Chapter 14

Where am I? What happened? The throbbing of her head had woken her up from unconsciousness long enough for her to remember her situation. Lightly yanking on the binds around her wrists, she could feel the stinging sensation of rope rubbing her skin, making her feel as if at any moment her wrists would open up and she'd bleed to death.

Oh, yeah, now I remember...Ow, my head feels like it's going to split open. God, how am I going to get out of here? She tugged at her bindings again, only to feel something warm run down the palms of her hands. Kicking out, she could feel that her ankles were also bound. And to make matters worse, she was also blindfolded, only the sounds of seagulls and the taste of salt water could tell Nami that she was on the sea.

Luffy...I wonder if he knows that I'm gone. Oh God, I hope he doesn't cause a scene! Though, what is there to harm him? There's no Navy here and Vivi won't, can't, stop him.

The sound of footsteps upon wooden floors invaded her every thought as she awaited for the person to pass or kill her, whichever fate was willing to happen. Her stomach wanted to do another flip and empty itself again, but the fear of the approaching feet made her frozen in place; she couldn't open her mouth even to scream.

"Hey, Girlie, are ya wakin up yet?" A rough and familiar voice sounded from in front of her. Nami still couldn't see who it was, but his voice was definitely the same person who had struck her from behind. Sudden rage flowed through her as she wanted to lash out and kick the man, but her inner fear still had control over her movements. "Need ta ask ya a few questions."

The sharp pain of her hair being pulled told her that she was being dragged now across the wooden floors, of which she had concluded were the floorboards of some pirate ship. She struggled under the stranger's grasp, but Nami knew it was useless. "Feisty, aren't ya? Fufufu." His laughter shook his entire body, causing her to thrash not of her own accord but from the force of the laughter.

She was thrown in some place and she ended up colliding with a wall, definitely leaving bruises on her back. The wind was knocked from her, causing Nami to gasp out in a bit of pain despite herself. She bit down on her lip to stop her heavy breathing, but she was just pulled by her longer hair until she was seated upright against the wall. The blindfold was removed and she quickly blinked back tears from the sudden burst of light.

Though there weren't many lamps in the room, even this small amount of light was enough to hurt her eyes from the lack of it. Adjusting to her surroundings, she stared up at the man who had beaten and nearly tortured her. He had broad shoulders that showed his muscles even through his blue, old fashioned captain's jacket that buttoned up to his neck. His breath was saturated in alcohol and caused her nose to wrinkle in disgust. She didn't mind the smell of alcohol but this was a stronger sort than what she was used to.

Nami could feel her heart race as he inched toward her with each second.

He must have seen the panic in her eyes for he inched back just a bit and smiled wickedly at her, revealing two rows of sharp, rotten, yellowing teeth. "Now, now, Girlie. I'm not gonna kill ya unless ya don't cooperate with me."

"I don't know what you want with me." Her voice felt strained an parched either from lack of use or from the fear radiating from his body.

"Well, that's an easy one. Ya're gonna tell me about Mugiwara Luffy's location."

That wouldn't be a bad idea, but I get this feeling that there's something familiarly strange at work here. I don't doubt Luffy could beat this guy, but there's something lurking right under the shadows.

"I don't know where he is." Her tone didn't change nor did it hint at anything else, but this man must've known. He slapped her across her face and when her head collided with the wall, she could feel the warm trickle of blood start to flow down the back of her head.

"Ya're a lyin'! Tell me where he is and I'll leave that pretty lil face in tact!" He reeled his hand back, prepared to strike, and that was the last thing she could remember.

I'm back!

Yes...I know it's been a few years, but I'm back! I'm gonna bring this story back to life and it feels good ^^ I'm sorry I've been gone for so long but...for those who are still following this story, I'm bringing it back.

I hope you enjoyed this preview ;P It's a nice treat to give you guys after all this time...so expect the full chapter soon ^^