Work Text:
She taps on the steering wheel, unsure if the action is because of nervousness or jitters from her second can of Starbucks coffee. Probably a combination of both if she’s being honest with herself.
Honestly, if she really thinks about it, there’s no reason for her to be nervous. It’s not like this is her first time sitting outside of a building to catch someone in the act. Nami would need two extra hands to recount the number of times that she did a steak out, both on her own and with Zoro. She’s sat outside company buildings, nightclubs, hotels, hell, even a Whole Foods once! All to catch some CEO or rich fuck doing something that they’re not supposed to be doing. She has also sat outside of corporations to interview workers, a more pressuring tactic that she only does to the most stubborn and unwilling witnesses. She’s used to this stuff. She knows to pack enough food to eat, to bring her laptop, and a portable charger. It’s not new to her in the slightest and yet… This time feels new and Vivi is to blame for it.
Nami has been sitting outside of Vivi’s apartment since seven in the fucking morning. Really, she wanted to get there at ten or eleven but because she didn’t know what time Vivi was going to leave… She decided to get there at seven just to be safe. Which is crazy because Nami usually rolls out of bed at that time.
The things she does for a story.
Ever since then, Nami has been waiting. Watching the apartment entrance for Vivi to walk out or even for Robin’s car. So far, she has yet to see either, just a bunch of nobodies who leave the apartment and get into their own cars. Probably going to work, you know, the place that Nami should be at. But instead, she’s skipping work to sit outside of Vivi’s apartment. She had texted Jinbe that she’s not coming in because she’s sick and can’t bring herself to leave her bed for the rest of the day. Her boss easily believed her while Zoro sent her a text asking if she was really sick. Of course, she does what any sane and normal woman does… she ignores his text. Nami does not have time for Zoro’s shit.
The two have known each other for years, meeting during college and becoming coworkers years later. They’ve been together for too long. Nami and Zoro have seen each other at their lowest; when the other person fell due to heartbreak, job rejection, mental breakdowns, and more. The way Nami can see through Zoro’s cool guy facade, the same way he can see through her’s. It’s easy to tell when the other person is lying, it takes the two only a few seconds to figure it out. Whether it’s face to face or over the phone, they’ll instantly know.
As to why Nami refuses to answer his text because Zoro will know. He’ll know that she’s lying about being sick, he’ll know that she’s not sitting in her apartment, he’ll know that she’s up to something terrible. He’ll try to guess what she’s doing and say that she’s sitting outside of Vivi’s apartment as a joke. But then it wouldn’t be a joke, it would be the truth. It is the truth. ANd when he realizes that, he’ll turn serious and be on her ass, and Nami doesn’t want that. If she doesn’t want to hear Usopp’s thoughts about this, she surely doesn’t want to hear what Zoro has to say.
She can only take so many snide comments before she finally breaks. And Nami is very close to her breaking point.
Why is she close to her breaking point? Because Nami doesn’t know if this is right anymore and it’s killing her. She’s second guessing herself, questioning her every move and decision leading up to this moment, she wonders if it’s actually worth it. It’s been almost three months since her meeting with Jinbe where she originally asked to write about Vivi. Of course, he rejected her idea, not seeing the appeal of it despite Nami trying to professionally explain that there’s something there, she knows and it’s because of her gut. Ever since that day, Nami has been plotting how to write about Vivi. From becoming her number one hater to a reformed fan and finally friend status… It's been a wild ride for Nami and most likely everyone.
At first, she was confident in herself. Apologizing to Vivi and pretending as if she wanted to genuinely become the other’s friend. It was great. The perfect plan that would allow Nami to get closer to the other woman and find out about her “dark secrets”, whatever that may be. However, the unexpected happened and it was Franky and Robin meeting and going on dates. She wasn’t expecting for Usopp and Luffy to get to Erik, or for Zoro to workout every other day with Koza, or for the two group’s to meet up for food and drinks. She wasn’t expecting for her world and Vivi’s world to collide in such a way. And while at first, it felt like it was working in her favor… After a while she began to doubt it all.
During every joint outing, Nami and Vivi always had to sit next to each other or close by. Every single time, Vivi would talk to the others or to Nami, which Nami had to keep her cool during every single interaction. She had to keep her thoughts to herself and put on a smile, she had to be a team player and a good friend. It was a part of her plan after all, to prove that she was Vivi’s friend, both online and in real life. It was working too because both friend groups fell for her acting, they all genuinely believed that Nami wanted to be Vivi’s friend, that she actually cared.
But the part that really got her and inflated her ego was the fact that even Vivi believed her. Vivi, who was obviously wary of her from their earlier DMs, slowly began to open herself up to Nami and tell the other woman things about herself. For example, Nami learned that Vivi loves ducks. She loves ducks so much that she has a stuffed one named Karoo that was given to her when she was three. Vivi’s favorite color is brown because it reminds her of chocolate chip cookies, Vivi who loves smelling candles and has over twenty sitting in her apartment, Vivi who wanted to become a farmer when she was six, Vivi who can’t watch horror movies because she’ll get nightmares afterwards, Vivi who offered to make Nami (and the others) a friendship bracelet. Vivi, Vivi, Vivi, just… fucking Vivi!
The more Nami learned about Vivi, the more she began to question everything. What if this was a mistake? What if Usopp was right, what if Vivi is genuinely a good person who cares about her fans and friends? What if she’s just a young woman just trying her best as an actress and in a show that’s very different from what she’s used to? What if Nami’s gut feeling was just adrenaline from writing her article about Arlong? What if Nami’s wrong about Vivi?
What if she’s wrong for the first time in her life and ruined her relationship with her best friend?
The amount of “what if’s” running through her head made her nauseous, it felt like her lie to Jinbe might be coming true. It also could be because she’s been snacking on various bags of chips and cookies instead of eating real food. How long has she been out here anyways?
Checking her phone, the screen lights up. 6:25 PM. She’s been here for almost twelve hours! Dear God, that’s the longest she’s ever sat out for an article!
“What am I even doing?” Nami mutters, leaning her chin on her steering wheel. “I haven’t seen Vivi leave not once since I got here! Was she lying to me about being busy?” Now that would be shitty of her, though, Nami has no room to judge because she’s been lying to Vivi this whole time. “If she doesn’t come out before seven, I’m leaving.” She’ll take that as her final sign that there’s nothing to write about Vivi and to apologize to Usopp.
While waiting for either Vivi to appear or for the clock to strike seven, Nami checks her text messages. There are a bunch of texts from Luffy, one from Chopper, two from Sanji, and one from Zoro. Not a single text from Vivi or Usopp. The lack of messages from both makes her sick.
Scrolling through Twitter, she almost misses the sight of bright blue hair that she has become incredibly familiar with. It’s Vivi and she’s finally leaving her apartment complex.
Nami scrambles to put her phone down and start up her car. Vivi gets into a black car, one that Nami isn’t familiar with. Is that Vivi’s personal car? She didn’t know that the other could drive…
Seconds later and Vivi’s car comes to life and she’s pulling out of her parking spot, with Nami following in her lead. Nami makes sure that there’s a bit of a distance between the two of them, just in case Vivi recognizes Nami’s car. Though, at the same time, she tries to stay close enough so that she doesn’t lose Vivi’s car. She prays to God that a slow driver does not get in between them or else she’ll lose her absolute mind.
Luckily, that doesn’t happen but Nami is close to losing her mind. The jitters from earlier are back and hitting her more than before. Her finger tapping doesn’t stop, she has a strong urge to bounce in her seat, and the thoughts! The thoughts are louder than before and the “what if’s” begin to hit her like a brick.
What if Vivi is meeting someone? What if it’s someone terrible and could ruin her career? What if she’s actually involved in a possible scandal and going to meet someone to keep it under wraps? What if she’s meeting with Rebecca and Shirahoshi for dinner? What if she’s meeting with Usopp and he’s telling her about Nami’s plans? What if she’s getting take out and wants a free day to herself? What if she’s going on a date?
Most of those “what if’s” are just random thoughts and yet all of them have her confused and questioning more and more about where Vivi is heading. A part of Nami hopes that it’s not something bad, with how she was second guessing her actions and plan, she hopes that Vivi is just a genuine good person. She wants to be proven wrong and to just drop this entire thing like it never happened. And yet there’s another part of her that wishes that she’s right. She wants, needs, desires to have solid proof that Vivi isn’t a good person. That she’s like every other celebrity who has fooled the general public into believing that they’re a good person. That she’s up to something shady and Nami will find it.
Nami isn’t sure which one will win in the end, she just hopes that she’ll get her answer very soon.
After a while, Nami begins to recognize the route that they’re taking. It’s one that she takes herself every other week for lunch on Sundays. While it doesn’t give her much to go off from, a new question comes to mind: Is Vivi heading to that location and if she is… who exactly is she meeting?
Just as suspected, Vivi pulls in front of a two story restaurant named Karma. Nami knows this restaurant very well, honestly, everyone knows it. It’s a fancy and expensive restaurant that many celebrities, CEOs, athletes, and the such go to when meeting with friends, family, or dates. Of course, ordinary people can eat there too but only if they want to pay an arm and leg for a caesar salad. Nami has been inside before, many times actually, just to eat or even hang out. Never work, however, security is tight when it comes to journalists, reporters, and even obsessive fans. With so many high profiled patrons inside, all very powerful and rich, the restaurant put theirs all into protecting their valued customers.
No matter how disgusting they may be.
Nami finds an open parking spot across the street and takes the spot. She knows that she did a shitty job at parallel parking and if Franky was here, he would’ve been on her ass, but she doesn’t care. She’s too focused on Vivi who hands her keys to the valet. Pulling her phone out, Nami quickly unlocks it and goes straight to her camera app. She zooms in and takes as many pictures of Vivi that she can. She actively ignores the fact that Vivi is wearing a short black dress, though it's difficult for her to do so because she has only ever seen the actress wearing some T-shirt and blue jeans. Even when dressing up for something, it’s always a pastel colored dress. It’s her thing-- uh, Vivi’s words, not Nami’s. Anyways, seeing her in a black dress outside of Karma… whoever she’s meeting, they must be important.
Taking a deep breath, Nami turns off her car, grabs her phone, and gets out the car. Going through the front door won’t work, Vivi might see her if she does that, so she has to find another way in.
And she knows just the way.
Opening the call app, she clicks on the second name on her most contacted list, and waits. The phone rings three times before the person answers. “Nami? What’s up?”
“Are you working right now?”
“Yeah, I am, why--”
“I need you to help me. Like, right now. I’ll meet you at the back door.”
She doesn’t even wait for their reply, she’s already making her way to the back. She has to be quick if she wants to catch Vivi, she can’t waste another second.
By the time she gets to the back door, someone is already waiting for her, eyes wide as Nami comes into view. “Nami! What’s going on? Did something happen? Are you hurt?”
“I’m fine, Nojiko, I just--” She breathes in, right foot tapping anxiously. “I’m kinda… working right now? Somewhat, kinda… not really.”
“Working-- Are you serious right now?” The worry in her eyes completely disappears, now replaced with frustration. “I thought that something happened to you! I thought that you were hurt with how you sounded.”
“Sorry, it’s just!” Her right foot taps even faster. “There’s someone that I’m tailing and they’re inside there and I need to see what they’re doing.”
“Nami, you know that I can’t…”
“Yes you can! Just give me a spare uniform, I can act as a waitress for the night-- for the whole night! Just, please let me in.”
“Someone will know that you’re not--”
“Nojiko!” Nami shouts, silencing her older sister. She can’t see the expression on the older woman’s face, not when she’s staring down at the ground, too focused on her shaking legs and the small puddle she’s standing in. “Please, I’m… I’m begging you. I need to go in there and find her. I-- I need to do this, more for myself than anything else. You’re the only one who can help me to complete this, hell, you’re the only one who knows that I’m here. So just… just help me, please.”
Is she desperate? Yes, absolutely. She’s so desperate that she’s willing to look like a mess in front of her older sister, which isn’t a problem. Nojiko has seen her at her lowest for years but that doesn’t mean she likes showing such desperation and weakness. It’s embarrassing if she’s being honest with herself.
Nojiko sighs deeply. “Okay, fine, fine! Just get inside.”
Nami straightens up quickly, arms immediately wrapping around Nojiko. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!” She can always count on her sister to have her back.
“You’re welcome,” Nojiko says, a smile on her face as she pulls away from the other. “Now let’s go so you can find this mystery woman.”
The two sisters enter through the backdoor, Nami can hear the commotion from the kitchen and the muffled sound of music. It reminds her of Vivi’s birthday party, how she pretended to be a waitress in order to find dirt on Vivi. Back then, she was confident and walked around with zero fear and desperation. But now she can’t stop shaking and the thousand “what if’s” that fill her head. Nami back in February would turn her nose up at the current Nami. Pathetic, huh?
Inside the staff changing room, Nojiko opens her locker and pulls out an extra uniform. “Put this on and do something about your hair. It looks a mess.” Then she leaves the room, giving Nami the privacy she needs. Nami takes this moment to look at herself in Nojiko’s locker mirror, noticing how her hair is sticking up in every direction and resembling a bird’s nest. Did she even remember to brush and comb it before leaving? Obviously not.
“I need to get this figured out, asap, I’m losing it…”
A few minutes later, Nami walks out in uniform and her hair brushed back into a bun on top of her head. She would prefer a wig over her natural hair, especially with Vivi knowing what she looks like. But hopefully she’ll be able to find Vivi from a distance and determine if this plan is even worth it anymore. With how she’s dressed up, it could just be dinner with a coworker or even a date. A date!
It wouldn’t be that, Vivi would’ve told her. That woman loves to talk and tell Nami a bunch of useless facts about herself.
Excluding the reason why she’s at Karma tonight.
Nami follows close behind Nojiko, head held up high while also avoiding eye contact with the other staff members as they walk into the kitchen. Luckily for them, none of the staff pay her any mind, they’re too busy trying to cook for their guests and make sure that everything is perfect. The two stop at the front of the kitchen where plates of food and glasses are ready to be taken out to the guests. “Help me with these,” Nojiko says, handing Nami a tray of food and grabbing two of her own. “You can see if she’s out there, okay?”
Nami nods and the two walk out the door.
It’s a large dining area with dimmed lighting, circular tables covered by white table cloth, and a pianist in the center who plays Mozart or whatever. Sitting at every single table is a group of people all dressed beautiful in gowns and suits, very much like Vivi’s birthday in February. They all laugh and talk among themselves, some ordering food, and a few who are complaining to a staff member. Probably about their food or a stain on their glass, Nami has to keep herself from groaning at it all. She can never understand why Nojiko works at a place like this. Who can stand working for a bunch of snotty bastards like this? If she wasn’t trying to keep a low profile, Nami would’ve burst out laughing or tell one of the guests to get over themselves. But not only would that be bad for herself but also for Nojiko, and she can’t ruin her sister’s life like that.
She looks around, hoping to catch sight of blue braids. But the only blunette she sees is an older man who keeps glaring at the redhead across from him. No Vivi in sight. Fuck. Where is she?
The sisters arrive at their destination, the pair carefully placing the food and drinks down for the family of four. Nojiko makes sure that they’re okay while Nami keeps trying to look for her target. However, she’s nowhere to be seen. What the hell, Vivi?
“Do you see her?” Nojiko whispers, pulling Nami away from the table and back to the kitchen. Nami shakes her head. “Seriously? Okay, maybe she went to the bathroom and will be back soon.”
“Maybe,” Nami says.
The two enter the kitchen again and Nojiko is about to reach for another tray but is stopped by another staff member. “Hey, can you take drinks up to room 233 for me? I need to make a phone call and it’s gonna be a while.”
Nojiko makes a face. “Can’t they just wait for you to get off the phone?”
“You know that they can’t.” The guy frowns. “Come on, just do it. It’ll just be an easy in and out, okay?”
Nojiko looks at him then at Nami before she sighs. “Alright, fine. Go make your phone call.” His eyes lit up as he thanked her, telling her which trays to take, before he heads to the back of the kitchen and out the door. Nami watches him go before turning back to Nojiko. “You can stay down here,” Nojiko says. “I won’t be long.”
“No, I can help you,” Nami says, taking the second tray. “It’ll be easier for the two of us anyways.” She did promise the other that she’ll help for the night, which includes taking drinks up to the second floor.
Nami has never been to the second floor of Karma, she just knows that there are private rooms on the second floor. She was always curious about who requested those rooms but left it as just that. Curiosity. Never did she ask Nojiko any questions about the rooms nor did she try to explore it on her own.
But today is her lucky day because she gets the chance to finally see who’s up here.
The sisters take the elevator up, the ride quick and quiet. Nami worries that during this time, that Vivi will appear in the dining area or leave before Nami can see her. Okay, yeah, this needs to be a quick trip! A simple in and out, that’s it.
The door opens and Nojiko walks out first, leading the way to room 233. Unlike the first floor, there’s no one in sight. No guests and no staff members, it’s just Nojiko and Nami. Even walking past all the rooms, Nami doesn’t hear anything. No loud talking or laughter, it’s just… silent. Creepy.
Though, she does hear something as they get closer to a room. Laughter, lots of it, and blaring music, a trashy pop song that she remembers hearing Chopper hum. The noise becomes louder the closer they get to the room and of course, said room is room 233. Standing outside of the it, Nami already wants to cover her ears and tell Nojiko to go in alone but she doesn’t. She made a promise and she’s going to keep it. She just needs to… deal with the noise and smile! Be like Nojiko!
Nojiko knocks twice before opening the door, the music and laughter no longer muffled by the door.
As soon as they walk in, Nami immediately takes notice of three things. One, the strong smell in the room. Marijuana. She’s very familiar with the smell since her freshman and sophomore year roommate used to smoke everyday, sometimes inside of their room. Nami has hated the smell ever since, all because of her inconsiderate roommate, so of course she’s already turning up her nose due to the smell.
Two, what’s sitting on top of the wooden table. Even from where she’s standing, she can see the various alcoholic drinks covering the table. Bottles of wine, shot glasses sitting in front of a bottle of tequila, bottles of beer, bottles of soju-- you name it, it’s all sitting there in front of the ten people sitting around the table. And honestly, the alcohol isn’t even the worst part, it’s the small plastic bags that are filled with-- well. It’s obvious what’s inside of them. There’s even traces of the bag’s content on the table in front of several of the patrons.
Three, and the most shocking part, are the people inside of the room. On the right, Nami sees a group of people sitting together, laughing and singing along to the song playing. She doesn’t take much notice of all of them, she doesn’t recognize them at all, until she gets a good look at one of the women. No, a girl, a teenage singer who just entered the entertainment business Nami remembers seeing her face when she was researching Vivi. The young singer was listed under Baroque Works as their new talent. Her name slipped her mind but she remembers her face. Now why is a minor here surrounded by alcohol and drugs? And is she the only minor here, or are there more? To check, Nami looks around to see if there are more minors in the room. Because if there’s one then there’s the possibility of there being more. That’s when she sees her, sitting on the left next to some older man.
Nefertari Vivi, smile wide and shot glass in hand.
Just seeing her so happy in this setting makes Nami’s stomach churn.
Nojiko sets her tray down on the table and Nami follows in her lead. Just as she does so, she glances up at Vivi once more. And just like fate, Vivi sees her. Instantly, her smile is gone and she tightly grips onto her shot glass. She doesn’t have to say anything because Nami can easily read her eyes. Why are you here / How did you find me / This can’t be happening right now… Oh but Vivi, it is happening.
“Here are your drinks,” Nojiko says, freeing Nami from her trance. “Is there anything else you need?”
“Um, no, I think we’re fine.” Vivi squeaks out, tearing her eyes away from Nami to look at Nojiko, finally noticing that another person came inside. “Oh, actually could you bring up some glasses of water? That would be great.”
“Of course, we’ll do that now.”
Nami doesn’t want to go, not when Vivi is sitting right there and the biggest scoop of the century on the table in front of her. But with the way Nojiko is looking tense and staring Nami down, she figures that she can’t stay in here any second longer. At least she’ll be able to come back up in a few minutes, that’ll give her a chance to take a quick picture with her phone, maybe even get a video if she can--
“Wait.” Everyone freezes. Nojiko, Vivi, everyone sitting at the table, all conversations and laughter coming to an abrupt end. They’re all focused on the older man sitting beside Vivi, whose eyes are on Nami. Or at least she assumes so, she can’t tell with the sunglasses that he has on. Only freaks wear sunglasses inside and so late in the day. He sits there, legs spread open and arms resting on the back of Vivi’s seat and the one occupied by some random guy. He wears a deep red suit, which is fine, but not when paired with a pink feathered jacket. An absolute monstrosity and fashion disaster, if Luffy was here, he would’ve laughed at the guy’s sense of styling. Which is embarrassing because Luffy is a fashion disaster himself!
And Nami really wants to laugh, she can feel the laughter wanting to jump out and fill the entire room, but keeps it back. Not when the man is looking at her and has that creepy grin on his face. Just seeing it makes her skin crawl. “I’ve never seen you before.”
“She’s new,” Nojiko answers. “Sir. Today is her first day.”
“Uh huh.” He’s barely giving Nojiko the time of day, too preoccupied with Nami who wants nothing more than to run away from this situation. “A new waitress, I bet that doesn’t pay a lot.”
She doesn’t reply at first, afraid that as soon as she opens her mouth, a curse will spring out. So she gives herself a few seconds to calm down before answering. “It pays just enough.” Beat. “Sir.”
His grin grows wider and Nami is surprised that it can get any bigger and creepier. “But not enough if you want to live in this city.” He leans forward, beckoning Nami closer to the table. She hesitates but takes two small steps forward. “You ever considered entering the entertainment business? You got the face and body for modeling, acting even. You’ll make a lot of money by modeling and acting, way more than as a waitress here.”
Her eye twitches, this guy has only been talking for less than a minute and yet she’s already done with his shit. Just keep it cool, Nami, just humor him for a few minutes then you can leave. “I never considered it, I mean, it’s really hard to get into both businesses.”
That makes him laugh, loud and proud, it makes her sick to her stomach. “It’s only hard if you don’t have the right connections,” he says. “Most believe that you just gotta work hard if you want to succeed in the entertainment business, anywhere actually. But that’s just a load of bullshit, shit straight out of a fairy tale. This is the real world! In order to make it anywhere, you need money and power. Whether it’s your own or someone else’s.”
“That’s true but I still don’t know—“
“Oh, come on, Mr. Donquixote!” All eyes shift to a man sitting next to the young singer. He’s old, probably older than everyone in the room, and also the drunkest. While his smile is big on his face, his eyes stare at Nami with nothing but distaste and judgment. “No need to waste your time on a simple waitress, just because she has a pretty face doesn’t mean she’ll be of any use to you,” he says. “Instead you should pay attention to these kids! Take Sora here, she’s very talented and—“
Just before he can finish his sentence, a glass goes flying above the man’s head, smashing right up against the wall. People scream, some sit completely still, and others cover their mouths. But every single one of them is watching Mr. Donquixote. He’s no longer sitting there relaxed with a grin, now he’s all serious, lips in a straight line and body leaning towards the older man. “Did I ask for your opinion?”
“N-no sir! I was just—“
“I don’t give a fuck what you were doing, I didn’t ask for you to speak or to interrupt my conversation,” he says, leaning back into his seat. “Say anything else and I’ll make sure to ruin Sora’s entire career.”
The man nods his head and Sora looks as if she’s going to cry. Nami is ready to throw her tray at the Donquixote guy and tell him off but it's Nojiko grabbing her arm that keeps her from doing so. That gesture alone keeps her in place but it doesn't extinguish the growing fire within her. This guy is really proving to be a grade A asshole and the type of person she would hate the most.
"Now, where was I? Ah!" Turning back to Nami, the Donquixote guy reaches into his pocket and pulls out a card. A business card to be exact. He holds it out for Nami to take. "Whenever, and I mean when, you're ready to leave this shit job… reach out to me. I'll help you get into this business and help you start making bank."
Nami takes the card and she tries her hardest not to rip it up on the spot. She barely gives it any attention but she is curious about the guy's name, so she looks at that. Doflamingo Donquixote. His name matches him perfectly, weird and suspicious. "Oh wow, thanks." She gives him her best fake smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "So I would just contact the number on here?"
"That or you can reach out to my assistant here." He wraps his arm around Vivi's shoulders, the actress tensing up on the spot and Nami's blood boils. "Just find Vivi and she'll connect you with me. She loves to help out new talent get into this business."
Vivi laughs, though it's forced and awkward, but Nami is sure that no one took note of it. It's just her who notices which isn't good, it only adds more fuel to her anger. She sees how awkward Vivi looks sitting there, though, she’s not sure if it’s because of Doflamingo or because of Nami. Nami hopes that it’s more of the latter than the former. “Yeah,” Vivi says, finally, lips pulling into a forced smile, Nami wants to burst out laughing at the sight. “Um, excuse me, I need to use the bathroom. I’ll be back.” She stands up, letting Doflamingo’s arm slide from her shoulders. Without sparing anyone else a look, Vivi walks out of the room and Nami wishes to follow after her.
“Is there anything else, Sir?” Nojiko says, seconds after. “If not, we can go ahead and get those drinks for you.”
“Yeah, you can leave.” He gives Nami one final look. “Make sure to reach out to us when you’re ready. We’ll get you a job right away.”
Nami says nothing else, just nods her head and follows Nojiko out. Once the door closes behind them, Nami sighs deeply. “What the hell was that?” She asks.
“That,” Nojiko says. “Is our VIP guest. Do yourself a favor and throw away that business card. Please. You won’t gain anything by interacting with him for a second time.”
“Don’t worry, I don’t have an interest in acting or modeling.” Though, she can’t promise that she won’t interact with Doflamingo for a second time. Not when she’s interested in knowing his relationship with Vivi, plus whatever happens within that room.
Now it’s Nojiko’s turn to ask Nami a question. “So that Vivi… is that her?”
“What do you mean?”
“The woman you were looking for.”
“Yeah,” she answers. “Okay, look, Nojiko, I need to go—“
“Talk to her? Yeah, I figured as much.” The older woman takes Nami’s tray, placing it on top of her own. “Go but make it quick and Nami.” She gives her a look, one that Nami knows too well.
“I won’t cause any trouble, I promise,” Nami says. “Point me in the direction of the bathroom, yeah?”
As soon as Nojiko tells her, Nami is off, speed walking down the hallway to find Vivi. Each step she takes fills her with anger and glee. Anger because of what she witnessed in the room, what Vivi witnessed and yet the actress said nothing about it. Glee because she was right about Vivi! Nami knew that there was something up with the actress and yet no one wanted to believe her. Now she has proof, solid proof that Vivi is up to no good and is just like any rich prick in the acting business.
Nami was right and everyone owes her apology.
Once in front of the bathroom, Nami pushes the door open, not even giving herself a few seconds to prepare herself. Just as she expected, Vivi is standing in front of the sinks, at first staring down at the running water until she hears the door open, now she’s looking directly at Nami. The sight of her all big eyed and shocked makes Nami snort. “Surprised to see me?”
“How did you find this place?” Vivi asks.
“Does that matter right now?” She takes a few steps forward, which causes Vivi to take a few steps back. She stops, so does Vivi. “I want us to focus on why you’re here and sitting in that room.”
Vivi’s jaw tightens. “That has nothing to do with you.”
“Oh, it doesn’t? I feel like it does especially after I got this.” Nami pulls out the business card, waving it in front of the other’s face. “I was just recruited by your friend there, even told me to reach out to you if I-- no, when I finally change my mind.” Because the wording is very important. “Great guy by the way, didn’t think that the nation’s princess was friends with someone like that.”
“Nami--”
“I mean it, he’s really nice, he offered me his business card and basically gave me an easy in into the showbiz world. Oh! And let’s not forget the fact that he threw a glass cup at someone’s head because they interrupted our conversation. That was so nice of him to do.”
“Nami, please--”
“But let’s not forget the amount of alcohol and drugs in that room, you know, the same room that had an obvious minor in it--”
“Nami, please, shut up--”
“No, you shut the fuck up!” Nami steps forward, staring Vivi straight in the eyes, her own filled with nothing but absolute rage. “I knew from the very beginning that you’re up to no good, that you’re just as shitty and terrible as any other celebrity. You walk around as if you’re this innocent little princess who can do no wrong, you talk so sweetly, and act as if you care about others but you’re not like that. What I saw in there proves that you’re the complete opposite,” Nami says, no, shouts. Her whole voice fills the entire bathroom. If there’s anyone in one of the stalls, she hopes that they stay in there and don’t ruin this moment. “Sora, yeah, that fucking minor? You had her in there with all that alcohol and drugs, and for what? So she can prove herself to you and your friend so you guys can be her fucking powerful connection that helps her make bank? Now I’m wondering if there were any other minors in there, wouldn’t be surprising in the slightest.”
As each word left her mouth, the more Vivi began to shrink in her spot. The two are the same height but at this moment, it’s Nami towering over Vivi and she would be lying if she didn’t like their current dynamic. It’s satisfying to see. “I wonder if your friends know about this. Erik, Kebi, Koza? Do they know that you’re giving alcohol and drugs to minors? That you’re forcing them to do these things just to prove how serious and worthy they are of your time? Do they know that their precious princess does all of this, or are you keeping this a secret even from them? God!” Nami laughs, short and dry. “I wanna see their faces when I tell them this, still think they’ll put you on a pedestal and claim that you’re too good and pure for this world?”
“You wouldn’t--”
“I would actually! I want nothing more than to show not only your friends but everyone the kind of person you are. I want them to see that you’ve been fooling them for years, for everyone to see that I was right about you from the beginning,” she says. “I’ve always known from the very beginning that you were up to something and I’m so glad that I kept true to myself and trusted my gut. Because now I see how corrupt and fake you really are. The real Nefertari Vivi.”
“You don’t fucking know the real me!” It happens at the snap of a finger, the dynamic shift and Vivi’s attitude. Now it's Nami who's backing up and Vivi invading her space, now it's Vivi with a fire burning in her glossy eyes, now it's her in command. "You don't know the real me and honestly, I'm starting to realize that you never cared to. All you cared about is this… this Vivi in your fucking head. This illusion of me that fits into this narrative in your head. A Nefertari Vivi who is evil, corrupt, dishonest, a fucking fake which is rich coming from you."
Nami narrows her eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"That the only fake one here is you!" Vivi jabs her finger into her chest. "You're the one who acted like you cared, you're the one who put up this friendly appearance, you're the one who clung to me as if you actually cared and genuinely liked me. Between the two of us, you're the fake and pathetic one."
She flinches, Vivi’s words holding more weight than she thought. Only because Nami has spent the entire day calling herself pathetic for how she’s been acting when it comes to this plan. To have Vivi of all people call her fake and pathetic… hits her like a ton of bricks.
“You should really take up Doflamingo’s offer, with your acting skills and dedication to keep up your act, you could easily make it big. Maybe even bigger than me,” Vivi says. “Then you can beat me once again and watch me fail since you’re apparently obsessed with me.”
“I am not obsessed with you.”
“Could’ve fooled me!” Vivi says. “You’re obsessed, Nami. You’re obsessed, pathetic, fake, and a stalker.” She shakes her head, taking a few steps back. “I should’ve trusted myself from the very beginning, I should’ve just ignored you and continued with my life. Meeting you was the biggest mistake of my life.”
There’s a sharp pain in her chest when Vivi says that. Nami, the biggest mistake of the actress’ life? She wants to laugh, she needs to just to prove how hilarious and ridiculous Vivi sounds. Because she’s not a mistake in anyone’s life. But once again, she can’t say anything. She just stands there, completely silent and lips in a tight line. Why is it that she’s unable to say anything while standing before Vivi even when she really wants to? It’s really starting to piss her off.
“I’m done here,” Vivi says, walking towards the door. “I refuse to stay here with you any longer.”
“What, you’re leaving just like that?” Finally, she finds her voice, Nami follows closely behind her. She’s able to stop Vivi from opening the door by pushing it close. She’s trying to look at Vivi’s face but the other as her head turned to the side so that Nami can’t see her. “But I’m not done talking to you.”
“Well, I’m done talking to you!” Vivi twists around, the two face to face for the third time, but closer than ever. Nami almost takes half a step back but stops herself from doing so as she sees the tears falling down Vivi’s cheeks. The other woman was crying, the tears not matching with the angry look on her face. It’s supposed to be a serious and tense moment between them but Nami can’t help but to think of how Vivi looks like a little puppy right now. “I’m done talking to you, I’m done looking at you, I’m just done with you,” she says, choking on her words. “All this time… You’ve been lying to me, pretending to like me and wanting to be my friend, and for what? So you can write about me and ruin my entire career, my entire life? Well, guess what? Now you can! You have the fucking story that you’ve been looking for, no need to continue with this act any longer! You can go ahead and write about what you saw.” Vivi attempts to wipe her tears but it does nothing as more continue to fall. Nami fights the urge to help her. “Hell, if you want, I can even give you the names of everyone there. So you can write about how they were forced to be there and do drugs for my entertainment. That will really make my fans and friends hate me, isn’t that what you wanted? I can make it happen with no problem. Just… never talk to me again. I don’t ever want to see or hear from you again. You’ll get what you want and I’ll get what I want. So, just… leave me alone.”
Nami has already pulled her hand from the door, giving Vivi the chance to exit for a second time. Just as Vivi opens the door and takes one step out, Nami grabs her hand. She’s not sure why she did that, it just… happened! Vivi glances back at her, expecting Nami to say something, but she’s silent. For the third time, Nami is unable to say anything. Though, she’s not sure what she wants to say to Vivi. Her mind is completely blank.
Vivi breathes in and pulls her hand away. “Goodbye, Nami. Forever.” Then she’s gone, the door closing behind her.
Just like before, Nami is left alone. Alone and empty. She walked into the bathroom radiating confidence, anger, and glee and all of that was gone. Now she’s filled with nothing but questions. Questions about room 223, questions about the Karma staff who are aware of what happens in there, questions about the new talent inside of the room, questions about Doflamingo Donquixote, questions about Vivi. She has a lot about Vivi, questions that she wants the other to answer or for someone to answer for her. But after what just happened, there’s no way she’ll be able to ask Vivi anything unless she wants to see the other crying again.
And then there’s the one question that Nami has for herself: Was it all worth it?
Answer? N/A.