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Ace's vivre card isn't the only thing sewn into the ribbon of Luffy's straw hat.
"What is this thing, anyway?" Nami mumbles to herself, squinting at it as if the bright sunshine on deck can offer a clue.
Nearby, a grey eye slides open, as its owner debates the cost-benefit ratio of opening the other one.
"I probably shouldn't sew it directly in, though..." Nami continues her musing out loud, ever conscious of her potential audience.
"Don't think you should go poking holes in those things," Zoro offers, although he still feigns his disinterest by letting both eyes fall shut again.
"As if you have any idea what it is," Nami scoffs.
"Yeah, well, do you wanna go stabbing that thing with tiny needles and the next thing you know, Luffy's big, flammable brother winds up over here with a bunch of holes in him and a chip on his shoulder?"
Nami balks a little at that possibility -- Ace is the kind of guy who's disarming enough that he could hide a monster. But still: Zoro's wrong about this one, she's sure. "That's dolls," she proclaims. "Little cloth ones. Not big pieces of paper."
"Better be sure about that," is all Zoro has to say in return.
Nami considers, taking a loud slurp through the straw of the drink Sanji left for her, just to annoy the not-sleeping swordsman.
"He said it would help them meet again," Zoro says after a while. "Maybe there's a map in invisible ink."
Nami scoffs. "There's no way anyone related to Luffy would trust him to read a map."
Zoro's snort morphs into a small chuckle, and Nami hides the smile growing on her mouth in the rim of her drink.
"Guess not," he concedes.
The breeze ruffles the paper where it's lying on the table next to Luffy's hat and Nami's sewing supplies. Nami puts a hand on it and glances up at the sky, doing a quick routine check of the clouds before turning her attention to the waves. When she's satisfied that the calm day will indeed stay calm for at least the next hour, she removes her fingers and goes back to pondering her current problem.
"I can make a pocket behind the ribbon then," she decides, and starts rummaging through her box for a red colored thread.
She fully expects Zoro to have resumed his nap when she finally locates a matching shade and a scrap of reddish cloth besides; she's surprised to find his eyes locked to the paper still.
"What?" She demands.
Zoro's eyes narrow, but he just grunts out a "nothing" at her before yawning wide enough that she can inspect his molars.
Nami clicks her tongue at him in annoyance. If her hands weren't full she'd consider whalloping him a good one for the rudeness.
Later, when she looks at the paper again, she's mildly surprised to find that despite the light crossbreeze, it hasn't even turned.
Nami tucks Ace's present into the little pocket and fastens the button. She's marked it with an X because it's Luffy's treasure and Nami already misses Vivi like hell. She knows that Luffy will approve of the design, anyway.
"People are gonna think he's hiding a treasure map in there." Zoro's unsolicited opinion nearly makes Nami jump out of her skin. She'd forgotten that he was there; despite the volume of his snores at night, he's easy to tune out as background noise during the day.
"They'd have to take his hat apart to see it," Nami argues. In theory, she does agree that it was a bad idea to encourage anyone to steal the hat. "Anyway, it's not like Luffy will let it out of his sight."
"Hopefully that paper is waterproof," Zoro drones, clearly thinking of the sign in the galley that reads Days Since Last Captain Overboard Incident: 0.
They'd never reached above three.
"Sure hope so," Nami replies.
Still... Luffy had nearly lost his hat in a storm once, and Nami knew he'd be inconsolable should it ever go adrift for good.
"Maybe it should be a map," she muses, already drawing it in her head. But where should it lead...
"Zoro, where's Luffy from?"
"Hah? Why does that matter?"
This time, Nami does bonk him on the head. "Just answer the damn question, why is that so difficult??!!"
"Geez, give it a rest, witch," Zoro grumbles, rubbing his skull but quickly caving when Nami raises her fist again. "Some place called Dawn Island, but I don't think his family is there. Thought you knew that."
"Like I paid attention to half the idiotic conversations you two had in the beginning." Nami laced her voice with a superior tone. Honestly, spending one hour listening to the two argue (incorrectly) about how every piece of marine life they saw pooped was more than she needed in one lifetime.
Anyway. It seemed like "If lost, return to Dawn Island" would be even less likely to work than "If lost, return to the Going Merry." They needed a place where the delivery coos could easily reach, and where someone could keep the hat safe until Luffy came to get it....
The "safe" requirement ruled out most places on the Grand Line, although Nami considers the royal palace of Alabasta. Better not to associate Luffy with the whole Crocodile fiasco while they could avoid it though, and heaven forbid someone get the idea that they were rich...
Well. That really only left one option, and this was a map Nami could draw by heart.
"What are you scheming over there?" Zoro actually gets up, proving false the rumors that he was part decorative plant.
"None of your business," Nami snaps, quickly cutting cloth for a second pocket.
"Is so," is Zoro's only reply, besides looming and getting directly in her light. "What's this?" he demands, grabbing Nami's freshly drawn map while deftly avoiding her aggressive needle stab.
"If you so much as smudge the ink on that, I'm doubling your interest rate," Nami threatens, but it's not necessary.
"Is this Dawn Island?" Zoro asks. His voice still has its customary gruffness, but Nami can hear the softness underneath.
"Idiot," she chides (affectionate). "You've been there yourself, and you don't even recognize the map?"
Zoro swats lightly at her head but she ducks away. "How am I supposed to be able to do that, all islands are round anyway."
Every trace of fondness turned to disbelief, Nami groans. "You know what, give that back. You don't deserve it."
She grabs for it but Zoro's standing and uses his length to keep it out of reach. "Just tell me what it is, is that so difficult?" he parrots her.
"It's the Conomi Islands, you idiot, now put it down!" Nami shrieks, at the end of her patience.
Zoro doesn't put it down, just stares at it, frozen in concentration.
"What?!" Nami demands.
A tense moment passes, before Zoro shrugs and finally lays the paper back on her table. "Nothin'," he mumbles, avoiding her gaze. "It's good. I guess."
"Why is it such a struggle to compliment the best navigator and map-maker you've ever known," Nami grumbles, but she can't help but be pleased. As far as compliments from Zoro go, the fact that it was even verbalized is huge.
"Not sure why Luffy needs it, though," Zoro continues after a moment as if she hadn't even spoken. "Can't he just ask you to take him there?"
Nami rubs her brow. "Obviously," she replies. "But what if he, I don't know, ends up swimming in a storm and this gets washed out to sea? It's got to have somewhere safe to go back to."
Zoro grunts. "Guess it's better to list some no-name island in the weakest Blue than a wanted pirate ship on the Grand Line," he concedes.
"Exactly," Nami crows, finishing up the pocket and finding some orange thread to embroider a wandering dashed line across the surface, leading towards the adjoining X.
"Could be dangerous for your people," Zoro comments with a sideways glance. "Especially looking so treasure-map-like."
"Nojiko can take 'em." Nami's sure of it. Besides, it's not like Luffy was going to lose this hat. It's his treasure.
Nami gets lost for a moment in the motion of her fingers and thoughts of her sister; she hopes she's doing well, that the village has been re-built and that the shipment of insect repellent isn't late, that the rain has been plentiful and the soil rich.
"Here." Zoro's voice and fist digging into her shoulder brings Nami back out to sea. She blinks at him; he opens his fist.
Lying in his calloused palm is a teardrop of gold. Nami looks up, sees the softness he's carefully trying to keep off his face, and her mind registers odd, but it's because she's never seen him without three earrings before.
"What for?" she asks, vaguely horrified. Nami knows why pirates - and pirate hunters - wear gold. Sure, Zoro probably didn't need them so much now, but knowing him there was still a non-zero chance that he could get lost and (heaven forbid) killed, and have to rely on the generosity of his killer and the glint of gold to get anything resembling a proper funeral.
"Best way to convince someone to follow a treasure map is a sample of the goods," Zoro shrugs, and doesn't retract his hand even though Nami's swatting it away.
"Are you sure?" She has to know. "Three is like, your thing."
Zoro stares at her as if she's dumb, and Nami is deeply insulted. "I've got a spare," he says. "Obviously I had to buy two pairs." He shoves the earring into her hand.
Nami finds her thumb rubbing over the teardrop shape of it, even in her shock assessing its value. It's heavy but soft enough to indicate high carat; the work is regular and smooth, high-quality. Fifty thousand beri a piece, to the right buyer.
That still doesn't compute, because this new information ups the value of Roronoa Zoro's worldly possessions to a whopping 1,700,000 beri, enough to almost edge out Usopp (assuming mid-market prices for the sniper's rare beetle collection). Yes, if Nami adds the four (four!) gold earrings at 50,000 a piece, deducts the ten thousand they'd have to pay anyone to get rid of the cursed sword, and adds the value of his other black sword (500,000) and the white one (at least a million but essentially zero because if anything ever did happen to Zoro, Nami was sure Luffy would know what to do with that sword) to his only re-sellable article of clothing, a stolen winter coat, she comes up to a figure closer to two million than not.
"Where do you even keep that," she comments absently, because when she'd met him, Luffy had laughingly shared how he'd rescued the Pirate Hunter from execution of various speeds in a Marine yard, and the Marines were nothing if not thorough thieves, and Zoro wasn't so young that he'd escape their searches in deference to minority…
Nami shudders and drops the earring with a curse as her mind leaps to conclusions.
"Where do you think, witch?" Zoro snaps, eyes narrowing but thankfully otherwise oblivious. "In my haramaki, of course. Where else would I put it?"
"Ahhh, of course, of course," Nami sings innocently, waving a hand sheepishly. Strictly speaking, she had no grounds for relief on a basis of hygiene, given how much sweat that green rag was sure to collect on the daily.
"So, uh," she stalls as she gets her mind back on track. "Are you sure about this? We can just put a coin there instead."
"If you want it to be spent on snacks at the next island."
Nami can see his point.
"I've got plenty of jewelry," she offers, although not without a trace of reluctance.
"You're already giving him your home island," Zoro accuses, and Nami hears the unspoken note of jealousy.
"It's not like that," she starts, but trails off, because maybe it is like that. Maybe she wants Luffy to have a bit of herself to treasure, and is that so wrong? She might not have a come-hell-or-high-water vow with him like Zoro does, but she's got something, hasn't she? There's no way Luffy will be Pirate King without her, because who else is supposed to get him where he's going?
Nami takes the earring, and pretends that Zoro's dopey grin isn't exactly how she feels about their rubber captain.
Besides, she thinks as she quickly sews another pocket and marks it with the beri symbol in green thread. It's probably good for Zoro to get into the habit of paying for things with gold instead of blood for a change.
"Luffy!" Nami calls, striding towards the figure sitting on the Merry's figurehead.
Her captain turns towards her with a grin, and spots his hat in her hand. His smile grows like the sun rising, and his arms grow, too, until he's launching himself at her with a cry. "NAMIIII!!! You finished it!!!"
Nami sidesteps, and next to her Zoro almost does too, until he seems to realize that Luffy's trajectory would then carry him directly into where Nico Robin is engrossed in a book. Zoro must decide fairly quickly that a head-on collision with Luffy might tempt her to resume her assassin career sooner than later, because he just sighs and braces for impact.
"Oh, hi Zoro!" Luffy laughs, snaking out a rubber arm over the swordsman's shoulder and towards the hat in Nami's hand. "Thanks, Nami! I missed my hat!"
"It's been two hours," Nami chides, but presses close anyway to see Luffy's eyes sparkle as he takes in her handiwork.
"Eh?" Luffy's head is tilted to the side, and he slithers off of Zoro to see better. "A treasure map? Nami! Did you find a treasure map?!"
This excitement summons Usopp and Chopper, and they crowd around Luffy, Chopper hopping up and down to see until Nami gives in and hoists him up.
"I think I have a case of 'I can't search for that buried treasure' disease," Usopp is saying, but is quick to take it back once Luffy pulls Ace's paper out of the central pocket.
"The treasure's already there, silly Nami," Luffy chuckles, putting it back then taking it out again to admire once more.
"Luffy, Luffy, look, there's more," Chopper points out eagerly.
By now, even Sanji and Robin are hovering about, curious eyes on the small pockets at the back of the red ribbon.
"More treasure?!" Luffy is delighted, and barely manages to avoid ripping the map of the Conomi Islands as he digs it out if its pocket. "A treasure map! A real one this time!"
Usopp and Sanji have looks of recognition as they steady the unfolded paper.
"It's the Conomi Islands," Usopp is the first to place it. "See, right over there, near the rice fields, it's where the Great Captain Usopp triumphed over the evil Fishman Chu!"
"Ehhhh??!!!" The stars in Chopper's and Luffy's eyes matched perfectly. "Tell us, tell us!"
Nami clonks Luffy on the side of the head with the arm that isn't holding Chopper. "You were there, idiot!" she screams.
"Ah, that's so," he remembers, ducking out of reach of a follow-up. "But Usopp, you should tell Chopper later anyway."
Nami knows that means she'll find the three of them later, giggling near the bow as Usopp's re-telling gets more and more animated and exaggerated.
"I would also like to hear the histories of this great adventure." Robin's smooth voice cuts over the chaos, and activates Usopp's fight-or-flight reflex for a second. Admirably, he catches himself after an initial jump and nervously rubs at the back of his neck.
"Uh, sure, you can join us too!"
Nami's distracted from the rest by Luffy's hand on her arm. "Eh, Nami," he starts. "It's for if it gets lost, right?"
Nami nods. She's a little bit surprised that he's caught on so quick, but Luffy does have a strange ability to see straight to the heart of the matter at times.
"Thanks, Nami!" Luffy beams at her. "I won't let it fall into the wrong hands, though, so you and Nojiko don't have anything to worry about!"
"Of course not," Nami says when the lump in her throat allows her to speak again.
"What's the other thing here?" Sanji's tapping suspiciously at the smallest pocket, with the hand that's not holding his cigarette.
"There's more?!!" Usopp and Chopper chorus as if on cue.
"Ooh hoo, Nami's really nice to me today!" gushes Luffy, fingers headed back to the red band.
Nami hangs her head in shame, realizing that she is but a weak woman who has only given her captain a mild concussion three times today instead of the usual ten. She can practically feel Zoro's smirk on her back, from where he's sunk down against the railings, desperately feigning boredom even though the fluttering of his eyelids as they stay open a crack give him away.
"What is it?" Chopper demands, climbing over onto Luffy's shoulder.
For a second, Nami thinks something might be wrong, because Luffy's standing stock still.
"Luffy?" Sanji notices, too, and approaches with a frown.
Luffy opens his hand, and they all see the sun wink off of the golden earring secured like the map with a red thread to its individual pocket.
"Is that…" Sanji's voice trails off, and soon they're all staring at their swordsman.
"What," Zoro growls, feeling the attention and trying to project his usual menace as he opens his eyes. But he's really only looking for one person, and after a cursory glance at the rest of them his eyes come to rest on Luffy. Something unspoken passes between the two of them - knowing them, yet another life-altering vow, Nami thinks - and then it's gone. Zoro's aura disappears and he can't stop the contented expression that settles on his face; Luffy breaks into a grin that forms using his entire body and resumes his perpetual motion.
"Thanks Zoro!" he yells before catching sight of the plate of biscuits Sanji is offering to Robin; then he's off in a flash, barely taking the time to tuck away the gold and flip his hat-band right side out again.
Nami smiles, and briefly considers joining him just to show off how easily she can wheedle treats off of Sanji, but decides to give Luffy a fair chance instead.
She really is too nice to him today, Nami thinks. But it's probably okay to spoil him once in a while; after all, he did defeat a Warlord recently, and she knows it's been tough on him that Vivi chose to stay behind. So what does it matter if she lends him a hand with keeping his treasure safe, ready and waiting until the day that Ace comes calling.
One day, Ace comes calling. Nami isn't there to guide the brothers together. The price Zoro has paid isn't enough.
On her little Sky Island, Nami pieces together the route that Luffy must have taken, and she knows, oh how she knows, that she could have gotten him there faster. Gotten him there in time.
Zoro's knees hit the stone in the dark, gloomy castle. He's already paid with his body, his blood, his life. What was left, that he had yet to offer?
Zoro lowers his forehead to the earth.
Luffy lies on the bed and aches. He misses them, misses Ace. He wants to flip over the ribbon of his hat and trace his finger over the lines of Nami's home island, feel the cool weight and reassurance of Zoro's promise in his hand; but to do that, he'll have to acknowledge the missing treasure right in the middle of them.
Luffy closes his eyes and sleeps. He's not even hungry, today.
Eventually, slowly, Rayleigh's vivre card takes the spot of Aces' underneath the X.
There's still a pang every time Luffy runs his thumb across the hidden pockets, but it's just a little bit less each day. They'll meet again soon, his nakama, his family, and they're going to be so much stronger and Luffy can't wait. But even though he can't wait, and wants them so hard that he could burst, Luffy knows he's got more work to do.
So Luffy knuckles down, aiming for the perfection with which Nami draws her maps, no detail too small for her nimble fingers, thinking of the stubborn resolve and unyielding drive to win that defines Zoro.
There's still time to rest, in the evenings, recover his strength with food and laughter and new friends. If Luffy gains a new habit of sitting with his hat in his lap, thumb rubbing the red ribbon wrapped around it as if there's something precious sitting underneath -- well, if anyone asks him about it, he'll only smile.
After, when they're together again, Luffy collects things. Bits and bobbles from the each of them, and every so often when he finds just what he's looking for, he'll bounce around Nami while she sews it in.
The ribbon lies uneven now, around his hat, faded in some places from the frequent touch of fingers.
"You could at least iron the band," Torao tells him, with a tinge of distaste.
Luffy snatches his hat back from the surgeon, as if the other man will make good on his words on the spot. "Can't!" Luffy declares.
"But you coud have a mold infestation under there," argues the doctor. "It's more like the topography of some strange island than a hat band at this point."
"Yeah!" Luffy agrees. "That's cuz it's a map!"
Law's eyebrows rise into his own hat. "A map? Where to?" His tone is skeptical.
Luffy grins, mouth stretched wide as only a Rubberman can and eyes crinkled in delight as he answers. "My home!"