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Nami is one of those people who have vivid, frequent dreams. Full of color and happy memories of the past, they’ve constantly helped the girl to overcome the hard times and keep going day by day. And, as if projecting her deepest fears, Nami is never alone in them.
The most precious dreams are shared with her dear mother, whose voice she doesn’t even remember anymore. Those nights are silent but immensely cherished. Nojiko, her older sister who is seas away, usually helps Nami to collect imaginary mikan from the groove in their childhood home. And do not forget her crewmates! They also make an appearance from time to time, whether throwing a big party or trying to win over the world.
The point is, Nami always knows people who entertain her sleep. Though it’s not necessarily a rule; rather the most common case. Or, to be more precise, there is one exception that breaks all the pretentious use of the words like “always”.
The story goes like this: Nami is barely eighteen when she sees this woman for the first time.
The she-stranger stands on the cliff, blocking the setting sun with her tender form. Nami’s not even sure whether the woman is facing her or not; the female shadow figure tells her this much. Then Nami blinks – her gaze is unusually blurry – and suddenly they stand in the middle of a sunflower field; the sun is still setting, still blocked by the woman’s silhouette. Nami blinks once more, and now it is the dark blue sea that surrounds them. They silently drown. It’s freezing, the sea cold bites her toes and ankles, punches the last remnants of air from her aching lungs, and the helpless girl sinks lower and lower.
She cannot even scream.
Still, there is the sun under the water, and it is – once more – hidden by the odd woman who doesn’t drown and just gracefully floats above Nami’s sinking herself. Like a pretty golden fish, she suddenly thinks.
The girl blinks in surprise at such a silly thought and suddenly opens her eyes to the cliff again. And decides not to blink for the time being.
However, she doesn’t find it in herself to simply stand. You see, deep at her heart, Nami is a curious creature. She always was. The young girl, buried underneath the piles of guilt and purpose, still wants to see the vast ocean, wants to paint all the islands and to touch the clouds. She also wants to know the answers to the array of primitive but so important questions that are blowing her mind.
Who is this woman?
Why is she here?
What is the color of her hair?
What if it's also red, just like Nami’s?
Obviously, she cannot just stand still in her place. The forgotten want inside her body, hot and selfish, and so intense out of nowhere, urges Nami to do at least something. She must learn this strange woman; so she squeezes her eyes and tries to focus her gaze – until the blur at the borders of her vision disappears.
Unfortunately, the evening sun doesn’t bend to some girl’s wants (it will, eventually, but the years must pass), so it masterfully hides the woman’s features, and all Nami is left with is the shadowed figure of a seemingly charming lady.
This piece of knowledge comes to the girl rather unexpectedly. And it quickly, like fire being extinguished by a bucket of icy water, calms her down. Yes, Nami can describe neither her eyes nor even the color of her long hair, but somehow she knows – the woman is beautiful. Pretty like the horizon; alluringly warm yet so unreachable. She doesn’t have to see her to understand this simple truth.
Sometimes you just feel things, and that’s all you need.
It’s a principle Nami religiously believes in, learned to do so when she was small and walked with her mother’s hand in hand. To follow her heart, Bellemere always said, the one that feels the weather change and is yet to be wrong about it. The same heart that understands people and their feelings: who is dangerous and who is not, with whom she can fight, and from whom she better run.
Of course, nothing is perfect and mistakes were made; the taste of them is fishy in her mouth and ashy in burns on her palms. It’s all because people, Nami learns very quickly, are more unpredictable than the weather patterns, thus requiring much more knowledge and experience to coexist with. Though not the men, as most of them are so easy to deceive. But even they manage to surprise her once in a while.
Years later, she predicts storms in the New World, out of all possible places, but is still unsure about some people’s beliefs and motives.
With that being said, Nami is mostly, almost good at reading people.
That’s why, despite the urge in her bones, she doesn’t move. She and the woman, they simply stand and stare at each other for what feels like a small eternity. Still, one thing catches Nami’s eye. She is observant to the point of survival, so she notices quickly – the spring wind Nami feels on her skin doesn’t touch the other woman’s long locks and wavy dress. And that is interesting, to say the least.
Also, the sun never sets.
Why?
It’s her dream, hers and only hers. She is the one in control of it, so why is the sun wrong? Nami knows how things work, and it shouldn’t be like that. Years of studying and learning, stolen books and ancient maps – all for what? So that, even in her own mind, she couldn’t build the right nature pattern?
Oh, it angers Nami so much. She is a damn good–
Another question pops into her head, so loud and overwhelming that it cancels all of her other thoughts. Who exactly is she?
Nami’s not a navigator as there is no ship she can navigate and no crew truly willing to take on someone like her. She is not a scientist because all she does is take knowledge from others, but never adds to it. Nami cannot even name herself a good sister. Or a good person.
A thief, that’s who she is. A great one.
It is a useful title, especially in such a dangerous world, and Nami is deeply proud of the skills she perfected for so many years. At the same time, the girl knows that it is not what she truly wants in her life, and suspects that Bellemere would not be proud of her either. But her mother would understand. Some things just need to be done.
And when it all ends, Nami will finally be able to choose for herself who she is. For example, she can become a teacher. Go to some school, properly study about all the things in the world, and then spread this knowledge to everyone willing to learn. She’ll definitely be good at that. Also, such a career provides her with an option to start writing and selling scientific books. Those things are bloody expensive, so the profit should be good enough for her to live a comfortable life.
A quiet chuckle clears Nami’s bright and hopeful thoughts. The woman, right! Nami is quick to raise her gaze and catch the other woman’s lingering smile–
Only to open her eyes just a moment after Luffy takes back his straw hat, which was peacefully resting atop her hair.
Nami blinks profusely – the place remains the same – and tentatively looks around. The memories of the late battle come quickly, along with the smile on her face. Still, it’s hard to believe that her village can be so peaceful, but she tries her best. The celebration is almost over, the folk are asleep on the streets and near old houses, and Nami herself is placed on someone’s porch. She hears the distant grumbling of Sanji’s and Zoro’s voices, and the clacking of dishes.
Luffy, always quick on his rubbery legs, is nowhere to be seen.
Shortly after, as if it was waiting for her to fully wake up, the pain in her shoulder instantly reminds of itself. Nami slightly moves her limb in circles, careful of fresh bindings, and the motion helps to ease the ache, making it bearable enough to fall asleep again. But, before that, Nami wants to do one more thing.
She raises her gaze and looks at the stars above her hatless head. They are beautiful, a myriad of tiny white dots surrounding their silver lady, the moon. The nightly sky is clear and full of shiny promises and a future without any limits. Nami likes it so much.
The girl smiles and closes her eyes. She can’t wait to learn the constellations above foreign islands and merciless seas, but for now, she will rest. The day was crazy, after all – and something tells Nami it will only go uphill. Her smile never falters.
The navigator – a newfound title Nami cherishes so much – is touching the clouds when the woman appears again.
It takes approximately one second for Nami to recognize her, the same female silhouette and long hair not changing. And it’s not like she forgot about the woman, no. But Nami never really tried to uncover her persona as well. Why bother, if it’s just a fruit of her imagination? It must be. Perhaps, someone she saw for a moment, and her brain decided to keep them for further use in some kind of hazy dreams? Who cares.
Apparently, Nami does; or something in the deep labyrinth of her own mind.
So, the woman is here, again. This time, though, there is something more to her. Indeed, Nami sees her silhouette but also feels her, almost tastes her in the sweet evening air. Her aura, and Nami never liked this word, but it’s the only one she can think of, is like that specific background kind of peace that spreads vastly and covers you from head to toe faster than you manage to clock its mere presence. However, Nami doesn’t think she is being insisted on, more like being advised by someone much mature and experienced.
Advice to rest.
And Nami, suddenly so worn out, decides to do exactly that. She relaxes her shoulders and neck, sinks further into the soft cloud she sits on, and even contemplates fully lying down. For some reason – the one Nami escapes to recall – she is tired and wants to fall asleep. But she’s already asleep, the girl suddenly remembers.
The realization elicits a small delightful laugh from Nami. To sleep inside a dream; how truly exhausted must she be, that her brain shuts down even while being already asleep?
Still, Nami resists the heaviness on her eyelids, at least for a couple more minutes.
Both of them are settled on top of puffy white clouds. As far as Nami can see, the clouds are everywhere – no hills or other structures in sight. The sun is also not visible, but Nami registers its presence in the air and notices it in the sky, which is colored with warm evening hues of yellow and orange. The time is late, and the sun must be setting; just like in the previous dream. Overall, it is a really lovely place to be, though one nuance is left.
Nami hesitantly tries to blink and, thankfully, nothing changes, which completely erases any of her remaining worries.
But something is certainly different. Though the picture is similar to the one she’s already seen, it is not the same. Nami slowly looks around once more, trying to catch this one thing that makes her brain scratch. The sun is setting, the air is nice and warm, the woman is pretty and her eyes are pleasantly calm–
That’s it!
Even with the actual sun not being here, its remaining light is bright. And, because of the courtesy of a distant part of her brain that painted the background of this dream, the mysterious woman is finally not so anymore. Nami can see her! And looking at her is a pleasure in itself.
The woman is sitting right in front of her, mere meters separating them. Her posture is elegant yet gracefully relaxed, with no tense shoulders in sight. A pastel dress covers her curves. Strawberry blond hair frames a slender, slightly pale face, and Nami distantly recognizes dark freckles on her cheeks and nose. Yes, she’s definitely seen them before. She also remembers the brownish eyes, but, strangely, not the serene look in them.
In her turn, the woman seems to study Nami as well. Though a bit differently; she doesn’t spare a single look at her red locks – remarkable hair, worth looking at, – and her gaze doesn’t even flinch at Nami’s tattoo. The woman looks straight into her eyes, and don’t they say that eyes are the windows to the soul?
Even if they are, Nami suddenly realizes she doesn’t care about it that much. The woman only exists in her dreams, and her gaze is not heavy at all, curious at most. And, even if she is a projection of Nami’s inner thoughts and worries, or some other mental trick, the navigator is way too tired to think about it. Next time, if it ever happens again.
With this thought in her head, she lets out a sigh and flops on her back. The cloud is like an expensive soft mattress, the one Nami slept on while resting at Vivi’s palace. Memories bring back the exhaustion and the primal urge to fall asleep, so she dives in.
But before closing her eyes, Nami notices a warm smile on the woman’s lips. It lights her whole face and, indeed, she is such a beautiful lady.
A moment later, Luffy wakes her up with a shushed yelp, and immediately starts to yap about some treasure he wants to steal from the people in the sky. Nami’s still tired, her bones hurting, but the promise of gold and fun gives her one last burst of energy.
It’s stealing time!
Once is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times (and more) is a pattern.
The pattern is simple. To encounter the Lady – after the fifth time, Nami decided to give her a name – one must meet a couple of requirements. First, you must be tired of some sort, or troubled with something. Then, the conditions of your sleep should allow you to fall asleep deeply; so your precious, noisy, never setting down members of the crew will not be able to wake you up immediately. Which is hard but achievable.
Lastly, prior to the night, you should wear a hat. No, the hat. Luffy’s straw hat – and he must willingly give it to you, no forced taking.
For some time, Nami was hesitant about the last part of this dreamy equation. But then, she is a particularly smart young woman, and she doesn’t do this whole thing of not believing the facts just because they are slightly abnormal. So much stuff in this world is crazy; Luffy is crazy, a good kind of, but still is not normal at all. Thus, why should his hat be just some random hat, and not a magical one?
And Luffy, being his best himself, would have never known.
Also, Nami tested her theory. Because, again, she is smart and considers herself a scientist, and Robin would have done the same. And Nami values her opinion.
So, a few times, broken in different periods to not be too suspicious, the navigator asked for the straw hat. At the start, Luffy voiced his concerns as to why she needed it, but Nami’s answers were always prepared prior. The sun is too hot. It’s windy, I don’t want my head to get cold. The hat required repair; and she didn’t even have to lie in that case.
Interestingly, with not nearly enough time passing, Luffy stopped asking. And, more than once, he’s given the hat himself. Quickly, Nami’s simple experiment turned into a routine of passing the hat back and forth with her captain. In the morning and right before bedtime, amid the storm or while touring new islands – their small game of glances, smiles and lingering touches never stopped.
The whole crew, Sanji included, found great joy in observing their friends’ blossoming courtship. For affections and love languages are very interesting and unique things, and sometimes matters on the ship were so hellishly boring.
That’s the story for some other time.
And Nami, while discovering a whole new range of feelings towards Luffy, never forgot about her main intentions. All in all, her theory was seemingly right, and the navigator even managed to successfully confirm one more thing: that the Lady’s appearance cannot be forced.
That Luffy’s inner desire to help and provide comfort, a rare expression of his calmer set of emotions, is essential to the whole ordeal of the Lady and the Hat; or the Hat and the Lady. Also, it simply makes sense. For them to be so obviously connected, it is a strange thing to order the Lady, when Luffy himself isn’t to be ordered at all.
Is it wrong that Nami, being greedy and selfish, still craves to?
Sometimes, she wants him to speak less or at least think before opening his mouth. To mind the presence of other people, to learn some table manners, to stop looking at her with his big round eyes and a strange gaze hidden in the depth of their darkness. It makes Nami nervous. And when she is, it becomes a problem for the whole ship. Once, Robin decided to give her a talk regarding this matter; it ended in red cheeks and the older woman's joyful laughter.
Oh, and she wants Luffy to stop putting himself in danger. Nami dreams of the day her captain becomes more cautious, so there will be less trembling in her hands. Similarly, she dreads this exact day, as something constantly tells her it will be their last.
There is also an aching desire in her bones – to become a part of his heart. The part that will make Luffy stop in the middle of his antics, and will urge him to catch his breath, to try and find the other one on the deck of his ship. It will be only fair, as Nami has to do it at least once a day.
Nami, being kind and self-sacrificing, never acts on her wishes.
If you want someone, you must want them as they are. Those are Bellemere’s words, and she was always right. Nami’s captain and the main source of her headache, Nami’s savior and the person who irritates her every single day; the navigator may be torn between her feelings, but she’s certain of one thing. Luffy is beautiful as he is, with a big smile and a soul capable of setting people free. And him being a tad too much at everything he does is also okay. Nami learned to love every part of him a long time ago.
So, with that being said, she simply appreciates the Lady’s presence when the stars align.
When the day is exhausting, her crewmates are a bit too much to handle, and the weather keeps Nami on her toes – she is tired. When she finds a perfect place to curl into herself and hide from the world – Nami is set to have a deep, uninterrupted sleep. When Luffy eventually finds her in the library, under the leaves of her trees or elsewhere – she secures herself the hat.
But, before the Lady’s visit, Nami gets another treat in the form of her captain’s company, some quiet time together. And she isn’t really ready to answer the question of what she likes more, the Lady’s companionship or the time spent with Luffy.
Usually, he tends to sit near Nami’s side, every time getting closer and closer, and either humming a song she’s never heard before or playing with the fidget toy he stole from Usopp. Nothing is said, just a hat atop her red hair and a shoulder to lean on. She sometimes wonders, or it’s her tender heart that’s in love, if he acts the same with the others.
Nami knows that Luffy is always ready to help each member of his crew, and she admires this characteristic of his very much, but does he do it in the same manner? Or is it only Nami who sees the gentle curve of his lips and feels the heat of his body?
Hope blooms in the young girl’s heart.
A couple of times, she thought of telling Luffy about the Lady. His hat is the catalyst for the dreams and the woman’s whole existence, so maybe he has also seen her? What if the Lady spoke to him and even told her story? It would be great to learn it. And strange beings tend to like Luffy, so why would this one become an exception? But, as their ship continued to sail the ocean, Nami decided against this idea. Not because Luffy would laugh at her – he would, actually, but not in an evil, mocking way. No, never.
It’s just sometimes a woman should have a secret. And with a captain like hers; with a lover like hers, it’s already a tough thing to achieve. Luffy loves secrets but hates lies, and Nami is somewhere in-between because Luffy’s already caught her staring brainlessly at him, at his hat. In the end, Nami is silent.
She also likes to keep Luffy on his toes, and there is nothing more fun to observe than Luffy trying to solve a true mystery.
The hat is enough, and all is good.
If the hat was truly magical, as per Nami’s beliefs, it would have told her that it is, in fact, not magical. It hadn’t even eaten a devil fruit.
The hat is just a hat. But of one thing Nami is actually right – it does have a long story.
And was it there to witness all those lives? Was it there to be a silent observer, a truthful keeper of people's beliefs? Sure it was. So many incredible people had met the hat, tried to leave their marks on it. Like a loved book, filled with inky fingerprints and pencil-written notes, the straw hat also holds all those memories. And some more.
Of one man’s want for the world to become better and his regret that, ultimately, he hasn't been able to do enough. Of one boy’s hopes that the bets he had placed on some village kid would eventually pay off. Or of one woman’s burning desire to save her only son, and her honest wish to see at least a day of his life.
The straw hat doesn’t have any magic in itself, but is filled to its brim with people. Each of them is individual, each of them continues to exist in this hat. Every sunny straw tells a story, every carefully placed thread remembers gentle hands and quiet conversations.
So no, the hat would say in the end, it’s not magic. It’s people, and it’s always gonna be them.
Despite all of that, Nami still thinks that the straw hat is not some simple hat. Again, it hadn’t eaten a devil fruit, therefore, it cannot tell her otherwise.
But maybe, that’s the whole point. Without knowing for sure, Nami believes, and isn’t it such a humane thing? To believe.
Thus, with the years passing, Nami still sees the Lady from time to time. She even grows a habit of having a full-fledged conversation with the other woman. The navigator talks about her newly-drawn maps and recent weather studies, and never forgets to recall their never-ending adventures as well. The Lady, to Nami’s regret, never speaks back; just like the hat. But she smiles a lot, and seems to enjoy all the stories Nami shares with her.
The Lady’s smile looks a little brighter, when Nami starts to tell her about her little girl. How actually hard it is to care about someone so small and vulnerable, even with the help of the whole crew. And Nami cannot stop herself from worrying all the time! Their’s is the life so dangerous, you never know what will happen next. This feeling of constant fear follows Nami’s days and nights, but usually, one look at her baby helps to calm her down a bit. Then, when she’s finally able to think clearly, Nami quickly remembers that her friends are strong and will never let her down. Everything is going to be good.
Gods, her husband is the King of the Pirates. It does not get safer than that.
Still, each repeatedly voiced worry and concern makes her heart lighter. Just telling it aloud gives Nami the ability to breathe deeper and look at things with a more optimistic attitude. It’s hormones and overflowed emotions, she’s sure. And Nami also knows that she should discuss it with the crew. Just later.
For now, a smile and a knowing gaze from the Lady are more than enough. Strangely, but Nami thinks that the woman understands her, as if she were also a mother. This knowledge provides Nami with great comfort.
It also further confirms her thesis about the uniqueness of the straw hat. If not, then why does her sweet baby only stop crying when her little grubby hands tightly grip her father's hat? Both Franky and Usopp constantly complain that their thoroughly handcrafted toys cannot catch the attention of the child.
Luffy, as he should, is visibly proud. No one can tell if the captain is proud of his daughter's first big life choices, of himself, or of the hat.