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[lordofthesea]

[He sees her sitting in the bar. Just like that. And maybe it's not her but it is. He can tell. A shock grips his spine, grits his teeth so that they hum against one another and his hands clench. He recongizes it and hates it. But more importantly. It's her. Sitting there. As if she has any business even still being alive.]

[He comes up behind her in a slow even step, looking around for any of the other impudent humans that had been with her. That had destroyed his crew, his park, his dream. There is only her, though, sitting alone and as he comes up right to her back he restrains himself from knocking her from her seat and sending her sprawling across the hardwood floor.

Just like he used to.]

Comments

[mikangirl]

[...

She can't refute that. All it would have taken was a little forethought. A little precision. She could have taken him out without even touching that little girl. If she'd been fast enough. If she'd been... she could've done any number of things.

Hindsight. But Arlong threatened a child, just like...]


I panicked.

[straw_hat]

[He knows Nami very well. She barely panics for anything, and when she actually panics and doesn't just freak out from adventure, he knows it had to have been something bad. So for now, he doesn't speak and just gently pats her on the head, rubbing it a little.]

'S okay now.

[mikangirl]

It's not okay. [If he knows her well, he'd have expected this part, too, scowling in annoyance. It's self-directed, for once. ...mostly.] You're right. I can wipe the floor with Arlong now. I could have dealt with him before he took a damn hostage. So why can't I?

[straw_hat]

[Well, he figured this would happen. He intertwines his fingers, holing the back of his head in his hands. He's not lecturing or scolding, just stating the facts.]

'Cause you're still scared. He got his ass kicked, and wasn't a threat to you anymore.

But that was us, not you. You're still worried what happened before will happen again, with you or someone else. You know him better than us, that's why you would.

[mikangirl]

It won't happen with me. It won't ever happen...

[Back to the child, again.

Before Arlong had picked the little girl up, Nami had been deliberating with herself whether or not to just outright kill him. He'd threatened Cocoyashi.

"How many times have you tried to kill me, Nami?"

She would have succeeded this time. Easily. And that scared her again. For entirely different reasons. And so she hesitated.

...Luffy's right, of course. She just can't deal with Arlong rationally.]

[straw_hat]

[He just gives her a side glance, and then looks back to the sky.]

Whether it does or not, we'll be there for you.

Nami, it's not a bad thing to not want to kill someone. Sure, you may want Arlong dead, but that doesn't mean you want to be the one to kill him. I'm not sure if it's because you don't want to be a killer, or you're scared to try. Either way, it's okay. Standing up to him like you did... that was brave.