Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

10

A day had passed since they set sail away from the islands that had been liberated of Buggy's rule with their help. And since things had been quiet during their journey. So much so, that currently the group was lounging around, relaxed and waiting until they reached the next destination Nami had set them towards. Currently, the navigator was sitting on the bow of the ship, glasses on her nose as she studied the Grand Line map.

On the deck, Luffy was working on some big piece of cloth he'd managed to find, while Akira put all her focus on one of the books she was happy to have discovered in Nami's cabin. Unlike the three of them, Zoro was inside, taking yet another nap. Akira was beginning to suspect he might be part cat with how much napping he did throughout the day.

"Hey, Nami. Akira." Luffy's calls had both women looking up from what they were doing so they could glance in his direction, watching as he jumped to his feet and, holding each side in one hand, spread the black cloth apart so he could show off what he'd done to it. "It's ready!"

"And... What is it?" Nami questioned in an unimpressed tone, making Akira send her over a questioning look. While Luffy's skills at drawing were... questionable, it was rather obvious what it was anyways.

"Our Jolly Roger!" He announced, lowering the flag down so they could see his face again, as well as the proud smile showing on it. "Every pirate crew has to have one. And now we do!"

"We're not a crew, and you're not hanging that on my boat." Nami deadpanned simply.

Akira chuckled at the words, the constant denial of what all of them were clearly starting to believe less and less, she suspected. "Well, I quite like it, Luffy." She complimented, happy to find him smiling over at her with glee just as the door of the cabin behind him started to open.

"Zoro! Zoro!" The captain called excitedly, spreading out the flag once more as he turned to him, blocking his way out onto the deck as he showed off his work. "Check it out."

Pausing at the door, Zoro glanced down to the flag, an unimpressed look constantly on his face. "That's unique." He said in a monotone voice before walking past Luffy and making his way to the side of the deck where he leaned against the ship's railing. "Nami, I think the toilet's busted."

The statement had Nami's eyes tearing away from the map in her hands as she sent him a very concerned look. "We don't have a toilet?" While meant to come out as a statement, most likely, the words still sounded like a questions as she began to worry of what could actually be happening.

"Well then something back there is leaking."

"What!?" She exclaimed, jumping up from where she'd been sitting so she could rush into the cabin, the door closing behind her as she went to check.

"Something tells me we're about to have a problem on our hands." Akira muttered out with a small sigh. Leaking on a ship was never a sign of anything good. Knowing time for reading was over, she closed her book, making sure to put in the piece of flower she'd been using to mark where she stopped thus far.

And she did so just in time to watch as Nami rushed back out onto the deck. "We're taking on water." She announced before turning to glare at Zoro. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He defended.

"The way you're clanging those swords around all the time, you must've broken something." Nami continued to accuse, the suggestion making Akira's brows furrow as it didn't actually make much sense.

"They're sheathed." She pointed out. "And I'm pretty sure he'd have noticed if one stabbed into the hull so hard to reach the damn ocean below us."

"If you're such a good thief, maybe you should've stolen a better boat." Zoro spun it back around to it being Nami's fault which, again, didn't make much sense. Akira doubted she did her research into the ships state and how well maintained it was before stealing it. She couldn't have known.

"Guys. Guys." Luffy waved his hands to gain their attention as he hoped to lessen some of the tension which had spread over them. "Okay, crew meeting."

"Not a crew." Nami and Zoro said in unison.

And this time, it was Akira who was giving them a deadpan look as she spoke. "Really? Still?" She questioned, growing somewhat tired of the constant contradiction. If they weren't on the crew then why'd they keep hanging around?

Unlike her, Luffy ignored them entirely as he continued on. "We're gonna need a better ship to make it to the Grand Line. A real pirate ship. Worthy of the Straw Hat Crew." He announced.

"Wait... Straw Hat Crew? Really?" Nami raised an eyebrow, severely underwhelmed by the name.

"Yeah, I thought it had a nice ring to it."

"'Demon' has a nice ring to it." Zoro announced. "Headgear? Not scary."

"I'm sorry... Why does it matter what the crew is called if you are not part of said crew?" Sarcasm seeped from Akira's voice as she sent the two an innocent look whilst repeating their own words back to them.

"And who says pirates have to be scary?"

"Luffy, darling, I don't think you've been around enough pirates in your life." Akira noted with a small shake of her head. Sure, they can be more merciful, but she doubted a pirate crew got far without being at least a little bit scary.

"The point is, we need a new ship. So..." Luffy said. "Where do we get one?"

At that, all eyes turned to Nami as the navigator. Crew or not, they were all travelling on a boat that was bound to sink sooner or later. The needing a ship part, they could definitely agree on enough to keep working towards the solution to the problem together.

And Nami knew it too as, with a sigh, she turned to grab a book full of maps and charts. "Our closest bet is the Gecko Islands." She announced after some scanning and flipping of pages. "We can probably make it there before our ship sinks. Ditch this one and get a better one."

"Good." Zoro said, although from the monotony of his voice it wasn't actually clear if he was pleased. "With a working toilet." He added on the requirement for their new vessel.

"Great job, navigator." Luffy said with a large smile, his finger pointed at Nami in a congratulatory manner before he leaned down to pick up his Jolly Roger.

"You're still not hanging that on my ship." Nami announced stubbornly.

With a chuckle, Akira tapped her hand on Luffy's shoulder comfortingly. "Next one, buddy. Next one." She reassured him in a whisper before moving back to where she'd been before and returning to her book. There wasn't much they could do until they reached the Gecko Islands. Hopefully, they'd make it there in time.