"Hey, Nami."

There's the sound of rustling as she turns the page of the newspaper in her hand, eyes scanning for anything interesting. She lifts her mug to her lips but pauses before taking a sip, "Yes, Luffy?"

He doesn't respond immediately and she continues reading. Robin sits beside her, book in hand and deeply absorbed already, something Nami picks up based on how still the older woman is. Sanji's voice drifts over their shoulders, singing some children's song about loving a maiden as he waters Nami's orange trees behind them. It's one she hasn't heard before, so she suspects it's from the North Blue.

Zoro's snores rumble up from the lower deck and Sanji clucks his tongue. He walks past their table and leans over the rail to frown at the swordsman, muttering under his breath, "Damn marimo ruining a perfectly good morning." She can tell his gaze flicks back to her and Robin, but seeing that neither of them is really paying attention, he seems to decide Zoro isn't bothering them and sighs before returning to watering the trees, his voice softer now as he picks the song back up.

There's a click of a door opening on the lower deck and a metallic clatter and then Franky's voice calls out, "Hey, Sniper-bro, think you can help me with something?"

Usopp stops tinkering with his Kabuto and lifts one of his eyepieces up to glance over curiously, "Sure. What are you working on?"

"Can I help?" Chopper's eager voice travels through the air easily and Nami feels a smile tug at her lips as Usopp laughs and replies, "Come on, I bet your small hands will be useful!"

Luffy is still silent from his perch on the railing, fishing pole in hand. Nami wonders briefly if he's fallen asleep, eyes flicking up just once to check, but he's not falling over so he's probably awake. Nami returns to scanning her paper, turning to the next page with a small sigh.

The trill of a violin shivers through the air as Brook glides onto the deck and slides into a peaceful melody, his voice soft and gentle to match the morning sunlight. It's rare for the violin to make an appearance these days, but she's grateful to hear the strings singing again, especially on a morning like this.

Usopp, Chopper, and Franky are speaking quietly to each other and then Franky starts hammering, but it's a warm, lazy sound and for some reason Nami gets the feeling that even the Sunny is relaxing. Nami settles into her chair a little more and straightens her newspaper as the light breeze plays with the corners.

"Hey, Nami."

She doesn't realize it, but a gentle smile stretches across her face. "Yes, Luffy?"

Her eyes catch on the word 'Whitebeard' and 'son' and she squints at the article. She's pretty sure Whitebeard never had a biological son, and she's certain that he would never condone this guy who has been laying waste to several towns, but she's been keeping an eye on him nonetheless.

Luffy says something and she replies with an automatic, "Sure, Luffy." Based on what she'd heard, Whitebeard had acknowledged Luffy as the spearhead of the next era, and then Rayleigh and Jinbe had both reinforced that. There's a possibility that this 'Whitebeard's son' guy will come after them to try to claim that honor and she doesn't want them to be caught unawares. Better to keep track of him so that they can be more prepared.

She realizes then that the ship has dropped into a heavy silence. There's nothing left but the wind and the waves and the creak of the sails. She glances up and looks to Robin first, and the other woman's raised brows are a little concerning, but she's also smiling with amusement and that could either be good or bad, depending on who it's directed at. Nami doesn't like that it's directed at her so she rewinds the last few moments in her head and registers what Luffy said with that stupid grin on his face as—

"Marry me."

—And she had replied "Sure, Luffy" hadn't she?

She drops the newspaper into her lap and her hand flies to push her sunglasses up as she sits forward to stare at her captain, "Wait, what?!"

Robin chuckles and closes her book, resting her chin in her hand as she watches the two of them. The sound of her amusement seems to set the rest of the crew free and there's immediately a cacophony of protests and questions. Nami feels heat bloom behind her and Sanji's yelling something about Luffy being a shitty captain and it's not okay to make jokes like that, and Brook is yohohoing wildly on the lower deck amid Usopp's and Chopper's exclamations, and Zoro is still snoring, and she's pretty sure Franky is crying, but she doesn't look at any of them.

Her brown eyes remain on her captain, heart thundering in her chest.

He frowns faintly, one hand on his hat. "It's not a joke." And he's clearly replying to Sanji, but he doesn't break eye contact with her, and Sanji says something back but neither of them is listening and Luffy's frown turns to puzzlement and he asks quietly, "You don't want to?"

Nami's jaw drops open and she's trying to form words, because it's not that she doesn't want to, but her tongue is fumbling, "You—I—It's—" She blinks and snaps her jaw shut, takes a moment to grind her thoughts to a halt, and finally says weakly, "It's really sudden…?"

And she doesn't know what it is because his body language says nothing—but that in itself is a clue, isn't it? His face has gone blank and he turns to face the water, his back to her as he simply says, "Okay." And it is sudden but she's also not opposed to the idea and turning his back to her screams wrongness so she blurts out, "Yes."

He spins his head to face her again, mouth parted in surprise, and then her heart lifts at the amazing grin that breaks across his face. He spins to hop off the railing, dropping his fishing pole on the deck as he trots toward her. Robin is laughing now and Nami can hear Franky bawling his eyes out and she's pretty sure Usopp is screaming. Sanji's making weird muffled noises behind her, but she doesn't turn to see what he's doing, because Luffy is coming up the stairs and he bends down and scoops her up from her chair effortlessly.

He's warm and solid and she realizes she's returning his goofy grin because her cheeks feel like they're about to break. She wraps her arms around his neck as he walks and she doesn't know where they're going and it doesn't really matter, but then someone tugs on the back of Luffy's shirt and he turns to frown at them.

Nami peeks over his shoulder and sees Sanji standing there, eyes half-lidded and mouth quirked to the side suspiciously. His gaze flicks to meet hers and he stares at her with a mixture of amusement and protectiveness for several seconds. Then the skin around his eyes softens and he seems satisfied, and then he's looking at their captain again as he asks, "And where exactly do you think you're going with Nami-swan?"

Luffy's brows crease in confusion, "To her room."

Nami blushes and bites her lip to stop the nervous laugh trying to make it past her lips. A tic starts in Sanji's forehead and he takes a drag on his cigarette. Luffy tugs forward gently, but Sanji's grip merely tightens in the back of his red shirt. He leans his head back and blows the smoke into the air above them as he says with a heavy sigh, "That's not how this works, Captain."

Luffy watches him, the furrow of his brow deepening, but doesn't reply. Sanji lets go of his shirt and walks to the railing, resting his elbows on it as he leans over and asks, "Any of you ordained?"

Chopper tugs on Usopp's puffy yellow pant leg and asks quietly, "What's ordained mean?" Nami can't quite hear what he mutters back, but she's pretty sure it's a lie because Chopper exclaims "REALLY?!" and then looks back up at Luffy and Nami fearfully.

Franky is still wiping tears from his eyes as he replies, "Sorry, Cook-bro. It's not something I picked up."

Sanji glances back and Nami follows his gaze as he asks, "What about you, Robin-chwan?"

She smiles but shakes her head, "I'm sorry, Sanji-kun."

Sanji scratches at his head and grimaces in surprise, "Really? No one?"

"Ah, Sanji-kun…"

They all turn back to the lower deck to see Brook raising a skeletal hand hesitantly, "Ah, actually, that's a service I performed for the Rumbar Pirates."

There's a gasp and Chopper shouts, "BROOK, I NEVER WOULD'VE SUSPECTED YOU OF DOING THAT!" Brook is shocked for a split second, but he's always full of mischief and he immediately starts fake-crying and shouting, "I'm sorry, Chopper-san! I can't help it!" He runs toward him and Chopper flees in circles in the grass, Brook staying a few steps behind him and shouting nonsense about not being able to stop himself and he's an evil villain and he needs help and would Chopper please fix him?

Sanji shakes his head and grumbles something, but Nami can see he's smiling. He stands straight again and turns to face her and Luffy. "Alright, Captain. Let's do this right."

Sanji leads them down to the lower deck and there's a flurry of activity. Franky is building something and Robin is explaining to a very exhausted Chopper what 'ordained' actually means. Zoro's still snoring and Sanji vanishes into the kitchen and Usopp is painting the thing that Franky is building. Brook is leaping around the deck, playing and singing, switching between songs that only a few people know the words to at a time.

Luffy sits on the bench at the base of the mast and watches his crewmates, joining in with the songs when he knows them. Nami can feel the laughter rumble through his chest because he's still holding her in his arms and neither of them has made a single indication they want that to change.

Sanji finally comes out and corrals them all into some semblance of order. Franky has built a garden arch and Usopp has covered it in small designs. Nami catches sight of her own tattoo on it and she follows the lines until she realizes their sniper slash artist has etched an entire story there with various moments between her and Luffy since they first met. Usopp pops one of his seeds onto the top of the arch and it explodes in a cascade of orange, red, and yellow flower vines that wrap around the arch and dangle off the sides.

Then Sanji is standing in front of them and Luffy and Nami both look at him. His eyes scan them and he finally asks with amusement, "Are you going to let the lady get dressed, Captain?"

Luffy turns to her and catches her eyes and there's a question there. She considers a moment. As a little girl she dreamed of grand weddings and festivities, but… She gives him a mischievous smile and he responds with a devilish grin. He turns that grin to Sanji and says simply, "Nope."

Sanji huffs in wry amusement, but he turns and holds his arm out, gesturing them to go ahead of him. Luffy stands and proceeds to the arch, holding Nami comfortably in his grasp. Brook is standing there, the top of his afro nearly touching the arch and partially hidden under the cascading vines. Franky and Usopp are talking behind them, but there's the sound of kicking and then there's suddenly silence.

Brook clears his throat and jumps right to the point, because long fancy speeches have no place at a pirate wedding, "Do you, Straw Hat Luffy, take our lovely navigator to be your wife?"

Luffy's grin is bright and Nami feels his fingers squeeze her shoulder reflexively, "Yep."

Brook turns his gaze to her and his voice softens, "And do you, Cat Burglar Nami, take our dashing captain to be your husband?"

Luffy turns to look down at her and she feels her face splitting into another wide grin as she says with conviction, "Yes."

"Yohohoho! Luffy-san, you may now kiss your bride!"

He lifts her shoulders to bring her closer and his lips are surprisingly soft and seem to fit perfectly. There are a bunch of loud pops behind them and Franky is yelling "SUUUUUPEEEEERRRRRR!" at the top of his lungs and Usopp seems to have found a megaphone and is narrating the whole thing. Robin is laughing and Chopper is clapping his hooves together, and then Sanji is saying there's a bunch of food in the kitchen and she can hear everyone's mad scramble up the stairs.

"Captain, you coming?"

Nami stifles a sigh as Luffy's lips leave hers and she looks over his shoulder. Sanji is the only one left, a small smile gracing his face when he catches the look of resignation in her eyes. She supposes she can release him to eat. She starts to shift in preparation for him to put her down—

But he grips her tighter and turns away from the kitchen, saying over his shoulder, "I'll eat later."

Nami shares a shocked stare with Sanji over Luffy's shoulder, the blond's cigarette falling to the deck as his jaw drops. He blinks for a moment, and then he starts laughing at the expression on her face and waves to her as he turns toward the kitchen, "Have fun!"

Nami feels Luffy's chuckle vibrate through his chest.

It's no time at all before they're in her room and he's laying her on her bed and leaning over her, one hand planted on the mattress by her head and his other settling comfortably on her hip. His knee slides up between her legs and he's leaning forward to kiss her and it's not like she hasn't done this before and he really seems like he knows what he's doing but—but—

—Oh, it's just different when you actually love him, and she feels panicked for a second and raises her hands to press against his chest.

He stops as soon as he feels resistance and he lifts himself away, eyes opening, sudden concern etched across his forehead, "Are you okay?"

For some reason, she expected a statement, not a question, and she opens her mouth to answer but all that comes out is, "I—"

He watches her for a moment, then rolls to the side, kicking his flip flops off and sitting cross-legged on the mattress next to her and opening his arms, an offer and a question. She isn't sure she can prop herself up, so she reaches toward him in answer and he scoops her back up and settles her in his lap. She tucks her head against his shoulder and they sit that way for a few moments, his thumb rubbing comfortingly along the tattoo on her arm.

"I…" The hand she set on his chest curls into a fist and she hunches a little, feeling embarrassment flush up her skin as she mutters, "I'm sorry."

He squeezes her tighter and plants a swift kiss against her hair, but she can still hear the deep frown in his voice as he says, "Don't you ever apologize for that."

She says nothing and he shakes her gently, saying above her, "Promise me, Nami. Never again."

She feels a warm smile slide across her face because this feels good and right and healthy and it's filling a hole she hadn't realized was there, so she replies, "Okay, I promise."

She reaches up to touch his cheek and then they're kissing for a while, and then Luffy says something ridiculous and they're chatting and laughing and he gets defensive and says he's telling the truth, but she can tell it's all playful and it just makes her tease him further.

It's not until several hours later that Luffy's stomach rumbles loudly enough to mask whatever he was starting to say and Nami laughs at the frown he directs at his stomach. They're stretched out on the bed, facing each other, their legs tangled together. Luffy's head is propped in his hand and he drops his other arm from his wild gestures to settle his palm over his stomach.

Nami shoves a hand lightly against his chest, her fingers resting along the scar tissue as his eyes raise to hers and she smiles at him, "Go get some food, Luffy. Sanji will cry if you don't at least eat some of it."

He hums thoughtfully, a faint frown on his face, and asks, "Do you want me to bring anything back for you?"

He waits, letting her consider, but she smiles and shakes her head, stretching out with a sigh, "No, I think I'm good. I think…" She looks at the ceiling and feels a catlike smile stretch across her face as she continues, "I think I'll take a nap, actually."

He hums a little more and her eyes slide to him curiously as he sits up and frowns at her. But before she can ask him what's wrong, he reaches behind his head to grab his hat and lifts it up and forward until he sets it on her head. She reaches a hand up to grab the brim reflexively as she peers at him from underneath it.

She watches him roll off the bed and slip his flip-flops on, then he's walking backward toward the door and the smile he gives her is warmth and kindness and full of love as he says, "Give it back when you're ready."

And then he's gone and shouting to the midafternoon sky that Sanji needs to get him food and Nami chuckles and runs her fingers along the straw brim fondly as she holds it to her chest and curls around it.

"SAAAANJIIIIIIII!"

Sanji grins and stands up from the table, strolling around the counter and pulling ingredients out because goodness knows they'll need more food. Their captain bursts into the room and Sanji glances over as he shouts, "SANJI, MEAT!"

He feels his smile soften, "Yes, yes, Captain. Coming right up."

He keeps an eye on them all as Luffy runs to the table and immediately starts fighting with Usopp over the food left. Zoro's watching with a wicked grin as he drinks, careful to keep his sake out of the way of the chaos. He'd merely said "It's about time" when they told him what happened while he'd been sleeping and, at their shocked looks, he'd continued with, "Wasn't it obvious?" Robin and Brook had laughed while the rest of them shouted that no, it hadn't been obvious, and would Zoro sit down and shut up already?

Sanji is pulled back to the fight taking place in his kitchen as Franky laughs, his conversation with Robin broken when Usopp lands on his back on the table between them, and Robin's gaze is drawn to Luffy.

She tilts her head curiously and asks, "Captain-san, where's your hat?"

Luffy glances up at her briefly, then returns his gaze to his food and manages to say around a mouthful, "Nami 'as it."

Robin's head turns slightly to glance at the open kitchen door and she asks, "Where is Navigator-san?"

Luffy swallows and gives her a mischievous grin, a gleam in his eyes as he replies, "Napping!"

Sanji chokes back a snort as Robin chuckles, but no one asks any more questions.

Things don't change much, at least not in big or obvious ways.

Nami still yells at him and beats him when he's being an idiot.

Luffy still causes mayhem with Usopp, Chopper, and Brook every day.

Nami still complains to Robin about their crazy captain and Luffy still breaks things on accident.

But it's the small things that the other Straw Hats notice.

The expression on Luffy's face when Nami walks out of her room with his hat on and smiles at him.

The way Nami's hand continually returns to the brim of that hat throughout the day.

The way they almost always end up sitting together at all of their meals.

The kisses Luffy steals when he's clambering all over the ship and stretches his head back to catch her off guard, and the way Nami laughs every time he does.

Luffy still sleeps in the boy's dorm and Sanji wonders at it, but Robin notices and tells him it's nothing to worry about, so he grins and obeys with an "Of course, Robin-chwaaan~"

Luffy's sitting on Sunny's head and turns to look as he hears someone making their way up to him. He grins at Nami as she raises her gaze to his and walks toward him. He starts to look up at her but blinks when his hat is planted squarely on his head. He peeks at her from beneath the brim questioningly and finds her answer loud and clear in those brown eyes.

So he grins and sweeps her into his lap and kisses her until she's gasping for breath and laughing.