Taking In a Stray Cat: Chapter 12

Nami continued to stand silently, listening to the sounds of the Cocoyasi Villagers happily celebrating the defeat of their dreaded masters, the Arlong Pirates. She wiped the tears of happiness from her eyes as she surveyed the destruction that her new nakama had caused to Arlong Park. She found herself chuckling a little, not because she thought the scene in front of her was funny, but more because it still just felt un-real to her. These fishmen pirates that lay on the ground around her, the ones she had feared most of her life, not one of them was something she had to fear anymore, not even Arlong, and the most un-real part of it all, was the fact that Luffy, Zoro, and the rest of the Straw-hat Pirates, had made it all look so easy. All those years of hardship were gone. All those years of trying to solve her problems by stealing money from dangerous pirates and crooked politicians seemed to be vanishing in front of her eyes. Because in the end, all she had to do for the nightmare to end, was ask the right people for help. She shook her head in disbelief and had to fight the urge to let an insane laughter escape her lips as the thought of all this starting from a chance meeting with a green-haired demon…

Nami was quickly torn from her silent thoughts at the sound of jubilant laughter from her sister Nojiko. When she looked to see what had her sister so happy, she couldn't help but let out a fit of joyous laughter of her own at the sight of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all doing their chopstick dance as a way to celebrate with the villagers. Their strengths were that of monsters, but they were all practically still children, which was just one of the many things that made them all special.

Despite how happy the celebration was, it would soon come to a halt though, as Dr. Nako called out to get everyone's attention. "Oi mina! There's a ship out at sea!" All eyes turned to the direction the doctor was pointing, and the image of a ship was coming closer by the moment. "It looks like a marine ship."

A silence befell the entirety of the decimated park grounds as the ship continued to get closer. Feeling the silence was uneasy, a lone villager spoke. "Damn useless marines. Better late than never I guess." The villager said with a dissatisfied scowl on his face.

Everyone watched closely as the marine ship dropped anchor and a few long boats departed the ship and made their way directly towards Arlong Park. As the ships made it to former park gate, Nami continued to watch carefully, and for some reason, she couldn't help but get a sinking suspicion that these marines weren't here to help.

The first of the marines to step ashore was a slender man in a long grey captain's coat. He had a strange mustache that resembled a set of whiskers, and a brown goatee. But the most defining thing was a set of mouse ears on top of his marine cap, making him look very much like a rat.

"Chi-chi-chi-chi!" The strange captain laughed as he, and several other marines carrying muskets, started walking towards the Straw-hats and Cocoyasi Villagers, all the while surveying the destruction around him. "Well, well, what do we have here lads?" He asked some of the marines behind him.

"Sir!" One of the marines behind the strange captain stood to attention and brought his hand to his head in a salute, before resolutely answering "It looks like the Arlong Pirates, and the New Fishman Pirates, who were about to wreak havoc on East Blue, were betrayed by their other allies, these human pirates here, and were defeated! The betrayal was likely caused by a dispute over which group would get what territories and how profits would be split, Captain Nezumi sir!"

"What a most excellent observation lad. Chi-chi-chi-chi." Nezumi snickered as an arrogant grin formed on his face.

"Oi, that isn't what happened at all." The Cocoyasi Villager from before spoke up, while approaching Nezumi and his men, getting an irritated look from Nezumi in the process. "These people here weren't allies with the fishmen. And we can all testify that they came here to help us." Nezumi's eye began to twitch from anger as the villager continued. "And thank kami they showed up when they did, otherwise we'd probably all be dead by now. After all, you guys haven't done squat in the last ten years. Seriously, where the hell have you guys…" Before the villager was able to finish his question, the marine captain gave a slight nod to one of the marines, causing the marine to lunge forward and strike the villager in the stomach with the stock of his musket. "Argh…" the villager coughed out as he fell to the ground clutching his stomach.

The sudden violence caused a reaction from everyone who had been watching silently: The Cocoyasi Villagers, along with Nami, started to verbally assault the marines, and became more aggressive by the moment. The marines in return all shouldered their muskets and pointed them towards the crowd, effectively silencing the protesting villagers. A fear and panic started to come over Nami and the rest of the villagers, as realization sunk in that they still weren't safe from harm, and none knew what their next course of action should be. As for the Straw-hats, serious looks formed on all of their faces, and their bodies all started to naturally get into fighting stances, because they knew they might have to intervene if things became worse.

~Bang~

A thunderous blast echoed out from Nezumi's flintlock, as he shot a lone musket ball into the air over the silent Arlong Park to get everyone's attention. "Now, now, let's not all get ahead of ourselves." Nezumi said with a creepy smile plastered across his face. "Men, lower your weapons, I'm sure there is no need for violence." All of the marines under the captain's command slowly lowered their weapons and pointed the barrels to the ground. But despite the muskets no longer being pointed at them, Nami and the rest of the villagers were still very much on their guard. "You see that, we're not unreasonable people." Nezumi continued. "We're just looking for is a little cooperation here. Surely there is something we can work out without anyone else getting hurt, no?"

"And what exactly is it that you want?" Nami questioned, irritation unmistakably showing on her face.

"Well, first of all, it should be obvious that the credit for the capture of Arlong, and the rest of these fishman pirates go solely to me and my men. After all, we can't have a bunch of civilians telling the world that a handful of pirates did our job for us, it would of course be a shame on us Marines." Nezumi started to approach Nami as he listed off his conditions.

"You're joking right?" Nami practically spat at the man. "We've been held captive by this monster for over twelve years, while the Marines sat back and did nothing, and you want us to let you get the glory?"

"Exactly Chi-chi-chi-chi." Nezumi laughed evilly. "I knew you'd understand. But there is another problem, I'm sure that some of these men here probably aren't too happy seeing all you fine law-biding citizens cooperating with pirates." The marine captain said as he gestured to his men, who all had evil smiles of their own. "If only there was say… some compensation for their silence. Then maybe they might not go behind my back and spread rumors to the higher ups. We wouldn't want the government coming here and treating you all like terrorists now would we?"

A tick mark formed on Nami's forehead, and she had to clench her fist and grind her teeth to not scream out "And now you expect us to pay you a bribe?"

"Chi-chi-chi-chi! I knew you were a smart girl just by looking at you." Nezumi reached up and patted Nami's head like she was an animal. "What do you think boys?" The captain turned to ask his men, too oblivious in his confidence to notice the dangerous aura coming from Nami. "Does one-hundred-million Beli sound about right to you guys?"

All the marines started laughing, as did Nezumi "Chi-chi-chi-chi… Chi-chi-chi-chi…" But all laughter quickly stopped as Nami quickly pulled out her wooden-three-pole staff and brought it down on Nezumi's head in a furious assault. "Argh…" he screamed out in pain before collapsing to his knees in front of the now visibly fuming Nami, the rest of the marines only stood and watched in shock.

"I'm done paying people for the freedom of my village. The only thing you're going to get from me is the beating of your life!" Nami told the now terrified marine captain, before she continued her vicious assault.

"Oi!" A marine soldier shouted, recovering from this temporary shock. "Hold it right there!" He quickly lifted his musket back to his shoulder to take aim at Nami, as did the rest of the marines behind him, but they were soon surprised by the appearance of several feminine arms sprouting from their own to completely disarm them, before the arms disappeared in a show of flower petals. Most of the marines stopped in their actions, realizing that without their weapons they were not only outmanned, but at a heavy disadvantage. The only marines that jumped to their captain's aid were two of his most loyal; they quickly darted towards Nami, both ready to tackle her and get Nezumi safely away from her vicious onslaught, but as they neared the fiery navigator, they were both cut off by the intimidating form of Zoro, who wasted no time in giving them both a viscous beating of their own.

After several minutes of Zoro's fists and Nami's staff colliding with the heads and faces of the three marines, the three naval personnel now sat on the ground with all three of their backs leaning against each other's, their faces all swollen and bloodied, with Nezumi in the middle facing a still irritated Nami. "Now that I have your full attention," The navigator began to speak to the rat like marine. "This is how things are going to play out. You and your men are going to take Arlong and all of his nakama into custody, and since I'm being generous, you can even take the credit for their defeat and capture. After that, you will make sure that you stinking-rat marines, and not one government official steps foot on this island ever again."

"Chi…" Nezumi laughed sarcastically. "You're crazy if you think I'll let you get away with striking me, a marine captain, in front of all my men. The first thing I'm going to do is go and radio for re-enforcements and blast your village to smithereens. And then we'll come in and round up anyone still alive and hang them for conspiring with pirates. Chi-chi-chi-chi…" Nezumi continued to laugh, but didn't realize that he was the only one doing so, because all the rest of the marines had fearful looks in their eyes.

"You must be really stupid or way too confident for your own good, huh?" Nami questioned him with a sinister smile on her face, causing Nezumi to stop his annoying laughter. "You still don't know the situation you're in, do you? You just threatened us in front of our new friends, the dangerous Mugiwara Pirates. What makes you think they would have a problem getting rid of every last one of you? They are pirates after all." Nezumi looked up at the faces of Luffy and company, and noticed that they all had sinister smiles similar to Nami's plastered across their faces. "And besides that, you've been being recorded this entire time*. How would it look to the world if a video of a cowardly marine captain, who was expecting a bribe after a group of pirates did his job for him leaked out for the entire world to see?" The marine captain's face paled and he had to swallow hard as he scanned the crowd of villagers, noticing several with video cameras recording everything, and that's when it all started to finally set in for him, that this young woman in front of him was either going to be his saving grace, or his grim reaper. "That's the look I was waiting for." Nami said confidently as she could see the reality visibly start to set into Nezumi's face. "So again, you're going to take all of these damn fishmen pirates off our island, and not say a word to anyone about how the Mugiwara Pirates had even been here in the first place. And as long as you also make sure that no trouble ever comes our way, the videos of this conversation will never have to go public. Are we in agreement?"

The marine captain's nose twitched with irritation and contempt, he hated knowing that he was bested, and a huge part of him wanted to continue to defy this young woman, but the look on the rest of his men's face told him everything he needed to know. 'If I don't take this damn woman's deal, my own men will probably kill me at this point.' He thought to himself before begrudgingly saying "Tch… Fine, no marine or government official will ever step foot on this island asking about how Arlong was defeated, and your village will never be bothered again. As far as the world will know, Arlong was defeated at sea."

"See? That wasn't so hard was it?" Nami said to him triumphantly, before a serious look overtook her face. "Now get to work, and then get out of our sight."

The crew and villagers watched silently, but closely, as the marines started to haul off Arlong, Hody, Huizhou, and the rest of the fishman pirates one by one. Some fishmen would start to stir and try and fight back against the marines, but the after effects of the Energy Steroid would usually cause them to faint from exhaustion soon afterwards. Everything was proceeding fine, and soon the Conomi Islands, as well as all of East Blue, would be completely fishman free. Nami could feel the tension in her shoulders lifting, making the burden she had been carrying for the past twelve years start to fade away with each member of the Arlong pirates that would be hauled off to the marine battle ship in chains. There were only a few fishman left when Nami caught something out of her peripheral vision over by the sea gate that led into Arlong Park. It was Hatchan; he stood next to the gate with a conflicted look on his face. Nami could tell that he wasn't sure if he should turn himself in, or escape since no marines seemed to be aware of his presence. Eventually Nami and Hatchan's eyes met, she could see a genuine look of remorse in his eyes, causing her to let out a sigh before giving him a slight nod, and a shooing of the hand. She watched as Hatchan let out a thankful sigh and gave her a nod of his own before jumping into the water and swimming out to see where no one could catch him. A conflicted look befell Nami's face, she didn't know if letting him escape was the right thing to do, but when she turned to look at Zoro who was standing a next to her, he gave her a knowing nod to confirm that it was okay, which left her feeling very reassured.

Finally all the marines and all of the fishmen pirates were gone, the only thing left behind at Arlong Park was a pile of rubble, and an awkward silence. "So what now?" Nojiko spoke hoping to break that silence. All of the villager's eyes went to Nami, who could only look at Zoro to see an all knowing look in his eye. Zoro gestured with his head for her to look at the rest of the crew, where she saw the same look on all of their faces as well, and that's when she knew that it was Luffy that would know just what to do.

"Yosh!" Luffy screamed out startling everyone, causing Nami to let a smile form across her entire face. "Let's throw a party!" His energy was contagious as the entire village, along with the rest of Straw-hats, all cheered in unison to confirm that that was the perfect plan.

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The party began with a bang, literally, as Franky and Usopp had set up some fireworks that they brought along in the Super 10,000 Sunny II, which was a great way to put everyone into a festive mood for when the party really started to kick off into high gear. Soon the night was filled with the sound of music, laughter and cheers as everyone danced, sang songs, drank, and ate their worries away. The party was the perfect reminder for the Cocoyasi Villagers of what it felt like to truly be alive, a feeling that they had thought they lost years ago, but being around the energetic fun loving Straw-hats was proving to be truly the best medicine to help heal old wounds.

Luffy as always was the life of the party, as he was constantly running back and forth between dancing alongside Chopper and Franky to the upbeat melodies Brook was playing on his guitar, to the buffet table that Sanji was hard at work keeping stocked to keep everyone's bellies full and energy at their peaks. Zoro had once again found himself in a drinking match, this time his opponents were Genzo and Nojiko who were both eager to give it their all and see if they could best the swordsman, while Robin merely sat back and enjoyed watching the match while appreciating a glass of wine. Usopp had built himself a little tower of tables, so he could stand up above the crowd to shout out his tales of "The Great Captain Usopp" for anyone who would listen, and he would not even be daunted by the jeers of his fellow crewmen as his lavish stories would be told well into the hours of the night.

Nami on the other hand was not outside enjoying the party with everyone, instead she was inside Dr. Nako's clinic doing something she should have done years ago. "So you finally want me to remove that damn atrocious tattoo huh?" The doctor asked Nami, getting a nod from her in return. "About time. But there is a problem…" he told her with a sigh. "…it will take several treatments over the course of a couple of years to remove it completely, it would honestly probably be easier to just cover it up with a different design."

Nami gave her old friend a reassuring smile before responding "I thought you might say something like that." She than reached into her back pocket and handed him a folded piece of paper. "I was hoping that you would cover it with this."

Dr. Nako unfolded the paper and looked at the design, there were some obvious concerns on his face about how he would go about making the changes, but his eyes brightened up with confidence after a few moments and he nodded his head in agreement. "Well, I guess we better get started then, after all, I'd hate to completely miss that party outside."

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Zoro's lip curled into a triumphant smile as he slammed his empty mug onto the table in front of him, he knew his victory was near as he watched his opponent, Nojiko, begin to sway heavily as she struggled to finish her mug of ale, spilling quite a bit of the contents down her chin and onto her clothing. Part of him wanted to make a snide comment about how she was spilling more than she was drinking, but knew it would do no good as she was barely coherent enough to stay in her seat, let alone understand what he was saying to her. And just as Zoro had predicted, when Nojiko went to lower her glass, she fell from her chair and landed onto the passed out form of his other opponent, Genzo, who had fallen over four rounds prior. With Nojiko now down, victory belonged to Zoro.

With no more drinking partners, the swordsman scanned his surroundings: Luffy was still pestering Sanji while excitedly stuffing his face with food. Chopper seemed to be getting compliments from some of the villagers because he was doing his "I'm not happy you baka" dance. Robin had went to go dance with Franky while Brook broke into some of his romantic songs. And Usopp… he was still on top of his table tower telling his tales of glory. Zoro couldn't help but smile at all of his friend's antics. It was nice to see that no matter what paths they had been travelling on for the last two years, his friends were still the same people they had always been, and seeing them like this again just felt right to him. But no matter how right it was, there was still something missing, and while trying to figure out what that something was, he couldn't help but wonder what Nami was up to.

"I hope you didn't drink all the booze yourself again baka." A feminine voice spoke from behind Zoro, immediately grabbing his full attention.

Zoro watched intently as Nami began to make her way towards him. He noticed the bandaging on her left arm below the shoulder, making him wonder is she had somehow hurt herself after the battle. He also noticed she had a bottle of sake in her hand, showing she was ready to partake in the celebrations. But her most notable feature at the moment was her walk. She walked with a confidence and a grace that he hadn't seen her walk with before, a walk of a free woman who felt she had a new lease on life. A walk of a woman who could almost fly, because the heavy shackles she had been burdened with for so long were gone for good. She walked like someone who could never be held down again. He liked that walk, it complemented her more than any article of clothing or jewelry ever could. And just seeing her walk that way, towards him, gave him an overwhelming desire to make sure she could always walk like that.

"Tch…" She sounded off in a false distaste as she neared the aftermath of Zoro's drinking competition. "Here I was hoping that I could finally share a drink with my sister Nojiko and good friend Genzo after all this time, but they're already passed out. I'm guessing you had something to do with this?"

"Hmph." Zoro stated flatly with a shrug of his shoulders. "Not my fault they couldn't hold their booze."

Nami gave a knowing smile to the man, if there was anyone who could match her ability to drink, it was definitely him. "Well, since they're out, there is one more person I've been meaning to share a drink with for a long time now." A thoughtful look befell Nami's face, and her smile grew before asking Zoro "Would you like to join me?"

The swordsman gave no answer, he simply stood from his seat and began to follow her as she started to walk away from the party. The music was getting quieter with each step they took, and the sounds of crashing waves were becoming louder, letting Zoro know that they were headed towards some cliffs near the ocean. He watched her back keenly, and observed a tenseness in her shoulders, as she continued to walk with a purpose. Suddenly she stopped, just short of a cliff before her entire body went completely rigid. Zoro tilted his head to the side to look past her and see what had stopped her so completely in her tracks; it took a moment for his eye to adjust in the moonlight, but once it did, he was able to see that directly in front of Nami stood a plain wooden cross sticking out the ground, and he knew exactly what the marker was.

"Hello Bell-mère, I'm sorry that it's been awhile since I last came by." Nami sat on the ground in front of her mother's grave, letting a sad look form on her face as she realized how quickly two years had passed since she had last paid her island a visit. A single tear fell down her cheek before she wiped it off and replaced the sad look with relieved smile. "But I'm home now, and I have great news. We're free. Arlong is gone, and he'll never be able to hurt anyone ever again. We are all done being his slaves, even me."

Nami began to unwrap the bandages from around her arm, before presenting it towards her mother's marker. The tattoo of Arlong's mark was gone, and now replaced with one of a mikan-pinwheel combination, Zoro could tell that she was proud of her new tattoo, and couldn't help but let a smile form on his face as he watched her becoming more confident by the moment while talking to her mother.

Nami started to chuckle a little before continuing. "I spent the last twelve years trying to buy the village back, and when I finally got the money it didn't matter, because in the end all I needed to do was ask the right people for help."

Zoro didn't move a muscle as he listened to Nami talk to her mother's grave. He thought about leaving to give her some private time, but she had asked him to join her, so he also knew that she wanted him there for something. He stood firm and remained there, ready to step forward when Nami needed him.

"The craziest part is those right people, were pirates. Who'd of thought that?" Nami turned back to look at Zoro, giving him a thoughtful expression, and a nod of her head to tell him to join her. As the swordsman stepped closer and sat down beside her, she continued to speak to Bell-mère's grave. "This is one of them, his name is Zoro, and I think I kind of owe him the most for saving us."

"Hmm…" Zoro responded softly before addressing the grave marker. "Your daughter doesn't owe anything to anybody. Especially not to me." Zoro turned to meet Nami's gaze with a thoughtful expression of his own. "If anything, I owe her, because she reminded me of how far we'll go to keep our promises to the people we care about, especially our mothers." The swordsman then gave Nami a small, but very genuine, smile to show her he was truly grateful for her coming into his life at the time she did, and he was glad that he could be there to help her in her time of need.

Nami let a smile form on her face as well, before returning to look at Bell-mère's marker. "Wow, I didn't think this conversation would get this emotional. We should be celebrating." Nami looked around, trying to find something to pour some of the sake into when she noticed a set of wooden sake cups at the base of the marker, which had no doubt been left by Genzo*. She reached down and grabbed both cups with one hand, and passed the bottle over to Zoro. She presented him the cups, one in each hand, and kept her arms steady as he slowly filled both of the cups for her. Nami then carefully lowered one of the cups to the ground at the base of the marker before extending her towards the wooden cross. "To the freedom of Cocoyasi, and to keeping our promises. Kanpai*." Nami then proceeded to bring the cup to her lips and tilt her head back so she could drink the cup of sake completely down.

Zoro sat back quietly and watched. Part of him wanted to take a drink from the bottle himself, but didn't feel right doing so as he felt that Nami's toast was a personal one for just her and her mother, which he was correct for feeling this way as he noticed another small tear fall from the navigator's eye as she lowered her cup from her lips. He silently observed as Nami reached for the cup she had set in front of the marker and poured the contents onto the ground at the base of the cross, before wiping the tear from her eye and turning her gaze onto him.

"And now, a toast for the living." She said sadly, but with a small smile on her face to show that she was grateful for his thoughtfulness. She extended the cups to him once more, so he could fill them. After he did, she handed him one. "Because we're alive it's up to us to keep their memories, and show them we love them, by chasing our dreams."

Zoro noticed that Nami's hand was shaking as she held the cup, and he knew that it was because she was scared to take those next steps she would have to in order to pursue her next phase of life. For over ten years she had been living for one purpose, and pushing herself for the sake of others, but now that that task was complete, she would have to start living for herself, and he could tell that it terrified her. He had no fancy words to tell her that it would be alright, but he still wanted to show her that he understood, and wanted to let her know that he would be there to help in any way he could, so he answered by extending his own cup, giving her a confident smirk, and an assertive "Kanpai."

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Nami and Zoro had shared cups of sake in comfortable silence at Bell-mère's grave for quite some time. They did not feel that they needed to exchange words with one another at this time, it was simply nice to just enjoy each other's company, and the bottle of sake, as they sat quietly with Nami's head resting on Zoro's shoulder. But eventually, the bottle would become empty, and the silence would start to become just slightly uncomfortable, so the navigator took the cups and placed them back at the base of the wooden cross, along with the now empty bottle, before standing up and taking Zoro's hand into her own. The swordsman did not question her motives, for he knew what was to come next, he simply complied as she began to pull him to his feet, and lead the way back towards the party.

The party was still in full swing as they got closer to the town square: Usopp was still on top of his tower bellowing out his heroic journeys, albeit not at the same volume as his voice was becoming hoarse from overuse. Franky and Chopper had again resumed dancing along to some of Brook's upbeat music, while Robin and a few villagers clapped along to the beat to encourage them. And Sanji was still cooking up a feast, but this time a little more reluctantly because he was mainly only cooking for a very persistent Luffy. He had just finished a new batch of meat skewers, seconds before their captain devoured them all in a flash, causing the cook to scream out some obscenities at the young man as Luffy ran off to go and join Franky and Chopper in their dancing.

Nami and Zoro continued to remain silent, even as Luffy passed them in a flash. Though the party was quite enticing, Nami had other plans in mind as she gestured with a nod and a tug of her hand for Zoro to continue to follow her. They walked for a few more meters, to a nearby two story home, before entering it. Zoro only took a moment to look around, wondering if this was Nami's house, but noticed it was too clean to be as there wasn't any traces of dust that a two year absence would have left. The house actually belonged to Nojiko, who had moved into it a few years prior to be closer to the villagers, as it was too lonely to stay in Bell-mère's house while Nami was always away at sea. Nojiko had put Nami's things in a second bedroom while Nami was at Dr. Nako's infirmary, hoping that her sister could make use of the room and be close to family for once. Sensing Zoro's small hesitation when he entered the house, Nami squeezed his hand tighter to let him know he wasn't intruding, before continuing to lead him up a flight of stairs towards the bedroom.

Once in the room, Nami gestured towards the perfectly made bed in the room. "Sit down and close your eyes. I have a surprise for you." Zoro gave a skeptical look before shrugging his shoulders and sitting on the corner of the bed. He didn't close his eye at first though, and instead chose to watch her closely as she went over to her luggage. When Nami sensed his gaze still on her, she turned towards him with a slightly heated glance and firmly scolded him. "I said close your eyes baka."

"Tch…" Zoro sounded off with fake annoyance before crossing his arms in front of his chest and complying with her demand. He listened closely as she unzipped a pocket in her luggage, and couldn't help but start to become a little curious as to what she had instore for him. His body instinctively stiffened when he felt her weight crawl onto the bed and she proceeded to get directly behind him. It felt like an eternity had passed before Nami moved again, and that movement was soon followed by an object made of leather being wrapped firmly around his neck. Zoro had to fight his warrior instinct to not immediately open his eye and push her away from him defensively. He instead let out a dissatisfied grunt as he felt her latch a buckle at the back of his neck, because he knew exactly what the surprise was, and he was not amused.

Nami quickly leapt off of the bed and stood in front of Zoro to see how the surprise looked on him before telling him "You can open your eyes now."

Zoro slowly opened his eye and gave Nami an annoyed look. He didn't need a mirror to know that the item she wrapped around his neck was a dog collar, and that the cold piece of metal that was now touching the top of his chest was a tag that no doubt read 'Property of Nami'. He gave Nami a hard stare, before his eye settled on her own neck, where he saw that she had put on her own collar.

"Well, do you like it?" She said with a naughty smile on her face. "It was a gift from your sister. Now we match."

Zoro let out a sigh before answering her with a question of his own. "You know you can throw that damn thing away right?" His questioned confused Nami a little, she thought he would be happy to see her wearing the collar so proudly. Sensing her mood change, Zoro decided to elaborate a little more. "You don't belong to anyone Nami, you never did."

A sincere smile caused by his words fell over Nami's face, and her hand instinctively went to grab the tag hanging from her collar. "I know that you don't own me Zoro, and that I don't own you either. But I can't throw this out either, it was a gift, and strangely enough, this gift from you sister, helped me realize that I was never anyone's property." She played with the tag in her hand as a tinge of embarrassment started to manifest as she continued her small confession. "While wearing this, for the first time in a long time, I got to quit being someone I thought I had to be, and be someone I wanted to be. I got to let down my walls and let someone in, you." She stepped over to Zoro, and slowly crawled onto his lap to straddle him and run her hands throughout his hair. "So I don't mind wearing this from time to time, and pretending to be yours…" Nami's sincere smile suddenly faded as a mischievous one took its place. "That is if you don't mind pretending to be mine."

Zoro would mentally liken the look on her face to that of a cat about to pounce on a defenseless mouse. "Hmph…" he sounded off quietly, contemplating whether he should be defiant, or whether he should just accept his inevitable fate. "And what do you expect of your property?"

Nami licked her lips in anticipation, as she was more than happy to see that he was on board with her little game. She quit running her fingers throughout his hair, and locked her hands firmly behind his head. "You can start, by kissing me." She quickly pulled his face towards hers, and attacked his mouth with her own. They both fell backwards onto the bed as Zoro returned the kiss passionately. But as passionate as the kiss was, it was only the beginning of their own private victory celebration…

-0-0-0-0-

Zoro began to stir awake from his deep slumber. He fought with himself on whether he should just close his eye and try to go back to sleep, but the soreness and pain coursing through his body would not let him. How many hours had passed after he had entered this room with Nami? Or was it days? He had been so enthralled in his passion for the fiery navigator that he had lost complete track of time, almost as if he had been trying to make up for all the times he had denied himself previously from succumbing to his desires for this woman. While in this room they had barely slept, barely ate, and only took small reprieves to use the restroom and restock on alcohol. His body was definitely feeling the after effects of both the dehydration from the alcohol, and overexertion of their physical activities. He couldn't help but feel that he might have actually overdid it for once, because not even his most strenuous work-outs, nor the most recent battles, have left him feeling this beaten down. But part of him knew why he pushed himself to keep going, and to stay in that room for as long as he could, it was because he felt like the moment they stopped and had to leave that room that he might not get to experience those passions with Nami ever again. But he also knew that he had to leave. His crew would be disembarking soon, and he would need to be there, because it was time that he got back to his journey to accomplish his dreams, and help them accomplish theirs.

He wanted to moan out in pain as he sat up and stretched a little, but fought back the urge. His head ached, and his throat was dry, both undoubtedly caused from the dehydration. To make matters worse his stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn't had a decent meal since before their arrival at Arlong Park. He knew he could no longer postpone the inevitable, and finally, he took a deep breath before swinging his legs over the side of the bed so he could stand to his feet. His body stiffened from the soreness in his joints and muscles. He decided to stretch a little more by lifting his arms above his head and tilt to each side to get some blood flow moving as to alleviate said stiffness. Feeling slightly better, he took a moment to get his bearings and observe his surroundings. His eye immediately went to Nami, who was still sleeping in the bed under the covers. He listened to her soft breathing for a moment, before noticing that he could no longer hear music outside. He took a moment to use his Kenbunshoku Haki and see if any of his nakama were outside, but didn't recognize any of the presences of those who were, making him fully aware that the party was over. Everyone was most likely back at Arlong Park getting the Sunny II ready for departure, which meant that he should probably get going himself.

He took another look at Nami's sleeping form, wondering if he should wake her, and hoping that she might want to come with them, but decided not to, after all, she had been fighting so long to free her village that there was no way that she would leave them all again so soon. He felt it would be best if he just gathered his things, and snuck out as she slept, it would probably be easier for both of them. He let out a soft sigh and tried to shake the thoughts of at least giving her a small good bye kiss, and was taken aback by the sound of a small painful moan escaping her as she still laid in bed.

Zoro didn't move a muscle, he only continued to observe her, wondering if she had awaken, or if that was just a sound she was making because of a dream. "If you're going to the kitchen, bring me back some mikan juice." Her voice broke the silence of the room, as she sat up in bed slowly, obviously feeling the same after effects of their celebration as he was. "Nojiko usually keeps some fresh juice in the fridge on the top shelf. Also if you see any food down there, bring some up as well. I'm starving."

He gave her a somewhat look of disbelief. He should have been irritated that the first thing she did when she woke up is start ordering him around, hell, she didn't even greet him, but he had actually become quite fond of how she always knew exactly what she wanted, and wasn't afraid to be so direct with him about it. He let a small smirk cross his face before responding "Sure thing your highness." He said sarcastically before making his way towards the door. Part of him didn't want to keep the crew waiting, but he knew it wouldn't hurt to spend just a little more time with Nami, and besides that, getting something to drink besides alcohol and some food in his system weren't bad ideas either.

The swordsman proceeded down to the first floor, and immediately turned towards the kitchen from the stairs. As he entered the room, his eye fell instantly on the fridge, almost as if it was calling to him the entire time. He was so focused on it that he almost didn't even notice Nojiko's presence sitting at the kitchen table reading a newspaper.

"Good morning." Nojiko greeted him without lowering the paper.

"Morning." He responded, taking only a brief moment to glance at her, before continuing to head toward the fridge, but despite his glance being quick, he was still able to notice the headline of the paper. It read 'Cunning Marine Captain Nezumi Defeats Fishman Pirates in Surprise Attack at Sea'. Zoro scoffed at the mere thought someone so pathetic like that rat faced marine could ever be called 'Cunning', but paid it no further mind as he continued towards his goal.

Nojiko finally laid down her paper to watch Zoro's actions with a sly smile, similar to one that Nami would have, on her face. "If you're looking for the mikan juice that Nami likes, it on the top shelf behind the milk."

"Hmm." He responded indifferently.

"Also there is some fresh bread on the counter to your left. You guys have been up there a long time, you're probably hungry."

"Hmm." He responded again.

"I gotta say, your friends really know how to throw a party. I don't think they took a single break for two whole days. But then again neither did you and Nami."

There was an increasing playfulness to Nojiko's words. Zoro knew she was building up to something, but he only continued to respond with a simple "Hmm." He wasn't trying to be rude to his host, he was just too hungry and hungover to want to have a conversation at this point.

"Nice collar by the way." Nojiko complimented with a noticeable amusement in her tone.

"Tch…" Zoro grunted out in dissatisfaction. In his clouded state of mind he had completely forgotten that he was still wearing that ridiculous collar that was given to Nami by Perona. He turned towards Nojiko to gauge her amusement, but was taken aback by her obvious leering eyes running him up and down…

Her eyes continued to travel over his entire form before meeting up to his own. She couldn't help but let a naughty smile play across her face before addressing him with "And I guess I should say nice everything else as well."

Zoro's face took on a look of confusion, but only for a moment, as it was quickly replaced with one of shock and embarrassment. In his hazed state of mind, he not only forgot that he was wearing the collar, but he also forgot that the collar was the only thing he was wearing. "I… I… I'm sorry." Zoro quickly apologized, while trying to cover himself with his hands.

"Don't be." Nojiko told him with a smile and a wink.

Zoro stood motionless as he desperately tried to figure out his next move: Should he try to back out of the room quickly while covering what body parts he could? Sure it would show weakness, but under these circumstances, and Nojiko's unflinching gaze, no one would really blame him. Or should he show confidence, drop his hands, and continue the mission he had been sent on? After all, he was still quite thirsty and hungry, and those loafs of fresh bread on the counter were practically calling his name. Zoro felt like he had been standing in that same part for an eternity as he battled with himself over what his course of action should be, and he was just about to make the final decision when…

"What's taking so long Zoro?" Nami's voice broke the awkward silence of the room as she made her way down the stairs. "Did you get lost again?" Nami rounded the corner from the stairs and entered the kitchen. Unlike Zoro she had actually remembered to put on a bath robe before leaving the room, and luckily for the swordsman, she also brought him one to wear as well. "Oh... good morning Nojiko." She greeted her sister haphazardly as she tossed the robe towards Zoro. "You're up early."

Zoro tuned out the conversation that the two sisters began to have as he quickly put on the robe that Nami had thrown him, and he once again pursued his mission of gathering the items for Nami and himself. He placed the pitcher of mikan juice on the counter next to the bread, and began to look around for a couple of glasses to poor the liquid into. Nojiko directed him to the proper cabinet, and then immediately went back to her conversation with Nami. Once the two glass were full he handed one to Nami and then proceeded to rip a loaf of bread in half and handing that to Nami as well, before finally biting into the food. With his objective of finally obtaining some food, he tuned himself back into the conversation right in time to hear them discussing about how the after-party clean-up was nearly complete.

"As I was telling your boy-toy there," Nojiko teased the swordsman, getting only a slight 'tch' from Zoro in response. "Your new pirate friends throw a hell of a party. I don't think I've drank so much, or laughed so much, in years. It really was just what we all needed after all those years of being Arlong's prisoners. It's too bad they all already left. Some of the villagers wanted to give them some thank you gifts, but Luffy refused, saying something about gifts being for heroes and he wasn't a hero, because heroes have to share their meat or something…"

Zoro smirked at Nojiko's words; that sounded just like something Luffy would say, and he understood completely because he felt the same way, except instead of meat he wouldn't share his alcohol. But then suddenly Zoro's smirk disappeared and confusion took over his face. "Wait, did you say they already left?"

"Mm-hmm" Nojiko confirmed with a nod of her head, which only caused Zoro's look of confusion to deepen.

"What the hell?" Nami voiced, also confused, and honestly a little hurt. "I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye, or tell the rest of them how thankful I am… And what the hell is Zoro supposed to do? I can't believe they would just leave him here like that." The hurt and confusion left Nami's face and was replaced with one of slight anger.

Nojiko met Nami's expression with a small smile, as if to tell her everything was alright, before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out an envelope. "Well, they did at least leave a letter. Here you go." She said as she handed the envelope over to Zoro, who hesitantly took it with some skepticism.

Zoro first inspected the envelope a little, noticing that his name was written on the front of it, before finally opening it. His eye began to scan over it slowly, taking it in. He remained expressionless as he read it, causing Nami to get curious, so she leaned in to read it as well, which he allowed with no complaint, and the letter read:

Oi Shitty Marimo,

If you're reading this then you know that we already left, and can probably guess that I drew the short straw and had to write this shitty letter to you. You're about to read the hardest thing that I have ever had to write in my life, and that is that "you were right". The day of the intervention, you told us we had lost the will to chase our dreams in order to pursue our careers and relationships, and regardless of how much we hated hearing it, we all knew that you weren't wrong. We had grown comfortable in our everyday lives, and it had become hard to watch you stuck in past, still trying to pursue your dream while we had all given up on ours… but then, you had found Nami-san, and brought her into all of our lives, and when we all got the call from Luffy that said it was time to set sail because you had told him Nami needed our help, it all came flooding back to us. All those emotions we all felt sailing together. All the fun we had. How great it felt when we helped people. And of course the feelings of how great it felt to chase our dreams. We all feel it again, and as much as I hate to admit it, we feel it because of your shitty ass, but mainly because of Nami-san.

So if you're wondering what's next, we're all going to chase our dreams again, and we're going to do it together. Yes that includes you, and the "Real" Sunny too. The reason we left without you is because we all need to get some of our business things in order before we can set sail again though, but once that is all done, we'll meet you there, at the place we all swore to meet each other again.

Oh yeah, Luffy told me to tell you that you better make sure to bring Nami-san along with you so you don't get lost, that's a captain's order, she is our new navigator after all.

Zoro and Nami both took a break from reading the letter to share a quiet smile and a knowing glance, sure Zoro wanted to protest that he didn't get lost, but the idea that Nami would be there with him allowed him to relax his pride and see the bigger picture. After sharing their quick moment, they went back to finish reading the letter.

Franky said the ship Nami-san ordered should be delivered to the Conomi Islands within a couple of days, so you guys don't have to worry about finding transportation. You better not do anything improper to her when you guys are travelling all alone together, you shitty lucky bastard, because if you do, I'll stomp your ass a million times into the mud until you really do turn to into marimo. Don't roll your damn eye at me you shitty cyclops, I MEAN IT!

Alright, you get the gist of it. Give Nami and Nojiko my best, and make sure you go to hell.

Sanji.

...

…

PS: Take your time. Perona-Frawn and I just installed a new swing in the basement and need some time to get it broken in, and we plan to do that properly, a lot!

After reading the PS, Zoro immediately lost the soft thoughtful look on his face, and replaced it with one of anger and irritation as he quickly crumpled the letter in his hand before throwing it to the floor and stomping on it. "I'm going to kill that damn ero cook." He grumbled aloud as he seethed trough grit teeth. He took a few moments, to compose himself before turning towards Nami, to gauge her overall reaction to the letter.

Nami looked back at him with a slightly amused smile on her face, but her own soft thoughtful expression was still present. She knew what Zoro wanted to ask her, and only had one response. "Well, I guess we better start getting ready to set sail. We can't disobey our captain's orders, now can we?"

"You're really going to leave us again, aren't you?" Nojiko asked her sister.

"Are you mad?" Nami questioned back, worried about how Nojiko would react to her leaving again so soon.

But Nojiko showed no signs of being angry or hurt, instead she simply let out a small sigh, and gave Nami a smile before telling her "I kinda figured as much. You're not really meant for life on land after all. You belong out there on the sea. Taking control of the ocean and making this world your own, one map at a time. I do want to give you something though." Nojiko removed one of two gold bracelets from her wrist before handing it over to Nami. "Whenever you're in doubt about what you're doing out there in the world, just look at this bracelet and remember that you have family that loves and supports you, and I'm not just talking about me, everyone in this village is your family Nami, don't ever forget that."

Nami took the bracelet graciously and slipped it over her wrist. "I won't forget it Nojiko, and I'll cherish this, along with my other reminder of who my family is." Nami's hand went up to her new mikan-pinwheel tattoo, and she rubbed it a little as a heartfelt look befell her face. She had fought so long to find this kind of peace, the peace of knowing that those closest to her were finally safe, and now that she had it, she was going to make sure to never let this feeling go.

"I'd also tell you that you can remember to call every once in a while just to check in, but you're probably going to be very busy with that one there, and lose track of the days again." Nojiko said teasingly, directing her comments to both Nami and Zoro.

If the intent was to embarrass the pair, it did not have the desired effect, because both the swordsman and the navigator simply responded with knowing smirks, before turning to each other. "Well… Sanji-kun did ask us to take our time right?" Nami questioned Zoro, despite knowing the answer. "And I think that's just what we should do." Her expression then turned from a knowing smirk, to a mischievous smile. "You think you're up for the task of sailing alone with me marimo?"

"Hmph, as if you even need to ask witch." Zoro responded with a cocky grin and a challenging look of his own. "The question should be is whether you're ready to face the world with me… and eventually our pain in the ass captain that will undoubtedly get us into a ton of trouble?"

Nami met Zoro's gaze and instantly knew her response to him. For the first time in her life she could finally feel things going her way: Her family was safe. She was free to finally go out to sea and pursue her dream of making a map of the world. And she had found people she could put her trust into, and rely on… as well as someone she could say she was truly in love with. So with zero hesitation, and the most confident smile she had ever let form on her face, she answered "I've never been more ready in my entire life."

-0-0-0-0-

A couple of more days had passed and as promised Franky's company had delivered Nami's ship to the Conomi Islands. The ship was exactly as Nami had envisioned: a traditional wooden ship with tall masts and sails. It had a small cabin, just big enough for two, and a small motor for when storms got bad and the sails would have to be reeled in. Just from looking at it a person could tell it was made with expert craftsmanship and was sturdy enough to brave any sea across the world. And along at the back of the ship read the words Storm Keeper*, which Nami had chosen as the name of the ship, because in this new vessel she wouldn't just overcome the harsh weathers of the sea, she would take control of them and make them her own, and because of the ingenuity of Usopp and Franky, she also had a new three point staff that could help use those storms as a weapon*.

Nami watched her ship quietly from a distance, thinking about what adventures she would get to go on while sailing it. To her that ship represented a freedom she had always wanted, but wasn't sure was possible, until her new nakama had helped her make it so. She observed, hidden from view of others, as Zoro and some of the villagers loaded Storm Keeper with food and supplies, and let her fond feelings for that man continue to grow inside her with each passing moment. She knew that she should cherish every moment her and him share together, because life is too short and full of too many uncertainties to take them for granted anymore.

She was taken from her thoughts as Zoro had seemed to wrap up with the preparations of the ship, and the rest of the villagers began to gather, to no doubt bid her farewell. Nami placed her new weapon inside a leather holster on her hip before taking a deep breath and letting a sly smile form on her face before hollering out over the crowd. "Zoro!" She yelled causing everyone to look for her presence. "Untie the ship and loosen the sails!" The swordsman said nothing, and just simply complied with her orders, as the rest of the villagers looked on in confusion. Finally Nami darted out from her hiding place and quickly started to run towards the docks.

"Nami wait!" A flustered villager screamed as he realized that Nami was trying to make her escape. "You can't really be trying to leave without letting us say goodbye?"

She said nothing as she began to zig-zag through the crowd. Some of the villagers tried to get in front of her path, but to no avail as she simply slipped by them with ease. "Please Nami, stop." A female villager tried to plead with her. "At least let us thank you before you go."

"Quick! Someone block the docks!" Another male villager called out, but the attempt would be in vain as Nami simply leap-frogged over a man standing at the edge of the dock before sprinting to the end and leaping off the final board right onto the deck of the ship.

The villagers all stood stunned, not knowing why Nami wouldn't at least say goodbye before departing, but then they all noticed an all too familiar mischievous look on her face, and their faces went from stunned to outright shocked as Nami lifted her shirt, only for several wallets and small coin purses to fall from it. "So long suckers!" Nami waved with a wink and razz.

Jaws dropped and eyes bulged, as the villagers all went into a frenzy.

"You damn brat!"

"Get your ass back here you thief!"

"You rotten little…"

The curses and badgering continued as the ship continued to depart further into the ocean, but several of the villagers clearly had smiles plastered on their face as they were doing so. Some of those villagers were Nojiko, Genzo, and Dr. Nako who were all standing back from the crowd with heartfelt smiles on their face as they didn't expect anything less from the Nami that they all knew and loved.

-0-0-0-0-

"You sure you fine leaving like that?" Zoro asked as he stood next to Nami who was now at the helm.

"Yeah," She answered nonchalantly with a shrug of her shoulders. "I'm not really someone who is good with goodbyes, and besides that, we'll probably need the pocket money for our journey. Nothing's free in this world after all."

"Hmph…" He sounded off with a nod. "But you know full well that you wouldn't have needed that pocket money if you hadn't have left that briefcase with at least a hundred times that back at your sister's place." He told her with a knowing smirk.

"Ever since I set sail twelve years ago to collect that money, it has always been to save my village, and even with Arlong gone, that is still what that money is for. There is no way I could ever not leave it there." Nami took a moment to look down at the bracelet that Nojiko had given her before continuing. "With that money I'm sure Cocoyasi can do great things. They can rebuild, buy some fishing and transportation boats, start trading with other islands again, and thrive like they haven't in years. I'm sure that they can turn that small investment into a future for everyone… Besides that, I consider it more of a loan than anything, and expect them to pay me back every Beli with interest." Nami finished with a firm nod, but Zoro had a feeling that she for once didn't mean that last part. Nami might be greedy, but not when it came to people and things she loved.

Zoro gave a smirk and nod to show he understood before asking "Well, this is your boat, and you're at the helm, so until we get to Sabaody Archipelago, and meet back up with Luffy, I guess that makes you captain. So where to first captain?"

Nami cringed at the being called captain, it definitely didn't suit her. She had a feeling that Zoro was probably just doing it to tease her, and when she turned to gauge his expression to find a smug look across his face, she knew she was right, causing her to shake her head at him in disproval of the title.

"Do we just punch straight through to the Grand Line, or do we stick around East Blue for a bit and make preparations for our journey?" He continued, this time with no title.

"Well, there are still a few areas of East Blue I haven't covered yet and wouldn't mind making maps of… But the idea of going to the New World and literally taking it by storm with this new weapon that Usopp and Franky made for me, has me getting a different kind of scared and excited then that jet boat got me." Nami brought her thumb to her mouth so she could bite down on her thumb-nail while she thought for a moment. Suddenly her eyes shot open wide, but only for a moment, as an idea that just seemed perfect popped into her head. She then turned to Zoro with a confident smile before finally answering his question with "I guess we'll just see where the sea and winds take us, and of course we'll just leave it…" Nami took a long pause as her and Zoro's gaze held each other's, both with knowing smiles across their faces. "…to luck."

~The End~

…

…

Author Notes and Translations:

*As said at the beginning of the story, there is modern technology in this A.U. such as mobile phones, and digital cameras, but since Cocoyasi was under Arlong's rule, he destroyed all mobile phones and only left a couple of land lines, so the villagers were using old school video cameras to record the events taking place, so if they were all wiped out by Fishman Pirates in their assault, they would at least have evidence that they actually existed in this world.

*Just as in the original manga/anime, Genzo stopped by the grave and shared a cup of sake. And he had that man to man with Luffy who assured him that now that Nami was part of his crew, no one would ever take away her smile again.

*Kanpai = Japanese version of cheers.

*Storm Keeper = I actually got the name from a song from "Two Steps from Hell". They are an orchestra that composes big epic music that is often used for movie and video game trailers, also great to listen to for inspiration to write. And the title of the song just seems to fit Nami perfectly.

*New Three Point Staff = Yep, it's the Clima-Tact, before time skip though, since Nami hasn't been to Weatheria in this A.U. yet. It was what Usopp and Franky were working on while in the Sunny II a couple of chapters ago.

…

…

My Ramblings:

Time is such a strange thing, when you are anxious or waiting for something to happen, you could literally watch the seconds go by, and still feel that it isn't moving fast enough… but when your content, when things are actually going as they should be, time just seems to fly by, months feel like only days, and years feel like only weeks, we chalk it up to getting older and being busy, but we also know that we always had time before, but at the same time, it is a good thing. What the hell am I even rambling about you might ask? My life. Since I started this story so long ago I thought that I would have it finished within a year, but now I realize that it took me over 5. Don't get me wrong, I have been busy = Travelled to China several times to spend time with someone I love, got married, had a child, been part of making a small business successful, yet I still wanted to finish this story because it meant so much to me in the beginning and it still does. So here I am in China (for the 6th time), so my daughter can spend time with her grandparents, and I finally get to finish this story. Sorry if my rambling in confusing, just thought it was kind funny how life plays out sometimes and comes back around full circle.

Well anyway… Thank you everyone who stuck around to read this from the moment I first started writing it, and the new readers who picked it up along the way. I hope you enjoyed reading my work. Now go out there and find something you love and are passionate about because "Money might make the world go around, but passion makes it worth living in. Be passionate about your passions."

-fmdevil