Double or Nothing: Chapter 12

Dealing with the Consequence

Kuina gasped, coughing out sea water as she jolted back awake. It took her vision a moment to come back into focus before she found herself staring up at the worried face of her friend. Forcing herself a shaky, but confident smile, she asked, "Did I win?"


Several emotions passed through the redhead's face. Her face twisted first to anger, then to worry, until it finally gave way to a small, weak smile as she started to laugh. Wiping the tears from her face, she nodded, "Yeah, yeah you did." Behind her were the unconscious forms of the two Pirates she had just fought.

"Oh, good," Kuina nodded before wincing as she reached up to her side. Feeling the warm, sticky, liquid soaking her clothes, she asked, "Hey Nami?" Already, she was starting to feel light headed and woozy. She might have pushed herself a bit too hard.

Looking at her in confusion, Nami asked, "Yeah?" Thankfully, she looked like she didn't notice. At least she didn't have to worry about Nami panicking. Feeling it with her fingers, it was just a flesh wound. Nothing to be worried about.

Letting out a tired yawn, she replied, "'ll just nap for a bit ok?" Finally, she could close her eyes and catch some sleep.


Her nap would be short lived however as she felt Nami trying to shake her awake. "Kuina?" the girl poked her, shouting as she got all worked up, Kuina! Don't die on me now, please! Not like this!" Wait, she thought she was dying?

"I ain't dead!" Kuina shouted back, glaring at the worried girl. Shaking her head, she tried reassuring her, "'I'm just tired alright?" As if something like those grazes would put her down. Tucking herself against Nami's lap, she told her, "Give me a few minutes and I'll patch up my wounds."

That might have been the wrong thing to tell her as Kuina would find herself thrown off the girl's comfortable lap. "You're injured!? Oh god, you're bleeding!" The girl shrieked before dragging her towards one of the tents. Despite Kuina's protest, she'd find no mercy from her, "That's it! I'm not going to let you sleep until we get you patched up!"

"But Nami!" She shouted back, before withering under the girl's harsh glare, "Ok fine. At least I don't have to dress my own wounds." She knew she was just worried about her, but she was a tired girl. She just wanted to sleep, damn it!

-x-x-x-

It wouldn't take before Kuina would find herself all patched up, as well as getting an earful from an increasingly irate Nami. "What the hell were you thinking!" The girl shouted as she dabbed her wound with some anti alcohol. Occupying one of the tents, Kuina was tended to by Nami.

Kuina had taken far more damage than she had thought she did, sporting bullet holes and deep cuts which she only noticed now. Adrenaline was one hell of a drug.

Keeping a straight face for her companion, Kuina fired back, "Hey, I beat them didn't I?" She honestly didn't see the problem. So what if she had some injuries. That was what happens in a fight! Nami however would not see it that way as the girl pulled the bandages tightly, making Kuina wince. "Easy there! You don't have to wrap it that tight!" She muttered.

"Oh sure you did, but you almost blew yourself up in the process!" Nami fired back as she started scolding her, all red faced and angry, "Don't you do that ever again, you hear me?!" She wasn't so deaf to not hear the worry in her voice.

Looking away, she huffed, "Ok mom." She really worries far too much in Kuina's opinion, but those opinions would quickly change as Nami started pressing on some of her wounds. "Ow! Ok, ok! I won't. I promise," She relented, agreeing with Nami's unreasonable terms.

Smiling smugly, she patted her on her aching shoulders, before pulling away. "I'm glad that we have an understanding," Nami said before she got up and walked out of the tent. Just as she slipped outside, she smiled back at her, "I can't let my partner in crime die on me, can I?"

Rolling her shoulder, Kuina grinned back as she got up, good as new. "I couldn't ask for a better partner," She chuckled as she followed Nami outside where the unconscious bodies of the Legionary were scattered around. With their injuries dealt with, they now needed to tend to their spoils.

Prisoners were tied up and patched up, treasures salvaged, and their means of escape readied for later. It was monotonous work, but a welcomed one after all the excitement she had. As they tied up the two power pirates, Nami broke through the silence.

"Now, on the topic of splitting the bounty," She said, catching Kuina's attention while she secured Buffalo's huge bulk under the heaviest sets of chains they could find. "I believe I'm entitled to eighty percent of the profit," She declared, making Kuina choke out.
"Oh come on!" Kuina shouted as she stared at the woman in bewilderment, "That leaves me with almost nothing!" This was worse than last time! Was there an end to her greed?

Nami tightened Baby 5's bonds, making the maid look like a ball of chain with how much binding the redhead used. "You're right, that would still leave you with something," the cat burglar agreed before flashing Kuina a smug smile, "I'm taking Ninety-nine percent then!"

"If you're going to take that much, why did you leave the last percent!?" Kuina shouted once more. It seems that Nami wasn't just satisfied with the amount of money she was earning, the woman was looking to impoverish her and squeeze out every last penny out of her starving frame.

Grinning, the girl replied, "Well, I'm taking it all then." Skipping over to the pile of cash, she sat down before leaning back, "Thank you!"

Glaring at the girl, Kuina muttered, "I swear…" Her anger however would prove short-lived as Kuina found her mouth drying up at the sight of Nami batting her pretty eyes and leaning down, showing her generous chest. "Damn you…" Kuina hissed, blushing as she tore her eyes away before walking over to the shore, suddenly needing a cold bath.

"Love you too," Nami waved at her as Kuina dove down and washed herself. The salty brine stung, but it was a worthwhile distraction to the siren over at the shore. She wouldn't take long before she hauled herself up the shore and shook herself dry.

Taking her top off and wringing her clothes, she noticed Nami staring at her. Looking back, she asked, "Is there something wrong?" Yes, she didn't quite fit the traditional japanese beauty standards, but it wasn't that bad right? She suddenly starts feeling conscious about it now…

Blushing, the girl replied shrilly, "No! Nothing's wrong." Laughing nervously, she added, "I'm just admiring your abs-! solutely nothing but this fruit!" Pulling the Devil Fruit out of its chest, she observed it intently, refusing to look at Kuina's direction. "And put some clothes on! Do you want to catch a cold?" She shouted as she glanced at her and the fruit back and forth.

Snorting, Kuina nodded as she wrapped herself up once more. Sometimes, she wasn't sure if Nami's just being weird or her own mind was that warped from all the memories she now had. Just as she was about to check on the New World pirates, Nami asked, "Hey Kuina, do you mind if I just take a little nibble? For such a small fruit, this caused so much trouble."

"No!" Kuina shouted, dashing to Nami's side and grabbing her hand. Startled, the girl let out a yelp as she dropped the fruit. Catching the fruit, she let go of Nami before sliding it back inside its chest. "Oh god, that was close," She sighed out in relief.

Frowning, Nami asked, "It's just a bite and there's two of them. How bad can it be?"

"Bad, very bad," Kuina answered before she explained, "Take one bite out of that thing and it'll lose all value." Around Devil Fruits, she can never be too careful, especially with this one. Glancing at the box, Kuina was half tempted to just eat it so it'll be over with, but not now. Not before she explained things to Nami.

"Y-you're kidding right?' Nami replied as she paled, "Surely something as simple as a bite wouldn't make it worthless?"

Staring back at her, Kuina replied, "I'm dead serious."'

Gulping, Nami nodded before locking the box."Let's keep it inside its box then," She replied before looking at it with worry. "You don't think it'll rot before we find someone who can buy it, right?" She asked, giving Kuina some pause.

"I think?" Kuina replied, unsure herself. "The last time I've seen one of these, that fruit lasted for two years or so I think," She answered, shaking her head. "Devil Fruits are weird." At this point, she had long given up trying to figure out how they worked. They were distilled bullshit.

"I'm starting to wonder if they're worth the trouble…" Nami whispered as she stared at the box.

"Honestly? Most of them aren't worth it," Kuina replied. Who wants to become a Jacket? "However there are a few select fruits of immense power that could make or break entire nations," She added as she walked over to Buffalo and Baby 5. The two were starting to stir.

Seeing the confused look she got, Kuina told her, "I'll tell you all about them later because we still have two big problems on hand." Turning the two over, she watched Buffalo open his eyes

"Oh god… my head-!" The man groaned before seizing up as Kuina jabbed him on the neck. Of all the things she picked up while trying to figure out how to defeat her dad back then, pressure points might just be one of the most useful. Not only could she knock people out, she can also give really good massages!

Doing the same to Baby 5, Kuina nodded in satisfaction as the two fell back asleep. "That'll keep them down for another hour," Kuina told Nami as she walked over to one of the boats and grabbed some buoys. Getting enough for two, she returned and picked up Buffalo, gritting her teeth under the man's weight. For a man that could fly, he was quite heavy.

Gritting her teeth, Kuina shouldered on as she marched to the ocean."Kinda wish I had some Seastone cuffs cause it'll be a whole lot easier to deal with these two Devil Fruit Users," She muttered as her feet slowly sank into waves.

"Wait, these two ate Devil Fruits?" Nami asked as she jumped down from her small pile of treasure and walked over to Baby 5. Rolling her across the sandy shore, she added, "Is that why they have those freaky abilities?"

"Ayup!" Kuina nodded, stopping just as the water got up to her neck. Lifting the man over his head, she tossed him to the deeper end where he sank down to his neck. Turning over to Nami, she instructed, "Make sure that one's submerged up to her neck. I don't want that one cutting their way out!"

"How can the sea help against someone that can turn into a bomb?" Nami asked as she pushed the maid into the water, turning right side up as the water got too deep.

"One more reason why devil fruits aren't worth it most of the time, the sea saps them of their ability and strength," She explained as she walked over and helped her struggling partner push the maid deeper, "They'll sink like stones as well if you don't have something helping them float like these buoys."

She made sure that the buoys would keep them upright. She wanted them immobilized, but she didn't want them to drown. That was simply a horrible way to go. As they wadded back to shore, Nami slicked her hair back before she asked, "So, what do we do now?"

Kuina quirked her lips as she frowned. She didn't think she'd get this far in the plan. "Since they're part of a Warlord's crew, we can't claim their bounty…" She muttered as she plopped herself down on the beach.

The fact that they were the crew members of a Warlord made things way more complicated. Technically, attacking them would be akin to attacking the World Government, but maybe not? They can be replaced so perhaps the World Government would simply shrug. Kuina can't work on such assumptions though as she wasn't sure.

"We might actually be in trouble," Kuina admitted. They can't keep them tied up nor can they turn them in. They were effectively deadweight much like how they were in the water.

"We can just push them further out to sea and let them drown," Nami suggested, catching Kuina completely by surprise, "Dead men tell no tales." As Kuina stared at her in horror, Nami merely shrugged, "What? They're pirates."

Kuina was about to say something before she wizened up and shut her mouth. This wasn't the Nami she knew from the show. She had to remind herself that Nami hated pirates as she had yet and probably will never meet Luffy.

"We could…" Kuina admitted, turning to Baby 5 before smiling, "But I might have a better idea. And no, this isn't something as crazy as my last plan."

Nami grimaced as she glared at her, "I have a feeling that I'm going to regret this so much."

Snickering, Kuina assured her, "It's going to be fine, trust me!" After all, if she can't turn them in, why don't she just take them in?

A/N:

Double Post! I wasn't just going to let something as simple as only having a tablet stop me from working! Now... if only I have a bluetooth mouse to complete the set up.