Nami stumbled out of the tower just as the first stars lit up the sky. Her legs ached. Her arms were scraped raw from the ropes, but her grip was tight around the dagger Kael had left behind. She didn't feel rescued.
She felt watched.
"He's still nearby. Or maybe just in my head."
She didn't call out. Not yet. She found the main road and walked. Slowly. Quietly. Processing everything she'd learned, and more importantly, everything she hadn't.
The streets were quieter than before. Lanterns were being lit, and vendors were closing their shops. In the distance, laughter from a tavern echoed, faint and strange in contrast to the chill building in her chest.
She turned a corner and nearly collapsed. But before she could fall, a blur of fur and blue ran into her at full speed.
"NAMI!"
Chopper tackled her waist in a desperate hug, tears already leaking down his face. He immediately started digging into his medical pack.
"I-I thought you were hurt! Where were you?! Are you bleeding? Are you poisoned?!"
Before she could answer, the rest of the crew appeared. Usopp skidded to a halt, panting.
"There you are! We've been running all over this island looking for you! What the hell happened?!"
Zoro narrowed his eyes, taking in her torn clothes and the tightness in her stance. "Someone did this," he said bluntly. "Who? Where?"
Sanji dropped to his knees in front of her like a knight swearing an oath.
"Nami-swan! I failed you! Who dared lay a finger on your precious form?! Tell me and I'll burn the whole damn town to the ground!"
Franky clenched his fists. "This ain't right. Something stinks about this. Who messed with our navigator?"
Brook adjusted his hat and leaned on his cane, face grim despite his ever-present grin. "Miss Nami, you gave us quite the fright. If I had a heart, I think it would have stopped. Yohoho..."
"Guys," she said weakly, holding up a hand. "I'm okay. Really."
She was shaking. Not just from exhaustion.
Robin stepped in from the shadows, calm but observant. Her voice was soft. "What happened, Nami?"
Nami hesitated.
She could tell them everything. About the tower. About the ropes. About Kael watching from the shadows. She could tell them about the cloaked figure—who wasn't Kael, but definitely connected. She could mention Noel.
But she didn't.
"If I tell them now, it changes everything. They need to be ready first. I need to be sure."
"It was a setup," she said slowly. "Someone lured me. I followed a figure through the alleys. They were fast. Trained. I thought it was Kael, but... it wasn't."
Robin tilted her head but said nothing. She didn't push.
"Did Kael take you?" Zoro asked sharply.
Nami blinked. "No," she said quickly. Too quickly.
There was a brief silence. Everyone seemed to register the tension in her voice.
Luffy stepped forward. He'd been quiet, standing just behind the others, hands in his pockets. His hat shaded his eyes.
"You sure you're okay?" he asked.
Nami met his eyes.
He wasn't angry. Not even worried.
He was waiting.
She nodded. "Yeah. Just tired."
Luffy gave a small nod. "Okay. Let's go home."
Back at the Sunny, the mood had shifted. Sanji prepared a hot bowl of soup for her, his every move melodramatic and dramatic.
"The carrots are shaped like stars for you, Nami-swan! This broth was kissed by the flavor gods themselves!"
Chopper was relentless with the bandages, checking every scrape and bruise like she might shatter at any moment.
"Stay still! You have rope burn! That means... YOU WERE TIED UP?!"
Nami grabbed his hoof gently. "Chopper. I'm okay."
Usopp was perched nearby with a nervous grin. "Hey, at least you made it back. I was starting to build a new cart to come rescue you. It had spikes. And rockets."
Franky adjusted the cannon on deck. "We can lock down the harbor in two minutes flat. If someone tries something again, we make 'em REGRET IT."
Brook leaned against the rail. "We still don't know who took her. That's unsettling."
Zoro stood silently at the edge of the deck, arms crossed.
Robin sat nearby with a book, but her eyes flicked up to Nami every so often.
"She knew something. Back on the street. She, Zoro, and Sanji were hiding something. They were already suspicious of Kael before this. Why didn't they say anything to me?"
Once the others dispersed to their duties, Nami stood. Quietly. Calmly. She followed Robin into the hallway.
"You were watching Kael before this, weren't you?"
Robin stopped.
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Robin turned. Her expression unreadable.
"Because I wasn't sure what he wanted. And I still don't."
Nami frowned. "You should have said something."
"You should have too."
That hung between them.
Nami's grip tightened on the hidden dagger Kael had left.
"Well, I think he's not the only one with secrets."
They stared at each other. The tension crackled like storm air.
Robin smiled gently.
"Maybe it's time we shared them."