"Why me?" Nami asked, barely above a whisper. Her heart pounded. Not the casual thump of worry, nor the rush of adrenaline after a close call at sea. No—this was thunder. A deep, primal sound inside her chest, like her own body was trying to sound an alarm.
[Integration was a result of divine error. Host compatibility: 100%. You are the System's rightful wielder.]
She looked around, but the world hadn't changed. The sails still billowed gently. The waves lapped against the Going Merry's hull. Sunlight spilled across the deck in warm gold, brushing everything with calm.
But inside her? Chaos. This isn't a dream.
This was real.
The Going Merry drifted calmly across the East Blue, white sails catching the wind. Luffy was probably napping on the figurehead again. Behind her, Usopp was fiddling with something on deck. Sanji's voice occasionally drifted through the air in a soft hum from the kitchen.
But Nami?
She sat alone at the ship's bow, knees drawn up, arms wrapped around them. She hadn't moved in hours, not since the strange light and the voice had invaded her mind.
The golden light of the late afternoon sun kissed her hair, making it glow like fire. Her eyes, however, were distant. Searching. Unsettled.
Tiny sparks—barely visible—flickered over her fingertips, like static electricity given form. They vanished just as quickly, as if shy of the open air.
She clenched her hands tightly, hiding them in her sleeves. The feel of her own skin was subtly different now – tighter, somehow, beneath the surface.
[Host, your hesitation impedes optimization.]
The voice again. Always calm. Always mechanical. Too composed to be human, too certain to be a hallucination.
She didn't react outwardly. Didn't flinch. But her thoughts churned like a storm tide. Don't answer. Don't acknowledge it.
Just… breathe.
But her lips moved anyway. She couldn't stop herself. The words were barely audible, lost to the sea breeze.
"...What do you mean by 'optimization'?"
[Your physical and mental potential far exceed your current output. The System exists to unlock that dormant strength.]
Nami scoffed internally. Unlock dormant strength? Is this some kind of bad video game? "I don't need some glitchy voice in my head to tell me how to be strong." She muttered it under her breath.
[Inaccuracy noted. Without assistance, your progress would remain inefficient. Your tactical capabilities, while above average, are statistically capped.]
Her jaw tightened. Statistically capped? Who is this thing to judge me? "Screw you," she muttered, just loud enough that the breeze could carry it away.
A shadow stretched over the deck beside her.
"You've been sitting here way too long," came Zoro's voice—gruff, blunt, cutting through her internal turmoil.
Her spine stiffened. She looked up.
Zoro stood nearby, arms crossed, one hand resting near his swords—not threatening, but… ready, as always. His gaze wasn't blank, either. It was sharper than usual. Studying her with that unnerving intensity he sometimes had.
Panic pricked her chest for a moment. Did they see something? Did the light stay? Did they hear the voice?
But she forced a smirk, that practiced mask sliding into place. "I'm fine," she said, brushing stray hair behind her ear. "Just thinking about Loguetown. And how much we need to stock up."
Zoro's eyes narrowed slightly. He wasn't buying it. "Since when do you stare at the sea when you're thinking about money and supplies?"
She shrugged, trying for casual. "Even I can have quiet moments, Zoro. Besides, it's a famous place. The Pirate King's town. Anyone would be thinking about it."
A pause. Long enough to feel heavy. His gaze drifted, almost imperceptibly, toward her sleeves—where her hands were hidden. He didn't comment on it, but she felt exposed.
Then, finally, he broke the silence. "…Don't collapse again. That's all I'm saying." It wasn't a request. It was a quiet order, tinged with something she couldn't quite place – concern? Annoyance?
He turned and walked away without waiting for a response, heading towards the mast to check the rigging.
She waited until his footsteps vanished. Only then did she release the breath she was holding, unclenching her hands. Her knuckles ached.
[Observation: The swordsman is perceptive. Recommend increased discretion.]
"No kidding," she muttered, rubbing her hands together. The tingling was still there, humming under her skin.
"Stop pulling it like that, Usopp!"
"I know how to tie a knot, Sanji! It's a figure-eight follow-through!"
"You tied a bow! It looks like a kid's shoelace!"
"It's a strategic loop for quick release!"
The usual chaos erupted near the mainmast. Nami glanced over to see Usopp and Sanji tangled in a mess of rope, pride, and rising tempers. The sight almost made her laugh. Almost.
Luffy was still sprawled across the figurehead, a wide grin plastered on his face as the sun played in his messy hair, occasionally letting out a cheerful, incomprehensible yell towards the horizon.
For a heartbeat, watching them, everything felt… normal. Comfortingly, maddeningly normal.
She stood and walked toward them, shaking off the strange feeling clinging to her like sea salt.
"Oi. Keep it down, you two," she said, hands on hips, settling into her familiar role. "You're giving me a headache, and we're nearly at Loguetown. I'd rather we not arrive looking like circus performers."
"Nami-swan~!" Sanji was instantly at attention, dropping the rope and striking a pose, swooning dramatically. "I was merely defending the ship's honor from this knotless heathen's abominations!"
"Knotless—?!" Usopp gasped, clutching the rope like a wounded animal. "My knots are the stuff of legend! I once tied down a sea king bigger than this ship with nothing but three strands of kelp and sheer willpower—"
"In a dream, maybe," Sanji deadpanned, lighting a cigarette.
Nami rolled her eyes, a genuine smile tugging at her lips despite everything. "Dream or not, focus up. We need to get to Loguetown without damaging the ship or each other. We need supplies before the Grand Line."
That quieted them for a moment, the name of their destination bringing a brief seriousness to their faces.
Then, from the front of the ship, Luffy spoke—softly, cutting through the lingering tension.
"…Loguetown."
Everyone turned. He had sat up on the figurehead, eyes fixed on the distant line of the horizon where the port town would soon appear.
"That's where the Pirate King was executed, right?" His voice was different. Not sad. Not scared. Just… full of something quiet and vast.
Resolve.
"Yeah," Nami said after a pause, the weight of the town's history settling over them. "It's also where we stock up before the Grand Line. Last port in the East Blue."
Usopp gulped, fiddling with his goggles. "Dangerous place, they say. Full of Marines."
"That's why we're going," Zoro said, stepping into the circle around the mast as he cleaned one of his swords, the steel ringing softly. "Last chance to prove yourselves in the easiest sea."
"Where the real adventure starts!" Luffy shouted, the grin returning, bouncing slightly on the figurehead.
And just like that, the tension broke. The crew burst into laughter, jabs, and arguments again – about courage, about food, about who would get seasick first in the Grand Line.
But Nami's thoughts drifted, pulled away from the comforting chaos.
[Host.]
She flinched internally. She had almost forgotten.
[Loguetown presents a unique opportunity. A critical event awaits. Successful completion will unlock your first system ability.]
Her heart skipped. A critical event? What kind of event? Loguetown was famous for one thing, historically, but surely not that again...
[Unknown. Proximity to the event will trigger clarity. You must be ready.]
Ready for what? she thought frantically. Ready for a glitchy system to tell me what to do?
She slid a hand into her pocket, pretending to check her map. Her fingers tingled again, stronger this time.
A spark. Fleeting. Hidden.
Later that night, silence draped the ship in silver. The sea was calm, the wind a gentle sigh in the sails.
The others were asleep below deck. Not even Zoro kept watch tonight – unusual, but the air was peaceful.
Nami stood alone at the railing, hair swaying in the wind, eyes fixed on the moonlight dancing across the sea toward the distant glow of the approaching town.
"Why me?" she asked aloud, the words barely a whisper against the vast quiet. She wasn't expecting an answer from the empty air.
But one came anyway, calm and clear inside her head.
[You were chosen.]
She gripped the railing. "Chosen for what? I didn't ask for this."
[To rewrite your destiny.]