Stolen

Spark in the Waves

XXX

The hooded man looked up at him, gazing across the table at the decorated Marine, and his lips began to scowl, "What do you mean by 'missing'?"

His father, the Marine, finished crunching through his rice crackers, "Just what I said. Been missing almost half the year now. I stopped by oh, two months ago to check on him. As far as they can tell, he just went and walked right off the island. He tracked him down to the shore, and he couldn't track him anywhere else. Kid must've searched days ... He ate a Devil Fruit, you know." He ate another cracker, "He could've drowned, I guess, but even that brat isn't so stupid as to just walk into the ocean."

Raising a brow, he asked, "Do you think he found a boat then? Or some slavers found him?"

His father grimaced, and stared through him as if disturbed, "I'd know if it were slavers. Been keeping my eye on the black market since."

"So he boarded a ship," He mused, scratching his chin. The boy was only nine years old, and was in no way ready for a life at sea, but even so, he felt some relief. After all of his father's talk of turning his son into a Marine, it seemed that he had found his own freedom.

With a grumble, his father said, "He's probably just been turned into a cabin boy. That's what he'd get for stowing away on a ship, and it'd serve him right! Teach him discipline and proper manners." He shoved more rice crackers into his mouth to crunch away. It was clear to anyone that bothered to look that he was furious.

Not that many would look at a Vice-Admiral talking to a hooded man in a seedy bar on the outskirts of town. It was almost too easy for the two of them to meet up like this. A lawless countryside in the West Blue surrounded by an icy desert was one of their spots.

Away from the rest of a watching world.

He grinned, and Garp the Fist asked, "And what's gotten into you?"

"Son of a dangerous revolutionary, and grandson of a Vice-Admiral." Dragon chuckled deep in his throat, "The world doesn't even know he's gone."

XXX

Nami stared down at the boy in the barrel. It was just tall enough that she had to get on the tips of her toes to look inside. The boy had messy black hair with a scar under his left eye, and he just snored away. She considered her options before stepping back. Taking ahold of the barrel's lid, Nami yanked, and toppled it over. The barrel thudded with a sound like booming thunder, and rolled across the deck of the little ship. From inside, the boy gave out a surprised yelp, and then began to scream.

"Make it stop! Make it stop!"

When the barrel did, at last, come to a halt, the boy staggered out, holding his stomach.

Nami put her hands on her hips, and said, "Serves you right, stowaway!"

"Stowawhat?" His stare at her was incomprehensive, and a sickly green.

"You're a stowaway! You snuck onto my ship for a free ride," she tried to stand a little taller. He looked younger, but some boys didn't let that get in the way of trying to act tough. Nami would have to stomp any of that in the bud, "You owe me!"

He scratched his head. His stomach no longer appeared to be bothering him, but he rubbed his belly, "No, I didn't. I was commanding ... commemoraborating ... counteracting it!"

Nami sniffed, and said, "Commandeering, stupid."

He grinned, "Yeah, that!"

"You can't steal my ship," she crossed her arms, puffing out her chest super-importantly. "I'm the great thief, Nami! I steal from pirates!"

"Well, I'm gonna be King of the Pirates!" As she gaped at him, his smile grew all the wider, and prouder. He held his hand out to her, "I'm Monkey D. Luffy. Nice to meet ya."

"I hate pirates!" She grabbed a spare oar, and swung it at him, "They took Bellemére away!"

Catching the oar in mid-swing, he paled due to how close it was to striking him, "Oi, quit it!" The boy yanked the oar out of her hands, and tossed it aside.

Nami backed up, and she glanced around for another weapon, starting to worry.

The boy turned away then, pulling himself up onto the railing before he gasped out, "Aah! Where's the beach!?"

With a deep frown, Nami opted to hide behind another barrel instead, "I stole from some pirates, and ran!"

"Well then, go back!"

"I can't go back, stupid stowaway pirate, they'll kill me! Just swim back already." Never mind that there was no land in sight, and that she had been sailing for hours now; she hoped that perhaps the stupid pirate would try just that.

With a sudden whine, and sniffle, the boy cried, "But - but I can't swim! I'll drown!"

Incredulous, Nami looked around her barrel to gape at him, "What kind of pirate can't swim, stupid!?"

He sniffed some snot back into his nose, "I gots a Devil Fruit power."

Even as her nose twisted in disgust, Nami climbed out from behind the barrel, "Stupid pirate boy, Devil Fruits don't exist. Stop playing pretend, and learn how to swim on your way back!"

"But then ..." he yanked on his cheek then, and it extended as far as his arm stretched out to the side, "ho' cab I 'o 'is?"

She screamed.

XXX

Nami stopped off at an island, frowning at him, "You can get off here."

"Is this my island?"

"No, but there's a port here. Maybe someone will give you a ride back."

His little puffed out chest fell, "But you're the one that knows where it is!"

Nami stared at him with some consternation, "Just tell them what island you're from." When he just continued to stare right back at her, she said, "Show where it is on a map."

"Uh ... I can't read maps. How'm I s'posed to show 'em?"

She must have been gawking at him for longer than she had thought because then he waved his hand slowly in front of her face. Snapping out of her trance, Nami shook her head, "How do you not know where you're from!?"

"Oh, that's Fuusha Village."

She couldn't recall such a place near Gray Terminal - just how had he wandered so far from home then? "Yeah, sure, but ... what island? Do you know what country that's in?"

He shrugged.

She screamed, "You're the stupidest pirate I've ever met!"

"Yeah, well! You're -! Uh ... a thief!"

Continuing on right over his feeble insults, she said, "You can't swim, don't know where you're from or where you're going! You're ridiculous!"

The boy first sniffed, and then began to sniffle, snot and drool starting to go down his face. He managed to mumble out, "Don't - don't you know ...? I - I wanna go home! With Ace 'n Da - Dadan, and the stupid ... stupid mountain bandits!"

"Are you done at pretending to be a pirate now?" She asked, feeling herself start to cave.

Just as quickly as she had said it, his lower lip stiffened up, and he stamped his foot, "No way! I'm not pretending 'cause I'm gonna be the real Pirate King. I'll show you!"

Instantly, she felt the rage again, "You don't even know the first thing about sailing, I bet! You couldn't get back home even if I gave you everything you needed. You're just a dumb pirate kid! Stupid!"

"Well, you're just a kid too!" He blinked then, and seemed to assess what he had just said. "You can do all those things! Are you a pirate?"

"No, I steal from pirates, stupid," Nami touched her shoulder, scowling at him.

"If you're just a kid ... then I could learn it all too."

Nami snorted, "You're too stupid."

"Am not!"

"Who's gonna teach a stupid head like you to be a pirate anyway?" She smirked, and crossed her arms, certain that she had caught him in a hole in his plan.

He grinned, "You."

XXX

At first, she had tried everything to get him off of her boat short of drowning him. Attempting to shove him off onto the beach had only resulted in bruises for her. Apparently, he had older brothers, and they had been sufficient training in handling a young girl. So, for the meanwhile at least, Nami was stuck with the stupid pirate boy.

"You have to feed yourself," Nami huffed that afternoon.

The boy, who had been happily clinging to the mast, slid down with a thump upon landing on the deck, "Huh?"

"I only packed enough food for me. I don't have anything for you."

"Hmmm ... then I'll just fish for some!"

Rolling her eyes, she said, "Fine. Go ahead and try, stupid pirate."

"I will!"

And he did, sitting there on the railing, and Nami thought about pushing him off.

With him gone, she could continue on back to Arlong without issue. Bringing some strange boy home probably wouldn't bode well with the Fishman after all. Also, there would be one less possible pirate in the world too. That thought gave her cause to reflect however. He was just some kid, and not everyone grew up to be what they wanted to be. It was probably just a phase. She could remember before the incident; boys in Cocoyashi would play at Pirates and Marines, and they all had their preferred roles. Before the incident. Nami didn't think that they played that game any longer.

For two reasons.

If she pushed him off now, she wouldn't have to cave in later to feed him too. The way that the boy was fishing - with one line in the middle of a vast ocean without a shore in sight - he would be lucky to catch seaweed. The ocean was too large for such a means to ever feed anyone. He would starve first. Then it would be a mercy.

Nami had never killed anyone before though. Was he telling the truth about his Devil Fruit ability? She had seen him stretch, but sometimes people had really elastic skin. Had she imagined how far he had been able to stretch his cheek? Nami hadn't seen him stretch since. Would he really simply drown if she shoved him over the rail? Would Bellemére forgive her if she did?

"Will you cook the fish for me when I catch one?"

She scowled, "You won't, and no."

"Why not?"

"I don't even want you here! And even if you ever do catch something, why should I help you stay longer?"

His cheeks puffed up petulantly, "Fine then, I'll do it myself!"

Miraculously, he caught some kind of flat fish. And, also miraculously, Nami put the fire out in time, and she didn't kill him.

XXX

He somehow stuck around. Nami couldn't get rid of him; try as she might to get him to come off of the ship with her, Luffy refused. Even more vexing, she couldn't find another ship to steal so she could just leave him stranded. They were either too heavily guarded or even too large of a vessel for her to consider manning alone. Nami also had too much treasure accumulated already for her to even think of abandoning it.

However, time was passing by quickly. She would have to return to Arlong soon with new information. New sea charts.

Her wrist was beginning to ache as she was walking back to the tiny inlet where she had hidden the ship. She pouted when she saw the remains of a campfire on the beach, but disregarded it. Even should she have caught him off of the ship, Nami didn't think she would be able to depart without him jumping on board again.

A she climbed onto the deck, Nami frowned as she realized that she couldn't hear him. Usually Luffy was loud in everything that he did - she had even kicked him out of the cabin during the night because of his weird habit of arguing with her in his sleep. She did a quick glance around to be sure he wasn't about before she looked carefully into the small cabin - wary of any falseness.

When she heard the little sniffles, she stopped crouching around, and looked under the table.

"Only babies cry," said Nami.

He frowned at her through red eyes, "I'm not a baby. I bet dumb thief-girls cry too."

"Well, I don't cry," she insisted. "I'm never going to cry again."

After a moment, he wiped his cheeks, "Then ... I won't cry again either!"

Nami looked down at her toes ,and picked a tiny rock out of her sandals. She scoffed, "It doesn't work like that, stupid pirate."

"You just decided, I can too."

She frowned, but didn't respond.

"Nami ..."

She looked at him then, and he looked as if he might begin crying, "What?"

"I miss Ace."

Something made her eyes moisten, but she blinked it away, "So go home already. I'm busy enough without you in my way."

"And what busy little bees you've been."

Nami spun around too late. A huge hand clamped onto her shoulder, and shoved her against the door frame, causing her to scream in surprise and pain.

The man's breath stunk as he leaned in to sneer at her, "Lucky me. I got to see you skipping out of town before you disappeared. Remember me? Stole some goods off me a little while ago."

Nami screamed and tried to kick for his balls, but he was holding her up too high. He was too tall.

Then he was screaming as well, and Nami fell to the floor, only to blink at the sight of Luffy chomping onto his ankle. Scurrying to the side, Nami grabbed the fire extinguisher, and crushed it into the man's unprotected crotch. As he curled over in pain, Luffy leapt up to punch him in the face, making him howl. Nami grabbed the boy's hand, and pulled him out of the cabin. The man growled, and stumbled after them.

Nami tried to pull him to the railing first, "Come on! We can hide in the woods!"

His hand was gone suddenly, and she turned around. He had stopped to pick up one of the oars, and was facing down the man.

"Don't!" The panic escalated in Nami then, and she began to breathe rapidly. In her mind's eye, Bellemére was standing there. "Don't protect me! Don't save me!"

When he turned to look at her strangely, the man smacked him aside, and lunged at her, "Damn bitch!"

She cried out in pain, but she tried to clam up. There was no way that she would allow even the dumb pirate boy to die, and to convince him to do nothing, she just ... had to stop screaming.

And yet, it was so difficult when the man lifted her up by the throat to shout into her face, "That's right, girl, no one'd save a little bitch like you."

She chanted, too terrified to stop, "Don't save me! Don't save me! Don't save-"

Nami was dropped, and as she looked up in a daze, Luffy was standing over the collapsed man with a broken oar replacing the oar he had before. He fumed at her, "Don't you ever say that again!"

She gaped, and glanced down at the unmoving man, "I ... we should ... toss him off. Quick, help me get him over."

The man at least groaned in pain as they managed to haul him up and over the railing. When she chanced a look back at the inlet as they sailed away, Nami thought she saw a dark shadow on the beach that was shaking his fist after them.

It was as she began to relax after changing their course - so he couldn't give chase - that she realized how sullen and reticent Luffy had become. Before she could speak, he rounded on her, "Don't say that stuff ever again!"

The past ten minutes felt like a day's long struggle, and Nami snapped with anger, "You could've been killed! I'll say it a million time and more if I want to!"

"No."

She blinked at that and stared before she snorted, "Do you think I'm some weak little girl that need to be protected? Huh?"

"No, you're my friend, and I like you, and ..." Nami's eyes widened, too stunned as he went on, "Last time that I did nothing, I lost ... my big brother. He didn't even say nothing, and we let 'im walk away ... I won't let it happen again. I won't."

Once more, she saw Bellemére with a gun to her face, and smiling, 'I love you ...'

One one tiny moment, she didn't feel any horror from the memory - just a sudden rush of protective feelings, and warmth. It didn't go away when she stepped closer to take his hand.

For a while, she didn't know what to say. However, as she looked up, and met with his eyes, Nami said, "Thank you, Luffy."

Taking a deep breath then, she leaned forward, with her eyes tightly squeezed shut, and kissed him. Nami waited for the initial, usual boy's reaction. When she heard not an 'ew', she peeked out at him, surprised to find a grin.

"No problem," he tilted his head to the side, "but what was that for?"

She felt her cheeks warm again, though she was glad that he wasn't grossed out by it. Nami said, "I was thanking you for ... well, uh ... since you're going to be a king, that means you're a prince right now."

He just laughed.

XXX

Nami and Luffy reasoned out a plan. With the trust he had earned that night, Nami realized that an extra hand on the ship meant her treasure was better protected when she was away. Especially since he was wildly uninterested in it.

Luffy could stay with her while she was out at sea, but for the times that she needed to return to Arlong, she could drop him off on some island - even an island without people was fine with him so long as food and fresh water could be found. After her work was done, she could then pick him up when she went travelling again.

For the first year or so, it worked splendidly.

And then Nami began to bleed.

XXX