Christmas in Paradise
By: Starfirehime
Happy Merry Yuchrismahanakwanzaka! This is one of my many One Piece fics to come. I know it's a little late, but at least I'm not posting it in July! The couple stand at NamixSanji, ZoroxVivi, and RobinxLuffy (and of course UsoppuxKaya, but that's a another story entirely ). I hope you enjoy this fic and review! Flames are welcome since I'm moving and I need a way to toast my marshmallows!
Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece, but if I marry Oda-sensei and hopefully he'll leave it to me in his will. . .
Chapter 1: Secret Santas
December 20. Just five more days to go Tony Tony Chopper squealed excitedly to himself, staring at the calendar on the wall of Nami's navigation room. Just five more days until my birthday! He said, smiling as he walked out onto the deck to join the rest of his crew.
Zoro was exercising on the top deck, Luffy and Usoppu were on the main deck, tinkering with a couple of Usoppu's inventions, Sanji was in the kitchen preparing snacks for everyone, and Robin and Nami were sitting in deck chairs; Robin was reading a history book and Nami was reading the newspaper. Chopper smiled warmly as he thought of the gifts he would receive from each of them. Zoro would probably give him something to make him stronger, a pair of weights or something; Usoppu would give him one of his inventions - a Captain Usoppu original; Nami didn't like to spend money if she could help it, but since it was the doctors' birthday, she would probably get him a nice gift; it was hard to say what Luffy would get the tiny reindeer, but knowing their dimwitted captain, it would probably consist of his favorite thing, food; Robin would most likely get him something educational, and Sanji would make him a feast, with the most exquisite cake for dessert. Chopper was almost drooling at the thought of it when Luffy spoke suddenly.
"Hey, do you think Santa gives presents to pirates?" he wondered aloud, looking up and asking no one in particular.
Nami pulled her newspaper down and looked cynically at her captain.
"Do you mean Santa Claus?" She asked him.
"Of course!" Luffy said brightly. "Do you think he'll bring us presents if were on a boat and not in a house?" Luffy asked quizzically.
"Luffy, don't you know Santa isn--" Nami began when one of Robin's hands came from nowhere and ruffled her paper.
"Excuse me, miss navigator. Ah, Sen-san, how are you?" Robin asked as she saw Chopper walk toward them.
Nami looked over at the tiny reindeer and got the message. Chopper was still young, they didn't know if he still believed in Santa Claus or not.
"Uh, I don't know if Santa will bring us presents," Nami said intentionally, looking at Chopper to see his reaction, "We're pirates. We'll probably be on his naughty list and get coal," She finished.
"WHAT!" Luffy exclaimed in fear, "I don't want coal, I want meat!" The straw-hatted captain cried.
"Luffy, Santa Claus isn't real," Chopper stated plainly.
Nami and Robin both looked at the doctor.
"SANTA ISN'T REAL!" Luffy exclaimed in disbelief. "Ace told me he was. He said I have to do everything he says or Santa wouldn't bring me any presents ever again! Usoppu, Is Chopper lying?" he asked the sharpshooter hopefully.
"O-o-of c-c-ourse he's lying! In fact I know Santa Claus! Yeah, He came to Syrup village once. He looked a little suspicious to me, sneaking around rooftops at night, so I shot him. He begged for my mercy and said he was just delivering presents, so being the chivalrous man I am, I spared his life and he joined my pirate crew!" Usoppu said triumphantly.
"Wow, Usoppu, your so cool!" Luffy exclaimed.
"Of course I am, I'm Captain Usoppu! Hahahahahaha!" Usoppu cried.
"Will he bring us presents?" Luffy asked with big eyes.
"Ano, he's very busy with pirate duties. . . ." Usoppu mumbled vaguely.
Nami sweatdropped and turned away from the two idiots and looked back to Chopper, "Ne, Chopper, you don't believe in Santa Claus?" she asked.
."Well, Doctor Hiruruk used to dress up and pretend to be Santa Claus and I believed then, but after I went to live with Doctor Kureha she told me there was no Santa Claus," Chopper explained, "So when we went to make house calls, and she collected her "fee," she let me take whatever I wanted for my presents."
"I see, so only our captain believes," Robin commented.
"Mmm," Chopper and Nami agreed.
After the outbursts, everyone went back to their activities, except for Luffy and Usoppu, who were now in the corner talking in hush tones, and in time everyone was interrupted once again, this time by Usoppu, who stood up to address everyone.
"Excuse me, may I have your attention please?" he called.
Zoro put down his weights and walked over, wiping the sweat from his forehead, Robin closed her book and looked up expectedly as Chopper hid behind her chair, Nami looked up from her paper, and Sanji stuck his head out of the kitchen door, the smoke from his cigarette billowing in the wind.
When he was sure he had their attention, Usoppu cleared his throat, "As you all know, we are in the month of December and Christmas is just around the corner. Me, Captain Usoppu, and my co-captain Luffy have decided since Santa Claus (Zoro snorted incredulously) probably won't get to us since we don't live in a house and have a chimney (Luffy nodded and grinned), that we are all gonna do a secret gift exchange. Each of us will pick a name out of a hat and who's ever name you get, you have to buy them a present, okay?" Usoppu said to his fellow crew members.
"Wahoo! Presents!" Luffy said, punching his fists into the air.
"Sounds like fun," Sanji said, coming out of the kitchen with a tray full of snacks. He set two exquisite looking gingerbread lattes and peppermint bark in front of Nami and Robin.
"For you, my ladies," Sanji said bowing, "Here," he said gruffly setting a tray of lukewarm chocolates and sugar cookies in front of the boys.
"Is there a limit of money you can spend?" Nami asked cautiously, taking a mental tally of the money the strawhats had accumulated so far.
"You don't know who you'll buy for?" Zoro asked, surveying his crewmates and coming up with a blank as to what to buy them.
"Wahoo! Presents!" Luffy cried happily again.
Amid the chatter, Robin counted them all and found a slight problem with Usoppu's idea.
"Long-nose lad, there are seven of us. For it to be even, there would need to be an even number of us," Robin said calmly.
Usoppu's grin fell. "Let's see. Me, One...Zoro, two...Robin, three...Nami, four...Sanji, five...Luffy, six...and chopper, seven," he said as he did a head count, a slight frown on his lips.
It was silent for a minute when Chopper spoke, "Is one of us going to be left out?" he asked timidly.
"N-no, of c-course not! We'll think of something!" Usoppu said wearily, a sweatdrop on his forehead, "Okay! Everyone pick a name out of this hat!" Usoppu said, changing the subject and taking off Luffy's strawhat from his head and dropping scraps of paper into it.
"And remember. This is a secret Santa gift exchange. You're not supposed to let the person you get know that you got their name," he warned.
Zoro went first. He picked a scrap of paper up, unfolded it, looked at it, folded it up again and stuck it in his haramaki. Nami went next, then Sanji, then Luffy, then Robin.
"My turn!" Usoppu said, sticking his hand in and taking a scrap.
As soon as he finished, Chopper looked up at his crewmate, waiting for his turn.
"Usoppu, is it my turn?" Chopper asked expectedly. Usoppu looked down at him, looked into the hat at the last scrap, and back down at Chopper.
"Ah! Um, Don't worry Chopper, we'll figure something out!" Usoppu said, giving Luffy back his hat.
Chopper's heart fell to his hooves. Usoppu's actions told him everything. He would not be participating in the gift exchange. Tears started to fall form in his little reindeer eyes when Zoro reached over and grabbed the strip of paper and stuck it in his haramaki.
"There. Everyone's getting a gift," Zoro said, picking up his dumbbell and started to workout again.
Chopper blinked his tears away and smiled at the swordsman. At least he didn't have to buy anything for anyone and he just had to enjoy the holiday.
"If we have to buy presents, we're going to need to stop soon. Nami-san, is the next island for the rouge pose close by?" Sanji asked.
Nami ran back to the navigational room and came back down with a map. "Yes. Bell Island. We should be there pretty soon actually. A couple of hours or so," She said, rolling her map up.
"Alright, to Bell Island and presents!" Luffy cried jovially, standing on top of their boat and pointing out onto the vast sea.
"Yeah!" Everyone cried in excitement.
A couple of hours later, while everyone was lounging on the deck, the clouds suddenly darkened overhead. Everyone looked up to find out why.
"It's going to snow," Nami said matter-of-factly, looking up at the clouds.
"Ah! Nami-san is so smart in the ways of meteorology!" Sanji gushed, hearts dancing around his head.
"It's gonna snow?" Chopper asked happily. This was his first Christmas away from Drum Island and he was desperately missing the snow. As everyone went to get jackets, Zoro was in the crows nest, looking out for Bell Island, when he saw the top of a magnificent castle in the distance. He got a telescope and looked in it's direction again to get a better look. There was a very tall gate surrounding the island it was on and only the top of the castle could be seen. The castle seemed to be made of glass and it was snowing on the island.
"Oi! There's an island, and it's snowing there," He called down to his crewmates.
"That's Bell Island," Nami said as Luffy stretched his hand up to Zoro to give him a jacket.
As they got closer to the island they could see many boats tied to the harbor.
"How are we gonna find a place to our boat with so many boats blocking us?" Usoppu asked no one in particular.
"I wonder why there are so many boats here in the first place," Sanji said taking a drag on his cigarette and trying to look past all the boats.
"As long as there not marine boats we should be fine," Zoro commented, surveying the masts and flags.
A man dressed in a red and green elf getup in a small dingy came paddling up to their boat. He was talking on a den den mushi. When he was done, he hung up and looked in their direction. Everyone looked over the side at this strange little man.
"Hello! This boat is leaving here, and you may have their spot," the man said, pointing to the ship at the left of them. And sure enough, the gate surrounding the island opened and a group of men walked out in a flurry of snow and boarded the boat. They were all carrying wrapped presents and were all dressed rather festively
"That was so much fun!" one said.
"Captain, we have to come back next year!" another said through a pile of presents.
"Of course we will! What kind of man would I be to deprive you of Christmas cheer?" the captain asked merrily.
"Yea!"
"Captain we love you!"
The strawhats looked at each other confused, but pulled into the space as soon as the other boat left. As they stepped off their boat, another man in an elf costume ran up to greet them.
"Hello and welcome! Here is your visitors passes for seven, a couple maps and coupons for the stores and restaurants," the man said shoving everything at Nami.
"T-thanks, but could you tell us why there are so many boats here?" Nami asked him.
"Tourists just like you, of course. We get a lot this time of year. Now, we hope you enjoy 'Jingle Bell Island!'" the elf man said grandly.
"Jingle Bell Island!" Everyone exclaimed.
"But the map just says 'Bell Island'," Nami said.
"Well yes, during spring, summer, and fall, we're just Bell Island, but come winter we transform into Jingle Bell Island," the man explained.
"A Christmas tourists town?" Sanji mused.
"Precisely, young man! Now just step through the gate and have a happy holiday," the man said opening the gate.
The strawhats looked at each other for a second but stepped through the gate never the less and were instantly enveloped in a sea of red and green.