One Piece Fic (CH29) (Patreon)

Here I am again, making excuses. I'm sure you guys are already tired of those by now, but what the heck. It makes me feel better to ramble about my problems.

As you know, I've been trying to write up another chapter for my Gacha fic, and I'd basically gotten it done but... there was a cock-up somewhere with my laptop and Word, and I ended up losing about 1K words of stuff—more, when you consider I'd rewritten a lot of what I already had for chapter 3. I was a little demoralized after that, so I ended up being pretty unproductive the next days.

Also... someone tried to break into my house on sunday morning. Luckily, I'm a light sleeper, so I heard the roof-tiles being shifted and woke up. Everything else is pretty secure around here, so that's basically the only way to get inside. This was in the early morning hours of course. I was conked out for the entirety of sunday after dealing with the fallout from that, the security company showing up etc.

Anyway, I'm going to stop working on the other story for now. It's not going anywhere... and I know I said I'd be paying more attention to this and not waste time on other stuff, but I guess I really don't learn my lesson. I do have fun writing this, so it really isn't that I'm tired of it or stuff like that. I just really love dark fantasy, and when I get an idea for something in that direction, it's extremely hard not to fiddle with it.

That's it for my ramblings. I hope you like the chapter.

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Nami stood on the Going Merry’s deck, a blanket draped over her shoulders, staring out over the ocean. It was evening, with her being the only person on watch. Not that she needed help. The rest of the crew weren’t much good at navigating.

Lost in thought, she almost didn’t notice Robin’s approach, coming to stand next to her. Turning her head, Nami glanced at the dark-haired woman. Her own expression wasn't exactly friendly. Luffy might've invited Robin, with a few others being fooled into trusting her—including that bastard—but Nami wasn't so easily convinced.

Robin took a step backwards, smiling disarmingly. She might've sensed the atmosphere wasn't that good. "Would you like a cup of coffee?" She asked, brushing her long, dark hair behind her ear. "I'm making some."

Nami tapped her finger against her arm, thinking about it. She didn't want to act like they were friends, but... she'd need something to help her stay awake into the night. "I would, thanks. A splash of milk. Three sugars."

"Alright." Robin turned around, about to head back to the cabin, but stopped midway. "Is something bothering you?" She asked, looking at Nami over her shoulder. Her dark eyes seemed especially piercing in the faint light.

Nami snorted. "No. And even if something was bothering me, what's that got to do with you?"

"...so three sugars and a splash of milk. Got it." Robin said. She opened and closed the cabin door, the hinges creaking as it shut. "I'll be back soon."

Nami watched her go, feeling a little bad. "What the hell does she want from me, asking something like that? Sheesh... it's not like we know each other." With only her own company to keep, she leaned against the railing, watching the last rays of sunlight disappear behind the horizon. "That asshole..." Despite herself, she couldn't help wonder what Jack was doing right now. It galled her to admit it, but despite his many, many faults, he was reassuring to have around. He was strong, sure, but unlike the other knuckleheads, he actually knew how to come up with coherent plans. Their crew was a lot more vulnerable now that he was gone. That was indesputable.

"Ugh, just stop thinking about it..." Trying her best to shove such thoughts to the corner of her mind, she scanned the clouds, searching for any signs of ill-weather. Everything was calm.

Eventually, Robin returned, carrying two steaming beverages. She set Nami's on the railing, bringing her own cup to her lips, blowing over the rim. "You're friends are quite an eccentric bunch." She said after a while, eyeing the cabin. Snores could already be heard, practically rattling the thin wooden door. The boys, boisterous as ever, had completely tired themselves out when sunset came.

Nami shrugged. "I guess." She said, her tone noncommittal.

Robin smiled. "Is it usually like this?"

"That's right."

"...if you're tired, I wouldn't mind taking the first watch. You can get some rest."

Nami sighed, turning to face the other woman. She put one hand on her hip. "Look, I get it. You're trying to be nice. It's not going to work, though. My trust isn't so easy to earn. You're going to have to prove you won't stab us in the back the first opportunity you get."

Robin stared at her for a moment before reaching inside her coat pocket, taking out a small, rectangular case. It was a maroon color, textured like velvet. She opened it, exposing a beautiful silver necklace to Nami's eyes. "You know, Crocodile had a lot of treasure saved up. I grabbed a few pieces before-..."

She was still talking when Nami turned her head away, snorting. "You think you can buy my trust? Do I seem like such a superficial person to you?" She rolled her eyes. However, inwardly, Nami was restraining herself. She was very interested in Crocodile's treasure trove, but, well... her current mood was a little listless. The appeal was weaker than usual.

Robin held the item out to her, an easy smile on her face. "I understand. I apologize for doing something unnecessary. Still, I'd like you to have this. If you don't want it, I'll just throw it overboard." She drew her arm backward, looking like she was ready to make good on her promise.

Nami's face turned white. Despite knowing Robin wouldn't really do it—probably—she couldn't stop herself from getting in the way. "No-...! I mean, if you're that serious about it..." She mumbled the latter part, snatching the necklace away. Holding the little box in her hands, she admired the craftsmanship. She knew something like this would sell for a pretty penny.

Robin nodded. "Then I feel relieved. I'm not going to use it. You might as well take it."

"You're really... annoying." Nami said, looking at the other woman with an expression of defeat. "Fine. If you want something, just say it. I don't like owing people."

"I don't know what you mean." Robin said, drawing her leather jacket tighter around herself. The weather was starting to cool. "Rather than me, you're the one who seems to be dealing with something. I was just a little curious."

Nami blinked, involuntarily touching her own face. Was she really that easy to read? "Look, it's not-... it's nothing really."

"If that's the case, you wouldn't mind sharing it with me, right? Since it's not that serious or personal."

Frowning, Nami stared at Robin. Why did she feel like the other woman was trying to push her into a corner? And why was she so insistent? It was really bothersome.

Robin suddenly burst into laughter, probably the result of Nami's current expression. "So I was right. Come on, I'm not averse to a little gossip. It's a way to keep ourselves busy."

"Well I don't like gossip."

"Are you sure? I saw you two together—you and Nefertari Vivi. With how you two kept chittering like little birds, I thought-..."

Nami's cheeks turned pink. "It wasn't like that! We weren't gossiping. It was just... normal girl talk."

Robin rested her elbow on the railing, holding her chin in one hand. "Ok. Let's have some 'girl talk'."

"...fine." Nami said, turning her head the other way. She had a begrudging look on her face. It wasn't like she'd hate some entertainment—it could get rather boring, staying up by herself. Of course, a certain cook would be more than willing to keep her company if she asked, but his companionship couldn't compare to Vivi's. Nami was really going to miss not having their honorary-Strawhat-princess around.

Robin grinned. "Great! So where do we start? Oh, I know. Let's talk about boys."

"Wha-...?!" Nami almost sprayed her coffee all over the floorboards. "To bring that up, and so suddenly... what are you trying to do?"

"Isn't it interesting? Hey, tell me, if you had to go out with one of them, hypothetically, which one would it be? Oh, but it doesn't have to be someone on the boat right now. Actually, you can name anyone you want. I'm just curious." Robin's smile was like a cat playing with a mouse.

Nami was caught off-guard, not knowing how to answer. Adding to her disorientation, a certain annoyingly handsome face immediately appeared at the forefront of her mind. "I-I'm not answering that." She said, spluttering.

"Oh? Well, if you don't, I will. Actually, If it were me... I'd go for him—Mr. 'tall, dark and handsome'. I'm sure you know who I'm talking about." Robin held her cheeks, staring up at the starry sky. Her expression was one of exaggerated infatuation. "When I met him, I immediately got that feeling, like... 'oh my!'. You understand, right? He's a younger than me, but really... I don't mind a younger man."

Nami's face twisted, bringing her hand down on the railing. The force caused her cup to shake, spilling some coffee on the floorboards. "He's. Not. That. Handsome. Okay?! And he's a damn womanizer! Seriously... I don't understand why everyone is so googly-eyed over Jack. He's a complete asshole! He's so rude, and unthoughtful, and pushy, and-..." In the middle of her rant, she went silent, realizing Robin was looking at her with a bemused expression. Undoubtedly, her words had purely been to bait Nami, and she'd fallen for them hook-line-and-sinker.

Feeling a blush covering her face, crawling down her neck, she growled. Leaving the cup of coffee right there, she turned and fled into the cabin. "Urgh, you-...! Since you're such a busybody with so much energy, then take my watch. I'm tired, so I'm going to sleep!" Slamming the door behind her, she heard Robin chuckling bemusedly.

"Alright. Get some rest, Nami. Let's chat again tomorrow~..."

Ignoring her, Nami flung herself onto the bed, pulling a pillow over her head. Hopefully, her churning thoughts would quiet down. If she was lucky, after waking up tomorrow, Robin would just let the matter go—and more importantly, she hoped to forget about Jack, that scumbag.

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Jack rolled on his side, taking care not to disturb the nude, sleeping woman next to him. After a session of, well... hot, steamy sex in the river, he and Ms. Valentine had continued their 'activities' in a local inn. The feisty, frisky blonde had drained him dry in a display of stamina that somehow matched his own vigor youthful vigor. By the time she was satisfied, he'd felt about ready to pass out from exhaustion then and there. However, his superhuman physique combined with his raging teenage hormones saw to it that he recovered fast—already, their blanket was pitching a conspicuously large tent.

Staring into the darkness, he sighed quietly to himself, trying to cool his emotions. One would think that he'd be over the moon, finally being able to have some fun with a bombshell like Ms. Valentine. Not that it wasn't true—he definitely didn't regret anything—but, well... he was in a bit of a weird mood. He didn't mind admitting it to himself, in the privacy of his own mind, that he indeed had quite a few hang-ups from his past life. He didn't think that was abnormal—if he considered the entirety of human history, he doubted he'd be able to find a single person who went down to their grave without any emotional scars.

After a while, having managed to calm himself down, he got up quietly. Putting on his clothes, he walked over to the balcony's door, sliding it open. He'd splurged a bit on the room. Rolling around in a prickly mattrass and itchy, unwashed sheets was a great way to ruin the mood.

The wooden floorboards creaked under his weight, prompting him to glance over his shoulder. Ms. Valentine twitched in her sleep, her blonde hair scattered over the pillow, but at least she didn't wake up. He huffed amusedly, closing the door behind him and leaning on the railing. He stared out over the peaceful little town, looking like it was entirely divorced from the world's struggles. That might actually be the case—for a lot of resupply stations, certainly one located near an arid island like Arabasta—they tended to be mostly left alone by pirates and brigands.

Jack habitually patted his shirt, looking for something to smoke, only to realize his stuff was absent. Well, that was just another part of his past life that'd stuck with him until now-...

"Want a cigarette?"

Still in thought, he suddenly heard a feminine voice coming from some distance away. Surprised, he turned his head, spotting a familiar beautiful, curly haired woman. She was standing on the adjacent balcony—going entirely unnoticed until now. With Jack's enhanced senses, that was saying a lot about his state of mind.

He blinked, looking her up and down. She was wearing some gauzy nightwear. See-through, actually. He could see her embroidered bra and panties through the thin fabric, hugging her very voluptuous figure.

"Oh, hello Paula. I had no idea we were sharing a hotel."

The gorgeous woman withdrew her cigarette from between her rose-petal lips, exhaling a stream of smoke.

"It's the only decent one in town."

"...I see."

There was a moment's silence, with Jack suddenly feeling a little awkward. He scratched his cheek.

"If you're offering a smoke, I won't refuse. Though, I'm surprised you're still awake."

She gave him a knowing look, her expression somewhere between amusement and annoyance.

"I couldn't sleep. My neighbors were a little too noisy."

Jack chuckled dryly, suddenly feeling even more awkward.

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