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As the dawn light begins to spill into the room, Sanji stretches in the bed, a yawn overtaking his lips as he blinks sleep from his bright blue eyes. He tosses a look over at his darling, sleeping Nami, his gorgeous wife who gave him the biggest blessing of his life yesterday. Her orange hair is swept around her head in a halo, her chocolate brown eyes closed as she turns on her right side, facing Sanji now that she has turned. How anyone could be so beautiful after giving birth to twin girls, the cook of the Straw Hats will never know, but if anyone could do it, it absolutely would be his Nami-swan. Content with seeing his wife did manage to get some sleep last night amidst the cluster feedings, diaper changes, snuggle requests from their daughters, and adjustment of being a first time mother, Sanji turns his gaze to the cradle next to their bed. Belle and Sora, their twin daughters are currently in various phases of waking up, Sora stretching out her little feet and arms while Belle scrunches her noise in the way that Sanji has already learned means his little tangerine-haired princess is going to begin to cry.
“Shh, shh, shh, Belle, darling,” Sanji hushes, climbing out of the bed before stopping beside the cradle, leaning down towards his precious Belle. “Daddy’s here, sweetheart. No need to cry, Belle,” Sanji coos, brushing his index finger from Belle’s forehead down her right cheek, stopping the movement at her jawline.
Belle stops her attempt at crying, comforted by the voice of her Daddy, the voice that talked to her every day during Nami’s pregnancy as soon as he knew he was a father-to-be. Sanji had made it one of his many goals during Nami’s pregnancy to talk every day to their unborn baby, back when they thought they were only having one, in order to become a calming presence in their child’s life once he or she was born. To see how quickly Belle settles upon hearing his voice and feeling Sanji’s strong, protective arms encircle around her, it is easy to see that Sanji’s plan for bonding with his child worked.
“Good morning, Belle, dear,” the cook of the Straw Hats greets his eldest daughter, a happiness like no other continuing to expand in his chest. “I hope you slept well, little dumpling. You and Sora sure did keep Daddy and Mommy up most of last night, but we both would do anything to keep you and your sister happy and well taken care of,” Sanji whispers, rocking his arms back and forth, moving Belle into the crook of his right arm when he notices that Sora’s brown eyes have opened and the younger twin is beginning to awaken as well.
He carefully reaches down to collect Sora into his left arm, kissing the peach fuzz hair on both of their heads with such a tenderness.
“Good morning, Sora, love. Couldn’t let Belle have all the attention to herself, hmm?” he asks, a small ‘oh’ escaping his lips as Sora’s own lips are overtaken with a massive yawn that manages to be one of the sweetest sights Sanji has ever seen. “Daddy is very happy to have you both in his life. Mommy did a wonderful job growing both of you so big and strong before you could enter the world.”
“You’re already teaching them what a charmer you are, hmm?” comes Nami’s voice from across the room as she sits up in bed, absolute love and devotion present in her chocolate eyes.
“Nami, my sweet! Good morning!” Sanji says breathlessly, crossing the room to sit at the foot of the bed, leaning forward to press a kiss to his wife’s lips. “Did you get enough rest? I tried to wake up early enough to try and let you sleep a bit longer before the next feeding! I’m sorry that I couldn’t be more helpful last night.”
“Sanji…”
“Is there anything special you want me to make you for breakfast for your first full day of being a Mommy? Some freshly squeezed tangerine juice with a plate of soft, fluffy pancakes and fruit, perhaps? Or maybe I could…”
“Sanji…”
“Unless you want something more extravagant than that since you did have quite the long day and night….”
“Sanji!” Nami says a bit more forcefully this time, stretching her hand out to catch her husband by the wrist. “I promise, whatever you make me for breakfast will be wonderful. I’m not really having any more strange cravings now that Belle and Sora have arrived, so you don’t have to worry about my weird requests anymore,” the navigator laughs, remembering all of the peculiar flavor combinations the twins made her crave during her pregnancy and all the work Sanji did in order to make those cravings possible while not breaking his culinary rulebook.
"I just want to do my best for you, love!" Sanji reminds, scooting closer to Nami, readjusting his hold on Sora and Belle as he does so. "Chopper told me that breastfeeding just one baby requires the mother to take in an additional five hundred calories a day, so I need to make you lots of little snacks throughout the day to keep your strength up since you're feeding our beautiful twins and yourself," he whispers, tilting his head towards his wife's to press a gentle kiss to her forehead, not once dislodging the twins from the safety of his arms.
"You would have done that anyway and you know it," Nami giggles, knowing that Sanji has always made her snacks and special drinks ever since the first day he joined the Straw Hat Pirates.
"But now I can tell Luffy he's absolutely not getting any of the offerings I cook for you," the cook chuckles softly, his blue eyes switching between his two angelic daughters and his strong, beautiful wife.
"Is it time for the girls to eat again?"
Nami nods her head, supporting her arms with a pillow on both sides, reaching her arms out for her babies.
"Are you going to tandem feed or nurse them one at a time?"
"I'll try to learn how to tandem feed them, I think. That will be a huge help once my milk comes in all the way."
"Whatever you think is best, Nami-swam!"
Without being asked, Sanji helps to position the twins against Nami's chest, helping to guide Sora's head and placing a protective hand around Belle's back, knowing he will forever be in awe of his wife's strength and dedication to their daughters. Nami smiles at her husband, the man who has already thrown himself into all the aspects of fatherhood, despite his initial fears of thinking he would not be a worthy father due to his own tumultuous upbringing.
"You're already a wonderful father, Sanji," Nami says as she continues to feed the twins, her chocolate eyes locking onto Sanji's blue ones. "I told you would be," she reminds, her voice nearly a whisper.
A single tear slips down Sanji's face before he soundly kisses Nami on the mouth, a weight released from his chest that he didn't realize he was carrying.
"Nothing could make me happier than to be a good husband and father to the three of you, my girls," he gently whispers into Nami's hair, moving to sit behind his wife, wrapping Nami tightly in his arms, pleased with being able to hold all three of his girls in this position.
"How long do you think we have before the crew will be beating down the door to come and meet Sora and Belle?"
A crashing soon sounds from the deck of the Thousand Sunny, followed by a loud shouting belonging to none other than the young King of the Pirates himself.
"Luffy, we told you to wait!" Zoro shouts soon after, making Sanji roll his blue eyes in exasperation.
"I'd say precisely two and a half seconds. Why is it always those two numbskulls?" he sighs, preparing himself for the disruption of his and Nami's safe haven.
"You knew that Luffy wanted to break the door down the second he heard Belle's first cry when she was first born," Nami softly smiles, swaddling Sora in a soft pink blanket before handing Belle over to Sanji, the oldest twin wrapped in a lilac blanket.
"Daddy apologizes in advance for all the racket that you're about to hear, but Uncle Luffy is about to end up with a swift kick to the skull," Sanji tells Belle, bouncing her in his arms before standing to make his way over to the door of his and Nami's room.
“No, I wanna be the first one to meet the twins!” comes a rather exuberant and insistent voice from outside the door to Nami and Sanji’s cabin.
“Luffy, you must calm down,” Jinbei begins to caution, reaching one of his webbed hands out and stopping the Captain in his tracks, preventing the young man from simply storming into Nami and Sanji’s room. “I am sure Nami and Sanji had a long night with the babies and not to mention, they could all very well be sleeping because babies require much care during the night. You need to calm down in order to meet the little ones. You don’t want to scare them, after all, do you?” the helmsman of the Straw Hat Pirates continues to explain, causing Luffy to stop bouncing on his feet, taking on a rare serious expression.
“I understand, Jinbei. I’ll be on my best behavior! Promise!” Luffy insists, his voice only a little bit quieter than the first time.
“Someone is rather excited to meet our newest additions, yo-ho-ho!” Brook laughs, sipping tea from one of his mugs and offering one up to Robin as he reclines on the railing of the Thousand Sunny.
“That’s ‘cause it’s so spectacularly super that Nami-sis gave us two new little buddies to love and spoil!” Franky cheers, pumping one of his large metal fists in the air, causing Zoro to snort.
“I can only imagine how excited they’ll be when our baby is born,” Robin whispers, her hand resting on the small swell of her own belly, four months along with her and Zoro’s first child after nearly a year of trying to conceive.
“Damn right. I’ll have to beat them back with my swords if they act like this,” Zoro snorts again, his own hands joining Robin’s on her stomach, such tenderness emitted from his soft smile.
“I think it’s sweet and shows how much they truly love Nami and Sanji to be this excited for their babies,” the archaeologist admits, her blue eyes locking on Zoro’s intense brown one.
“Oh, sure, but I’m sure Nami doesn’t feel like facing the entire crew less than twelve hours after giving birth to twins,” the swordsman counters, which results in Robin giving him a slight shove to his chest.
“Silly swordsman, you just don’t get it. I’m sure Nami is less focused on what she looks like and is more excited to finally have her girls in her arms and a family who cares about her so much.”
“Girls, huh? I thought we were all supposed to be surprised when we went in to meet them?”
“Well, I helped attend the delivery, as did Chopper, so I’m swearing you to secrecy as my husband, swordsman.”
“Whatever you say, woman,” Zoro smirks, capturing his wife’s lips in a kiss.
“Is it time for me to meet them yet? Is it, is it?” Luffy begins to shout again, earning him a swift slap to the back of the head from Usopp.
“Jinbei just explained to you the reason for you to be quiet, Luffy! Sanji’s not gonna let you come and see Nami and the babies if you keep carrying on like this!” Usopp reminds, earning one more quick slap to the King of the Pirate’s head to help the lesson stick in his head.
Just then, the door to the cabin flies open, and Sanji does indeed power up an impressive kick to Luffy's head, knocking the Captain flat on his back.
"Jeez, do you ever know how to just be quiet for once? Belle and Sora aren't used to your screaming and carrying on, so you'll scare them!" Sanji hisses, doing his best to keep his temper in check while he bounces Belle in his arms.
"Sanji, that hurt!" Luffy complains, sitting up and rubbing his cheek where Sanji landed the impressive kick, sure to bruise impressively later on in the day.
"Good, it was supposed to! And you're still shouting, you idiot," Sanji sighs, heavily leaning against the doorframe.
"Well, the twins could hear while Nami was pregnant with them after a certain point in her pregnancy, so they might be more used to Luffy's antics than we might think," Chopper chimes in, scurrying to the front of the gathered group of Straw Hats, peering up at baby Belle.
"Still doesn't mean he should be carrying on like that," Zoro grumbles, sitting himself down underneath the mast next to Brook, resting his back against the wood.
"Now, if everyone is quiet, Nami and I will take two visitors at a time to meet our daughters."
"Daughters? It's two girls?" Usopp breathlessly remarks, knowing now that he'll have to pay Luffy double the bet they made on whether Sanji or Nami would have a son or a daughter.
"Usopp, didn't I tell you they were going to have a girl?" Luffy boasts, holding his hand out with a cheeky smile on his face. "Pay up!"
"And I seem to believe I told you both they were going to have twins," Zoro smirks, his brown eye flashing with triumph.
"How could you have possibly known that?" Sanji scoffs, narrowing his eyes at the moss-headed swordsman.
"Someone must not have a very good control of his haki," Zoro taunts, reclining with his hands behind his head. "I could hear the double heartbeats once the crew learned Nami was pregnant. You must not have listened as closely to Nami's stomach as you claimed to!" the swordsman raucously laughs.
"You're lucky I'm holding Belle or I'd kick your a---" Sanji begins, trailing off before he can curse in front of his daughter.
Luffy uses the distraction of Zoro and Sanji's argument to sneak into Sanji and Nami's room, Jinbei quickly following their boisterous Captain before he can do any unforeseen damage.
"Nami!" Luffy shouts, his entire face lighting up at the sight of one of his dearest friends, his unshakeable navigator sitting in her and Sanji's bed.
"Luffy," Nami softly says, a soft smile overtaking her face at seeing her Captain, the man who saved her from Arlong and his merciless rule and cruelness all those years ago.
"Nami, I'm so glad to see you!" the raven-haired King of the Pirates continues to excitedly say, jumping onto Sanji and Nami's bed before Jinbei can stop him.
"Oi, Luffy! Get outta our bed, you twerp!" Sanji calls after him, rushing forward to try to grab the collar of Luffy's signature red vest but only managing to grab a fistful of air instead.
"Sanji, I'm sorry, I--" Jinbei begins, a mix of horror and embarrassment on his face at the actions of the young man before them.
"I know exactly how impulsive our Captain is, Jinbei. No one would blame you for his actions," Sanji sighs, knowing there is absolutely nothing he or anyone else could do to control Monkey D. Luffy once he puts his mind to do something.
"I'm happy to see you, too, Luffy," Nami responds and Sanji looks upwards in just enough time to see Luffy clamber up the bed, squeezing Nami in the biggest hug imaginable.
"Stupid Sanji didn't come to tell us how you were doing," Luffy grumbles, casting an angered look over at the cook of the Straw Hats.
"Hey! I was kinda busy, you moron!"
"Fortunately, Robin and Chopper told us you and my nieces were doing well!"
"Luffy, I have to ask that you not call my husband stupid," Nami sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose between her fingertips. "Your--- Your nieces?" she then inquires, her voice a ghost of a whisper as she relaxes into Luffy's hug, similar to the one all of her boys gave her once Arlong Park was destroyed in the East Blue.
"Well, yeah! They're your daughters, Nami. What else would they be?" Luffy asks, his voice and question so matter-of-fact that it leaves no room for negotiation.
"Would you like to hold Sora, Luffy?" Nami then questions, fighting back a sob as she thinks of just how lucky she is that she found a second family with the Straw Hats.
Luffy nods enthusiastically, bouncing up and down on the bed before Nami grabs his wrist to pull him to a stop.
"Luffy, you'll need to listen to Nami and Sanji's instructions on how to hold her," Jinbei explains, using that gentle yet authoritative voice that has such a calming effect on the Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates. "You'll have to make sure to support her head and back as I am doing with sweet Belle over here," the fishman continues, his webbed hands carefully resting behind the nape of Belle's neck and her bottom, cradling her with all the gentleness in the world.
"Okay, I'm ready!" Luffy says, such determination present in his voice but he drops the volume, fully captivated by Sora's chocolate brown eyes meeting his own. "She's beautiful," he simply says, collecting the blonde twin in his rubbery arms, allowing Nami to position his arms to properly hold Sora.
Luffy spends several minutes enamored by the baby in front of him, Sora and Belle being the only babies he has met in many years. He uncovers Sora's tiny toes, squeezing them gently in between his fingers as he traces his other hand down her squishy baby cheek. When Luffy passes her back to Nami as Jinbei tenderly passes Belle back to Sanji's outstretched arms, he reaches a hand up to his infamous straw hat before placing the article of clothing over Sora's and Belle's heads.
"Welcome to the crew, Belle and Sora. We're your family and you'll always be safe with us. I promise we'll always protect you," Luffy swears, causing tears to come to Nami's eyes as she thinks of another promise made by this man and his straw hat when she first decided to join the crew.
Brook and Franky come in next, the musician and the shipwright both incredibly respectful in their interactions with the new parents.
"A two for one special, huh?" Franky's voice booms as he bounces Belle up and down in his arms. "That's super lucky, Nami-sis!" he remarks, shooting her a thumbs up with his left hand.
"I must agree," Brook's voice comes next, gazing down at Sora, hoping for all the world that his hollowed eyes and bony face do not terrify the infant to tears. "Such a fortune to have such beautiful twin girls, Sanji," the humming swordsman continues in his assessment, a comment that makes a wide grin practically split Sanji's face in half.
"Can't argue with that," Sanji says matter-of-factly, so much love and pride washing over him. "I'm a lucky man, can't deny it," he continues to smile, wrapping Nami into his arms and squeezing her tightly against his chest.
"Well, since we weren't prepared for twins, I'd say I have my work cut out for me to build you another super sturdy and comfy crib for Sora to match Belle's!" Franky states, the blueprints already beginning to take shape in his mind. "Unless you'd rather me come up with a new design specific for the twins and I can give this one to Zoro and Robin for their baby when he or she is born?"
"Franky, you don't have to go to all the trouble to make a whole new design," Nami reassures. "Just the effort you've put into Belle's cradle is extremely thoughtful of you. We couldn't have asked for a sturdier first bed for our girls."
"You're gonna make me cry, little sis!" Franky sobs, wiping his nose with the back of his hand after he hands Belle to Nami.
"I'll pull him away before he starts singing a manly ballad," Brook laughs enthusiastically. "I am extremely proud of you both. You'll be wonderful parents!"
Usopp and Chopper come next, the sharpshooter and the doctor entering the room quietly, as the babies are beginning to fall asleep, their bellies full with Nami's colostrum and having already endured such excitement in meeting the other members of their family.
"Oh, wow, they're so little and cute!" Usopp gasps, watching as Nami and Sanji each rock a twin to sleep in their arms.
"Yes, we're lucky they take after their mother's radiant beauty," Sanji smoothly slips in that charm, causing Nami to elbow him gently in the stomach.
"I'm sure I don't look beautiful right this second," Nami scoffs, knowing that she hasn't showered since yesterday and is covered in colostrum, baby spit, and sweat despite the chilling November air.
"You're beautiful no matter what, Nami, my love," Sanji croons, causing Usopp to make a fake gagging noise.
"If you're going to be all lovey-dovey over Nami, I might just puke," Usopp grimaces.
"I think it's sweet!" Chopper weighs in, performing a quick examination of Nami, Belle, and Sora. "Nami, everything looks to be progressing well with the three of you! You're doing a wonderful job caring for Belle and Sora along with yourself!" the little reindeer remarks, explaining to Nami what checks he would do on the three of them in the coming days.
"Nami! I forgot to tell you that I want to have a banquet tonight to celebrate you and Sanji becoming parents!" Luffy shouts, pushing his way into the bedroom again, only to be hauled backwards by Zoro, the swordsman looking very close to performing a mutiny at this point.
"You're not gonna expect the cook to make a feast the night after his own children are born, you bonehead!" Zoro shouts, punching Luffy in the back of the head.
"Good thing I brought in reinforcements with me then, huh?" Trafalgar Law's voice soon joins the fray, surprising everyone in the process as the Surgeon of Death appears on the deck of the Thousand Sunny.
"I've been learning how to make real dumplings for humans!" Tama's voice comes from behind the surgeon's legs, her purple hair and gentle face peeking out from behind her adoptive father's tall body.
"Tama!" Nami and Sanji happily say in tandem, surprise at seeing the young girl aboard the Sunny.
"Tama and I will ensure we cook lots of yummy food for everyone aboard to celebrate the birth of Belle and Sora," Asami, the wife of Trafalgar Law assures, wrapping Tama in her arms, grateful that she and Law were able to adopt such a wonderful daughter since they are unable to have children of their own due to Law's childhood brush with death due to the White Lead Disease.
Zoro and Robin are the last of the crew to meet the newest additions, everyone else predicting that the other couple on the ship would want to spend the most time with Sanji and Nami since they will be welcoming their own baby into the world in five months. Nami and Robin talk about anything and everything, the two having been extremely close friends since Robin joined the crew after their stint in Alabasta. Nami animatedly talks to Robin about the details surrounding her thoughts on the birth. Even though the resident archaeologist had been present for the whole event, it is quite the different story hearing it through the navigator's point of view and her emotions regarding it all. Robin then shares her own experience with her pregnancy this far, herself and Zoro having just announced it to the crew the day that Nami had her first Braxton-Hicks contractions a few weeks ago.
"I'm just so glad for you that you aren't having the extreme morning sickness I had the entire first trimester," Nami grimly chuckles, thinking back to that period of her pregnancy where she could barely keep down anything more than broth and crackers, much to Sanji's horror.
"Well, now that we know you had twins growing inside you, that makes much more sense in hindsight," Robin serenely smiles, her right hand resting over the center of her softly rounded stomach, eagerly awaiting the day that she will feel her and Zoro's baby begin to kick for the first time while her left hand is wrapped firmly in Nami's, offering gentle squeezes to the navigator's own hand. "I know you'll be such a wonderful mother, Nami. You already are," she compliments, pressing a gentle kiss to Nami's cheek, her bright blue eyes staring down at the twins sleeping in Nami's arms.
"You'll be a wonderful mother, too, Robin," Nami softly smiles back, sleep threatening to overtake her as well. "I'm sorry if it seemed so much easier for myself and Sanji..."
"Nami, you're a decade younger than me. It was bound to happen that it'd be easier for you and Sanji to have a baby," the archaeologist whispers back, casting a tender gaze over at Zoro, her dashing husband as he animatedly talks with Sanji, their inevitable argument beginning to pierce the air. "Besides, Zoro and I have been happy with just the two of us and we haven't minded the extra practice it took us to get to this point," Robin deviously laughs, having thoroughly enjoyed all the extra effort and attention Zoro had to put in. "Zoro has been incredibly supportive every month and my age has never once bothered him."
"We really lucked up with our strong, supportive husbands, didn't we?" Nami yawns, her statement filled with so much love.
"That we did, navigator. And I couldn't be more happy. It's been wonderful to see our whole family come together today on the day our love doubled with the addition of Belle and Sora," Robin agrees, pushing herself to stand as Sanji and Zoro take Belle and Sora from Nami, the two men showing such gentleness as they safely place the sleeping girls in their cradle, Sanji then moving to tuck a blanket over the top of Nami.