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They’re still at Baratie, Sanji and Zeff having their little talk and the rest doing whatever on the ship to pass the time. Nika has to be kept busy inside, or he’ll blow his cover due to absolute boredom and Nami can’t let that happen, so she throws Usopp at him. Usopp, who’s still quivering at just being around his friend-turned-out-to-be-his-god. By far not the best idea she’s ever had, she’ll admit, but she’s had enough of his boundless energy after half a morning playing babysitter and Zoro is sleeping his wound off, so Usopp is the only possible victim.
They play hide and seek at first, probably because Usopp wants to get out of sight as much as possible. Then he’s frightened so much by Nika appearing out of nowhere behind him, they change to a card game instead. It’s made by the sniper, who has a lot of extra cards hidden up his sleeves, so it’s not a surprise he wins every time. Nika doesn’t seem to mind it. He laughs every time he loses and demands they go again. Usopp doesn’t protest, sweat collecting on his brow, barely able to look at his opponent.
“Um…” He starts, after another round gone to him, as he collects the cards. “I-I wanted to ask you something.”
Red eyes are immediately on him, twinkling with open interest. Even Nami’s attention is drawn, so she puts her book aside.
“W-when I was a kid, a lot of the villagers told me stories of- of you. Of the Sun God Nika.”
The interest dulls, hands waving it away. “Ah, nah, they’re boring. Don’t want to know them.”
“Just listen to him this time.” She urges him. “I want to know.”
He grumbles, but nods at Usopp to continue.
“Ehm… As I was saying, they told me stories. Especially about what happens to liars, if they don’t stop their lying.” The sniper falls silent, waits for a reaction to his words, recognition maybe. He’s just stared at. “...about Nika snatching them and throwing them into the sun?”
More staring.
“I-is it true? Do you d-do that to them?”
A blink.
Nami shakes her head, sighing exasperatedly. “It looks like the inhabitants of Syrup were just really fed up with your antics, Usopp.”
“I do.” Nika says at the same time, voice flat.
There’s a high pitched shriek and hurried footsteps escaping from them.
Nika stares at the left-open door of the galley in confused surprise. “What did I do?”
Suffice to say, Usopp did not come close to the god for several hours. It made explaining that it had been a joke that much harder.
Zoro is training. He’s training most of the time, so that’s nothing spectacular. What catches Nami’s attention is Luffy hanging around close by, instead of playing with Usopp or bugging Sanji for food. He usually deems the repetitious motions as boring after some time and not of his interest and finds something else to occupy himself with.
Not this time.
Nami checks their current course against the needle of her Log Pose, shouts a quick correction at Usopp, who’s working on something in the galley, before walking down the stairs to the two boys.
“...so it’s only when I draw it, that the energy leaks out?” Zoro asks when she gets into earshot, swinging around one of his swords. It’s the demon one he got in Loguetown. Lucky for him it’s still in its scabbard, or he would get an earful for doing exactly what she told him not to.
“I guess. The ikky feeling isn’t there now.”
“Interesting.” He thumbs at the guard, shoots his captain a quick look, before pressing at it, so the sword slides out a few inches. Luffy winces, takes a step back. “I can feel its bloodlust all the time. It can’t be the same effect.”
“Like I said, I don’t know!” Luffy pouts, glancing at the sword with discomfort written on his face, even though he knows it’s not an active threat to him in the swordsman’s hands. It turns quickly to surprise as another sword is thrust at him, that he catches barely before it hits his face. “What?”
“The best way to overcome fear is facing it head on.” Zoro explains with a smirk, drawing his demon sword fully and points the tip at the god.
Nami doesn’t have the chance to scream at him for being a stupid idiot and tell him to put the damn god-killing object away from the person making the sun exist – not to mention their close friend, who she wants to have by her side and have adventures with for longer than just a few months. Instead, she watches as the swordsman charges, weapon raised to strike, or block an attack – she doesn’t have enough knowledge about sword fights to recognize the difference – when a cry of ‘Gum Gum Sword Strike’ reaches her and a fist punches him straight into the face.
He’s send sprawling and Nami gapes at the hand curled around a sword hilt – sword still in its scabbard – retracting to Luffy. He lights up, grinning at his success. “It worked!”
“That’s not how you use a sword!” Zoro grumbles, spitting out some blood. She wont worry, it’s his own fault anyway.
“But I don’t know how to use one.”
A beat.
“You don’t… know how to use one. Are you fucking kidding me? What about that sword they always show you with?”
The proud, beaming smile he receives is way too bright to look at, Nami has to avert her eyes. “It looks cool, right?”
“...why did I ever think calling upon your help was a good idea?”
The first meal Sanji ever makes them, is right after Zoro thought challenging a Shichibukai known for his otherworldly sword skills to a fight is a good idea. It is not! She just wants to mention that. If it weren’t for the god among them, he’d be dead now and couldn’t join them in the admittedly heavenly meal that they currently have.
Nami has never tasted anything like it. A nourishing soup with freshly baked bread, that’s filled with several different nuts. A mixture of spices in a rice bowl, the flavours exploding on her tongue. A few kinds of salads, giving it a fresh component. Omelette, soba, filled mushrooms and a fruity desert for last. She finds nothing to complain about. He really went all out to impress them.
Usopp doesn’t say much, too occupied with stuffing his face and avoiding any attention at the same time. She’s sure he’d agree with her. Even Zoro, who sits on the floor, having grumblingly accepted a plate filled with everything from the cook, cause he shouldn’t move too much, has to admit it’s pretty good.
Nika though… She’s not really sure what he’s thinking of it, cause he mostly only plays with his spoon, shoving a pair of peas around on his plate. Maybe it’s an effect of having to heal a demon sword wound, ruining his appetite, or he’s just not that hungry in the first place. He has eaten a bit, so it’s not worrying in that regard, it’s just not as much as she’s gotten used to from him.
Sanji is observing him too, a worried crinkle appearing above his brows. Someone not enjoying his food seems to bother him. Finally, he asks: “Something not right with it? Any spices you don’t like?”
Nika sets the spoon down, puts his head on his arms and stares at nothing. “No. It’s good. You’re a great cook.”
“But?”
A sigh. “’s no meat.”
Huh, there really isn’t. She didn’t even notice the lack of it, everything else making up for it.
Sanji looks confused. “I thought you don’t eat meat? At least that’s what the other cooks always say. Something about the Sun God appreciating all life on earth.”
He gets a look of utter disbelieve. “Are they dumb? What about plants then? They’re alive too! I couldn’t eat anything, with that logic!”
“True. I didn’t think about that. So meaty things are preferred, got it! Anything else I should keep in mind? Any allergies or dislikes?”
“Hm…” Nika takes a moment to contemplate it. “I don’t really like cherry pie. It’s yuk! But maybe Sanji’s cherry pie tastes different, so no idea.”
“We’ll have to try that out then.” The cook grins at the challenge presenting itself. He’s eager to make his version meet the god’s taste.
Nami snickers quietly, changing telling glances with Zoro and Usopp. The fact that he’s already thinking about cooking for them in the future, shows that he’s ready to join them. He might not even have realized it himself yet.
Nami enjoys the party on Skypea a lot. Even more than the first one, because this time, she can almost feel the relief in everyone. It’s the ease with which the musicians play their instruments, every thought of a dark future erased from their minds. The dancers move to the beat, fly around the place on light feet, the heaviness taken from their limbs.
It’s enticing to look at and she spends a lot of time joining them. But with a party going several days, she also spends a lot of time sitting at the sideline, gaining her breath back, after several hours of moving all over the place without a break.
One of those times, she sits with Sanji, enjoying the snacks he prepared specifically for her and combing her fingers through Chopper’s soft fur, who sits in her lab. She’s half-listening to a group of Skypean teens, telling each other stories, while conversing with her friends herself.
It’s when her captain’s name is mentioned, that she turns her entire attention to them.
“Did you know that Nika secretly has a tail?” One asks, lowering his voice and leaning forward conspiratorial. He quickly checks his surroundings, to see if anyone is listening, completely missing the Straw Hats in the process. “He just hides it, to appear more normal, but when he judges someone unfaithful, it appears to strangle them to death!”
It causes a murmur to spread through the rest, wide, fearful eyes being shared.
“Is that true?” Someone else asks, voice a whisper that can barely be heard over the music.
“It is! My grandma told me, her father saw it himself as a child, back when Nika visited the last time. She said I shouldn’t tell anyone, or he might find out I know.”
“Then why are you telling us, you idiot!” A third cries quietly, grabbing the firsts shoulders with a look of despair on her face. “And now that he’s here of all times! Do you want him to kill us?”
“Don’t worry, I don’t see him anywhere! We’re okay!”
Nami rolls her eyes at the stupidity. Not only is the idea that Luffy would kill someone completely unbelievable, but him having a tail just to do so is unnecessary as heck. If he ever wanted to, he has so many other ways at his disposal. Ways that don’t need him to hide a body part. She’s just about to correct them, telling them exactly why the mere thought is ridiculous, when Chopper moves from her lap. His eyes are focussed on the group, his movements oddly stiff, when he starts walking away, before turning and fleeing the scene.
Thinking he might have been spooked by what has been said, she follows, leaving it to Sanji to do the things in her place.
Surprisingly, the little reindeer goes straight for Luffy, who currently occupies himself with playing with some kids, bending his fingers in the strangest of ways to make them laugh.
“Luffy!” Chopper demands his attention in an unusually stern voice, that almost sounds scolding. “Why did you not tell me? I’m your doctor! I need to know such things!”
Does he…? Dear Nika, he does! He’s not afraid of what those guys said about Luffy! No, he believes the thing with the tail! He thinks their captain knowingly withheld that information from him!
Luffy has of course no idea what he’s accused of, so he only sends his friend the most confused look.
Later, when everything is cleared up and the god has told them that no, he does not ‘have a tail, but that would be really cool, don’t you think?’, the two of them are a snickering mess, while they relay what happened to Usopp.
In their little collection of weird people, Brook is by far the weirdest. (If you’ve gotten used to the fact that the captain is a god acting like a child, that is.) He’s a living skeleton, that can play all kinds of instruments, loves doing skull-jokes and has a strange desire to see a girl’s panties. Nami’s not complaining – except about that last fact. He’s a nice guy, fits in with them perfectly and is oddly well-mannered for having spent decades without other people around. She’s quickly getting used to his uniqueness and soon, she doesn’t even bat an eye at his sometimes strange behaviours anymore.
She does notice them though.
It starts almost right after they’ve left Thriller Bark. The fog still surrounds them from all sides, navigation goes by Log Pose alone, not by eyes. She expects to run into some kind of barrier reef any moment and spends her time reading some of their older newspapers in the galley, to find out more about Akagami and his group, when Brook suddenly steps inside. Sanji, always working on something behind the counter, seems to already have expected him, cause only seconds later, a cup of tea trades hands. The musician thanks the cook smoothly, before turning to join her at the table. It’s right then, when he seems to notice the little space they have for Merry. He stops in front of it, stares at it in silence for a long, long time and then continues like it’s never happened.
One time is not unusual. Not many pirate crews have a shrine dedicated to their old ship and no one has told him yet what exactly it is for.
She wouldn’t think about, if it only happened that one time though! It happens every time!
Whenever Brook enters or leaves the galley, he spends some time – sometimes more, sometimes less – in front of the little sheep head, staring at it, as if it holds the answers to a thousand questions.
It gets even weirder, when Luffy starts sending him questioning glances, as soon as they’re out of the fog. And not the ‘I wonder what you’re doing’ kind. He even interrupts his conversation with Sanji about food at one time, when it happened during it, which even made Chopper gap at him. They all know how much their captain loves it.
In the end, the answer to this riddle is as obvious as it is stupid. Luffy only needs to say ‘You know I’m right here, right?’ during one such situation, for it to click with Nami and then she asks herself, why he even waited this long in the first place.
Brook ‘Yohoho!’s, not feeling uncomfortable for being called out and explains: “I think it is only natural, to use a shrine the way it is intended. It would sadden its maker, if not.”
“It’s not a shrine!” Usopp replies. A reflex now, after having to correct everyone else for days.
“Oh? What else might it be then, if not a place to honour our god?”
Which prompts the story of Merry and how she’s still with them, thanks to that sheep head.
Nami still finds him standing in front of it once in a while, hands folded in prayer, but Luffy never reacts to it anymore, so maybe he’s talking to someone else now.
There are a lot of stories told about their captain. Only from the members of the Straw Hats with their lives spent entirely in the East Blue, they have all kind of deeds and powers people say he has. Of course, some of them are denied immediately when brought up, others receive a round of full-blown laughter.
Nami still thinks the thing with Zoro was the funniest. It’s rare to see the stoic swordsman so baffled, so out of his element, since he prefers to mask that with disinterest. She likes to remind him of it too, if only to enjoy the twitching eyebrow.
There are some that are true, though, or at least partially so, as the one Robin told them once showed. So they take things they hear with a grain of salt, until they can ask their captain about it directly, or use the knowledge they’ve already gathered about him, to debunk it even before. Sometimes both.
That one time, both were definitely needed.
The story is another one of Robin’s, which is oddly enough. She doesn’t share them often, mostly only when asked, which quickly became one of the last things Usopp wanted at any given time.
“They’re all scary!” He gave as a reason.
So it became a common thing to avoid prompting her while the sniper is around, if only to avoid another ‘nightmare’ incident. Once was already enough. That doesn’t prevent her from starting it herself.
Nami just finishes her cup of tea, a sweet, fruity one she couldn’t resist when Sanji turned up with it. The aroma fills her nose, the taste of berries lingering on her tongue, perfect in the mild weather they’re having, not soon after having left Water Seven. She’s sitting outside on the lawn – and what a novel thought that is, to have a lawn on a ship – enjoying the soft breeze, Robin next to her reading a book.
“I think I have finally come to a conclusion.” she starts, just as Usopp, Chopper and Luffy drag a struggling Zoro towards the fishing poles draped over the railing, obviously wanting him to join them in their midday activities. “It is symbiosis.”
They stop, all eyes falling onto her in a single motion, confusion written on their faces. For once, Nami joins them.
Robin chuckles, attention never straying from her book, but she’s always been good at observing, without looking. “I mean the relationship with our captain, of course.”
“That was the one where all sides get something out of it, right?” Usopp asks surprisingly. “I sometimes spend my time reading too!” He continues, looking almost affronted, when he gets open-mouthed stares.
“It is.” Robin confirms, sending him a smile.
“Oh, I’ve read about it too!” Chopper cheers. “The other one is called parasitism! One individual takes from the other without giving anything back!”
“I thought that might be the case for the longest of time. But we do get enjoyment out of his antics and he protects us if needed, so it can only be symbiosis.”
“And… what do we give?” Nami wants to know, still wondering why that conversation even came up.
“Oh?” Robin sends her a look, eyes twinkling with mirth. “Do you not know the story?”
“Not everyone knows as much as you.” Zoro grunts, but he looks interested to hear it for once, just like the rest of them.
“Tell us please!” Chopper approaches her, eager to hear what it contains.
She puts a hand on his head. “Of course, if you want to hear it!” A quick glance is send to Luffy, who plops down on the spot, entire attention drawn to her. Something he likes to do, whenever she speaks about interesting things. “It is told, that the Sun God has been flocking people around him for millennia. Every generation has at least one recorded instance of him regularly visiting someone, sometimes even more than one individual. But it is not out of the simple desire to spend time with them. Instead, he does so to leech off of their life energy.” She smirks when all of them freeze at her words. “They slowly ran dry, dying a young, painful death, through their body not being able to support itself anymore. So I would say, he clearly gets something from us. Do you not think so?”
They all turn to their captain, eyes wide, denial written on their faces. Of course he wouldn’t do that, right? It must be one of the wrong stories. Or one of those with a true core, but otherwise completely made up! But then again, it is Robin telling this one. There’s been a bit of truth in whatever she shares with them, whenever she is the one to start the conversation.
Instead of the usual rolling eyes, or outright laughter at the ridiculous claims, he sits still, one hand rubbing the back of his head, as if he was just caught in the pantry again, a small almost rueful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Luffy,” Usopp cautiously takes a step forward, voice pleading. “Please tell us, that’s not true!”
Luffy bites his lips, eyes disappearing behind dark lashes. “It… isn’t?”
“You’re still shit at lying.” Zoro comments, rubbing his face as if he can’t believe anything of this is true.
“Do you need it to survive?” Chopper, ever the doctor, immediately goes into analysis mode. “Is it some kind of nutrient to you?”
“Not exactly?” Luffy taps his fingers on the wood beneath in the rhythm of his tune. Something, Nami has learned he does to stave off anxiety. “That story isn’t really right. It says I take people’s energy, but I don’t do such a thing at all. It’s more like being around others makes me stronger.”
“...I don’t exactly get the difference.” Usopp sweat-drops.
“It’s vibes!” Their captain waves wildly in the air, as if he’s trying to explain things through it. It doesn’t help. “Makes you happy and when you’re happy, you feel good and feeling good helps me sustain my other me.”
All heads turn up to where the sun is shining on a bright blue sky, taking in the words just said. They’ve never thought about the fact, how exhausting keeping it stable might be. How powerful Luffy must be, for constantly fuelling it with his energy.
“So that’s why we have all those parties?” Nami finally says, after having come to the conclusion. The raised eyebrow she gets in return tells her, she’s not exactly right though.
“We party, cause they are fun! And there’s lots of food!” Brown twinkles and turns a vibrant red, as the tone and position of her captain shift. “I don’t need the good vibes. They only make it easier, for when I don’t feel good, like when I was ill, or when my powers fluctuate, like they’re doing a lot right now. It doesn’t hurt anyone, so it’s no that big of a deal, right?”
“So it’s not something harming us?” Usopp asks the, in his opinion, most important question and when there’s a shake of the head, he sighs in relieve. “No slow, painful death! I was really worried for a sec!”
“You’re always worried!” Nami reminds him with an eye-roll, hiding the fact she’d been so herself behind an annoyed attitude. But of course Luffy wouldn’t harm them! There’s no reason to be worried! And he wouldn’t keep such an important fact from them either. Keeping this, which is harmless in any way and doesn’t even really concern them at all, must’ve already gnawed at his consciousness.
The fact, that she hears her friend quietly thanking Robin some time later, only supports that believe!