Ameliorate ✦ One Piece

29

"Why do you think she'd do that?" The ship had been entirely silent as Akira leaned against the railing, watching the people coming and going along the docks of the Baratie. But when Usopp spoke the question on his mind, she couldn't help but sigh as she looked over to him.

"They're her crew." She said simply, thinking back to all the moments where she knew something about Nami was off or that the woman was keeping secrets. But somehow, she always made up for the bad stuff enough for Akira to let it go. She regretted that now.

"But we... We were her crew." Usopp pointed out, making Akira send him a sympathetic look. The betrayal struck them all.

"Were we?" She still asked. Everything Nami said or did had been a lie. And yet, the question still stuck in Akira's mind as she thought of it all. It wasn't just that at times Nami had proven herself useful or appeared as a good member of their own crew, but some of the things she did just didn't make any sense.

"So what do we do now?" Usopp couldn't help but ask, none of them seeming too sure what came next. Not even their captain. "Without a navigator? Without a map? Do we just give up and go home."

"Of course, not." Akira said without wasting any breath, turning to him with a pointed look. "It's an obstacle, sure. But if we give up at the first obstacle, we sure as hell aren't making it when we get to the Grand Line."

At the ferocity of her words, Usopp couldn't help but give out a small laugh. "You sound like Luffy." He pointed out, making Akira's own face spread into an amused smile.

"Well, good. That's how you know soon enough he'll get there too." She noted, knowing that even when he'd first disappeared down below deck after returning to the ship, their captain seemed uncharacteristically crestfallen, it couldn't possibly last too long.

"And then we'll come up with a plan to get that map back." She added on in a positive tone before feeling the need to add one more pre-emptive step to whatever happened next. "And make about a dozen copies before someone else tries to steal it."

"And now we're pessimistic again."

"Not pessimistic." Akira corrected jokingly. "Just realistic based on precedent." She pointed out. By now they'd faced off two pirate crews who wanted to take it, and if they did manage to defeat Arlong and take it back, Akira was convinced that even more people would hear about them having it then.

"Fair enough. What do you-" Whatever Usopp was about to ask was cut short as yelling from bellow deck forced them both to quiet down and listen. The words were indistinguishable, but Luffy was definitely yelling something.

Without a second thought, Akira pushed away from the railing and rushed for the door leading down into the ship. "Luffy?" She called out, eyes scanning the halls in a worry as she searched for him until she finally found him in Zoro's room. "What happened? Why are you yelling?" She asked worriedly, fearing the worst as she looked over to the swordsman only to realize she was wrong.

"Zoro!" Usopp, standing right behind her, noticed the same thing, excitedly yelling at the sight of their friend being awake as he rushed over to stand beside Luffy at his bedside, Akira quick to take the other side.

"Thank god." She muttered out in relief.

"I wasn't worried for a second." Usopp announced confidently, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Akira as she distinctly remembered him warning Luffy about the chances of Zoro not waking up.

"He's alive!" Luffy exclaimed in a thrilled voice, pulling up Zoro's hand in victory only to make the green-haired man wince in pain as it strained against his wounds.

"Okay, but he might not be for long if you keep doing that." Akira's warning and Zoro's pained groan made Luffy's eyes widen as he quickly lowered his arm once more.