Chapter Text
Nami doesn't remember much of Drum Island, but it is the first thought that comes to mind as the island grows closer. Unlike Drum, however, Bright Island is a single mountain rising from the sea. Mountain doesn't even feel like the right word, it is more a column of rock.
Sheer vertical cliffs make up the entire perimeter of the island and the city seems to be carved into the rock face. A few people mingle on the elaborate balconies and platforms hewn from the stone. Where the tunnels and carvings grow sparse, buildings hang from the walls like bird's nests with swaying wood and rope paths connecting them. Far above it all, the flat top is covered with lush greenery and dense trees.
Once they get near enough to spot the docks, it seems like it had once been surrounded by land, but it had sunk below sea level. The docks themselves are anchored to the underwater land, though the chains are slack with the low tide. Getting the Sunny docked is no issue; the harbormaster seems nervous, glancing at their Jolly Roger, but calms once they agree to pay the docking fees. She's downright friendly once she notices the size of their tip.
As much as Nami loathes to admit it, Luffy does have a point when he insists on it. Even before becoming an Emperor (which she can still barely believe), they were still infamous enough to make people skittish.
“Okay!” She announces, clapping her hands together, “Chores first and then we can explore the island.”
Everyone splits up fairly quickly after that. Franky and Jinbe decide to stay behind, unsure if the tunnels would be wide enough for either of them. Robin and Brook depart to get information about the island and their residents.
Usopp throws his arms around Sanji and Chopper. “The three of us can handle resupplying!”
Sanji opens his mouth, probably to protest, and Usopp elbows him in the gut, giving him a look that Nami cannot be bothered with attempting to decipher.
That would leave her, Luffy, and Zoro to exchange the treasure she liberated from some folks who tried to attack them. It would be nice to spend some time with them away from the crew even if Luffy would complain about chores.
"Leaving Luffy and Zoro to come with me to the exchange. Seas know they would get into trouble otherwise." She snorts, handing Sanji the supplies allowance.
The three of them set off, Zoro with a crate hefted over his shoulder, Luffy with a pack, and Nami sandwiched between them. Of course, Zoro almost takes a wrong turn the moment they step off the docks so she grabs onto his wrist. The two of them don’t really hold hands much, instead grabbing arms and shoulders, sitting side by side with their knees pressed together, helping, directing, reassuring.
On her other side, Luffy is already bouncing around. “This island looks so cool! Do you think there are giant ants here? Can we go looking for giant ants?”
“We have to exchange the treasure. Chores first, then we can go exploring,” she says, staring straight ahead to avoid his puppy dog eyes.
He squints at her, examining her face before laughing brightly, slipping his hand into her free one, “If Nami wanted to spend time with us, she just had to ask! Boring stuff and then adventure!”
She sputters as her face heats up. They’ve been officially dating for a while now and dating in all but name for even longer, but she isn’t sure if she will ever get used to Luffy’s casual affection. Zoro chuckles at her side and she elbows him in retaliation—he had been caught off guard by it just as much as she did. “Shut up. And don’t call treasure boring!”
“Sorry, sorry,” he laughs, completely unapologetic, and he bounces ahead, pulling their chain of people with him. “Let’s go!”
Nami stops the two of them before they walk into the exchange, “Let me handle all the talking. Just stand behind me and look all intimidating.”
Zoro snorts but doesn’t complain. Personally, he thinks the whole song and dance is unnecessary. Nami is an infamous pirate on her own, even before factoring in exactly what crew she is on. She doesn’t need him or Luffy to shadow her like this. Still, he puts the crate down where she directs him to and snags the back of Luffy’s vest before he can go bouncing off.
He only listens to Nami haggle the nervous teller with half an ear, mildly surprised how quickly the man rolls over to her prices. He swears it usually takes longer than that but he supposes Luffy wasn’t an Emperor last time they did this. Maybe her intimidation tactics have a point.
“You folks are—I mean… You came at the right time,” the teller stutters, wringing his hands as Nami counts out the berri. “Sir Yudi is having a masquerade ball tonight. His parties are well— th-they’re known for being magnificent.”
“Will there be food?” Luffy asks, having slipped his grip on his shirt and bounded over to the counter, his eyes sparkling.
The man’s face pales even further with Emperor Straw Hat Luffy suddenly in his face, “Y-yes? I mean, yes, there should be a feast.”
“Nami, Nami, Nami, we gotta go, there’s gonna be food!” Luffy turns to Zoro, “and booze too probably.”
“And lots of stupid rich people.”
Nami perks up from where she is finishing counting out the money, “Oh that does sound like a good time. Okay! First, securing the berri so we don’t have another thief accident. Then, shopping.”
“Shopping’s not an adventure,” Luffy pouts as they approach the door.
She opens her mouth to retort but the teller speaks up again. “Oh I wouldn’t—I mean, don’t worry too much about thieves, ma’am. Felic City boasts their extremely low crime rates. Have a nice day.”
The door closes behind them and she holds the bag close to her chest, muttering, “Low crime rates or not, I want this money back on the ship.”
After a short detour back to Sunny, a quick chat with Robin and Brook when they bump into the two, and a longer detour to try some of the local fare, Nami manages to corral them into some fancy clothing boutique.
The ladies behind the counter greet them brightly as they walk in but Zoro ignores them and turns to Nami, “You never did say why we need to help you go shopping.”
“Shopping for us.”
He raises an eyebrow at her. “And since when do you buy clothes for us?”
She raises one in return, looking him up and down and then looking at Luffy, in his red vest and jean shorts, as always.
“Right. Fancy masquerade ball.” He looks away, conceding the point.
She sticks out her tongue at him and pushes him towards the fitting rooms. “Go sit. I’m doing Luffy first.”
He sits on the weirdly plush couch, closing his eye and ignoring the titters of the attendants. They seem more nervous than scared and no one has tried to arrest them yet, so he figures they’re just gossiping. He settles into a light doze as Nami makes her way around the shop, Luffy’s laughter ever-present in the background.
They haven’t really been on any proper dates before. Stolen moments here and there, the rare lazy afternoon on deck. They’ll gravitate towards each other during parties, but never have they done something so intentional. Privacy is a joke on a ship, even one like Sunny, so their options are limited to when they are on land. Which would be easier if Luffy didn’t usually run full tilt at the most dangerous thing on the island in search of ‘adventure’. He is not one inclined towards dancing, but it might be a nice change of pace.
He cracks his eye back open as his partners make their return, Luffy’s arms laden with clothes and Nami leading him into the fitting room.
After a moment, the curtains pull back to reveal Luffy in a yellow gingham suit that matched the color of his hat. Nami raises an eyebrow at Zoro while Luffy fidgets with the sleeves behind her.
“What?”
“Your opinion! Does it look good? Aren’t you going to ‘ooo’ and ‘ahh’ like a proper fashion montage observer?”
“Ooo,” he deadpans.
"I don’t even know why I asked you, you know nothing about fashion," she exclaims, throwing her hands up in the air. "Luffy, stop fiddling with the jacket!"
“But it’s itchy!” He whines as she wheels him back behind the curtain, pulling it shut.
It opens and Nami pushes Luffy out again, this time in a pale blue sundress with pink accents.
“It is unfair how cute you look in that,” she pouts while twirling her finger, getting Luffy to do a spin.
Watching as he continues to rotate, giggling as the skirt flares out and probably making himself dizzy, Zoro can’t help but agree. However, he won’t admit that. “Ahh,” he says flatly, just to see Nami glare at him again.
“Hopeless! Both of you!” She exclaims, but he catches the edge of her grin as she shoves Luffy back inside.
The curtain opens one more time and Luffy steps out in a flowy cream colored shirt paired with a dark floral embroidered vest, fastened with gold buttons. The laces on the front of the shirt hang loose and the edges of his scar peek out. The slim cut of the dark pants make him look taller, even if he’s still wearing his stupid sandals. Zoro finds himself speechless.
“Sooo,” Nami says with a sly grin on her face, “How do you like this one?”
“Good,” he chokes out, clearing his throat. “He looks good.”
Luffy bounds over to him, already poking at his face. “Ooo, Zoro’s blushing!”
He slaps his hands away, even as he can feel the burn on his own face. “Shut it.”
Luffy giggles, bouncing back into the fitting room to put on his normal clothes. Then Luffy takes over his seat as Nami drags him off for his turn in the fitting room.
She rummages through the clothing she has hung up before shoving a few into his arms. “Try these.” When he doesn't immediately begin to strip, she smacks him on the shoulder, "It's nothing I haven't seen before, now change."
He snorts but does what she says, pulling on the clothes as she hands them to him. Dark, slim pants, the same cut as Luffy’s. A similarly dark fitted shirt with gold buttons. A sash with a floral pattern that is similar to, if not the same as, Luffy’s vest which comes with the added bonus of being able to hold his swords. Even with his stunted sense of style (as both Nami and Sanji would claim), Zoro can tell she has gotten it right on the first try. Right enough that it makes him wonder if Luffy’s first two outfits had just been for fun.
Before she lets him leave, she steps into his space, fussing with his collar. She runs her hands across his chest, smoothing away imaginary wrinkles.
“See?” She says, peering up at him through her lashes with a grin on her lips, “You can clean up nice.”
She begins to pull away but he grabs her wrists before she can, bending down to kiss her smile.
He steps out of the room before she can push him out, immediately met with Luffy’s excited chatter. “Zoro, we match! That’s so cool! Nami, Zoro looks so cool. You’re amazing!”
Nami smirks, but he can tell she’s preening over the compliment. “Of course I am! I couldn’t be seen with you two schmucks otherwise.”
“Ohh I see. Nami wants to show us off!”
“Where would you get that idea?!” She sputters, blush blooming across her cheeks, “Go change back now.”
Once he’s back in his normal clothes, Zoro reclaims his seat on the couch, hauling Luffy half into his lap so he doesn’t go running off. He shamelessly melts into his side, playing with Zoro’s hand and running his fingers over his callouses. He looks up at him with his signature grin on his face. “Maybe we should dress up more often if Nami reacts like that.”
He rolls his eye, “You’re a menace.”
Luffy just laughs.
Nami takes a deep breath to try and calm her blush. Stupid observational boyfriends.
She really has outdone herself this time though, she thinks as she looks at herself in the mirror. The dress itself is gorgeous—a floor length ball gown colored like a sunset, draped in thin gold chains. The near hip-height leg slit is on the right side to allow easy access to her Climatact.
It is usually a nightmare trying to color coordinate between the three of them with Zoro’s bright green hair, her own orange locks, and Luffy’s hat. But the matching gold accents really pulls all three of them together. She truly is a genius.
She pulls the curtain aside and strikes a pose. “So what do we think?”
Zoro is always surprisingly easy to fluster for all his stoicism, but the light flush on Luffy’s cheeks is gratifying. “Nami looks so good! Very pretty.”
She tosses her hair over her shoulder, smirking, “Obviously.”
Zoro refuses to meet her eyes. “Yeah, what he said.”
She basks in it for a moment before clapping her hands to recenter. “Okay, let me get changed back into my clothes, then we have a stop to make before heading back to the Sunny to get ready.”
She spins around, enjoying the feeling of the skirt swishing, and walks back into the dressing room. It seems a bit weird that the salespeople haven’t come over to try and upsell them anything, but she supposes their status is making them wary. She confirms her theory when they go to pay for their outfits. They seem hesitant and don’t want to look them in the eyes, acquiescing to her haggling with very little pushback.
Nami doesn’t quite know how to feel about it. On one hand, saving money is always great. On the other, getting a discount because they’re afraid of them as opposed to her wearing them down feels wrong. The argument was part of the fun! Eroding someone’s will with her tidal force of stubbornness is a skill she has honed.
Shopping bags shoved into Zoro’s hand, she once again grips his wrist so he doesn’t wander off. She doesn’t protest when Luffy reclaims her other hand, squeezing just to feel the odd give of his skin.
Her eyes take a moment to adjust to the weird green light of the tunnels. Robin had explained it to them earlier. Apparently the entire city is primarily lit by a more complicated version of the deck prisms that had been on the Merry and the color is an homage to the city’s origins as a jade mine.
Bearings found, she leads them towards the shop she noticed earlier: a florist. The prisms in the ceiling are larger than in the hall, probably to help the plants.
“Please don’t tell me you’re expecting us to wear corsages or whatever,” Zoro says as they step through the door, looking at the plants like they might bite him.
(To be fair, Usopp’s plants can and have bitten him.)
She uses her grip on his wrist to smack himself with his own hand. “No, but even if I was, you can’t complain.”
He grumbles but wisely shuts up when she lifts his hand to hit him again. On her other side, Luffy has crouched down to inspect a spiderweb stretched between two planters. Not really willing to let go of either of them, she pulls them both around the store with her, having them pull out flowers at her behest.
The shopkeep smiles at their antics, their eyes crinkling kindly. “Let me know if you folks need any help.”
Nami waves at them with the hand holding Luffy’s. “Thank you!”
They continue around the shop for a while, Nami finding flowers she likes while Luffy points and makes jokes. Sanji is likened to a bright yellow hibiscus with a curled stamen. Usopp is an exceptionally dark purple cluster of hydrangeas. A bucket of bleeding hearts is like Torao and a sunflower is like the Sunny, of course. He very bravely does not make a comment about the marimo on the counter but she supposes that’s always more been Sanji’s joke.
Purchases in hand, they finally make their way to the ship. She even allows a brief stop for treats.
After spending entirely too long bullying the two of them into taking a bath, she finally pulls them into the aquarium to finish getting ready.
“So what’s with the flowers?” Zoro asks, sitting down on the bench while she arranges the flowers on the floor.
“Since Luffy’s hat doesn’t match formal wear-”
“I’m not not wearing my hat,” Luffy pouts, crossing his arms.
“I wasn’t going to ask you to! I was thinking I could tuck some flowers into the ribbon to match your vest. And some in my hair to tie it all together.”
“Ohhh that makes sense! How are you gonna put them in your hair?”
She cards her fingers through her mostly dry hair. “Probably braid them in. I haven’t settled on exactly what to do with it yet. I’ll do your hat first though.”
Zoro pipes up from behind her, “I could do your hair for you.”
Nami turns around, eyebrow already raised, while Luffy exclaims, “Zoro knows how to braid hair?!”
“Yeah,” he huffs, turning his face away from them. “What of it?”
“You’ve been holding out on me? I can’t believe this!” She smacks his leg playfully, “I could have been having a personal hair stylist this whole time?”
He rolls his eyes. “I’m not that good, but I’m not half bad. According to Perona at least.”
She separates out the flowers she got for her hair and hands them to Zoro. He moves to join them on the ground, bracketing her between his knees and running his fingers through her hair. She relishes in the sensation of someone else doing her hair before turning her attention back to Luffy. She holds out a hand. “May I?”
Nami has held his hat many times before. She has mended it, clutched it to her chest, and worn it more than once. Yet every time Luffy gives her his hat, she is surprised by how light it is. For something that carries so much weight, it should be heavier.
He places it in her open hand and she marvels that she is the only one allowed to touch it like this. The others have worn and held the hat before, of course, but it is her who is allowed to fix it. She runs her fingers over the scars from Buggy’s knife, from what feels like a lifetime ago.
She wasn’t a Strawhat yet, not really, but Luffy had already claimed her. Not as an object or to use, but as someone to stand by his side. She takes a deep breath, Zoro’s fingers in her hair, her own curled around Luffy’s hat, and begins to work, tucking and arranging flowers into the ribbon.
As much as she’s loathe to admit it, Luffy hadn’t been wrong earlier about her wanting to show off. Her boyfriends may be stupid idiots, but they’re her stupid idiots and there is a certain amount of pleasure in publicly claiming them, just as Luffy had done to her all those years ago.
Zoro doesn’t know when or where Nami got masquerade masks, but he has found it’s better not to question her sometimes.
The noble’s home is apparently pretty high up on the island, with a large elaborate carved balcony they had seen when they first approached on Sunny. As they get closer, the walls become smoother and better worked, the weird glass light panels more frequent. He isn’t sure what the plan to get in is. There are no walls to scale (without counting the outside) and Luffy is fully incapable of lying.
The doorway is overly ornate, elaborate pillars carved around it. Even Sanji would agree with him that it just looked tacky. Probably.
People in masks mingle around the entrance, though he can’t pick out any guards or bouncers. Nami, with both of them on her arms, leads them right in, directly through the crowd. No one even bats an eyelash at his swords.
The ceilings are higher once they pass through the doorway, glittering green chandeliers hanging from it. The foyer leads into a ballroom lined with tables and a long buffet leading onto the balcony. Musicians stand on a small raised stage, the music echoing oddly against the carved stone.
Zoro can feel Luffy’s sight zero in on the food. Nami sighs.
“Don’t make too much trouble, okay? You owe me a dance.”
“Of course!” Luffy chirps, eyes still not leaving the buffet.
She shakes her head fondly and releases her death grip on his arm. He bounds off and Zoro feels a little bit bad for the wait staff.
Nami turns to him, tilting her head towards the dance floor. “May I?”
He allows her to lead him to the edge, placing his hand on her waist, her hand in his. Ostensibly, he’s leading her but she’s the one who knows all of the steps.
“Relax,” she laughs as he almost steps on her foot a second time. “It’s a dance, not a fight.”
“A fight would be simpler.”
“Oh you’re being a baby. Just listen to the music and let yourself step in time with it.”
He looks to where the band is playing, a lulling melody that isn’t very good for dancing, if you ask him. Still, he listens for the rhythm and does his best to move with it, sweeping Nami into a spin that makes her dress flair.
She smirks. “See, that wasn’t too hard, was it?”
“I still think I’m right about the fight though.”
“You can do that? I didn’t know you could think.” The two of them continue to dance in time across the ballroom floor, Zoro’s feet more sure with every step.
“Ha ha,” He deadpans. “I think plenty.”
“You couldn’t think your way out of a paper bag.”
The song flows seamlessly into the next, like they do each other. “A paper bag is easy to get out of. You just tear it.”
“That’s not the—” She shakes her head, laughing under her breath. “How did we even end up together when you’re this stupid?”
They move together, both their eyes drawn towards the banquet table, before saying in unison, “Luffy.”
Hand around her waist, he dips her low. The hair not pulled back cascades around her face, framing the light blush on her cheeks. Their eyes meet and Nami snorts, breaking into full body laughter as he pulls her back upright. She buries her face in his chest, now much closer than what is probably proper at an event like this. And Zoro, as she stifles her giggles against him, is helpless to do anything but laugh with her.
Once they’ve calmed down, he tilts his head away from the dance floor. “Time for free booze?”
She nods and grabs him by the wrist once more. “Free booze.”
Nami leads him off, weaving through the crowd of people in a way he has come to recognize. He wonders how long it will be before people start to notice their missing wallets. It isn’t hard to find the table Luffy has claimed for them, already stacked with empty plates.
He waves at them as they approach, not letting go of the meat skewer in his hand. “Hey! Over here! I got plates for Nami and Zoro too! It isn't as good as Sanji's food, obviously, but it's not half bad for lame rich people."
Zoro refuses to let himself feel weirdly touched by this, even though he knows how rarely Luffy shares his food. But he is pleased with the multiple bottles of sake he managed to snag. When Nami grabs one and pours them each a cup, he does not miss the new bracelets on her wrist.
She grins, sharp and feral like the best of them, and raises her cup in a toast. "To lame rich people!"
Both him and Luffy laugh, joining her. "To lame rich people!”
Their toast and the clinking of their cups is drowned out by the music and the din of the crowd. Most of the other guests are clumped together in groups, talking amongst themselves. A few brave the dance floor with awkward steps. The way people are leaned into one another, hunched like they’re sharing secrets, makes Zoro wonder if there’s some sort of business deal or announcement happening tonight.
At his own table, he watches Nami show off her spoils over the rim of his cup. Luffy hums appreciatively between bites, swaying a little in his seat to the music.
As Nami is displaying the last of her new jewelry, Luffy grabs her wrist with a laugh. “Nami, let’s go dance!”
She lets him pull her up with a laugh. “Of course, you do owe me one.”
The music swells and Zoro doesn’t catch his response, but the two of them make their way to the dance floor. Luffy’s dancing skills always take him by surprise, but he supposes he always wanted a musician for a reason. He watches as they twirl around, a little too quick for the slow songs they’ve been playing all evening. He sips from his glass with a small smile on his lips, Luffy’s laugh just barely audible over the noise.
The sight of the two of them swaying together fills him with more warmth than the sake. He frowns down at his drink as the music continues to crescendo. It is unusually strong, especially for a fancy party like this. The singer raises her voice above the music, Zoro can’t make out the lyrics but the voice is pleasant, almost hypnotic…
He shoots to his feet just as the people around him begin to collapse, already moving towards his partners. He struggles to keep his eye open and each step feels like he is walking through molasses. Nami is already limp in Luffy’s arms and the last thing Zoro hears before he falls is the singer’s voice washing over the room once more, “Sleep.”
