Archive of Our Own

It’s cold when Nami wakes up. She sits up stiffly from the back seat of her car and yawns. She shivers as she looks at the morning dew covering their windows. 

Luffy is asleep in the passenger seat, rolled back all the way. He frowns in his sleep, likely from a bad dream. 

Nami grabs her hotplate and plugs it into the dash of her car. She turns it on and starts brewing coffee. Luffy wakes up as Nami is taking her cup of hot water off the hot plate and is pouring instant coffee into the cup. She stirs it as Luffy sits up. 

“Fall’s coming soon,” Nami says. “We should find somewhere to stay.”

“Why? We have the car,” Luffy reaches for the bag of dried fruit and opens it, snacking on them. 

“Winters in Mass are brutal. You do realize that?” Nami says, rolling her eyes. 

“I’ve survived them before.”

“Homeless? Yeah, no,” Nami huffs a laugh. “I know a safehouse we can hit up. It’s in Boston. We’re heading that way anyway.” 

“I have to pee,” Luffy changes the subject. He stretches. 

Nami rolls her eyes but smiles nonetheless. “We’ll go to the library. I need to look something up anyway, might as well use their computers,” Nami stretches, then leans back against the backseat. She cracks her neck. Her car may be a reliable place to sleep, but it is in no way a comfortable fit. 

They get food on the way, bagels and coffee from a local diner, and pull up to the library about half an hour later. Nami gets out and stretches again. Once she’s feeling a little less stiff, she stands up straight and looks up at the library. It’s a tiny brick building with only two cars in the parking lot. 

Nami and Luffy take the stairs up and head inside. Nami heads for the computers while Luffy looks for a bathroom. It’s while Nami is sitting down at a public computer that she spies an old man across the room, reading a thick book with a leatherbound cover. The man looks up at Nami and smiles.

Nami smiles back, then returns to her computer. Luffy appears at her side, and sinks to the floor next to her chair. 

“I’m bored.” 

“Go bother someone else,” Nami flicks her gaze down to Luffy. 

Luffy just shrugs, then looks around. He spies the old man in the corner, looks up at the ceiling and the light fixtures hanging above their heads, then down to the computer Nami is using. 

“What’cha doin’?” Luffy leans in. 

“Checking my bank statements,” Nami pushes him back with the heel of her hand. “Gotta make sure I have enough for us.” 

“Boring. Wanna play a game?” 

“Not really.” 

“Let’s see… I spy with my little eye… something shaped like a rectangle!” 

“We’re in a library. Every book is rectangular,” Nami sighs. “If I agreed to play with you after, will you leave me alone?” 

“Sure!” Luffy grins.

“Thanks,” Nami turns back to her computer. Luffy wanders off, exploring the shelves. He wanders near the old man, who strikes up a conversation with Luffy. Luffy stops, looking down at the table. There’s a big puzzle on the table, half-completed. Luffy leans over to study the pieces while the old man talks.

Nami is finished in a few minutes. She gets off the computer and joins Luffy, who looks up excitedly. 

“We’re invited to a party at this guy’s house!” Luffy grins, proud of his work. 

Nami looks at the old man. “Really?”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Lincoln,” the old man smiles. “Your friend here told me all about your adventures.”

Adventures? Nami wouldn’t classify living on the street and scrounging for food to be much of an exciting adventure, but neither does she believe Luffy is capable of telling lies. 

“Who are you?” Nami asks. She sits across from him. 

“As I said, my name is Lincoln. I was the city planner for Hatfield for many years before I retired. Now I host parties for fun. Kids and adults alike are more than welcome to come over,” Lincoln smiles kindly. “You two strike me as individualists, though. Not the type to stop for a party.”

“Nah, I’ll come,” Luffy grins even wider. “What kind of food do you have?”

“There’s a barbecue behind my building, plenty of meat. Plus, someone is catering desserts.”

“Mmmm. Hell yeah,” Luffy nods. “We’ll be there.”

Nami sighs. “I don’t have a say in the matter, it seems,” She studies the old man. He seems well groomed, well-dressed with a thick, healthy looking beard and sunken eyes that age him many decades. He must be well-off, if the rings on his hands are any indication. That, and if he hosts parties, he must have a place nice enough and large enough, which means…

Nami smiles, all teeth, and holds out a hand. “I’ll be there too.”

《《《《

Nami and Luffy pull up to the old man’s house that night. Nami kills the engine and stares up at the old man’s estate. It’s sprawling, with a manicured lawn and a small pond in the front yard. A waist high stone wall encircles the property with ivy crawling over it. 

Nami whistles. “Looks like I was right,” She turns to Luffy. “Here’s the plan. You distract that old man while I rob him blind.”

“Rob him?” Luffy tilts his head. “But he’s gonna feed us. Isn’t that kinda shitty?” 

“His fault for inviting two strangers into his home. I can’t be at fault for every man deciding to trust me. And plus, we’re broke. You wanna starve?” Nami says all this while adjusting herself in the mirror, fixing her hair and reapplying some eyeliner. She turns to Luffy. “We need money.” 

Luffy doesn’t look too happy about it, but Nami ignores that for now. They get out of their car and walk up the front lawn to the door. Nami raises a fist and knocks a few times. The door swings open and the old man greets them like they’re old friends. 

“Luffy! Nami!” he spreads his arms wide. “You came!” 

“Said we would, didn’t we?” Nami smiles. “Nice place.”

“Beautiful, isn’t it? I was blessed to inherit this home from my grandfather when I was still a young man. I’ve poured years into perfecting this home, its garden, and preserving its historical frame. Would you like a tour?” 

Nami agrees. Luffy wanders off after picking up on the smell of roasting meat, disappearing into the crowd. Nami sticks by the old man’s side as he leads her out of the entrance and into a large parlour. A fireplace sits on one side, with a bar along one wall and plush armchairs, settees and couches fill the room. A lot of people are gathered, and from the looks of them, they’re just as rich as the old man. There are a few oddballs that stick out, but most everyone seems to carry themself the same way the rich folks back home do. 

Nami marks several targets in this room alone. She memorizes their faces for later. Lincoln leads her out of the parlour and down a hall to a secondary parlour, this one with a wide staircase sweeping upstairs. More people lounge about, while a glass door across the room shows the backyard and back deck. 

Someone is cooking on the grill. Luffy is bothering him, Nami can see, already eating a burger patty he likely stole off a plate. Nami rolls her eyes and refocuses on following Lincoln. Lincoln leads her upstairs, where they sweep past bedrooms and large, sparkling bathrooms. 

“The kitchens are in the basement, but there’s an elevator that leads down that we can take,” Lincoln tells her. “All these bedrooms once belonged to my aunts and uncles, before they moved out. Now, my friends are more than welcome to use them.”

Nami sees a few valuables in the bedrooms. Golden knick-knacks, vases, a few analog clocks, bowls, wall coverings, each bedroom and the hall are richly decorated. Lincoln is none the wiser to Nami’s plans as he shows her the second story balcony and view. 

Behind Lincoln’s manor, the backyard sprawls out, rich, flowering fields that extend to the treeline several hundred feet back. Lincoln looks at the scenery with a blissful expression. 

“My wife loved these grounds,” he smiles. 

Nami turns from the window to survey the room. She sees valuables sprinkled throughout the space- vases and painting frames. Nami spies a large oil canvas on the wall. It’s beautiful, full of rich color and detail. 

Lincoln must notice her looking, because he smiles and steps closer to the painting. 

“My wife painted this, and every other painting in the house. She was an incredible artist, always holding a brush,” he smiles sadly. 

“She’s gone?” Nami asks. 

Lincoln nods. “Cancer, a few years ago. I still have her last painting, unfinished, if you’d like to see it.”

Lincoln leads Nami into a side room filled with canvases and paints. A large desk faces the window, with an easel in the center of the room. 

“This was her study,” Lincoln says. “She always painted in the mornings. Said that's when her ideas flowed the easiest.” 

“You kept it as is,” Nami remarks, looking around. 

“It felt right to preserve her memory in this way,” Lincoln smiles. “Her last painting is right there on the easel.” 

Nami looks at the unfinished oil painting. It’s large, dark, with many small details in the lines and shading, multiple colors coalescing to form shape and suggest shadow and form. Nami is drawn to a set of red eyes in the painting that seem to glow.

Lincoln touches the canvas, running his fingers over the material. “I like to study it and wonder how it would have looked finished. What were her plans? Her mood when painting this? What was she thinking about as she held that paintbrush?” 

Nami nods along. She stares at the painting with a little more curiosity, following the unfinished lines. Her mind wanders from the canvas to the tangerine fields surrounding her old home, to gentle laughter and a cigarette burning, to old hand-me-downs and late nights with Nojiko and Bellmere. 

Nami swallows, fingers itching to steal. She needs that money- needs to know where her sister is.

Lincoln turns away from the canvas, and smiles at Nami. “My apologies. You must be bored. Forgive an old man for reminiscing.” 

Nami smiles. “Nothing to forgive. I am gonna step away, though. My idiot friend is probably bothering the other guests.” 

Lincoln laughs. “Go ahead, then.” 

Nami waves and steps out of the room. The suffocating grief that Nami could feel in that study lifts, but still lingers as Nami walks down the hall towards the stairs. She shakes it off as she reaches the top step and descends to the party below. 

Luffy is in the backyard, playing with a couple dogs. Nami watches for a brief moment before turning away. She wants to wait until it’s late before she starts robbing the place. 

So Nami steps outside and joins the festivities. She chats away with other guests, and even lets Luffy drag her into a game of tag with the dogs. 

She didn’t expect to have so much fun, especially when the bulldog barrels her over and sends her sprawling in the grass. Luffy laughs while the dog licks her face and Nami yells “Mercy! Mercy!” 

Luffy helps her up. Nami laughs and chases the dog, while Luffy cuts him off and gives him a hug.

Nami pats the dog's head. “Good boy.” 

Luffy laughs. The dog rubs against Nami. She lets him, until the dog finally lets up and Nami can sit up fully. She looks up at the house, then to the sky which is slowly getting darker. 

She should get to work. 

Nami adjusts her purse and makes room in it as she slips away from the party and into the manor. 

She enters into a sitting room with guests and a staircase leading upwards. Nami climbs the stairs and walks down the hall, towards the first door. 

It’s an office. She grabs a few small knick-knacks, bookends and small decorated bowls, all richly decorated. She goes into the next room, another office, and steals some golden eggs sitting on the shelf. 

Nami ducks into a bedroom and starts rummaging through the drawers. She fills her purse with bits of jewelry. Earrings, necklaces, bracelets, watches, this drawer is filled with expensive looking jewelry. 

Nami grins and stuffs her purse full. 

Nami is about to leave the room when she hears someone sigh. Namj’s blood runs cold. She turns on the spot to see a pink-haired girl in a black dress staring at her, phone aloft. The shutter of a camera clicks. 

“Are you seriously robbing the old man?” the pink-haired girl huffs, lowering her phone. “That is so not cute.” 

“Cute?” Nami echoes. She glances out the window, measuring the distance and wondering if she can escape. 

The pink-haired girl rolls her eyes. “Not that I care. But the old man surely would. So unless you want me to show him the picture I just took, you better listen to me.”

Who does this girl think that she is? Nami frowns.

“My useless brother is missing again. Find him for me and I won’t tell the old man.”

“What?” Nami stares at the girl. “You’re blackmailing me?” 

“Well, is it working?” the pink-haired girl grins. “Tick, tock, little thief.” 

Nami groans. “Fine, god!”

The pink-haired girl unlocks her phone. She types something in, then holds up the phone for Nami to see. 

“The green-haired one is Zoro,” Perona points to a picture on her phone. It looks like a family photo, but only the pink-haired girl is smiling. The green-haired boy is scowling and the man sitting between them looks like a vampire.

What an odd family.

Nami stares at the photo for a little longer. “So, you can’t find him at this party?” 

“Oh no, he’s been missing for far longer than just today. The idiot gets lost easily. He’s been missing since last week.”

“Last week!? And you expect me to find him!?” 

“You’re a thief. Don’t you stalk people?” 

Nami gapes at her. “I don’t stalk. I gather data and observe!” 

“So stalking.” 

“Whatever.”

“Will you help or not?” the pink-haired girl finally snaps. “‘Cause I’ll go straight to old man Lincoln and tell him you’re robbing him blind.”

Nami sighs. “Fine, fine, I’ll help.”

The pink-haired girl smiles. “Excellent. Here’s my number. My name is Perona. Call me when you find him.” 

Bossy, isn’t she? Nami just nods, feeling trapped. Perona turns on her heel and disappears down the hall. Nami sighs. 

Great. Just great. 

How did she even sneak up on me? It’s like she wasn’t walking at all.

《《《《

Nami returns to the party with the intention of leaving and not returning, threats be damned. If she can just escape with Luffy, they can move on to the next town, and the next mark.

Just need to find him. Nami spies Perona in one of the parlours, arranging cakes on a platter. She looks lost in her work and doesn’t look up as Nami passes her. 

Nami reaches the door outside and steps onto the patio. She sees Luffy playing with the bulldog still. 

Nami crosses the lawn and grabs Luffy’s arm.

“We gotta go,” Nami tells him. “Right now.”

“Right now?” Luffy frowns. “But-”

“No buts. We’re leaving,” Nami pulls him in the direction of the front of the manor, past strangers until they are on the front lawn. Luffy lets her drag him, looking forlorn. 

“We gotta go,” Nami repeats herself as she spies Perona. Perona looks at her with a small, victorious smile. Nami resists flipping her off.

They climb into Nami’s car and Nami twists the key, starting the engine. She sits there for a moment, engine idling. 

Where to? Nami taps the wheel. They can keep heading east for now, towards Waltham. They aren’t more than a couple hours from it. 

Nami glances at Luffy. Luffy is drumming the side door, looking forlorn. Something else glitters in his eyes, something like grief from how his mouth twists. It’s hard to look at, so Nami turns away. 

For now, they leave. 

《《《《

They drive until Luffy’s stomach growls. Nami pulls into a diner parking lot and kills the engine. She turns to Luffy, who is already climbing out. Nami sighs and follows him. 

Inside, they sit and order drinks. As the waitress walks away, Nami faces the window. A light rain starts to patter against the glass. Nami watches condensation form on the inside of the window. 

“Let’s do something fun tonight,” Luffy leans forward suddenly, grinning. “Like breaking into the dairy factory we passed.” 

“How is breaking into a dairy factory fun? What can we even take?” Nami frowns and pushes Luffy back into his seat. “We head for Waltham, I say.”

“Laaame,” Luffy sinks against the bench. He picks at his sleeve, expression growing tense. His eyes flick to the window, down to his water. He jumps when someone in the room laughs. 

Nami watches all of this. She leans in, frowning at him. “Luffy? What’s wrong?” 

Luffy shakes his head. “Nothing! Just… sitting here,” he looks away, lie obvious. 

“Something’s bothering you,” Nami says. “Spit it out.” 

Luffy looks out the window. “Nothin’... just… sometimes I feel like I’m gonna go crazy if I don’t move…” he fiddles with his glass of water.

“You’ll go crazy?” 

Luffy shrugs. “Just don’t wanna think.” 

Nami studies him. She stares at his hands where they drum against the table and she sighs, because she knows exactly how Luffy feels.

“I know what we can do,” Nami grins. “After we eat.” 

Luffy perks up at that. “Really?” 

“Hell yeah. I think you’ll like it.”

They order food and eat. The rain falls harder, smacking the window. Thunder rumbles and lightning strikes overhead. Luffy finishes his plate of breakfast meats while Nami sips from a hot black coffee. Night falls while they’re inside. 

Nami stands up. She leaves a tip for the waiter and looks outside. It’s raining buckets, but the thunder and lightning stopped. Now it’s just heavy rain and a chill wind. 

They leave the diner and get back in the car. Nami pulls out, then drives around until she spies a park. She pulls to the side of the road and parks. 

“Remember when we first met?” Nami asks. They get out. The rain still falls, but not as hard. Large puddles leave patches of mud through the path. “It was in a park like this,” Nami points across the yard. “And I bet they have skateboards in that shed over there.” 

Luffy’s face lights up. He grins, opens the car door and breaks into a sprint for the shed. Nami approaches slower. The rain falls lightly, more a mist than anything else. Luffy has yanked the door open to the shed and is digging through it by the time Nami stops beside him. 

“Look! Scooters!” Luffy grins. He lifts up one, victorious. 

On the far end of the grassy park is a skatepark, with cement half-walls and jumps, ramps and railings to skate on. Luffy heads towards it. 

Nami grabs a skateboard and runs to the edge of the cement park after Luffy. Luffy jumps on his scooter and rolls down the side of the half-pipe while Nami jumps on her skateboard. 

The rain makes visibility hard, and puddles form in the bottom of the pipe. Nami rides through them, water splashing up her pants. She takes a jump and gets some air before landing hard on the ground. She grinds against the cement and slows to a stop. 

She turns to grin at Luffy. “Think you can get some air?” 

“Yeah!” Luffy backs up before taking off at a run and jumps on his scooter. He gets a little air, and lands wobbly on the other side. 

They play. Nami is soaked by the end of the first ten minutes, her hair hanging in wet tendrils around her face. Luffy is soaked too, but neither mind. 

Nami laughs, feeling downright exuberant with the freedom she feels floating through the air. She’s soaked and freezing, but so happy she can’t help the little giggles that come out of her like hiccups.

When Nami tires, she sits down on her skateboard and watches Luffy. Luffy gets some decent air, lands and spins, already lining up for another jump. 

That is when she hears the sound of someone approaching through the grass behind her. She turns to see who it is. She is dismayed to find a cop coming towards them. Nami stands. 

“What are you kids doing out this late?” he asks as he comes to a stop at the edge of the half-pipe. He frowns at them. 

“We aren’t kids!” Luffy yells from across the way. 

Nami turns to the cop. “We’re not breaking any rules.”

“This park is closed at night. You’re both trespassing.” 

“Lame!” Luffy yells. 

Nami crosses her arms. “So, what, gonna arrest us?” 

“I’m going to escort you off the premises," the cop takes Nami by the shoulder. Nami shakes him off. 

“We can leave on our own.”

“Then do so.” 

“Luffy!” Nami turns to her friend. “We gotta go.”

Luffy frowns. “Says who?” 

“Me,” the cop stands straight. 

“And?” Luffy scowls, and aims his scooter for the cop. “I’m not doing anything wrong!” 

Nami has all of two seconds to duck before Luffy launches himself at the cop, taking the middle hump and jumping through the air. Luffy turns the scooter towards the cop and smacks him in the head with the back wheel by kicking it out and towards him. 

The cop stumbles back, clutching his head. 

“What the hell!?” he gasps. “Freeze! You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer!” He pulls free his gun, and Nami freezes. 

She looks at Luffy, who stares at the gun. He looks lost suddenly, so young, staring at the armed cop. His eyes flick up to the cops face. 

Nami can see it written in Luffy’s face. 

He’s terrified. Nami wouldn’t have believed it if she didn’t witness it. Luffy, fearless, joyful Luffy, looks a million miles away and weak. 

The cop handcuffs Luffy easily and drags him away. Nami runs to catch up. 

“Wait! Can’t you just let us go?” Nami demands. “We haven’t done anything!” 

“He assaulted a police officer,” the cop drags Luffy across the park. Luffy stumbles, rights himself, still looking lost. 

Nami chases after the cop. “Please.”

“Come get him in the morning,” the cop says. “For now, he’s coming with us.” 

The cop opens the back door to his cruiser and shoves Luffy inside. He turns to Nami. 

“Unless you want to join him?”

Nami shakes her head. The cop smirks and gets in the driver’s seat. He starts the engine, then pulls out onto the road. Nami watches him go, and sighs. 

Damn it, Luffy.

《《《《

The next thing Luffy is aware of is the hum of an engine and an unfamiliar scent. He looks up, and around, and sees a rapidly moving view of buildings whipping past. He doesn’t recognize the inside of the car, or the guy driving it. A bit of blood runs down the man’s face from his nose. Luffy tries to move his hands but they are handcuffed and sitting in his lap. He tries to bend his fingers out of the cuffs, but he just ends up chafing his wrists. 

The car rolls into a parking lot and stops. Luffy watches the man get out and a moment later, the door opens and Luffy is dragged out. He looks around. There’s a little brick building, which the cop heads towards. 

“You won’t be alone tonight. We found another kid picking a fight with some teenagers, so get cozy with your new buddy.”

Luffy looks up, confused. He stares at the man as he drags him through the front door and into the police station. 

Just one other cop is inside the station, sitting at a desk. He waves at the cop dragging Luffy past. Luffy gets dragged to a large cell, where a teenager is already sitting. Luffy is pushed into the cell and the door closes behind him.

Luffy looks back at the cop behind him. The cop is leaning over to talk to the other cop, seemingly ignoring Luffy. Luffy looks around the room. He’s never been the one in jail before - and memories of Ace return. 

Luffy’s chest squeezes at the thought. He feels a great weight in his heart, cold seeping through his veins. He sinks to the floor and turns away from the cops. He looks to the other teenager. This teen has green hair, a scowl, and looks strong. Luffy scoots closer, seeking a distraction.

“You in for fighting a cop too?” Luffy tries to ignore the panicked alarm going off in his head. 

The green-haired teenager frowns. “Too?” Then, he grins, all teeth. “So you attacked an officer?” 

“With a scooter,” Luffy brags. 

Behind him, the cop sighs. “Teenagers. They never learn.” 

“Nice,” the teen says. 

Luffy nods. He scoots up onto the bench and inches closer to the other teen. “My brother used to fight cops all the time.” 

“Used to?” 

Luffy swallows, looks away. “Y-yeah,” he trails off. He takes a breath, then turns back to the other teen, forcing a smile. “We threw bricks at cops all the time. But Nami gets mad if I pick a fight with the cops, so I don’t anymore.” 

“Oh.” 

“Now we drive around looking for places she can rob! We’re going to Boston eventually!” Luffy grins brilliantly. “So anyway, what did you do?” 

“Got in a fight,” the teen shrugs. “Dumb kids.” 

“Dumb?” 

The teen looks away. He folds his fingers. “Yeah, dumb.” 

“Do you fight often? What about friends? Do you have friends?” Luffy crowds the other teen. The teen blinks and scoots back. 

“Uh.” 

“What about when we leave, you and I become friends?” Luffy stares up at him. “You seem cool!” 

“You don’t know me,” the teen frowns. 

“My name is Luffy,” Luffy says. “What’s yours?” 

“...”

Luffy waits. 

“... Zoro.” 

“Hi Zoro!” Luffy grins happily. “Now we know each other!” 

Zoro stares at him. His lips quirk up slightly on one corner. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah. What do you like to eat? Nami tells me I’m gonna die young ‘cause I only like to eat meat, but I like eating everything, so I don’t really get it. Anyway, look what I can do with my fingers!” 

Luffy shows off his hyper-mobility in his hands, twisting his fingers around and bending them at odd angles. 

Zoro sighs. 

《《《《

Luffy feels the cold press of pavement against his feet. He hears wind rustling leaves, and nothing beyond that. He looks up from the ground to see his brother walking towards him. 

It was a dream. Ace isn’t dead- he’s here- alive- well. Ace smiles as he comes closer. Luffy runs to greet him, ready to ask what they’re gonna do that day. 

Bang! 

Ace freezes. His chest blooms red, blood running to drip onto the ground below his feet. Luffy screams and runs faster, watching Ace collapse. Luffy drops to his knees beside Ace, trying to cover up the massive hole left in his chest. 

“Ace! Ace!” Luffy screams his name, hands getting bloody as he runs them over Ace’s chest, trying to stop the flow of blood. 

Ace coughs, blood gurgling up his throat and dribbling from his mouth. He’s trying to say something but blood bubbles up instead and he chokes. 

Luffy watches helplessly as Ace drowns in his own blood. When Luffy goes to lift Ace up so he can cough, his hands go right through him. He can’t get a grip. 

Luffy screams. “ACE!! ACE!!” 

《《《《

Zoro shoots up from where he had fallen asleep on the bench. At first he has no clue as to how he woke up, given the jail cell is nearly silent. Then his jail cell partner thrashes violently against the floor, moaning loudly and Zoro realizes that Luffy was the source. 

Luffy is sweating and moaning, writhing and whimpering, shaking his head. He keeps repeating over and over, “Ace… Ace…” 

Who is Ace? And why does that name sound familiar? Zoro rubs his head. The sun is starting to rise and the air is a little chilled. Zoro sits up and swings his legs around to stand and walk over to Luffy. 

Luffy is writhing now, whimpering. “No… no…” 

Zoro crouches and pokes Luffy in the head. “Oi. Wake up.” 

Luffy doesn’t respond. Zoro pinches his cheek and Luffy shoots up, screaming. He pants heavily like he just ran a marathon, eyes wide and wild. He looks confused as he looks around the room. Zoro stands and stretches. He lets Luffy come down, watching him as his breath slows and his expression settles. Luffy rubs his eyes, then looks up at Zoro. 

“Good morning!” 

So, pretending it didn’t happen. Okay. Zoro sits back down and faces Luffy. 

“Morning.”

“So, did you think about it?” Luffy asks, and it takes Zoro a moment to realize what he’s talking about. 

Last night, Luffy proposed that Zoro tag along with him and a girl named Nami. They’re heading east towards Boston, but aren’t in a hurry to get there. 

“We’re going somewhere called Welthum.”

Welthum? Zoro has no idea where or what that is. 

“And then to Boston,” Luffy grins. “We’re free to do what we want when we want. You could come with us.” 

Zoro grunts at that. He’s not going to admit that he’s been lost and trying to find his home, or that running off with this stranger and his unknown friend sounds way more enticing than trying to find that boring town again. 

After all, doesn’t he crave freedom too? And feels suffocated and frustrated by the Berkshires and their sprawling, manicured lawns and massive mansions. He frankly doesn’t want anything to do with his home town. 

Luffy stands and stretches. His joints pop readily and loudly. He leans against the bars, staring at the vending machine across the room. “When are we gonna be let out?” Luffy reaches out sadly, too far away from the vending machine. 

“Dunno,” Zoro crosses his arms and leans back against the wall. He closes his eyes. 

If he went, what would happen? It’s not like he’s scared, or helpless. He’s more than capable of defending himself should Luffy and Nami prove to be villains, but Zoro really doubts Luffy to have ill intentions. Just from their brief meeting, he can tell Luffy is not a liar, nor a dangerous person. 

Zoro huffs a laugh. He can hear Perona now, scolding him for even considering it. Not that he would listen. Zoro opens his eyes and looks up at Luffy. 

“What the hell. Sure, I’ll join up with you.” 

Luffy turns on the spot, face lighting up. He grins wide and excitedly, rushing to crush Zoro against the bench. “Really!? Cool!! Nami will be here soon, and then we can leave!” Luffy is bouncing on the bench. His stomach growls, and Luffy sags slightly. “I hope we can eat soon.” 

Zoro laughs. “Yeah. Me too.” 

《《《《

Nami pulls up to the police station around nine in the morning. That should be more than enough time for the cops to process Luffy and Zoro and send them on their way. 

Nami walks through the door and is almost immediately assaulted by the smell of black coffee and dust. She sneezes. 

“Bless you!!” Luffy yells from across the room. Nami looks up and sees him in the single jail cell, alongside a green-haired teenager who looks oddly familiar. Nami realizes as she approaches the nearest cop that the green-haired guy is the same one from the photo Perona showed her. He and Luffy are talking, laughing quietly. 

At least he has a friend. Nami sighs, staring at Luffy. 

A cop stops her, and Nami begins the process of releasing Luffy (and the green-haired teen), which takes almost an hour. By the time she’s done, she wants out as much as Luffy does. 

Luffy and the other teen are released. They stand outside the cop station, and Nami turns to them. She looks at the green-haired one. 

“Your sister is looking for you,” Nami says. 

The green-haired teen looks unaffected. He just shrugs. “She’s always looking for me.”

“This is Zoro,” Luffy says, pointing to Zoro. “He’s gonna come with us.” 

“Is he now?” Nami raises a brow. “And who decided that?” 

“We both did,” Luffy grins. “C’mon, we can form an on-land pirate crew!” 

“Land pirates? Really?” Nami turns on her heel and leads them to her car. “That’s just brigands and crooks.” 

“You’re a crook, aren’t you?” Luffy asks innocently. 

Nami sighs. “I steal from mobsters and the wealthy. That’s different.” 

“If you say so. I’m hungry,” Luffy quickly changes the subject. “Let’s eat.” 

Nami turns to their new companion. He’s looking out towards the road, relaxed. Nami draws his attention. “You know any places to get food?” She asks. 

Zoro shrugs. “No.” 

Nami sighs. “How useful. Alright, let’s look for somewhere to eat.” 

Luffy cheers. Nami unlocks her car and they pile in. Luffy climbs into the back with Zoro and launches into a long-winded story of how he rescued a red squirrel and became friends with him. 

Nami drives around until she spots a diner. She pulls into the driveway and cuts the engine. They head inside. It’s loud and crowded and smells like fried bacon and eggs. Luffy chooses a seat at the counter. Nami and Zoro take up either side. 

After they order their food, Nami turns back to Zoro. “But really, your sister is looking for you. Maybe call her?” 

“Why? So she can bitch at me?” Zoro frowns. 

“Oh, you’re a real charmer, aren’t you?” Nami sighs. 

Zoro takes a sip of coffee. “S’not like I’m a kid. I’m nineteen. She can mind her own business.” 

Nineteen. So only a year older than Nami. Nami had placed him as younger at first, but she supposes it makes sense. He’s a little more developed than Luffy, who is still only seventeen. 

“But don’t you want to ease her mind? She’s worried about you,” She threatened me over it.

“Not really. She can sweat it out,” Zoro shrugs. 

Luffy laughs. “Your sister sounds funny.” 

“She’s great,” Zoro says, sarcastic. 

Nami sips her own coffee. “I just don’t want her to call the cops on you. Who knows what they’d do.” 

“She wouldn’t call the cops,” Zoro says quickly. “She hates them.” 

Luffy nods along. “Me too.” 

Nami isn’t exactly a fan either. “At least that, we can agree on.” 

Their food arrives and they dig in. Luffy sucks up the sausage and bacon with gusto while Nami sips her coffee and stabs the fruit in her fruit bowl.

Zoro refusing to call Perona bugs her, and she knows exactly why. 

Nojiko. 

It’s hard not to jump straight to her sister, to think of her when she thinks of Perona. She cares about Perona’s feelings, maybe not because she particularly likes Perona, but because she can relate. 

After all, Nami has no clue where her own sister is. 

Nami takes a refill of coffee and shakes her mind free of her current thoughts. She turns to Luffy and Zoro. “We need to strategize how to make money,” Nami says. “We can’t just live off my savings.” 

“We fight bad guys and get rewarded,” Luffy suggests. 

“We rob people,” Zoro says next. 

“First of all, why do I feel like you live in the 19th century? Pirates? Bounty hunting? Seriously? You do realize it’s the 21st century, right?” 

Luffy just laughs. 

Nami sighs. “Second of all, if we started a crime spree, we’d have the cops on our ass, and we can say goodbye to freedom in that case.” 

“But aren’t you a thief?” Luffy frowns. 

Nami slaps a hand over his mouth. “Not so loud!” She looks around. When it’s clear no one is listening, she leans in. 

“Yeah, but again, I steal from mobsters and the rich. It’s not the same thing.” 

“Let’s groom dogs,” Luffy suggests. “I like dogs.”

“Dog groomers? Seriously? And how would we do that?”

“A bucket and soap,” Luffy nods sagely. 

“That’s… almost a suggestion,” Nami rubs her forehead. “Alright, for now, let’s just look for odd jobs.” She turns to the man behind the counter and waves him over. “Do you have an Uncle Henry's?” 

The bartender nods and reaches below the counter. He pulls out a small book and hands it to Nami. Nami thanks him, then opens it and starts turning through the pages. 

“Look, this guy’s looking for painters,” Nami says. “That’s something I don’t think you can mess up.” 

Luffy laughs. 

Nami turns the page. There are more jobs, yard clean up, raking, trimming, paint jobs, babysitting, dog sitting, auto-troubles, though Nami doubts anyone in their party can help there.

They spend the next hour going over jobs until Nami feels satisfied with their choices. Nami is painting a fence. Zoro is cleaning up yards, and Luffy is sticking with Nami. Nami feels confident in their jobs. She glances at Luffy. 

Maybe not too confident. 

Good thing she’s keeping him with her. Yeah. That might be best.

《《《《

Nami is living a nightmare. She thought the job was simple enough: paint a fence, and watch Luffy. Well, she can only really focus on one, so she decides to paint the fence and let Luffy do whatever it is he’s doing. 

Nami glances over her shoulder. Luffy is scratching a dog behind the ears and talking to him. He laughs as the dog licks his face. 

Well, at least he’s not getting in her way. There are worse things to happen. Although, Nami has no idea whose dog that is. He certainly does not belong to the person who hired Nami, since there was no dog at the door.

Nami turns back to the fence and dips her paintbrush in the bucket of white paint. She slaps it on the fence. As she works, she wonders what the criminal scene is like here, if she can’t find some mobsters to rob as a bit of extra cash. Her usual channel is through the internet, tracking mafia families through their coded posts to certain forum sites. 

Luffy breaks her out of her thoughts. His laughter bounces around the neighborhood as the dog licks his face. 

“Nami!! I’m gonna go to the park with this guy!” Luffy points to the dog. 

“Just keep your phone on so I can find you,” Nami says. 

“Okay! Bye!” With that, Luffy runs off, the dog happily following him. 

Thankfully the park is nearby and Nami can easily find Luffy again. 

She finishes painting the fence in about an hour. The person who hired her brings out a glass of lemonade and a ham sandwich for Nami, then compliments the pretty fence and hands Nami a stack of small bills. Nami grins, thanks her, and takes the sandwich with her as she walks down the road towards the park. She can hear Luffy before she sees him. He’s laughing loudly as a dog barks. Nami turns the corner and sees Luffy ahead, getting tackled by the dog. The dog is covered in mud. 

Nami approaches as Luffy sits up and lets the dog lick his face all over, getting mud all over Luffy. The dog and Luffy look up as Nami enters the park. Luffy grins. Then his eyes flick to something behind Nami and his grin grows. 

“Zoro!!” Luffy yells happily. 

Nami turns around. Zoro is across the street, and weirdly has another dog on a leash. The dog is pulling him along and sniffing everything happily while Zoro looks a little bored. What happened to yard work? Why does he have a dog? Nami sighs.

Zoro looked up when Luffy yelled. The dog with him did too, tongue lolling in his mouth. The dog gets excited, likely spying the other dog, and Nami can see disaster coming. 

Except it doesn’t. Zoro stops and leans over to the dog he’s walking and pets him, saying something softly to him. The dog immediately calms down, stops yanking on the leash, and happily follows Zoro across the street towards the park. 

Luffy’s dog is jumping excitedly and Luffy looks seconds from losing him. Zoro’s dog hangs back as Zoro crouches in front of Luffy’s dog and says something to him too. The dog immediately calms down, almost polite, and steps over to sniff the new dog. 

“Whoa!!” Luffy exclaims. “What did you do?” 

Zoro shrugs. “Just told them to chill out.”

“And they listened?” Nami comes over, planting one hand on her hip. “Just like that?” The dogs are cordial. The excited puppy-like energy is gone and both dogs sniff, tails wagging. Nami stares, just a little impressed. “That’s… quite the skill.” 

“Dunno what you’re talking about,” Zoro looks bored. “S’not like I trained for it. Dogs just… like me. Most animals do. ‘Cept birds. Those guys are assholes.” 

Luffy laughs. “Yeah, the seagulls used to attack a lot back home.” 

Nami sighs. “Why is your dog filthy?” she turns to Luffy. “How did you manage to get so dirty, too?” Nami turns to the park shed, where a hose is attached and coiled on the ground. 

“There was a swamp in the woods,” Luffy grins, unashamed. 

Nami sighs, hands Zoro her sandwich, and turns to the hose. She unravels it and turns on the faucet. 

“Luffy,” Nami turns, hose in hand. “Hold the dog. I’m spraying you both down.” Luffy doesn’t get a say in the matter, because Nami blasts him with the hose. She aims for the dog too, spraying the mud off and forming puddles and patches of mud under their feet. 

Zoro laughs as Luffy and the dog get sprayed down. When Nami is satisfied, she lets up on the hose and studies Luffy and the dog to make sure they’re clean. Luffy is dripping wet, and so is the dog, but both are clean. Nami drops the hose. 

“Great. Now, Luffy, where the hell did you find this dog?” 

《《《《

Nami helps them to return the dog after examining the dog's collar and finding a phone number. Nami calls the owner and they arrange to drop off the dog. 

Zoro wanders off with his dog again, after Nami questioned why he had a dog to begin with. 

“Guy wanted me to walk his dog, too,” Zoro shrugs. 

Nami supposes that’s an alright answer. She watches Zoro walk off as she and Luffy wait for the other owner to arrive. Once he does, he is all over his dog, petting him and kissing him. The owner sits back on his heels. “He looks cleaner.” 

“We sprayed him down with a hose,” Luffy grins. 

“You cleaned him for me? Well, that deserves some compensation, plus what I owe you for finding him,” the owner reaches into his wallet and hands them a fifty dollar bill. 

Nami takes it happily. 

After, the man leaves with his dog, and Nami stares at the money in her hands. “We just made fifty bucks by spraying a dog down with a hose.” 

Luffy leans over. “Let’s buy some meat! I want burgers.”

“Maybe later,” Nami responds, mind racing. “You know… we could make a pretty penny doing this.”

“Stealing dogs?”

“Cleaning them,” Nami grins and pulls out her phone. She calls Zoro. “Zoro, we need you and that dog. Where are you?” 

“Uh,” Zoro grunts. “Dunno.” 

“What? You don’t know?” 

“The roads changed on me. I’m in some weird neighborhood.”

“The roads didn’t change. Don’t tell me you don’t have a sense of direction,” Nami sighs. 

“My sense of direction is fine!” Zoro yells, defensively.

“Uh huh. Listen, drop a pin and don’t move. We’ll come get you.” 

“I’m not a kid who needs to wait for his mother.” 

“No, maybe not, but I don’t trust you to find your way,” Nami dismisses his further protests. “Anyway, I think I found a way for us to make money, so keep an eye on that dog.” 

Zoro grunts and hangs up. A second later, Nami’s phone dings and Zoro’s location appears. He’s a bit away, but not too far. Nami and Luffy find him easily enough. Zoro is standing under a light outside a store, dog with him. Nami drops to her knees in front of the dog to examine him. 

Luffy greets Zoro cheerfully. “Hey Zoro!!” Luffy grins. “We hosed down a dog and made money and now we’re gonna buy some meat!” 

“Not right now. Alright, I’ve made my decision,” Nami leans bag. “This dog is nasty. Let’s wash him.” 

She lifts a hand to the collar of the dog to see if there is a number or address. There are both, so Nami calls the number to talk to the owner. 

Luffy wanders inside the store with Zoro. Lights buzz and an old pop song from the eighties plays on the radio. The bright unnatural fluorescent lights make everything look just slightly off. Luffy grabs a bag of jerky and some pretzel bites. Outside, an engine rumbles and someone shouts something. A deep laugh rumbles outside, and a moment later a man walks inside, decked out in a feather pink boa and ridiculous pants. 

Luffy laughs outright. Zoro ignores him in favor of making coffee at the station. Zoro pays for their snacks and drinks while Luffy continues to watch the strange-looking man. With him is an odd, Mick Jagger type of man, and a young woman dressed like a maid. 

Luffy points to the man's boa. “I like your scarf!” 

The scarfed man laughs. Luffy grins and walks out of the store with Zoro. Nami is hanging up her phone as they approach. She looks past them to the man who had just entered the store. She has an odd expression on her face. Luffy bumps her arm to get her attention. Nami snaps out of it and looks at them. 

“Owner was worried sick about where you guys could have gone,” Nami crosses her arms. “I told him you got lost,” she sounds exasperated.

Zoro shrugs. “It worked out.”

“Only because I found you!” Nami rubs her forehead out of frustration. “Whatever, the point is, I brought up cleaning his dog because the dog is a little filthy, and he said go for it.”

Luffy shoves a finger up his nose. “So?” 

“So, we’re cleaning the dog! And making money.” Nami pinches her finger and thumb. “Maybe this will work out for us.” 

She glances past Luffy to the inside of the store where the feather-boa man is inside, loudly talking. Nami then glances at his car, studying it with narrowed eyes. Nami turns her attention back to Zoro and Luffy.

“Let’s do this.” 

《《《《

Nami pulls into a convenience store to buy supplies, then finds a park nearby to commence operations. 

“You guys can handle this,” Nami says, handing Zoro and Luffy the bucket with a scrub brush, a gallon of water and some soap inside. She hands over the towel, too.

“Where are you going?” Luffy looks up at her. 

“Business,” Nami says. 

“Ohhh, so you’re gonna rob someone?” Luffy asks bluntly.

“Don’t just announce it!” Nami hisses. Luffy grins. “But yes, I think I saw a big name earlier. I’m gonna follow them back to their base and see if I can’t make some extra cash. So don’t leave this park. Just wash the dog. That shouldn’t be too hard.”

Zoro looks bored, Luffy excited, the dog just happy to be there. Nami sighs. 

They should (hopefully) be alright. 

Nami turns on her heel and leaves for her car in the parking lot. She climbs in, turns on the engine, and pulls out, driving back to the convenience store. The car belonging to her target is still there, as she thought. 

Nami remembers the descriptions of a certain man that haunts the criminal forum sites. A loud, brash look with a pink feather boa, who operates out of local gas stations and convenience stores. Nami wondered if this store was one such place, and she’s glad she was right. 

Nami parks across the street. She cuts the engine and gets out, tugging up her hood and crossing the street. She looks up, seeing no one in the window. She approaches the car in the parking lot and ducks down behind it. Nami quickly picks the lock to the driver's side and disables the alarm before it can go off. She opens the door and pokes her head inside. 

It smells of rich leather and a new car smell, organized and clean. Nami does a quick search of the car, peeling back seats, opening the glove box, checking under the seats and in the far back. 

Nami finds a hidden compartment under the trunk, in the back. The hidden door clicks and opens, and Nami finds a trunk inside. She takes out the trunk, then picks the lock and opens the door. 

Inside is a gun, a wad of cash, and something looking very close to cocaine in a plastic bag. Nami ignores the drug and gun in favor of grabbing the cash and stuffing it in her pocket. She grins victoriously, shutting the box and replacing it in the hidden compartment. She closes the trunk.

A man is standing in front of the car, staring at Nami with a casual grin. He’s the same man Nami saw earlier, the Mick Jagger-type, who had been with (who Nami suspected to be) Doflamingo. 

Nami’s heart leaps into her throat.

“Little mouse, what are you doing?” the man asks. “Don’t you know it’s bad form to rob people?” 

Nami swallows. “I wasn’t robbing you!” she forces a laugh. “Your trunk was open, so I was just closing it for you. See?” She pats the top of the trunk. 

“Hmmm, you were back there quite a while. What did you take?” 

He takes a step forward. Nami takes one back. She stops her hands from immediately jumping to the money in her pocket. She tries to smile. 

“Nothing! See?” In a fluid motion, Nami stuffs the money in her hoodie pocket into a hole between the pocket and fabric, hiding it further in the cloth while making a show of her empty hands.

The Mick Jagger man takes another step forward. “I don’t believe you, little mouse.” 

Nami laughs nervously. She steps back, following the man’s pace backwards, until she’s at the road and the man is about ten feet from her. 

Nami turns on her heel and sprints into traffic. She barely misses a car, and can hear the man cursing as he ducks out of the way of the same car. Nami leaps the median and crosses the street to her car. 

She slams the unlock button on her keys and dives inside, locking the door behind her. As she jams her keys into the ignition, she sees the man approaching her car. 

Slam! The man smacks her window and door, rattling the glass in its frame. Nami jumps, turns her keys and her car roars to life. Nami peels out, narrowly avoiding hitting the man with her car. She speeds off down the road, nerves roaring and heart pounding, but… 

She got the money! And she escaped! Nami sighs. She did it. She’s one step closer to finding out where her sister is. She’s one step closer to completing her goal, one step closer to hearing Nojiko’s voice again. 

Nami takes the corner and drives around for a bit, just to shake off any tail she might have had. Once she’s confident she’s left them behind, she loops around to the park where she left Luffy and Zoro. 

Nami pulls up on the street and parks. She gets out, then crosses into the park to find Luffy and Zoro. They’re near the center of the park, and, to Nami’s surprise, actually washing the dog. There was a chance in her mind that they wouldn’t actually follow through with her instructions. 

Well, Zoro is washing the dog. Luffy is patting his ears and gabbing away. The dog looks clean, well scrubbed, and Zoro is towel-drying him. 

Nami nods approvingly. “Let’s deliver this dog and get out of here,” she glances over her shoulder. “And quickly.” 

《《《《

They drop off the dog and get paid. The owner admires his dog, freshly washed, and thanks them. Nami accepts the thirty dollars cash, tucking it in with the money she just stole. 

“Pleasure doing business with you.” Nami says with a grin. They turn away and take the stairs back down to her car. 

Nami, Luffy and Zoro find a restaurant outside town that they stop in. It’s cheap, loud, and stuffy inside. Nami orders a coffee while Luffy orders a burger. Zoro gets a beer. 

Nami glances out the window. Her nerves still haven’t quite settled since robbing that mobster’s car. The man who caught her keeps coming back to mind, his casual manner that screamed danger. Nami hadn’t felt fear like that since she was a kid. She takes one last look outside before turning back to Zoro and Luffy. Luffy is gabbing away about a beetle he found a few days ago. 

“It was golden, and huge! And the wings were cool, and so were the horns!” Luffy imitates horns on his forehead. “Nami saw him but she screamed and ran away, and that scared the beetle. I bet if I caught him he would have been a great fighter.” 

Zoro laughs. “A fighter, huh?” 

“You ever fight beetles? Ace and I used to all the time,” Luffy grins. “I always won. Ace would get so mad.” Luffy’s expression drops a fraction, eyes clouding over. Then he smiles again, and turns even more towards Zoro. “I found a brown recluse the other day! He was hiding under a bush but I saw him. He didn’t let me near him, though.” 

Nami tunes him out. Discussions of bugs and spiders is not how she wants to spend her evening. She glances back outside, and her blood runs cold. 

The man from before, the one who caught her, is standing outside the restaurant, in front of her car. Worse, he’s not alone. A man with circular sunglasses and a hunched over back stands beside him. Nami swallows. 

“Guys?” she turns back to Zoro and Luffy. “We need to go.” 

Luffy looks up. “Why?” He asks. 

Zoro glances out the window. He frowns. “Those men are waiting by the car,” he turns to Nami. “What did you do?” 

Nami scoffs. “Me? Nothing.” 

“Did you rob them?” Luffy asks loudly. 

“Be quiet!” Nami hisses. “And for your information, I did in fact steal from them. They’re criminals, and deserve it.”

“And now they’re pissed,” Zoro comments.

“But we can escape,” Nami leans in. “They haven’t seen us yet, so we can slip out the back and wait for them to leave. Or cause a distraction, and escape in the chaos.” 

Nami looks around the room, looking for anything useful. She sees a fire alarm. 

“Why don’t we have a little fun?” Nami asks, grinning. Zoro and Luffy look towards where she’s staring. “But that won’t be enough. We need to get them away, so…”

Zoro grunts. “I’ll take ‘em on.” 

Nami sighs. “Not quite what I had in mind. What are we gonna do when you can’t get away? No, what we need is a way to get them away from the car… maybe something like… messing with their car?” 

“Let’s break his windows!” Luffy suggests. 

Nami nods. “One of us breaks the windows, then runs away? And joins up with us later?” 

Luffy jumps in his seat. “I’ll do it! I’ll do it!” 

Nami stares at him. “It’s a serious job.”

Luffy tries to school his expression into something somber. His leg still bounces from unreleased energy. “I’ll do it seriously.” 

“I don’t think we have a choice either way,” Nami sighs. “Zoro will get lost.” 

“I will not.” 

“Uh huh,” Nami rolls her eyes. “Alright. Luffy, you know what to do?” 

Luffy nods. “Throw a brick at their car!”

“And then?” 

“Run away!”

“Good, you are listening. We’ll pick you up so leave your location on your phone.” 

“How do I do that?” Luffy asks. Nami takes his phone and turns on the location so she can find him. Another useful thing about her phone is that it’s an excellent tracker, since she uses it to hack into and track criminal’s phones. It’d be no different, except she doesn’t plan on robbing Luffy.

“Okay. I’ll pull the fire alarm. Luffy, you ready?” 

Luffy nods and stands up. Nami grabs Zoro’s arm to drag him with her as she also stands and starts heading towards the bathroom. Along the way, Nami notes the exits. There’s an exit to her left past the bathrooms, an easy escape that’s close to the fire alarm. 

“Cover me,” Nami says, and Zoro does so. She glances back towards the restaurant, making sure no one is looking. No one is. Luffy is already outside. 

Crash! 

Nami flinches. She glances out the window to see the two mobsters who had been staring at them look away, then run off. Nami curses.

Seriously!? He couldn’t wait!? 

Nami yanks on the fire alarm and suddenly the restaurant is in full alert, alarm blaring and people jerk up, either jumping to their feet or just looking around from their seat. Nami grabs Zoro’s arm and drags him outside in the chaos. People flee the restaurant around them. Nami sees their car is free and she runs towards it. She and Zoro climb in, then pull out. 

As she pulls out, she spies the two mobsters from earlier watching them. She peels out of the parking lot and speeds off down the road. 

No one follows. Nami breathes a sigh of relief, then turns to Zoro. “Check Luffy’s location?” 

He does as they drive away, putting the restaurant behind them. Nami slows when they’ve put several blocks between themselves and the restaurant. Zoro holds his phone up for Nami to read the map. 

They find Luffy in a park. Nami slows to a stop and opens the windows, also unlocking the door. When Luffy gets in, Nami turns to him where he sits in the back seat. 

“Why didn’t you wait!?” Nami demands. 

Luffy shrugs. 

Nami sighs. “Too impatient?” 

“It worked out fine. I don’t know what you’re so worried about,” Luffy shoves a finger up his nose. “S’not like they’re gonna come after us.”

“We don’t know that! For all we know, they could be on our tail right now!” Nami grits her teeth. “We have to be careful. We can’t get caught, not when I’m so close-” 

Nami catches herself. She sighs again. “Let’s just go.”

She can feel two pairs of eyes on her, but she doesn’t say anything and neither do they. She pulls the car back out onto the road and they drive in silence for a few blocks. 

“That steak was goooood.”

“I can’t believe you tasted it with how quickly you shoved it down your throat,” Nami remarks. 

“We should make friends with a cook. A really good one, who will cook for us!” Luffy leans forward. “Let’s form a pirate crew!” 

“Again with this? We’re on land. And plus, we can’t just become pirates. It’s 2019, not the 17th century.”

“Shanks was a pirate. He used to visit me in Brazil all the time.” 

“I remember you telling me about him,” Nami glances at Luffy in the rear view mirror.

“Yeah… he was cool. He had a big boat and he visited all sorts of places in the Care-A-Bean-In and South America. He brought me back all sorts of foods from all over!” 

“Sounds more like a rich tourist with a boat.” 

“Nah. He called himself a pirate.” 

“Your definition of pirate is too broad,” Nami says as they pull onto the highway. “But I guess a pirate is better than a mobster. Maybe.”

“Wayyy better,” Luffy agrees. “Ace and I were gonna be pirates, too. Ace’s dad was one and he knew Shanks! Sabo too, but he was more into rebellions.”

“Who’s Ace?” Zoro asks. 

“My brother!” Luffy leans forward. “He is so cool. He rebels all the time but he’s really nice. He hates cops-”Luffy cuts himself off. Nami glances in the rear view mirror. Luffy looks odd, a little lost, with wet eyes and a wobbling mouth. Luffy sniffles. “Where are we going now?” 

“Boston,” Nami says, letting him change the subject. “I know a safehouse we can use.” 

“Why do we need that?”

“Oh, I wonder,” Nami rolls her eyes. “‘Cause we got mobsters on our ass.” 

“I can kick their asses.” 

“I could kick their asses, too,” Zoro adds. 

Nami sighs. “Well, I can’t, so we’re running away.” 

“Laaaaame.” 

“I’m keeping us alive!” Nami grips the steering wheel. “Let’s just hope we aren’t being tracked. I mean, they didn’t follow us. They either don’t care, or they know they can find us again. Actually…” 

Nami pulls off the highway. She finds a Cracker Barrel and pulls into the far back of the parking lot, where RVs and vans are parked for the night. Nami gets out and tells them to do the same. 

“We’re looking for any sort of tracking device. Tear this thing apart.” 

They search the car for almost an hour before Nami comes up with a tiny tracking device hidden in the crevice of her side-view mirror. Nami curses, but also feels relief as she crushes the device under her heel. 

“Those bastards,” Nami curses. “We need to go.” 

Luffy looks disappointed in having to travel more but Zoro just shrugs and drags Luffy back to the car. They climb in a peel off, leaving the tracking device behind. 

Nami drives until the early hours of the morning. This late, no one is out and the streets are clear. Nami drives into Boston and meets little traffic. She navigates the streets until she finds what she’s looking for: the safehouse. 

This one is never used by Arlong and his crew because it is too small, which works for Nami and her friends. They pull into an alley to park and Nami leads them up the stairs to the apartment. The safehouse is an attic apartment with a half-bath and one bed in the room. Two dim windows let in light on either side of the room and the leaning ceilings make the room look smaller than it is. 

Nami settles on the bed. “We made it.” 

“Yeah!” Luffy runs to the window. He looks out to the street below. “I wanna explore!” 

He yawns. Nami does too. She glances over at the wall opposite Luffy where Zoro sat down. He’s already asleep. Nami lays back on the bed.

“Tomorrow.” 

Luffy agrees quietly, yawning again. He comes over to the bed and sits down against it. Within seconds, he’s asleep. Nami wonders how the hell they do it, then she closes her eyes and lets sleep take over.

《《《《

On their first morning in Boston, Nami gets coffee down the street and returns to the safehouse to find Zoro and Luffy still asleep on the floor. Nami heats up their hot pot to boil water to make porridge. While she waits, she examines the tiny apartment. It’s a little chilly, and very dark. Nami doesn’t feel particularly comfortable here. 

But it’s better than nothing. Better than a car, better than Tyringham and him breathing down her neck. Not that she’s free from him. She’ll never be at this point, even if she does buy Nojiko’s location. She’s trapped and the only way out is death or jail time. 

Nami walks over to the window and opens it. The cool fall air seeps in. Morning traffic is loud as the city wakes up around them. Nami can almost imagine the people around her if she closes her eyes and listens to it. 

Maybe she’ll never be free, but she can still try and find little moments, can’t she? Little moments where none of it matters, where she can be free in little ways. Even if she knows it won’t last, she can still enjoy those tiny moments of freedom. 

Luffy provides that. He may be a handful, but Nami also feels free around him. 

Nami looks back to the two sleeping boys. 

How much longer will they be together? How much longer until Nami inevitably leaves, on to the next target, the next location. Why does Nami’s chest hurt as she thinks about leaving? 

She hasn’t stuck around anyone long enough to worry like this. She doesn’t know why she’s stayed. Maybe some part of her unknown to herself has longed for contact and connection.

But Arlong will always win. Nami will always be trapped. Even this will pass, that’s what Nami tells herself. Even Luffy will disappear eventually- Zoro with him, and this crazy, sibling relationship will dissipate into dust. 

The water warms behind her. Nami turns around and dumps the oats in. As she stirs the porridge, Luffy and Zoro wake up slowly. 

They plan their day ahead, or at least Nami tells them what she plans on doing. The library is nearby and Nami wants access to a bathroom that isn’t covered in grime, and some information she can’t use her phone to access. Luffy tags along because it “sounds fun”, while Zoro just grunted and said something about a gym. 

So Luffy and Nami drive out to the library and park in the lot next to it. Nami turns to Luffy. 

“I need you to be quiet when we're here,” She says. “Don’t get us kicked out.” 

“Aye aye!” Luffy salutes her. 

They head inside. Nami immediately heads for a computer while Luffy wanders around the space. He looks at the old book bindings. 

Books aren’t exactly something Luffy is well-versed in. He doesn’t like having to sit still to read, and he can’t focus on the words when they’re in front of him. He feels antsy after a while. Sabo read all the time, and read to him too, but Ace and Luffy were more of comics kids. 

Luffy finds the comics on the second floor. He flips through an old x-men issue, Ace’s favorite series, when he hears a loud, boisterous laugh. 

“Me? Please, I founded Harvard!” a loud, forced laugh comes after. “But no, I go to MIT.” 

Luffy peeks over the railing. A teenager, no older than Luffy, is sitting at a table surrounded by books. The first thing Luffy notices is his nose, which is looooong. Luffy grins as he watches the teenager talk.

Beside him is a pale girl with blonde hair and a slightly sickly appearance. Across the table and standing is a well-dressed young man carrying several books. He walks away, leaving long-nose and the blonde girl alone. Luffy continues to watch long-nose. 

“Captain Usopp of the Usopp pirates isn’t afraid of any Harvard graduate, no matter what,” Usopp boasts loudly. He gets shushed. 

Luffy perks up at hearing the word pirate. He makes his decision and stands, running down the stairs. He runs over to Usopp and leans in, grinning. 

“Usopp of the Usopp pirates? Are you really a pirate?” Luffy leans on the table, hovering over Usopp. 

Usopp laughs loudly. “Yes! I’m a proud pirate of the sea! I have five thousand men at my beck and call, and thirty ships sailing under me!” 

“Wow! You’re Yassop’s son, aren’t you?”

Usopp blinks. “Huh? You know my dad??” 

Luffy laughs. “Yeah! He said he had a kid my age, and you look like him!” Luffy pulls up a chair. “He was on Shank’s crew! He taught me how to use a slingshot and a gun, but the gun was too heavy and Shanks got really mad that I touched it. Yassop’s so cool though,” Luffy leans in. “He’s a wicked good sniper, can shoot anything from anywhere!” 

Usopp beams. “That’s my dad! Wait, crew?” 

The girl beside him coughs. She covers her mouth politely and turns away. Usopp turns to her. 

“You okay, Kaya?” 

Kaya nods. “I’m fine,” she looks up at Luffy. “You must have a lot of stories about Usopp’s father.” 

Luffy nods. He grins at them.

《《《《

Nami finishes her work. She had gone onto the forums frequented by mobsters and read through any posts that could be from Boston. Boston is a haven of mafia, so she found plenty of targets. Satisfied, Nami goes to look for Luffy. She follows his voice to a table in a different part of the library where the stacks are taller and a balcony overlooks the study tables. 

Luffy is sitting with a long-nosed teenager and a pale blonde girl. Luffy is gabbing away, and the long-nosed teen is laughing and talking too. Both look delighted. Nami smiles. 

He makes friends everywhere he goes. 

Nami approaches their table and Luffy looks up. 

“Usopp said he can paint a sign for our business!” Luffy looks proud of himself. He points to Usopp. “He also came up with a name!” 

Kaya giggles. “I like it a lot.” 

Usopp puffs out his chest. “Going Merry Dog Grooming,” he announces. 

Nami chews on the name for a moment, thinking about it. She likes it, she decides. 

“Not bad. And you said you’d paint us a sign?” 

Usopp nods. “Yeah! I’m the greatest artist around this part of town! Count on me to make something for you guys!” 

“I’ll hold you to that,” Nami says, pulling out a chair. Usopp opens a notebook and grabs a pen. 

“What kind of sign do you want? I can draw up some designs,” Usopp holds his pen over the paper.

“A sheep!” Luffy leans in. “A fluffy one!” 

“Why? It’s a dog grooming business.” Nami frowns at Luffy. 

“Yeah, and? A sheep would be cool,” Luffy grabs one of Usopp’s pens and draws the ugliest sheep Nami has ever seen. 

“Put down that pen, I feel like I’m witnessing a crime.”

Luffy laughs. He points to his frankly hideous sheep. “Like that!” 

Nami rolls her eyes. “At least make it a dog.”

Usopp chuckles and puts down his pen. He presents his completed sketch, a gorgeous yet simple sheep motif. Usopp grins. 

“How about this?” 

Nami and Luffy reply at the same time. 

“Still a sheep.”

“I like it!”

《《《《

Hours later, Nami and Luffy bid goodbye to Usopp. His number is in both their phones and the completed sketches of their logo are on the notebook paper Usopp passed them. Nami watches Usopp go, then turns to Luffy.

“Let’s go collect Zoro and get some food.” 

“Yeah!” Luffy jumps to his feet, drawing attention in the quiet library. 

Outside, Nami and Luffy walk towards her car. 

“So, you really do make friends wherever you go,” Nami remarks. 

Luffy shrugs. “I like talking to people.”

Nami laughs. “I can tell.” 

They turn the corner and ahead is their car. Further beyond it is a cop car, and Nami can feel Luffy stiffen as they walk towards it. Nami glances at Luffy, who stares at the cop car. 

“You okay?” Nami asks. 

Luffy blinks. “Y-yeah.” 

They climb in, and pull out of the parking lot. Luffy’s eyes don’t leave the cop car until they are around the corner and no longer in view of the car. 

Nami taps the steering wheel. “You… don’t like cops, do you?” she asks carefully. 

“Why would I?” Luffy shrugs.

“Good point, but you seem to go beyond dislike,” Nami says. 

Luffy shifts in his seat. He shrugs. “Cops are annoying. They don’t let me do anything fun.”

Nami hums. She’s noticed Luffy’s distant looks, like he’s haunted by something, whenever he sees a cop. 

“Well, as long as you don’t do anything stupid,” Nami sighs. 

Luffy laughs. “Yeah. I’m hungry. Can we get food?”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go collect Zoro and then get some groceries.”

《《《《

Usopp stops by their safehouse with the plan to bring them to his workshop. Usopp grins when Luffy asks what he’s working on. 

“Only the most important projects! Right now, I’m trying to wire a toy car to a computer to see if I can control it using the keyboard and mouse.” 

“Sounds real important,” Nami comments as the water boils. She takes it off heat and pours herself some instant coffee. 

“I’m also building a tiny model airplane. I call it the Usopplane! It’s gonna be great. Anyway, I bought plywood and I’m gonna make your sign, but I wanted you guys there for the final touches.”

“What sign?” Zoro sits up, finally awake. 

“The Going Merry Dog Groomers business!” Usopp grins. “You can thank me for the name, too.” 

“Kind of weird,” Zoro shrugs. 

Usopp balks. “Weird!? I think it’s creative and original!” 

“Nah, it’s weird,” Zoro sits up and grabs some coffee. 

“It’s kind of weird,” Nami agrees. “Not bad, but weird.”

“I like it!” Luffy grins. 

Usopp sighs. “Well, anyway, I’m inviting you to my workshop.” 

“Yeah! And then let’s go find a skatepark!” Luffy jumps up. Nami and Zoro exchange looks over cups of coffee. 

What a day, already.

《《《《

Usopp’s workshop is an old garage in a vacant lot, next to a parking lot, a department store and a coffee shop. Usopp boasts about his privacy given he is in a commercial district, which means past a certain time, this place is silent and deserted. 

Usopp leads them inside. His workshop is dark with benches and tools everywhere. Nami sees the pile of plywood and buckets of paint on one counter. She steps closer. 

The plywood has a design drawn on in pencil of a sheep, and lettering over the top and bottom that says GOING MERRY, with a drop down sign underneath that reads DOG GROOMERS. 

It’s cute, artistic, and unique. Nami feels her chest swell at the sight. 

Usopp looks proud. Nami gives him a half-hug as she looks down at the sign. 

“It looks really good,” she says with a grin.

Usopp nods. “Just wait until I paint it!” 

Nami wanders around the workshop while Zoro takes a seat by the window and Luffy gabs away about a slug he found the other day. Nami pokes her head into a side room where she sees a bed. 

“You sleep here?” She asks. 

“Sometimes,” Usopp replies. “When work is intense,” He grabs a paint brush. “Time to paint!” 

Nami watches Usopp work. Luffy wandered outside with Zoro a while ago, leaving just Nami and Usopp. Nami sits down to watch. 

“So… a dog grooming business, huh?” Usopp asks. 

Nami sighs. “It wasn’t my first choice. Zoro just has a natural gift for calming dogs down. We kinda ran from there.” 

“Still, you don’t see traveling dog groomers often.”

"We won't be traveling for much longer,” Nami says. “We’ll probably stay here.” 

“You have somewhere to stay?” 

“Yeah. We do,” Nami picks at her pant leg. “It’s not nice, but it’s a roof over our heads. I was not going to spend winter in Boston in our car.” 

“Maybe you should open a permanent business,” Usopp suggests. “Rent a building and establish yourselves.”

Nami hums. “Maybe.”

If I’m still around.

Nami looks out the window. She sees Luffy and Zoro, Luffy poking something with a stick and Zoro yawning as he stares off into space. Nami watches Usopp work. He paints the sheep head white, then the letters red and bold so they stand out over the sheep head. He’s careful with each stroke and line placement, taking his time. 

Nami glances back outside. She doesn’t see Luffy or Zoro now. She groans and stands, walking over to the door. She pokes her head out but doesn’t see either. 

“Great,” Nami sighs. She checks her phone. She had the foresight to turn on Luffy’s location on his phone, so she can know where he is, and she is glad she did so. With another sigh, Nami turns back to Usopp. 

“Friends go missing?” Usopp asks. 

Just then, Luffy’s laugh bounces off the walls. Nami glances back out in time to see Luffy with a fluffy, furry little animal in his arms. Nami can tell it's a cat once Luffy is close enough. 

“Nami!! Let’s give this cat a bath!!” Luffy grins as he holds up the white, long hair cat. 

“Cats can bathe themselves!” Nami yells. 

“That’s Francesca.” Usopp says. “She’s super friendly. Look, over there. I have a bed set up for her. She’s my workshop cat,” Nami looks towards where a small cat home sits with food and water. “She wouldn’t mind a bath. She’s weird like that.” 

Luffy is already grabbing the bucket from Nami’s car. Nami watches him struggle to hold the cat and bucket at the same time. Finally, he manages to bring both over.

He kicks down the door, Francesca in hand, bucket in the other. 

“Oh, also, Zoro is missing,” Luffy says. 

Nami sighs. “Yeah… I figured.” 

《《《《

Luffy sits on the ground with Francesca, who sticks her face in the bucket of water. Luffy laughs. 

He pets the cat, and brushes her, and as he does so, he remembers a time years ago when he, Sabo and Ace bathed Dadan’s cat. He remembers wrassling with Petunia, before finally getting her in the bathroom. 

He remembers Ace befriending all the neighborhood cats, coming home with kittens and strays all the time. Ace told him that animals should be protected, even homeless ones. 

He remembers the gun shot, and blood, and more blood, and he remembers screaming-

Francesca rubs against him. Luffy jumps, upsetting the bucket of water. His pants are soaked, and Francesca flees, running through the cat door into Usopp’s workshop. Luffy jumps to his feet and grabs the bucket, righting it. He stares at his wet pants. He wipes his hands and tries to stop the shaking. 

He remembers screaming- and Ace going cold in his arms, and Akainu, smiling victoriously. He can’t get the images out of his head. He sees the gaping hole in Ace’s chest, he can feel his chest constrict, feel his breath coming faster and faster.

Ace is gone. Ace died protecting him. Ace, who hung out with stray cats. Ace, who would stay up all night reading comics and tell Luffy his favorite parts over breakfast. Ace, who always was going to be there-

Luffy’s eyes burn. He wipes furiously at them, but tears fall anyways. He tries to right his breathing, but he can’t even see, can’t feel anything except his lungs burning and his heart racing.

“Luffy?” Nami’s voice breaks through, like light cracking open the dark stormy sky, and Luffy blinks away the tears. His vision swims for a moment before he can see Nami and Zoro standing before him. 

Luffy shakes his head, forcing a grin. It hurts to smile right now, but he ignores that. 

“Hey! Wanna get some food? Let’s invite Usopp!” 

Nami sighs. “Yeah, sure. We should eat. I wasted calories tracking down this idiot,” She jerks her chin to Zoro. 

Luffy runs inside the workshop, grabbing Usopp. “Let’s eat!” 

“AAAHH- waitwaitwait I’m almost done!” Usopp tries to fight him but fails and is easily overpowered. Luffy drags him away. 

《《《《

Two weeks pass since they met Usopp. Usopp’s workshop becomes a hangout spot for them when Nami isn’t driving around in their car trying to drum up business. A few people let them groom their dogs, especially when they set up in parks or vacant lots.

Nami is counting up their earnings for the day. Luffy and Zoro left to get food, and Nami gives them a fifty/fifty chance they’ll make it back in the next hour.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town…

Luffy sniffs the air while Zoro wanders into an alley next to a restaurant. They can’t afford to eat inside, but Luffy said he smells pizza and is now trying to find the source. Zoro picks up an abandoned plank of wood and starts swinging it like a sword. 

“It’s in here,” Luffy says, standing next to the dumpster. He sniffs again. “I smell sausage,” he opens the lid of the dumpster and looks inside. 

“Zoro! Lift me up!” Luffy demands. 

Zoro drops his plank of wood and wanders over. “Okay.” 

“Grab my legs, and I’ll get the pizza!” Luffy scrambles up. Zoro grabs his legs and holds him in place while Luffy folds over the dumpster and dives in. 

As Zoro holds Luffy, a door to their side opens, and a man no older than Zoro steps out, blonde, scowling and lighting up a cigarette. 

Wow. 

The blonde glances up, sees them, and frowns. 

“Are you seriously dumpster diving right now?” he asks. 

Luffy shoots up with a pizza box in hand. He laughs. “It’s a meatlovers!” He turns to the blonde. “You wanna slice?” 

Zoro sets Luffy down and Luffy plops himself on the ground with the pizza box in hand. He opens the box to reveal half a pizza inside. He grabs a slice and starts eating. 

“That’s… you do realize that’s unsanitary.” 

Luffy shrugs as Zoro sits down beside him and grabs a slice too. He looks up at the blonde. 

“Your eyebrows are weird. Are they tattoos?” 

The blonde huffs. “My eyebrows? What about your green ass hair!? That’s not normal at all!” 

“Okay, dartboard,” Zoro laughs. 

“Dartboard!? You imbecile! My eyebrows are perfectly normal!” 

“Uh huh,” Zoro takes another bite. 

“This pizza tastes funny,” Luffy smacks his lips. 

“Probably because you got it out of a dumpster. Just- wait here,” the blonde puts out his cigarette and turns to head back inside.

“He’s funny,” Luffy remarks. 

“A little prissy.”

A short while later, the blonde returns with plates of fried rice balanced in his arms. He crouches in front of them and holds out the plates. 

“Really!? For us!?” Luffy grins and accepts his plate. “Thank you!!” 

Zoro takes his while still staring at the blonde. This close, he can see blue eyes like the ocean, and strands of deep gold in his blonde hair. He can see his eyelashes, how they flutter when he blinks. 

Wow. 

Zoro takes the fork and takes a bite, before he says something stupid. He’s surprised by the flavor. It must show on his face because the blonde smirks. 

“Good, right?” 

Zoro scowls. “It’s fine.” 

“It’s really good!” Luffy says, mouth full. 

“Better than dumpster pizza?” the blonde asks. 

Zoro just shrugs. 

At the end of the alley, Zoro hears a car pull up. A door opens and closes, and footsteps approach. “You two were supposed to be grocery shopping!” Nami scolds them before Zoro even sees her. “Why the hell are you here?” 

Luffy looks up, grinning. “We got food!” 

The blonde gasps as he looks up at Nami, immediately twirling over to her and clasping his hands together. 

“Oh, my sweet angel, can I provide anything for you? A meal? Wine? A date?” 

Nami stares at him. Then she looks down at the plates of food. 

“You did this?” she points to Zoro and Luffy’s meal. 

The blonde nods. “I’ll get something even better for you, my sweet! One moment!” And he twirls away, back inside. 

Zoro feels irritated, for whatever reason. He chalks it up to the blonde being annoying. Nami steps towards them and crouches beside them. 

“We still need groceries,” She pokes Luffy’s head to get his attention. “We’ll need to dine and dash if we stay here.”

“But I thought it was free,” Luffy keeps eating. 

“Nothing’s free,” Nami stands. “Let’s go-”

Before she finishes her sentence, the blonde is back with a bowl of steaming noodles with some sort of dark sauce drizzled over them. He hands her the bowl and fork with a flourish. 

“Is this free or do we need to die and dash?” Luffy asks through a mouthful of rice. 

“Idiot!” Nami curses him. 

“It’s free!” The blonde beams. “Damn good food, isn’t it?” 

Luffy nods. Nami takes a bite of hers, and her eyes light up. Zoro continues to stare at the blonde. 

“I’m Luffy,” Luffy introduces himself. “That’s Zoro, and that’s Nami,” He points to them in turn. "What's your name?” 

“Sanji.” 

“Your food is good. Do you own a dog?” Luffy asks. 

Sanji stares at him. “... No…?” 

“Aw man,” Luffy pouts. 

Nami sighs. “What he means is, we’re dog groomers, and he wants to wash your dog.” 

“Dog groomers? How lovely!” Sanji clasps his hands. “I don’t have any pets, but if I did, I’d bring them to you!” 

“That’s nice.”

“Eyebrows, where are we anyway?” Zoro interrupts. 

“Eyebrows!?” Sanji turns on him. “Seriously?” 

Zoro shrugs, smirking. “Just wondering.” 

Sanji looks ready to kick his head in. “You’re at the Baratie.”

“Do you guys sell steak? I want some meat,” Luffy polishes off his plate. “Wanna go to the park with us? We’re gonna set up and wash dogs!” 

“As tempting as that sounds, I can’t,” Sanji says dryly. “I’m working.” 

“Oh well, we’ll just come back!” Luffy grins. “You’re nice, and you make good food!” 

“As long as Nami wants to come!” Sanji clasps his hands. 

“Uh huh, maybe if you drop the price from the food again,” Nami grins. 

“Anything for you!” Sanji swoons. 

Zoro finishes his plate. He holds it out for Sanji. Sanji scowls but takes it. Luffy stands, grabs the pizza, and opens it up to keep eating. Nami sighs. 

“We have to go, see you around,” Nami says. She grabs Luffy and Zoro and drags them away. 

They pile into the car and drive away. Zoro sits back and tries not to think of pretty eyes and gold hair.

《《《《

Despite his words, Sanji does drop by to visit them in the park near the Baratie. He says it’s just to bring Nami lunch, but he betrays his own words by handing out lunch boxes to Luffy and Zoro, too. He ignores their pointed stares.

Time passes. Days fold into weeks and fall comes heavy handed as ever on the coast, chilly evenings and cool mist in the mornings. 

One morning while the sun hides behind an overcast sky and a fine mist hugs the streets, Nami and Zoro set up in a park near their safehouse. Luffy and Usopp left to get food and more supplies, leaving just Nami and Zoro to pull in customers. 

Sanji stops by, per usual, with a cooler of snacks and drinks. He claims again to only be there for Nami, but there’s a bottle of sake and several onigiri wrapped for Zoro, dried meat for Luffy, and spicy sesame noodles for Usopp. 

That day, a family comes through the park with a Saint Bernard puppy bouncing along behind them. Nami jumps to her feet and wanders over to convince the family, leaving Sanji and Zoro alone. 

Zoro grabs the sake and takes a sip straight from the bottle. He wipes his mouth with his hand. 

“That’s good shit,” Zoro says. 

“It’s for Nami,” Sanji says, impulsively, if Zoro had to guess. Nami doesn’t like sake, she prefers wine, so Zoro and Sanji both know Sanji is bullshitting him. 

Zoro takes another sip. He puts the cap back on and sits back. Sanji glances at Zoro, then away, towards Nami. 

“Your eyebrows are weirder than usual, today,” Zoro comments. 

Sanji turns to him, huffing. “My eyebrows are normal! You-! You-! Mosshead! Marimo!” Sanji points to Zoro’s green hair.

“Mosshead?” Zoro scowls. “And what the hell is a marimo?” 

“Idiot, dull, dim-witted, smelly- marimo!” Sanji huffs again.

Zoro jumps to his feet. “Say that again, you twig!” 

“Twig!? I’m lean!” 

“You’re a stick,” Zoro smirks.

“Mosshead needs his eyes checked, ‘cause I’m not a twig or a stick!” 

“You look like a good breeze could snap you in half.” 

“Whatever, moss-for-brains. Go kill your liver.” 

“Guys! We got one!” Nami interrupts them. She comes over with the Saint Bernard puppy, happy and bouncing with energy. He is a little too happy, upsetting the water bucket twice. Zoro crouches down, takes the puppy’s paw, and mumbles to him in a calm voice. The saint bernard calms down almost immediately. Zoro calmly trims the fur between his paws while Nami runs the hose over his body. 

Sanji watches. He stares at Zoro. Zoro can feel his eyes on him. Zoro finally looks up, meeting Sanji’s eyes. Sanji jumps and turns away. 

The mist lifts, replaced with a hot autumn sun that bears down on them with the intensity of mid-summer, despite it being late September. 

Usopp and Luffy return with food and more supplies, like dry towels and treats to placate the dogs. Zoro accepts the green tea passed over to him by Usopp.

The clouds are sparse, leaving the sky bright. The light bounces off the ground and nearly blinds Zoro. He feels eyes on him and he turns just as Sanji quickly turns away. 

Zoro returns to cleaning the dog and ignores the strange fluttering in his stomach. 

The Saint Bernard is towel dried while Nami accepts payment from the family. Luffy plays a game with him by running through the park with some dried jerky, chased by the puppy. 

“He’s so energetic,” Usopp remarks. 

“It’s a real problem,” Nami sighs. “Imagine trying to get him to sleep.” 

“Uhg, that’s awful.” 

Zoro sits back and eats an onigiri. It tastes perfect. 

《《《《

Time marches on. The days slip into weeks as Sanji spends more time with Nami, Luffy, Zoro and occasionally Usopp. He becomes familiar with their habits, Luffy and his never-ending appetite, Nami and her money hoarding, Usopp and his stories, Zoro and his calm, yet irritating personality. 

Sanji doesn’t get Zoro. He finds him gross and rude, yet oddly calming and grounding. He doesn’t get how Zoro can be so good with animals and so bad with humans, but even still, Sanji doesn’t hate him. Annoyed with him, yes, absolutely, especially when he pokes fun at Sanji’s eyebrows, yet Sanji doesn’t hate him.

He might even like him. 

Halloween rolls around quickly, and it’s morning the week before the holiday when the five of them are discussing their plans. 

Luffy wants to dress like pirates and hang out on the docks, but that idea is quickly shot down. 

“You do realize it’s gonna be freezing, right!?” Nami demands from him. 

Luffy just shrugs. 

“What about that girl you met? Feefee?” Luffy shoves a finger up his nose. “She has a house. Let’s go there!” 

“First of all, it’s Vivi. Second of all, don’t invite yourself to people’s houses!” Nami flicks him on the forehead. 

They’re in the park again. It’s the weekend so people are out and about, all dressed for the crisp, almost-winter air. Nami just received payment for washing a jack russel terrier and she put it towards coffee for everyone. Nami has a pumpkin coffee that she’s cradling between two hands, while Sanji has a honey latte. Luffy just has milk, and Zoro a cup of black coffee. 

Usopp raises his hand. “Uh, one of my professors is having a costume party next weekend. You’re invited.”  

“Your professor?” Nami asks.

“Yeah! He’s a nautical engineer and teaches two of my classes! He’s weird, but really nice! He’s the one who found my workshop.” 

“Hmmm… maybe,” Nami sips her coffee. Sanji glances at the others. Zoro hadn’t reacted, but Luffy is bouncing up and down where he’s standing. 

“A party? Really!?” 

“A costume party,” Usopp grins. “If you guys don’t have costumes, don’t worry! I have plenty! Kaya likes to sew, and she likes making costumes just for fun. I’ve got clown costumes, mimes, pirates, crooks, chefs, you name it!” Usopp grins, looking proud. 

“Pirates!?” Luffy bounces. “Yes! Let’s go!”

“We don’t even know this guy,” Nami sighs. “How did he invite us?” 

“I told him about the dog groomers in the park. He likes your drive and said he wanted to meet you guys. You too, Sanji,” Usopp grins. 

“Why?”

“Franky’s weird. I don’t know. He likes meeting new people. Plus he said his house is pretty big and perfect for hosting parties.”

“Pretty big, you say?” Nami grins all teeth. 

Sanji knows that look. It’s the expression of a routine thief finding her next target. 

“Thanks, Usopp. You know, a party sounds nice,” Nami says. 

Nice for robbing them blind, maybe. 

Oh, wonderful, devious Nami.

《《《《

Usopp wasn’t joking when he said he has costumes. The day of the party, he brings them to his workshop in order to choose what they were going to wear. 

One trunk in his workshop is full of them, ranging from fairy dresses to regency-era blazers, and everything in between. Nami picks out a long white dress and a black wig. 

“I’ll be the girl from The Ring.” Nami grins. She goes to try on the white dress and adjusts herself. Damn her big boobs for getting in the way, honestly, but the dress still fits. It was clearly made for someone a little smaller so the fabric is tight across her chest and bottom, but the rest of the fabric falls loosely to her ankles. 

Nami examines herself in the mirror. 

“Kinda cunty,” Nami grins. She fits the wig on and adjusts it to hang in front of her face. Through the black tresses she can see herself in the mirror. She nods in approval. 

《《《《

Back in the main room of the workshop, Sanji and the others pick out their costumes. Sanji goes for a cowboy look with old jeans and a waistcoat made from worn leather. He grabs a dusty cowboy hat and plops it down on his head. 

Zoro tries very hard to not notice Sanji’s ass in those jeans. He tries, but fails, and stares for a solid few seconds before tearing his eyes away.

Luffy goes for the pirate costume, complete with a black bandana and a ridiculous pirate hat that he balances on top of his straw hat. Usopp dresses like a racecar driver in a pleather suit. 

Zoro hasn’t even looked at the costumes. He sits against the wall, yawning. 

“Zoro!! Dress up with us!!” Luffy says as he adjusts his own costume. 

Zoro shrugs. 

“What, too embarrassed?” Sanji teases. 

Zoro scowls. “I just don’t see a point.” 

“The point is fun, idiot,” Sanji grabs a wizard's robe, with emblazoned stars and a moon on it. “Here, be a wizard.” 

Zoro frowns at the costume. “I’m good.”

“Pussy,” Sanji pulls away. Zoro growls and grabs his shoulder, jerking him back. He yanks the wizard costume out of his hands. 

“I’m not a pussy,” Zoro shoves the wizard robe on. Sanji grabs a wizard hat and places it on Zoro’s head. 

Sanji steps back and stares, grinning. Zoro feels ridiculous. 

“Lookin’ good, marimo,” Sanji laughs.

“Marimo?” Zoro frowns at him, still not understanding the nickname.

“Let’s go!” Luffy claps his hands, interrupting them. 

Nami returns in her Samara costume, black wig obscuring her face. “Yeah, let’s go!” Nami cheers.

《《《《

Usopp locks up his workshop and then leads the way to the party. They walk, because it’s not far away from Usopp’s workshop. Nami leaves her car in the parking lot. The wooden sign for their business hangs from her passenger door, bumping slightly in the light breeze as they walk past it. Nami grabs a coat and follows after her friends. 

Children swarm the streets with their parents. It’s loud with teenagers, children and adults all dressed up, either in costumes or warm coats. Few cars are on the road, so people walk in the streets on their way to trick-or-treat or to parties. 

Laughter spills from windows while music blasts from apartments. Up ahead, Nami can see Zoro and Sanji shoving at each other. Usopp slows to walk with Nami. 

“They’re ridiculous,” Nami says, jerking her chin towards Sanji. “Is it obvious to you, too?” 

“Yeah. They want to jump each other’s bones,” Usopp sighs. “It’s exhausting to listen to them.”

“Wanna make a bet?” Nami grins. “I bet it will take a year until they finally snap and sleep together.” 

“A year? More like several.”

“That’s your guess?” 

“Yeah.” 

They shake on it. Nami laughs and turns back to their friends ahead. She stares a little past them, to Luffy. Usopp follows her gaze.

“Is he alright?” Usopp asks quietly. 

“You don’t think he is?” 

Usopp shakes his head. “Nah, I mean… sometimes he gets this look in his eye like he’s thinking about something bad.” 

“I noticed that too,” Nami shrugs. “Mostly, he’s fine. But sometimes… sometimes he wakes up screaming. It doesn’t happen often… but when it does…” Nami stares at him. “I think something happened.”

Something bad, something that prompted Luffy to run for the hills and never look back.

“How did you two even meet?” Usopp asks. 

Nami recalls the night, months ago, when she first met Luffy. “In a skate park. He was doing tricks on a scooter and I showed off my skateboarding. But we didn’t leave together until a couple months later,” Nami fiddles with her sleeve. 

“Was he alone?” Usopp asks. 

“No, he was with some guys. One of them was his brother,” Nami stares at Luffy. Luffy has picked up a stick and is swinging it around. “But he was alone when he found me again.” 

Nami pauses, wondering if she should share this.

“You know… I read in the paper about two months before we met again, about a gun fight. A cop shot a gang member. He had been praised in the article for being hard on criminals and got a promotion. There was a ceremony for it and everything.”

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah… It was in the area Luffy is from, and I… I think Luffy had been there. I think he knew the guy shot.”

“What makes you think that?” 

“The way he reacts to cops,” Nami says. “He attacked one for nearly no reason, and you’re right, he gets this look in his eyes sometimes like he’s somewhere else. I mean, when I had to collect him from jail, he was a mess.” 

Usopp shakes his head. “It makes no sense. Luffy? He seems so unaffected.” 

“He’s still human,” Nami says sadly. 

“Yeah.” 

Luffy stops on the corner ahead. Usopp mutters something about directions and hurries ahead to lead them down the right road. Nami is left to stew in her thoughts. 

She can’t exactly accuse Luffy of hiding things when she is hiding a secret of her own. Guilt boils in her throat and makes her choke. She watches Usopp and Luffy start up a game of tag. 

Maybe she’s in over her head with this friend thing. She wants to do things like listen and help, feelings she hasn’t had in years. She can’t remember the last time she had someone to worry about. Nami sighs, shaking her head. No point worrying about it now, since Luffy seems okay at the moment. 

They all walk for a few minutes until they reach a residential neighborhood. The houses aren’t huge, but they’re not small either. Here, hundreds of trick-or-treaters swarm the neighborhood. It’s loud and crowded as the five of them head towards Franky’s house.

Around the corner, Franky’s house opens up to them. It’s a decent size, with an SUV parked out front and wild shrubs, flowers and hedges line the small yard. The grass is a little overgrown, but it doesn’t look abandoned or unkept. Just wild. 

Halloween decorations dot the yard. Fake graves, skeletons, black cats and witches hang from the couple of trees in the front yard and porch. Orange and purple lights hang from the windows and doorframe, outlining everything in bright colors.

Usopp walks up the path towards the door. A fake skeleton sits on the porch with a little sign hanging from his neck that says “use the doorbell please”. 

Usopp rings the doorbell and waits. After a few seconds, the door opens and a massive man stands before them, dressed like a plane. 

Nami stares. The man’s cumbersome suit fills out the door frame, and his hands, with his arms the wings of the costume, settle on the door frame. 

“Usopp!” the man yells happily. “You brought friends!” 

This must be Franky, Nami assumes.

Usopp nods. “This is Luffy, Nami, Sanji and Zoro. Guys, this is Franky, my professor.”

Franky grins and steps back to let them inside. “Welcome to the party! It’s great to meet you all!” 

Nami nods her greeting, looking past Franky inside the house. She steps through and smiles at Franky.

“Thanks for having us,” she says. 

“Hi Franky!” Luffy pushes up his pirate hat/straw hat. “Your costume is cool!” 

Franky grins. “Damn right it is! Planes are the best!”

Behind the five of them, some children walk up the path to the door. 

“Trick or treat!” 

Franky grabs a bowl of candy and holds it out for them. “Here ya go!” Franky grins. 

Once the kids leave, Franky lets them inside. The foyer is small with coats hanging from the rack and shoes lined up along the wall. The next room is a large living room with a massive stereo and speakers, currently blasting some garage-punk band. 

Plenty of people fill out the room. They’re all in costumes ranging from skeletons to fairy princess types. Nami spies some horror movie characters like Michael Myers and Jason. She still thinks her costume is the best. 

“Nice look! You’re real spooky!” Franky compliments her. “Those movies give me the creeps!” 

Nami laughs. “Then you’d hate the original movies. They’re even scarier.” 

“Yow! I’ve got to try them out!” Franky laughs. “Let’s meet Robin!” he says, leading them through the living room and down a hall to the kitchen.  

Here a dark-skinned, black-haired woman stands, holding a snake in her arms. She smiles softly at them. 

“Hello. Would you like to meet Alexandra?” the woman asks, gesturing to the red, striped snake. Nami jumps back, but the others come closer. 

Luffy lets the snake sniff his hands and wrap lightly around him. He giggles. 

Robin smiles. “She likes you.” 

Nami steps away from the snake to look outside.

There are others in the backyard. Shouting and laughing drifts through the open window. There are lights strung up around the yard too, with tables topped with drinks and food. A grill is currently being used. Judging from Franky’s apron, he was the one using it. 

Robin turns to the counter behind her, where more liquor sits. “I was just pouring myself a drink. Would you like one?” 

They drink and chat. Robin is a fellow professor like Franky. Her snake is attached to her and doesn’t like to be far, which is why she brought her to the party. 

Luffy wanders off with a gatorade and a croissant. Franky goes back to the grill while Robin, Sanji and Usopp chat. Zoro just drinks, not looking like he’s paying attention. 

Nami finds a good time to excuse herself and slips into the living room. Luffy is in here, staring at something in the window. 

Something about his posture is wrong. He seems tense. 

Nami approaches slowly. She looks out the window to see what could possibly grab Luffy’s attention, and that’s when she sees the two men. 

Both are dressed like cops. Nami glances at Luffy, who stares at the fake cops with a distant expression. The more Nami looks, the more his face seems haunted. 

“Luffy?” Nami asks carefully. 

Luffy jumps, turning away from the window. He blinks, then a smile quickly takes over his face. 

“Hi, Nami!” 

Nami studies him. “Are you… okay?” 

“I’m fine! Why wouldn’t I be?” Luffy says, almost stumbling over his words. 

Nami gives him a look. “Luffy, don’t bullshit me. You’re staring at those cops like they’re public enemy number one!” 

Luffy frowns. “Am not.” 

“Yeah, you are.” 

“Whatever. I’m gonna get some food!” Luffy says, clearly changing the subject. He goes outside.

Nami follows, only because she has a bad feeling about Luffy. She stays near the house, just watching him. 

The two men dressed like cops are laughing at something on one of their phones. The laugh draws Luffy’s attention. One of the fake cops pulls out a plastic gun and aims it at his friend. 

At once, Luffy freezes. Nami can see from across the yard the way that Luffy stiffens and stares at the fake cops. Nami rushes across the yard to grab his arm. 

Luffy doesn’t notice her. He looks somewhere else, far far away from here. He’s muttering something under his breath. 

“... no… no, Ace… Ace…” 

Nami grabs his arm tighter. “Luffy! Snap out of it!” 

Luffy jumps, upsetting a plate. He turns to Nami. 

“Huh?” 

Nami drags him away, back towards the house. They enter the living room and Nami drags Luffy down a hall, into an office filled with books. Luffy looks a little dazed. 

Knick knacks here look heavy and expensive, but Nami doesn’t care at the moment. She turns to Luffy.“You can talk to me, you know.” Nami says.

“About what?” Luffy asks. 

“About whatever the hell makes you so weird around cops!” Nami snaps, frustration building. She glares at him.

Luffy blinks. “Oh,” he turns away. “I’m not weird around cops,” he tries to lie, but Nami sees right through it. 

“Yeah, you are,” Nami’s tone smooths out again. “You attacked that cop ages ago, and whenever one is nearby, you get all… weird.”

“Well, duh I attacked him. He was being a jerk!” 

“Honestly? Not really. No, I don’t like cops, but he wasn’t being terrible. He was just telling us to leave.” 

Luffy crosses his arms. “Well, maybe I didn’t want to.” 

“So you attacked him? Luffy, you’re not going to be a teenager forever. You can’t keep this up. Eventually they’ll start persecuting you, and then what? Jail time?” 

Luffy sinks. “But cops suck!” 

“Yeah, they do! They’re also the ones in power! I can’t get caught, not now, not when-” Nami slams her mouth shut. She pauses. “I just can’t get caught,” she finally says. 

Luffy looks a little confused. “Why would you get caught?” 

“Because we’re usually together?” Nami points out. “I’m basically your babysitter.”

Luffy shrugs. “Well, I won’t stop hating cops. They- they killed-” he stares at their feet, mouth warbling.

Nami sighs again. “Luffy, can’t you just tell me? They hurt you, didn’t they?” 

Luffy shakes his head. “Not me.”

“Then…? Who?” 

Luffy sniffles. “... Ace.” 

“Ace?” 

 Luffy nods. “My brother.” 

Nami sighs. She figured as much, but hearing it still hurts her chest. She lifts an arm and wraps it around Luffy’s shoulder. She pulls him into a hug.

“Oh…” Nami says. “Oh, Luffy. I’m sorry.” 

Luffy sniffles. “S’okay…” 

“Do you want to leave?” Nami asks him. 

Luffy shakes his head. “I wanna stay.” 

“Okay,” Nami says softly. “Why don’t you help me out?” 

“Help you?” Luffy echoes. 

Nami grins. “I’m gonna rob this place blind.” 

Luffy laughs. “That’s not very nice. Franky invited us.” 

“Yeah, and did you see the size of this place? It’s huge. He won’t miss a few knick-knacks.” 

Luffy grins. “You’re terrible, you know that?” 

Nami laughs. She feels glad Luffy is feeling better. It’s odd, isn’t it? She asks herself. Having friends.

But her mind wanders as they leave the office together. 

Luffy carries a heavy burden, and Nami knows a thing or two about burdens. Nami’s heart hurts, and a voice in her head whispers,

Nojiko…

She feels guilt eat away at her insides. How could she worry about friends when Nokijo is- is-

Nami grabs a pillow case from a linen closet. She walks into an office and grabs the bookends with gold embossed heads. She grabs a fancy paperweight and some gold pens. 

Luffy stands outside the room, looking bored. Nami brushes past him as she leaves the office. 

“I met Ace, didn’t I?” Nami asks. “At the skate park,” Nami vaguely recalls an older kid, with a big back tattoo and one more tattoo on his arm. “He seemed pretty cool.”

“He was the best,” Luffy manages a small smile. “He taught me how to run from cops. And how to steal, and how to throw knives. I’m not very good at the last two…” 

Nami laughs lightly. “No? I bet Ace was impressed anyway.” 

Luffy grins. “Yeah. We had another brother, too. He was wicked smart and read all the time. But he…” Luffy’s mouth wobbles. “They’re both gone.”

Nami nods. She pats Luffy’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she says again, because she doesn’t know what else to say. Something twists in her gut, and she knows exactly why. 

“C’mon, let’s rob this guy and go,” Nami bumps into him. “And try to have a good time.” 

Luffy giggles. “Ace would have liked you a lot.” 

“Yeah?” Nami smiles. “I would have liked to have been his friend.” 

Nami sneaks into a couple more rooms and steals some more stuff. It’s all old, dusty antiques she grabs, things left untouched that look like they won’t be missed. 

Once she’s done and her pillow case is full, Nami sneaks out a window. Luffy watches, dumbfounded. 

“Why?” 

“‘Cause they’ll see me use the front entrance.” Nami explains. “Now, I’ve got to put this away.” 

“I’m coming!” Luffy invites himself. He clambers through the window. 

Nami flicks him on the forehead. “Don’t be so loud!” she scolds him. “Now, let’s go.” 

Her car isn’t far. She can hide this stuff and return before they even realize it. Nami sprints down the road to Usopp’s workshop, Luffy tailing behind her. 

Little did they know, the eyes that followed their every move. 

《《《《

Zoro can’t stop staring. He knows he should look away, but it’s like his eyes are magnets and Sanji is drawing him in. Sanji laughs and Zoro’s ears flush. 

Asshole. Zoro drinks from his red solo cup and pretends he doesn’t see or hear Sanji. He pretends he’s absorbed in the beer pong game. Franky roars with laughter nearby at the grill, where he wears an apron with the words GRILLMASTER imprinted in bold letters. Usopp is telling a story, and Sanji is-

Zoro crushes his cup in his hands as Sanji bends over and his tight jeans perfectly hug his ass, taunting Zoro. 

This is ridiculous. 

《《《《

Sanji glances at Zoro from across the yard, pretending he isn’t looking. Zoro looks ridiculous in his wizard getup, especially when he’s spending the whole party scowling and drinking his beer. 

Stupid, dumb, handsome Zoro. 

Sanji turns away. Nami and Luffy join the party a few minutes later, both panting. Nami’s wig blows out slightly with each exhale where it hangs in front of her face. 

What were they up to? Sanji wonders. 

Franky’s laugh draws Sanji’s attention as Luffy goes over to bug him, likely begging for scraps. Sanji wanders over and taps Luffy’s forehead. 

“Leave the man alone,” Sanji sighs.

“Nah, bug him more,” Zoro says from nearby. 

Sanji huffs while Franky and Luffy laugh. “You mannerless, green Marimo!” Sanji scolds him. 

“Marimo?” Robin appears near him, smiling quietly. “That’s quite the name.” 

Sanji glances at her. Her beauty is radiating, as is her smile, but Sanji is just as terrified as he is entranced by her and her knowing little smile. 

“His brain was replaced with moss,” Sanji says, and hopes that’s enough to hold her off from revealing too much. 

Zoro scowls while Robin chuckles.

“And yours was replaced with a snail!” Zoro yells. 

“A snail!? Why!?” 

“The swirl is the same.” Zoro smirks.

“Shut up! It is not!” Sanji marches over to jab a finger in his chest. “You ugly brute!” 

“Big words coming from a stick-bug.” 

“I’m-! Lean-!” 

Luffy turns to Franky. “So, when’s the meat ready?” 

Franky and Robin both chuckle. 

“Usopp has brought some interesting people.” 

《《《《

The day after the party, Nami is alone in their safehouse. Zoro and Luffy went grocery shopping, and Nami gives them a 20% chance they’ll accomplish that goal within the next few hours. She has less faith than before, knowing last time she sent them out for the task, they ended up dumpster diving. 

Which is why Nami was very confused when someone knocked on the door. Usopp has classes and Sanji is working, and Luffy and Zoro wouldn’t knock, which begs the question as to who could be knocking. 

She’s even more confused when it’s the snake lady, Robin, of all people, who stands on their doorstep. 

“I heard you provide grooming for pets. Would you like to take care of my snakes?” 

Nami gapes at her. “Uh, we groom dogs.” 

“But perhaps you’ll make an exception? Come with me,” Robin says, and something in her tone makes Nami obey. She follows Robin down the stairs and to her car, which is a small, black station wagon. The back is full with a glass tank filled with straw, blankets and pillows. 

Robin opens the back door. 

“Alexandra and Radagast both could use a soak. And I have something I wish to discuss with you,” Robin says calmly. 

Nami breaks into a nervous sweat. Does she know? 

Robin opens up the back of the wagon and removes her snakes. She has sweaters wrapped around the snakes for warmth. Nami wonders if Robin crocheted them herself. 

“So, tell me, Nami,” Robin says as they climb the stairs. “Why did you steal from Franky’s?”

Nami stops short. “I didn’t.” 

“Oh, yes, you did,” Robin says with a smile. “I believe if I enter your apartment, I will find the stolen goods.” 

“Are you threatening us?” Nami demands. 

“No,” Robin sounds sincere. “I am simply curious. You are an odd bunch, and odder still for your actions. Luffy has it out for cops, and Zoro and Sanji can’t seem to keep their hands off each other.”

Nami agrees on that last part. “So you just assumed I was the one who stole?” 

“I know you were. I saw you.” 

“Bullshit,” Nami says. They reach the top step and Robin enters their apartment with both snakes in her hands. 

Nami flicks on a lamp and grabs a basin. She fills it with lukewarm water from the kitchen tap. 

Nami turns to Robin. “There’s no way you saw me.” 

Robin chuckles. “Really? No way?” 

I was careful. Nami doesn’t admit anything.

Robin places her snakes on the bed, and they both curl up while Robin faces Nami. 

“Perhaps I shall demonstrate,” Robin says, and she crosses her arms. 

Suddenly, a hand sprouts from the counter. Nami screams and jumps violently, nearly upsetting the basin of water. 

Robin chuckles. The hand disappears in a flurry of petals. Robin sprouts another hand next to Nami, and an eye appears in the palm. 

Nami stares. “What the fuck?” she stares more. “What the fuck-” 

Robin uncrosses her arms and the hand disappears. 

“As you can see, I have a unique ability,” Robin says. “It allowed me to witness your robbing of Franky.” 

Nami just stares, trying to compute what just happened. 

Robin takes the basin of water and places it on the floor. She collects her snakes, then sits with them. She looks up at Nami. 

“Help me, would you?” she asks gently. 

Nami nods and crouches. She swallows. “So… have you always been able to do that?” 

Robin chuckles. She takes Alexandra’s sweater off and lightly lifts her, placing her in the shallow water. Radagast is next. 

“Yes,” Robin answers after making sure her snakes are comfortable. “It’s come quite in handy.” As if in jest, she sprouts three hands on her head, fingers splayed like some disturbing crown. 

Nami stares some more. “So, this… ability of yours… You saw me with it?” 

It’s so outlandish Nami can’t even get that angry about it. 

“So, you admit it,” Robin says. 

Nami flinches. She sighs. “Yeah…, yeah, I did.”

“Why?” 

“Huh?” Nami goes silent again, struck quiet twice now by the odd lady. “Why?” 

“Yes, why?” 

“Well…” Nami fiddles with her pant leg. “I… need money. A lot of it.” 

“You’re Arlong’s girl, aren’t you?” Robin asks. 

“What!? How did you know that!?” Nami balks. 

“I was once connected to the mafia,” Robin smiles, looking just a little menacing. “Arlong is from western Mass, where I was once based. While I never interacted with him, I knew of his cruelty. In particular, I know of a young girl abused by that man, torn away from her family by him.”

Nami swallows. “You… knew?” 

Robin bows her head. Her smile fades as she continues. “One of my greatest regrets was not helping that girl when I should have.” 

“How do you even know it’s me? It could be anyone.” 

Robin shakes her head. “A girl named Nami, with fiery orange hair and freckles, who steals like it’s second nature. Does that not sound like you?” 

Nami looks down at the snakes as they play in the water. Alexandra is climbing up the side and trying to reach Robin. “So… you know.” 

“I know.” 

“And you’re gonna tell the cops.”

“Oh, no, nothing like that,” Robin smiles. “Nor am I going to tell Franky. He won’t notice, anyway. He’s rarely home to begin with.” 

Nami stares at her. “So… what? Why are you here?” 

“To help you,” Robin says. “I can arrange so you’ll never see Arlong again.” 

Nami’s jaw drops. “I robbed your friend, and now you want to help me?” 

“You’re too young to carry the weight that man thrust upon your shoulders,” Robin says sadly. 

That weight… Nami could shed it… 

But she knows she can’t, even if a part of her yearns for it. She knows she can’t walk away, not when she’s so close to finally, finally seeing her sister again. It’s been ten years since she heard Nojiko’s voice. 

“Thanks, but no,” Nami says. “I can’t.” 

“Arlong may not be the strongest mafia, but he is ruthless, conniving, and cruel. He won’t let you go.” 

“No, he will,” Nami lies. “He will, and I’ll see her again-” Nami cuts herself off. “I’ll… be fine. I have to be.”  

Robin picks up Alexandra and wipes her down. She does the same with Radagast. She replaces their sweaters. 

“You’re a young woman, carrying a great weight. You believe not, but you are strong enough to break free.” 

Nami and Robin stand. Robin takes both her snakes and lets them wrap around her arms. 

Nami shakes her head. “You don’t know me.” 

“No, perhaps not,” Robin frowns. “But do I have to, to wish you were free?” 

《《《《

After Robin leaves, Nami packs up all her things, her clothes, phone, charger, and all the stolen goods. She puts everything in her bag, and it’s not much. Her clothes in total only fill half the bag. Nami stuffs the stolen goods under her clothes and zips it up. 

She’s been here too long. Robin’s visit knocked some sense into her. 

Arlong won’t let her go until she gives him the money. No amount of playing around will change that, even if the idea of leaving now hurts her chest and leaves her full of regret.

She takes one look at the room she stayed in. 

Memories flood her mind. 

Last week, when Luffy tried to cook for the first time and nearly burnt down the house. Or all the days Zoro would be trying to exercise and Luffy would bug him, climbing on him, talking about nothing. All the late nights watching stupid youtube videos and eating whatever snacks Luffy got from the convenience store. 

Nami blinks back tears. She doesn’t want to go. But she has to. She needs to go back to- him. She almost has enough. She’s so close. 

Maybe they’ll take her back, after everything.

Nami turns away and closes the door behind her. 

《《《《

Luffy and Zoro come home to an empty, cleared out apartment. Nami is nowhere in sight, nor are her things there.

“Where did Nami go?” Luffy frowns. 

“Her car is gone,” Zoro points out. He checks their stash of money. It’s gone. “She took all our money.”

“Maybe she went shopping.” 

“With all her stuff?” Zoro frowns. “She left.”

“Why?” 

Zoro shrugs. 

Luffy’s frown deepens. “I’m gonna call Usopp,” he says.

Zoro leans against the wall while Luffy calls. Once on the line, Luffy asks immediately, “Is Nami with you?” 

Usopp replies. His voice is slightly muffled. Luffy looks sad as Usopp talks. 

“She’s not?” A pause. “Nami is gone. We’re looking for her,” Another pause. “Yeah, come over.”

Luffy hangs up. “Nami isn’t with him.”

“What about the cook?” Zoro suggests. 

Luffy nods and dials Sanji’s number. It’s the same as before, with Sanji replying in the negative. Luffy invites him over too. 

Before long, Usopp arrives. He stares at the empty attic room. 

"She really just up and left,” Usopp frowns. “Where could she have gone?” 

Luffy and Zoro shrug. They’re at a loss. Zoro looks around the room again, noting her absence. A basin on the floor draws his attention. What was Nami doing before she left?

Did someone visit? Someone who made up Nami’s mind to flee, or maybe threatened her? A protective anger surges in Zoro at the thought. Nami may be a witch, but she’s still their friend. 

Usopp pulls out his phone. He checks Nami’s contact info, including her location. He balks when he sees it’s still on. Usopp holds up his phone. 

“Nami’s location is still on.” 

Zoro and Luffy crowd around the phone. Nami is moving at a steady clip out of Boston. She’s outside the metropolitan area now, heading southwest. 

Someone knocks on the door. Luffy answers it. 

“Hi, Sanji!” 

Zoro and Usopp continue to stare at Nami’s location. Luffy and Sanji join them, Luffy updating Sanji on what’s happened. 

Sanji looks distraught. “Nami’s missing!?” 

Usopp holds up his phone. “We know where she is. Look, she’s stopped,” he holds up the phone. She’s maybe halfway across Mass now, past Amherst. 

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Luffy demands. “Let’s go!” 

“I agree!” Sanji yells. 

Zoro grunts. He’s pissed, but the worry outweighs his anger. He nods. “Yeah.”

Usopp swallows. “I mean… as long as it’s safe.” 

Luffy pats Usopp on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine!” Something in his voice is strong like steel. He’s without doubt, without fear. “Nami will come back.” 

“That’s not what I’m worried about-” Usopp goes to say, but Luffy ignores him in favor of running to the door. 

“Wait…” Sanji says. “Do we have a car?” 

Luffy pauses. So does Zoro, and Usopp. 

“What about Franky?” Usopp suggests slowly. 

“Would he let us borrow it?” Sanji asks. 

“Maybe,” Usopp says. “We should ask,” Usopp whips out his phone and dials a number. 

A moment later, Franky answers. 

“Yow! You’ve reached Franky! What’s up?” 

“Uh, well, you see…” Usopp explains the situation. He tells Franky about Nami’s disappearance, then that they need a car to chase after her. 

Franky is an active listener. By the time Usopp has finished explaining, Franky is sniffling. 

“What a touching story! You guys are true friends!” Franky wails. “You can borrow my car!” 

Usopp thanks him. They hang up, then go outside to wait for Franky. Franky arrives about half an hour later, pulling up to the sidewalk. He unlocks the doors. The snake lady is with him, Robin, Zoro remembers her name being. Robin smiles from the passenger seat. 

“I hope you don’t mind that I tagged along,” Robin says. “I feel I must confess something.” 

Everyone piles into the SUV, occupying the first two rows of seats. Sanji sits behind Robin, and he leans in to listen to her. 

Zoro sits beside him. He watches Robin too, though without the heart eyes Sanji’s sporting. 

“I spoke with her,” Robin tells them as Franky pulls out. Usopp plugs in his phone and watches Nami’s location, giving Franky instructions. Robin waits until they’re on the highway before she continues. 

“Nami is an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Before I go further, I must tell you something about myself. I was once mafia, years ago, and had many connections throughout the state. One connection was a man named Arlong, who resided in western Mass. Arlong knows Nami, very well.”

Robin pauses as Usopp tells Franky which exit they need to take. 

“It would not be inaccurate to describe Nami as Arlong’s property, in Arlong’s eyes,” Robin sounds angry, just a hint. “She has been a captive of his for years.” 

“Captive!?” Sanji balks. “She’s a hostage!?” 

Robin nods. “Arlong is a small-time mafia, but he’s ruthless and cruel. Nami has suffered immensely under him, I imagine, and yet she has continued to work for him. There must be a reason for it.”

“Whatever the reason, she’s our friend,” Luffy says. “I don’t care if she’s mafia, or if she stole from us. She’s always going to be our friend.” 

“I agree!” Sanji half-swoons. “She could have stolen from me too!” 

“Freak,” Zoro mutters.

“So, what exactly are you planning once you find her?” Usopp asks Luffy. “I don’t think she’s gonna just let us just take her away.” 

“I don’t care!” Luffy yells. “She can’t just- she can’t leave!” 

Something in his voice warbles, like he’s close to losing it. Zoro stares at Luffy. 

“She seemed happy with you guys,” Franky chimes in.

“She was! We just have to remind her of that,” Luffy nods. “No one is taking our friend away.”

《《《《

Nami pulls up to the pawn shop just inside the border to Tyringham. She cuts the engine and sits for a while in her seat, just staring at her hands. They shake slightly. 

She’s so close. Just a few hundred more dollars, and she’ll see her sister again. Nami exhales slowly. 

She won’t think about them- about Luffy or Zoro, Sanji or Usopp. She won’t. Nami grits her teeth. She can do this.  

Nami gets out of the car and grabs the bag of stolen goods from the front seat. Nami enters the pawn shop. 

The man behind the counter remembers her. 

“More of your grandmother’s things?” he asks, referring to the story Nami fed him. She doubts he believes her, but he buys the stuff off her anyway. Nami knows this guy’s connection with the mafia runs deep enough that he wouldn’t risk calling the cops on her, since they can easily turn it into an investigation on him. 

If the cops would even do that. They’re as corrupt as the mafia. 

Nami accepts the cash for her pawned items. She’s walking out the door when she sees the flashing lights. Her blood runs cold. She turns to the cashier behind her. 

“You seriously called the cops?” 

The cashier shakes his head. “Why would I?” he looks as scared as Nami feels. Nami turns to the cops outside. She steps back from the door as the cops enter. 

“Nami Corcoran?” one asks her. 

Nami stands her ground, glaring up at them. 

The cop smiles, laughing lightly. “We know who you are. Don’t try playing dumb.” 

Nami grinds her teeth. Who could have sold her out? Her friends? No, they don’t know enough. The only person who knows is- 

Nami’s heart sinks. No, no… no…!

Did Arlong do this? But he gave her his word that he would honor their agreement. Would he really go back on his word like that?

Nami knows the answer. She knows Arlong is a particular type of cruel that thinks nothing of betrayal. She should have seen this coming. Nami berates herself as the cops come forward, reaching for her. Nami stumbles back.

“Stay away from me!” Nami yells, backing into the shelf behind her. She grabs the first thing she can reach, an ornate door handle, and she throws it at the closest cop’s chest. 

The cop grunts and clutches his chest, scowling. 

“You little-”

“Nami?” someone yells, and Nami can’t fucking believe it because Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji are all walking into the pawn shop behind the cops. 

Zoro and Sanji glance at the cops, both frowning. Luffy freezes in the doorframe, staring at the cops. 

Oh no. Nami can see disaster coming. She backs away from the cops. They come closer. Nami backs into a shelf as the cops follow her. 

Luffy looks past the cops to Nami, then back to the cops. His expression shutters and he storms forward. 

Luffy leaps onto the back of the closest cop, biting his ear. 

“OW! WHAT THE FUCK!?” the cop thrashes in Luffy’s grip. 

Zoro laughs and grabs an umbrella, holding it like a sword and launching himself at the other cop as Sanji bolts forward to kick the cop in the back of the knees. He collapses as Sanji roundhouse kicks him in the jaw. 

Zoro attacks the cop currently being mauled by Luffy. 

Nami watches this erupt in front of her. She stumbles back as Luffy and the cop stumble forward. Nami turns and runs further into the store, around shelves before circling back to the front. 

Nami runs out the door, leaving her friends- not her friends, her- her acquaintances behind. 

Behind her, the cop Luffy is attacking thrashes and tries to dislodge Luffy. The other cop is out cold. 

Nami runs past the cop car currently pulled into the pawn shop. Her heart sinks as she sees a second car and more cops outside. 

“Freeze!” one cop yells. Nami ignores him and tries to run. They catch her, grabbing her arm and forcing her into the dirt. A knee is pressed into her spine to hold her in place. 

The door to the pawn shop crashes open as Sanji and Zoro attack the cop not being attacked by Luffy. Sanji gets a running start and dropkicks the cop in the back of the head. Zoro throws an old bottle at him and it shatters on his back. 

Nami struggles to get up. She can’t move with the cop blocking her body, so she can only hear as Luffy suddenly tears through the yard and leaps onto the cop holding Nami down. 

Nami is released and she rolls to her feet. She sees an SUV and, to her surprise, Robin and Franky standing by. Franky and Robin both look concerned, Franky especially. 

“You good?” Franky calls out. 

Nami exhales, and runs. A cop tackles her before she gets more than a step away. Franky gasps, Robin frowns, and Nami struggles under the cops grip. 

“Get your filzy hands off her, you damn pigs!” Sanji is kicking up a storm. Zoro has one cop in a chokehold while Luffy is clinging to the back of another cop, biting his ear. 

It’s pure chaos. 

The door opens to the pawn shop and the cop Luffy had attacked before appears, yelling and pointing a taser gun at Luffy. Luffy continues to cling to the cops back, clawing and biting. 

Zoro drops the unconscious body of the cop he had in a grip and turns his feral grin on the cop nearby. 

Nami struggles under the hold of the cop currently pressing into her spine, until suddenly he’s gone. Nami looks up to see Sanji had tackled the cop. 

Nami scrambles to her feet. She has no time to question why Luffy and the others are here. She needs to escape. She hears cops on her tail as she sprints past and into the trees. 

Nami hears nothing but forest and the crashing of trees and leaves as she runs. She’s familiar with these woods, having grown up here, and knows she can lose her tail.

Twigs snap across her face and blood runs down her cheek as she runs. She slides down a hill and over a log, the cop following her distant enough now that Nami can slow her steps and reorient herself. 

She can’t go back to her car. The cops didn’t block her in, but they are still in the driveway. Nami needs to lose them, then she can worry about her car. 

Nami runs back through the underbrush, the cop far enough away now that she can’t hear him. She crashes through trees and ferns and grape vines until she reaches the edge of trees again.

She bursts out onto the road, about half a mile from the pawn shop. She can see the cops lights still in the driveway, and can still hear them fighting. 

She can hear Sanji cursing and Luffy screaming. Despite everything, Nami still feels guilt over being the reason Luffy has to deal with cops again.

Nami ducks into the trees and waits. She can hear the others shout, cops yelling and discordant stumbling. One cop car pulls out and speeds off down the road. 

Nami creeps closer to the pawn shop. She hears the others shouting. From what she can see, Luffy has latched himself to a cop's back and hasn’t let go. Zoro and Sanji are two teaming another, while Usopp hangs back with Franky and Robin. 

Nami can see her car. It’s close, and unblocked. If she can just reach it- Nami hurries down the road towards her car. She can’t get caught. Not now- she’s so close-

“Freeze!” 

Nami stops, turning on her heel. The cop that had followed her into the forest now is pointing a taser gun at her. Blood runs down his cheeks from the trees hitting him in the face during his run, and he’s panting. 

Nami holds up both hands. She allows the cop to come closer, until he’s close enough that she can- 

Nami knees the cop in the nuts and turns, sprinting into the forest once more. 

“SHE’S IN THE TREES!” the cop Nami kneed yells as he doubles over. 

More footsteps crunch over gravel and dirt and the sound of crashing foliage tells Nami the cops have all run into the woods with her. 

Nami sprints over ferns and logs and around baby trees and bushes, around thick tree trunks and rocks. She sprints until she’s panting and covered in sweat, and still she runs. 

Nami loops around the pawn shop, losing her tail. She heads back towards the shop, bursting through the trees close to the building. 

She sees Luffy subdued by a cop. Zoro and Sanji are glaring at him, distracting him enough that Nami can slip past and head for her car. 

Nami dives for her car door and opens it. She climbs in and slams her door shut. She starts the engine and peels out, driving away quickly. 

The cops don’t follow. Nami takes several turns to lose any tail she has anyway, only slowing to a stop finally on a dirt road when she’s sure no one is following her. 

Nami stares at her steering wheel. She was almost caught, almost lost it all, and her heart is pounding. Her hands shake where they hold the wheel. 

Arlong. 

Nami’s blood runs cold. Arlong did this, didn’t he? Arlong sent the cops after her to send her a warning, or… why? Nami grips the steering wheel tightly. Arlong… the fucking bastard.

It’s no surprise Arlong sent cops to her location. He demanded she leave her location on on her phone, just for times like these when Arlong can mess with her.

Nami jumps when her phone rings. She looks down at the caller ID and frowns when she recognizes the name. Why is Gen calling her? Nami ignores it in favor of pulling her car back onto the road and heading for Arlong’s base. 

She needs some answers.

《《《《

Zoro grabs the arm of a cop and flips him, slamming him into the ground. The cop wheezes, then collapses. Zoro looks up. Sanji has another cop in a chokehold with his legs. 

Luffy is thrown off the cop finally, hitting the ground. He lunges for the cops knees, tackling him to the dirt. Luffy bites the hand that comes near him. 

Franky joins the fight, punching the nearest cop in the face while Robin gets into the driver’s seat of the SUV. 

Zoro runs to Luffy and crouches. He punches the cop in the nose, knocking him unconscious. Sanji flips the man in his chokehold, and he collapses unmoving into the dirt. 

They breathe heavily. Luffy looks lost, panicked, wild-eyed and wiry, like he could snap at any second. 

Zoro grabs him by the shoulder. 

“Oi.” 

Luffy jerks under his touch, turning his wild eyes on Zoro. He blinks, exhales and looks back down at the cop underneath him. He hiccups. 

“Where’s Nami?” Sanji asks as he comes closer. “Did she escape?” 

“I think so,” Zoro looks in the direction her car was. There’s no car now, which must mean Nami got away. 

“Let’s move, too,” Sanji says. “Before they wake up.” 

They clamber into Franky’s SUV and Robin pulls out, speeding off down the road and leaving the chaos behind. 

They don’t know where Nami is. Robin just drives for a while as everyone tries to wind down from the fight. 

Luffy looks downright feral in the backseat, sweating and twitching. Zoro glances at him. 

“Let’s stop somewhere and regroup,” Robin suggests calmly. “We can figure out our next move, as well.” 

Everyone agrees to a degree except Luffy, who still has a lost look in his eyes. 

They drive for another hour or so before Robin spies a diner. She pulls into the driveway and parks. 

Everyone climbs out except Luffy. 

“Luffy,” Zoro calls for him. 

Luffy jumps, turning to him. “Zoro?” 

“Yeah, we’re eating. C’mon.” 

Luffy lights up a little at that and scrambles out of his seat. 

Inside, the group sits at a bench in the far corner. Robin orders coffee for everyone, and Franky orders a breakfast platter to share. 

“So,” Robin says as the waitress leaves. “What is our plan?” 

“Follow her again,” Luffy says with a weak grin. “‘Cause the cops got in the way the first time.” 

“We won’t give up,” Sanji says as he sips his coffee. Zoro looks up from his own cup. 

“She didn’t seem that happy to see us,” Zoro points out. 

“Well, she obviously was,” Luffy says. “Why wouldn’t she be? We’re friends.”

Even after she stole from them? 

Luffy’s expression says yes, even after that. 

《《《《

They sit in the diner for hours as they talk and eat, and try to figure out what to do about Nami. 

Luffy insists they keep looking for her and asking her to come back. He sucks up sausage links like noodles as he says this for the fourth time. 

“And do what, exactly? She literally ran away,” Usopp points out. 

“Yeah, but she’s still our friend,” Luffy is slightly muffled behind the egg and hashbrown he’s now shoveling into his mouth. 

“Nami is in a difficult position,” Robin says, frowning. “She is his hostage, and Arlong is a cruel and selfish man who would happily keep her close until the day one of them dies.” 

“All the more reason to rescue her,” Franky says.

“Yeah! Nami is our friend, not Arlong’s tool!” Luffy nods. “She should be with people who make her happy.” 

The door to the diner opens with a little jingle. 

“Nami isn’t happy here,” Luffy continues. “So we need to change that.” 

Whoever entered the diner slows their steps, then turns to them slowly. Footsteps approach them. Luffy looks up to see a scarred man coming closer. He stops at their table.

“Who’re you?” Luffy asks.

“You know Nami, don’t you?” he asks instead of answering. He looks at them each in turn. 

“How do you know that?” Sanji asks, frowning.

“I overheard you talking about her. Nami Corcoran? Correct? I am a friend of hers. And I heard the commotion over on Blake Street through a scanner,” the scarred man says. 

“A friend?” Luffy perks up. “You know Nami?” 

“For years. My name is Gen,” The man pulls out a chair and sits. Robin scoots over to give him room. “I’ve known her since she was a little girl,” he sighs. “And I know about the deal she made with Arlong.” 

“Deal?” Usopp asks. “What deal?” 

Gen fills up a cup with coffee. “Allow me to explain, because we know Nami won’t explain herself.” 

Luffy frowns. “What’s the point of that? Nami explained herself plenty. I don’t need someone else to tell me what Nami’s deal is.”

“Maybe so, but your other friends are different, aren’t they?” Gen looks to the others. “You want to know why Nami is here.” 

Usopp nods, as does Sanji.

“Nami is in a difficult situation, and the cops don’t help,” Gen starts.

“Foul fuckwads,” Sanji looks ready to fight, scowling and rubbing his knuckles.

Zoro isn’t doing much better, expression stormy. Luffy gives it only a couple minutes before one of them explodes at the other. Zoro and Sanji are funny like that. They’ll immediately turn to the other for relief, whether they know it or not. 

Luffy giggles. He turns to Gen who is talking. 

“... me to explain for her, but Nami, she needs people who know the truth,” Gen looks around at them. “You are her friends, so it would be best if you knew, Nami is a routine thief.” 

“Yeah, no shit,” Zoro says.

“Don’t be an ass!” Sanji snaps.

“He doesn’t need to state the obvious! The witch stole from us before she left!” Zoro yells. 

Gen holds up his hands. “Easy, let me continue,” Zoro sits back, easing up. Sanji bristles but holds his tongue. “Nami is a routine thief, but she steals for a reason. It’s for her sister.” 

Usopp and Sanji sit up more. Zoro looks a little tired. Luffy gets it, he’s bored too. He’s already decided to get Nami back, no matter what. He doesn’t need to know her life story to want her in his life. 

“... buy Nojiko’s location off of Arlong.” Gen is saying. “Arlong’s separated them for ten long years.”

Sanji jumps to his feet, looking furious. 

“She’s been working for him!? For ten years!?” 

Gen nods. “Sadly, Arlong blackmailed Nami into it. She’d never see her sister again if she didn’t.”

Luffy’s stomach growls. He wants to be able to see Nami. He feels antsy, nervous for some reason. His stomach twists and he thinks of Ace. 

He’s losing another sibling. 

Luffy downs his milk. More food comes along while Gen talks, and Luffy stuffs his face.

“And what have you done to help!?” Sanji demands. 

Gen raises his hands. “I’ve been looking for Nojiko on my own! I’ve hired detectives, I’ve looked for her myself! I have narrowed it down to a neighborhood now, and in just a little longer I will know where she is.”

Robin lays a gentle hand on Sanji, smiling at him to sit back down. Sanji does, albeit slowly. Gen smiles.

“Nami is lucky to have met such good friends.”

Suddenly, Zoro’s snore tears through the diner. Luffy laughs until he almost falls over as Sanji jumps out of his seat again and starts yelling at Zoro, “the rude lazy oaf!” 

Gen blinks before chuckling softly. Luffy pats him on the back. Zoro jumps to his feet, ready to fight Sanji. Luffy grins, and ignores the heavy weight in his chest.

《《《《

Gen tells them where they can find Nami. Arlong’s base of operations in Tyringham is on the second floor of a packies. 

“If I had to guess, Arlong betrayed Nami. She would likely confront him about it.”

So, after Luffy stuffed his face with an entire platter to himself, they climbed back into Franky’s SUV. Franky gets in the driver seat and starts the engine. 

The autumn night settles around them, crisp and promising winter soon. Franky’s windows are rolled down and Luffy sticks his head out the window like a dog. 

They drive until Franky slows down on the road entering the town center. The center is tiny, no more than a cluster of offices on a single road. A packies sits in the driveway of a larger supermarket. 

Franky pulls up in front of the packies. Luffy sees Nami’s car, the dog groomers sign mangled on the ground beside it. 

Nami was here. Luffy runs forward towards the sign and picks it up. Footmarks cover it like someone stomped on it, and the wood is cracked in several places. Usopp approaches a little slower, looking down at the sign. 

“Where is she?” Usopp looks around. 

As Zoro and Sanji approach, they all turn in the parking lot, scanning their surroundings. The supermarket is closed at this hour, and the parking lot is empty save Nami and Franky’s cars. 

Robin points to a trail that leads off from the supermarket parking lot. “Perhaps she went down there?” 

Usopp swallows as he stares at the trail. “Do we have to?” he asks. 

“C’mon, let’s look!” Luffy grabs Usopp and drags him along. 

Zoro and Sanji follow, with Franky and Robin electing to stay behind in case she comes back. 

The four men walk down the forest path. Peepers are loud and the branches rustle as a bird takes flight over their heads. Luffy leads the charge into the forest until they stumble across an open clearing. 

Sitting on a log in the center of the clearing is Nami. She’s hunched over, head in her hands, and shoulders shaking. 

Luffy cheers, bursting into the clearing and running for Nami. 

“Hi, Nami!” he says as he approaches. 

Nami shoots up, turning quickly to glare at them. 

“Get lost,” she spits.

Usopp wavers slightly, stepping forward and crumpling at the same time. He raises his hand. Nami turns her ferocious gaze on him. 

“Sorry, but… we know everything,” Usopp says.

Nami doesn’t falter. “Then you know I can’t stop now. Nojiko, she’s so close-” 

“Then let us help!” Luffy grins. He spreads his arms wide. “There’s nothing we can’t do!” 

Nami shakes her head. “You don’t get it! I step out of line once and there goes my chance of seeing Nojiko ever again! I can’t lose this opportunity!" 

“Gen is looking for her. He’s almost found her,” Usopp says.

“Yeah!” Luffy says. “Stop being dumb.” 

Nami bristles at that. “Me, dumb!? That’s a real laugh, coming from you! Don’t you get it!? I don’t want anything to do with you!!” 

Luffy frowns. “You’re lying.” 

“You don’t know me! You’re just- just some homeless kid who became convinced we were friends!” 

Luffy tilts his head. “But we are friends?” 

“Don’t get it twisted! I just used you!” Nami stands and stomps over, poking Luffy in the chest. 

“Used me!?” Luffy looks confused. “How!?” 

“I- I used you to make money! And I don’t need you anymore,” Nami shoves past Luffy. She heads back for the path they came from. 

“Nami, my dear~!” Sanji calls to her. “We’re only here to help!” 

“Go away! I don’t need you!” 

Luffy frowns. He crosses his arms. “You don’t mean that.” 

Nami growls in frustration, turning on her heel. “How many times do I have to spell it out for you!? I don’t want or need your help!” 

“But we know-,” Usopp tries. “We know why you’re stealing, so just let us help!” 

Nami glares. “If you know, you know I can’t just stop.” 

“But Gen, he’s been looking for her,” Usopp steps forward, up next to Luffy. “He’s been tracking her down for years, and he-”

“Arlong will just separate us again!” Nami snaps. “Don’t you get it!? We have to play by his rules or he’ll- he’ll make it so we never see each other!” 

“Then let’s get rid of Arlong,” Luffy says matter-of-factly. “If he’s the problem, I can be the solution.” 

Nami stares. “Luffy… Arlong is strong. He rules these villages unchallenged. You don’t stand a chance.” 

“Try me,” Luffy crosses his arms.

“No!” Nami turns away and stomps down the path. 

Luffy follows. He turns to the rest. “We’re going too, aren’t we!?” 

“Yeah,” everyone nods. 

《《《《

Two hours ago.

Nami pulls into the packies and cuts the engine. She sits there, shaking, staring at her hands on the wheel. 

Arlong. 

Nami grits her teeth and gets out of her car. She stomps over to the stairs on the outside of the store. She climbs them to the second floor, then knocks on the door. 

About a minute passes before the door opens and Nami is faced with Hachi. 

Hachi smiles. “Nami! What are you doing here?” 

Nami shoves past him. “Where’s Arlong?” 

“Ah, he’s right-” 

“Here,” Arlong announces himself as he steps into the room. He smirks down at Nami. “A pleasure, as always Nami.” 

Nami glares up at him. “You called the cops on me,” It’s not a question, nor an accusation. It’s a statement. 

Arlong smiles, all teeth, and tilts his head to regard her. “You ran into trouble? But you seem fine.” 

“Yeah, because-,” Because of her friends. Nami clears her throat. “Because I know these woods. Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about.” 

“But I don’t,” Arlong grins. “It’s unfair for you to assume I did that.”

“Who else could!?” Nami demands. “Who else knew where I sell, or just how many cops to send!?” 

“Those are harsh words, Nami,” Arlong tells her, eyes flickering dangerously. “Accusing your boss of breaking his word is quite the crime in our family.” 

“You aren’t my family!” Nami yells. “Why would you do that!?” 

Arlong steps forward and grabs her by the neck. He slams her against the wall and Nami chokes as she’s lifted off the ground.

“What can you do to stop me?” Arlong asks. He tightens his grip. “Nothing!” 

Arlong throws Nami to the floor. Nami coughs, clutching her throat. She crawls away, only for Arlong to kick her in the side. Nami falls over. 

Arlong laughs. His friends laugh. Tears build in Nami’s eyes as she tries to breathe through the pain. Her rib feels cracked. 

Nami lets out a quiet sob as she sits up. She glares at Arlong. Arlong has a look in his eyes, like a challenge. He’s telling her to try it, and find out the consequences. 

Nami stands. “You won’t keep your word, will you?” 

Arlong smiles. “I always keep my word.” 

Liar! Liar! Nami wants to scream. Instead, she shakes her head, defeat weighing heavily on her heart. 

She’s really trapped, isn’t she? 

Nami turns away, to the door, ignoring the sting in her eyes and the pain in her side when she breathes. Arlong’s laugh follows her out the door, down the stairs and into the parking lot.

Nami’s attention is grabbed by the sign hanging on her car door. Going Merry Dog Groomers stares back at her, flooding her mind with memories. She grits her teeth and grabs the sign. 

Nami rips it off the side of her car and throws it across the yard, where it skids along the dirt before sliding to a stop several feet away. Nami stomps over and kicks it too, just to feel it break under her heel. 

Nami screams as she stomps on the sign. She was so stupid to think she could live with Luffy and the others. She was stupid to think her life would be anything outside Arlong. She was stupid for getting her hopes up. 

She was wrong to smile when she still doesn’t know if Nojiko is even safe. 

How could she? How could she do something so… selfish like have fun?

Nami kicks the sign one last time before turning away and stomping towards the trees. She wipes tears as they fall from her eyes and walks until she feels alone. 

Nami collapses on a log and lets out a heavy, grief-filled sob. She cries, and cries, tears burning her eyes and her throat closing as silent sobs wrack her body. She digs her fingers into her hair and clutches her head, whole body shaking. 

She stays like that, until the sobs fall to quiet moans and sniffles. Nami doesn’t move for a long time, until she hears footsteps behind her. Fearing it to be Arlong, Nami turns, only to see Luffy and her other friends coming out into the clearing. 

As Nami stomps away from Luffy after yelling at him, marching back down the path to her car, she can hear Luffy and the others following her. 

Nami turns on them. 

“Stop following me!” Nami yells at them. 

Luffy frowns and shakes his head. “No!”

Nami groans and turns back around to keep following the path. She keeps going until she breaks through the treeline. Her car sits ahead, Franky and Robin standing nearby, and a little light in the window of the packies tells Nami Arlong is watching them. 

Nami goes to her car and opens the door. 

Luffy stops her. “Nami,” he says. 

Nami freezes. 

She glares at him. “You know everything. Why can’t you just accept that you can’t change it?” 

Luffy tilts his head. “I dunno what’s going on, but Arlong’s hurting you, isn’t he?” 

Nami blinks. “You don’t know?” 

Luffy shakes his head. “He hurt you. Isn’t that what matters?” 

Nami swallows. “Just… go away.”

“Nami, you appear to be holding your side. Did Arlong put his hands on you?” Robin asks. 

Luffy looks livid as he turns to Nami. Nami sighs. 

“It’s fine. It’s just a cracked rib-”

“WHAT!?” Sanji interjects, coming up to Luffy and Nami. “That dirty, disgusting, punk of a man!” 

Luffy looks ready to fight too. He glares up at the window. Nami tries to move but trying to sit upsets the cracked rib and she hisses through her teeth. 

“We should go to the hospital,” Robin says. 

“It’s just-”

“We’re going,” Zoro leaves no room for argument as he pulls Nami away from the car. He closes her door for her. 

Luffy nods. “Yeah, we’re all going.” 

Nami hangs her head. “You won’t leave me alone, will you?” 

“Nope!” Luffy pats her on the shoulder. 

 《《《《

The emergency room is empty at this time of night. One other patient is with them in the waiting room, an older man holding a wound on his hand. 

Nami stands and waits. Luffy, Usopp, Zoro, Sanji, Franky AND Robin are all with her. Nami sighs. 

“You didn’t all have to come.” 

Franky shrugs. “You’re a friend! Why wouldn’t we be here for you?” 

“Yeah!” Luffy agrees.

“We’re not friends,” Nami mutters. 

“Yes, we are,” Luffy pokes Nami’s forehead. “Best friends.” 

“Miss Corcoran?” A nurse appears. Nami looks up and hurries towards them, and away from her friends. 

Luffy follows, and the nurse allows it. Nami glares weakly at him but he just crosses his arms and grins at her. 

The nurse leads them behind a curtain where she tells Nami to lift her shirt. Nami does, revealing a nasty black and blue bruise on her side. Luffy stiffens at the sight, before a wave of anger rolls over him. 

Arlong. Arlong did that.

Nami lets the nurse touch her bruise. “We’ll need an x-ray,” The nurse tells her. 

They whisk Nami off for x-rays, then return her about fifteen minutes later. Nami and Luffy are left alone behind the curtain.

Nami turns on Luffy. “Why are you still here? I told you to get lost.” 

“Yeah, you did,” Luffy says. 

“You don’t know shit about this situation!” 

“No, I don’t.”

“You- you don’t know me.” 

“Yes, I do,” Luffy grins. “You’re Nami, our bossy, weird sister.” 

Nami bristles at being called bossy and weird. “I am not! You’re weird!” 

“No, you’re weird too,” Luffy laughs.

Nami stares at him. Tears threaten to spill over because despite everything, Nami is touched. She feels so- so-

She’s afraid to say it. 

“Just go away,” Nami tries weakly. 

“No,” Luffy crosses his arms. “We’re staying right here.” 

Nami swallows. She stares at Luffy, tears prickling her eyes. 

“Luffy…” Nami chokes. She wipes her eyes. “Help me.” 

Luffy nods, taking off his hat. He plops it on Nami’s head, his hand a warm and kind weight on Nami.

“Of course I’ll help,” Luffy says. Nami feels something warm in her chest. “Of course I will,” Luffy says it again, because Nami needs to hear it twice. 

The nurse returns with Nami’s x-rays. Her rib is cracked, so the nurse helps her to wrap her chest and apply an ointment for the bruise. 

When they return to the waiting room, Usopp and Franky are telling stories of their engineering. Franky is in the middle of describing a 1/10th scale model he made of a gundam. They all look up when Nami and Luffy approach. 

“Hey guys,” Nami says quietly. 

“Nami!” Sanji and Usopp both stand. Robin smiles. 

“Great news! Nami’s gonna let us beat up Arlong!” Luffy grins. 

“Finally,” Zoro says. 

“Anything for you, my sweet Nami!” 

“Sounds exciting,” Robin comments. 

Nami can’t help the watery smile, sniffling. “You guys…” 

A nurse comes along and kicks them out. Outside the hospital, they pile into Franky’s SUV. Nami tells them how to get back to her car. 

As they drive, they brainstorm. 

“Arlong is strong. You don’t stand a chance,” Nami tells Luffy. 

Luffy shrugs. “Nah, I’ll win.” 

“What we need is to get Arlong’s boss on his ass. Arlong’s operation is under the nose of his boss, a guy back in Boston.” Nami explains. “If he finds out, Arlong is screwed.”

“Who is this man?” Robin asks. 

“A guy named Hall,” Nami shudders. 

“And he is Arlong’s boss?” Robin hums. “I may be of help, here,” everyone turns to her. Robin smiles. “We just need evidence, don’t we?” 

Nami nods. “Yeah… you know Hall?” 

“I do. We can collect evidence and send it to him,” Robin says it so simply that Nami can’t help but agree. 

“That’s… thanks.” 

Robin nods. “Now then, let’s get started.” 

《《《《

Franky brings them back to the packies and Nami’s car. Before they leave, Luffy collects the dog groomer's sign left mangled in the parking lot. He carries it over to Nami. 

Nami accepts it. Guilt eats at her. 

“Sorry,” she says.

“Don’t be,” Luffy replies. “We’re always going to be friends.”

Nami nods. She takes the sign and places it in her car. Nami gets in, and Franky and the others follow her in her car to a safehouse the next town over. 

The town of Lee is slightly more built up than Tyringham. The brick buildings in the town center are taller and there are more cars on the road. 

Nami leads them to a safehouse outside the town center. This room is in the attic of an office building, with stairs in the back that lead up to a fire escape. The brick building is covered in ivy, which is turning brown with the fall weather. 

Nami leads them inside. The attic is cramped with a single bed by the window, and a mini-fridge and a hot plate sit along the wall. The rest of the space is barren. 

Robin sits on the floor while Nami heats up water to make coffee. Everyone else sits with Robin. 

“What we need is a plan,” Nami joins them. 

“I believe I have one,” Robin says. “I’ll need to reach out to a friend,” she pulls out her phone. 

Robin steps outside to make her call. While she does, the water heats up and Nami pours several cups of coffee. Franky downs his.

Robin returns and accepts the coffee pressed into her hands by Nami. She smiles. “Good news. My friend will be helping us. He’s in the area, so he’ll be by tomorrow,” Robin sits. “In the meantime, why don’t we discuss our next steps?” 

They talk long into the night. Nami tells them as much as she can about Arlong’s empire. It’s spread through the villages in the Berkshires but avoids metropolitan areas like Dalton and Springfield. Nami tells them about the drug trafficking, the gambling rings and prostitution, and how it’s all been under the radar, to avoid Hall from finding out. 

“What a coward,” Luffy frowns. 

“Hall is a major crime boss from Boston. I'd be hiding from him too,” Nami says. “But yeah, he’s a coward.” 

“I’m surprised Hall hasn’t found out,” Franky remarks. 

“Arlong keeps it small. He’s also threatened all his men, and me, into silence so no one dares breathe a word.” 

“Even still,” Usopp agrees with Franky. “So, we just need to take photos or something?” 

“We’d need more evidence than that. We’d need his accounting information. That will have all the info on his deals and contacts. But it’s written in a cipher. We’ll need to crack it, then send that with the pictures to Hall’s office,” Nami says. 

“My friend will be of help in that regard,” Robin says. “He’s quite adept at ciphers.” 

“In the meantime, I need to steal that info,” Nami sits back. “Somehow.” 

“Let’s break in!” Luffy suggests. “I’ll fight them off!” 

“My friend can be of help there, too,” Robin says. 

Nami nods. “Alright… let’s wait for him, then. In the meantime…”

“Let’s eat!” Luffy shouts happily. 

Nami can’t help her smile. “Yeah… let’s eat.”

《《《《

The next morning, Nami wakes up first. All her friends lay on the floor in various states of sleep. Luffy fell asleep on Usopp, Zoro on the floor by the window with Sanji right nearby. Nami smiles. Franky lets out a gnarly snore that shakes the walls. Robin sleeps beside him, on his shoulder.

Her friends. Nami wipes her eyes as they start to tear up. She feels love, curling up in her chest and making her body warm. She feels safe with them, like her worries are miles away. 

Robin wakes up next. Her eyes slowly open, and she stretches as she looks around the room. 

“How about some coffee?” Robin asks as her eyes land on Nami. 

Nami and Robin go down the street to the Dunkin nearby, order jugs of coffee and dozens of donuts for everyone, and head back. On the return trip, Robin looks down at Nami with a concerned expression. 

“Are you feeling better?” Robin asks.

Nami nods, taking a sip of coffee. The cool autumn air is crisp but her coffee is hot and warms her from the inside. She savors the feeling. 

“Yeah, I am,” Nami replies. “Thank you.”

“Of course. My friend will be arriving today, so we don’t need to wait long for him,” Robin says.

“Who is this friend?” Nami asks.

“Someone who is always eager to do some investigating. He’s a good friend, who helped me in the past,” Robin smiles. “He has many tools at his disposal.” 

Nami wonders what Robin could mean by that.

Sanji is outside smoking when they return. He crushes his cig on his shoe and rushes over to them to help carry the coffee and food. “Oh my sweets, how lovely a morning it is to see you!” Sanji gushes as they hand over the coffee. Robin laughs. 

They climb the stairs back up to the safehouse and open the door. On the other side, Luffy and Usopp are playing a game that Franky seems to be refereeing while Zoro continues to sleep through the din. 

Coffee and donuts later, Usopp turns to Robin. 

“When is this friend supposed to arrive?” 

“Soon,” Robin checks her phone. “That’s him now. He’ll be here in a few minutes.” 

Not long after, a car pulls up in the driveway. Robin steps outside to greet him, then opens the door and steps inside with a blonde man with a scar over part of his face. Nami looks up, as do the others, and they stand to greet him. 

Luffy drops the mug in his hand. It smashes to the floor, water and porcelain going everywhere, but Luffy doesn’t pay that any attention. He stares at the blonde man, looking suddenly much younger, hopeful, and he steps forward.

“Sabo?” Luffy barely whispers. His voice is wavering and delicate. 

Sabo stares back, eyes blown wide. “Luffy!?” 

“It’s you…!” Luffy suddenly runs forward, leaping through the air and clinging to Sabo with his arms and legs. “It’s you!” Luffy yells again, joy and shock making his voice waver. “Sabo!” 

“Luffy!” Sabo buries his face in Luffy’s neck. “Holy shit!” 

They embrace in the middle of the attic. Luffy sniffles pulling back to look Sabo in the eye. “I thought you were dead!” he breaks, wailing, and clings to Sabo. Sabo pats his head gently. Luffy cries, and cries, while around him his friends watch on in various states of confusion. Nami has no idea what’s going on, nor does anyone else, given their expressions. 

Sabo and Luffy eventually come apart, Luffy sniffling and wiping at his eyes. Sabo turns to everyone. 

“Luffy’s my brother,” Sabo says. “He’s a real handful, so… thanks for watching over him.” 

Luffy wipes at his eyes. 

Everyone relaxes once it’s obvious things are okay. They answer in chorus, “Oh, not at all!”, while Luffy sniffles and continues to cry. Robin speaks up. 

“Perhaps we should give you some time alone?” She suggests. 

Sabo smiles. “Yeah… Sorry, that would be great.”

《《《《

Sabo and Luffy sit outside under the changing leaves. Wind blows the fallen brown leaves on the ground and the yellowing grass sways gently as they sit beside a maple tree. Sabo folds his hands and looks over at Luffy. 

“So… do you want to talk about it?” Sabo asks. 

Luffy shakes his head. Tears trickle down his cheeks and fall from his chin. “I’m sorry.” 

“For what?”

“For letting Ace die,” Luffy’s chin wobbles. Tears start afresh and he inhales shakily. “I couldn’t save him.” 

“Luffy,” Sabo turns fully to him. “I don’t blame you for what happened. It wasn’t your fault.” 

Luffy shakes his head. “No! I… if I hadn’t been there, Ace wouldn’t have- he wouldn’t have done that-”

“Ace protected you of his own volition,” Sabo says. “He didn’t save you so you could blame yourself. I don’t blame you. Hell, I’m so fucking glad you’re alive,” Sabo gives Luffy a squeeze. “If Ace were here, you know what he would say?” 

“Stop blubbering like a baby?” Luffy wipes his eyes again. He clings to his knees and folds himself even smaller. 

“Something like that. But he’d also tell you it isn’t your fault, that he chose to do that,” Sabo exhales shakily. “Ace lived how he wanted to live. He doesn’t regret a thing, never has and never will.”

“I miss him so much,” Luffy admits, curling in on himself. “I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“Me too,” Sabo leans against the tree. “You two never left my mind in all the years we were apart.” Sabo says. “I wish I had been there. I’m sorry, Luffy.”

“Didn’t you just tell me not to do that?” Luffy grins, a wet sad thing that wobbles slightly. 

Sabo sniffles. “Yeah… Sorry.” 

They trail off. Sabo sighs. “Do you want to know where I’ve been all this time?” 

Luffy nods. 

“I’ve been in Brazil.” Sabo says. “And you’re not gonna believe who I’ve been working with.” Sabo nudges Luffy. “Your dad.” 

“I have a father?” Luffy frowns. 

“Well, yeah. Did you think you just appeared one day?” 

“Kinda.”

Sabo laughs. “Well, no, you actually have a father, and he’s quite the man,” Sabo tells Luffy all about his adventures in Brazil, how he got there and why. “My parents… well, you know they weren’t the best. I finally had enough and left, but they hired someone to kidnap me. I had to escape the country or they really would have killed me,” Sabo sighs. “Brazil was really the only option I had. I’m sorry for leaving like that.” 

Luffy shrugs. “You had your reasons.” 

“Still… I wish it hadn’t turned out the way it did. If I could have left you a message, a letter, anything, but I couldn’t let anything tie me back to you or where I planned on going,” Sabo rubs at a spot on his forehead, frowning. “I hope Ace understood that. I hope he knew I still loved him like a brother.” 

“Of course he did,” Luffy reassures Sabo. “Ace never doubted you. He used to say you were in Sand Friend Cis Co, writing letters and stuff. He would tell me what he thought you were writing and who you were sending them to. He said you were a proty-lay something, and that you would send letters to rich people cussing them out.”

Sabo laughs. “You mean proletariat? Yeah, absolutely, though I never sent any letters. Our work is a bit more involved than that. Anyway, how did Ace know that word?” 

“He read it in a book,” Luffy shrugs. 

“I thought he just read comics.” 

“He read a little red book sometimes. A something-manifesto. He said it was important and that poor people should know about their options and stuff.” 

“Damn,” Sabo laughs. “Ace, our little red soldier.” 

Luffy smiles, and sags back against the tree. “I really miss him.” 

“Me too,” Sabo says. “How have you been?” 

Luffy shrugs. “M’fine…” He pokes at the grass underneath them. 

“Really?”

“Yeah…” Luffy looks up from the grass. “I’m better now.” 

“Good,” Sabo pats him on the shoulder. “So, how about we go join the others and get started on our work?” 

Luffy nods. 

《《《《

“Alright guys,” Sabo says, standing before all of them. “I’ve got tools, so we just need a plan.” 

Nami nods. “I can help here. I know when and where Arlong goes to collect payments. We split up, watch these locations, get photos, and send them off with his accounting info,” Nami says. “I can retrieve that, so you guys just worry about getting your photos.”

“I’ve got cameras and drones that will be useful,” Sabo says. 

“Good. Now, here’s a breakdown of all the places Arlong goes,” Nami sits down and spreads out an atlas. She takes a marker and circles a few spots along the roads. As she does, she explains each business and when Arlong goes. 

By the time she’s done, everyone knows where to go. Sabo, and Luffy claim a club, Franky and Robin an underground brothel. Usopp and Nami claim another club, and Zoro and Sanji are to spy on a bar. 

“Don’t forget pictures,” Sabo and Nami both remind them. 

Sabo goes out to his car to retrieve several duffle bags. He returns and lays them out on the floor. 

“Alright, these glasses have a camera in them, so we can secretly record people. This drone is silent and perfect for aerial shots. This drone, too. And here’s another pair of glasses. Oh, and everyone needs to grab a mic. These ones are high powered and can pick up quite a bit of noise, so make sure they’re on,” Sabo hands out tools to everyone. 

“We should go inside each establishment and record what we can,” Nami says. “Except the brothel. That, we just need some aerial shots.” 

“Right!” Franky gives her a big thumbs up.

“Then we’re ready?” Sabo asks. 

Nami nods. “Yeah. Collection day is tomorrow, so let’s make sure we’re good and ready.” 

“In that case, let’s eat!” Luffy suggests happily.

Nami smiles. “You’re insatiable. But maybe you’re right. Let’s eat.” 

Luffy whoops. Franky stands. 

“I got my portable grill! Let’s have burgers!” 

“Alright!” Luffy cheers. 

Nami shakes her head, fondly and with a smile. 

《《《《

Sabo and Luffy wait across the street from the club Nami told them about. They can see a line of people waiting to get in, though it isn’t a long line. 

Sabo sits on a bench across the way, with Luffy beside him. Sabo checks his drone out before setting it at his feet and grabbing the remote control. 

He presses the analog control up and the drone lifts into the air. It’s silent as it hovers over their heads. Sabo checks his phone, which is being streamed to by the drone. 

“Good here,” Sabo says as the drone lifts off and hovers over the club. “Though… maybe we should go in?” 

Luffy shrugs. “Clubs are boring.” 

“Yeah, but we aren’t going for fun,” Sabo pokes Luffy’s forehead. “We’re gonna take photos, alright?” 

Luffy stares at his finger as it pokes him in the head. “Still boring.”

“Yeah, maybe so,” Sabo laughs. “Now, let’s go sneak into a club.” 

《《《《

Franky fiddles with the police scanner on the dash of his car. He and Robin are parked outside the hidden brothel Nami told them about. The tiny, abandoned looking building has a few cars in the driveway, but no lights on inside. 

“Got it!” Franky cheers as he gets a signal on his scanner. 

Robin chuckles. 

Franky turns up the volume, then leans back in his seat with a camera in his hands. Robin has her own camera, which she points towards the brothel. 

“Perhaps we can think of ways to free those girls,” Robin suggests while they sit. “Unless they’re here of their own volition.” 

“Who knows?” Franky says. “Let’s just get these pictures for now. Maybe we can stage a rescue later with everyone else!”

“You think so?” Robin chuckles. “We seem to have been incorporated into quite the group of people.” 

“Yeah!” Franky laughs. “Not that I mind.” 

“Me neither. The youth are rather fun, aren’t they?”

The police scanner gives a crackle of static, then a voice comes on over the device. 

“... 342 on Orange street. Requesting a backup.” 

Franky turns up the volume. “Something’s going down, huh? Hope it isn’t one of ours.” 

Robin listens as well.

“Sighted an orange haired woman matching the description of Nami Corcoran. She is considered unarmed but dangerous.”

“Dangerous? Nami?” Franky frowns. 

“They’re likely lying to cover themselves,” Robin says. “It’s better to say she’s dangerous than it is to say they failed in capturing her.” 

“Cowards,” Franky shakes his head. “Nami didn’t do anything!” 

“Perhaps we can help her out?” Robin suggests. 

“Yeah! Let’s distract those bastards so Nami can escape!” 

《《《《

Nami and Usopp sit outside the club. Usopp in particular looks out of place in his overalls and red sweater, but Nami is barely better in her bomber jacket and flared skirt. They look up at the sign. 

“What a shithole,” Nami remarks. 

Usopp nods his agreement. “Yeah. I guess that’s what happens when you’re in a village and not the city.” 

Nami agrees. “Can’t believe Arlong thinks this is an empire. He’s just bullied local businesses into paying him in this shitty village.” 

“Not to change the subject, but are those cops?” Usopp points across the street. 

Nami looks. She can see cops parked across the street from them. 

“Shit,” Nami curses. “If they catch us… me, really, then we’re screwed.” Nami whips out her phone. “Go inside. I’ll lead them off.” 

“Didn’t you just say you can’t get caught?” 

“Yeah, but I know this area. I can lose them,” Nami tells him. She opens her phone and dials a number. Holding her phone to her ear, she waits for Sabo to pick up.

“Hello?” Sabo answers. 

“It’s Nami. Change of plans. The cops are here.” 

“Really!? Fuck!” Sabo curses. 

“Yeah. I’m gonna lead them off. I can lose them in the woods. Meet me in the park near the town hall.” 

Sabo agrees. Nami hangs up and turns to Usopp. 

“Good luck,” Nami wishes him. 

Usopp swallows. “Do I have to…?” 

“Yes! Now go!” Nami pushes him towards the club. 

Across the street, the police get out of their car. Nami curses and turns on her heel to begin rushing down the street. She hears the footsteps behind her. She picks up the pace. 

“Halt!” someone yells at her back, and Nami breaks into a sprint heading for the woods ahead. 

《《《《

Sabo hangs up his phone and turns to Luffy. 

“Nami’s been spotted. She wants to meet us in the park near the city hall.”

Luffy frowns. “Nami’s spotted? The cops found her?” 

“Yeah.” 

Luffy’s expression darkens. “I’m going.” 

“What?” 

“I’m going.”

Sabo shakes his head. “You- we need to get evidence-” 

“I don’t care! You can do it! I’m going after Nami!” Luffy insists. 

“Luffy…” Sabo stares at him. He studies him for a long moment, from his balled up fists to his angry frown and stiff shoulders. Sabo sighs. “You really want to go, huh?” 

Luffy nods. 

Sabo places a hand on his shoulder. 

“If you know what to do… fine, I’ll stay and collect the evidence. But you need to promise me you won’t try taking on the cops.”

Luffy nods. “I won’t! I’m just gonna go help Nami!” 

Sabo pats his head. “You’re a good kid. Alright, go then.” 

Luffy takes off, running for the door. Sabo watches him leave, then turns to the club at large. 

Time to spy. 

Sabo grins. 

《《《《

Zoro adjusts the glasses on his face. They slide down his nose a couple of centimeters. Zoro frowns as he shoves them back into place. 

“You look like an idiot,” Sanji laughs at him. 

Zoro scowls at him. “Fuck off. They aren’t even mine.” 

“Still doesn’t change the fact you look like a nerd right now,” Sanji giggles. 

Zoro rolls his eyes. “Shove off, cook.” 

“Or what, you’ll do math at me?” Sanji grins. 

“At least I can do math!” Zoro snaps. 

“What, you’re saying I can’t?” 

“What’s the square root of three hundred and ninety-five?” Zoro asks. 

Sanji slams his mouth shut. “Uh…” 

“Nineteen point eight seven.” Zoro smirks. 

“Oh, fuck off. You probably just used a calculator before to get that answer.”

“Nah, I’m just good at math,” Zoro takes a sip of beer. 

“What’s ninety times four hundred and five?” 

“Thirty-six thousand four hundred and fifty,” Zoro responds immediately. 

“Divided by 3? 

“Twelve thousand one hundred and fifty.” 

“Damn,” Sanji says. “Guess you are good at math.” 

“Told you,” Zoro adjusts the glasses on his face again. 

“So, you’re an animal whisperer, and a math genius… What the hell else are you hiding?” Sanji asks. “I didn’t think moss would have any skills.” 

“Moss? Coming from the eyebrow?” 

Sanji scowls. “Shut up. Just humor me.” 

Zoro shrugs. “I dunno. Swords?” 

Sanji hums. “So a dog grooming, math genius swordsman? You should join the circus.”

“So should you, twirly-cook.” 

Sanji laughs. “Fuck off. And stop staring at your glass. We need evidence of Arlong, not your alcoholism.” 

Zoro does look up at that. “Oh, right,” he says. He turns on his stool to study the room. Sanji does the same. Their knees brush. 

“They should be by any time now- is that a jukebox?” Sanji perks up. “Ooh, I haven’t seen one of those in ages!” He jumps off his stool and walks over. 

Zoro is careful about where he looks. He has a camera pointed where his eyes go, so they really shouldn’t be staring at Sanji’s ass. 

Sanji ends up playing some 1980’s pop song, one with crooning lyrics and wistful imagery. Leave it to the love cook to play a love song. Zoro sinks in his seat.

“Mosshead!” Sanji yells. “Get over here!” 

Zoro looks up. Sanji is standing by the jukebox, looking past a door to his other side, leaning in. Zoro joins him, and Sanji grabs his arm to direct him towards the door. 

They both lean in. Inside, a man is handing off money to another man, speaking in quiet voices. 

Sanji leans over to whisper in Zoro’s ear. “I think those are our guys.” 

Zoro ignores how ticklish his ear is with Sanji breathing into it, instead trying to focus on the men before him. 

Zoro watches the exchange. It sure seems sketchy with how furtive their glances are, enough so that Zoro is sure Sanji’s right and these are who they were waiting for. 

The man accepting the money looks up. Zoro ducks behind the wall with Sanji. 

“We should go,” Sanji whispers. 

Zoro nods. “Yeah.” 

They creep away towards the bar. Sanji grabs his coat and turns to follow Zoro outside. Zoro walks down the street a ways before finally stopping. 

Sanji laughs. “If you want to get back to the others, we need to go the other way.” 

Zoro scowls. “I know the way.” 

“Uh huh,” Sanji taps his arm. “Let’s cut through the woods. We’ll get there faster.” 

Zoro grunts and follows Sanji off the road and into the thick woods surrounding them. Owls hoot and bats chirp while wind rustles the browning leaves. 

Zoro and Sanji walk until they come across a clearing. Moonlight shines down on the grass, making it and the flowers dotted throughout glow silver. Sanji slows. 

“How romantic,” Sanji swoons. “If only I was with a lady.” 

Zoro rolls his eyes. He walks through the clearing with Sanji trailing behind him. When Sanji’s feet stop, Zoro turns to him. 

Sanji is staring at him. He’s stopped, and he’s staring. Zoro raises a brow at him, but his eyes rove Sanji’s face too. 

The moon is kind to Sanji. The light is soft, delicate around his features. His golden hair is glowing under the moon, his eyes dark. His slightly hooked nose is angular, while his mouth is curved and soft looking. 

Sanji blinks as Zoro stares. 

“Let’s go,” Sanji says, ears turning red. Zoro wonders what could have made him feel like that. 

Probably some dumb perverted thoughts. 

《《《《

Franky and Robin speed through the streets towards Nami’s location. They turn the corner when they see a girl sprinting towards them. 

Franky tells Robin to take the wheel. He flings open the driver door and jumps out while the car is still going. He tucks and rolls and bounces to his feet. He runs towards the girl, Nami, and past her, giving her a wink as he runs towards the cops.

“Help! Help! I’ve been accosted!” Franky shouts as Robin speeds past. “The man stole my purse! That had all my stuff in it!” 

The cops slow in front of him. One glances past to Nami. “You handle this!” he shouts, running past to chase after Nami. 

Franky curses inwardly. “I had three thousand dollars in there!” he tries to hold onto the cops here with him. 

The cops turn to him. “Alright, we’ll help you!” 

Franky nods, hiding his grin.

《《《《

Luffy sprints through the trees on his way to Nami. He bursts through the treeline and is now in a large park. Trees surround the park on three sides, with the fourth side leading to a nature walk. 

Luffy just reaches the middle of the park when Nami bursts through the clearing ahead of him. She slows when she sees Luffy. 

“Luffy!?” Nami demands.

“Nami!!” Luffy cheers. 

“Freeze!” a cop busts through the trees to their side, running and coming to a halt about ten feet from Luffy and Nami. He has a taser gun aimed at them. 

Nami holds up both hands. “Shit!” 

Luffy glares at the cop. He sees the taser, and suddenly he’s not there anymore. Suddenly, he’s back there, with Ace, and the gun is pointed at him. 

“Neither of you move!” the cop orders. 

Luffy doesn’t hear him though. All he hears is the bang! of the gun and the red spreading across Ace’s chest. 

Nami glances at Luffy. She sees the faraway look in his eyes, the one she’s seen before. 

Oh no. 

Nami turns to the cop. “We’re innocent!” she tries.

“Nice try, Miss Corcoran,” the cop takes a step forward. “But I know exactly who you are.” 

Luffy growls as the cop approaches. Nami swallows. 

Then, Luffy launches himself at the cop. The cop screams, falling backwards and dropping the taser. Luffy mauls the cop, punching him and hitting his chest. 

It’s not done with finesse. There’s no pattern or plan, just fists and tears and Luffy screaming until his throat hurts. The cop tries to fight him off but Luffy’s fist connects with his temple and the cop is knocked unconscious. 

Nami stares at Luffy as he beats the shit out of the cop. She can see the tears, the anger and everything else in Luffy’s expression. He starts screaming, a hoarse desperate cry. 

Nami rushes forward and grabs Luffy’s wrist, stopping him mid-swing. Nami’s grip is firm as she holds his arm. “Luffy!” Nami says sharply, staring down at her friend. 

Luffy freezes. He blinks, staring down at the bloody mess of the cop’s face. Nami doesn’t feel any sympathy towards the cop, but her heart hurts as she stares at Luffy. 

Luffy looks up at her. He’s panting, but his eyes aren’t wild anymore. Tears fall down his cheeks. 

“Nami…” Luffy says. He looks at where she holds his arm, at her frown and serious eyes. He swallows. “Sorry.” 

He ducks his head. 

Nami crouches down so she’s even with him. “Luffy. Look at me.” 

Luffy does. 

“Don’t ever apologize for being hurt,” Nami says. “Don’t ever apologize for what other people did to you. You hate cops? Good, cops are assholes. You wanna fight a cop? Okay, I’ll back you up. But don’t ruin your life because of what someone else did.” 

“I can fight cops?” Luffy asks. 

Nami pokes his forehead. “Within reason.” 

Luffy manages a weak smile. “Okay.” 

“Now, let’s go, before this guy wakes up and arrests us,” Nami tugs on Luffy’s arm. She gets him to stand. “And Luffy?” Nami says as they turn away from the unconscious cop. “Thank you.”

“For what?” Luffy asks. 

“For being my friend. And for protecting me.” Nami smiles. “You’re not so bad, you know. I might even keep you around.” 

Luffy giggles. 

Up ahead, bursting through the trees, Sabo appears. He is grinning madly, and waves at them. 

“Guys! I’m being chased!” Sabo gives them a thumbs up as he runs past. “You might wanna run too!” 

“What!?” Nami gapes at him. Luffy laughs loudly and takes off at a sprint after Sabo. Nami follows them, crashing into the trees and sprinting through the foliage after the brothers. 

Sabo shouts over his shoulder. “Luffy! You do that back there?” He asks, referring to the bloodied cop. 

Luffy laughs. “Yeah!” 

“Nice! Ace would be proud!” Sabo cheers as they burst through the trees and end up on the side of the road.

Nami keeps running. “Through the trees again! We can cross a river and get to our cars if we keep going!” 

They run. They run through the trees and over logs until they reach the river, then run through the shallow waters to the other side. They keep running until they finally reach the edge of the woods again and end up in a parking lot. Sabo’s van is ahead, and they dive in. 

Sabo starts the car while Nami pulls Luffy into the car’s backseat. Luffy collapses against the seat. Nami sits beside him and closes the door. As Sabo drives away, Nami turns to Luffy. She takes his hand and stares at the bruises forming on the knuckles. 

“You’re such an idiot,” Nami sighs. “But I should be thanking you.” 

“S’nothing.” 

“You helped me,” Nami tells him. “That’s not nothing.” 

Luffy shrugs. He looks down at his bruised knuckles. “I’d do it again.” 

Nami smiles. “And that’s why you’re my best friend.” 

Luffy nods. He leans against Nami, putting his weight on her side and shoulder. Nami lets him, patting his head. 

Without Luffy, where would she be? Nami smiles. 

“Thanks, Luffy,” she says. 

Luffy nods. “Yeah… no problem.

《《《《

Usopp quickly flees the club, stuffing his camera into his bag as he goes. He got exactly what he needed, evidence of criminal activity, but he might have also gotten what he didn’t need: a tail.

Usopp shoves his way to the door and runs outside. He and Nami took a taxi here, but he doesn’t see one now. He just sees an empty street, save a SUV and- is that Robin?

Usopp bolts for the SUV. He yanks open the door and throws himself into the backseat. 

“Go!” Usopp yells. 

Robin chuckles. “Very well,” and she speeds off down the road. Usopp looks in the back window. 

“Is that Franky?” Usopp asks, spying a blue head of hair and a loud voice. “Wait, should we-!?”

Robin just keeps driving. She glances in the rear-view mirror. “Franky will be fine,” she reassures him. 

“What are you even doing here?” Usopp sits up in the back seat. 

“Franky heard Nami was in trouble,” Robin pats the police scanner. “We came at once.” 

“Well, thanks! I wouldn’t have escaped without you!” Usopp settles in his seat and relaxes. “I hope the others are alright.” 

“I’m sure they’re fine,” Robin smiles. They turn off the side road and onto a long stretch of quiet backwoods trails, not paved. The SUV rattles along the ground until Robin jumps a lump of dirt and lands on the paved road again. 

Usopp, plastered to his seat, lets out a groan. “Warn me next time.”

“Sorry,” Robin giggles. “Now why don’t you check your phone so we know where the others are?” 

《《《《

Sanji and Zoro walk along a path next to a river. The worn trail leads around the bends downwards. Sanji has a pretty good idea of where they are, and directs Zoro to cross the river using a fallen log once they reach a certain point. 

“We need to cross to get where we need to go.” 

“Says who?”

“Says the one with a sense of direction.”

“Fuck you. I have a sense of direction.”

“You really don’t,” Sanji laughs. “You can’t find your way home from two houses over.” 

Zoro scowls. Sanji thinks he looks handsome under the moon, but annoying too, and a little more annoying than handsome at the moment. 

“I can find the Baratie,” Zoro says after a beat. He probably wracked his poor brain for an example.

Sanji sighs. “That’s a freak accident every time. I don’t know how you always end up outside our restaurant.” 

“Probably drawn by the shit smell,” Zoro says. 

“Oh, fuck off,” Sanji jumps off a rock. Zoro marches over it, scowling at Sanji. “My cooking is the best thing you’ve ever smelt,” Sanji turns to tell him.

“Your cooking is alright,” Zoro half-smirks. 

He’s fucking with him. Sanji glares at him, pointing one finger at him and jabbing him in the chest. “My cooking is delicious!” 

“Uh huh,” Zoro turns on the spot and marches away. Sanji runs after him to take the lead. 

“You’re going the wrong way.” 

“No I’m not.”

“Yeah, you are.”

“I hear traffic,” Zoro points out. 

Sanji pauses. Has traffic really been going on this whole time? And he didn’t notice? Sanji listens. Sure enough, he hears a car drive by. Sanji huffs while Zoro looks smug. 

“Don’t let it go to your head,” Sanji pokes Zoro in the forehead before heading towards the sound. 

“I think I will,” Zoro says. “Who has a bad sense of direction?” 

“Still you. Just because you have superhuman hearing doesn’t mean you're a wayfinding genius. I watched you get lost in that fucking attic before.” 

Zoro coughs. “Did not.”

“You did. Remember? You tried to find the hot plate and you ended up outside?”

Zoro’s ears turn red. Sanji laughs at him as they break through the treeline and end up on the side of a rural, heavily forested road. Sanji pulls out his phone and dials Robin’s number. 

Usopp answers. 

“Hello?”

“Usopp. It’s us,” Sanji says. “Where are you guys- hang on, why are you answering?” 

“Long story. Basically, Nami ran off and Franky is with the police. Robin and I are trying to find Nami now. And I answered ‘cause Robin’s driving.” 

“You were supposed to watch over Nami!” Sanji scolds him. “Now Nami might be in danger. Is Robin safe at least?” 

“Robin’s fine,” Usopp says. “I don’t know about Nami, but I don’t think she’s in any danger. She called Sabo and Luffy and told them to meet her, so she’s not alone at least.”

“She’s with them? Good,” Sanji says. “We’re on the side of the road and need a ride.”

“Robin will pick you up. Right Robin?” 

Robin answers in the background. “Of course.” 

“See? No problem,” Usopp says.

“Yeah, see you in a bit,” Sanji hangs up. He turns to Zoro. “It won’t be long. 

Zoro grunts and crouches to sit on a fallen log by the side of the road. Sanji sits beside him. An owl hoots. Sanji ignores the heat radiating off of Zoro and thinks about being reunited with Robin. 

Franky’s SUV pulls up in front of them about ten minutes later. Usopp opens the door for them. Sanji gets in the seat behind Robin. Zoro gets in the back and throws himself down, getting comfortable. 

“And now we go collect Franky,” Usopp announces. He dials Franky’s number. Franky answers after a few seconds. 

“Yow! You’ve reached Franky!” Franky shouts. 

“Franky, it’s Usopp. Are you still with the cops?” 

“Nah! They kicked me out after they realized I was bullshitting them! Hah!” Franky roars. Sanji can hear him perfectly fine from where he is, even though Usopp’s phone isn’t on speaker. “Now I’m in a leathershop! Do you think I should line my car seats with this stuff? It’s pretty radical!” 

“Uh, I don’t know,” Usopp says. “Where are you? We need to pick you up.” 

Franky gives his location. Usopp hangs up and plugs in the address to his phone and starts giving Robin directions. They reach the leather shop in a few minutes and Robin goes in to retrieve him. Ten minutes later, Franky is walking out with reels of leather and a huge grin. 

Robin gets in the passenger seat as Franky gets behind the wheel. 

“Alright! Everyone! Where to?” Franky asks. 

Robin calls Sabo, and Nami answers. They agree where to meet up, then hang up. It takes a little while to reach the agreed destination: A Cracker Barrel. Sabo and Luffy are in the parking lot, kicking a ball to each other. Nami is in the passenger seat with the door open, leaning on her knees. She waves when they pull up. 

“Let’s eat, everyone!” Luffy cheers. 

Nami sighs. “He’s been saying that ever since we got here.” 

Luffy nods. “Everyone’s here, so we can go? Right?” 

He reminds Sanji of a dog. Nami sighs, and smiles. “Yeah, let’s get some mediocre food and get out of here.” 

《《《《

They don’t return to Boston until the early hours of the morning. Franky pulls up to his house with Sabo following in his van. Franky invites them inside. 

Inside, everyone gathers in the living room, where a large couch and a couple chairs sit. A rug covers the floor. Usopp sits on the floor, moreso collapses, while Nami and Robin sit in the chairs. 

Luffy throws himself down on the couch with Sanji and Zoro, and Franky claims the floor with Usopp. 

Robin breaks the comfortable quiet. 

“I’ll gather our collected evidence and send it along,” she says.

Nami smiles. “And then? Arlong will fall.” 

Luffy cheers, half-asleep. Franky lets rip a gnarly snore, and Nami laughs. 

She’s never felt so free than she does right now. Her friends touched her heart, made her realize how dumb she was, all while making her feel loved. She can never repay them, but then again, she doubts they want her to pay them back. 

Zoro snores. Luffy lays against him and falls asleep immediately. Nami laughs again. 

They’re all idiots, but they’re her idiots.

《《《《

The next morning, Nami wakes up stiff but happy. Robin and Nami brew some coffee for everyone, and Robin gathers some crackers and biscuits for everyone to eat. 

Robin takes all the collected photos and videos and uploads them to her computer. She types away for a while before finally nodding in approval. 

“The video from the glasses Zoro wore is our hardest evidence,” Robin says. “But the photos are useful too. I can send this all along right now.” 

Nami nods. “Do it.” 

Robin smiles. “Alright,” she taps the keyboard and fiddles with the mouse for a short while before nodding. “It’s all been sent.” 

Nami exhales. Relief winds her and she sits down, unable to believe it. 

That’s it. That’s her freedom. Arlong will get what’s coming to him, and Nami will be free. 

Nami looks up at Robin. “Thanks.” 

Robin nods. “Of course.”

《《《《

Gen calls Nami that day, and he tells her everything he knows about Nojiko’s location. She’s in the state, far west in the mountains. He knows which town, at least.

Nami dares to be hopeful. Soon, she can see Nojiko again. Nami thanks Gen. 

Nami keeps an eye on the news, waiting for something- anything-

Robin is the one to inform her of the news. 

“Hall has shut down Arlong’s operation. He confronted him last night,” Robin tells Nami over a cup of coffee. They’re in a cafe, down the street from the safehouse. 

Nami exhales. She sags against the seat, relief warming her insides and making her smile. 

“It’s over,” Nami says. 

“Yes, it is,” Robin smiles. “Now, what will you do now that you are free?” 

Nami grins. “Get a real apartment. No more attic safehouses for me.” 

Robin giggles. “And your dog grooming business?” 

“Oh, I’ll keep doing that. Might even start a real business.” 

“Luffy and Zoro will be happy.” 

“Maybe,” Nami feels light. She feels hopeful for the first time in years. She can’t help but laugh. 

《《《《

Nojiko answers the door, and when her eyes fall on Nami, she gasps, jaw dropping. 

“Holy shit!” Nojiko curses, rushing forward to wrap Nami in a hug. Her arms crush Nami to her chest. “Nami!?” 

Nami clings to her sister. “It’s me, it’s your sister.” 

Nojiko pulls back to stare at Nami. “You- you- but Arlong-” 

“Isn’t a problem anymore,” Nami says. “I’m free.” 

“Holy shit-” Nami holds Nojiko as Nojiko hugs her again. “Gen told me but I thought it was- I couldn’t believe it was true!” 

“He’s gone. Hall took him down, and my friends- they helped. We took that bastard down!” Nami grins. 

Nojiko grins back. “Damn straight you did. That’s my little sister.” 

Nojiko lets her inside. The small home is sparsely decorated and simple, but the bookcase is full of books and Nami had seen a garden in the front yard. Nojiko seems to have carved out a life for herself here, trapped as she was. 

The sisters talk long into the night. Nami tells Nojiko everything that happened, and when she tells her about her friends, Nojiko adopts a fond smile. 

“Friends, huh? Is that why you can smile so easily?” 

Nami nods. “One day you can meet them. They’re all idiots, but they changed my life. I wouldn’t be who I am without them.” 

“They saved you,” Nojiko says. 

“Yeah, they did.” 

“Bellmere would be happy,” Nojiko leans on her hand and smiles. “We can visit her grave, tell her everything, put this all behind us.” 

Nami hasn’t seen Bellmere’s grave in years. Her heart hurts suddenly, guilt eating away at her for not having gone in so long. Nojiko must notice, because she reaches forward to take Nami’s hand. 

“Hey…” Nojiko says. “Bellmere would understand.” 

Nami’s lip wobbles. “I’m a terrible daughter.” 

“You are an amazing daughter,” Nojiko says. “You… you fought to see me again, for so many years. Bellmere would be proud. She’d tell you to stop crying and stand tall. She’d laugh because she knows you have friends now, and a future.” 

“But I-” 

“Were a prisoner,” Nojiko says firmly. “Not a criminal. Well…” Nojiko trails off, smirking. “Not a criminal like Arlong. Maybe a little thief, but that’s never changed.”

Nami snorts. She and Nojiko laugh, and laugh, and Nami’s heart feels light and free. 

《《《《

Three months later.

Nami, Luffy and Zoro stand outside the newly opened Going Merry Dog Groomers. The beat up original sign hangs outside the store, worn but loved with touch ups to make it stand out.

“Congratulations,” Robin appears at their side, Alexandra wrapped around her arm. The little red snake is wrapped in a sweater. 

“Thanks!” Luffy grins. “This is gonna be great!” 

Nami laughs. “Yeah, now let’s see about getting some customers.” 

《《《《