Novels2Search

Chapter 21

Nami sighed in relief as she sunk deep into the blissful heat of the bath. Even though she took one just a few days ago, it felt like a lifetime. Sweat, dirt, and other grime accumulated on her body, and she was only too pleased to wash it off.

Next to her was none other than the lady of the house, Kaya. She appeared far more nervous to be bathing with another person than Nami, who didn't have a care in the world.

Who cares if another girl saw her naked, as long as none of the boys tried to take a peek, she didn't mind.

The reason she was taking a bath in the first place was because that creepy butler demanded it. Kaya, the sweetheart that she is, invited them to dinner so they could further discuss the deal and everything that's been happening.

And having dinner while dirty was apparently a sin to the butler. Not that Nami really minded, she wanted a bath anyway, and this one was positively heavenly.

Kaya was a bit more reserved about it, however. "Um, maybe I should come back later. Let you enjoy your bath in peace," she said, embarrassed. Her eyes couldn't help but travel along Nami's body, and a twinge of envy formed in the pit of her stomach.

Nami's body was flawless, at least to Kaya's eyes. Not a single mark or blemish could be seen on her skin, and her proportions made the slightly younger girl feel inadequate.

She knew she wasn't unattractive; she's seen the stares of Usopp and several of the men in town, but she couldn't help but compare herself to the beauty in front of her.

"Don't be silly. Come on, it's been too long since I spoke to another girl. All I've had for company is sweaty boys for days now," Nami groused while stretching her body in the large, spa-like tub.

The two of them were currently in Kaya's private bath, well separated from the boys, who had to use the servants' bath. Not that they cared much, a bath was a bath after all, but Nami appreciated the little bit of luxury she was given. Sometimes, it pays to be a girl.

The room itself was rather lavish, with pearly white walls and what appeared to be golden fixtures, though Kaya claimed they were only gold plated. The bath itself was made out of porcelain, and was big enough to seat at least six comfortably.

An exquisitely carved vanity rested against one of the walls, with a large, foggy mirror that was embedded into a pure silver casing that was made to look like flowers. A few different brushes along with high end makeup littered the top.

This was exactly the kind of bathroom Nami would have wanted when she was a little girl. Now that she's older, however, she realizes how vain that was. Though, that wouldn't prevent her from enjoying the luxury while she could.

"Oh, um, ok, if you insist," Kaya said shyly. She slowly removed her towel and gingerly stepped inside the tub, releasing her own sigh of contentment as she slipped under the steamy waters. Tension she didn't know she had just melted away.

"See, there you go. No need to be so shy," Nami said with a coy look on her face, giving Kaya's body a once over. The poor girl gave a cute "eep!" as she tried to hide her body, covering her chest with her arms.

Nami only giggled as she watched, amused by the shy girl's actions. She watched as Kaya gave her tentative glances, her face covered up to her mouth by the water, and a deep blush on her face. Nami's mind rewound several minutes, to when Kaya decided to accept their deal.

"Hey, Kaya?" she asked, giving the girl a curious look, who returned it with one of her own.

"Hm?" she asked, voice distorted by the water covering her mouth.

"What made you decide to trust us?" Nami questioned. It wasn't that she was ungrateful, but they were a bunch of strangers trespassing on her property, with two of them actively fighting her security team.

And one of them was in nothing but his underwear! If it were her, she likely wouldn't have done the same thing.

"Oh," Kaya said, as she rose up from the water. Not enough for anything to be exposed, but enough to hold a conversation comfortably.

"Honestly, I'm not too sure myself. But if I had to say, it was a few things. Your friend, the one in the straw hat, what was his name again?" Kaya asked.

"You mean Luffy?"

"Yes, Luffy. His eyes were so determined, part of me couldn't help but get swept up in the emotion of it," Kaya explained.

"Yeah, I get that," Nami stated after thinking about it for a moment. Luffy had that strange quality about him that just made you put your faith in him. She didn't think such a thing could be properly explained, or that it needed to, really.

Luffy just made you want to trust him. How that was possible when he was such a goofball was anyone's guess.

"And… well, um… Usopp seemed to trust you, so that really helped your argument," Kaya said shyly. Nami noticed the tone of her voice and the flushed look on her face that had nothing to do with the heat from the bath, and a sly, cat-like grin lit up her face.

"So, what's your relationship with this Usopp fellow anyway?" she asked, grin widened at the new shade of red Kaya seemed to invent.

"H-huh? I'm afraid I don't know what you mean," Kaya said, trying to deflect the question. But Nami was not a woman so easily deterred.

"Oh really? You two seemed pretty close to me. And you just said he was the main reason you accepted our deal. So come on, spill!" Nami egged her on. Poor Kaya looked about ready to pass out as the orange haired girl kept harassing her for details.

"Ok, fine! I may, sorta, kinda, maybe, like him… Are you happy now?" Kaya demanded, refusing to look at the other girl. If this is what girl talk was, maybe she was better off without it. She can't remember the last time she was so embarrassed.

Probably when Usopp walked in on her getting out of the bath. But she definitely wasn't going to tell the grinning girl beside her that. She might actually die from the embarrassment if she did.

"Ha, I knew it! Come on, don't stop there. What made you fall for him? Come on, tell me," Nami begged. It's been so long since she's been able to talk girl with someone else, what with her robbing people all the time. The only one since forever has been her sister, Nojiko, and she didn't have much juicy gossip to spill.

"Is this really necessary?" Kaya pleaded.

"Absolutely. Come on, there's no need to be so shy. This is just between us girls," Nami said, trying to reassure the younger girl.

"Fine… If I had to say, it has to be his kindness," Kaya said, with Nami eagerly listening. "After my parents died, I was in a really bad place. I couldn't even muster the energy to get out of bed. I just didn't care, you know?"

Nami did in fact know. When her own mother was killed right in front of her eyes, when she saw her brains explode out from the back of her skull, all the while she had that damn smile on her face, Nami wanted nothing more than to crawl in a hole and never leave.

But she wasn't given that choice. No, instead, she wiped away her tears and made a deal with the devil who pulled the trigger. It was the hardest thing she ever had to do, and it cost her everything.

Her friends, the villagers, even her sister for a time. Everyone turned their back on the traitor who joined the pirates responsible for enslaving them. Her dignity and pride as a human was likewise gifted away, and her very soul was likely bound for eternal torment, no matter the reason she joined.

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

She felt she had very little left to lose at this point, and she would gladly sacrifice what small amount remained to see her people freed.

"But then one day, a strange boy appeared, and began telling me stories," Kaya continued, snapping Nami out of her painful memories. Soon, the nightmare would be over, but right now she needed to concentrate on the gossip she begged for.

It would be very rude to ignore the poor girl after Nami dragged the information out of her. Not to mention she could use the distraction right about now.

"At first, I wanted nothing more than for him to leave, and I told him to do so repeatedly. But he kept coming back, almost every day, no matter how angry I got at him. Eventually, before I even knew it, I began to look forward to his visits."

Kaya had a soft smile on her face as she recounted her story, her previous red face all but gone. Nami had to admit, a part of her was jealous she had someone so close to help take the pain away. Nami didn't, not for a long while. Not until the burden became too great for her to bear alone and she confided in Nojiko.

Since then, her blue haired sister became her rock. A pillar that would help hold Nami up when things got to be too much. Hell, she even got herself tattooed to show Nami her support.

She really did have the best sister, even if they weren't related by blood.

"And he even began bringing his adorable little brother with him. Slowly but surely, I began to feel better, and I was even able to start taking short walks around the village, getting to know everybody. Everything was starting to look up, until…"

"Until the attacks," Nami said, finishing Kaya's sentence. The wealthy young woman only nodded her head, her precious happy expression morphing into one of worry and sadness.

"I see. Guess there's more to the guy than I thought. You're pretty lucky, you know? Not everyone has someone that's there to pull them out of the darkness like that," Nami said, giving the other girl a genuine smile, one that was returned.

"I suppose you're right," Kaya said, a fond look returning to her eyes. Nami much preferred the happy Kaya to the sad one, but she liked the embarrassed one even more.

"So, why were you staring so hard at Nick then?" Nami questioned, her sly grin returning, along with Kaya's red face.

"W-what do you mean?" Kaya said, trying to deflect once more. But just like her previous attempt, it didn't work in the slightest.

"Don't play dumb, I saw you sneaking glances at him."

"Well, that's because…"

"Go on," Nami encouraged.

Kaya seemed to try and keep her opinion locked deep within her own mind, but her resolve crumbled underneath Nami's cat-like stare.

"I mean… He was in his underwear! How could I not look?" Kaya cried, staring at Nami with big, watery eyes, who couldn't help but laugh at the poor girl. Honestly, she couldn't blame her, even she snuck in a peak or two.

"Doesn't help that he's hot either, does it?" Nami continued to goad.

"No it doesn't…" Kaya complained, as Nami continued to laugh. But something about what she said drew Kaya's attention.

"Hang on… You think he's hot?" asked Kaya. Nami's laughter immediately died, as the roles were reversed.

"Um, did I say that?" Nami said, trying to laugh it off. But just like Kayas attempts earlier, Nami's would fail as well.

"You did. Now it's your turn to talk," said Kaya, who had her own cat that got the canary grin on her face. Seeing that there was no way of her getting out of it, Nami sighed, "Alright, what do you want to know?"

"Do you have feelings for him?" Kaya asked. Nami wasn't sure how to answer that. She liked the guy, and cared about him, enough to make a deal with a pirate, but whether or not her feelings went deeper she couldn't really say.

Not to mention, she didn't have time for romance, not right now, not until her village was freed from the control of Arlong.

"We're just friends. And besides, I don't have time for things like that," Nami said, waving the question off. Unfortunately for her, she wouldn't be getting out of her own interrogation so easily.

"That wasn't my question," Kaya claimed. "Do you have feelings for him?" she asked again.

"I don't know, ok?" Nami practically growled out. But rather than being upset by her response, Kaya just gave her one of her soft, compassionate smiles.

"You know, it took me a while to realize my own feelings. Why don't you tell me how the two of you met?" Kaya said, erasing most of Nami's ire.

"Why do you want to know that?" Nami asked with a sigh, which only got a light giggle from Kaya. "Well, after spending so much time with Usopp, I've become rather fond of stories."

"Alright, fine, if you insist. It all started when I heard this god awful singing…" Nami started. She couldn't help but wonder how the boys were doing as she started telling her story.

*Line Break*

"Cannonball!" shouted Luffy, as he dove into the large bath with gusto. Unlike Kaya's personal tub, the room designated for the servants, specifically the male servants in this case, was far less extravagant.

The basin was inlayed into the floor and was comprised of smooth stones. Wooden benches treated to resist water rested against the walls, and soft lights lined square, stone pillars placed evenly across the room.

While it was far from the fancy bath the girls were taking, it was more than rough for the boys.

"Ah! It stings!" Luffy shouted as he erupted from the water, sending droplets everywhere, getting the others who followed at a more sedate pace wet.

The reason for his current misery was the unfortunate mixture of squirrel wounds and hot water. Akisu giggled at the screaming boy, as they watched him flail about in the tub.

"Well what did you expect?" questioned Usopp, as he stared at the whining rubber man in the bath. Did he not know hot water caused pain to injuries?

"Those stupid squirrels. I want a rematch!" yelled Luffy, slamming his fists against the water's surface, causing more water to go everywhere.

"Damn it Luffy, knock it off," complained Zoro. He was already irritated enough by having to take a bath, he didn't need Luffy's usual brand of idiocy to compound his annoyance.

It wasn't even that he was opposed to taking a bath. The real problem was that they were ordered to by that damn butler, and taking orders from that guy pissed him off. He had the eyes of a killer, not a butler, and that set all kinds of warning bells off in his head.

And he wasn't the only one. Nick seemed to have picked up on it as well, but that dumbass was currently out looking for his pants, so he couldn't discuss it with him. So far, it looked like they were the only two.

"You're never going to win," Usopp told Luffy, as he slid into the pleasantly hot water. While his own injuries stung a bit as well, that little bit of irritation was swept away by the refreshing feeling of the bath.

"What are you talking about? Of course I will. They just caught me by surprise. Next time, I'll win for sure," Luffy claimed.

"Sure, sure, whatever you say," Usopp said. Luffy took offense to that and began to splash the long nosed liar with water. Usopp sputtered as some went up said long nose and he glared at Luffy, who only laughed in response.

"Oh, you think that's funny do you? Akisu, let's double team him!" Usopp shouted, as the two began their counterattack.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Luffy shouted, as he was quickly overwhelmed by the superior teamwork of the brothers.

"Hahaha, do you admit defeat? Do so, and we shall grant you mercy," Usopp declared.

"Never!" Luffy shouted back. "Zoro, help me!"

"No."

"What! Why not!?"

"I'm trying to enjoy my bath, now would you keep it down," Zoro said as he closed his eyes.

"Look at that, you have no allies willing to help you. Victory is ours!" shouted Usopp.

"Yeah!" agreed Akisu.

"Grr, I don't think so! Let's see how you handle this! Gum Gum: Bazooka!" Luffy shouted, as he stretched his arms back and flung them, palm first into the water towards Usopp and Akisu, creating a massive wave of water.

"Oh no!" the two of them shouted before the water crashed into them. Several seconds ticked by before they breached the surface of the water, taking in massive gulps of air.

"What the hell was that!? Are you trying to kill us?" shouted Usopp, as Luffy stood there, hands on his hips and laughing victoriously. "Guess I win!"

However, what none of them noticed was the angry form of Zoro, slowly standing up from his seated position in the bath. While they may not have noticed, they sure as shit felt it.

A sudden chill went down their spine, as all three of them turned slowly to face the angry, demonic form of Zoro, standing there with ink running down his face and eyes glowing red.

He had clearly been a victim of the wave as well.

"Oh, crap," stuttered Usopp, terrified of the image in front of him. Akisu hid behind his brother, which wasn't the most pleasant experience, considering he was naked.

"Alright, time to die," Zoro said.

"Hang on, we can talk about this," pleaded Usopp. But he pleas fell on deaf ears.

"No Sword Style.." Zoro started, raising a single arm and forming his hand into a knife shape.

"Come, it was all Luffy's fault. He started it!" tried Usopp, one last time.

"You jerk!" shouted Luffy.

"Tidal Cutter!" yelled Zoro, swinging his arm in an arc against the water. The resulting wave was even bigger than Luffy's, as the three of them screamed in terror before being swallowed up by the deluge.

A few minutes later…

"Guys, I did it! I found my pants!" Nick shouted happily, holding his pants aloft as he entered the bath. But his triumph was cut short as he saw the scene before him.

"Uh, what happened here?"

Zoro was sitting there, calm as can be, with the drawings on his face miraculously removed. But that wasn't the concerning part. No, the worrying part was the other three, who appeared to be unconscious.

Usopp was leaning against a pillar, mumbling something Nick couldn't hear. Akisu was sprawled out on the floor, with what looked like a bucket covering his head. But the most concerning of all was none other than Luffy, who was floating on top of the water, face up thankfully.

Which was weird, considering he ate a Devil Fruit. Nick was pretty sure he should be at the bottom of the tub. But then again, who knows. Not like his lore knowledge was exactly up to par. Or maybe this was another difference of this universe. He would ask Luffy, but that would have to wait.

Right now, he had to fish a certain someone out of the water. Nick really hoped he didn't need CPR.