~The 1st Night~

.o0o.

The first night on the Going Merry was peaceful. The sea was calm and the sky clear of clouds as far as the eye could see. Nami loved nights like these. She could navigate her way around the world and as far away from her problems as the Red Line would allow. It was a welcome reprieve from the hectic week that Nami had suffered. From her mission to rob Buggy blind, subsequently meeting Luffy, making a deal with said Pirate and then the whole ordeal with captain Kuro and his "three year plan". It was a lot to work through but nothing Nami couldn't handle. Not that she had the choice anyway.

Luffy was a strange one. For a pirate, at least. He had fought against every preconceived notion Nami had held against pirates many times over. That despite his selfish nature, he cared for those around him and would risk his life for both his dream and comrades. Slowly, but surely, sowing a seed of doubt in her mind about pirates. She had met and conned countless pirates these last eight years, some multiple times, without a second thought to them or what they thought of her. Yet, with Luffy and his crew, Nami found herself getting attached. She was beginning to care.

Nami leaned on to the railing of the Going Merry's bow. The reflection of the waxing moon shone brightly on the water's surface, leaving trails of silver all the way out to the horizon. Despite the peaceful beauty laid out before her, Nami couldn't shake the growing anxiety nesting in the pit of her stomach. She'd have to betray them soon.

Every instinct Nami had cultivated since she was ten screamed at her to do so. To cut the limb before it grew nerves. Lest she begin to lose sight of her goal. That was something that Nami could never allow. Luffy, for all his charisma and strength, would either die to the hands of the true monsters of the oceans.

"SHAAAAHAHAHAHAHAA!"

Or his naivety would break and he'd become the very thing he claimed to hate.

Nami flinched at the thought and grabbed her shoulder tightly. For some reason, the thought of Luffy becoming like him horrified Nami to no end. Hearing the rubber man's kind and hearty laughter twisted by malice and hate. No, Nami shook her head, it wasn't worth thinking about. Besides, it was irrelevant. So what if Luffy was a 'good' pirate. So what if Zoro wasn't the vicious monster he was made out to be. So what if Usopp had a genuinely noble goal. One exceptional crew does not disprove the rule. All pirates are vicious, murderous, bastards.

It was the rule Nami swore by. The one thing keeping her detached and safe from a fate worse than death. In her mind it was the symbol of her resolve that she'd never fall prey to pirates like Arlong ever again. So for her to even consider any pirate as anything less than an enemy was unacceptable. After all, how strong could her conviction be if it crumbled to a single dumbass pirate and his equally dumbass crew. Nami needed to crush that seed of doubt before it took root and sprouted.

Nami heaved a deep sigh. It really did upset her at the thought of betraying them. At the anger and hurt that they'd look at her with. That Luffy would look at her with. But it needed to be done. It was a shame though. Luffy seems like such a decent guy.

Resigning herself to her plight once more, Nami looked down to the ocean waves gently lapping against the Going Merry's bow. Silence reigned for what seemed like hours when the door, not so subtly, clicked open making Nami leap out of her skin. It was Luffy. He stood in the doorway, eyes half lidded, like he was about to fall asleep and a half eaten apple in his hand. He glanced up to the end of the deck only just noticing Nami.

"Oh. You're awake too." he took a large bite of the apple, "I thought you went to bed ages ago."

After taking a breath to slow her racing pulse Nami shot the captain a glare, "What of it?" she shot with no small about of venom.

Luffy shrugged and began approaching her, "Dunno." he took another bite, "You're not really the type to stay up late."

Nami fought to keep her glare going as he stepped up to the bow's railing. The Going Merry's figure head the only thing between them. "Well I could hardly sleep with you lot snoring so loudly." A blatant lie. It was that damned anxiety.

Luffy blinked, now looking fully alert, "Oh really? Sorry 'bout that then." he scratched the back of his head looking genuinely apologetic.

"What're you doing up? Now that we have a proper ship you won't be able to lay about till noon because you were up late." Nami leaned forward, hands on hips. She ignored her use of the collective 'we'.

Luffy chuckled merrily, "Don't worry about it! I'll get plenty of sleep." he finished the rest of the apple chucking the core into the ocean with a plop, "I just got hungry is all and we don't have much food left."

The glare deepened, "That's because someone has a stupidly big appetite and is constantly looking for midnight snacks." Nami's accusing tone went over Luffy's head with an audible whistle.

"Shishishishi! It'll be fine, we're going to go find a cook next, right?" The confidence and trust in Luffy's tone was astounding. Confidence that they would in fact be alright and trust that Nami would lead them straight to Baratie. It was disarming.

Nami huffed an exasperated sigh but it kind of sent her reeling mentally. Luffy knew Nami was a thief. That she betrayed people. Hell, she'd even betrayed him just minutes after they had met when she sold him to Buggy for a place on the clown's crew. Even Luffy wouldn't be stupid enough to think that her betraying him again wasn't an option. No one had ever had ever put that kind of trust in her before. Unnerving would be a good way to put it.

"Yes we are." Luffy grinned. Expectation met. He was just too easy to please, "But simply getting a cook won't be enough if we straight up run out of food. Baratie is still two days away."

She expected some kind of reaction from Luffy, like realization of the fact, or denial that it would happen but he didn't even flinch.

"Then we'll just have to make sure that doesn't happen." He really was a simple man. A simple man of simple solutions. There was no two ways about it.

Nami signed, shoulders relaxing and hands dropping from her hips. She couldn't stay upset at him for long. She looked over at her temporary captain. Luffy stood with a laid back posture with an almost serene smile on his face. His usual red vest was unbuttoned - he probably couldn't be bothered to button it in the midst of wanting food - and the ever present straw hat on his head.

That brought up a curiosity about Luffy. Why did he want to become king of the pirates? It was the grandest of titles out there so Nami could see the appeal but as for actually trying to go through with it? Not a chance. Countless men and women both stronger and with endless resources have tried to claim the title only to fail miserably. What chance did a scrawny boy from the East Blue stand? Devil Fruit or no. It had been twenty years since Roger passed, at this point, who even knew if the One Piece was real.

"Hey, you alright?"

Luffy's voice jerked Nami out of her reverie. He was looking at her with concern.

"Huh?" was the best she could manage, "What do you mean?"

The captain tilted his head and folded his arms across his chest, "Well, you were looking at me for a while without saying anything. I thought you had a stroke or something."

Nami's jaw dropped at his assumption, "No! What on earth would make you say that?"

"Well, Gramps always said dealing with me would give someone as stroke someday." Luffy chuckled, "I think he was talking 'bout himself though."

That left Nami a little speechless. Who would even say that to a family member? Even as a joke. Sure Luffy was hard to deal with at times but that seemed to be a bit excessive.

"So what's up?" Luffy asked casually like he hadn't said anything major.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." Nami said, trying to brush it off.

"That's dangerous."

"For you maybe." Luffy laughed at her effortless retort. Nami couldn't help but smile as well. Getting one up on Luffy wasn't hard but it was satisfying.

Once the laughter died down they were met with a comfortable silence where they both turned to look out to the ocean ahead. For the first time all night the anxiety that had taken hold of Nami unwound leaving her feeling a peace for the longest time. Her every instinct was begging her to run before she got too deep. That she needed to throw the idiot captain overboard right away, hijack the ship and leave with all the money she'd gathered on this venture. But for the first time in forever, Nami couldn't bring herself to even entertain those thoughts. Even if it was just for tonight, she was able to just enjoy the peace and quiet.

And for once, it was with someone who, no matter how reluctant she was, no matter how tentative it was, nor how painful it was, Nami could call a friend.

.o0o.

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