Nami's eyes fluttered open, greeted by the vast expanse of the open sea stretching endlessly around her. The familiar sound of waves lapping against wood filled her ears, but something was off—very off. She blinked, her heart skipping a beat when she noticed the creaking planks beneath her were far too rough, too simple to belong to the Thousand Sunny.
"Where... Where's the Sunny?" she muttered, glancing frantically around her. She felt the emptiness of the small raft beneath her feet. No advanced mechanics, no warm glow of Franky's craftsmanship. Just a plain, fragile raft swaying amidst the endless blue.
Her stomach churned as questions bombarded her. Where were Luffy and the others? Why wasn't she on their ship? Her grip tightened on the mast of the raft as her breathing quickened.
The small raft swayed gently in the vast open sea, the waves glistening under the midday sun. A warm breeze rustled Nami's orange hair as she stood at the helm, gripping the edge of the wooden mast with knuckles turning white. She could feel the tension radiating off her body. Something wasn't right.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she gazed out at the horizon. The stillness around her was unnerving, and the gnawing feeling of dread began to creep in. Her fingers absently brushed against her left shoulder, and that's when she froze.
The familiar shape of Arlong's crescent tattoo stared back at her—a stark black mark against her fair skin. Her breath caught in her throat as the weight of what she was seeing began to settle in.
This isn't possible. She immediately pulled her sleeve down to cover the symbol, panic flaring in her chest. "What… what's going on?" she whispered. Her thoughts spiraled as her hand trembled, clutching her arm tightly. She couldn't stop staring at the spot where the tattoo marked her.
Memories of her time under Arlong's tyranny resurfaced—memories she had worked so hard to overcome. I was free from him. I left that behind with the Straw Hats. Yet here she was, drifting in the sea alone, as if all those years of freedom had never happened.
Nami sat down on the raft, the ocean's rhythmic motion failing to soothe her racing mind. "Am I dreaming? Did I… go back in time?" The storm flashed in her memory—a whirlwind of energy, lightning, and chaos that had swallowed the Sunny and her friends.
She pressed her hands against her temples, trying to push away the mounting confusion, but her scattered thoughts kept pulling her back to the same conclusion: none of this made sense.
As she desperately tried to piece things together, her surroundings came into sharper focus. She realized the familiar feeling of isolation—a raft adrift, the same as when she used to rob passing ships to send the money to Arlong.
"Is this before I met them?" she whispered, her voice trembling. The thought sent her spiraling further. The isolation she had once learned to cope with felt unbearable now. She leaned against the mast and took a deep, shaky breath.
Her head dropped into her hands, and for a moment, she let herself wallow in the fear and confusion. "Luffy… Zoro… everyone… Where are you?"
But she wasn't the same person she was back then. Despite the fear creeping up her spine, something else began to emerge—an ember of determination.
She rubbed at the crescent tattoo with force, as if by sheer willpower, she could erase its existence entirely. "No. I won't let this happen again."
Gritting her teeth, Nami finally rose, her grip tightening around the small oar of her raft. Her fear and confusion hadn't left her, but a single hope drove her forward: to find her crew, no matter where—or when—they were.
make a title for this not sure what it should be