Nami's State

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Nami's State

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It was late at night and Nami was heading back to the Thousand Sunny with a full five bags of clothes she had purchased that day. She had spent the whole day shopping since they arrived on the island that morning.

She had a large, happy grin on her face. "With bargaining, I only wound up spending 20,000 beri today!" she exclaimed. "I practically got everything for free!"

"And these shirts should last me a full month!" she added, intent on never wearing the same shirt twice.

She was eager to get back to the ship where she could take a nice hot bath. The sun had been out all day and she had worked up a sweat, which was currently causing her to itch all over.

She turned a corner, humming to herself while imagining the pleasant feeling of laying back in the tub, the warm water relaxing her muscles.

"Hey girl, you got a minute?" A rough voice came from behind her, followed by a series of laughs from what sounded like a fairly large group of men.

Before she could turn around, something had hit her in the back of her head. Her bags flew out of her hands as she fell to the ground, scraping her knees.

She winced from the pain but quickly regained her senses and attempted to get to her feet. This action was stopped, however, as someone sat on top of her, pinning her down.

More laughter came from behind her and she felt a sudden terror she had never experienced before.

She desperately tried to get out from under the man, thrashing her limbs over the ground while twisting her waist in every way it could be twisted.

But the man'st weight was too great. He grabbed her arms to keep them in place and straddled her legs with his own.

"This is going to be fun." he said, smirking.

She saw the feet of many men form a circle around her. One of them kneeled down in front of her and took over the task of holding her arms down while another pushed down on her legs.

"GET OFF ME!" she shrieked. "HELP! SOME ONE, HELP!!"

They flipped her onto her back and another man approached to cover her mouth.

She could now see the faces of her assailants, at least ten men, all staring down at her, laughing.

'They're going to rape me!' she realized, a cold shiver running down her spine.

The man sitting on top of her suddenly ripped her shirt off, then her bra.

He clutched her breasts, squeezing them with intense force. She let out a muffled scream.

She strained every part of her body in an attempt to move and managed to open her jaw enough for one of the fingers of the man muffling her to slip into her mouth. She bit down as hard as she could and instantly tasted blood. The man cried out in pain.

"Haha looks like she got you, Barty." one of the men laughed.

The man wrenched his finger out of her mouth.

"YOU BITCH!" he roared, hitting her repeatedly.

He punched her in her forehead, her arms, her jaw.

She wailed in agony as waves of pain struck her.

"Hey, ease up man! This is only fun if she's awake!"

The man cuffed her one last time before covering her mouth again, this time with both hands and adding an aching amount of pressure.

She couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She could barely even breathe.

The man on top of her leaned down and licked one of her nipples, then bit it, hard.

Tears began to stream down her cheeks. She felt nauseous.

The man then sat up and tore her skirt in two.

She could barely think. Her face and arms were throbbing, her chest stung immensely, her heart was beating rapidly and her eyes were drowning in a lake of tears.

She could only think one thing: 'I have to escape.'

The man pulled out his erect member and guided it towards her.

She couldn't believe this was happening. Why was this happening? She should be on the ship now, taking a bath. She should be laughing with her crew. She should be sleeping sound in her room, in her comfortable bed.

He reached a finger behind her undergarment and pulled it to the side, then stared at her exposed womanhood with lustful eyes.

No, this couldn't be happening. No! She couldn't let this happen!

She tried as hard as she could to break free, exerting all of her strength. She shook madly, begging her body to overcome its restraints.

Pushing his hand between her legs, the man pinched one of her folds, digging his finger nails in enough to draw blood.

She had never felt such excruciating pain before in her life. Her ears were ringing with the shock that was sent into her skull. She was close to passing out.

Then she felt it. She felt her skin being forced apart as he slowly entered her. She felt it from the tips of her quivering toes to those of her fingers. The terror she felt surpassed all boundaries. Every part of her fought to escape this nightmare. Her will, her power, her memories, they all collided, and something in her broke.

She stopped attempting to move and began to give in to her fate. All of her thoughts started to vanish as she felt her world coming to a close. Then it happened.

He was moments away from reaching her hymen when somehow, by some unimaginably great fortune, the grip of the man holding her arms down slipped, granting her right arm its freedom.

Without a moment's hesitation, she shot her arm downward and wrenched the intruding organ out of her. She then proceeded to dig her nails into it, causing the man to release a thundering scream. Nami jerked her left arm out from the grip of the disbalanced other man, then pushed her main assaulter backwards onto the arms of the men trapping her legs. Now completely free, she rolled to her side and managed to get to her feet before anyone could stop her.

Acting on pure instinct, she darted through an opening in the surrounding group of men and ran as fast as her legs could take her.

From behind her, someone shouted, "GET THAT BITCH!!" and she could hear men start to chase after her.

She was scared beyond all measure. She was crying so much, she could barely see. Her entire body was in so much pain, she could barely think. She was shaking so much, she could barely keep her balance. She wanted to scream but her voice was caught in her throat.

She ran for her life.

----------

Luffy had been walking around for a long time now. He was trying to get back to the ship, but he had no idea where he was. He would have asked someone for directions, but there was no one around.

His stomach grumbled and he thought about how much he would like to be on the ship, eating dinner.

"I'm hungry.." he moaned. "What's up with this town anyway..Everything looks the same!"

The Strawhat captain mumbled to himself, wishing the ship would just turn up already.

Suddenly he heard footsteps.

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They were still chasing her. Nami could feel them getting closer. She couldn't run much longer. They were going to catch up with her.

She turned a corner. Then another corner. Their footsteps were getting louder. She was sure any second now she was going to feel one of their grimy hands grab her shoulder. Her legs were getting weaker. It took all of her will power to keep running despite the massive pain she was experiencing throughout her body.

She ran for a few more seconds, then one of her knees buckled under her. She fell onto her hands, then quickly forced herself back up. She couldn't run anymore, she could only stumble. She turned one more corner, sure it would be her last.

She couldn't believe her eyes. Ahead of her, standing in the middle of the road, was Luffy.

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Luffy had stopped walking to look in the direction the footsteps were coming from. Maybe whoever that was could tell him how to get back to the ship. He waited there a few seconds, then saw someone appear from around the corner.

Though it was dark, he instantly recognized her face.

"Oh, Nami!" he called cheerfully.

She was running, or rather stumbling, towards him.

When she was a few yards away from him, he realized that she was wearing nothing but her underwear.

"EH!? Nami, why are you na-" he was cut off when she ran right into his chest. She latched onto his vest and dug her hands into his skin with such intensity it drew blood.

"OW! NAMI, WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" he shouted.

In a voice so tiny he could barely hear it, Nami whispered, "L-L-Luffy! He-help. Help! HELP ME!"

Nami looked up at him and from the light of a nearby lantern he was able to discern that she had bruises all over her face, including a black eye, tears were rushing down her cheeks, and blood was trinkling down her forehead, out of her nose, and out of her mouth. She was shaking violently and wheezing each time she took a breath.

"L-L-Luffy..!" she stuttered, wheezing as her words came out. "Th-they t-tried t-to r-r-rape m-me..! H-help...! Help..!"

At that moment, a large group of men jutted around the corner Nami had come out from.

"There she is!" one of them yelled.

"It looks like she's with someone!" another one shouted. "Hey, you! Leave that girl with us and get the hell out of here!"

Luffy had a look of death on his face. He stared at the men for a moment, then looked back at Nami.

"Nami. These men, did they do this to you?"

"Y-y-yes..!" she stuttered, sobbing against his chest. "Th-they..! Th-they tried to R-RAPE ME!!"

Luffy paused for a moment, then said, "Nami, stand back."

He started to move forward, but she was still latched onto him.

"L-Luffy, I-I'm s-scared..!!" she sobbed, leaning against him to support herself while shaking increasingly more violently.

Luffy removed his hat and put it on her head.

"Hey, you!" bellowed one of the men. "I said leave her with us and get the HELL out of here! Do you want to die!?"

Luffy gently eased Nami to her knees, then detached himself from her. He stood up and faced the group of men.

"You know.." he began. "You're all going to be dead one minute from now."

"What was that!?"

"You have a death wish, brat!?"

"Get him!"

----------

Forty seconds later

----------

Luffy laid a final punch into the last of the eleven men, sending him falling to the ground with blood gushing out of his mouth.

He walked back over to Nami.

She was still on her knees, sobbing.

He squatted down in front of her.

"I kicked their asses." he said.

Nami continued to sob.

"Let's go back to the ship.." he said softly. "You should see Chopper and -"

She cut him off by flinging her arms around his kneck and burying her face in his chest. He could feel the damp warmth of her blood and tears as they soaked through his vest.

"I-I can't stop the sh-shaking..!" she stuttered.

"I'll carry you then.." he said. "Come on, get on my back.."

She didn't move. She held him tighter and sobbed into his shoulder.

After a few seconds, she raised her head slightly.

"C-can y-you..h-hug m-me..?" she asked between sobs.

"..Okay." he said, wrapping his arms around her in a light embrace.

After a moment, Luffy slowly let go of her.

"..We should go back now..Let me carry you.." he said, trying to ease her arms off him so she could get on his back.

She wouldn't let go.

"..C-carry me..in y-your arms..?" she asked, nuzzling her head against his neck.

"...Okay." he said again.

He carefully tucked one arm under her legs and lifted them up slightly so she was leaning back, then he held her back up with his other arm. Holding her like that, he gently stood up. Then, he started walking. He still wasn't sure which way to go, but he didn't care how long it took anymore.

After a few minutes, Nami fell asleep.

----------

"Everyone! Get out here!" Luffy yelled as he stepped onto the Thousand Sunny.

A few seconds passed and Luffy could hear people moving in the men's sleeping quarters.

"Luffy, you're late, you know..If you wanted dinner you should have hurried back here.." mumbled Sanji, stepping onto the deck while rubbing his eyes. It took the cook a moment to notice Nami and the state she was in.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO NAMI-SAN!?" he exploded.

Each member of the Strawhat crew was now coming onto the deck. Zoro was climbing down from the crow's nest, Robin had just stepped out of the women's quarters, and Usopp, Franky, and Chopper were following Sanji out onto the deck.

When everyone had gathered, they were all staring at Nami, who was unconscious in Luffy arms, half-naked, covered in blood and bruises.

"Sh-she's in really bad shape!" exclaimed Chopper, changing into his human form and rushing over to her. "I need to look at her right away!"

Luffy followed Chopper into the medical room and lay Nami down on the bed.

"Leave the room for now!" ordered Chopper. "I'll let you know when I'm done!"

Luffy did as he was told, and met with the others on deck.

"Luffy! What the hell happened!?" exclaimed Sanji, grabbing Luffy by his collar.

"..Some guys hurt Nami." the captain replied. "I kicked their asses."

"They hurt her!?" repeated Sanji. "How the hell could you have let that happen!?"

"That's enough!" shouted Zoro. "Don't take your anger out on Luffy!"

Sanji released Luffy and stepped back, his head lowered.

"Luffy.." Zoro began, a grim look in his eyes. "..Was Nami raped?"

"..I don't know." Luffy replied.

Everyone's face darkened.

"This...is really bad.." muttered Franky.

"Nami.." Usopp breathed.

They all waited on deck for the next few minutes until Chopper came back out.

"I've tended to her wounds.." he said. "She has bruises and scrapes all over her body and.." he cringed. "..it seems part of her skull is cracked.."

Luffy clenched his fists.

"Also.." he continued. "..I thought I should check because of the state she's in and...her hymen isn't broken, so it seems she wasn't raped.."

"But it's pretty obvious that's what they were trying to do.." scowled Sanji.

"Robin," Chopper began, "can you bathe Nami and get her some new clothes?"

"Of course." the archaeologist replied.

Chopper and Robin brought Nami to the bath room while the rest of the crew went to their sleeping quarters.

Everyone had trouble sleeping that night.

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"LUFFY!!!"

The crew all woke up to Nami's scream.

They rushed onto deck and to her room.

"What happened!?" shouted Usopp as everyone gathered around the door to Nami and Robin's room.

Robin was kneeling beside Nami's bed with her hand on her shoulder. "She just woke up and started screaming..." she said.

Sanji stepped forward. "Nami-san.."

"KYAAAA!!" Nami screamed as she saw Sanji. "S-stay away!! D-don't come near me!"

She was staring at Sanji with a look of horror in her eyes.

She saw Luffy standing with the others at the door. "LUFFY!!" she called, reaching her arms out in his direction.

"Eh?" said Sanji and Luffy at the same time.

Robin looked slightly nervous. "Nami was calling out Luffy's name in her sleep last night.." she said.

"Eh? Me?" asked Luffy, pointing to himself and looking around.

"LUFFY!!" Nami called again, tears forming in her eyes.

"..What's wrong, Nami?" he asked, perplexed by the fact that she was calling him, and only him.

She was staring at him with watery eyes and her arms reached out towards him.

"Maybe..she wants you to come over here.." theorized Robin.

Luffy walked past the others towards Nami's bed. The crew was silent as they watched.

When he got within her reach, she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her, causing him to sink to his knees. She held onto him from where she lay at the edge of her bed and rubbed her bandaged face against his shoulder.

"Nami?"

Everyone continued to watch in minor shock.

"Luffy.." Nami said, pressing her forehead against his chest, "I love you."

Sanji's, Usopp's, Franky's, and Chopper's jaws all dropped.

Luffy was unsettled. "....Eh?"

Nami lifted her head from his chest and raised it to the point where their eyes were level.

"Eh? Eh? Nami, wha-" he started to say but suddenly found himself unable to speak as his navigator's mouth found residence over his own.

The crew gaped in astonishment.

When Nami pulled back, Luffy had an unreadable expression.

She sunk back down to the level of his chest and tilted her head forward so her eyes were hidden by her hair.

The room was dead silent.

The only audible sounds were the light splashing of waves against the ship and the creaking of wood.

Eventually, Luffy spoke up. "..You love me?" he asked, confused.

"I love you." she repeated, dropping her head on his chest again.

Another brief period of silence ensued and Luffy started to look a little nervous.

This time, it was Chopper who spoke.

"I think she might be suffering from post-traumatic stress." he said.

"What does that mean?" asked Luffy.

"Well," Chopper replied, "in this case, it would mean that she went through something really horrible and now she wants to rely on you to help her cope with it..And, it seems like she gets scared around other men.."

"So, how do you cure it?"

"I can't cure that."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a sickness of the mind, not the body."

"But maybe you can help.." Robin began, looking at Luffy. "..It seems you're the only person she wants to be around, after all.."

Luffy was even more confused now. He looked down at Nami, who was still leaning her head against his chest, then back at Robin.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Just try to comfort her." replied Robin.

Robin looked at the five men standing around the doorway. "Perhaps we should leave the two of them alone for a little while." she suggested.

Not waiting for their response, she stood up and guided them out the doorway, then closed the door behind her.

Luffy was extremely unsure of what to do now.

Nami just kept her head on his chest, not moving.

He gulped. "..Nami?"

Nami raised her head to look at him.

Her left eye was swollen and purple and she had bandages on different parts of her face.

"..Is there anything you want?" he asked.

She smiled weakly. "Could you sit next to me?"

"..Okay." He took a seat next to her.

She slipped her hand under his, then leaned her head onto his shoulder.

He didn't understand why she wanted to do this nor why she wanted to do this with him.

They stayed like that for a while until Sanji announced that breakfast was ready.

Luffy immediately jumped up.

"Where are you going..?" she asked.

He looked at her strangely. "Don't you want to eat?"

She hesitated for a moment, then stood up and latched onto his arm.

"Can we go like this..?" she asked.

"...Okay." he said again, still confused.

----------

Nami sat next to Luffy and held onto his arm throughout breakfast.

Luffy didn't seem to care though. He still ate the same way as usual, finishing his own food in a few seconds, then helping himself to what was on his crew mates' plates.

At some point, Sanji noticed that Nami hadn't touched the food on her plate yet.

Not wanting Nami to look at him like he was a monster again, Sanji decided to alert Luffy to this.

"Luffy, Nami-san hasn't touched her food yet." the cook sighed.

Luffy looked at Nami. "Okay, since you don't want it, I'll have it." he said reaching towards her plate.

"LUFFY!!" Sanji roared, landing a kick square on his captain's head. "Don't steal her food! Ask her why she isn't eating!"

"Nami, why aren't you eating?" Luffy asked obediently.

Nami stared at him for a moment, then said, "..Feed me..?"

"AGH!" shouted Zoro. "This is ridiculous! I feel sick just looking at them!"

"Keep your mouth shut, marimo!" ordered Sanji.

Luffy brought a spoonful of soup to Nami's mouth, a bored look on his face.

Zoro cringed as he watched them.

----------

That morning, the Thousand Sunny departed the island with Robin acting as temporary navigator.

----------

Nami spent the whole day with Luffy.

When he ate, she held on to him and didn't eat until he fed her.

When he sat on deck, she sat next to him and leaned on his shoulder.

By the time he had finished eating dinner, Luffy's could barely feel his arm from how long his navigator had been holding onto it.

"Hey, Nami.." Luffy groaned, looking down at the orange head of hair leaning against his shoulder, "..How about we go to bed now.."

"..Could we bathe together first..?" she asked softly, loosening her grip on him to stare into his eyes.

"EH!?" he shouted.

She continued to look at him intently.

"BUT WE'LL BE NAKED!!" he exclaimed.

"..I don't mind.." she replied.

"But you can just bathe by yourself!" he yelled, trying to get out of her grasp so he could flee to the men's sleeping quarters.

She moved around so she could be in front of him, then she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"But I want to bathe with you." she whispered.

"WHY!?"

She didn't say anything.

He continued to stare at her hesitantly, waiting for her answer.

He could see her moonlit face.

Her black eye was swollen to the point where her eyeball was barely visible, she had small bruises on her forehead, and she had taken off her bandages earlier that day, so he could see all the cuts on her face.

It was hard to read her expression, but he thought she looked sad.

She held his arm and moved towards the bath room with him as he made small, retaliating noises.

----------

Luffy wasn't sure how it had happened, but they were now in the lavatory, with the door locked, facing each other.

They stared at one another for what seemed like the longest time before Nami suddenly took her shirt off and dropped it to the floor.

Luffy backed up, gritting his teeth as his navigator stripped in front of him.

When he saw her body, his face fell.

Her knees and shins were scraped, her breasts had scars that looked like they were made from someone's fingernails, and her entire upper body, from her waist to her wrists was covered with blue, green, and purple blotches.

"Uh.." he breathed.

She walked up to him and put her hands on his vest. She kept them there for a moment, then she started to slip his vest off of him.

He didn't resist, but he still didn't like what was happening.

When she had removed his vest, Nami placed her hands on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. After a couple of seconds, she kneeled down and touched his pants.

She lowered his zipper.

"Eh! Na-Nami, wait!" he exclaimed, but she had already pulled his jeans down.

He wasn't sure what he should do.

Nami placed her delicate fingers on his waist and slowly brought down his shorts.

She stood up to face him.

"..I'll start filling the tub.." she said.

He stood frozen as she walked over to the bathing area and turned on the faucet.

After adjusting the temperature, she walked back over to him and tugged lightly on his hand.

Without thinking, he stepped out of his pants and sandals and followed her.

She dipped a bucket into the tub and poured the water over herself, then dipped it in again and poured it over him.

She bent down to grab a sponge, then stopped.

Luffy looked at her curiously.

She stood back up and faced Luffy.

She gently grabbed onto both his hands with her own.

He wasn't sure what was going on.

Nami was staring at her feet.

A moment passed and Nami slid her fingers up Luffy's arms, over his shoulders and around his neck. She moved in close to him to the point where their chests were touching.

He detected her thin fingers as they began to caress his neck, the frail muscles in her arms tensing against his shoulders.

Their feet touched and she moved her toes over his.

He felt her soft chest press up against his skin.

She nudged her cheek against his. He could feel her rough scrapes against his flesh.

"Will you.." she began, breathing into the corner of his neck, "..hold me?"

His body stiffened.

"Please..?" she whispered.

He frowned, but slowly brought his arms up around her back and covered one of her shoulders with a hand.

She whispered into his ear. "Tighter..?"

Following her request, he held her a little tighter.

She closed her eyes and gasped slightly as her breasts rubbed and contracted between their two bodies.

Luffy took no further action. He wasn't even sure what he was doing anymore.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, then Nami said,

"It hurt.."

Luffy's eyes went wide.

"It..really hurt..!" she gasped, her voice cracking as she finished.

He felt her start to snivel. "Th-they..held me down..!" she exclaimed. "Th-There were..s-so many of them..! They..t-tore my clothes off! H-he grabbed my breasts and d-dug his nails into them! He bit m-my nipple!"

Luffy began to feel a rage build up in him.

"One man, he..he hit me again and again!" she continued. "They...They all laughed! I was trying to break free, but...but they were too strong! And then, he..he cut my..my vagina! It h-hurt..it hurt s-so much, Luffy!"

Luffy was clenching his teeth so hard he couldn't feel his gums. A vein was pulsing in his forehead.

"Th-th-they!! They wouldn't stop! It hurt and I was so scared and..and..! And I cried and I tried to break free! I used all my power but I couldn't stop them! The man, he! He put his..PENIS into me and..and they wouldn't let go...and I..."

Her body was shaking as violently as it had been the previous night. Her knees were wobbling so much he had to hold her up to keep her from falling.

She was sobbing into his neck.

"L-LUFFY!!!" she cried, squeezing him as hard as her arms would let her.

Luffy thought back to his brief battle with those men. He was pretty sure he hadn't killed them all. He began to consider having the ship turned around so they could return to the island and he could kill whoever was left.

He didn't know what to say to her, so he just continued to hold her. They stayed that way for a while.

Finally, Nami loosened her grip on him and he let go of her.

They dried off and put their clothes back on.

As they left the room, Nami held Luffy's hand.

They didn't wind up bathing.

----------

"Can you sleep with me tonight?" Nami asked, looking Luffy in the eyes as they stood in front of the door to the women's sleeping quarters.

Luffy's body jolted.

"I really want you to hold me.." Nami said, lightly gripping his vest.

Luffy gulped.

"..Okay, I guess..."

They entered the room and closed the door.

Nami lead Luffy to her bed, then let go of him for a moment as she removed her footwear then crawled in and lay down.

She held the covers open for him to come in.

After a moment of tentativeness, Luffy placed his Strawhat on the ground, slipped off his sandals, and crawled in beside her.

Nami snuggled up to him, rubbing her feet against his.

She brought her face up to him to the point where their noses touched.

And then, in a whisper, she asked,

"Will you kiss me..?"

Luffy froze. He hadn't been expecting that.

Nami gazed at him with her unbruised eye, waiting for his answer.

Some time passed as he considered her request.

"Okay." he finally said.

She closed her eyes and raised her chin slightly.

Luffy gulped, then slowly leaned forward, his nose brushing against her's.

He could feel her warm breath against his mouth.

Then their lips touched.

His breathing hitched in his throat and his eye lids fluttered for a moment before closing.

He felt her lower lip caress his.

He could taste her breath as she exhaled into his mouth.

Their chins brushed as they opened and closed their jaws, heads gently moving against one another.

He started to taste her saliva as it merged with his.

When he felt her tongue pass into him, he was so surprised he nearly pulled back.

As if sensing this, she brought her hand to his cheek to gently hold it in place and started lightly massaging it with her thumb.

She stroked the insides of his mouth with her tongue for a few seconds, then playfully tapped his and retreated back into her own mouth, beckoning him to follow.

Without even thinking about it, Luffy put his hand behind her head and entered her mouth, invoking in her a soft moan.

They continued for a few minutes, though it seemed like much longer, then finally broke away, both panting heavily.

"I.." Nami started, locking onto Luffy's eyes with her own, "..I really love you, Luffy.."

She flattened her forearms against his chest and nudged her head under his chin, placing a light kiss at the base of his throat.

It was awkward for Luffy, but they both wound up falling asleep that way.

----------

Luffy woke up the next morning to someone tapping him on the shoulder.

He groaned and slowly opened his eyes.

He felt warm breaths against his neck and looked down to see Nami still snuggling against him, asleep.

He blinked a few times, then tried to get up, but noticed that Nami had slipped her arms behind his vest at some point during the night and was holding his back.

"I figured you wouldn't want to miss breakfast so I thought I should wake you up." he heard Robin say from behind him.

"Eh!?" Luffy shouted, sitting up with lightning speed and slipping out of Nami's embrace. "It's already breakfast!?"

"Actually, everyone else has eaten, but they saved the leftovers for you."

"WHAT!?" Luffy roared, leaping off the bed and racing out the door.

Robin sighed then gently shook Nami awake.

The orange haired navigator turned on her side and moaned in complaint.

"Just let me sleep a little more.." she mumbled.

"..Don't you want to have breakfast with Luffy..?" Robin asked.

Nami immediately sat up and turned to face Robin.

"Oh, yeah..Thanks Robin." she said, smiling.

"You spoke to me." Robin remarked, slightly surprised. "Are you feeling better today?"

Nami frowned for a moment, then smiled again. "Yeah, I am."

Robin returned her smile. "That's good to hear, everyone will be pleased."

----------

Luffy slammed the dining room door open.

"FOOD!!!" he thundered.

His crewmates were sitting at the table conversing with one another.

"Oh, Luffy." said Sanji. "You're breakfast is on the counter."

Luffy looked at the large plate of soups, fish, and vegetables resting on the counter top.

In thirty seconds, he had consumed all of it.

"Where's the rest!?" he shouted.

"There's only a little bit left, and that's for Nami-san." said Sanji.

"EH!?" Luffy exclaimed. "What happened to everything else!?"

"We ate it." said Franky.

"WHAT!? How could you!? Why didn't you wake me up!? I would've eaten more!"

"That's precisely WHY we didn't wake you up!" Franky yelled. "You were sleeping in for once so we finally had the chance to have a normal breakfast with no one stealing food off our plates!"

"That was the best breakfast I've had in a while!" said Usopp, cheerfully. "I was finally able to finish a full plate of food without Luffy grabbing almost everything before I could eat it."

"And we could eat slowly, too!" added Chopper.

"Say, Luffy.." Sanji began, patting Luffy on the shoulder. "Why did you spend the night in Nami-san and Robin-chan's room last night?"

"Oh, I slept with Nami." Luffy replied casually. "Is there really no more food??"

"YOU DID WHAT!?" Sanji roared.

Sanji grabbed Luffy by his shirt and started yelling at him.

"You bastard! You took advantage of Nami-san while she was in that delicate state, didn't you!? She may never heal now!"

"Damn, you're loud.." groaned Zoro, rubbing his head as he woke up from his nap. "What are you blabbering about?"

"This FIEND!" Sanji bellowed, pointing at Luffy, who didn't seem to be paying any attention and was picking his nose, "He..he..he FORCED poor Nami-san last night!"

"Eh?" interjected Luffy, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "I don't recall doing anything like that..We just kissed and went to sleep.."

"WHAT!?" thundered Sanji, only slightly less outraged.

At that moment, Nami entered the room with Robin.

"Ah! Nami-san! Are you feeling better today?" Sanji asked.

Nami nodded, smiling slightly.

Just have a seat and I'll bring you your breakfast!" Sanji exclaimed cheerfully.

Nami sat next to Luffy, who was pouting with his chin on the table.

"So, you're really feeling better?" asked Franky, eyeing Nami suspiciously.

Nami nodded again.

"Nnnnnami-saaan!" Sanji sang, spinning around as he approached the navigator with a platter of his specially prepared food. "Your breakfast!"

He set it down in front of her, his arm unintentionally brushing her sleeve.

"KYAAAA!!" Nami screamed, suddenly pulling away and latching onto Luffy, staring at Sanji with terror in her eyes.

Sanji's happy demeanor instantly vanished.

Everyone stared at Nami, who was holding onto Luffy, shaking.

After a few seconds, she said, "S-Sorry.."

Sanji had a sad expression.

No one said anything and after a minute, Nami started to eat.

She didn't ask Luffy to feed her this time, which Zoro was happy about.

After she had taken a few bites, Nami noticed Luffy eyeing her food.

She smiled at him. "Would you like some?"

Luffy's face lit up.

"Eh!? Can I!?"

Nami nodded, grinning.

She picked up a piece a potatoe with her fork and raised it to Luffy's mouth.

Luffy was slightly displeased that this was all he was getting but, never one to turn down food, he happily opened his mouth and let Nami feed him.

Using the same fork, Nami brought a carrot to her own mouth and ate it.

Then, she stabbed a piece of beef and held her fork out to Luffy again, who now realized that she was going to continue feeding him and consumed the meat with no hesitation.

Nami continued this deed of feeding Luffy by placing her fork in his mouth, then using the same fork to eat a piece herself.

Meanwhile, his contentment short-lived, Zoro now glared at them with a disgusted look on his face.

"Back to normal my ass.." he muttered.

----------

Things remained relatively the same for the next few weeks.

Nami shared her breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Luffy every day.

She didn't follow him wherever he went, but she would often sit with him on deck and lean on his shoulder.

She bathed by herself most of the time, but she would occasionally ask him to join her.

She still couldn't be around any other men.

Every once in a while, she would get depressed for no apparent reason and would always stay with Luffy until she felt better.

They slept together every night.

Each time they arrived on a new island, she stayed on the ship.

The crew was beginning to worry that she wasn't going to return to normal.

----------

It was an evening like any other.

It had been a day since they left the last island and the next one was another two days away.

After eating dinner (as a note, Zoro now ate with his chair facing away from the table), Luffy went to the front of the ship where he sat and watched the sun go down.

He had been there for a few minutes when Nami approached him.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked.

Luffy grinned at her. "Sure."

She took a seat by his side and gazed out over the ocean with him.

As always, she held his hand.

When the sun finally disappeared and stars began to fill the sky, she said,

"I'm going to bathe..Would you join me?"

Luffy made a hesitant expression.

Although he had done this with her a few times by now, it still felt strange.

"It's okay if you don't want to.."

He frowned for a moment, then tentatively said, "..Alright."

Nami smiled and lead him to the bath room.

----------

Luffy stared at Nami's nude body as she gathered the stool, bucket, sponge, and bar of soap they would be using to bathe.

Her bruises were all gone now, although there was still a black spot on her forehead where her skull had been damaged.

Her minor scrapes had all disappeared, but she still had a few scars.

She set a stool in front of him and motioned for him to sit on it.

"I'll wash you first." she said.

He sat on the stool and crossed his arms. He just couldn't understand why she always wanted to do this with him.

She dumped a bucket of warm water on herself, then on him, then picked up a sponge and rubbed it against a bar of soap.

She began scrubbing his back.

She started at his shoulder blades, then worked her way down to his lower spinal area.

When she finished, she wrapped her arms around him and began scrubbing his chest, resting her chin on his shoulder and rubbing her cheek against his while she did so. He felt her breasts press up against his back.

It was a mystery to him why she always did it this way. It would be alot easier to just scrub him from the front.

He felt a pleasant sensation as the wet, smooth skin of her arms rubbed against his shoulders.

She moved down to his legs, and he jerked as he noticed how close her hands were to a certain region of his body.

Nami positioned herself in front of him and continued to scrub down his legs.

She never seemed bothered by the fact that when she did this she had a perfect view of the area between his legs. Nor was she bothered by how that area reacted to her movements.

When she had cleaned his entire body, she rubbed some soap into her hands and began on his hair.

He always liked the feeling of her fingers massaging his scalp.

When she was completely finished, she handed him the sponge and took his place on the stool.

Starting the same way she did, he scrubbed her back, lightly moving the sponge over her delicate frame.

He move in front of her to do her front, and couldn't help but make a face.

She never attempted to cover herself. She just let him clean her with her arms at her side as she smiled at him.

The first time he did this, he fell over with a bloody nose.

He took care of her stomach, then her legs, careful to avoid her two most sensitive spots. She could do those herself.

As he scrubbed her head, he enjoyed the nice feeling of running his fingers through her smooth, orange hair.

He poured the final bucket of water over her and was ready to dry off when she grabbed his hands.

She gently guided them past her arms and placed them right on her breasts.

Luffy immediately wrenched his hands back and jumped back a full ten feet, slamming his back against the wall.

"EH!? NAMI!!!" he exclaimed. "YOU JUST PUT MY HANDS ON YOUR BREASTS!!!"

----------

The crew was all settling in for the night.

Sanji, Usopp, Franky, and Chopper were in the men's sleeping quarters while Robin was in the women's and Zoro was in the crow's nest.

Zoro was sleeping soundly.

Robin was reading a book.

Sanji, Usopp, Franky, and Chopper were talking with one another.

They were all having a fairly peaceful evening when Luffy's scream suddenly came from above deck.

"EH!? NAMI!!! YOU JUST PUT MY HANDS ON YOUR BREASTS!!!"

Usopp, Franky, and Chopper fell out of their hammocks.

Sanji bit his cigarette in half.

Robin dropped her book.

Zoro woke up and his eye started to twitch.

The crew was aware that Nami and Luffy bathed together occasionally, and they all thought it was really strange. But since Nami wanted it and it seemed to make her happy, no one mentioned it.

But now they were beginning to question whether bathing was Nami's only intention.

"W-WHAT THE HELL!?" shouted Franky. "JUST WHAT ARE THEY DOING UP THERE!?"

----------

Luffy was backed up against the wall, staring at Nami.

Nami stood up and started walking towards him.

"Eh?? Eh?? Nami, what -"

Nami smothered her captain's mouth with her own.

At the same time, she lifted his hands up and put them back on her chest.

Luffy quickly jerked his hands away again, grabbed her shoulders, and held her at bay.

"Nami! What are you doing!?" he bellowed.

Nami gazed into his eyes, then...

"GAH! NAMI, YOU JUST GRABBED MY PENIS!!" Luffy boomed.

"SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!" Zoro thundered down from the crow's nest.

Luffy stole his member back from his navigator and ran to another wall.

Nami didn't follow him this time.

She tilted her head down so her hair shaded her eyes.

"Luffy.." she said. "..I want you to have me."

Luffy grit his teeth.

"It won't leave my mind.." she said. "..What those men did to me.."

Luffy's expression softened a little.

"I can't even stand the thought of being around any man other than you.." she continued. "..I..I want to feel better."

She began walking towards him again.

"..I don't want to think about THAT NIGHT every time I take my clothes off." she went on. "I don't want to have nightmares about it every night. I don't want the memory of it controlling my life."

She reached him and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"..I want to have a good memory.." she whispered. "..I want to be held by you.."

Luffy was trying to understand what she was saying, and although he had an idea of what it was, he was trying to consider every OTHER possibility.

And then she said it. Very blatantly.

"I want to have sex with you."

Luffy nearly dropped to the floor.

Although he knew what it was, sex was not something he ever thought about or considered doing.

And now Nami, one of his nakama, was asking him to do it with her?

"Luffy.." she whispered, "..I love you."

Luffy gulped. He was well aware that THAT was something that people who loved eachother did. But he had never even thought about love before.

Nami lightly held a few of his fingers in her own.

"We can do it in my room.."

His eyes widened.

----------

Nami opened the door to her and Robin's room.

"Robin.." she said as she stepped in, pulling Luffy in with her, her eyes hidden behind her bangs, "..could we..have the room tonight?"

Robin's hold on her book loosened slightly, though she didn't drop it this time, and she stared, very open eyed, at the two people who had just entered the room.

There was a moment of silence before Robin said, "Y-Yes..Alright.."

The archaeologist hastily tucked her book under her arm, grabbed a pillow and blanket, and headed out the door, shutting it behind her.

----------

Nami had her arms curled around Luffy's neck as they both kneeled on her bed, naked.

She leaned in and kissed him, opening her mouth to let him in.

After a minute, she gently placed his hands on her breasts again, causing him to jolt, but not pull back.

She put pressure on his fingers and moved them in circles.

"Can you do it like that..?" she asked, breaking the kiss to look into his eyes.

Luffy made another hesitant expression, but nodded his head.

She returned to kissing him and moaned into his mouth as he began to massage her chest.

Waves of pleasure ran down her body as he continued this action, and she began to slide her arms up and down his back.

Her body started to heat up, her heart rate increased, and her breathing intensified.

She broke the kiss again to gasp for air.

"Ah..Ahh...!"

She ran her hands through his hair and tilted her head back, exposing her neck to him.

"..Kiss..my neck..!" she panted, pulling his head closer to her.

He obliged, trailing his lips over her skin and planting soft kisses on it.

After a minute, she gently pushed on his shoulders and he let go of her.

She clasped her hands behind his head and leaned back onto her pillow, pulling him down on top of her and locking lips with him.

Their legs touched and stretched out towards the end of the bed.

Another minute passed and their mouths disconnected.

Nami pressed on Luffy's shoulders, directing him down to her chest.

His feelings of hesitation disappeared as instinct overtook him, and he started to understand what it was she wanted from him.

He positioned himself over her and began kissing her along her breasts.

She moaned and put her hands on top of his head, gripping his hair.

He situated his mouth over one of her nipples and proceeded to caress it with his tongue.

"Ah..!" she shouted, pulling on his hair with more force. "..That..feels really good...!"

Not taking his mouth off of her, he progressed to the opposite side of her bosom and began giving it the same treatment.

At the same time, he set a hand on her other breast and returned to massaging it.

He put as much gentleness as he could into every one of his actions, extremely careful not to apply too much force anywhere or scrape any skin by mistake.

He carried on with this for another minute, then slowly headed down towards her stomach, leaving a trail of kisses in his wake.

He ran his tongue over and along her naval, then climbed back up her body, sliding up the line of her cleavage, then crossing her collar bone to arrive once more on her lips.

He tucked a hand under her neck, then rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him.

As they battled tongues, he massaged her neck and lower back.

Suddenly, he felt her gasp into his mouth, and realized that he had pushed up on her most sensitive spot with one of his legs.

"S-Sorry..!" he said, tilting his head slightly to the side to rip free from their kiss.

She panted heavily for a couple of seconds before forcing her lips back onto his.

A few seconds later she pulled back slightly.

"That actually..felt incredibly good.." she muttered.

Getting the clue, he reapplied the previous pressure. He felt her body quiver in his arms.

"Mmmm..!!" she moaned down his throat, squeezing his shoulders in pleasure.

She clamped her legs around his thigh and began humping it.

"Mmm..! Mmm..! Mmmm...!!" she repeated to his mouth.

He liked the feeling of her sweaty skin rubbing against him, her hard nipples bending on his chest, and her toes curling and uncurling against his.

He liked the way her muscles moved under his hands and her chest pulsated over his.

And he liked how she clutched onto him, respirating uncontrollably onto his face.

She pulled away from the kiss and tried to say something, but found herself out of breath and panting hard against him.

"Lu....Luffy..can...you.." she began, but quickly ran out of breath again and returned to panting.

Unsure of what she wanted from him, Luffy changed their positions, gently flipping her onto her back and holding himself over her to make it easier for her to relax.

"..C-Could you.." she said once more, her breathing slowing down slightly.

Luffy looked at her, confused, and she groaned.

Giving up on words, she pushed down on his shoulders.

He let her guide him down to wherever it was she wanted him and soon found himself right between her legs.

He had never seen this part of her body so close before, and found himself mildly intrigued by it.

He still wasn't sure what she wished for him to do, but, assuming that she was allowing him to touch any part of her body, he nudged his fingers between her inner thighs and softly ran them over her pink folds.

"Ah.." she breathed.

He figured this was what she wanted, so he started to stroke her there.

Knowing that this was the most sensitive part of her body, he rubbed it with the most intense care he could foster.

She whimpered slightly.

He placed a finger on either end of her folds and slowly eased them apart.

When he saw something that he knew wasn't supposed to be there, his mood dropped and he felt a spark of anger.

On her inside, he saw a scar that looked to have been made by someone's fingernail.

"Nami.." he said, looking up at her. "..they hurt you here, didn't they?"

She lifted her neck to look at him and he saw that her eyes were wide.

"L-Luffy.."

His eyes narrowed a little.

"..It hurt alot, didn't it?"

She sat up slightly and continued to stare at him. After a short period, her eyes returned to normal.

She nodded.

"..Does it still hurt now?"

"No.." she replied, shaking her head.

"....Could you..make it feel good?"

Luffy was a little confused, but he nodded.

She smiled and lay back down, spreading her legs apart for him.

Doing what came to him first, he leaned in, gently spread her folds apart, put his mouth over them, and entered her with his tongue.

Her hips instantly thrust upward in response.

"OH..!!" she gasped, clutching the bed sheets.

He started to lightly circle her outermost petals with his tongue, invoking a shudder in her.

"Ah..Aahh..!" she moaned, squeezing her eyes shut while she continued to grip the sheets.

Now positive he was doing the right thing, Luffy proceeded in deeper, lapping at her moist insides with the tip of his tongue.

Nami clamped her legs around his head and took in a deep, loud breath as she nearly pulled the bed sheets off the mattress.

Sliding his tongue against her wet depths, he searched his navigator's inner walls for new areas that could potentially bring her more joy.

Her hips moved up and down in a rhythmic motion, matching his every stroke.

"Aah..! Ahhh...!"

He continued exploring until he felt something moist and round on the tip of his tongue. When he touched it, Nami shrieked, squeezed his head much tighter between her legs, jutted her hips a full foot into the air, and succeeded in pulling the bed sheets clean off the mattress.

"Aaaaahhh...!!!!!" she cried, grabbing Luffy's head with her hands.

Realizing that he had found the right spot, Luffy concentrated his efforts on caressing her there.

"Aaaah..!! Aaaaahh....! Oohh..! L-Luffy..!"

She tugged on his hair while rapidly clenching and unclenching her thighs around his head.

As he continued, he heard her moans get louder and felt her movements increase in speed.

"Ohh...OHH..."

He started stroking it faster and Nami's voice reached a new pitch.

She got louder and louder and humped him harder and harder until finally she reached her eclipse and let out a nearly ear shattering wail.

He felt her insides tighten against his tongue and a warm fluid trinkle into his mouth.

He slowly lifted his head up as her legs' grip on him loosened.

Nami lay panting with her eyes half open, the bed sheets pulled up on either side of her.

"L-Luffy.." she breathed, holding her arms out to him.

He leaned over her and let her wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him into her in a tender kiss.

When their lips parted, she craned her head over his and whispered,

"..I want you to take me.."

He was pretty sure he knew what she meant.

"..Are you sure?" he asked, gulping.

She smiled at him. "Yeah."

He stayed hung over her for a minute, not sure how to go about it.

Nami took the initiative.

She reached down and took hold of his manhood.

"Uh." Luffy grunted.

She scooted down slightly so they were aligned.

She put one hand around Luffy's back while she kept the other on his member.

She gently pulled him down while guiding him to her pink folds.

When it touched her, she took her hand off Luffy's back and used it to spread her folds apart.

Then, she eased him down into her.

A light moan escaped her lips as he entered her, his tip passing through her moist petals.

She placed her hands on his shoulders to make sure that he went in at a pace comfortable for her.

She continued to moan softly as he slid in deeper and Luffy let out a minor grunt at the sensation.

When she felt him reach her hymen, she stopped him.

"Since this is my first time, this..will hurt me a little bit.." she said. "..and I'll bleed a little too.."

Luffy looked startled.

"But.." she continued, "..that's okay, because it's you I'm doing it with..and.."

She stared into his eyes with an expression he hadn't seen before.

"..I love you."

"....Nami.." he whispered.

Taking the pressure off his shoulders, she allowed him to slowly penetrate her.

"Ahhhh..!!" she cried, squeezing her eyes shut as an expression of pain creased her face.

"Na-Nami!"

She forced one eye open.

"Please, Luffy, don't stop.."

She wrapped her arms around his back and continued to pull him down.

"Ahhh...Egh..." she cringed as she felt soft tissue ripping within her.

He continued to make his way in, stretching her walls as he pushed through them.

"L-Luffy!" she shouted, tears forcing their way out of her eyes.

Luffy didn't like this. If she told him to stop, he would pull out immediately. He wasn't enjoying her pained expression and he strongly disliked the fact that he was the one giving her pain.

As if reading his mind, she suddenly tugged hard on his back, jerking him down onto her where he entered her completely.

"KYAAAA!!" she screamed as her hymen finally stretched and broke.

She clenched her teeth and dug her nails into Luffy's back.

After a few seconds, she relaxed and let out a deep breath.

He was now completely in.

Luffy raised his face above Nami's and she pulled him into a kiss.

When they broke, she leaned in next to his ear.

"You lead from here on.." she whispered.

Luffy paused for a moment, then nodded.

Pushing up on the bed, Luffy began slowly moving out of her.

She bit her lip as his member rubbed against the newly torn tissues.

Then, when he was almost completely out, he stopped and began moving back in.

When they were fully connected for the second time, Luffy gradually moved out again.

He repeated, moving in once more, this time with a slightly greater speed, then pulled out again, increasing the speed slightly. Then once again, this time faster, then back out, picking up the pace. In a few seconds, they were moving together at a steady rhythm.

"Ah..Ah!" Nami cried, clutching Luffy's back as he moved in and out of her.

Finding it difficult to maintain the pace while holding himself up on his hands, Luffy lowered himself onto Nami, wrapping his arms around her head, and continued by moving up and down her body.

He buried his face in the crook of her neck and kissed her as they resonated.

After a minute of this, he got on his knees and bent over slightly to place his hands on her breasts. He resumed, this time massaging her bosom as they rocked back and forth.

Nami wrapped her legs around his lower back.

"..Luffy.." she moaned. "..Luffy..! Luffy..! Luffy!!"

This continued for another few minutes, then Luffy flipped her over so she was on top.

He resumed caressing her breasts while she rode him.

Finally, Luffy pulled her on top of him and held her in a tight embrace as they both climaxed.

Nami collapsed on top of Luffy, panting.

They stayed connected, neither moving nor speaking, for the next few minutes.

Nami eventually rolled onto her side.

----------

They both lay on their sides, facing one another.

"Nami.." began Luffy, "..I think I love you."

Nami smirked. It was a smirk that Luffy hadn't seen for a while.

She leaned in close to him.

He thought she was going to kiss him, but then she craned her neck up over his shoulder so her lips were right next to his ear.

"You owe me 100,000,000 beri for this." she said, grinning.

Before Luffy could respond, she dropped her head back onto the bed and nuzzled her face against his chest.

She closed her eyes.

"..Nami?" Luffy asked.

He got no response.

She was already asleep.

----------

When Luffy awoke the next morning, Nami was gone.

He lazily sat up and blinked.

He saw his clothes, still lying on the floor, and stretched his arm out to grab them.

Once he was dressed, he stepped out onto the deck, still feeling drowsy.

He walked over to the dining room cabin and opened the door.

His drowsiness suddenly disappeared.

"YOU ATE BREAKFAST WITHOUT ME!!" he shouted, gaping at his crew members, who were just finishing the last of the food.

"Hahaha!" laughed Franky. "It's been a couple of weeks since we've had a breakfast this nice!"

"Yeah!" yelled Chopper. "Sanji made an extra large one today so we all got to eat until we were full!"

"I made this extravagant breakfast.." Sanji began, gesturing towards an orange haired woman sitting at the end of the table, "..in celebration of Nami-san's wonderful recovery!"

Nami had just finished the last of her soup and was about to stand up to bring it into the kitchen.

"Ah, no!" exclaimed Sanji. "Please, allow me!"

The curly browed chef waltzed over to Nami and picked her bowl up. Their arms unintentionally brushed.

She didn't get scared, or even surprised. In fact, she smiled.

"Thank you, Sanji-kun." she said in a melodic voice.

Luffy leapt across the table to where Nami was standing.

"Nami!!" he bellowed, a pleading look on his face. "Why didn't you wake me up!?"

Nami raised an eyebrow at him. "Why should I have to wake you up?"

"Because we slept toge-"

Luffy was cut off as Nami cupped her hand over his mouth.

"Since when was it MY duty to wake YOU up?" she asked, a calm expression on her face.

Everyone was staring at her.

Luffy stepped away, then took a seat, pouting slightly.

"SANJI!" he suddenly roared, shooting his head up. "WHERE'S MY FOOD!?"

"I think.." began Robin, "..that everything is finally back to normal now."

"I-I think you're right.." said Franky.

Sanji looked at Luffy. "You don't get any breakfast."

"WHAT!?" Luffy thundered. "WHY NOT!?"

"Because of you.." Sanji continued, lighting a cigarette, "..none of us could fall asleep last night until really late."

"Eh?" asked Luffy, confused. "What are you talking about?"

"The creaking floor boards." said Franky.

"The moans." said Usopp.

"The screams!" exclaimed Chopper.

"The yelling." said Zoro, who had only just woken up from his nap a few seconds earlier, but was pretty sure he knew what everyone was talking about.

"And it was rather difficult for me to sleep out on deck.." said Robin.

"Eh!?" Luffy hollered. "But that was Nami's fault too!"

Ignoring him, Nami opened the dining room door, turned around, and said, "I'm going to my room to make a new map. No one bother me."

When she left, Luffy leaned against the table and grumbled.

----------

As the day went by, Luffy began to realize that everything really had returned to normal.

Nami didn't once sit next to him while he sat on deck.

She let Sanji bring food in to her and had no problem being around the other male members of the crew.

When he asked her to share her lunch, she stretched his nose out and let it snap back in face, saying, "Go to hell."

She took a long bath by herself, not even glancing at Luffy as she went in.

And she also didn't ask him to sleep with her that night.

But Luffy wasn't bothered by any of this. He was glad she was back to her normal self.

Though, for some reason, he now had a weird feeling in his chest that he had never experienced before.

----------

When they arrived on an island the next day, Nami went on a huge shopping spree, spending a whopping 700,000 beri on clothes, jewels, and other accessories. She had Sanji come along to carry everything for her.

When Luffy knocked into her by mistake and broke one of her necklaces, she pummeled him into the ground.

The day after, they had to pass through a storm and Nami navigated the ship the entire way, shouting orders at everyone as she decided what course they should take.

A few days after that, they were attacked by the marines and Nami took out an entire fleet with her clima tact.

She had high spirits all the time.

She was really back to normal.

----------

It had been a few weeks.

Luffy sat at he head of the ship, watching the sun go down.

He was really glad Nami was finally alright.

He laughed whenever she hit him.

He grinned whenever she grinned.

She didn't pay any more or less attention to him than she did to any other member of the crew, and that didn't bother him in any way.

He also realized that he had really missed getting time to himself.

He was satisfied with the way things were now and he figured that he wouldn't mind if it stayed this way.

Everything had returned to normal.

It was as if nothing had ever happened.

The only thing different between now and before was that Luffy would occasionally get these pains in his chest.

He didn't have them all the time. He'd usually only get them at night.

He was feeling that pain at the moment.

"I wonder what this is all about.." he sighed. "..It's like I have a hole in my heart.."

"Maybe you do." came a voice from behind him.

He turned around to see his orange haired navigator gazing out over the ocean.

"Oh, Nami!" he exclaimed, grinning.

She smiled and continued to stare ahead.

He noticed that she was following something with her eyes.

Luffy stood up and looked out to see a bird gliding low over the water.

"Whoa, that's a cool bird!" Luffy shouted.

The bird turned in the air and began to rise. It flew over the ship, then landed on top of the crow's nest.

"It's really pretty.." said Nami.

"Let's eat it!" Luffy shouted.

Nami hit him over the head.

They didn't say anything for a couple of minutes.

Then, the bird took off again and started flying away from the ship.

"I've been feling kind of like that, lately.." said Nami.

"Huh?" Luffy looked at Nami, confused.

"I've been feeling like I'm gliding over the water.." she continued. "..It's a really nice feeling."

Luffy tilted his head slightly.

"I'm..really happy." she finished.

Luffy smiled widely, showing his teeth.

Another period of silence ensued, then,

"I've been getting slight pains in my chest lately, too." she said.

Luffy quickly turned to look at her, surprised.

"I like what you said.." she continued. "It is kind of like there's a hole in my heart."

Luffy creased his brows slightly, silently asking her to elaborate, but she didn't say anything more.

He turned back to the sea.

A little time passed.

"Hey, Luffy?"

Luffy turned around and suddenly found Nami's lips planted on his own.

He froze.

A couple of seconds went by.

He slowly relaxed and placed his hands on her waist.

The kiss lasted a full minute before Nami finally pulled away.

"..That's an extra 1,000,000 beri.." she whispered into his ear.

Luffy stared at her.

"..But this.." she continued, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her chin on his shoulder, "..is free.."

Luffy gently eased his arms up around her back and they both closed their eyes.

They stayed like that, neither moving nor speaking, and didn't part until long after the sun had set.