Adult-FanFiction.org : Anime

Something Worth Dying For	By : slj812000 Category: +M to R > One Piece Views: 10730 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 19
- 20
Chapter Twenty: Nami
The biggest obstacle Nami faced on the sixteenth floor was her fucking kimono.
Not the guns, not the fifty some-odd Fish going to kill them. No. It was the mother fucking kimono. It seemed like it was trying to kill her too, and it was damn near close to succeeding.
Nami had reached down the knife in Chew’s chest the moment the door closed behind Luffy and the others. She wasn’t good at throwing knives, but she wanted something to defend herself with when the time came. And it seemed like it would come quickly.
Sanji and Zoro had split from Luffy, moving in opposite directions from each other so that the room had one of the guys at each corner. It took a few seconds for the Fish to recognize the boys’ appearance and the new threat, and Nami decided to make it a costly one.
She launched herself at the nearest Fish (albeit, awkwardly in the kimono) and stabbed him in the back. She wanted him to flail his arms about so she could easily reach into his suit coat and lift the guns he had off of him. Due to the ‘esteemed’ guest they were expecting, only five Fish in the room, not including Arlong, had guns on them. This Fish was one, but she did not reach the guns.
In light of letting her be armed, Arlong shot his own man so that he stumbled away from her. Nami at least kept a hold of her knife, but the jig was up and the Fish nearest to her, the ones that were armed, all backed away. Nami looked over at Arlong, expecting him to aim at her next. She was an open target with no means of cover near her. But Arlong merely sneered at her and made his way over to the security room.
Why wasn’t he shooting her? She was the easiest damn target in the room!
Arlong made it about three steps before he was tackled from behind. Sort of. At least, Nami assumed that Luffy was trying to tackle Arlong. What he managed was to wrap his arms around the yakuza boss and trip him up a little bit. It didn’t take much for Arlong to break Luffy’s hold, but at least Luffy had managed to dislodge Arlong’s gun. Well, one of them anyway. He no doubt had more on him.
Nami glanced about her and saw that she was still nowhere near any Fish, armed or otherwise. The Fish that Arlong had shot had been towed away already, too. Fucker! She wanted a gun!
Knowing Arlong usually kept one in a locked drawer of his desk, she made her way to the desk. She immediately tripped when trying to move quickly in her kimono. Haphazardly, she reached behind her to undo the obi and let herself out of the contraption, but she was so tightly tied into it, she could barely get an arm behind her.
With tiny, tiny, fucking itty bitty steps because that’s all she could manage in this shitty kimono, Nami made her way to the desk. Ussop was still taking refuge there, using it as a shield against the bullets that whizzed his way. Nami ducked behind the desk, too, but oddly, the bullets stopped heading their direction.
Whatever.
She needed to get in that drawer! She took some pins out of her hair and set about breaking into the drawer that she’d seen hold a gun. She spared a glance at the others; Luffy was for whatever reason, trying to strip Arlong of his suit coat. Luckily, no Fish were willing to neither get near Arlong when he was in that state of mind nor to shoot in his direction, so it was at least for now a one-on-one fight. Zoro and Sanji were bombarded with Fish, but each was taking them down rather quickly. Occasionally, at her side, Ussop would land a knife in an unassuming Fish.
Finally! The drawer opened. Nami pulled out the gun, and immediately felt that something was off. It felt too light. Granted, she’d only held a gun on a couple of occasions before, but this gun felt like there was no weight to it. Thinking back to when she had first become a member of Arlong’s yakuza and the Fish had gotten drunk and tried to teach her how to shoot, Nami recalled how to check the magazine.
She popped it open and looked in dismay at the three sad little bullets in the magazine. Further inspection of the drawer showed that there were no spare magazines within it. Damn it. What could she do with just three bullets?
She’d never been a good shot, but then again, she hadn’t shot a gun since she was eleven. She’d have to be at point blank range then. It was only going to work if she got close while the Fish were distracted. And a new problem presented itself: more Fish were arriving.
Where Zoro and Sanji had been occupied before, they were now being overwhelmed. Ussop was down to only a couple knives left if he didn’t go scavenge ones from the Fish he’d already incapacitated. Not one to withhold help from a comrade, Nami gave Ussop the knife she’d taken from Chew. He took it, and her arm too. He pulled her into a fierce hug for a few seconds and though they were in a dire situation, Nami couldn’t make herself break the hug first. This would be the only reunion they would probably get.
He let go and peeked around the corner of the desk, probably picking out his next targets. Nami figured he’d be fine as long as he was behind the desk. She got up and made a break out of the cover of the desk.
Not that she needed to, apparently. As soon as she was in the open, she thought she’d have to dodge bullets in her ridiculous kimono, but she was ignored. No, ignored wasn’t the right word. She was avoided, even as she tripped in the fucking dress. No one wanted to come near her.
Fine.
She wasn’t one to overlook an accidental gift. Testing her newly formed theory, she very purposefully walked over to Zoro, watching Fish clamor to get away from her. She was right; even if she couldn’t fight for shit, she could at least give her comrades a breather. Zoro gave her an odd look, eyeing the Fish warily. He was huffing with exertion, but he appeared fine.
“Do me a favor and get me out of this thing,” Nami requested, turning around and pointing to her obi. Zoro gave her another bewildered look before making a swipe with his sword. The obi fell to the ground and Nami immediately shrugged out of the heavy and constricting kimono, leaving her in the under robe. Moving was much easier.
“Thank you,” she sighed in relief.
“Why are they doing that?” Zoro asked, jutting his chin at the Fish. “Why won’t they come near you?”
“I think it’s something along the lines of don’t damage the merchandise,” Nami answered. It was the only conclusion she’d come to. “You good?”
Zoro smirked. Nami smiled back, practically beaming. She hadn’t realized how much she missed that arrogant ass. She trailed a hand down his arm towards his hands and he let go with one had to grasp hers. From how tightly he squeezed her fingers, she felt how much he’d missed her back.
Knowing he’d be fine, Nami let go and went towards Sanji next. He was doing alright, but she knew that he must be tired too. As they had with Zoro, the Fish backed away at her approach. Sanji looked torn between shielding her (which she did not need) and professing his undying love for her.
“Are you okay?” she asked, taking in his breathless appearance. He gave her an exasperated look.
“My Nami-swan,” he lamented, “I should be asking you that question.”
She smiled at the concern, but moved on to address the problem at hand. “The reinforcements are coming from the stairwell. We need to block it off somehow.”
“Would be best if we could lock it,” Sanji replied. “So that they can’t get in. Ussop would probably be best at that.”
Nami nodded, looking over at Ussop, who was still behind the desk and down to one knife.
“I got it,” she assured him, kissing his cheek lightly. “Do your best, Sanji-kun.”
His eyes rolled into the back of his head in bliss for a moment before he was back to ready. Nami didn’t try to skirt anyone in the room; she just went directly to Ussop. On the way, she grabbed three knives from immobile bodies to give to him. He looked reluctant when she pulled him to standing, even after explaining their need to get into the security room.
“Trust me, no one’s going to shoot while I’m around,” Nami promised. Ussop thought about it for a moment before nodding. The two of them made their way towards the security room, only to be stopped by the giant Kuroobi. He, unlike the others, was not afraid to be in close quarters with her. He made a grab for her immediately and Nami shoved Ussop around the behemoth of a Fish towards the security room. He was only a few feet away now and Nami figured he could probably make it the rest of the way on his own.
Nami tried to pull the gun she had tucked into her robe but Kuroobi was too fast for her. He had her in his grips in a moment and was lifting her off the ground when something collided with his back and made him stumble. Nami broke free of his grip and saw over Kuroobi’s temporarily hunched form none other than Luffy. He looked surprised to see her too, and he grinned recklessly at her for a moment before Kuroobi’s rising body blocked her view.
He lunged at her again, but she ducked out of his way and with pure astonishment, Nami watched as Luffy once again rammed hard into Kuroobi’s back and sent the man flying out of one of the windows. Luffy stood at the window’s edge for a moment, peering over, as if to be sure that Kuroobi would not somehow make a reappearance.
Both of them flinched when a bullet whizzed by Luffy’s ear. Nami ran to Luffy’s side, intent on shielding him from bullets, but the moron just kept pushing her aside. She stubbornly clung to one arm so she was at least somewhat near him, but she saw that the shooter was Arlong. Nami knew he might not worry about carelessly hitting her, not in the state of fury he was in.
Nami yanked on Luffy’s arm as hard as she could, dragging him back to the barricade that was the desk. The desk was specially made for criminals like Arlong to use as a means of protection, in case a shootout should occur. Nothing would penetrate the front of the desk short of an armor piercing bullet.
Nami shoved Luffy down to the floor behind it, collapsing nearly on top of him to keep him grounded. She somehow knew he would try to get back up and fight again, but Arlong shooting was something Nami was not willing to let him face. He gave her a put out look for a moment before the wide grin returned. His arms flung around her, crushing her to him.
“No more goodbyes, Nami,” Luffy mumbled in her ear. “We’re gonna be together forever now.”
Even if forever was just the next five or six minutes, Nami knew they’d probably be the best of her life. Even with the yakuza bearing down on them. She pulled away from him far enough to look into his eyes. He was the same boy she had known over the last couple months, but he was also different. He seemed like he’d found purpose somewhere and was brandishing it like a sword.
“I grow tired of this game, my dear,” Arlong called from the other side of the desk. Nami knew if she lifted her head, she’d be able to see him. She flattened herself against Luffy, trying to shield as much of him as she could. “When are you going to realize that all of this effort is futile?”
“I told you I’d rather die than go willingly,” Nami retorted.
“Ah, but what of your friends?” Arlong asked. Nami felt ill. She knew that if he was using that line on her, one of her nakama had probably fallen into his clutches.
She peeked around one side of the desk and saw Zoro taking on Hachi. It didn’t seem like a bad situation at first glance; it was pretty much one on one now, with all of the other Fish having backed off. But Hachi was using two swords against his one. Zoro was hard pressed to keep up.
Ussop was nowhere in sight, but the security room door was closed now. If she had to bet, she figured Ussop was in there, hopefully going to town on Arlong Park’s security. That left Sanji.
She reluctantly lifted her head over the edge of the desk. Sure enough, Arlong stood at the other side, gun aimed at her though she bet that he wouldn’t shoot her. Even he had to be aware of the cost of ‘damaging the merchandise.’
She threw a quick glance in the direction she’d last seen Sanji, but was instantly puzzled. He was still taking on Fish after endless Fish, but he was also still on his feet. Or rather, more his hands since he used his feet to kick the shit out of any Fish who challenged. Her friends were fine.
Her confusion only lasted a second. One single second. The span of time for Arlong to lower the aim of the gun to shoot through the top, non-bullet resistant part of the desk to what was just beneath her. He had distracted her, purposefully made her reveal where she was hidden behind the desk so he would know where she had pushed Luffy to cover, knowing she’d be shielding him with herself. Nami only had time to look down at Luffy before Arlong fired and Luffy jolted as the bullet hit him. He looked surprised, more than anything, as he peered down at his stomach. Nami looked too, expecting to see an exit wound, but there was none. The bullet was still lodged within him.
Reaching around desperately, Name felt his back for the wound. She came upon it half way down, and judging by where her fingers felt ragged flesh, Nami figured he had been punctured near the bottom of his lung. She was assured of that when he groaned and coughed a little, blood spattering out of his mouth against her.
“You’ve lost one of them today,” Arlong told her, already dismissing Luffy as a dead man. “There are three left. Will you not tell them to retreat with their lives?”
Arlong would never, ever spare any of them, as long as he lived. She knew it as certainly as she knew the sun would rise tomorrow. And it was not very likely that any of the five of them would see tomorrow.
It wasn’t fair. She hadn’t gotten her five minutes of forever yet! She’d only gotten two, maybe three minutes. She wasn’t ready yet! She stared into Luffy’s confused eyes as he coughed again, even more blood erupting from his mouth. He would drown in his own blood pretty soon.
Desperation. She felt it within every fiber of her being. She’d told herself she was ready for this, that she would die with her friends if it came to it, but she was now faced with the fact that Arlong would let no harm come to her and probably make her watch as he murdered her friends. Dying with them she could handle. Watching them die and living on without them, she could not.
She stood up, though Luffy still tried to pull her down. The weakness in his limbs as he pulled told her how bad off he was. It only made her resolution that much stronger.
“As I said before,” Nami retorted, pulling the measly three shot gun from her robe, “I’d rather die.”
Arlong looked warily at the gun in her hand, poised to probably shoot it out of her hand. She doubted he could do it without harming her. At least, that’s what she was counting on.
“How much is Donquixote going to take out of your hide if you give me to him in less than perfect condition?” Nami asked rhetorically, placing the nozzle of the gun against her forearm. She released the safety and fired.
In retrospect, getting shot hurt less than she thought it would. She had expected some debilitating pain to encompass her, but still, she’d only shot herself in the arm. Maybe that was why she felt the pain but immediately dismissed it.
Then again, maybe it was the adrenaline.
Arlong looked ill. Though she knew he wouldn’t verbally answer her question, his countenance did just fine to do it instead. He appeared as though he was mentally tallying the cost and coming up on the owing end. She didn’t think anyone wanted to ever owe that man Donquixote anything.
“Fall back,” Arlong ordered. Fish around the room looked at him incredulously, but did as ordered. Sanji and Zoro were a little perplexed at the sudden recession of their opponents and she jerked her head at them, silently signaling them to come to her. Cautiously, they did as she asked.
The room remained tensely silent as the guys made their way to her. They were a little stricken at the sight of Luffy, but they remained calm enough that Nami was sure they would understand what she was about to say.
“Pick him up,” she instructed them. Sanji and Zoro each grabbed an arm of Luffy’s and lifted him to standing. The change in position did not do him good; Luffy coughed up more blood. “Over to that door.”
In a slow shuffle, the four of them made their way to the security room. Nami remained facing Arlong and the Fish, her gun cocked and held against her leg as she walked. She kicked the door and called to Ussop.
“Come out now,” she instructed. “Hurry, Ussop.”
The door cracked open the tiniest bit at first, before Ussop saw it was really them and opened the door wider. He took in the scene with more panic in his eyes than the other two had. Nami tried to keep him focused on the task at hand.
“Did you get the security system handled?” she asked. Ussop didn’t answer right away. She elbowed him.
“Yeah, I think so,” he mumbled.
“To the elevator,” Nami instructed next. It was another slow procession in which Nami kept her eyes on Arlong, who she could tell was itching to shoot something. When they made it to the elevator, Nami reached out blindly behind her to press the call button.
“Don’t you dare think to get on that elevator,” Arlong growled, taking a few steps towards them. Nami pulled the trigger on the gun again, sending a bullet through her upper thigh.
Okay, admittedly, that one hurt a lot worse than the one in the arm. Nami bit down hard on her lip as she struggled to remain standing. Ussop’s hands were there to support her in a moment. Arlong stopped in his trek, but the look on his face was less stricken and more livid now.
“You’re going to get on the elevator as soon as it opens,” Nami told the guys, breathing a little hard as she put some weight back onto her injured leg. It hurt like hell, but she could do it. She balanced on her own and pushed away Ussop’s hands. “You’re going to close it behind you.”
“Like hell,” Sanji snapped.
“Someone has to stay behind and make sure no one overrides the security and brings you back up here,” Nami reasoned, though she doubted anyone was in the mood to be reasoned with. “I’ll be fine. They won’t hurt me. I’m too—expensive.”
“But—” Sanji protested again, but Luffy erupted in a coughing fit. Nami heard more than just a few droplets of blood hit the floor. It sounded like someone had tipped a full cup of liquid upside down and let it splash to the ground. She winced, but didn’t dare look away from Arlong.
She knew the guys couldn’t disagree with her. They had each seen how she was right; she was essentially a shield for them. If they delayed any longer, Luffy would probably not make it to the lobby.
“This is worse than when you disappeared from the Baratie,” Ussop whined angrily. “None of us made the conscious decision to leave you behind.”
“It’ll be fine,” she lied to assure them. Behind her, the elevator dinged its arrival. Arlong made another step forward, but Nami raised the gun to her temple this time.
“Holy mother fucking hell!” she heard a familiar voice curse. She couldn’t place who it belonged to, though. She didn’t turn to look, only listened as the boys shuffled into the elevator and the door began to close. “Koala! I need paramedics in the lobby in half a minute! Man down!”
“Those boys will never make it out of this building alive,” Arlong promised her. Nami knew that, but she also planned on not being left behind. Her finger tightened around the trigger.
From behind, she was grabbed and the gun she held was pulled from her grip. Thoroughly caught off guard, she turned her head to scream curses at whichever boy had elected to stay behind and prevent her from giving Arlong his just desserts with her death. It was a blonde that held her, but it was not Sanji. It was a person Nami had never expected to see again in her life.
It was Sabo.
And probably just to irritate her, he chastely kissed her.
“I’ll take it from here, babe,” he told her, pushing her behind him. Unable to stand on her gimped leg, Nami tumbled to the ground, leaning against the closed elevator doors. She watched, stunned, as Sabo raised the gun he’d taken from her along with another and began firing.
She’d never been in a shootout before. She had no idea how they went down, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t at all like the one she watched. Sabo dominated the field. He discarded the empty gun after the single shot was fired and a new gun from his own person took its place immediately. Fish fell in droves while Sabo evaded the inefficient attempts at returning gunfire with an agility that left her in awe.
She had been approached by this guy in a park. He had choked on a cigarette and tried to poach her liquor. She’d taken him home and given him her virginity. And he was the most dangerous man in the room. Boy, could she pick ‘em.
It probably took less than a minute. Every Fish on the sixteenth floor was down and no more could make it in from the stairwell thanks to Ussop. It was only Arlong left to face Sabo.
Sabo reached into his pocket and drew something out, tossing it at Nami. Clumsily, she caught a phone.
“Take a video,” Sabo told her. “I want this bastard’s death on record.”
Fumbling a little, since she was starting to become a little woozy from blood loss, she opened up the camera and set it to catch video. She held the phone shakily as she pressed the record button, struggling back to her feet so she would have a clear shot.
“You’ve not won yet,” Arlong denied. “Your guns are empty and it looks like you’re out of magazines.”
“You don’t look so hot yourself,” Sabo returned, shrugging as he discarded the empty guns. “You’ve got what, one bullet left?”
“That’s one more bullet than you,” Arlong replied. “So tell me. Just how do you plan on delivering my death?”
“Actually, I had a very elaborate death planned out for you,” Sabo told him, unaffected by the fact that he was weaponless. “It involved a lot of pain and suffering and cutting pieces of you off at joints until I cut off your fugly head. But unfortunately, I don’t have time for that anymore. So you’re just going to die and I’m going to have to pray that both my brothers make it out of this shitty disaster alive.”
Nami briefly wondered who his brothers were and felt guilt at their being dragged into her problems. It was bad enough her friends had been dragged into it. She wished with every fiber of her being that Luffy would somehow too make it through this aptly named disaster.
“Strong words for someone who is so obviously unarmed,” Arlong snarled, raising his gun to shoot.
Well, it had worked before, why not now? Nami lunged forward on her wounded leg and put herself in front of Sabo. Caught off guard, Sabo didn’t react fast enough to pull her out of the way as Arlong fired. Arlong did react, though, and managed to pull the shot to the side at the last moment. A bullet lodged deep in her shoulder and she clutched her wound, blood seeping past the phone still clutched in her hand.
“Fuck!” she heard Sabo hiss. Behind her, he lifted leg and yanked up his pant leg, grabbing a single shot gun out of a holster belted there. He shot as Arlong turned to take cover behind the desk. The yakuza boss didn’t make it two whole steps before the bullet lodged into the back of his head and he fell to the ground.
Sabo, who was holding her up with one hand, took the phone from her and wiped the blood from it. He began furiously typing one-handed as he used his other arm to easily lift her until her feet were off the ground and walk her towards the still body of Arlong.
She was in shock, probably. She felt the pain of her wounds flare at every step, but Nami was too fixated on the body on the floor to worry about them. She had to see that he was dead. She had to. It wouldn’t be real if she didn’t.
A few feet away, Sabo set her down. She tried to make her way forward anyway, but he held out his arm to block her.
“Small caliber bullet, lower velocity,” Sabo elaborated. “It may have only wounded him, and he may not be dead. Stay back, just in case.”
Cautiously, Sabo approached the body and began nudging it with his foot. He kicked any nearby weapons out of range before reaching out and flipping the body over. If Arlong wasn’t dead, he was doing a damn good job of faking it. His still face was wide-eyed and expressionless. Sabo sighed, looking at his phone again.
“I hope this will suffice,” he murmured, opening the camera again. He took a picture and sent what she assumed to be a text message.
Nami stared at the open eyes of the bastard who had made her life hell. He looked too peaceful, too unharmed for her liking. Painstakingly, she reached down and picked up a fallen gun that was near her.
“This is all that’s left of the yakuza boss Arlong,” Sabo stated, holding his camera out towards the body. He was probably taking another video. Nami ignored him and shuffled forward a couple steps. She would need to be close for this. “His reign over East Blue is—”
Nami shot a bullet into Arlong’s forehead. Sabo gave her a look of exasperation.
“Just in case,” she muttered back, putting the safety on the gun before dropping it to the ground. Shock or not, Nami began to lose her hold on herself. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over and sobs began to wrack her body.
“Let’s go,” Sabo sighed, sending another message before picking her up and carrying her towards the elevator. “It’s time for this ridiculous farce to be over with.”
Nami didn’t know what he was talking about; she was too busy ugly-crying. She hid her face in with the hand that was attached to the unwounded arm and cried loudly as they waited for the elevator to ascend to them. Sabo tugged at her arm.
“I need to know about the other Mermaids,” he implored. “Where are they?”
“Upstairs,” she answered between sobs.
“How many are there?” he inquired.
“Twelve, I think,” she replied. “I don’t know. We only saw each other once in awhile, usually when we bathed. But before I became one, there were only twelve. I don’t think I saw more than that.”
Sabo got on his phone again and Nami put her face back in her hand. She figured she was free to go to pieces if she wanted now, but Sabo had given her some clarity of mind. There were others that needed help; not just herself.
“Koala, twelve non-hostiles,” Sabo spat into the phone. “Find them and get them out. I’ve got what I came here for. I want this building clear of all non-hostiles by the time I hit the ground floor.”
Sabo hung up without another word and dialed a new number. Nami looked up at his tense face as the phone rang and rang, but was not answered.
“Damn it,” he muttered, redialing.
“Who are you calling?” she asked. He seemed so distraught.
“My brother,” Sabo answered, listening to the phone ring on. “He’s on his own in a bad fight. It’s not good.”
“I’m sorry about your brother,” Nami mumbled as the elevator doors opened, feeling guilty. No doubt, Sabo would be with his brother if not for her. Sabo stepped on the elevator and pressed the button for the ground floor. He immediately redialed his phone as they began to descend. “I told you that you shouldn’t have gotten invol—”
“Shut up,” he snapped at her. “It has nothing to do with you. He got involved on his own.”
Nami voiced the obvious question. “Why?”
“One of the girls here,” Sabo explained, redialing his phone a fourth time. “He’s dating her sister. He did it for her.”
Nami had no idea about the other Mermaids’ lives; hell, she didn’t know any of their real names.
“Pick up the phone!” Sabo hissed at his phone. “Come on!”
Despite his demand, no one answered. Sabo kicked a wall of the descending car in frustration. He dialed again.
“Koala, get me the old man, right fucking now,” Sabo commanded. “One of my brother’s is taking on a hit man and he won’t pick up. He needs back up. He’s at Shells Town Junior High hiding in the boiler room.”
Nami felt dizzy at the mention of a hit man, and then shock as Sabo mentioned the school. Shells Town Junior High was less than a mile from her home. Arlong’s threat came crashing back to her. Nojiko. She needed to call Nojiko right now and warn her, because it was obvious that the hit man was from Arlong and on his way to Nojiko. It was the middle of the day, so hopefully, Bell-mère would be with Smoker at the office, but Nojiko would be at home by herself. She’d have no protection.
“—said he was being attacked and in hiding. He said it was a hit man. You gotta get over there and—”
Nami grabbed the phone that Sabo was talking on.
“Hey!” Sabo shouted, grabbing for the phone back, but Nami lurched in his grip and tumbled to the ground painfully, clutching the bloody phone. At first she was stunned; there was so much blood on the floor of the elevator. With this much blood, it wasn’t likely that Luffy was alive anymore.
The realization burned a worse pain than those she felt from her bullet wounds. Still, even if she couldn’t save him, Nami had to at least try and save Nojiko. She ended the call and with shaky fingers, dialed her sister’s number from memory. Huddled in on herself on the floor of the elevator, Sabo couldn’t get a hold of the phone.
The phone stopped ringing after three rings, and Nami looked to see that if the call was still connected. Someone had answered, but not said anything.
“Nojiko?” Nami called out. She heard some rustling and the sound of her sister’s voice.
“Can you hear me, Ace?” Nojiko shouted, though her voice was not near the phone. Damn it, was she too late? Nojiko sounded okay, but it was obvious someone had been hurt. “You gotta stay with me. Stay awake. Don’t close your eyes!”
“Nojiko!” Nami shouted in the phone, still ducking Sabo’s grabbing hands. There was more rustling on the other end of the line.
“Eh? Someone called…who is this?” Nojiko demanded tersely into the phone. Nami felt the tears starting.
“Nojiko,” she half sobbed into the phone, feeling elation at hearing her sister’s voice.
“Nami?” Nojiko’s voice wavered, sounding on the verge of tears herself. “Holy hell, Nami! Where are you?”
“Nojiko, you’ve got to leave the house,” Nami instructed, ignoring her sister’s words. “You’ve got to leave the house. Go to Smoker’s office right now! There’s a man coming! He’s coming to kill you!”
“He already came,” Nojiko told her, but her voice was heavy with emotion. “There was a man who came; he had a long sword and he came after me, but Ace was here with me. There’s so much blood! He wouldn’t stop until we showed him the pictures on Ace’s phone. But even then, he only hesitated; there was another man who made him leave.”
“Where did he go?” Nami asked as the elevator hit the ground floor. Sabo picked her up around the waist and carried her out of the building, and she probably looked rather ridiculous, all folded in on herself. “He’d probably go after Bell-mère too—”
“We’re getting into the ambulance,” Nojiko interrupted with relief. “Hang in there, Ace. It’s going to be okay now.”
Nojiko had been distracted in the wake of the arriving paramedics and momentarily forgotten about her. Nami looked at the phone, wondering if she could dial Smoker’s office too, but she couldn’t remember the number off the top of her head. The phone disappeared from her hand.
“You done?” Sabo asked, hanging up without her confirmation. He dialed again and put the phone between his shoulder and ear, pausing to get a better grip on her. He scooped her back up into his arms so that he carried her properly now. They were leaving the empty lobby, though it had taken a lot of damage. She saw blood littered everywhere. Suddenly, they were out in the bright afternoon light.
“I’m out, Koala,” Sabo told the person on the other end of the line. “Is the building clear of non-hostiles?”
Across the street, barricaded from the building by obnoxious orange hazard signs and easily recognizable among the much shorter crowd that had gathered, Nami’s eyes laid upon Law. Their eyes met and Nami felt dizziness begin to take her again. He was the one here for her, wasn’t he? Arlong had been wrong about who was going to pick her up. Or was she wrong? Was Donquixote somewhere in the crowd? Nami gripped Sabo’s closest wrist very hard.
“Blow the building.”
Nami’s eyes left Law’s and she looked up at Sabo, confused by his words. Suddenly, there was a loud booming rumbling and people were screaming and dust blew up everywhere. In astonishment, Nami watched as the building that had once housed Arlong Park, East Blue’s most notorious and violent yakuza, crumpled down into a heap of rubble and dust. Through it all, Sabo remained unruffled as he carried her to a nearby ambulance.
“It’s over,” Sabo told her, handing her over to paramedics. She refused to let go of his wrist though and he was forced into the ambulance with her as the paramedics laid her out on a stretcher. “You don’t have to be scared anymore.”
Despite his proclamation, Nami couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her cheeks like a faucet. She couldn’t be alone. If she was left alone, they’d come for her. Nami looked at Sabo in desperation.
“Please don’t leave me,” she whimpered, rather pathetically. Sabo looked dismayed.
“I have stuff I gotta do,” he sighed, looking out at the mayhem that was the scene around the collapsed building. He started and looked down at his phone, which was buzzing and somehow still working, despite all the blood and grit that it had accumulated. His face lit at the caller.
“Tell me you’re good!” Sabo shouted in lieu of greeting. Relief colored his face immediately. “Fuck! Just fuck. I haven’t been this stressed out in my life. Damn it, between you and Luffy, I’ve probably aged like twenty years today.”
Luffy? How did he know Luffy?
“Yeah, I’m good,” Sabo told the caller. He eyed her for a moment before sighing. “No, I’ve got something I’ve got to take care of, but I’ll come to the hospital later. Yeah, see ya bro.”
Pieces of her conversation with Sabo were coming back to her. His brother had been in a bad fight, with a hit man, and had gotten involved because of the sister of one of the Mermaids. What were the odds?
“Who did you send those photos to?” Nami asked, though deep down, she already knew. Sabo looked at her, though he was dialing his phone again.
“To my brother,” he answered, grinning.
No. Don’t say it. Please don’t say it. Please, please, don’t say it!
“Ace.”
- 19
- 20
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Something Worth Dying For