Before she even realized what was happening, Nami found herself draped face-down over Makino's lap…
The older woman sat in a formal kneeling position on the deck, and Nami's body was bent over her thighs in an unmistakable posture. There was no one else around to witness it—save for Luffy—but the sheer humiliation of the position burned her cheeks scarlet.
"This is the best way to deal with a naughty girl," Makino said, her voice calm but firm.
"Uu... uuuuuhhh—!!" 'N-Nooo!! Please, stop!!'
Anyone with eyes could see this was the classic punishment for a misbehaving child, the infamous spanking position. Nami, who'd had sticky fingers since childhood, had been subjected to this by her foster mother and the men who acted as father figures in the past.
But to endure it now, at an age where she was practically half-grown into a woman, was a humiliation that cut far deeper than any physical pain.
"Here we go... Nami-chan!"
"UUU!!?"
A sharp, echoing crack resounded across the open sea. Nami's life as a thief was far from easy; she'd faced mortal danger more times than she could count. She'd endured pain before. She should have been able to withstand a simple spanking, especially one delivered by a woman barely older than herself.
"Hiii—!!" 'Kyaa!?'
And yet, a pitiful shriek tore from her throat. She couldn't handle the sting. Tears welled up uncontrollably, spilling down her cheeks as her body writhed involuntarily over Makino's lap.
"Ah-ah, no squirming! You're being punished!"
"Aaahh—!!" 'It hurts!!'
Two more slaps landed, then three. By the fourth, Nami was sobbing openly, tears and saliva dripping from her face. Why couldn't she endure this? Why did it hurt so goddamn much?
The answer was simple: The Baby Tag Luffy had pasted onto her. Her body and mind were still Nami's, but her physical resistance and pain tolerance were now those of an infant. The slightest discomfort brought tears; the smallest fear made her wail.
"Uu... uweeeehhhh... eeehhhhehhh—!!!"
Unable to control her emotions, Nami bawled like a newborn. The sight of a grown woman's body thrashing and wailing with such infantile abandon was jarring and pathetic. And then, mingled with the sound of her sobbing, came an unmistakable wet splattering noise.
"Crying! And wetting yourself! You really are a hopeless, bad girl, aren't you?!"
To cry and piss herself from a simple spanking—at her age, the shame would normally be soul-crushing. But Nami had no mental capacity left to feel embarrassed. She was utterly overwhelmed.
Even so, Makino didn't stop. Her hand rose and fell rhythmically, the sound of palm meeting flesh echoing repeatedly. Even with the strength of an average woman, the relentless slaps turned Nami's buttocks an angry, swollen red, flushed and throbbing like ripe tomatoes.
"Have... you... learned... your... lesson... yet?!"
"Oooehhyyaaann!!" 'I-I'b sowwy!! Oooehhyaann!! I'b sooo sowwyyy!!'
Nami tried to apologize, the words mangled and unintelligible because Luffy's power remained active. The frustration of not being able to properly communicate her remorse only made her cry harder, her jaw too slack and trembling to form coherent words.
"That's enough. No more bad things, understand?"
As if sensing the genuine regret beneath the garbled wails, Makino finally stopped. She gently flipped Nami over, cradling the sobbing girl's head in her lap so she was looking up at her. Her voice was soft, almost maternal.
"If things are hard, you need to rely on others. People willing to help might be few and far between... but if you don't speak up, no one will ever be able to save you."
Makino used the sleeve of her own shirt to tenderly wipe the tears from Nami's face. Slowly, the violent sobs subsided into small, hiccupping whimpers. Looking up at Makino's face from her lap, Nami felt something deep within her chest crack open.
"...Eh... uu... nn..."
She murmured a name. The name of someone she saw reflected in Makino's kindness. That woman—unrelated by blood—had always treated Nami as her own daughter. She'd scolded her, spoiled her, and held her just like this. Nami found herself yearning for that same comfort from this younger woman.
"Shh. It's alright. Just sleep now."
"Ah... uu..."
A gentle hand stroked her hair. The overwhelming sense of safety, combined with the exhaustion of crying her heart out, lulled Nami into a deep, dreamless sleep…
"Hmm... Arlong, huh."
"Yeah. The deal she made with him... he promised to free her village for one hundred million berries."
When Nami awoke, she quietly explained her purpose. Since Luffy had disintegrated her clothes into sand, she was now dressed in a spare set of Makino's garments. Initially, she'd flushed red with rage and shame at the memory of being completely naked in front of them, but when Makino kindly offered her the change of clothes, Nami had accepted with a strange, quiet happiness.
"But... he's a pirate, and a cruel one at that. There's no way he'll actually keep that promise," Makino said softly.
"There are no 'good' or 'bad' pirates. They're all scum in the eyes of the law. But... clinging to that deal was the only option I had left."
Makino was right. A man like Shanks might honor a debt, but a monster who invaded a village and then demanded payment for its freedom? The odds of him honoring the deal were practically nonexistent.
"Tell me about this Arlong," Luffy said, his voice flat.
"He's the captain of the Arlong Pirates, a crew made up of fish-men. He's a sawshark fish-man... a cold-blooded killer who doesn't think twice about taking human life. He... he murdered my mother."
"Tch...!"
Nami hadn't meant to reveal so much. But after opening her heart to Makino, the words just spilled out. She wasn't trying to garner sympathy, nor did she want empty comfort.
"You're being forced to draw sea charts for Arlong, aren't you?" Luffy asked.
"...Yes."
"Drawing charts was your dream."
"It is."
Nami wasn't fully aware of how much she'd confessed. Her weakened heart had no defenses left. But she answered Luffy's questions honestly, her voice hollow.
"Is that what you wanted?"
"!!!"
That question made Nami shoot to her feet, her voice exploding with raw fury. "LIKE HELL IT IS!!"
She ripped at her collar, exposing the ugly tattoo of Arlong's crew marking her shoulder. She drew those charts because she was ordered to. She kept stealing because she knew the deal was a farce, but it was all she had.
"Not for a single second have I ever been okay with this!! Working for the bastard who killed Bellemere-san!! For the monsters torturing everyone!! For the ones who destroyed our peaceful lives!! I'd run away if I could!! But I'm the only one who can save them!! If I just endure it, then everyone can…!!"
"You can't."
Nami's ragged shout should have drowned out everything else. But Luffy's quiet, flat denial cut straight through the noise and into her ears. Stunned by the blunt contradiction, she stared at him, mouth agape. Luffy just glanced over at Makino with an exasperated look.
"Didn't you just get scolded by Makino for this exact thing? She told you to ask for help."
"Ask who?! Even the Marines are in Arlong's pocket! If I ask for help and fail... everyone will suffer."
It wasn't that she'd never thought about seeking aid. But failure meant retribution against her village. So she couldn't.
"I'll do it."
Luffy's declaration was simple. Absolute. Nami wanted to scream at him, to ask what one man could possibly do, to tell him to mind his own damn business. But meeting his unwavering, unflinching gaze, she found herself utterly speechless.
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