Double of Nothing: Chapter 13

Unlikely Alliance

As Kuina bit down and her tongue felt the slimy, almost mucus-like texture of the fruit's flesh, she gagged. It tasted awful, reminding her of the taste of burnt rubber dipped in cockroaches. Just the sensation of something crawling in her mouth and sliding down her throat made her retch, to spit this wretched fruit, but she powered through, grabbing her face as she forced it down.

Bent over, she coughed, pounding her chest as she leaned against the table for support. It felt awful, but the deed was done. As she felt the heavy weight settle down in her stomach, she momentarily saw double, before it settled down. The fruit was hers and anyone else who wanted to have the fruit had pry it from her cold, dead hands.

Wiping the drool off her lips, she laughed, "Oh man, I knew it was horrible, but fuck was the awful!" That might have just been the worst thing she ever tasted and this might have just been the stupidest thing she ever did. She was now forever cursed by the sea, unable to swim and weakened by it, but in return, she had power and what and what power it was.

Ignoring the look of horror the two sported, she grabbed herself a tankard, before slamming it down on the table and splitting the tankard. . She drank one after another, wetting her tongue and washing the taste. She'll never forget that taste, but at least had twice the tunkard of this wonderful brew.

"Much better," She sighed, smashing the second tankard and turning to nothing more than dust, before smiling at them. "Now as you can see" She shrugged as she leaned against the table, already feeling her stomach lighten, "The fruits inside me now so I don't think you'll be getting it back any time soon."

There was really no other way to keep it out of Doflamingo's hands other than having someone consume it. As she really can't impose this on either of the two, she just had to take it. There was this little trouble where the Warlord could just kill her, but that meant he'd have to find her and Baby 5 over here doesn't look like she'll be able to. In fact, she was in tears… and Nami was about ready to blow.

It soon became abundantly clear that neither of the two were happy about it. Screeching, Nami launched herself at her all while Baby 5 bawled her eyes out. "You bastard!" Nami screamed, "That was our loot! My loot!" Pushed to tears, she cried, "A billion bellies gone… give me back my bellies!"

While Nami cried for the loss in revenue, Baby 5 on the other hand cried about a different matter, one closer to her heart, "I'm a failure!" Rubbing her eyes, she cried ugly tears, "The young master will hate me for being such a useless bitch!"

"How could I have failed him with such a simple task!" She bawled, "I'm no better than a cockroach, no, I'm not even fit to be an insect!" Things were quickly spiraling out of control, far beyond Kuina expected; She fucked up. Aiming her fingers against her temple, Baby 5 let out a shaky smile, "Maybe I could fix this for the young master!"

As the girl cocked her finger, Kuina moved. "Ok, that's enough!" Nami yelped as she pulled, pinning her between two of herself as Kuina kept pushing out copies. Ignoring the tearing feeling, she filled the rooms with her clones, before lunging at Baby 5 and barely at the nick of time as the gun went off.

With her ears ringing, she wrestled the girl's weapon away from her as she shouted, "Everybody, calm down!" This finally got the two to settle down. "No one's going to kill themselves today, got it?" She yelled in unison with the other clones.

It was jarring seeing so many of herself around, but thankfully, she didn't have to deal with seeing through multiple sets of eyes. While there was confusion as he glanced around, they had a consensus. They need to calm things down starting with Baby 5.

Sniffling, Baby 5 tried to argue, "But-!"

"No Buts!" She shouted back, cutting her off. Grabbing the girl by the shoulder, she ordered, "I need you to listen to me ok?" She understood the girl was upset, but this wasn't it. Under all that bravado and smiles, was a lonely little girl and it was about time Kuina spoke to her directly.

As the girl tried to pull away, Kuina let go before pulling her into a tight hug. For a moment she felt her stiffness before she started shaking. Feeling wetness on her shoulders, Kuina whispered softly. "You're not a failure, nor are you useless."

She held the girl tightly, refusing to let go even as her clones fizzled away from the touch of her bladed limbs. "You are Baby 5," She reminded the girl, "You are an amazing fighter, one hell of a cook, and most importantly, you're my friend."

It was painful, and she was cutting through her one good dress, but those could be replaced; There was just only one Baby 5. Rubbing the girls back, she whispered soothingly, "Even if you don't know it, and even if the world itself told you otherwise, I promise you that somebody wants to be with you." Letting out a shaky grin, she added, "After all, I need you."

"You are my friend Baby 5 and nothing is going to change that," She hissed out as he gripped her sword like hands tightly, struggling to hold her back, "So please, please don't you ever do that ok?"

Slowly, the woman's struggle weakened until all the fight left her body. Growing slack in her arm, Baby 5 cried, "I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." It cost Kuina quite a bit of blood and the loss of her favorite coat, but it was well worth it. She finally calmed down.

Rubbing her back, she reassured her, "It's ok everything's going to be ok." While it was distasteful how she took advantage of her, Kuina just couldn't live with herself if she didn't do this. She needs space to be her own person and if it meant she had to play with her feelings, then so be it.

"Let's get you to bed, ok?" He told her before handing her over to one of his clones. They should be able to handle her now that she isn't in any danger of setting off. As she turned to Nami however, she'd find her clones in a tangle while her partner was already halfway out the door.

"Nami!" She called, but by the time she got back to her feet, she was gone. "Damn it…" She hissed before commanding her clones, "You guys keep watch of Baby 5 alright?" Meanwhile, she'd deal with Nami. While she knew Nami was pissed about the fruit, she had a feeling that this was something else.

It would take her some time, but she'd eventually find her up in the crows nest. "Nami?" She whispered apprehensively, before she winced at the glare sent her way before she turned away.

"Go back to your girl," She spat back as she tucked her knees closer to her chest, "You clearly like her more than your partner." Wait, was she jealous?

"Nami…" Kuina whispered as she climbed up and sat down beside. "Do you mind if I sit here?" She asked but all she was met with was silence as the girl scooted away. She is definitely jealous and she didn't even know it.

Kuina admits she was never the sharpest when it comes to the matter of love. Even after she woke up, it took her a bit to realize that Kuina never addressed Zoro's affection until she had to deal with it herself. Now, that little weakness of hers was biting her in the ass as her partner sat down beside her.

Sure she had some teasing, but she never expected things to go this far. Still, she caused this, so it's up to her to fix it. Mustering her courage, she apologized, "I… I messed up" As the girl kept ignoring her, she admitted, "I was so focused on getting us another partner that I forgot about asking my own partner what she thought about it…"

While Nami remained silent, she could see her glancing back at her. "I… I should have thought things through," She admitted, "I shouldn't have been so hasty and stupid about this…" While she might have some powers and maybe another partner, she was in danger of losing the one she already had. "I'm sorry Nami. Can you forgive me?" She asked, begging as she got up to her knees.

Biting her lips, Nami finally caved in as she asked, "You only wanted to recruit her?"

"Yeah," Kuina nodded as she flashed her wry smile, "A bit stupid really, now that you said it out loud, but I wanted her as a part of a little gang." She was a terrifying fighter, one that she knew would be more than match to any pirate. "But as much as I wanted her, I also wanted to do something for her. I wanted to help her…"

"Oh?" Nami asked, "Why does a pirate need the help of a bounty hunter?" She never made it clear why she wanted this, didn't she? Why did she do all this exactly, why did she risk so much just for her?

"Sometimes, a friend doesn't know that she's in a place place in life," She answered, making Nami grow quite, "Sometimes, friends think they're fine, that the people they call their friends are all they need, so sometimes, we have to show them that they're not ok, that they need help."

Smiling, she asked, "Wouldn't you do everything for a friend even if it means hurting them?" Maybe she was white knighting a bit too much, but that was just how she was.

"She's a pirate," Nami replied, yet her tone sounded unsure, that she didn't even believe what she was saying.

"She's also a friend," She pointed out before chuckling, "Do you think a girl like Baby 5 would be a pirate because people didn't ask her to?" While the Donquixote Pirates were her family, they were not a great family.

"I hate it when you're right," She muttered as she scratched her head, "But this still doesn't fix that billion bellies." Seeing her pout, Kuina felt the weight on her shoulder lighten.

"It wouldn't" She admitted as she sat down beside Nam and leaned against her. Feeling her warmth, she scooted a bit closer, a gesture she returned as she felt a hand wrap around her waist. Reaching behind her, she grinned, "But I think I can do you one better."

Eyes wide, Nami whirled around to find her wallet in my hand and just out of reach. "H-Hey! That's my wallet…" She trailed off as she stared at the two wallets. "So I wasn't just seeing doubles…" She whispered as Kuina handed it back.

"Nope!" She cheerfully replied, "I can double things!" A very powerful ability by all accounts. She was quite excited with all the things she could do with this fruit. even if she couldn't control her own clones, the ability to have someone to train with would be invaluable.

"It's perfectly identical," Nami whispered as she pulled out two identical bills. Right down to the last detail, without her input other than a mere touch.

"That's right, " Kuina grinned, "For all intents and purposes, these are the same, except these aren't really real." Yes, they could touch them, but it wasn't as solid as they appear. Reaching out, she flicked the fake bill, causing a small tear before it suddenly turned to dust. "Poof, as if it wasn't even there."

"Well, so much for having infinite gold," Nami pouted. As she pocketed her wallet, she mused, "But I think I could use that for some other things…"

"No scamming the poor," Kuina cut her off, making sure she knew how bad of an idea that was. Sometimes, Nami was too devious for her own good.

"But I was only going to spend it on some high end brands!" Nami whined as she rested her head against her shoulder, "Wouldn't want to help your partner get all those stylish but overpriced clothes without spending a single dime?~"

"Like I said," Kuina chuckled, "Don't scam the poor."

"I can think of a few shops then," Nami grinned cheekily before her smile fell, "Still, was all that trouble just for this?" Looking up at her, she recalled, "We definitely pissed off this Warlord guy and what's worse is you can't swim."

"Oh it was definitely worth the trouble," Kuina answered. Despite how fragile his clones were, that doesn't mean she can't do some damage before they fade away. Grinning, she teased, "You know with more of me around, you got an army of soldiers."

"Having an arm around you sounds like a nightmare," Nami chuckled, "You'll eat through all our food in a day."

"I'm not that bad and I don't think my clones need to eat," Kuina muttered. Can her clones eat? What happens to the food after the clones disappear? A question for another time has shifted back the topic back on track, "But do you know what other things having more of me means?"

As Nami shook her head, another Kuina would appear beside her, sandwiching her between two swordsmen. "You can have all the backrubs you'll ever want."

Shivering, Nami stuttered out, "Now that is certainly tempting, but that still doesn't forgive you." Huffing, she looked away, "That's still a billion bellies gone."

Sighing, she Kuina smiled and asked, "Is there anything I could do for you Nami?" She'd been around her enough time to know when she wanted to negotiate something. To appease her, she offered, "I'll do anything. Anything."

"Well I originally wanted to go back to my home island to take care of some business," Nami purred as she tapped her finger against cheeks before she smiled, "But I can't have them see my partner in those clothes! Not at all!"

Snorting, she asked, "You want to go shopping don't you?" She was in need of new clothes given how it's all but tatters now. Maybe she could salvage it or worst comes to worst, turn it into an accessory she could wear.

"Mhmmm!" Nami happily nodded before she leaned in close. Feeling her chest against her shoulders, she felt a hint of red settle on the cheeks. "I do hope you remember our previous~" Confusion would give way to terror as her clone fled, turning to dust.

"You my dear Kuina, will be my little dress up doll~" She sold her rights to her next outfit to Kuina for a better share in their first meeting and now she's cashing it in, "So better get ready!" Laughing, the girl got up, leaving her to mull over her decision.

As she was about to leave, she called out, "Hey Nami." Stopping midway down, Nami raised a brow in question. Unsure of how to say it, Kuina asked, "So what does this make us…?" Despite Nami's jealousy, she wasn't quite sure where they were. Were they close friends or something else?

Unfortunately for her, Nami was still the same old tease she knew. "Wouldn't you like to know?~" She asked before sliding down, leaving her with more questions.

"Nami?" Kuina called out, "Nami!" By the time she peered down, the girl was already heading back to the aftcastle, winking at her as she slipped inside. "Damn the girl…" She cursed, plopping down on the floor. She was such a tease, but fuck it if she didn't want her so badly...

A/N:

Finally done. Next up, some Uchiha Incident fun. Either that or some Mew, which ever gets my brain going first.