The Game (luNa)

10

Nami fell in behind her captain as the crew headed towards the village. It was surrounded by a stone wall that connected to the cliffs. It didn’t really seem like it was meant to keep anyone out or in, it just directed them to a front gate. The gate itself was wide open, and citizens were streaming out and in.

They all stayed on the right hand side of the gate. On the other side, there was a tall looking guy smoking a cigarette behind a glass panel. He appeared to be inside a kind of ticket booth. Nami felt Luffy tense up. She could see it too. The man in the booth, he looked so much like… Him.  

‘Hey you guys!’ the man called, pointing to the crew. ‘Would you come here for a second?’ they all exchanged a glance, except Luffy, who had averted his gaze and was staring at the ground. Nami squeezed in between him and Zoro, who stepped out of the way to let her through. As they moved forwards, she placed a tentative hand on her captain's shoulder.

He didn’t look up, but acknowledged her by leaning into her hand a tiny bit, before standing back up. She kept her hand on his back as they walked forwards. A few crew members shot her weird looks, but she ignored them all. They reached the glass panel that the man was sitting behind. 

‘Y’all are pirates, right?’ he asked casually. The group nodded, unsure of what to do. They looked nervous. The man chuckled. ‘Don't worry, your kind is welcome here. I just wanted to know because we have a special tradition for the pirates that come through here. We call it The Game.’ the others all exchanged looks. Luffy just stayed where he was in front of the group with his hands in his pockets and his gaze on the floor. 

‘What the hell is up with this kid.’ the man asked, pointing at luffy. There was a short silence, before luffy spoke up. 

‘Sorry.’ he muttered, looking up and meeting the man's gaze. ‘You just happen to look one hell of a lot like my dead brother.’ The crew went dead silent. None of them even breathed. They could all see the comparison now. The man’s eyes widened in shock. 

‘I’m sorry to hear that.’ he said. All of them were shocked by Luffy's statement. He had said it with such a lack of emotion in his voice that it was scary. The man cleared his throat. 

‘Umm, anyway, if you guys win the game, you get free meals and accommodation here. Everything in the stores is also completely free of charge, as long as you're reasonable with it. So it's pretty handy for people passing through to stock up their supplies and spend a night in a flash hotel room on dry land, don't you think?’ they all nodded, luffy included. 

‘Well, we’re in.’ he said. The man grinned. 

‘That's great. Follow me.’ he climbed out of the panel and turned to the civilians.

‘You lot!’ he yelled. ‘Spread the news. This brave group has taken on The Game.’ The crowd all cheered loudly and ran off to spread the news. Nami couldn't help but feel uneasy about their reaction. Should she be worried? What concerned her the most is that luffy still wasn’t very well.

He was still fairly pale and shakey, although he had healed a lot better than any normal person would have, especially considering the severity of his case. The man strode off and the pirate crew fell into step. Chopper couldn’t keep up with their brisk pace on his little legs, so Zoro scooped him up and sat him on his shoulders.

Robin walked quietly beside him and Sanji was in the front of the group, along with Usopp. Luffy, who would usually be charging ahead, hung back and trailed behind, still upset from the shock of seeing the booth man. Nami dropped back and walked in silence beside him.

After a while, he looked up and met her gaze with eyes so full of adoration and gratitude that nami couldn’t help but raise a hand to his face. She quickly realised what she had done and went bright red, retracting her hand, but luffy caught it in his own, holding onto it like it was the only thing holding him together.