NOTE: One Piece, characters and everything, belongs to Oda Eīchiro. I wouldn't change a thing even if I did have the right to.

Requiem on Water, by heartvacancy

Luffy sat on his usual spot on figurehead, staring blankly off into the sea, his mind completely occupied with the things that had occurred a little over two years ago—his futile attempt at rescuing Ace and his eventual (untimely and unfortunate) death. Even Whitebeard's death, he recollected. The memories were as fresh as Nami's tangerines on a hot, summer day. The loss had such a great impact on him—it hurts to even remember. Ace dying in his arms wasn't really a very pleasant last memory of his brother.

Innocent lives were also taken—pirates and Marines alike. Luffy slowly averted his gaze down at the waters that gently lapped the Thousand Sunny, his mind still lost in thoughts. Today marked Ace's second death anniversary.

Memories from way back when they were young flashed in his mind. How he'd continuously challenge Ace into duels and how he'd always lose; he had asked for an immediate rematch when he learned that the reason why he beat Ace was that Ace just went easy on him. He eventually lost again. Despite the cuts, black eyes and bruises, those were fond memories he had of his older brother.

He also loved hanging around with him in town, causing different sorts of trouble. It was what they bonded over—duels and trouble. They were daredevils, given that they were sons of two of the most infamous pirates that ever roamed the seas. It was in their blood. It was something they shared. They understood each other and helped one another carry their burden.

"That funny bastard, shi-shi-shi-shi…" Luffy laughed as he recollected another one of his (mis)adventures with Ace, which eventually turned into soft sobs. "…..h-hu-hu-hu-hu.."

- x

Zoro woke from his deep slumber when he heard wails from the figurehead. He craned his head a bit and he sighed. To be honest, it really broke his heart when he learned about Ace's death. The first thing that came to mind was Luffy. His captain was usually this silly, happy-go-lucky shithead, which scared him all the more. All throughout the period of time that they were separated, not a day passed by without him worrying about Luffy's welfare. He knew how reckless the idiot was.

He rose from his seat and he walked past Robin, who obviously was trying to prevent tears from sliding down her face. Even the usually calm historian felt frustrated upon hearing Luffy's cries. Zoro sighed again as walked back to where she was. He wrapped an arm around Robin's shoulders, holding her tightly. She sniffed as she wiped the unshed tears away with her finger.

"Uuuu…Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace…huuuuuuuuuuuuuu…" Luffy cried once more, breaking Robin finally. She brought her face to her hands and sobbed gently and Zoro just held her tighter. All those years he spent with Hawkeye taught him a few gentlemanly manners. No one could truly comfort Luffy from his loss—they didn't know how to. They didn't know exactly what to say. They just let him cry everything out whenever he recollects.

Chopper, Usopp and Brook sat at their usual corner on the deck, but instead of playing card games or brewing master prank plans, they were bawling their eyes out (Brook was going to use a skull joke when Usopp and Chopper simultaneously hit him upside the head. "Oh, the humanity!" wasall he could say). Franky stepped out of his room, ship blueprints in hand, his face flooding with tears. He joined the three in their circle of tears as they lamented with their captain. Meanwhile, at the kitchen, Sanji stopped chopping as he lit a cigarette and stuck it up in his mouth. Perhaps, he'll prepare tons of meat dishes tonight, he thought, to cheer up his sullen captain.

- x

"Luffy." The rubberman turned around, only to be met with a hand full of tangerines. Luffy stretched his neck a little to see who was behind the hands, only to find his navigator, smiling gently at him. He sniffed as he turned around, jumping down onto the deck. Nami handed him the plump citruses, which he took gratefully. They walked over to her trees and sat under the shades.

"Are you sure you want me to have these, Nami?" he asked naively as they sat on the cool wooden floors. Nami nodded. "I thought these were the last few ones and that they won't bear fruit until next year?"

"I can survive without tangerines, Luffy," Nami chuckled, as she patted Luffy's head as though he was her pet. "Go on, eat them up. I know you've been craving for some ever since we got back on-board. You've been giving my trees the look."

"Shi-shi-shi-shi," Luffy grinned as he peeled the fruit slowly. He had learned to, ever since Nami caught him eating the fruit whole. 'You idiot, so that's why you keep complaining about my tangerines not tasting good! You peel the skin off before eating them, silly!' "These are great, thanks Nami," Luffy remarked, glancing at Nami. He frowned a little (in confusion, albeit) when he saw her tapping her lap. "….what?"

Nami let out an exasperated laugh. "Lay your head on my lap, idiot, and relax," she said (commanded, almost). Whenever it was Nami who told him to do something, Luffy unhesitatingly follows. He plopped his head on Nami's lap, turning a little to the left and to the right, making himself comfortable. When he was, he flashed his trademark grin before popping a few tangerine segments into his mouth.

Comfortable silence engulfed the captain and his navigator. Only the wind, the sea, the occasional seagulls and teeth crushing pulp were audible. Cool summer breeze blew by them and Nami tucked in a few loose strands behind her ear. She looked down at the rubberman laying comfortably on her lap and she smiled. He was half-asleep. She brushed a few of his hair away from his eyes before eventually playing with it. She noticed Luffy smiling and she laughed. "What's up?" she asked.

"That's tickles a little," Luffy bluntly said. "Continue doing that, please. It's comforting."

Nami chuckled lightly as she went on playing with Luffy's raven locks. They were silky and soft—much like the hair of a dog or some other cute animal. It felt good to her hands. She closed her eyes and rested her back against the tree when she felt something land on her head. She peeked and saw that Luffy had stretched his arm so he could place his straw-hat on her head. She heard him laugh gently before silence surrounded them once more.

- x

"It's his second death anniversary." Nami was already enjoying the tranquility of the moment when Luffy opened up. Her eyes shot open, only to find Luffy's left hand on his face, covering his eyes. She inhaled—this was going to be some sort of emotional rollercoaster.

"…Ace?" she asked, wanting to confirm that they're talking about the same thing.

"Yeah…" Luffy trailed off as he slowly bit his lip, as thought thinking whether he should go through the torture of opening up or not. He knew Nami was going to tell him that it was alright if he didn't say anything yet, but he thought it'd be better if he finally got it off his chest. "I felt helpless, Nami. I couldn't do anything. I couldn't save him."

The navigator's eyes widened when tears slid down her captain's face. He looked as though he was trying to restrain himself from crying, and it broke her heart into a million pieces. She sighed as she held Luffy on both sides, raising him from her lap. Luffy took his hand off his eyes, looking confused. Moving out of pure instinct, Nami reached out to Luffy, bringing her into a welcoming embrace. Surprised by the gesture, Luffy eventually cried again. Soft sobs escaped his lips, murmuring things and berating himself for being such a failure. Nami shook her head and told him that he wasn't a failure, mentioning a few things she and Ace had talked about when they had a chance.

"Ace was very proud of you, Luffy, and I'm pretty confident that he still is," she whispered comfortingly, patting Luffy's head. Luffy had tucked his face into the crook of Nami's neck. "It was his job to protect you because he's the older brother. He didn't want you to feel responsible for his death, I'm sure of it. I'll bet on it with every Beri I have."

"Namiiii…" Luffy cried, warming Nami's heart. He sounded like a really lost child.

"Alright, let's honor Ace's second anniversary by letting out candles into the sea. And some of these orange blossoms," she suggested and Luffy nodded. Ace never did show any special affection for tangerines but he did love food as much as Luffy did, so perhaps he'd appreciate the gesture. "And then, after that, we're going to have a grand dinner in his name. What do you say?"

"There better be lots of booze and meat," Luffy mumbled against her skin. Nami chuckled heartily, nodding. "Ace loved booze and meat."

- x

Preparations for the Straw-hat pirates' banquet in Ace's name were well under-way when the captain and his navigator went to fetch the boat. Zoro helped them pull it out of the storage—it was pretty much the least he could do to help cheer up his captain. "So, you guys are going to light candles in the little lanterns Usopp made and set them off into the sea?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered as he and Nami looked for the paddles. "We're gonna send some flowers, too. Robin had given us some from her garden."

"Alright. Sanji's prepared great meals tonight," the swordsman said and Luffy's face immediately brightened up. Zoro smirked—the old Luffy was slowly coming back. He looked at Nami who was smiling at him. He raised a brow, acknowledging her and she smiled wider. "Thanks, Nami."

- x

"And that's the last fifty little lanterns," Usopp counted as he put the last little lantern inside a crate. "There you go, Luffy! These are fifty more little lanterns. There's a total of a hundred and fifty," he grinned. Luffy excitedly took the crate from him and he stretched it down onto the boat that contained two other crates and a basket full of flowers from Robin's garden.

"Thanks, Usopp. You guys are great," Luffy remarked, barely containing the glee in his voice. "Nami! Come on, let's get going!" he called out. The navigator ran down from the deck, another basket in hand—it contained orange blossoms. "Ooh, those smell good."

"Doesn't it?" Nami grinned, and Luffy laughed. Everyone was glad that their captain was slowly returning to normal. Luffy stepped beside Nami, holding her waist with one hand and stretching his other so he could tie it around the mast. "Now, let's go. Franky, we just push this button, right?" she asked, making sure. The cyborg nodded and she smiled. "Alright. We'll be back in twenty. Sanji, will the meals be ready by then? I'm pretty sure this rubberman's gonna be hungry by the time we get back—"

"I already am," Luffy whispered into Nami's ear and she just rolled her eyes.

"Yes, mellorine," Sanji replied with hearts in his eyes. Nami nodded and looked at Luffy, who, in turn, smiled. He gestured her to hold on tightly before jumping off the ship and onto the boat that waited for them down below. The last thing they heard from the ship was the bickering of the cook and the swordsman.

- x

"It looks pretty," Nami smiled as she watched the lights disappear into the horizon. Luffy nodded as he went on chewing his meat. They were back on the ship and the banquet was going on without a hitch. Booze flowed on and it was as though the table never ran out of food. Everyone was back to normal and having fun, including Luffy, who was now devouring his third steak. "Do you think Ace would've been glad?"

The rubberman swallowed the remains of his steak before nodding. "Yeah, he would've been…" he sighed as he turned to Nami, bringing her into a tight embrace. "Thanks a lot, Nami."

"What for?" The navigator tilted her head a little to the left, questioning her captain's expressed gratitude. She didn't really understand what he was thanking her for, when all she did was listen to him, tell him what she thinks is the truth and helping him do all these things in his older brother's name. Luffy pulled away, his usual grin plastered on his face.

"Well, for everything, really. You're always there for me, even in stupid situations that I put myself in."

"Of course, I'll always be there for you—it's the least I could do. After what you did for me back in Cocoyashi…and now, in helping me achieve my dream, I am forever indebted to you."

"Shi-shi-shi-shi, you are, huh? Don't leave me, then."

Nami blinked, taken aback, before smiling slowly. "Of course not. Won't ever. And I'm sure the same goes for everyone."

"…I'm glad Ace got to meet you, and everybody else," he remarked, sucking off the bone on his plate. The navigator watched her captain go back to his former self, after being able to finally let go of the bitter past that he has held onto for so long. She grinned as she let herself be absorbed into the festivity. She knew Ace appreciated what they're doing for him and for Luffy right now. She just had the feeling.

The light emanating from the little lanterns sparkled beautifully from afar, as though they were confirming her assumptions.