GROWING PAINS / zoro.

FOURTEEN / nojiko the guardian.

the people began whispering amongst each other, their eyes looking at her with something that definitely wasn't happiness.

one of the villagers, a woman with electric blue hair and a heart tattoo across her chest pulled away from the crowd, her eyes filled with anger and betrayal as they focused on nami.

"you've got a lot of nerve showing your face here." the woman spit at nami's feet as if she were the most vile thing in the world.

it was silent for a few seconds, everyone watching the tangerine haired woman.

"got something for me?" she asked the man in the uniform.

he stared at her silently, his hands begrudgingly extending so that nami could snatch the box out of his grip.

her fingers lifted the top, eyes scanning the coins within. "you're short."

"nami, please." the man pleaded, finally gathering his voice. "this is all we have. arlong has bled us dry."

anjali watched the woman she thought she had once known completely change before her eyes. this wasn't nami, the straw hat crew's navigator. this was nami of the arlong pirates.

"then find more blood." she replied coldly.

a nami anjali didn't know.

the villagers dispersed back into their crumbling homes, leaving the crew to finally approach nami.

"nami." anjali murmured as the girl caught sight of her once family, eyes hardening into stone when she realized that they had somehow found her.

"what are you doing here?" she stormed over, box in hand, glaring at the five.

"i could ask you the same thing." luffy replied, stepping closer to her.

"this is where i belong." nami shot back.

the straw hat searched her conflicted eyes. "i don't believe that. this is not you."

"no." the woman shook her head, bile rising in her throat and fire leaving her tongue. "this isn't the me you want me to be."

"nami," he said softly, taking a step closer. "if you need our help —"

"no. i don't need any of you." she snapped, exhaling deeply. "arlong wanted the map, and i conned you into getting it for me."

her gaze landed on anjali, and for a moment that indifferent façade fell to reveal the guilt behind her lies. but it was gone as soon as it arrived, and nami's face became stony once more.

"we were never friends. i didn't care about any of you. it was all lies. i was never part of your stupid crew." she snarled.

anjali's eyes stung with hurt, her only comfort being the green haired man beside her who had gently slipped his hand against hers.

"you don't mean that." luffy said softly.

nami didn't bother clarifying whether it was true or not. "take the rest of these clowns and sail away from here. i never want to see any of you ever again."

shoulders raised and muscles tensed, nami turned and walked away, leaving behind the only crew that had cared for a lowly thief like her.

usopp broke the silence by chuckling nervously, scratching his head. "okay, that went about as bad as it could. so, back to the boat before the fishmen find us?"

anjali shook her head. "this is too . . . strange. her words and her actions don't line up. there's something deeper going on."

"my thoughts exactly." sanji nodded in agreement.