Steel Heart

Ch 102 - How Not to Handle Bad News

There was a particular sensation Nana got whenever an Aqua Laguna was approaching Water 7 that she could never quite explain. It always happened just before the storm struck. Nana could never see the storm or sense any signs of its presence. The air would be quiet and the water would be still. Nothing out of the ordinary and yet, when Nana would look out onto the horizon, she just knew that it was coming. Something was coming and it was not something good.

She wished she had felt that sensation even before she she walked through the door. She wished that something, anything, would have alerted her to the news but even as she sat there, motionless and numb, with her nakama surrounding her, she knew there was nothing that could have prepared her for this.

She had stayed with Pygmy and Momonosuke, supervising the dog as he ate the meals that he had been missing and caring for him under strict orders from Chopper. She found it surprising that the usually cheerful and upbeat child was tight lipped and was hesitant to engage even with her but she decided not to pry. Pygmy's well being came first and she wanted to make sure he was okay.

The reindeer was called out when a Mink arrived to announce the awakening of some Duke Dog-something. He must've been someone of great importance because the sloth Mink that came to bring the news was in tears of joy while Chopper wasted no time to check on the Duke.

It wasn't until hours later that Brook came to get her. Pygmy was happily awakening from a much needed nap with a full belly so Nana finally felt it was okay to meet up with the others. They had left a few Minks outside the door, guarding Momo, but again, the child did not say much to them.

Yes, when she walked into the house where all her nakama were, the Minks had stopped whatever they were doing and hustled out, giving the pirates their privacy. Only Wanda and Carrot stayed behind. Yes, when she entered, the music stopped and so did the dancing, singing, and any type of merriment. Yes, she noticed that Nami, Chopper, and even Brook were avoiding her gaze but how was she to know...how was she to expect this?!

"What...what do you mean Sanji's gone?" she asked quietly. Her throat was dry and her voice came out crackled and hoarse.

Nami's bottom lip quivered as she clasped her hands tightly in front of her. "I-I'm so sorry, Nana. There was nothing we could do to stop him. And after how we left Dressrosa too...Ugh...I just...He was...He..." Nami's head dropped and she began to cry so hard that no words could be formed.

"Oy. Nami. It's super not your fault," Franky said. He and Pygmy flanked Nana's side, with Pygmy resting his head on the mechanic's lap. Even though the cyborg had an arm around the mechanic's shoulder to support her, he looked pretty shaken himself.

"Maybe," Robin said and Nana was surprised her voice could get even gentler than its usual calm tone, "Maybe I should explain since...it seems it's still hard for Nami and them to talk about it."

"No, Robin-san," Brook came to the center of the circle and he sat in front of Nana. He took a deep breath and then faced the mechanic square on, "Let me...We owe Nana-san a full explanation of this since we saw everything first hand. She deserves all the details."

"Tell me everything," Nana murmured. Her voice sounded distant and foreign even to her. Like it was coming from someone else, "What happened when you guys left Dressrosa?"

Brook nodded. "Ah. As you know, we encountered Big Mom's ship. Thankfully, she wasn't on board. However, the duo that Luffy-san met on the Fish-Man Island were. Surprisingly, they didn't come because of Luffy-san's challenge. Instead, they came to take back Caesar...And they came prepared. They brought along Capone 'Gang' Bege, part of the Worst Generation along with Zoro-san and Luffy-san."