When she was forced to work for the Arlong pirate, Nami endured a lot of hardship and suffering, which was inhumane for a young girl like her, but it helped her grow into the strong woman she is today. Nonetheless, she hoped to forget that nightmare.
"Bell-mère!... please don't leave me!..." Nami dreamed of meeting the person she loved the most, the person she considered her mother, but Nami couldn't reach her, no matter how hard she tried.
Bell-mère's figure felt both close and far away because she couldn't hear her no matter how loud she screamed. Nami's heart was broken by the woman's smile. She just wanted to hug her once... but it was impossible.
"Because isn't she dead?"
Nami's mind was immediately jolted awake by the question, but her hand was still stretched upwards, and what was in front of her was only the vast night sky decorated with starlight.
The piercing cold wind shuddered Nami awake from her trance, and when she looked to the side, all she saw was a pile of black wood with a faint burnt odor, but her expression remained unchanged.
"I don't believe I'll have nightmares about Bell-mère again... but, at least don't wake me up in the middle of the night like this... look at the campfire, it's already out."
Nami wasn't upset about her dream, but she was upset because she now needed to find a way to get new warmth to get through this cold night. After waiting all day on the beach and not seeing any ships anchored on this island, she assumed she was on the wrong part of the beach and walked around the island, but the result was the same.
"arghkk... at least whoever it is, marine or pirate... please, come to this island..." Nami had no idea that her actions of fleeing would cause her such pain, but she tried hard to stay strong because she didn't want to start feeling regret for her actions.
She was taking out an extra blanket from her bag when she heard footsteps. The sound of stepping on beach sand was very familiar to her. Nami, who had been trained at the marine headquarters for a year, was immediately on high alert.
"Who is there? If you don't introduce yourself right away, I won't hesitate to attack!" She turned around and looked at the source of the footsteps, but they were neither marines nor pirates, as she had imagined.
"I thought it would be strange for a girl like you to be alone on this island," said the boy with close-cropped green hair and three katanas slung around his waist.
Meanwhile, a girl who didn't seem to be afraid of anything kept approaching Nami. But, contrary to her expectations, her friendly demeanor made Nami even more suspicious, so she hurriedly grabbed her bag before moving away from the two strangers.
"It's your fault Zoro, your strange comments scared her."
After a long journey, Kuina and Zoro arrived at Little Garden, their next destination. They hadn't expected to find a girl their age in this place, and her neglected state and alert demeanor worried Kuina that she had been through something traumatic.
She worked hard to persuade Nami that they weren't bad people. They even introduced themselves honestly as bounty hunters. They eventually gained her trust, but only Kuina could do so because Nami refused to lower her guard against Zoro.
When the two girls talked for a long time, Zoro, who was bored, took the initiative to relight the previously extinguished campfire. He wasn't particularly interested in Nami, but he pretended to sleep while listening in on their conversation.
Nami was unsure whether she would reveal her identity as a marine, but as someone who has always lived a lie and taken advantage of others, she decided that acting as a lost girl would be more beneficial to her current situation.
As a result, when she found out they were going to Arabasta next, Nami began to show her weak side, which seemed to be begging for pity. Her plan wouldn't work if it was just Zoro, but Kuina, who still has great swordsman pride, is vulnerable to such things. She quickly agreed to take Nami with them.
As the night progressed, the two girls got deeper and deeper into their discussions while Zoro was now sleeping after determining that Nami would not be a danger to Kuina. As warmth began to build on the beach that night, the glow from the campfire could illuminate their faces.
Nami was surprised to learn that Kuina had crossed the Grand Line alone with Zoro, and her respect for her grew as all of her struggles reminded Nami of her former self. She initially thought Kuina would become bored with all of her questions, but her smile never faded and instead grew brighter.
"This is the first time I can talk to girls my age, that's why I'm very happy, this feeling is really different when I talk to those boys, even my father sometimes makes me uncomfortable."
"Is that so? Perhaps because I have an older sister, I'm good at coming up with topics..."
"So that's how it is. Is your older sister now in Arabasta," Kuina was so excited that she didn't notice Nami's expression change. Kuina only realized it when she heard the answer. The tone of her voice revealed an unmistakable sadness.
"Sorry, you must be very tired after spending days at sea, it's better if we sleep so that tomorrow we can have the energy to hunt dinosaurs... your supplies must be running out, right?"