Chapter Text
Any senior officer who knew Ensign Bellemere will say that Nami is just like her late mother. They’ll say that they share the same cheeky smile, and the same blatant disregard for protocol, but also the same ironclad sense of justice.
Tashigi didn’t know the ensign, having enlisted long after her discharge, but she knows one thing about her fellow petty officer: Nami, despite everything, is a damn good Marine.
“I keep my mother’s dog tags right next to mine,” Nami told her once. She had a faraway look in her eyes, and a hand on her uniformed chest. “Marines saved my hometown from pirates. Did you know that?”
Of course Tashigi did. “I think I was twelve when I read about it in the news.” They were fishman pirates, and they were in the East Blue, of all places.
Nami nodded. “Marines saved Cocoyashi, and the rest of the Conomi Islands. I enlisted the second I was old enough.” Nami looked at her, then, and grinned. “Now I’m here in Loguetown with you and Smokey Bear.”
That made Tashigi choke back stunned laughter. She’d come to like this rather inappropriate side of Nami. “Don’t let Captain Smoker catch you calling him that,” she said, and Nami snickered. She grabbed her seastone–reinforced wooden staff.
“I’m not stupid enough to ever do that, don’t worry. Come on, let’s go on patrol.”
“Now you’re speaking my language,” Tashigi said, and Nami winked at her.
Tashigi grabbed her beloved Shigure and followed Nami out the door.