Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Luffy was thinking.

He sat still on his special spot, Sunny's figurehead, seemingly enjoying the view. The sky was bright. The sea was endless. The wind never stopped running over him, knocking his hat off and sending it flying behind his back.

Still, something was missing.

Luffy pouted at the sky. Today, he couldn't find any clouds that looked like his all-time favorite food — meat, no matter how hard he tried to look, and even though he wasn't Chopper, he could always smell that scent, the scent that only the endless blue of the New World could provide — the scent of adventure.

Strangely enough, he couldn't feel it now.

Luffy wanted something to distract himself, fast. Of course, meat, with Sanji's kicks as an extra service, would do.

Without delay, Luffy sprang up, losing his balance for a second. He grabbed his hat, ready to put it back on his head but then paused. The memories of his fateful breakfast rushed back to his mind as he sat back down.

It was simple. He was stuffing his face with everything identified as food within his arm range as usual, although a little harder from the first seat of the row, plus the one person sitting next to him happened to be Nami. Luffy didn't feel like getting beaten up in the early morning so, after noting to himself not to sit in such an inconvenient spot, his arm stretched past Nami's food, aiming to snatch Zoro's, Usopp's, and Chopper's in one flight.

At that moment, Nami shot to her feet. Then, Thousand Sunny was hit by.. a giant wave? which was caused by.. a cannon? a storm? a sea king? Luffy didn't know. He was trying to grab every piece of meat, as many as he could before the ship started to rock very violently.

Nami grabbed his shoulder, trying to balance herself in her standing position, only to send them both falling.

Everything went into slow motion for Luffy.

As soon as he swallowed the last piece of meat, his face collided with her collarbone. At the same time, something hit the back of his head and Luffy landed right on the floor with Nami on top of him.

As if using Gear Second, Luffy flipped over, switching their positions in one swift movement before something smacked his back, the tip of his nose barely touching Nami's. Then, the ship lurched. Both of them were airborne for a split second. When they landed, Luffy failed to brace himself so this time, his lips pressed against hers and he couldn't help but notice that her eyes, wide and staring straight into his, were beautiful.

After that, everything was weird.

To Luffy, Robin's smile seemed brighter when she informed them that they were, yet again, among the Marine ships. Zoro's laugh was smug, almost annoying when he dragged Luffy out of the dining room into the furious storm outside to finish their task. Sanji's mood darkened as Luffy noticed and later, felt that his kicks were much more powerful. Usopp's and Chopper's continual glances were discreet. Brook's songs were more pleasant than usual. Not to mention that Franky's tears were.. well, Luffy had no idea why Franky was crying anyway.

The weirdest of all was Nami.

At first, he wasn't sure. But now, after one day and a few hours had passed without seeing her face, Luffy concluded that Nami had been avoiding him.

A crease crept its way to his brow. Here it came again — a mystery feeling,

Tingling his skin, nagging his mind, blinding his senses, making the sea and the clouds and everything remind him of his orange-haired navigator and her mikan, again and again.

With that thought, Luffy looked back at the grove. As if on cue, he saw Nami leaving the dining room instead. Not to let his opportunity slip away, he stood up, putting his beloved straw hat back on his head.

His resolve kicked in.

Effortlessly, Luffy stretched his arm out, weaving it around Nami's waist then pulled her down toward him on the grassy deck.

She crashed into him with a scream. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?"

Nami pushed his chest, trying to make some room between them. Her attempt was in vain because rubber was rubber. She let out a frustrated huff and glared at him, silently demanding an answer.

His eyes fixed on her lips, her cheeks, her hair then her eyes. He could smell that scent — Nami's scent? Mikan's scent? New World's scent? Luffy couldn't identify it anymore.

After wondering if Chopper had always felt like this with his sharp sense of smell, Luffy leaned forward, inhaling the scent of her hair, his face close to the crook of her neck.

"It's your scent," he mumbled, nodding to himself, satisfied.

"W-What?" Nami jolted back from his sudden intrusion, shuddering as his breath tickled her face. Her hands fisted the front of his cardigan for support when her knees buckled.

If Luffy noticed her question, their awkward positions, or her face that started to resemble the color of his cardigan, he didn't show. He leaned back and stared at her, thinking about what to do next to fix this weird situation.

"L-Luffy—" she stammered, fidgeting under his intense gaze, hitting his chest. "Let me go!"

"No."

"LET ME GO!" she seethed.

Luffy didn't even budge. His mission wasn't over yet. He needed to do something now otherwise, he would never enjoy eating his meat or sitting at his favorite spot ever again. That would be the worst — the worstest thing for him.

"LUFFY!"

"Is it weird, Nami?" he asked all of a sudden.

She looked at him. Her hands stopped.

"Did everything get weird after that?" Luffy flicked his gaze from her eyes to her lips then back to her eyes once again.

Nami averted her gaze from him. Taking a deep breath, she said, "It was just an accident, Luffy. We didn't mean to—"

"You've been avoiding me."

A statement, not a question.

"I haven't!" Her head snapped up, the tip of her nose almost touching his.

Deja Vu.

The weird feeling wasn't gone but Luffy felt better like this. He didn't fail to notice that her eyes were shining. Her scent engulfed his senses and he couldn't remember anything else except her soft lips which he wanted to feel again.

"Luffy.. "

Being close to her made him feel better. Maybe if they kissed again, it would be gone.

"Lu—"

Simply, he kissed her.

A hasty little one on the lips, purely chaste, nothing special.

However, Luffy could feel a surge of something run through his body.

"Why.. why did you kiss me?" Nami gasped, her face burning red. Her fingers loosened around his cardigan, grazing his scar, making that certain something tighten in his chest.

His theory didn't work. Nothing was gone. He wanted more and his instincts told him there was no need to find any reasons to do it now.

Ignoring her question, Luffy kissed Nami again.

His free hand cupped the nape of her neck, tilting her head up to meet him. It took a few seconds for her lips to start moving against his. Her hands slid up to rest on his shoulders, neither pushing him away nor hitting him.

He kept going until he tasted the sweetness of mikan on her tongue.

When Luffy finally pulled back, they both were breathing heavily. His arm around her waist snapped back to its original length.

Losing her support, Nami slumped on the deck. Her eyes widened when she realized what had just happened. She glared up, ready to snap at him but paused when she saw his smiling face.

"Yosh! I've decided," he announced. "I like this! Shishishi!"

Luffy was pleased, grinning ear to ear for the first time in a day. The feeling was still here but he felt even better with it right now because of their kisses. Because of Nami. Sure, he had always known she was special to him but it had never been so vivid, so true to him like this before.

His grin grew wider at the thought but then, he saw Nami crumpling on the deck. Her face was as red as a tomato.

"Oi, Nami!" He sat down next to her. "You alright? Are you sick? Did I do something wrong!?"

Nami waved his questions off. "Did you even know what you were doing, Luffy?" She sighed, pressing her fingers on her temple.

"Of course! I kissed you and it felt nice," he replied, carefully eyeing her just in case. He loved her smiles and she couldn't smile for him when she was sick that time so he hated it, plain and simple.

Nami just stared at him.

"Can't you feel it, Nami?" Luffy asked. "Can't you feel it?" he repeated and waited for her to say something.

A small smile broke out on her lips. Then, Nami laughed. Luffy yelped when she threw her arms around him, squeezing him into her embrace before she released him soon after that.

Luffy cocked his head, gazing at her, a bit confused because of her reactions but she smiled and she didn't hit him so it probably was best like this.

"So, what now, captain?" Nami asked with a smile.

"Stop avoiding me," he answered without thinking, frowning at the thought of their separation two years ago. "I wanna see you every day."

Again, her face reddened. Nami took a deep breath before asking. "Just.. that?"

Luffy nodded at her.

"Is that so?" She smirked. "Ok then Luffy, you owe me 10,000 beli for each kiss, understand?" she said sweetly then stood up, straightening herself, ready to leave.

"But Nami, that's bad!" he opposed, looking up at her with a pout.

Nami stopped to look back at him, raising an eyebrow.

Luffy stayed silent for a moment then he laughed, getting the result both of them would like. "Shishishi, you would be the richest person in the world, Nami," he said then grasped her wrist, tugging her down.

"Ehh!?" she exclaimed, landing right in his lap.

Luffy grinned at Nami. "Cause I'm gonna do this every day!"

"W-What the—Mmph!"

Zoro opened his eye, irritated.

Everything was calm and quiet until now. Nobody was outside except for Luffy who sat on Sunny's figurehead like a statue since morning, if not, yesterday. Truth be told, Zoro couldn't care less about anybody's love life but after that accident, everybody with their right mind, except Luffy himself, could sense a very awkward atmosphere between Luffy and Nami.

Food must have been the only thing that could make the listless captain noisy and energetic again.

Somehow, Zoro knew now wasn't lunchtime yet. He stood up, stretching his muscles then looked down from the crow's nest to the deck below to confirm the source of the noises. He sure as hell did see Luffy, laughing and grinning like an idiot..

..with Nami on his lap?

Zoro returned to his previous position after a brief moment, crossing his arms over his chest and closing his eye. A devilish smirk appeared on his face.

He was happy for Luffy but most of all, he couldn't wait for the moment Sanji found out.

The future Pirate King always kept his word.

The next morning before their breakfast started, just a peck on her lips.

The dining room fell into dead silence.

Luffy, completely oblivious to his speechless crewmates, already started stuffing his mouth while Nami desperately wished she could vanish.

"Uh.. ahem," Usopp broke the silence, " ..excuse me, everyone." He paused, looking at Nami then fixed his gaze on Luffy. "Are you.. together?"

Nami opened her mouth to say something when Luffy stopped eating and smacked the table.

"Oi, Usopp! Why did you ask a stupid question like that!?" Luffy shot back like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Eyes widened. Silence turned into chaos.

"Ahh.. young love is so beautiful! Yohohohoho!" Brook exclaimed in delight.

Sanji fell onto his knees and screamed, "NOOOOOOOOO! Nami-swannnnnnnnn!"

Franky whistled.

Zoro laughed triumphantly.

"Shut the hell up wayward Marimo! Luffy! You.. lucky bastard!" Sanji cried, fists repeatedly slamming on the floor.

Robin chuckled.

Usopp began his lovey-dovey tale of the idiotic captain and the fierce navigator with a throaty laugh, and Chopper's eyes lit up.

No one except Nami, and probably Robin, caught Luffy's mutter. "You're weird, Usopp. Everyone is together now. How could you not know?"

Luffy almost went back into his oblivious mode but..

"ARE YOU SICK AGAIN, NAMI!?"

Nami smacked her forehead and groaned at her crew.

Usopp wasn't lying.

For some inexplicable reason, he knew something like this would happen someday ever since the moment Luffy put his hat on Nami's head, beat the crap out of the Fishman pirates' captain, and destroyed Arlong Park.

On the assumption that Zoro's hearing system always worked even when he was asleep or he had not slept at all, while everyone else had learned about Nami's past from Nojiko, Luffy knew nothing.

He did all of those things because Nami was crying.

Usopp smirked at the memories, watching as the blushing Nami gave Luffy a not-so-harsh hit on his head and scolded him while Luffy grinned before happily stealing their forgotten food, didn't seem the least bit bothered.

Willing to let Luffy get his food for once, Usopp then turned to the reindeer and began his rightful duty — making Chopper's day.

He wasn't lying but exaggerating wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

"Nami, talk to me!"

"..."

"Nami, look at—"

"I'm trying to concentrate here!" Nami hissed through her teeth, gripping the book in her hand.

When she received no response from Luffy, Nami looked up and met with his large puppy dog eyes.

She winced then shifted her gaze back. "Go bother someone else, Luffy. I'm sure Usopp, Chopper, and Brook want to play with you."

"But they told me to go bother you!" Luffy insisted, jumping up to sit beside her.

She closed the book in a huff, glaring at him. "And you listened to them, not me?"

"Yes! You're outnumbered, Nami," he replied earnestly.

Nami stood up with a sigh, walking to the bookshelves in an attempt to find something that required less of her concentration than navigation.

"Just go take a nap, wait for the next island or something," she told him half-heartedly, her eyes flicking through the shelves and then stopping at novels.

Luffy bounced down onto the floor and followed her. "But I wanna talk!"

Historical.

"Admit it, Luffy. You only want my snack."

Adventure.

"No! I wanna be with you," he whined.

Her cheeks flared. Her hand paused then went straight to Crime. Nami then turned around and she was standing face to face with Luffy.

Maybe Horror.

The distance between their faces was too short. Luffy closed it and Nami didn't want a book anymore.

It lasted a few seconds then he frowned, trailing his fingers across her cheek. "Your face is red again," he mumbled against her lips.

"I'm not sick." Her answer was barely above a whisper.

"Shishishi, that's good." Luffy grinned and dipped his head once again.

Nami didn't complain.

Sanji had always known.

He could hear their voices as he approached the library and yet, he persisted, witnessing everything. Luffy hadn't noticed the smell of food. Nami hadn't noticed him, and he was torn between melancholy and outrage for a moment.

Sanji leaned against the wall, his grip around the tray of Nami's snack tightening.

He wished he could smoke now.

Deep down, Sanji knew and he hated that he couldn't deny it. If someone, who wasn't a woman, deserved to be happy, he was Luffy. Sanji was so damn sure even that inconsiderate shithead Zoro could see happiness in their eyes.

He stared at the sky for a while then let out a small laugh before heading back to prepare his snack for Robin without a second glance.

Never giving snacks to Luffy was such a tempting idea.

"Let me eat it, Nami!" Luffy whined as he left the dining room with a basket of mikan in his hands.

"No, Luffy. I want all of them, safe and sound, in my room," Nami said, continuing to walk without glancing back.

Luffy puckered his bottom lip. "But I—"

She turned back to take the basket from him. "You were the one wanting to help me," she stated, rolling her eyes.

"You're so sooooooooo mean, Nami!"

Nami ignored him and walked away. Luffy ran up to snatch the basket back then ran down the stairs, laughing like crazy.

"Luffy, give it back!" Nami screamed, chasing after him. "I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Shishishi, why should I? You'll kill me!"

Unfortunately, even his rubbery legs could make Luffy stumble. The basket was knocked off. Mikan scattered around. Luffy's face collided with the grass. Nami stopped in horror, picking one of her mikan from the deck. Her body shook with wrath.

Luffy who was trying to get up sensed his death coming closer.

"Don't kill me! THEY ARE SAFE!" He sprang up and practically went into Gear Second, collecting every last one of her precious fruits back in their basket then caught her fist just before it landed on his head.

Nami struggled to free her hand. Luffy hauled her onto his shoulder and sprinted.

"What the—!" Nami screeched, pummeling his back. "YOU ARE SO DEAD LUFFY!"

Taking the last jump, Luffy landed on Sunny's figurehead. He sat down and set her between his legs, his arms holding her waist from behind. "I'm sorry but your mikan is safe and I'll let you sit here. It's my special seat only!"

Nami gave him a sideways glare.

Luffy looked into her eyes, saying, "Don't kill me, Nami."

After a moment, she looked away and sighed, leaning her back against his chest, enjoying the view in front of her instead. Luffy took that as a good sign before he grabbed his hat and put it on her head, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"It's hot," he murmured against her orange tresses, tilting his head to the sun above them.

Nami smiled.

"Your hair smells like mikan."

She lifted her hand, holding her mikan in front of his face. "You can eat it."

Luffy grinned.

Chopper could have had a heart attack.

He sat with Usopp and Brook on the railing, watching them fishing. With his sharp senses, Chopper could hear noises from afar. When he looked back, he almost fainted, multiple times — the knocked basket, the outraged navigator, and the audacious captain.

However, both of them went to Sunny's figurehead and didn't come back. No agonizing scream. No splashing sound.

Chopper didn't quite completely understand human emotions and he thought that Luffy and Nami, especially the former, were not a normal case to study but he also knew about the simplest facts of this ship.

No one touched Nami's mikan.

No one sat on Luffy's favorite spot.

Chopper looked up at Usopp with such admiration in his eyes.

Luffy defeated 1,000 of Arlong's crewmates, beat the crap out of the Fishman captain, and destroyed Arlong Park by himself in five minutes before he collapsed from exhaustion into Nami's awaiting arms must have been true after all.

They were so close and the heat was almost too much to bear.

Nami jerked back as his thumb caressed the back of her hand in small circles. His mouth roamed around from the corner of her lips, her flushed cheek to her ear.

"Do you like it, Nami?" His tone was husky and so unlike him, sending a shiver down her spine.

Her knees started to give in but Luffy knew better. He grabbed her hips and pushed her back against the wall, pressing his body into her.

The next moment, they were kissing each other like there was no tomorrow.

Their hot breaths mingled. Her fingers slid into his hair, knocking his hat off and pulling him in. His hands were everywhere, touching and stroking underneath her blouse, leaving behind a hot trail on her smooth skin as their tongues danced against each other.

Nami moaned into his mouth and his eyes glazed over.

Luffy grunted, grinding his hips into hers. Nami threw her head back, her nails digging into his shoulder as he trailed his kisses from her jawline to her neck, biting and sucking before moving his way down to her collarbone.

She cried out when he grabbed the front of her blouse and tore it open, sending half of the buttons flying. His tongue and teeth attacked the new area of her exposed skin, making another round of delightful moans escape from her throat.

When the door of the women's quarters cracked open, both of them jerked at the sound.

Luffy blinked, several times.

Nami looked at the door before she shifted her gaze back to him, clinging her blouse together.

When Luffy saw Nami, he took a step back from her, so many emotions swirling in his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Before Nami could say anything, Luffy was gone.

Robin was surprised.

She knew her captain wasn't an idiot and she could sense something special in the way Luffy and Nami looked at each other, even before that accident. However, Robin had never expected both of them, especially the captain, to go this fast after a week.

She came to the women's quarters to retrieve one of her books. Now, she couldn't decide if it was a bad thing or not.

When Robin was about to leave, Luffy beat her to it.

He went off in a rush with a serious expression on his face and didn't seem to acknowledge her presence at all.

Robin turned back, watching Nami slump down onto their bed. For a brief moment, she thought she should leave. The book wasn't that important. But then, Robin decided against it. She walked over and sat down next to Nami.

She realized she made the right choice when she saw confusion in Nami's eyes.

Zoro returned to the dining room, his eye wandering around the table before he sat down.

"Oi Zoro, don't tell me you were lost in our own ship," Usopp said, giving him a disbelieving look. "Where's Luffy?"

Rolling his eye, Zoro replied, "Said he wasn't hungry."

"Seriously?" Usopp's eyes widened as well as Chopper's, and Brook's but he didn't have eyes.

Zoro didn't answer.

"Maybe he's sick. I should go check on him," Chopper mumbled, ready to jump down and leave.

Nami stopped him. "It's ok, Chopper. He's fine."

Franky and Brook remained silent.

Zoro folded his arms over his chest.

Robin gazed at Nami with an understanding look in her eyes.

"That idiot," Sanji grumbled, glancing at Nami. "Let's eat."

As if listening to Sanji's words for once, Zoro was the first one to start and then everybody else followed him shortly after that, except for Nami. She got up and Sanji's eye twitched ever so slightly.

"Nami-san?"

"I'm going to work on my maps," Nami announced before leaving the room.

It sounded like a secret code for 'do not disturb or follow me' and nobody, not even Sanji, bothered to stop her.

They knew Nami meant it.

Franky could feel the tension.

Even though it was so faint and intangible, it did exist. Luffy was unusually quiet since morning but everyone else didn't seem to notice or if they did, they had not shown it at all. Alas, evidence had just arrived.

Physically, Luffy seemed fine. Thus, this must have been some sort of love problem, and everything became crystal clear when Nami left.

Sanji almost flew out of the kitchen, looking ready to go kill the said captain. Franky halted him and decided to give it a shot.

As a man with more life experience, he might be able to help Luffy.

Franky headed to the men's quarters. The door was left ajar when he arrived. He dared to look inside and soon after, went back on the same route with a smile and a hint of sentimental tears, knowing that his help would not be needed this time.

Those kids sure did grow up.

His hand squeezed her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Nami," Luffy said, deep sincerity in his eyes promising his words.

Nami backed off a bit, giving him an incredulous stare. "What do you mean, Luffy?" she asked, fingers curling up into a fist. "Why?"

Luffy looked straight into her eyes.

"I know what we were doing. If Robin hadn't come, I would've hurt you," he answered, his hand traveling up from her shoulder, fingers brushing the faint marks on her neck. "I'm sorry."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

Luffy flinched, slightly panicked. "Don't cry, Nami! It's ok now." He wiped her tears away, his brow furrowing. "I won't let anybody hurt you."

Nami let out a soft sound between a gasp and a giggle. "Silly, you've never hurt me.. you would never," she murmured, cupping his face before she pulled him in and kissed him on the lips.

Luffy froze but soon, he kissed her back with equal fervor, his arms wrapping around her waist.

Just then, he laughed.

Nami pulled back, arms still wrapping around his neck. "What?" she asked, half-confused, half-annoyed.

"So you like kissing me too."

Nami rolled her eyes.

"Does that mean I don't have to pay you back?" he asked with a grin.

"No."

Pouting, he muttered, "Meanie."

Playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, she said, "But know what? You're so lucky, captain." She pecked his lips, smiling. "I've lost count."

His grin grew wider then he laughed again. "That's good, Nami but.. I'm hungry."

She laughed as his stomach growled. "Go ahead, your food is waiting."

Luffy gave her a brief kiss and a dazzling smile before he dashed out of the men's quarters. Nami watched him until he was out of sight, a warm smile gracing her lips.

"400 million beli is more than enough, Luffy."

Brook was happy.

The crow's nest was such a perfect spot to relish the sight of the moon and the stars on a night like this. He looked around, enjoying the sight of the sleeping ocean reflected by the pale moonlight. When his gaze stopped at the deck below, he spotted two figures, Luffy and Nami, sitting together.

Brook was aware that both of them were happy now because earlier, after Nami and Franky left for a while, Luffy rushed into the dining room and chucked all the food into his mouth with an elated laugh. Their same old captain was back, just like that.

Not wanting to invade their privacy, Brook took a few steps back and looked at the sky before he lifted his violin.

This crew gave him life. If they were sad, he could feel the pain. If they were happy, he would be, too. Just like this very moment, he could feel happiness shining from their souls, so bright and clear, even more than the moonlight.

Love was beautiful.

The bittersweet memories flooded back and he started playing.

Nami was woken up by a strange feeling of something suddenly flying away from her embrace.

Languidly, she breathed in the familiar scent of the sea, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes as she rested a hand on the grass to support herself.

Grass.

At the break of dawn, the realization hit her hard. She was out on the deck all night with.. wait, where was—

"My apologies for waking you up, Nami-san."

Her head turned to the sound. "Uh, morning.. Sanji-kun," she greeted him as Sanji lit a cigarette before her eyes followed his line of sight.

Luffy who had his front buried in the door of the men's quarters slowly fell back onto the deck, hitting the grass with a loud thud. Then, he flipped over, stirring up a bit before he continued to sleep again as if nothing had happened.

"Shitty captain, letting Nami-san sleep outside like this," Sanji grumbled as he stormed to the kitchen, the fire of rage burning around him. "Holding Nami-swan in front of my eye you rubber bastard!"

Nami sweatdropped as Sanji disappeared from her sight. She grabbed Luffy's hat beside her, stood up, and stretched before walking over and placing it on Luffy's head without waking him up. She then went to the women's quarters to take her new clothes and headed straight to the bathhouse, too hurried to notice Robin's knowing smile.

Nami just wanted to take a bath. The grassy deck wasn't a good place to sleep at all.

"Yohohoho, Nami-san," Brook greeted her as he came down from the crow's nest. Last night was his turn to keep watch. "I assume you had a good sleep last night," he chirped.

Despite herself, her face heated up. Her eyes unconsciously drifted toward her captain who was still sleeping. Behind Luffy, Zoro happened to choose that exact moment to come out for his morning training session. He paused at the door, eyed Luffy then threw a suspicious look at her. Nami turned back to Brook, gave him a nod, and rushed off.

She needed to take a bath now.

Last night, after she and Luffy had talked for a long while and reached somewhat of a mutual understanding, they sat together on the deck, stargazing and stuff.. until she fell asleep at some point.

Nami sighed and closed her eyes, leaning her back on the bathtub as she let hot water relax her strained muscles.

Sure, cuddling — sleeping next to Luffy wasn't a crime but she would rather her crew not witness it. Maybe she should thank Sanji later.

After a moment, Nami couldn't help but let out a small laugh.

Who in the world would have thought that she of all people would be in this situation, especially with her captain?

If anyone had told her two years ago, even two weeks ago, that Luffy was capable of kissing a woman because he was a man, she would have laughed at them and made a bet.

However, as always, her captain had proved her and everybody else wrong.

Luffy was, like he had always called anything he didn't quite understand, a real mystery.

His sense of logic was far more mysterious than Robin's smiles or Zoro's sense of direction. Rather than being complicated, it was so simple that Nami didn't understand what was going on inside his head most of the time, even now, and without realizing it, she had fallen for him from the start.

This feeling had always been there in the corner of her heart, ever since the first time he put his hat on her head. She never wanted to label it. She had been telling herself not to. Yet day by day, it kept growing.

Two years of not seeing his face. Two years of working hard to be the best navigator he could ever ask for.

When they reunited, he had already become the most important person in her life.

When he kissed her, again and again, the feeling overflowed.

Now, she was so in love with him that sometimes, she hated herself so much for having all these feelings. But no matter what, she couldn't deny that she was crazy when it came to him. Sleeping outside after they had entered the range of a winter island was just one of many.

For her, last night was like a dream because she was so happy and he was warm and her lack of sleep only made her forget to tell Luffy or even herself to get back to bed. But Nami did remember what they had talked about.

Luffy told her about Amazon Lily. He told her about the people he met during the time they were apart, and how the Dark King trained him. He told her that he lo—

Her eyes snapped open.

What had she just thought?

This was Luffy. That L-word part must have been a dream or a figment of her imagination, Brook's songs playing tricks with her mind before she slept perhaps.

Running her hand through her damp hair, Nami closed her eyes then heaved a sigh in slight frustration.

She was officially crazy about that idiot now.

Later that night, Nami spotted Luffy when she was about to go upstairs.

He was lying alone on the grass near the railing. His hat was beside him, letting its owner take the full view of the stars in the night sky above as the wind blew over, playing with his black hair.

That scene looked so perfect that she was drawn toward him.

Luffy was awake, with a smile on his face. It seemed to grow wider even before her shadow graced his presence. He got up and put his hat back on before he patted the grass beside him, gesturing for Nami to sit down without glancing at her. When she did, he gave her a quizzical look.

"Just finished one of my maps," she answered his silent question.

Luffy nodded before looking up at the sky again.

Another cold breeze ran over. Nami drew her knees to her chest, a bit surprised by his silence, asking, "And you?"

"I was thinking about Ace," Luffy replied quietly.

His brother's name made her tense up before her eyes softened. "I'm sorry," she breathed out, placing her hand on his knee with slight pressure as if to remind him that she was still here and he wasn't alone.

He didn't say anything.

Yesterday, Luffy didn't talk much about Impel Down or the war at Marineford and Nami didn't ask. If anyone could understand him the most, that one would be her. She knew completely how hard it must have been to lose someone you loved right before your eyes.

"Your hands are small," Luffy mumbled as he slipped his hand under hers, intertwining their fingers. Despite the cold air around them, his small gestures sparked a warm glow right from her fingertips to her heart.

"I will protect you, Nami," he said, looking into her eyes with a smile that made her heartbeat quicken.

She couldn't help but smile back at him. "Luffy.. " she said softly, squeezing his hand. "Thank you."

As she looked at his face, his smile turned into a grin. He tugged at her hand as if gesturing for her to move closer. "Are you cold, Nami?"

"Yes?" she replied, arching an eyebrow.

He moved his hand from hers then lifted her onto his lap with ease.

Nami tensed but soon, she relaxed in his embrace when he did nothing except wrap his arms around her torso. She rested her head on his shoulder as she recalled that she also fell asleep like this last night.

Last night.

'I love you.'

Nami knit her brows.

Luffy would not say such a thing like that, right?

She looked up at Luffy who gave her a simple 'hmm' in return.

Before she could arrange her thoughts, Nami blurted out. "About last night." She paused while Luffy gave her a nod. "Did you say.. what did you say last night?"

Nami silently cursed herself at how lame her question turned out.

"I told you about the Maiden Island," he answered, looking owlishly at her. "I met Margaret.. and Hancock—"

"Not about that." Nami cut him off, fidgeting on his lap. She would never admit it out loud but the thought of the Pirate Empress asking Luffy to marry her annoyed Nami to no end.

Luffy tilted his head to one side then continued. "Then Rayleigh came to see me and taught me how to use Haki—"

"No!" She interrupted him again and mentally slapped herself for her silliness. "Not that part, either.. I mean, never mind I'm going to sleep now." She tried to untangle herself from him.

Luffy tightened his arms around her waist, not letting her go. "Let's stay, Nami," he said, his eyes never leaving hers.

Nami stopped, eyeing him for a moment before asking. "Are we going to sleep here again?"

"Yep!" he replied with his famous toothy grin.

"But everybody will see us." She tried to reason.

"Let'em."

"Luffy, it's cold."

"I'll warm you."

"I'm not made of rubber and I have my comfortable bed waiting for me in my room," she protested despite a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"I wanna be with you, Nami," Luffy countered smoothly.

"Ugh, fine!" Nami slumped down against him once again, her cheeks flushed.

Luffy laughed and leaned back on the railing as Nami closed her eyes, grimly acknowledging the fact that at this rate, she would never be able to resist him again.

"You're an idiot, Luffy," she murmured, "but I love you."

"Love you, too."

"What?!" Nami perked up like his words sent a bolt of lightning through her spine, staring at her captain as if she had never seen him before.

"You're thinking too much," Luffy said after a moment of staring back and she could almost hear him smiling. "I love you, Nami," he repeated, his tone silently screaming at her that she should have already known a simple thing like this by now.

Nami stared, blinked, and just stared, letting the realization sink in. Her body stiffened. Her heart skipped a beat.

It wasn't a dream. He said he loved her.

Monkey D. Luffy loved Nami.

"Oi, are you ok—"

She pressed her lips against his, not giving Luffy a chance to speak. "Never been better," Nami answered breathlessly, snuggling up to him. She wouldn't give a damn if the whole world was watching them right now.

Luffy laughed.

Nami smiled before closing her eyes contentedly, letting the rhythm of Luffy's heartbeat lull her to sleep without forgetting to remind herself to ask Franky if he could build a new room for her and Luffy, first thing in the morning.

"You're gonna be queen, Nami," Luffy murmured against her hair.

Nami's smile widened. "I know."

And she believed him.

Chapter Text

Months later

.

.

Despite being half-asleep, Luffy knew Nami was beside him.

Every time after their battles, after Chopper ran around to treat their wounds, after all the commotion died down and Luffy was left alone to rest in the infirmary, Nami always came to see him, even two years ago.

At first, she left the door half-opened and stood there, staring at him then she was gone. Sometimes, she came in for a while. Sometimes, she sat beside the bed and stayed for a long while before she left.

Recently, she did not leave and Luffy would be the one who stared at her sleeping face instead.

Now, Thousand Sunny was anchored near a small spring island. Everyone was resting, except for Brook who insisted on keeping watch. Outside, the night was dark and quiet. Still, the moonlight illuminated the infirmary enough for Luffy to be able to see Nami's face after he had woken up.

Luffy knew why Nami was always here. She was worried about him. But sometimes, he just wanted to tell her to go back to sleep in their room because sleeping here like this looked so uncomfortable. However, he never did it, because he liked to stare at her too.

Most of all, he knew she wouldn't want to be alone on a night like this.

Even if Luffy didn't know exactly how to read expressions or catch lies, he always noticed changes in Nami's mood and every little twitch on her face. He always noticed when something happened to her or when something was wrong, especially after they were together.

Today, when he saw hurt flash through her eyes while she smiled at him after the fight and he knew he was the one who caused it, Luffy felt like he was slapped hard on his face.

Despite that, Nami was sleeping by his side, using the bed as an uncomfortable pillow, her hand holding onto his.

Luffy squeezed her hand lightly but a small movement was enough to stir Nami up from her sleep. She slowly straightened up, blinking several times before she realized where she was. Luffy blinked back at her.

"Sorry, Nami. Didn't mean to—"

"Luffy?!" Nami sprang up to take a better look at him. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"Nami—"

"Are you hurting anywhere?"

"No, I—"

"I'll get Chopper—"

"Oi, look at me!" Luffy pulled her back to sit on the chair. He turned to sit on the edge of the bed to face her, his other hand cupping her face, forcing her to look into his eyes. "I'm fine, Nami. Look at me."

Nami calmed down a bit. When she did look at him, she almost laughed.

The man in front of her was far from being fine. He was shirtless but his skin was barely visible because of all the bandages. The only place she could look at that didn't remind her of the fight earlier was his dark eyes, always calm and unfaltering, the only things that could promise her he was still here.

Nami averted her gaze when tears welled up in her eyes.

Getting no response from her, Luffy added with a reassuring grin, "Actually, it still hurts a little but it's nothing!"

He then waited.

Nothing happened.

"Oi, Nami—"

"BAKA!" Nami cried out.

She lifted her hand, ready to beat him up in the head, as hard as she could, but she halted because of his current condition. Instead, her hand went to cover her face, her other hand squeezing his hand hard until it hurt.

"I was so worried, Luffy," she choked out. "You have no idea how much. I thought that.. " she trailed off, trying her hardest to bite back her tears.

Again, Luffy felt like he was slapped when he saw the look on her face.

"I don't like it but it's ok," he said, moving her hand from her face. Nami looked at him as he caressed her cheek before he continued. "To cry."

His words opened the floodgates.

Luffy wiped the first tear away as soon as it started rolling down her cheek but soon, it turned into sobbing and then she was crying helplessly on his shoulder.

Nami knew from the deepest of her heart that she could never get used to this — seeing him get hurt.

They were pirates. Of course, they fought and yes, they had won in the end. Whenever Luffy fought someone, he did it without a care in the world. He was strong. That mentality was part of his strength.

Nami didn't understand what he was thinking at those particular moments. She would never do. But she had long since come to learn, respect, and accept things that defined him. He was their captain, her captain. She believed in him and trusted him with her own life.

The reality, however, was never meant to be easy.

Nami remembered how it had always felt whenever Luffy countered the last attack from their enemy. A part of her was dying every time she waited in those agonizingly long seconds after that, for Luffy to show up again and let them know that they had already won.

Before, it was hard enough. Ever since they were together, it was almost unbearable for her. No matter how much she knew him, no matter how much she knew how reality worked, no matter how hard she had tried.

Because she could never imagine her life without him.

Still, she had always managed to survive everything without showing her weak side. It pained her so much to be like this. Nami never thought the day she had to rely on Luffy when he was the one who got hurt would come.

Her fear, worry, anger, and relief burned into bitter tears as she clung to him.

Luffy wrapped his arms around her shaking form, feeling rather numb because of her tears as he stroked her hair. His body was still hurting all over but as he had told her, it was nothing.

He was never supposed to make her cry.

Even without the promise he made at her village or the talk with Sanji, Luffy was never supposed to make Nami cry.

Just like his dream of becoming the Pirate King and meat, her happiness had already become one of the main driving forces in his life. When or how it started didn't matter. He would do his best to protect those carefree smiles of her.

He would always do his best to make her happy.

Luffy waited for her sob to subside, his hand trailing up and down her spine, as her body started to relax against him.

"I'm sorry," Nami mumbled then let go of him, hastily wiping her tears away when she realized that what she had done might have hurt him more.

Luffy answered quietly, "Don't be."

For a while, they remained silent, both deep in their thoughts.

Nami leaned on the chair, exhaustion seeping into every part of her body. She knew Luffy wouldn't get any rest if she stayed here, or worse, she could start crying all over again. It would only trouble him.

The moment she got up, Luffy grasped her hand.

Determination in his eyes, he held her gaze then guided her hand up and placed it on his chest. His heart throbbed against her palm.

Nami slumped back down, the strength in her legs all gone.

She spread her hand, pressing right above his heart, desperate for more. Her own heart pounded in her chest. Her throat constricted, burning raw. Tears welled up in her eyes and threatened to fall yet again.

Luffy smiled at her. His confident disposition never faltered.

"I'm here," he said, never breaking their eye contact, "and I'll get stronger."

He wanted her to feel better even just a little bit. He wanted her to smile again even just a moment sooner. He knew she would understand.

A torrent of emotions danced across her face.

Again, Luffy wiped her tears away as soon as they fell.

Leaning into the warmth of his hand, Nami nodded at him, again and again, because she did not know what else to do. Because she was so thankful that he was here, that they had met and she had someone like him in her life.

These feelings that could lift her up or tear her apart in a split second raged inside.

Nami leaned forward, fingers tracing on the scar under his eye, his cheekbone, and his jawline as their lips brushed. She wanted nothing more than to feel his breath, his warmth, and every part of him on her skin.

Soon, she broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his, too aware of his injuries even with her eyes closed.

"Get some rest, Luffy," she said softly. "I'll see you in the morning."

She lingered for a few moments before pulling away. When she opened her eyes, his gaze bored into hers, the intensity in his eyes almost fixing her in place. Drawing a sharp breath, she got up and headed to the door.

To no avail.

Luffy didn't need to think. He could see it in her eyes. He felt it in his veins.

An arm stretching out to wind around her waist, he hauled her back onto the bed, her legs on either side of him.

"Luffy, you can't—"

Luffy silenced her with a kiss, one hand splaying on her back, the other behind her head. Within seconds, Nami stopped struggling and wrapped her arms around his neck, no longer able to think straight as his tongue darted out to demand an entrance.

He tugged on her skirt, rocking his hips into her and she shuddered, her whimpers lost in his mouth. When their lips broke apart for him to take her top off and toss it away, she threw herself forward.

"Luffy, you can't do this," she breathed beside his ear as he fumbled with the hooks on her bra, his mouth sucking the sensitive spot on her neck.

Biting back a moan, Nami grabbed his shoulder, his face, careful not to touch his wounds, and pushed him back. Luffy stopped to look at her, tightening his arm around her waist, his dark eyes intense and filled with desire.

"You can't do this now," Nami repeated then weakly added when she looked into his eyes. "We can't do this here."

They stared at each other in silence, breathing heavily before Luffy grumbled, "You're right."

Swiftly, he stood, scooping her up bridal style. The next moment, they were out of the infirmary. Luffy headed straight to their room, ignoring Nami's attempt to walk by herself and the nagging pain in his abdomen.

There was no going back once he claimed her lips again after they made it past the door.

The next morning, after Chopper found out what they had done, Luffy was temporarily grounded in the infirmary.

As for Nami, she just gave Chopper an apologetic smile when she realized that she might not have a chance to visit Luffy again, let alone stay the night to care for him when he was injured.

Chopper didn't tell her outright to stay away. She knew by herself that if she did not stay away, it could end up just the same so she kept her distance for now and hoped for a better change in Chopper's mood.

On the other hand, Luffy wasn't fond of the idea at all. He kept whining and nagging at whoever visited him, repeatedly at Sanji who came to give him food, that he was fine and that he might die because of the lack of fresh air outside for too long.

Everybody, however, ignored his complaints, and when Chopper wasn't around, Sanji kicked him in the head.

Now, two days later, Luffy was released under the condition that he would not overexert himself for another week.

As soon as Luffy was out of the infirmary, he told the first person he met, who happened to be Robin, that he wanted to see Nami right now. Then, when Robin found Nami in the library shortly after that, the order from their captain was delivered to Nami with an amused smile on Robin's face.

Here he was, sitting with crossed arms, pouting and waiting for her.

"You never came to see me," Luffy accused as soon as Nami sat down beside him at the prow.

"You know, Luffy." Nami leaned in, trying to look at his face. "Chopper was so mad at you."

Luffy refused to meet her eyes. With a frown, he said, "I was already fine then. We even went back to our room!"

Nami couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing.

Some time ago, she did ask Franky if he could build a new room for her and Luffy. Franky agreed to the idea without hesitation. But to do so, he needed to buy more materials from land, and the possibility of finding a normal island in the New World was almost as non-existent as Zoro's sense of direction so the plan was indefinitely postponed.

Until Usopp announced at one of their meals that he could not take it anymore.

Usopp could not live one more day on this ship if he had to witness their captain and navigator engaging in a make-out session again whenever he wandered around the ship and demanded to have a new room built as soon as possible.

A few days after that, when they did find a normal island, Luffy and Nami got one-half of the women's quarters as their own private space.

Taking only one day to complete his work, Franky was thoroughly satisfied with how super the new room turned out. Robin got the other half of the women's quarters to herself. Usopp was relieved. Chopper was happy for them.. except two days ago. Brook celebrated it with a new love song he had composed on the spot while Sanji wept and Zoro merely acknowledged its existence.

True to Luffy's words, that night, they did make it back to their room. Thus, Luffy, who never wanted to trouble his dear nakama but often missed an important point in a topic that required a good amount of common sense, just thought that what they did was not wrong and failed to understand why everybody else made such a big deal out of it.

When Nami saw the look on his face, she laughed wholeheartedly.

Luffy watched her from the corner of his eye. His frown deepened. However, he couldn't stay mad at her, just like she couldn't stay mad at him for a long time. So, Luffy concluded that everyone on this ship, except himself and maybe Zoro, was totally weird before he turned to Nami.

She was wearing his hat which had been in her care for three days now, and she was still laughing, looking at the sky. Luffy stared at her face as his mind recalled the events from the days earlier.

"You smile, again," he said out of nowhere, making Nami look at him.

Her smile softened as she replied, "Yes, I am."

Luffy mirrored her smile.

For a moment, comfortable silence settled between them.

Nami carefully eyed him. Her thoughts scattered around, rushing back and forth in her mind. So many things she wanted to hear, so many things she had wanted to say, too many that she didn't know how to start.

Luffy gazed back at her as if he could read her mind, like they were talking to each other in silence.

After a few moments, Nami gave up and decided that, with him, she never needed to say much anyway.

"I'm glad you're ok, Luffy," she said with a small smile.

His smile turned into a grin when he answered, "But you never came to—"

She kissed him once just to shut him up.

Luffy laughed after she pulled away.

Nami edged closer to him, grabbed his hat from her head then put it back on his head where it belonged, as Luffy shifted back to open his arm for her. Gladly accepting his invitation, she rested her head on his shoulder, relaxing against his body as he supported her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, no more words needed.

They had come a long way and it was still a long way ahead, waiting for them on this path they had chosen. However, what tomorrow would bring did not matter, because the most important thing was now, not then, not forever.

Because every time he saw her smile and every time she looked into his eyes, they were reminded of how fortunate they were, to be able to live their life like this.

Free and without regret.

Together, they gazed at the sea and for the first time in a while, truly felt at home.