nami flipped through the book again, but found no penguins. Other birds, mostly cranes, but no penguins.
“Sorry man,”
“While I have not seen a penguin, if one of you could draw me a good enough image of one, I could do the rest of the design,” the old artist was always looking for new references, and an animal not found on Wano would make a great, exotic addition to his repertoire.
Both Nami & Penguin took the time to draw a picture, and while Nami’s came out better, the artist was appreciative of Penguins for showing a different angle to the animal for better work. With a quick nod and a I can work with this, the artist set out to design a full back piece of a penguin for Penguin. In what felt like no time at all, and was in fact a rather quick turn around, the design was approved and agreed to.
“Top off now young man, and ladies, if you could please turn around when he strips?”
Nami made a slow show of turning around and picking at her short nails all the while. Kiku was quickly obedient. Penguin of course had to finagle a bit to get to a spot where his back was fully exposed to the air without stripping to his underwear, because while he wore a shirt under the dive suit, he didn’t wear pants. A tied loop of sleeves around his waist and a pulled off tee later he was mostly ready to began.
“Shit, I didn’t shave for this. Is that okay?” Penguin wasn’t all that hairy, but his back was where it ran most wild, mostly because he couldn’t reach there well and it was just a bit embarrassing to ask a member of the crew to help.
“Not a problem, I prefer doing it myself actually,” And with that the old man pulls out some cream and a straight razor and gets to work, making quick and good work of his back hair.
Penguin is lying on a thin sheet of paper, so Nami asks the artist about that while he begins so Penguin won’t notice the first needle as it comes in. He explains it’s to get rid of the mess because as he said earlier he hates the sight of blood and it allows him to stop seeing it much quicker after.
Penguin does wince and whine his way through the tattoo and bleeds a normal amount, but he keeps up conversation with the rest of them. Kiku asks plenty of questions about the world outside of Wano and between the two seas Nami & Penguin grew up in and their trips down separate paths on the Grand Line they have plenty of stories to tell. The female samurai eats plenty of it up, and the artist makes a few appreciative grunts as he works.
Eventually with enough tales told and enough orders to stop squirming, the tattoo is done. Penguin can’t look at it on his own, but a trick with a mirror allows him to see the exact impressive work done. With a settled tab, the trio heads back out into the night to join back in the party of pirates and Samurai.
Kiku still leads and takes them through shortcuts that end up leading them through the entire town a second time from a slightly different angle, somehow managing to avoid retracing any of their steps, but they are still delivered back to the parts.
Penguin goes up to Sachi and the man greets him with a firm pat on the back.