Chapter 10: A Promise of Trust
Weeks Later — Out at Sea
Feeling a hand gently shake my shoulder, I scrunched my eyes and grunted before I heard a feminine voice.
“Luffy-sama, it’s time for breakfast.” Tiche's voice spoke softly.
Opening my eyes, I let out a yawn before blinking them open and seeing Tiche leaning down next to me, clearly indicating she was the one who had woken me up.
“Yawn, morning, Tiche. Thanks for waking me up.” I muttered drowsily as I stretched my arms into the air to get the blood pumping.
“Of course.” Tiche replied with a small pleased nod before handing me a plate of cheese and dried meat. “Here, this is for you.”
“Thanks.” I mumbled with a smile as I took the plate from her hands and immediately began shoveling food into my mouth.
“No need, it is my duty.” Tiche said with a shake of her head before settling down beside me.
As I ate, I let my gaze wander to the other side of the boat.
Nami and Zoro were already awake and eating their own portions, much smaller than mine of course, with the former looking a bit grumpy.
About two weeks had passed since we left Orange Town, with roughly a week remaining before we reached the Gecko Islands, or more specifically, Syrup Village, where we would be meeting Usopp.
About a week ago, we had made a quick stop at the Island of Rare Animals, where that weird guy permanently stuck in a treasure chest lived among a bunch of strange animals.
Gaimon, now that I remembered.
We became good friends with the guy after making it clear we had no intention of hurting the animals he had grown attached to.
So he wouldn’t spend the rest of his life wondering what if, I climbed the cliff where the supposed treasure he was guarding was located, only to discover a bunch of empty treasure chests.
After informing him that he had spent the last twenty years protecting nothing, he was understandably sad.
Still, he thanked us afterward once he realized that the animals he had befriended were the real treasures of the island.
We left on good terms and with plenty of fruit for our journey while Gaimon stayed behind to watch over his friends.
As for everyone’s training, they had made steady progress.
Zoro showed the most improvement since I never held back while training him, unlike with Nami. The latter had no training background so I knew it would be a much longer progress to teach her the basics.
Neither of them had managed to unlock Haki yet, but I knew it was only a matter of time, so I wasn’t worried.
They had made progress with Total Concentration Breathing though.
Zoro could now burst the small gourd with a single breath. Not that it said much since they were not specially made gourds which would have to wait until I could get some custom made somewhere or bought some at a big enough city.
Nami, on the other hand, was still trying to get her body used to the strain it placed on her lungs and the headaches it caused, but she was making steady progress nonetheless under constant encouragement.
Despite constantly complaining and yelling at me that I was treating a beautiful girl like her too harshly, or that she felt like she might die from practicing TCB, Nami nonetheless kept up with the training, which said more than words ever could.
She probably hated the harsh training.
But she hated feeling helpless even more.
Because of her past, she either consciously or unconsciously kept pushing herself forward despite the pain.
At least, that was what my intuition told me and it was something I respected a bout her. Despite not being very strong in canon, Nami still had always had a really strong will to her that was very attractive.
Finishing my food, I put the plate aside before noticing Nami had moved and was now sorting and counting through her loot by her lonesome at the front of the boat.
Deciding to keep her company, I got up and walked over.
“Hey, Nami.” I greeted casually as I let myself fall down beside her.
She startled for a moment before immediately hugging her Berry and treasure to her chest while looking at me suspiciously.
“What do you want, Luffy?” Nami asked with narrowed eyes. “If you’re here to ask for a loan, forget it! And training doesn’t start until a little later.”
“Easy, I’m not here for that.” I said with an easygoing smile as I raised my hands, silently letting her know I meant no harm.
She looked at me for several moments before finally relaxing.
“Fine, what is it then?” Nami asked, now more at ease as she went back to counting her loot with a concentrated expression on her pretty face.
“Nothing really. Just wanted to chat with you before I begin today’s training.” I said simply with a shrug as I leaned back and looked up at the morning sun, closing my eyes and enjoying the ocean breeze.
“About what?” Nami asked curiously as I heard her stop counting Berry and presumably turn toward me.
I stayed silent for a moment with my eyes still closed.
Silently praying that the combination of my natural charisma, my new Expert Charisma trait, and the time we'd spent together would let me broach the subject without it blowing up in my face and destroying any trust I had built with her.
“…Do you have enough?” I asked softly, still looking up at the sky.
I didn’t need to look or use Observation Haki to know that Nami had suddenly frozen and that her heart rate had immediately sped up.
“…W-What are you talking about?” Nami asked nervously, trying to play it off.
Still not looking at her, I answered.
“I mean, do you have enough Berry for whatever it is you’re saving it for?”
I kept my voice low, making sure the conversation stayed between us.
Though I knew Tiche could still hear us thanks to her enhanced senses.
Nami, thankfully, didn't know that.
“I-I’m not…” Nami stuttered, still trying to deny it, only to trail off when I finally turned my head slightly and opened my eyes.
“It’s alright if you don’t want to tell me.” I reassured her gently.
“Everyone has things they keep to themselves for different reasons. If you don’t want to tell me, then I won’t force you to.”
“But it’s obvious that you desperately need money for something.”
I kept my gaze calm and free of judgment.
“And if I had to guess after getting to know you a little, it’s probably something really important, isn’t it?”
Nami refused to meet my eyes.
Instead, she turned her head away and unconsciously grabbed her left arm where the Arlong tattoo was hidden.
Her fingers tightened around it.
“...Yes.”
That was all she said.
The word came out so quietly I almost missed it.
“…Is it your family?” I asked softly, silently relieved that she wasn’t shutting down completely and was at least answering me.
“…Y-Yes.” She muttered with a small hiccup before quickly wiping at her eyes.
“How much more do you need?” I asked again.
“A-About ten million more.” She whispered, still refusing to look at me.
Frowning slightly, I realized that while we had the money, we still needed to buy ourselves a ship.
More than likely, the Going Merry.
I also had no idea how much it would cost since I didn’t want to get it for free this time.
Not only would it make the ship officially mine, but it might also stop Usopp from thinking it was a gift from Kaya and potentially prevent the whole disaster at Water 7.
I then thought about a certain pirate currently in Syrup Village pretending to be a butler and remembered that he was supposed to have a bounty worth more than ten million Berry.
Almost immediately, a solution came to mind.
“Hmm, if there’s any Berry left over after we buy ourselves a ship, then you can have the rest.” I declared with a smile as I rested a hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze.
Nami froze.
She remained that way for several moments before finally looking up and meeting my eyes.
Her own were wide with shock and disbelief.
“W-What?” she asked quietly, as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.
“Shishishi, I meant what I said. But I’ll repeat it if that’s what you want.” I grinned.
“You can have whatever’s left over after we buy ourselves a proper ship.”
Nami’s eyes widened even further.
This time, she stayed silent for much longer before lowering her gaze to the deck and whispering in a low, vulnerable voice.
“...Why?”
“Hmm, isn’t that obvious?” I answered immediately with a smile.
“We’re nakama, Nami.”
“There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”
My smile turned a little sheepish.
“And since you won’t tell me who’s making you sad so I can kick their ass, or kill them depending on the offense, this is all I can do to help for now.”
I shrugged before getting to my feet, intending to leave her alone so she could process everything.
I didn’t get very far.
A feminine hand suddenly grabbed the leg of my shorts and stopped me.
Turning around, I saw Nami still staring at the deck.
“…That word.”
She swallowed.
“What does nakama mean to you, Luffy?”
I sat back down.
Taking a deep breath, I answered without hesitation.
“To me, nakama means more than just friends or crewmates.”
“It’s closer to family.”
“People who share your dreams and support you no matter what you decide to do.”
“Friends so important that I would trust them not only with my dream, but with my life as well.”
“And I’d expect them to trust me with theirs.”
“Standing by each other no matter what the world throws at us.”
“Never hurting them.”
“Fighting anyone who threatens them or disrespects them.”
I scratched my cheek and laughed.
“Shishishi, but I guess if you want a simpler answer...”
“Nakama are the people I’ve chosen to live my life with.”
The words came naturally.
I didn’t even have to think about them, as they all just came pouring out without my consent.
As I finished speaking, Nami lowered her head even further.
A moment later, tears began dripping onto the deck.
I frowned but said nothing.
Nami sniffed a few times before hurriedly wiping her face.
After a long moment, she finally looked up at me.
Her eyes were red.
Vulnerable.
Hopeful.
“L-Luffy...”
She hesitated.
“D-Do you mind waiting a little longer before I tell you everything?”
“I want to collect the rest of the money first.”
Her voice sounded nervous.
Almost afraid I would refuse.
My smile widened.
Silently, I reached up and removed my precious straw hat.
Then I gently placed it on her head.
Nami’s eyes widened in shock.
I had never hidden how important the hat was to me.
“Shishishi, take all the time you need~”
My grin was so wide it felt like it might split my face in half.
Without saying anything else, I stood up and walked away, heading over to tell Zoro and Tiche that training would be delayed for a little while.
I could still feel Nami’s gaze on my back.
And even though I ignored the words carried by the wind, I heard them perfectly clearly.
“…Thank you, Luffy.”
‘No, thank you for deciding to place your trust in me, Nami.’ I thought silently as I felt a spike of rage for a moment at the people responsible for making her suffer.
‘They will receive no mercy from me.’ I thought coldly while looking out at the beautiful blue sea.
=====
Several Days Later
After our little heart-to-heart, Nami surprised me once again.
She threw herself into training like a woman possessed and demanded that I stop coddling her so much.
Surprised by her newfound determination but happy about it nonetheless, I simply nodded and increased the intensity of her training.
Instead of getting hit by pellets or small rocks during Observation training, me and Tiche were now using small wooden sticks.
The poor girl would end every session covered in bruises and welts, and if it wasn’t for me healing her afterward, I had no doubt she would have been left with scars on her beautiful skin, something she liked to brag about all the time.
She was now attempting to blow up a gourd just like Zoro while trying to maintain Total Concentration Breathing for as long as possible and was showing steady progress.
It just went to show that when properly motivated, the people of this world could grow by leaps and bounds.
“Hey, Luffy. Mind if I ask you something?”
I heard Zoro ask sometime after training had finished for the day.
The two of us were sharing a drink at the back of the boat while Nami and Tiche chatted about who knew what inside the small cabin as giggles could be hear every now and then.
Taking a sip of wine, not tasting anything of course, I swallowed before turning to him.
“Sure. What is it?” I asked casually.
“You’re a swordsman, right?” Zoro asked as he eyed Muramasa resting beside me with an interested gaze.
“Hmm, sort of.” I replied with a shrug.
The answer earned me a confused look, so I elaborated.
“What I mean is that while I know how to handle a sword to a respectable level, and Haki takes it even further, I’m more of a brawler.”
I looked down at my hands.
“I only really picked up the sword because I thought it was cool.”
That earned a visible sweatdrop from Zoro.
“My swordsmanship and gun will mostly see use against weaker opponents. If I face a truly strong enemy, I’ll be relying on my fists and feet to do the talking instead.”
I clenched my free hand into a fist.
Zoro remained quiet for a moment before nodding.
“I see. From my point of view though, you're still extremely skilled in that sword style of yours. Thunder Breathing.”
“I won’t deny that the style suits me well or all the time I spent refining it.” I admitted before raising an eyebrow.
“But why the question? If you’re worried about me aiming for your dream, then don’t be. As I said, I’m much more comfortable with my fists.”
“Still, I want to test myself against you going all out.”
Zoro’s expression turned serious.
“You said the man I want to surpass is a master of Observation and Armament. I want to see for myself how far I still have to go.”
Blinking, I considered his request for a moment before nodding and matching his seriousness.
“Alright.”
“If that’s what you want, I don’t see why not.”
A challenging grin spread across my face.
“We can have our spar once we reach our destination. I doubt you want us destroying the boat in the middle of the ocean.”
“Heh, good.” Zoro replied with a grin of his own.
“And yeah, I can wait.”
“It’s a deal then.”
I nodded before relaxing again.
Then a teasing grin slipped onto my face.
“Just don’t be surprised when I kick your ass.”
“Tsk, that’s my line.”
We stared at each other for a few moments before both breaking into chuckles and returning to our drinks.
‘Looks like I’ll finally get to test my Thunder Breathing against someone competent.’ I thought silently.
=====
Days Later
“PIRATES ARE COMING!!”