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Nami sank into the bath with a satisfied sigh. As reluctant as she had been to leave the Merry, the bath alone on the Sunny was enough to keep her from being too torn up about it. It felt like so long ago that they had said their tearful goodbye to the Going Merry, even longer still when they had said their goodbyes to Kaya and Merry themselves.
But still, it felt like just yesterday they were just a ragtag crew with a dream.
She suppressed a shudder at the thought of the bounties on their heads today. For better or for worse, there was a large price on their heads. A small price to pay for the family she found along the way.
She thought distantly of the family she left behind in Cocoyashi Village and of the tangerine trees she took along with them.
With each passing thought, she sunk further into the bath, feeling the steam open her pores and her hair slowly falling out of the towel it was wrapped in. It was nice, to for once feel like she wasn't caked in sweat and ocean spray, a comfort she seldom felt these days. It always seemed like one thing after another, whether it was the marines or her own crew that caused her brow to wrinkle and her mouth to pull into a tight frown.
For now, though, all she could manage was a small smile at the thought of her crew. Genzo would proudly burst a blood vessel if he knew how frequently she shared this same bath with her crewmates–no matter the gender.
Baths with Robin were always calming, her many hands more than happy to wash her hair and scrub her back. They were comfortable and stress-free. They talked about everything and nothing. Robin was easy to confide in and Nami took pride in being someone who Robin felt comfortable confiding in. Despite the fact that she left a big sister back in Cocoyashi Village, it was nice to feel like she had a big sister coming along with her on their journeys.
Robin was who she talked the most with about childhood, their situations so different yet somehow feeling like two sides of the same coin. While Robin had spent her childhood running, Nami had spent hers trapped. She supposed they had both been saved by the Strawhat Pirates, both been given a home and a family that would accept them no matter their circumstances, and a family that they felt no obligation to other than to do what they could.
Nami felt like she could tell Robin anything, so she did.
And Robin never failed to reassure that she wasn't useless, that she wasn't a burden, that doing what she could was more than enough.
Baths with Luffy were chaotic, but fun all the same. He would splash water everywhere and occasionally put his head under, forgetting that once he did that he wouldn't be able to come back up. There were also–however rare–moments of sincerity and softness, reminding Nami that no matter how carefree his nature, her captain was just a kid in a big big world.
She would wash his hair and reassure him that everything was going to be okay, that he was a great captain, a captain that the crew could rely on. She would pretend not to see the tears that he wiped from his eyes when he talked about his brothers and go right back to splashing and playing instead. However many headaches he caused her, she always left her baths with Luffy feeling lighter than ever and ready to take on whatever the day threw at them.
Nami hadn't been sure what to expect from baths with Zoro. He always seemed so unshakable, steady and calm; unless he was with Sanji, then he was anything but. What she wasn't expecting was a soft side to the swordsman. He told her about Kuina, about how he tried to forget her but would never forget their promise. He told her about the first time he saw Tashigi, the memories that flooded through him that he tried so hard to stamp down, to not let them interfere with his life. And he told her that she reminded him of her. He would always follow up by calling Nami an insufferable bitch, saying that was about where her similarities with Kuina started and stopped. But she knew. She knew with the careful hands that would scrub her back, hands that could kill so easily yet were so soft in the rare instances they touched.
Nami tried not to let it break her heart. Instead, she tried to mend his broken heart. Still, she would tell him his debt had gone up after every bath time they shared, winking as she told him that these therapy sessions were sure to cost him. And then their bickering would resume, the spell of the steam breaking them back into their usual habits.
The first time Nami had shared the bath with Sanji, she had fully intended to use the bath as her own personal time, away from everyone else. But then the door to the bathroom slammed open and Sanji walked in. He had kicked one of the bath stools underneath him and sat down heavily, still fully clothed, and buried his head in his hands. His hands had gripped golden locks so tightly and water from the bath soaked through his dress pants. She wasn't even sure if he was aware that she was there.
So she called out to him, unable to hide the concern lacing her voice. When he stuttered, embarrassed and refusing to look at her, apologizing profusely for the intrusion, she only leveled him with a glare, demanding that he join her. She had been expecting to see heart eyes from him, for his nose to bleed and him to jump at the invitation.
She wasn't expecting the soft “Are you sure?” that followed her request. She nodded and asked what was troubling him.
He wouldn't stop rambling about their food stores, about how they’d been out at sea for so long with no sight of land, that rationing was so hard when Luffy was a bottomless pit and Zoro would train nonstop and every new crew member that joined was another mouth to feed, another person to ration for, another diet to adhere to, another meal carefully planned for the most nutrition with the limited supplies he had. She distinctly noticed the lack of concern he had for his own health, poking at his ribs when she mentioned this to him.
She laughed when he jumped, ensuring that he was fine and could take care of himself. Nami smiled at that, reassuring him that she knew he could. She eased away his worries with deft fingers massaging into his shoulders and reassurances that they would be all right. And when his worries were washed away, they would turn around and Sanji would return the favor. She found that she could relate to him much more than she had ever thought she would.
She would talk his ear off about finances, her worries about money mirroring his about food. Despite all the trouble it always caused them, it was a blessing in disguise that they could never keep their nose out of other people's business, it lessened the burden of trying to find places to eat and to stay while they were on land. She did a surprising amount of her budgeting in the bath with Sanji. He was a good resource when it came to how much they would need to spend on food. And if she upped his personal allowance after their first bath time conversation, she would never tell, he would never accept it anyways. It was just as easy to slip someone a few extra berri as it was to take it.
It felt rare these days that she bathed alone. She almost felt lonely. She had thought that with all the time spent with others aboard the ship, each moment alone would be a blessing. Instead she was beginning to find the quiet unnerving.
Of course it was never truly quiet, the waves beating against the hull a constant buzz in the background. Still, she strained her ears to hear anyone yelling in the background or the clang of blades against raging kicks. She’d even take canon fire.
Instead, what she got was a small knock on the door.
“Come in,” she called.
“Sorry, Nami, I hadn't expected anyone to be in here,” Usopp cracked open the door as he spoke.
“It’s fine, I don't mind the company,” she said, and she meant it.
Usopp shut the door softly behind him. He left his clothes in a heap next to her neatly folded ones and got to work scrubbing at his hair. Nami closed her eyes, simply listening to the sounds of her crewmate turning water on and off and splashing water over himself. She finally felt herself relax completely.
“Have you heard from Kaya recently?” she asked, feeling the water stir as Usopp slipped into the tub across from her.
“No, but I sent her a letter not too long ago.”
Nami hummed in acknowledgement, her eyes still closed and her head leaned back against the edge of the tub. It was a large tub, more than big enough for two people, perhaps even three or four, but she still stretched her legs out to brush Usopp’s leg with her own, a simple reminder that he was alive, that all of them were alive and well.
“Have you heard from Vivi?” Usopp asked, knocking their ankles together.
“Not since we left Water 7, that was the last time I could get a good transponder snail signal.”
“I see, I see,” he nodded, stroking his chin.
“You really need to shave,” Nami laughed, poking the scruff that had grown down his neck.
“Says you! Your legs are so hairy I could mistake you for Chopper!”
Nami sent a light splash his way, reprimanding him for commenting on it.
“For your information, leg hair is perfectly natural. It’s not like mine is dark like yours, you can barely even see it!” She protested.
They laughed, settling down as the door flew open. There was only one person on the ship who had the audacity to barge into the bathroom without at least knocking first.
“Got room for two more?” Luffy laughed, not bothering to wait for a response before he began throwing off his clothes, scattering them around the bathroom. The last to go was his hat, getting set down gently on top of Nami and Usopp’s clothes. Chopper was waddling along behind him, carefully folding his shorts and setting them down.
“You better rinse off before getting in here!” Nami scolded before he could jump into the tub.
He grumbled, but complied anyways. At least he was actually bathing, some days it was a real challenge to get him into a bath.
Chopper was following dutifully behind Luffy, the two of them making a game out of cleaning up. Nami couldn't stop the smile that made its way to her lips watching her crewmates get into soap fights, Usopp loudly complaining next to her when some stray bubbles floated his way.
When Chopper had been successfully rinsed of soap and Luffy had gotten the stamp of approval to join them, he threw Chopper in before bounding in himself, making a bit of splash with his lack of finesse. Nami had thankfully caught Chopper, bonking Luffy on the head for his carelessness and the splash that had resulted from it.
The next knock on the door had Franky ducking into the bathhouse saying, “Woah, is it a party in here or what?”
Nami was always surprised by Franky’s hygiene. When he first joined, she had thought she would need to remind him to bathe as often as she reminded Luffy to. When Nami had mentioned this to him, he just laughed.
“I gotta keep my parts clean, otherwise I will not be super,” had been his response.
It was getting to the point of ridiculousness when Zoro and Sanji opened the door. Though Nami had been lamenting her loneliness previously, a bath with the whole crew hadn't been what she was thinking to cure it.
She removed herself from the bath, toweling off and ignoring Luffy’s protests to her leaving. She gathered her clothes and told Luffy that they could bathe together tomorrow.
She gave Sanji a knowing look when she passed him and Zoro undressing, delighting in the way his face turned bright red. She would have to corner him in the kitchen later and interrogate him about why he and the swordsman had arrived at the bath together. She flicked Zoro on the head for good measure before shutting the door behind her.
She picked up the change of clothes she had left on the opposite side of the door and threw her towel in the hamper, redressing before descending the ladder.
She made her way to the aquarium, following the sound of Brook’s music and the smell of baked goods. She found Robin reading a book on the long couch, a tray of sweets and tea on the center table and Brook playing a mellow tune on the other side of the room.
She settled in on the couch, enjoying the quiet company of her crew, of her family. She decided, then and there, that she wouldn't trade this for the world.