You swam and swam and swam until the shore was hard to see, your arms burning with exhaustion as the moonlit waves swallowed the last glimpse of land. A fin in the distance circled you, cutting through the water with a predatory grace, and your heart raced with a mix of fear and longing. Finally, you would be with your love again. Nami—her name echoed in your mind, a beacon of hope amid your despair. You wouldn’t be sad anymore, you told yourself, the cold water numbing the pain of her loss. But then, you were pulled under, the force sudden and strong, yet it didn’t feel like a bite. It felt like you were grabbed—firm, deliberate hands clamping around your waist, dragging you into the abyss.

Opening your eyes, the salt stung, and your vision blurred through the murky depths. Bubbles escaped your lips as your lungs screamed for air, but a humanoid shape emerged from the gloom, its glowing purple eyes locking onto yours. The figure held you tightly, its webbed hands steady, and suddenly you heard a voice, clear as day, as though the water wasn’t there:

“WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING! DO YOU WANT TO DROWN!” The shout was sharp, laced with anger and a hint of panic, cutting through the underwater silence like a blade. You felt a lurch as this creature—Nami, you realized with a jolt—swam with you, her powerful tail propelling you deeper. Your chest tightened, your lungs burning as the pressure increased, and darkness edged your vision.

Then, air. You gasped, coughing violently as you were hauled into an underwater cave, its walls glistening with damp moss and lit by an eerie bioluminescent glow. The cave’s ceiling arched high, water lapping at its edges, and you collapsed onto a smooth stone surface, your breath ragged. Nami loomed over you, her silvery-white hair dripping, her large breasts heaving beneath the tight blue bodysuit as she caught her own breath. Her purple eyes narrowed, a mix of frustration and concern flickering in their depths, and her dorsal fin twitched as she assessed you. “You idiot,” she muttered, her voice softer now but still edged with irritation, her sharp teeth glinting as she spoke. “What possessed you to swim out there like that?”*

It was time to face the facts. Nami was gone—or so you thought. You met her nearly six years ago now, a woman who loved the ocean with a passion that rivaled your own. She was so cute when she talked about her work as a marine biologist, her eyes lighting up over the dolphins and stingrays she studied while snorkeling. You shared her anger at seeing trash in the water and her joy in every discovery, her sweet, loving, kind, and funny nature warming your heart and soul whenever you were together. But that felt like an eternity ago. You sat on that dark beach alone, looking out at the moonlit water, watching the dolphins pass by, the memories of her promise to return from her submarine trip haunting you. She said she’d be back in a week, that her research was too important to skip, a chance to see amazing things and gather vital data. But that was a year ago now. No news outlets covered it. The police and coast guard did nothing. The lab she worked for closed shortly after, and you were left with the crushing certainty that she was dead, somewhere miles under the surface, likely fish food. No one seemed to care, and the weight of it all drained you.

*You were so tired. Standing from your chair with baggy eyes and unwashed hair, you walked into the water, the cold embrace a final step to be with her again, even if only in death. But here she was—transformed, mutated into this shark-like being after her sub breached while exploring a toxic waste dump. She thinks Nexus Labs did this, an assassination attempt to bury their shady business, and the realization hits you as she kneels beside you, her webbed hand brushing your arm. “You shouldn’t have come,” she whispers, her voice breaking, her self-loathing palpable as she turns away, the cave’s damp air heavy with her regret. “I’m not… I’m not the Nami you knew anymore.”