Work Text:
Ghosts
They are at it again and really, Nami shouldn’t be too surprised about it, as running into danger and trouble is all they do ever since the members individually and as a crew met one way or another. And having a captain, whose whole personality and being is optimistic chaos in human form (or whatever the rubber man can be considered as), it is not all too unexpected to run from one conflict to another. She should have known it the moment Luffy was so keen to go to Logue town for other reasons than the obvious: to stock up, as the supplies they have received from her hometown after defeating Arlong were by far not enough to saturate the ever hungry straw hat for longer than five minutes.
Funny enough that Luffy not only encountered the fucking clown in the town again (who was so close to execute Luffy, if it wasn’t fate itself that meddled), oh no, of course they had to put up a fight against the marine again. Another thing Nami shouldn’t have been surprised about to happen when Sanji wickedly convinced her about going shopping on the island with the biggest marine base in all of the East Blue. Yet, they were lucky enough to escape from the clown, the weird slippery woman and the weird smoke guy Luffy and Sanji told them about. But somehow, the excited chatter in the kitchen felt uneven, missing a certain aspect of the story and the events the three men encountered when she and Usopp split from the rest of the crew: where was Zoro in the fight against the marine?
The swordsman isunusually quiet this time, not wasting time talking about the incredible matches and fights he fought on the island. The bragging about the skills Nami admires openly (as she admitted the night before Zoro went for almost certain death) is absent altogether, as if he wasn’t there to begin with, even less than a mere bystander in a town engulfed in chaos created by two pirate crews fighting each other in the middle of the marketplace with the scaffold looming over them.
Taking a small sip from her beer bottle, Nami nods at the story Usopp is telling without really paying attention to it and watches Zoro from behind her bangs. The swordsman sits at his usual spot, his legs on the bench and his now three swords between them - even though the pirate hunter is looking at Usopp, she can clearly see him mentally absent, to say the least. He is so deep in thoughts, even though his head is turned to his friends, that the navigator is almost certain that no matter what she would do or say now, he wouldn’t hear it. None of it.
It isn’t that Zoro is known for always following conventions or to be the most attentive in their crew (well at least when it doesn’t come to potential dangers anyway), but this behavior was all too new and foreign. Even for the otherwise cocky, stoic swordsman. So whatever it is that has happened on the island, it must take its toll on him.
Sanji must have caught onto her staring, as the blond suddenly bumps slightly against her shoulder, offering her a tablet full of small snacks he must have prepared in the meantime. He completely caught her off guard. She gives him a small smile and watches him take the seat next to her again. Feeling her cheeks burn up, Nami covers blush behind a small laugh and turns to Sanji with a faked, utterly cheerful smile.
“What’s the matter with him? Nami asks Sanji halfway laughing, halfway concerned and points quietly to Zoro. She wouldn’t admit, but she is embarrassed that the cook has noticed her staring intensively at the swordsman.
The otherwise way too attentive swordsman however isn’t looking at her at all, apparently not noticing the slight mocking tone in her voice - a mechanism to conceal her embarrassment in front of Sanji. Getting the cook too involved in her train of mind would only cause more trouble than it’s necessary. However, as expected Zoro doesn't react at all.
„That bottle have gold on the bottom or what?“, she says and tries to pique the pirate hunter’s attention, not letting her eyes slip from Zoro‘s face again - now brave enough to do so with her crew around. Instead of seeing the usual stoic expression on his face, she witnesses him absolutely lost in his mind.
The pirate hunter gives Nami a small glare after all, before placing his half full bottle of beer on the table. But eventually, that’s all the man is granting her at all. It’s so unlike Zoro. Normally, the man takes every opportunity to bicker with her - it’s their way to express their affection for one another.
Next to her, Nami hears Sanji snicker playfully. „So it was an angry ex after all?“, he grins wide and pops a grape in his mouth. „Never thought you had it in you.“ The cook’s comment is so surprising for all of them, that all their heads snap towards Sanji.
Tilting her head slightly, Nami‘s eyes wander between the swordsman and the cook. She cannot deny that Sanji’s remark has piqued her interest. It would be an understatement to assume that Zoro has not been in any kind of relationship with a woman before, especially not with his physic and his handsome face. but she didn’t particularly mark him as someone to end things on bad terms as Sanji is indicating. If anything she had learned most of the time that Zoro treats people with respect - unless it comes to actions against his belief and Sanji of course.
Zoro‘s dark, guilty ridden eyes meet hers for a split second, before diverting his gaze. The way he looked lets Nami a shiver run down his spine. A feeling of uneasiness spreads across her body. Even if they were not the closest to each other within the crew, Nami would have sensed it anyway that whatever it is that‘s bothering the swordsman really took its toll on him.
Within seconds however his face turns grim and dark. „Shut up, waiter. Nobody asked for your nonsense. Stay out of my business.“
„Wow, you really must have messed up with her. Consider yourself lucky this beautiful woman even spared a look at you“, Sanji adds and crosses his arms provokingly. “This meeting must have gotten under your skin.” The men seem to enjoy their differences and fights way too much as if it is their way to show they care for one another (in a really strange way still).
Sailing the Eastblue with the men for quite some time now, the navigator is fully aware that Zoro is close to losing his temper. She can see it in the way he clenches his jaw, can spot the veins become visible on his muscular biceps as he balls his has into tight fists. It‘s apparent how he presses his lips into a small line and stares out of the window right next to him. His face is illuminated by the moonlight breaking through thick, dark clouds - reminiscences of the storm that hit them back in Logue Town.
The suspense between Zoro and Sanji grows even more uncomfortable - reaching a new climax. Dead silence falls upon them, a silence not even the otherwise oblivious Luffy and Usopp, who has now stopped munching his sandwich, dare to break. But neither of the bystanders dares to interfere or stop them from escalating the dooming fight.
„Did you forget how to speak, mosshead? If I were you, I-“, Sanji continues and knows exactly which words would send the swordsman off. The rather mean, provoking side of the blond is so unlike him. Honestly, Nami has no idea what the cook is trying to prove, but whatever it is, today and certainly not now is the right moment to do so. Not as long as Zoro is not himself and not capable of defending himself with a clear mind (and especially without unnecessary violence she is certain the pirate hunter will resort to).
Nami shoots the cook a look, warning him with nothing but her eyes not to push his luck and risk a fight in the kitchen. The antics of the men have been troublesome since the first time they met each other back at the Baratie, when Sanji shamelessly hitted on her. Ever since it is like they do their best to get at each other‘s throat. To her dismay Luffy only laughs about their banter and Usopp not being brave enough to intervene.
Noticing her intense glare, Sanji visibly swallows his words and sighs quietly. In his blue eyes, Nami can clearly see the regret in the cook’s eyes, as if he couldn’t recognize his very own voice uttering endlessly provoking words at the swordsman. With a deep sigh, Nami slightly massages her skin between her eyebrows to prevent the slowly developing headache. One way or another: one of these men will be her demise.
Zoro eventually grabs his almost empty bottle again and gets up from his usual spot on the soft bench and marches towards the door. His swords are stuck under his right arm, while he is taking a sip from his left hand and steps outside. Another uncomfortable silence falls between them. Yes, one of her crewmates will definitely be her downfall.
Seeing Luffy move from the corner of her eyes, eager to follow Zoro, Nami simply lifts a hand. “I will check on him. I need fresh air anyway”, she says and stretches right after standing up. Yet, before she can follow the man outside, Sanji grabs her wrist with a soft grip.
The blond opens his mouth to speak, probably trying to form an apology for his behavior. It’s obvious in his sorrowful eyes, his knitted eyebrows and his parted lips. It’s a pitiful sight and Nami is certain about his honesty, however an apology shouldn’t be directed to her to begin with. “It’s fine, Sanji”, she replies to his silent plea and grants him an honest smile. “Don’t worry, he will be fine. But if you want to apologize, it should be directed to Zoro, not me.”
Forming a small thank you with his lips, Sanji nods at her and lets go of her wrist. Winking at the cook, she sighs one more time and steps out into the fresh air. A cold breeze hugs her small frame as she slowly moves towards the pirate hunter. Zoro’s back is turned to her, his big shoulders tense and his eyes closed as she can see from his halfway turned face. The bottle hangs over the railing, dangling between his thumb and index finger.
If Zoro has noticed her, he doesn’t show the slightest inclination to acknowledge her presence. However, it is utterly unrealistic that the swordsman has not sensed her either. So, maybe he is ignoring her altogether. Either way, she will stay, no matter the man’s intention.
“You good?”, she asks as she reaches his side and mirrors his movement. Her arms rest on the railing as she stares at the calm sea. Shreds of moonlight dance on the surface and illuminate the otherwise pitch black water.
Instead of answering, Zoro simply grunts in distaste and turns his head away from her. A small chuckle leaves her lips. “Avoiding me now, huh?”, she shakes her head. “Sanji can be a douche. But with one thing, he is not wrong. Whatever has happened in Logue Town, it must take a toll on you.”
Turning her upper body towards Zoro, she can see the man clench his jaw again. “Are you here to mock me, too?”, he snaps at her and stares at her with hard eyes. But, despite the anger in the dark iris, she still sees uncertainty in his eyes. His wrath is not directed at her or even Sanji.
“No”, she simply states matter of factly. “I am here, because I am worried. And because you look like you saw a ghost. It’s just-”, she chews on her bottom lip for a split second, before adding. “It’s just not like you. So, I am curious, what the almighty demon hunter could have possibly witnessed that he doesn’t even react to my bickering. Life is only half as funny if you are not reacting, you know?”
Rolling his eyes at her, the navigator can see a small smile form at the corner of his lips. She wouldn’t admit, but seeing him calm down eases her mind. The feeling of relief spreads through her body as she batches her eyes at him. “So, will you talk to me or keep up your-”, her hand waves across his now to her turned muscular chest, “moody Zoro-self?”
“You are way too noisy, woman,” the pirate hunter mumbles and sighs. “You are even more annoying than the shitty cook, you know that?”, he adds with a small smirk.
Shrugging her shoulders, Nami sticks out her tongue. “Don’t act as if you don’t like me bothering you and sticking my noise in your business.” Zoro stares at her with an unreadable expression, causing a shiver run down her spine, before she continues. “So, spill the beans or are you willing to pay me four hundred percent interest?”, she stems her hands against her hips. “Which brings me to my next point: how the hell did you haggle that you didn’t have to pay a single Beri for two swords?”
The man only scoffs and takes the final sip from his beer bottle. “You are a greedy witch, you know that?”, Zoro shakes his head slightly. “Funny enough, it’s all connected.”
“Connected? How so? Care to elaborate?”, annoyance can be heard in her voice. “I knew you were quite secretive about everything that has to do with you. But right now, you are even more annoying, when it comes to your little secrets.”
“Come on, you are just pissed that I didn’t need your hard stolen money and was successful without your selfless courtesy. Oh, I am certain you would have loved it if I were in your debt”, he cheekfully replies without lifting his eyes from her small frame.
Nodding at the words Zoro directed at her, Nami grins slightly. “Describes me perfectly, but don’t forget: you are in my debt. Three hundred percent. And each day it’s growing. But don’t get off topic. So, spill it, donzel.”
Zoro acknowledges her small insult with another scoff, but doesn’t reply right away. The playfulness they shared moments ago has now vanished for a more serious one again. Just as back in the bar at the Baratie, they easily switch from small, playful, even flirtatious banter to a serious conversation between two adults (at least in comparison to Luffy and Usopp’s ongoing childish behavior). And this time, it is no different.
Avoiding her gaze, Zoro has turned back towards the sea now, the bottle hanging loosely in his hand again, close to falling into the sea and to be swallowed by the upset waves hitting the Going Merry. However, just as always, the pirate hunter has absolute control of the bottle and the conversation. The night vails them in almost complete silence, apart from the waves crashing against the ship and the dull singing and arguing from the caboose.
“Why do you even care?”, a small mumble, not intended for Nami but loud enough for her to hear it nonetheless. A small sigh, half lid eyes and a muscular body suddenly shrunken. The otherwise overly confident swordsman has succumbed to a shadow of himself. Foreign to watch and yet, it fascinates the navigator in a strange way.
Waiting for the man to break the silence again, the thief is uncertain if Zoro is willing to speak again, after several seconds have passed. But then, he speaks in such a quiet, calm voice, she cannot help but notice the vulnerability others most certainly would have missed. Knowing Zoro for quite some time already, it becomes so easy for Nami to read him, while other times, the man is a bigger secret to her than the Grand Line and the One Piece itself.
“You are not wrong. I met a ghost. Or I thought so, but it was not”, the pirate hunter begins and Nami needs a moment to follow the sudden words and the importance of them. “A ghost of the past, you could say”, he adds with a small laughter, probably directed at the absurdity of his own feelings and words.
Even though the moonlight is not enough to illuminate the handsome man completely, Nami immediately recognizes the seriousness in his words, recognizes the stern, hard expression on his face and the small spark in his dark eyes. It brings her back to the bar again, them tangled in a stupid game to unveil their most hidden secrets to one another. A game under the pretense of testing the trustworthiness of the other, which only resulted in mutual respect and trust, and at times beyond - a connection so deep and intense, that the boundaries between crewmates and friends appear to blur more often than not. Both of them know that no word is needed to give the ghost the shape of Zoro’s late best friend. And as long as the swordsman does not speak the unspeakable, neither will Nami.
The blurriness of the line is apparent in the way they engage with one another; in the words and glances they cheekily exchange, at times secretive, hidden from the others and at times so obvious that their friends don’t dare to question it. Nami and Zoro are the only ones to reach each other in moments like this and it’s not a secret. But just because they share a special connection, doesn’t mean the others are not as important to them. Sanji for instance has grown to her in such a polite and exciting manner, that she enjoys the cooks presence infinitely (which often seem to result in annoying fights between him and the pirate hunter). With Zoro however, it is simply different that Nami can’t pinpoint why (or she could, which would mean to admit to circumstances she is simply not willing to yet. Neither is Zoro, though).
“And the ghost helped you trick the poor owner to give you his swords?”, Nami asks playfully. “Wow, if a ghost is this helpful, I would like to have one on my own.”
Even though Zoro sees right through her act, he growls loudly. “No, the ghost - as you call it - was there by coincidence. I earned them, because I am an honorful swordsman. I haggled at first, but then, he simply gave them to me.”
Knitting her eyebrows, the navigator studies the pirate hunter’s face, now again turned to her. “Why would he do that? I am no expert, but even I can tell they seem valuable. More than I probably can imagine.”
“There was a cursed sword that didn’t cut off my arm, so the owner gave me his family heirloom”, the way he says the words makes it seem as if Nami should make sense out of the ridiculous sentence.
Blinking at the man, Nami tilts her head, not understanding a single word. Her lips form a small, confused what, but other than that, she remains silent, waiting for Zoro to continue his story about ghosts and swords and other supernatural occurrence in Logue Town.
Then, the pirate hunter begins to recall the day in the most absurd story Nami is certain to be true. He tells her about his search for the shop (without even mentioning he most likely got lost more than once in the process), the way he bumped into someone looking all too familiar and then eventually ending up in his destination. Furthermore, Zoro describes the crammed store, the fraudulent owner and the way he wanted to scam him out of his most beloved sword, his Wado Ichimonji. If it wasn’t for the ghost’s admiration regarding his katana, Zoro wouldn’t have learned about the value of his sword.
Fate itself seemed to meddle with the swordsman as well as he found a sword in a barrel full of worn-out swords. Again, it’s the ghost’s knowledge that recognizes the cursed blade: Sandai Kitetsu. And being the suicidal swordsman that Zoro is since forever probably, he let it up to fate, if he would be a worthy wielder of the swords by throwing it in the air, while stretching out his arm. The blade grazes his arm with the dull side, sparing him a major injury or in the worst case, he might have lost his arm, if the blade had decided against him, yet fate was on Zoro’s side.
Hearing his story about the cursed blade, Nami let out a sigh of disbelief while contemplating whether to punch Zoro’s arm for his reckless actions. But she decides against it as he proudly tells her about the owner’s impression and magnification about Zoro’s honor as a swordsman, which grants him another present besides the cursed sword the heirloom of the owner and Zoro’s now third blade: Yubashiri.
If she hadn’t known Zoro for quite some time already, Nami would have certainly believed that the man was making up stories, but after everything she learned about life in the East Blue and life with her crew, she knows it’s the truth.
Zoro watches her with an unreadable expression again, as if he isn’t too sure about Nami’s reaction. The woman mirrors his look on the face, blinking a few times while processing the story and the way the story might have ended. Then, she punches him arm eventually. “Have you lost your fucking mind?! You could have lost your arm! Please tell me, how would you become the world’s best swordman, if you have only one arm left?”, she scolds him with a hard voice and punches him again. “Next time, please ask for help if you don’t know how to haggle, or ask for more money. But this - this was fucking stupid and reckless!”
Feeling a throb in her head, the navigator begins to massage her temples with closed eyes as she tries her best to ignore Zoro’s upset reply. “You demanded to know what’s the matter, why are you upset now?! You asked how I got my two swords for free and now you are mad at me? Gosh, get a grip woman!”, then he mumbles a little: “you said I should haggle in the first place.”
Punching the other’s chest again, Nami looks up to him with fire burning in her eyes. “Yes, I did and now I regret it. You are an idiot!”, taking a deep breath, Nami feels her racing heart calm down slowly. “Whatever that was, it was idiotic and you know it”, Zoro opens his mouth to reply to her, but the navigator only lifts her finger to make him shut his mouth again. “So, when did Sanji see you to get the picture of ‘angry ex-girlfriend’ then?”, her voice is now calm and soft.
It is obvious that Zoro doesn’t trust her sudden pacification and eyes her with wavering eyes. Yet, the way the swordsman studies her face must indicate to him that her anger has vanished and is replaced by her curiosity again, as they stare at each other quietly. In the way they look at each other, it gives her confirmation they care for each other. And eventually she turns it into determination to help Zoro's pensive face disappear.
A cold breeze cloaks them, letting a shiver run down Nami’s spine as she lifts herself up on her tiptoes towards Zoro to make her look less small and fragile next to his buff body (to no avail of course, because honestly, who would not look small next to him?). For a moment, the woman isn’t sure if the pirate hunter intends to finish the story at all or if he will stare at her all night long, leaving her in the air forever. But then, he lifts his eyes from her in the very same second he begins to speak again.
The swordsman takes his time to form the words, though. “It was after the scaffold was destroyed and we split up. We were running from the marine’s, when she showed up”, the way Zoro emphasizes she gives Nami a small twist in her guts. It is apparent how much the meeting must upset him, even now, hours later. “Her anger was almost matching yours”, he snickers with a smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “She's a marine and I am apparently not worthy enough of the Wado Ichimonji and wanted to take it away in a duel.”
“Did you kill her?!”, the words slip her mouth and Nami hastily covers it with both her hands. Knowing first-hand how the pirate hunter reacts when somebody interferes with his dreams, she can certainly imagine his anger, when the woman simply showed up to take the one thing that he holds dearly of his friend. Instead of answering, the man simply shoots her a dark look and shakes his head with furrowed eyebrows.
Silence falls over them again, while Zoro’s face turns soft again, his gaze directed at her again. Biting the inner of the cheek, Nami tries to prevent the burning question she had ever since Zoro confirmed that he indeed met a ghost, yet a question may be resonating with her ever since their game in the bar. What was she like? What makes them so resemblant that it upsets you so much?
Before she can even process a proper thought, her lips are already forming the question not letting her mind slip from. “In what kind of sense is the marine the ghost of your friend?”
Given the look on the swordsman’s face, Zoro did not expect such a question either as he lifts his eyebrows in surprise, his full lips slightly parted. “Uhm-”, he clears his throat while Nami wants to hide herself and hide the red creeping up her cheeks. “The marine - I think her name was Tashigi or something - and Kuina look almost the same”, his voice is so small and almost fragile, it makes Nami’s heart ache for him. “Well, the marine is a klutz with glasses, but otherwise - I really thought for a moment, it’s Kuina.”
Hearing his friend’s name in the aftermath of their heartfelt conversation in the Baratie seems surreal for her, yet she is grateful that Zoro is opening up to her again - telling her about the one person in his life, whose loss is still taking its toll on him. As if she really is hunting him in the form of a ghost, in the shape of his dream and the guise of his willpower and honor. On the other hand, however, it proves that the pirate hunter is trusting her just as much as she trusts him. Even so much, that his pondering mood slowly shifts to a more heartfelt, easy going one.
A small smile is forming on Nami’s lips, admiring Zoro’s more vulnerable side, probably more than is protectiveness she got to enjoy more than once already. This man she is standing next to, not too far away from her that she can feel the warmth of his body radiate, is in instances like this her preference over the cocky, stoic pirate hunter (that can be a lot of fun to deal with as well). “How does she look?”, if she is being noisy, she might as well kill the cat with her curiosity.
“Short, blue hair; glasses. Carrying around a sword”, he says without giving it a second thought. But yet, without having to think about the look of her, indicates just how much he must have compared the marine and his old friend. “Just as small as you. And if I think about it, she is very similar to you: noisy and loud and angry.” The smile on his voice can be almost heard and in this moment, the navigator is sure that she is successful in turning the broody man into more of himself, while growing unintentionally closer to him again (if it is even possible to do so, as they have a understanding of each other like no other of them seem to have).
His last sentence earns him another punch against his chest and Nami fake-pouts at him. “Idiot”, she says, but then her face brightens up right away. “I think I have seen her!”, she excitedly expresses in a singsong. “When I was escaping with Usopp, there was a woman we ran past. She really looked pissed”, she adds in a starstruck voice.
“Whatever”, Zoro only replies yawning, hiding the grin with it. A grin that makes his gratitude for her actions obvious. “Are you done with your interrogation now?”, he asks unbothered and sips from his already empty beer just to appear busy. She is surprised, he hasn't thrown the bottle into the sea or set it to the floor while their conversation endured.
Rolling her blue eyes at him, the navigator only sighs. "Yes”, is her only answer as Nami watches Zoro head for the caboose, the man obviously tired about the length their conversation (and her questioning) took eventually. “But Sanji is right. She is beautiful”, Nami adds with a grin, before turning away from Zoro altogether to look back at the sea.
The chatter of the caboose can be heard all across the deck as Zoro opens the door, yet Nami is almost certain she can hear a mumbled “Maybe. But not as pretty as you”, from the swordsman, before the door falls shut and she is left with the thunder of the sea.
The grin on her face probably might rival the moonlight falling onto her between two remnant clouds in the night sky. The journey towards the Grand Line might offer her even more surprises than she dares to dream off. Even if it means at times to face the ghosts of the past. And who knows what kind of ghosts they will come across on their search of the One Piece.