One Piece: The Agony of Weakness

Epilogue

The sea was shrouded in the veil of night with the only constant source of light coming from the moon high in the sky. The sea was calm and the sky was perfectly clear. It was a night of peace and tranquility, especially for the Straw Hat Pirates. Only a few hours ago, the entire crew had been fighting for their lives against an overwhelming army of marines. Now, they were sailing through the night, looking for a safe place to rest their weary heads. Everyone on the crew was exhausted, but they knew that the marines were persistent and the ships that they had evaded on Cardio would already be searching for them. They could not rest until they were sure that they were safe from harm.

The crew took up positions around the Sunny to keep an eye out for approaching ships. The ship was in complete silence save for the occasional navigation order given out by Nami. There were so many questions that needed answers and everyone was dying to get them, but the crew had been sailing together long enough to know that safety had to come first. After what seemed like an eternity, Zoro, who had taken his place in the Crow's Nest, finally made an announcement over the intercom.

"All right everyone," His voice reaching every crewmembers ear. "I haven't seen any sign of marines in a while. I think it's safe for us to relax." His voice was heavy with relief as he spoke. Every person on the crew gave out a long and happy sigh. They were safe. However, their moment of peace didn't last very long. "Now then..." Zoro said. After he spoke the hatch to the Crow's Nest opened and Zoro came climbing down. Everyone was gathering together on deck, and the same question was on all of their minds. It was Usopp that gave that question life.

"Luffy," He said quietly. "What the hell were you doing?!" He snapped stabbing his finger at Luffy who was standing in the center of the grassy lawn. "I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but you almost got all of us killed! Do you realize that?" Usopp was beginning to shout. Luffy stood facing Usopp letting every word sink into him without saying a word in his defense. "You can't just go around making boneheaded decisions like that! You turned yourself in?! That ridiculous!" Usopp had made his point and everyone knew it, but they were all angry. Usopp was right; Luffy's stupid decision to go to the Navy base nearly cost them everything that they had worked for. However, he was taking it too far and he was pissing Nami off.

"Usopp." Nami said quietly. She had taken a seat on the bench that circled the primary mast of the ship. Usopp stopped his rant at Luffy and turned to look at Nami. "Stop alright? Just stop." She said calmly. Normally, Usopp wouldn't have pushed this any further, but he still had energy to burn. He pointed his finger at Nami.

"Oh no! Do not sit there and defend him!" He said angrily. His tone had calmed down and he wasn't shouting anymore, but he still was not happy. "You were more broken up by what he did than anyone. The least he can do is off us an explanation!" He turned to the rest of the crew who were scattered around the grass lawn. "Come on, someone has to agree with me." He pleaded. Sanji and Zoro both nodded but Brook spoke up first.

"Well yes. I would certainly like to know what happened to our captain, but is all this shouting really necessary?" He said putting his hand to his head. "We have had a hard day and I for one have a skull splitting headache." He paused for a moment before laughing. "I made a bone appropriate joke for once and I wasn't even making a joke!" He laughed. Brook began spinning in place and singing. Robin sighed and ignored the noisy skeleton.

"I agree, mostly." She said. "Luffy does owe us an explanation at least. I don't understand what you were trying to accomplish by turning yourself into the marines." She said with concern in her voice. Brook bounced in front of Robin and continued spinning in place but Sanji gently pushed the spinning skeleton out of the way with the heel of his foot.

"Yeah what gives Luffy?" Sanji asked holding Brook back. "Was turning yourself in really the only thing your pint sized brain could come up with? I know you don't like to sit around, but there had to be something better you could have done. Like attending to our gorgeous Navigator!" Hearts appeared in his eyes as he dashed over to Nami on the bench and laid his hands on her legs. "If you're not man enough to love your lady like she deserves to be, I'd be happy to-" Sanji's words were cut off by a swift punch to the face from Nami. She was in no mood for Sanji's perversion right now. Luffy looked at everyone and laughed.

"Why does everyone keep saying I turned myself in?" He asked innocently. His question was rewarded with a look of surprise from everyone except Nami who was covering her face with one hand. Underneath that hand, was a slowly growing smile. She knew that Luffy never intended to get captured by the marines, but she didn't know exactly what he was trying to do. Chopper tilted his head and looked at Luffy.

"But, you turned yourself in...Right?" The reindeer asked. "I mean, that was why you went to the Navy base right? You were turning yourself in because I couldn't fix you. Right?" Chopper asked. Luffy laughed and shook his head.

"That's what Nami asked." He said as he put his hand on the back of his head. He giggled again before answering. "I love you guys. Everyone one of you are funny. I wasn't turning myself in. That's stupid. If I did that, my bounty would go back down to zero right? I don't want that." He said nonchalantly. Brook stopped spinning and came over to listen while Franky scratched his head.

"Alright. Now I'm SUPER confused." He said. "If you weren't turning yourself in, then what the heck were you doing?" Luffy shrugged.

"I was looking for the poison Chopper needed." Everyone's shocked looks remained and even Nami looked over the top of her hand. She looked at Luffy and her smile grew a bit more, but she didn't want to show it. "Yeah, he said that the marines had the stuff they used to poison me. So I figured that I would go and get some for you Chopper." Luffy said with a big grin. "I couldn't find any though." The crew stood around in stunned silence until Robin decided to get more information.

"So, you broke into a Navy base, to find an experimental poison that they probably keep under heavy guard at Navy Headquarters?" She asked slowly. Zoro laughed and shook his head.

"Luffy, you weren't going to find that stuff here. A poison that powerful wouldn't be at some backwater Navy Base." Zoro said. Luffy looked at Zoro with a confused look.

"But Chopper said that the marines had it. So I went to get some." He explained proudly. He walked over to the bench where Nami was sitting and sat down next to her. "I would have gotten it too if those marines hadn't tried to hurt Nami. "Lucky for me, we didn't need to find it. I turned back into rubber by myself." He said giggling. The crew stood around in a stunned silence except for Robin and Zoro who were laughing at their captain's antics. Nami groaned.

"You moron. You had no idea what you were looking for." She said sweetly. She shook her head and felt Luffy's hat bounce on her back. Nami smiled and decided that she was going to hang onto it for now. "Besides, you were raiding the fridge when I found you. You definitely weren't going to find a super secret poison in there." She said looking at him. As hard as she tried, she couldn't make the smile on her face go away. She was so happy to have Luffy back on the ship. Feeling him sitting next to her was a feeling that she would never get tired of. Luffy shrugged and laughed. To the great displeasure of Luffy, Nami stood up and stretched. "Now I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I'm beat. I say we get some sleep and discuss our captains idiocy in the morning." Everyone agreed. Sanji, who was still sitting on the ground from Nami's punch stood up.

"Sounds like a plan." He said brushing himself off. "I'll take first watch. Mosshead? You take second watch around-" Luffy stood up and spoke cutting Sanji off.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Luffy said with a big smile. "I'll take watch. All night. You guys get a good night sleep. Captains orders." The crew objected at first. By all rights, Luffy should be more tired than any of them. But idiot or not, he was still the captain. Everyone reluctantly agreed and headed for bed. As he watched his crew heading to their respective dorms, he giggled and turned his attention to the bright moon above him. 'It's the least I can do for making everyone so mad.' Luffy thought, looking at sky.

"So, you don't seem very angry at our captain miss Navigator." Robin said as she sat at the vanity in the girl's dorm. She was gently brushing her hair while looking at Nami in the mirror. "I figured that you would be ready to kill him yourself after the way he ran off." She said with a smile. Nami shook her head.

"No," Nami said as she lay on her bed facing Robin. "I mean I was." She laughed. "I was furious with him when I found him in the kitchen, but having him back on the ship making a fool of himself," Nami paused and giggled as she ran her hand through her hair. "I just can't bring myself to be angry at him now." Her eyes drifted from Robin to the object that lay on her bed next to her. It was Luffy's straw hat. She placed her hand on top of it and gently stroked the top of the hat. She noticed that it was torn in a few places. 'I'll have to fix this up for him tomorrow.' She thought. Robin looked at the hat in the mirror and smiled.

"A girl and her lover's hat huh?" She said with a sly grin. "You know, having that hat gives you the perfect reason to go back out and spend time with him." Robin said as she turned away from the mirror and turned in her chair to face Nami. Nami smiled and Robin smiled back. "But judging from that grin, you were planning on doing that anyway weren't you?" Robin asked. Nami sat up and nodded her head.

"Yeah, I was. I am just giving him a little bit of time to himself first. I WAS planning on sneaking out after you fell asleep you know?" She asked sticking her tongue out at Robin. Robin smiled and stood up.

"Please miss Navigator," Robin said as she walked over to her bed and sat down. "I always know when you leave and when you come back. You aren't as sneaky as you think you are." Robin teased. Nami scoffed and stood up.

"Well, next time I'll save you the trouble and tell you when I'm sneaking out." Nami said as she picked up Luffy's hat and walked towards the door. She stopped as she reached the door. Nami looked over her shoulder and smiled. "As long as you tell me when YOU sneak off." Nami said giggling. She opened the door and stepped out. "Good night Robin." She said as she closed the door. Robin chuckled and lay down.

"Should I expect you back tonight?" Robin called as the door closed. She received no response. The older woman shook her head as she turned the lights off and went to bed.

Nami walked out onto the balcony outside of the girl's dorm and leaned against the railing. It had been about an hour since the crew had turned in for the night and she figured that everyone, except Robin, was already asleep. That's what she was hoping anyway. Nami wanted to spend some time with Luffy and she didn't want any interruptions. She scanned the ship looking for him. But there was no sign of Luffy anywhere.

"Where is he?" Nami said aloud. "He offered to stay on watch. There's no way he went to bed." Nami walked over to the steps and descended them. She walked into the middle of the grass and looked around. "Luffy?" She called out. Getting no response, Nami became irritated. "Where the heck is he?" She said with attitude evident in her tone. She began to turn around when she stopped and chuckled to herself. "Duh. I know where he is. Am I really that stupid?" Nami turned and began heading for the Lion figurehead. It was his favorite spot on the entire ship. If he was anywhere, it would be there. As she drew closer to the lion, she loudly cleared her throat. In quick response, she heard a scrambling sound and Luffy's head appeared at the top of the figurehead. Luffy smiled as soon as he laid his eyes on Nami.

"Hey Nami." He said cheerfully. He held his hand out to her. "Wanna come up?" He asked sweetly. Nami nodded and took his hand. He helped her up onto the figurehead and jumped down to help her down onto the nose. The pair sat down a few inches away from each other. "What's up? Couldn't sleep?" Luffy asked. Nami had to giggle at the concern in his voice.

"Oh, YOU are concerned about ME?" Nami asked with a smile on her face. "After the stunt you pulled on us, you're concerned? Don't make me laugh." She said a bit harsher than she meant to. Luffy shrugged and turned his head to look out of the dark sea.

"Come on Nami, don't tell me you're still mad at me. I didn't want you to worry about me." He said quietly. Nami scoffed.

"After the scene you caused when you left the Sunny? Luffy you threw away your hat for crying out loud. You ran away and I honestly thought you were going to try to hurt yourself. How did you think I was going to react?" Nami demanded. The question was a bit out of Luffy's expertise and she didn't expect him to answer, but he did. Luffy tilted his head down so the shadows of his hair covered his eyes.

"I don't really want to talk about it." He said hesitantly. Nami crossed her arms and glared at Luffy.

"No. You don't get to keep this bottled up." She said menacingly. If looks could kill, her gaze would have killed Luffy ten times over. "We talked about this: You don't get to hide your feelings from me. That's not fair to me, and not healthy for you." She smiled and her tone softened. "This whole ordeal was hard on you wasn't it?" Nami said softly. "You can talk to me about you know?" She paused briefly and sighed. "Now spill." She ordered. Luffy groaned and hung his head.

"Fine. But can I have my hat back yet?" He pleaded. Nami shook her head.

"No." She said plainly. Luffy groaned again. He took a deep breath and looked at the dark water ahead of them.

"Nami... I.I didn't mean to scare you. I just...I was scared. I knew that I had to do something to fix myself. I have to protect you Nami. I HAVE to. I..." Luffy's words trailed away. Nami looked at him and waited for him to continue. When he didn't Nami moved closer to him and laid her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. Nami smiled and nodded. Luffy returned the nod. "I...I don't want to lose you again. Two years ago, I couldn't stop us from being torn apart." He looked down at his hand. "When I heard Chopper saying that he couldn't fix me, I saw it happening again. I saw you getting hurt or worse and I wasn't strong enough to stop it. I...I couldn't take it. That's why I ran away. I was so scared about losing you again. I.. I had to help Chopper. I..." His words trailed off again. Luffy wasn't the kind of person to openly speak like this very often. His words really surprised Nami. She loved hearing him talk like this because it showed her how much he honestly cared about her. Luffy never talked like this. Nami knew that these words were the words his heart wanted to tell her. Besides, Luffy wasn't smart enough to lie about this kind of thing.

"Luffy." Nami mumbled as she closed her eyes. She felt Luffy's hand craw up to hers and his fingers slipped between hers. He squeezed her hand gently.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Nami. Please don't be mad at me." He pleaded. Nami felt like her heart was going to explode but she knew she couldn't give in this easily.

"No way!" Nami snapped without letting go of Luffy's hand. "You owe me big time mister." She said smacking his hand. "You owe me at least 4 million beli for this whole thing. And I expect full payment very soon." She said forcefully. Luffy stayed silent for a moment and then giggled.

"Aww come on Nami. 4 hundred million? That's a lot. Do I really have to pay all of it?" He asked. Nami picked her head up and turned it away from Luffy.

"Yes. And there's nothing you can say that will get you out of your debt." She said. Luffy giggled.

"Nothing huh?" He said suspiciously. "What about this?" He asked. Before Nami could ask what he meant, she felt his hand on the side of her face. He gently turned Nami's face around to his. Luffy leaned forward and kissed Nami, locking their lips together in a deep, passionate kiss. Nami did nothing for a few seconds but she couldn't ignore him. She closed her eyes and put her arms on Luffy's shoulders, holding him against her. Nami loved the feeling of his lips against hers and she never wanted this moment to end. Time seemed to come to a stop and there was nothing else in the entire world except the two of them. These two lovers locked in a never-ending kiss. When Luffy finally broke off the kiss and tried to pull his head away, he was stopped by Nami's arms. Nami shook her head.

"Nope. You don't get to leave yet." She said slyly. Nami pulled Luffy back in for another kiss. He offered no resistance and quickly gave into another kiss. This one didn't last as long as the first, but Nami loved every second of it and she knew that Luffy loved it too. Finally, Nami let her hands slip away from Luffy's shoulders and she felt him slowly pull away. He didn't go very far though. Luffy kept his face right next to hers and he smiled at her.

"I love doing that." He said plainly. Luffy rested his forehead against hers. Nami giggled. She knew she was right but it was still nice to her him say it. "So does that count?" He asked.

"Count for what?" Nami asked confused.

"My debt." Luffy said laying a quick kiss on Nami's nose. Nami fought away a smile as she pretended to be offended.

"The only reason you kissed me was to work off your debt?" She asked pretending to be hurt. She emphasized the point by pulling her head away from Luffy, leaving his forehead stranded. Luffy squirmed. "I can't believe you!" She snapped.

"No no no! That's no it at al!" He said desperately. "I love kissing you debt or no debt!" He said tripping over his own words. Nami giggled.

"Oh?" She asked. It pained her to do it, but she decided to let him off. He did have a pretty bad day. "Alright fine. But that little screw up just sent your debt through the roof." She said with a large smile. Luffy groaned.

"Nammmmiii" He complained. "That's not fair. Now how much is it?" He asked. Nami shrugged returning her forehead to its rightful place against Luffy's.

"Hmm… I don't know yet. So you better start working on it." She said leaning in for another kiss. Luffy quickly accepted the kiss and his lips met hers for a third time. This kiss was brief but worth it. As they pulled away from each other, Nami felt Luffy's hand squeezing hers again. Nami sighed happily. She leaned her head forward leaned up against Luffy. "Besides, a debt this large is going to take a lot more than a few little kisses to pay off." She said looking up at him. Luffy giggled.

"Yeah, I know." He said. He paused for a few moments just enjoying being with the woman he loved. The pair listened to the sounds of the tranquil night sea. This moment was perfect and they both knew it. "Hey Nami?" Luffy asked quietly.

"Yeah?" She answered.

"Thanks for saving me." He said with a smile on his face. "I love you so much." Nami smiled as she felt tears stinging the edges of her eyes.

"I love you too Luffy." She said snuggling against him and feeling he warmth of his body against hers. This was another feeling she loved. The pair sat in silence for a few minutes before Luffy broke the silence.

"Hey Nami?" Luffy asked again.

"Yeah?" She answered again.

"Can I have my hat back yet?" He pleaded. Nami laughed and pulled her body away from his. She began taking the hat off of her neck.

"No." She joked as she set the hat down on his lap. She snuggled against him again. Luffy and Nami sat in each other's embrace until the sun began to rise, ushering in a new day. A new day of adventure and hardships awaited them. But they both knew as long as they had one another and their friends, they would be able to overcome anything the New World could throw at them.

There was only one thing left to say...

"Just so you know," Nami said sticking her tongue out at Luffy. "I love you more."

End Agony of Weakness

That's it for Agony of Weakness. I love this story. It is by far my favorite thing I have ever written. I already have plans for at least one sequel that follows the crew's battle with Vice Admiral Omoide. Depending on how long that story becomes, I may take a break mid story, but if I do, I will let you know. Of course it will still be a romance story, but will be more action and adventure in the next story. But that will come at a later date.

-SilverWrath