Chapter 13 — Nami's Diary
Nami's POV
Dear Diary,
I don't usually write every night… but lately, I feel like my heart is too full, and if I don't write things down, it might just burst like an overripe orange. So here it goes.
It has been a few months since Sunny and Aqua came to Cocoyasi Village, and life has… changed. Not in a scary way (well, maybe a little scary sometimes), but mostly in a way I can't really explain.
At first, I thought Sunny was just another weird boy who wandered into our village. He looked too clean, too different, too… shiny? He smiled in this way that made you feel safe, but at the same time, there was something hidden behind it. Like he was always holding something back. I don't know how to describe it, but Aqua said it best:
"Sunny looks like a cute puppy pretending to be serious."
I didn't believe her at first. But… maybe she's right.
First Impressions
When I first met Sunny, he had just sold a Sea King and earned more money in a day than I could even imagine. I thought he was crazy. Who does that? Who just drags in a monster like it was a big fish from the ocean?!
But when I saw him talk to Belle-mère and Nojiko at dinner, he wasn't arrogant or boastful. He was polite, almost shy, like he didn't know how to act in a normal home. That's when I noticed something else—he looked relieved. Like just sitting at our table, eating normal food, was something rare and precious for him.
I don't know why… but it made me want him to stay.
Aqua though… oh boy, Aqua. She's like the storm that crashes into Sunny's calm ocean. She yells, she pouts, she makes ridiculous faces. Half the time she clings to Sunny like a barnacle, the other half she kicks him around like driftwood. I thought they were siblings at first, but now I know they're… something else.
And somehow, despite all her noise, Aqua makes the house livelier. Sometimes I catch Belle-mère watching them with a small smile, like she's glad Sunny and Aqua are here.
The Crush I Don't Want to Admit
Diary… I think I'm starting to like Sunny.
Not like "like-like" of course! I mean, he's just… different. He listens to me. He doesn't treat me like a little kid, but he also doesn't ignore me like some adults do.
When he teaches me things—like how to read sea charts better, or how to sense changes in the wind—he does it so patiently. He never laughs at me for getting something wrong. Instead, he just smiles that warm smile, and… I don't know. My stomach feels weird.
And when he trains, he looks… amazing. His muscles don't look bulky like some sailors, but strong, shaped by something deeper. Aqua teases him constantly, saying he's still a "baby" compared to real men, but I think she's blind. Or jealous. Or both.
The other day, I accidentally touched his hand when he was showing me how to sketch a map line straighter. My heart jumped so hard I thought it might explode. I laughed it off, of course. I don't think he noticed. Or maybe… he pretended not to.
Sunny and Aqua Together
Now, here's something strange.
Whenever Sunny and Aqua fight—and they fight a lot—it's never cruel. It's like… they argue because they care. Aqua calls him an idiot, Sunny calls her a drunk goddess (don't ask, Diary, it's too weird to explain), and then five minutes later they're laughing over fish soup.
Sometimes, I feel a little jealous. I want to be part of that closeness too. But then Aqua will throw a pillow at me and drag me into their mess, and suddenly we're all laughing on the floor.
I guess… that's what family feels like.
The Strange Side of Sunny
There's one more thing, Diary.
Sunny is kind. Sunny is gentle. Sunny makes everyone feel safe. But sometimes, just sometimes, when I catch him alone—training by the beach, his fists bloody against the wreck of that old ship—I see a different Sunny.
His smile disappears. His eyes turn… cold. So cold it gives me chills.
Aqua once whispered to me, "Don't worry, Nami. Sunny only shows that face to his enemies."
I don't know what that means. But I believe her. Because whenever he looks at me, at Nojiko, at Belle-mère… his eyes are warm again.
Conclusion (For Tonight)
So here's the truth, Diary: I don't know what Sunny really is. He's too strong to be normal, too strange to be ordinary, too kind to be dangerous… but also too dangerous to be ignored.
And maybe that's why I feel this way.
Because every time he smiles at me, I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a storm and yet somehow… completely safe.
Don't tell anyone, Diary. Especially not Aqua. She'd tease me to death.
— Nami