Monkey D Luffy, inhabit of Foosha Village and future pirate, had one weakness. He couldn't swim. A fact which everyone knew. A fact which made everyone coddle him.

And Luffy?

He was sick of the unneeded coddling.

Filled with determination, he had awoken earlier than the adults and on a mission. He would learn to swim or drown trying! Sneaking around wasn't exactly his forte, but he had managed to reach the docks without anyone noticing.

"Shishi, just wait until I learn to swim Makino!" He loudly exclaimed.

Stealth was a lost concept when it came to Monkey D Luffy.

Just as he was about to jump into the water, he noticed a small boat approaching the island from a distance. Curiosity overwhelming him, he squinted his eyes in order to get a better view. The only thing he could really see was a hair of orange.

Furrowing his eyebrows Luffy sat down and waited.

He waited.

Then he fell asleep.

O-O

Nami rubbed her eyes.

Nami slapped herself.

"Ouch...okay, this is not a dream." She mumbled to herself staring at Monkey D Luffy. She almost grinned at the sight of one of her many One Piece crushes. She'd shamelessly admit to having dirty fantasies about Luffy. And her other One Piece crushes. And her other anime crushes. And her other crushes in general.

Shaking away the perverse thoughts, she nudged Luffy with her feet. "Oi, wake up."

She almost sighed when Luffy just grabbed her feet in response. She had forgotten about the Monkey family's habit of sleeping like the dead. At least she had tied her boat to the docks before approaching Luffy. Thank Rogers for her foresight.

She then squealed in surprise, the sound foreign even to herself.

Did...

She looked down at Luffy,

Did Luffy just lick her feet?

"Oh, hell no." She was not going to live out one of her many perverse fantasies without her own permission. Determined, and a bit pissed as Luffy muttered about food, she rolled Luffy over to his back.

Cracking her knuckles, she felt no remorse when she jumped on his back and earned a pained yell.

"OWWW!" Luffy cried in pain as she pulled on his hair.

"You awake now?" She grinned feeling much better as she stood up.

"What was that for ya weirdo?!" Luffy yelled at her.

Nami just smiled. "You were sleeping like the dead, so I had to wake you up. Manners and all that."

Luffy didn't say anything for a moment, he just stared at her hair. His eyes were squinted before they fully opened in what appeared to be recognition. "You were on that boat!"

"Correct. My name is Nami."

"I'm Monkey D Luffy!" Luffy grinned at her standing up. "Wait, why don't you have a last name?"

"I'm an orphan. Orphans generally don't have a last name."

"What's an orphan?"

"A person without parents."

"Then why do I have a last name?"

"Because you have parents."

"But Jii-chan never told me that."

Nami blinked, finally realizing she had just been roped into a conversation with Luffy somehow, before shrugging. "Ask him then." It was almost scary how easy Luffy managed to befriend her.

Because really? She knew she couldn't resist being his friend.

"But he's mean."

"How so?"

"He hits me."

"That's abuse. You should report him to the marines."

"But he is a marine!"

"Tough luck."

Luffy grinned at her. "So, why are you here?"

"I'm a navigator."

"Alligator? You don't look like one." Luffy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Navigator. Look it up in a dictionary or something. I'm here to draw a chart of this island."

"What's a chart?"

"A map."

Luffy's mouth dropped into an O-shape. "That's cool!"

"Why, thank you." Nami smiled at the compliment. Suddenly, she felt something weird going on in the atmosphere. Already knowing what it meant she softly cursed and grabbed her bag from her boat. "Mind taking me somewhere with a roof? It's going to rain." She said adjusting her messenger bag.

"But the sky's all clear!" Luffy argued.

"Just trust me on this, okay?"

It was only a moment later that she realized how stupid she sounded. How could she expect someone to trust a complete and total stranger? Yet Luffy merely nodded at her with a grin. "Sure!"

She realized the mistake in her mindset. Luffy wasn't just someone after all. He was the boy who she would one day call her captain. With a rare genuine smile, she allowed Luffy to drag her to Makino's bar.

"Who might this be?" Makino kindly smiled when Nami and Luffy took a seat at the bar counter.

"I'm Nami. Nice to meet you Liquors."

Makino seemed unfazed by the nickname. "Are you here with your parents?"

Nami shrugged. "Sure, why not? Can I get something to drink?"

Although Makino frowned, she complied with the strange girl's request. She grabbed two glasses, filled them with orange juice, and came back just in time to hear Luffy's awed statement.

"You were right! It did start raining!"

The girl, Nami, merely scoffed. "Of course. I told you that I'm a navigator. Any navigator worth their salt should at least be able to predict these easy weathers. Nothing compared to the Grandline, from what I've heard."

"You're a navigator?" Makino cut in with a skeptical voice before Luffy could ask anything else.

"Yeah." Nami confirmed as she took a swig from her juice. "I draw charts as a hobby. I especially love to find uncharted locations." Here, she leaned in closer. "Think I'll find any on this island?"

Makino couldn't help the nervousness she felt at Nami's intense brown eyes. "I-I wouldn't know."

"Of course, locals are often ignorant to their own island's secrets." Nami cheerfully smiled before leaning back. "I'm hoping to make some big cash here by finding those secrets."

Little did Makino know, Nami wouldn't just be trying to find those uncharted locations. No, Nami was the type of person to take big calculated risks. Such as stealing from the rich.

"How long are you planning on staying?" Luffy curiously asked.

"A year, maybe less."

O-O

Charts were tricky to draw.

Almost as tricky as Nami's nature.

A chart, especially a nautical chart, has special unique characteristics including a very detailed and accurate representation of the coastline, which takes into account varying tidal levels and water forms, critical to a navigator.

A chart is a working document. It is used to plot courses for navigators to follow to transit a certain area It takes into account special conditions required for one's vessel, such as draft, bottom clearance, wrecks and obstructions which can be hazardous. Way points are identified to indicate relative position and points at which specific maneuver such as changing courses, must be performed.

Charts provide detailed information on the area beneath the water surface, normally not visible to the naked eye, which can and is very critical for the safe and efficient navigation.

Bluntly said, charts were far more detailed than maps. Far more reliable as well.

Nami considered her charts of this particular sea as just basic training. The Grandline would be far harder to chart, it was known for being unpredictable after all. Drawing an accurate chart of it was considered as impossible as finding the One Piece. And Nami? She saw it as a challenge. Being a navigator was slowly yet surely becoming more than just an obligation to her.

Not that she would admit it.

"You must really love this, don't you?" Makino asked the orange haired girl who was drawing a chart.

Makino was, simply put, impressed. No wonder Nami was able to make it to the island all on her own. Even despite that, Makino was still concerned. Talented or not, a girl shouldn't be navigating the sea on a small boat.

"Nope." Nami bluntly answered, not even batting an eyelash.

"Eh?"

"I hate drawing charts. They just make a lot of money, that's all."

Makino couldn't help but feel as if it was a lie.