Chapter Text
Nami looked up when a sudden chill ran down her spine. Her eyes turned instinctively toward the library windows, where she saw the dark storm clouds gathering in the sky. She gasped, worried.
How had she not noticed it sooner?
She immediately dropped everything she was doing and rushed to the deck. Her written notes about their adventures in Thriller Bark could wait until the storm passed. She ran down the stairs just as the distant rumble of thunder began to echo around them.
There weren’t supposed to be any storms for a while—she had predicted that herself when they left the Florian Triangle, and had even reassured her crew so they wouldn’t get anxious. After the creepy days they’d spent on that island, everyone had been craving a little peace and calm at sea.
When she arrived on deck, she found her crewmates going about their usual daily routines: Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy were playing around, Sanji was doting on Robin (who smiled politely without lifting her eyes from her book), Brook was playing his beloved song, Zoro was sleeping in a corner, and Franky was nowhere to be seen.
"A storm’s coming!" she shouted, grabbing everyone’s attention.
The crew turned to her, then looked up to the sky, quickly spotting the clouds and the first droplets of rain.
It wasn’t unusual for them not to have noticed the weather change—they didn’t have Nami’s instincts and skills, after all—but it was strange that she hadn’t warned them earlier. If she had, Franky could have steered the Sunny away from the storm’s path.
Still, no one commented on it. They simply got to work, as they always did when a storm was brewing.
The crew sprang into action. Sanji immediately handed Robin an umbrella, holding another one over Nami himself. But not before smacking Zoro with both umbrellas to wake him up.
"Wake up, marimo, there’s a storm coming."
Zoro opened one eye and looked at the cook with disinterest.
"So what? You want me to stop the rain?" he muttered grumpily.
"Don’t be an idiot. Just get up and help," Sanji snapped, clearly annoyed. Zoro closed his eye again and was instantly asleep.
"This idiot..."
Sanji was about to kick him awake again, but remembered he’d left the two ladies unattended, and quickly ran back to them, completely forgetting the swordsman. He didn’t notice when Zoro got up on his own to help Franky, who had just emerged from his workshop.
Nami felt some relief knowing her crewmates could handle their responsibilities so well. She wasn’t too worried, even as the rain began to pour harder.
That was, until the Thousand Sunny started rocking violently.
This storm was unusual. Dangerous. Nami knew it—and it scared her. She had never seen anything like it. The phenomenon seemed to grow more intense by the minute.
"Everyone inside!" she ordered, unsure of what else to do to keep the sea from dragging them under.
More than half the crew was already seeking shelter in the dining room when Usopp, startled by a thunderclap, looked up and pointed to the clouds.
"I think something’s falling from the sky!" he shouted.
Brook turned in the same direction, as did Nami. She prayed it wasn’t another ship like what happened at Jaya Island. Watching nervously, she noticed the same thing as Usopp.
But as soon as she realized it wasn’t nearly the size of a ship, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least they weren’t about to crash into something.
"What is it?" Usopp asked.
"It’s a person," Robin said, appearing in the doorway of the dining room. "And they don’t seem to be slowing down."
Nami narrowed her eyes, trying to get a clearer view, and finally managed to make out the shape falling rapidly toward the ship. Robin was right—it was a person, plummeting straight down like a bird.
"It’s a person!" Nami cried out, covering her mouth in shock.
"Robin, can you catch them?" Usopp asked, clearly nervous.
"They’re still too far away."
"What are you all looking at?" asked Luffy as he stepped outside. He looked up and grinned. "Hey, look! It’s a giant bird!"
"It’s not a bird, you idiot!" Nami snapped. "It’s a person!"
"People can fly?" Luffy asked innocently, but no one answered.
Everyone stared in disbelief as the figure fell closer and closer. If no one acted, the person would probably hit the deck headfirst and die on impact—maybe even break the ship’s boards in the process.
Nami frantically looked around for something that could slow the fall or catch the person.
There was nothing strong enough to take that kind of blow… except Luffy.
A rubber man.
"Luffy!" she called out. He turned to her. "Stretch out and catch them! When you’ve got them, hold on tight and stop their fall!"
"Got it! I’ll catch the bird!"
Luffy leapt across the deck, grabbing onto the masts to launch himself at the falling figure with greater speed.
"You really think Luffy can do it?" Usopp asked, clearly unsure.
"It’s our only chance if we want to keep that person from dying," Nami replied, eyes locked on Luffy.
They heard him yell out one of his attacks just before launching himself upward. He reached the falling person and wrapped his arms around them as they began to descend. Nami was biting her nails from the stress. The others looked on with concern—except for Zoro, who remained impassive.
As they neared the ship, Luffy inflated his body to soften the impact and protect both of them from injury.
Nami’s heart raced as she watched.
Luffy landed on the deck still holding the person. He deflated his body as the rest of the crew hurried to meet him. He looked at them with disappointment.
"It’s not a bird."
And it wasn’t.
Everyone stared at the boy hanging limply in Luffy’s arms. His body was covered in bruises, parts of his clothes were scorched, and the left side of his face was burned. For a moment, they feared it was too late—that they had saved someone who was already gone.
But then Chopper rushed forward and quickly checked his pulse.
The boy was unconscious, but alive. Everyone let out a breath of relief.
"Quick, we need to get him to the infirmary," the reindeer said, hurrying off.
Zoro walked over to Luffy and took the boy from his arms, muttering something about how Luffy was holding him like a ragdoll. The swordsman carried the injured stranger to the infirmary, while Chopper prepared his medical supplies.
Nami finally let out the breath she’d been holding during the entire rescue. She turned her eyes dramatically to the sky and noticed something curious—the storm had stopped. The sea was beginning to calm, and the clouds were already starting to clear.
"That’s strange," she murmured to herself, shielding her eyes from the emerging sunlight.
"It was a peculiar phenomenon," Robin said, standing beside her. "Storms in the Grand Line are unpredictable, but I’ve never seen anything quite like this."
"Do you think we’ll be running into storms like that more often?"
"I don’t know. I’ll see if I can find any information about it."
"Thanks. I’ll look into it too."
They exchanged a small smile before being interrupted by Sanji, who called them back inside the dining room to serve a quick snack before lunch.
Meanwhile, Zoro laid the boy down on the infirmary bed while Chopper started a quick examination. The swordsman stepped out to give the doctor space to work.
The boy’s heartbeat was slow but steady. His breathing was normal. There were no signs of internal injuries, which was a huge relief to Chopper.
He focused on the external ones.
It struck him as strange that, despite having clearly been exposed to fire, the only burn was on the left side of the boy’s face—and it wasn’t fresh. The rest were just scrapes and bruises.
Chopper cleaned the open wounds and applied ointment before wrapping them in gauze.
He discovered a large bump on the front of the boy’s head, likely the cause of his unconsciousness. Chopper worried about the potential for a concussion.
He also had to set the boy’s fractured right leg in a cast.
Finally, as he was finishing up, he placed a cold compress on his forehead to reduce the fever.
Chopper stared at him, wondering what on earth could have happened to this boy to leave him in such a state.