The sun beat down overhead as Nami walked calmly down the path leading to the small coastal town she remembered vaguely from the anime — Orange Town. It felt strange knowing this place through a screen just yesterday, and now feeling the texture of sand under her sandals and the murmur of sea breeze curling around her new body.
Her hips swayed in a way she wasn't used to, and every now and then, someone would stare too long — too obviously.
She ignored them.
"System," she muttered under her breath. "Any map function?"
> \[Basic navigation activated. Displaying local map. Waypoint set: Orange Town docks. Estimated time to Luffy arrival: 1 hour 12 minutes.]
"Cool." She adjusted her stolen white shirt wrapped around her waist and sighed. No more T-shirts. No more jeans. It was all midriffs and mini-skirts from here on.
She didn't mind being a girl. That part was surprisingly easy to adjust to. But being *Nami* — someone everyone would expect to act a certain way — that was more complex.
The real Nami was fiery, crafty, smiled easily.
This Nami — *her* — walked with a quieter presence. She didn't scowl, but she didn't grin either. She had no reason to.
Yet.
She reached the edge of the market and paused, feeling a prickling at the edge of her mind. Her Observation Haki flared softly without her willing it — a reflex.
Three men.
Behind her. Eyeing her. Intent fuzzy but unpleasant.
She turned sharply into an alley.
The men followed.
It wasn't fear that stirred inside her. It was... curiosity. She wondered just how much power she could use before someone started asking questions. The system didn't warn her about balance or concealment, but still — showing off this early would be dumb.
But maybe a little taste wouldn't hurt.
The tallest one, a brute with a cleaver at his side, stepped closer. "Hey, sweetheart. Lost?"
She turned to face them, arms crossed lazily.
"Yeah," she said flatly. "Lost three dogs. You guys seen them?"
The shortest one snorted. "Real funny. Listen, hand over your bag and we'll let you go."
She smiled. Just barely. Her lips curled like someone remembering an inside joke.
Then she flicked her wrist.
A pulse of Conqueror's Haki, precise as a scalpel, sliced through the alley. Not enough to knock them out — just enough to crush their courage into powder.
Their knees buckled. The short one dropped to the ground, eyes wide and white.
The big one staggered back, mumbling something about demons.
She stepped past them calmly. "Weak," she murmured.
> \[Conqueror's Haki used: 3%. No stamina drain. Threat neutralized.]
The market was just ahead now, colorful and noisy. She drifted into the crowd, the incident already fading from her mind.
People bustled past with crates of fruit, fish, and bolts of cloth. No one recognized her. Not yet. She liked that.
A vendor called out to her. "Hey, miss! Looking for something?"
She eyed the oranges on his stand and tossed him a coin. "Just browsing."
He grinned. "You've got a dangerous kind of beauty, miss."
She nodded, accepting the compliment like a factual statement.
> \[Charm Passive Triggered. Target: Blushing.]
With a few bites of fruit and a quick scan of the area, she noticed the familiar rooftops from Episode 4. A dog barking at a lion. A clown with a cannon.
Buggy was here.
So was Luffy.
She paused by the corner of a broken building, peeking around. And there he was.
Monkey D. Luffy, grinning like a child who just found a shiny rock.
His straw hat glinted in the sun.
"Oi! You look strong!" he yelled at some random thug.
She felt a twitch at the corner of her mouth. That guy was chaos in a human body. Reckless, kind, and somehow\... reliable.
> \[Protagonist Target Identified: Monkey D. Luffy. Initiating fate tether.]
He hadn't seen her yet.
She had options now. She could walk out and introduce herself. Act like the original Nami. Pretend to be all charm and smiles and greed.
Or —
She could do it her way.
She stepped into the open as a cannonball blasted toward Luffy from behind.
With zero effort, she raised her arm. Her Observation Haki lit up the world in lines of motion and prediction.
She moved.
Her fingers flicked — the cannonball cracked mid-air and split into powder before it touched the ground.
Everyone froze.
Luffy turned.
"Whoa..." he muttered.
She met his gaze. Calm. Measured.
"I hear you're recruiting pirates," she said casually.
He blinked. "You're strong."
She tilted her head. "I'm Nami."
He grinned. "I'm Luffy. Join my crew!"
She walked past him, already heading toward the center of town. "Maybe. If you can keep up."
Luffy's laugh echoed behind her.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, she felt the tiniest, most fleeting smile tug at her lips — a real one.
---
**End of Chapter 2**