Onigiri – Rice formed in triangular or cylinder shapes, often wrapped in Nori and filled with something.
Zoro prized his solitude.
And quiet.
"UNCLE ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOROOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Mostly because these days, he didn't get enough of it. That damned brat. That idiot love cook probably sent her up here on purpose.
A small, red head poked up through the floor of his training room. Her wide blue eyes lit up when they spotted the swordsman doing some one fingered push-ups with a couple tons on his back. Zoro wanted to swear a lot, but he didn't, because the kid was nine, and way too smart for his good. He hadn't had a moment of peace since she'd figured out how to climb the mast last year.
"Uncle Zoro! What are you doing? Can you teach me to be the world's best swordswoman?" the rest of Mello's body finally wriggled through the trap door of the crows nest. She was a scrawny thing, Zoro mused. If he didn't see the elaborate meals that Sanji regularly prepared for his daughter behind Nami's back, he'd think the kid wasn't getting enough to eat. She was wearing a cute blue T-Shirt and black shorts (a present from Pappug the last time they'd visited Fishman's Island), but he wasn't sure that black streak was supposed to be on the T-shirt. Then again, what the hell did Zoro know about kid's fashions?
Zoro scowled at her. "No."
Mello's lower lip stuck out in a pout, and trembled a bit. "Is it because I'm a girl, and I'm weaker than the boys?"
Zoro thought of another young girl who'd wanted to be the world's strongest swordswoman, "No."
"Then whyyyyyyy?" Mello whined. The swordsman gritted his teeth. God, that sound was annoying. He had a sneaking suspicion that the brat knew how much he hated it.
"Because I said so," Zoro replied.
Mello took a deep breath to whine even louder (Zoro was debating how fast he could shift his weight to plug at least one ear without dropping the tons on his back), when the trapdoor opened again. Thank god. Rescue. His relief turned to even more annoyance when he realized who his rescuer was.
"There you are, Mello-chan," Sanji said as he, too, entered the room. He surveyed his daughter's smudged top and the mess of her red bob, "What are you doing here with smelly Uncle Marimo?"
"Oi, like you're one to talk, you ero-cook!" Zoro shot back.
"Not in front of my daughter, you shit head!" Sanji shot back, then froze when he caught sight of his daughter's smirk.
"Relax, Papa, I won't tell Mama that you were swearing," She grinned, "In return..."
"In return, I won't tell her you were trying to skip your history lessons with Aunt Robin," Sanji headed his daughter off quickly. She was adorable, but she'd gotten all of her mother's craftiness.
Mello groaned, "I don't want to learn boring old history!" She complained, "I want to learn the three swords style and be a swordswoman like Uncle Zoro!"
"And I said no," Zoro scowled.
Sanji glared at him, but spoke to his daughter, "You don't have to learn that ugly style, Mello-chan. I'll teach you to kick like Papa."
"I don't wanna," The quick refusal shocked Sanji and made Zoro laugh at his rival.
"Mello-chan!" Sanji cried out, tearing up a little.
"I get motion sick when you spin me that quickly," Mello protested defensively.
Sanji's dejected huddling against the wall only made Zoro howl louder. He remembered the last time they'd had to fight on land with Mello. She'd had to hang onto her dad, and she'd puked all over Sanji mid-fight. Man, the idiot cook was pathetic. Sulking because of something a little girl said? It was really pathetic.
"C'mon Papa," Mello begged. She knew her daddy. He was so sad when he got into this kind of funk, and it took forever to get him out of it. She sighed, giving up, "I'll go study with Aunt Robin if you give me a cooking lesson later."
That perked Sanji right up. "Alright Princess," He jumped up as if he hadn't been planting mushrooms in the corner a minute ago, and took her hand, "Let's go then." Sanji stuck his tongue out at Zoro as he shifted Mello onto his back and started descending the mast.
Zoro grunted. Finally. Some damn peace and quiet.
"Joyboy promised to come meet the mermaid princess, who was also one of the ancient weapons known as Poseidon, but couldn't because -," Robin stopped when she realized her pupil was fascinated, but not by history. She cleared her throat. Mello's head jerked up guiltily
"Show me, Mello-chan," Robin demanded, gently but firmly.
Her ears went the same shade as her hair as the young girl slowly inched her hand to uncover the doodle she'd been so absorbed with. It was a rather bad picture of a figure with her bobbed hair in Zoro's signature stance.
Robin suppressed a smile and sat down beside her goddaughter. They were working at a table in the converted library, one half of the spacious room that Nami and Robin had once shared, since Nami, Sanji, and now Mello lived in the former observatory cum library. It was a little small, but not cramped, thanks to Franky, and sunlight poured in from the large windows on two walls. She watched that sunlight turn the little girl's hair a bronzy brass, as her pupil refused to look up.
"Mello-chan," Robin said, her face stern.
"'M sorry, Aunt Robin," Mello muttered.
Robin sighed, then said gently, "I know it's not as interesting as swordplay, Mello-chan, but History is important. The Sunny, and everyone on it, including your mom and dad, are a living piece of history."
That made Mello look up, "Even stupid Captain Uncle Luffy?"
That made Robin smile, "You shouldn't call the captain stupid, Mello-chan. He's the Pirate King."
Robin hesitated over what to tell a child. Luffy and the other Straw Hat's part in bringing down the World Government was very much a secret, and his efforts in rebuilding the world were entirely accidental. They'd always been more concerned with fulfilling each other's dreams. Luffy was the Pirate King. They'd picked up Laboon on the other side of the Grand Line, and Franky had cried big, manly tears to see his dream, and the Sunny's dream, fulfilled. A copy of the Rio Poneglyph was shelved in the library, as were transcriptions of other Poneglyphs and maps of the Grand Line; Paradise, the New World, and Raftel. They'd spent a year with the giants of Elbath and with Shanks' crew, so Usopp could be a proud warrior of the sea and meet his father, and another year with Mihawk and Perona so Zoro could defend his greatest swordsman title. Mello had even helped Chopper to achieve his dream by catching nearly every disease she could at whichever port they landed at, giving him plenty of practical experience. After eight years of chasing rumours, they'd finally found the All-Blue. It was just Nami's dream now, one that worked with Luffy's desire for freedom. They were a family, by choice and by blood spilled, roaming the wide sea and finding new dreams to pursue.
"He's still stupid for not letting me wear his hat," Mello grumbled.
"The hat is very important to him. He had to beat Uncle Shanks for it," Robin told her, "The hat is also a living piece of history."
She stopped suddenly. Her observation Haki told her something else.
"What is it, Aunt Robin?" Mello recognized that look. She'd been in enough fights with the rest of the crew to know that that look meant "find the nearest adult and stay close."
"Duck," Robin ordered. Mello ducked.
The door of the library exploded off its hinges, splinters and nails flying everywhere. Luffy came flying through, clutching something that looked like Franky's arm. Robin's eyes narrowed. The debris had missed her, and she'd made sure none of it had hit Mello, who, wide-eyed, was lying flat under the library table.
"Dammit Luffy! Now I'm going to have to fix that door," Franky yelled at him from the giant hole in the wall. He might've said more, but he withered under Robin's glare.
"But it's a robo cannon arm!" Luffy was obviously no worse for wear. He bounced up with stars in his eyes, waving Franky's arm around like a madman, "It's so cool! Can't you see how cool it is Robin?"
"Cool!" Mello jumped out from her hiding place from under the table, "Does it have another cannon inside it?" She had stars in her eyes too. Robin sighed. She would never understand what kids and boys found so interesting about Franky's mechanical parts.
"Oh hey, Mello-chan. That's where you were!" Luffy said, noticing the girl.
"Yup, you almost squashed me," she noted absently, still running her hands over the arm, "Found it!" She grinned when she found some invisible latch and something clicked.
"Ah, hang on Mello, don't play with other people's arms without their permission!" Franky protested. It was too late.
"COOOOOOOL!" Both Luffy and Mello were equally excited to see Franky's entire arm turn into a fishing apparatus. They grinned at each other, a pair of kids, and Robin already started formulating her excuse to Nami. "Let's go fishing!" They shouted in unison.
Mello looked pleadingly at Robin, who just waved her off. She just wouldn't tell Nami unless the other woman asked. How much trouble could the kids get into?
Nami had known she'd have trouble finding her daughter when she'd forecast the weather this moening. It really was beautiful today. The deck was warmed by the sun and smooth under her bare feet, and the breeze carried the smell of fresh salt and sea air. It was just the kind of weather where Mello got into trouble. Sanji had reassured her that Mello was having lessons with Robin, but Nami hadn't seen the other woman all day - quite a feat for a ship as small as the Sunny. Neither the archeologist nor her daughter were in the Library.
"GO MELLO!" Nami's head snapped up when she heard the idiot trio yell her daughter's name. The shout had come from Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp, all on top of Laboon's back, over the strains of Brook's violin playing Bink's Brew. Their backs were to her, so they didn't see her eyes narrowed when she realized they were holding what looked like one of Franky's arms. What in the world were they doing?
"LUFFY! USOPP! CHOPPER!" Nami went to the railing to yell at them.
Brook's guitar came to a screeching halt as he, Chopper, and Usopp froze. Luffy didn't notice and continued cheering at Franky's arm. Even Laboon trembled a little at the sound of Nami's voice, causing minor tidal waves that buffeted the Sunny.
"H-Hi Nami!" Usopp shouted back, waving his arm with a manic cheeriness. Nami wasn't fooled.
"Where is Mello?" She demanded.
"M-M-Mello?" Chopper laughed nervously, "H-Haven't seen her all day. Have you asked Robin?"
"YOHOHOHO! Nami-san! I want to ask a favour from the bottom of my heart," Brook waved at her, trying to distract her from Usopp and Chopper's terrible lying. Nami glared at him. He cleared his throat theatrically, then said in an aside to Laboon, "If I had a heart-"
"Sorcery Climatact!" Nami's climatact extended, and she thwacked Brook with it. She didn't have time for his idiocies while her daughter was missing. Mello could've fallen off the side of the boat, or...
"Woohoo! She got something!" Luffy was cheering as he hauled hard on Franky's arm, and the line was being pulled tight, thrashing about here and there as if a mighty battle was being fought on the other side. Nami narrowed her eyes. She wouldn't have...
"Got it!" Nami's eyes bugged out as she saw her daughter come flying out of the ocean, a fish hook in her new shirt. Mello had her arms wrapped around a sea monster twice her size, as the thing tried to throw her off.
"Hold him still, Mello! Gum gum...," Luffy yelled excitedly, winding his arm back to punch the monster.
"Oh HELL NO!" Nami yelled, moving like greased lightning. She smacked Luffy aside, sending him into the sea, and hooked Mello onto the end of her climatact. Tossing her daughter and the sea monster she refused to let go of onto the deck, she used the backwards movement to smack Luffy back onto Laboon's back. Served him right that he was all battered and bruised.
"Nami," Luffy whined at her, but instantly withered under her glare. Nami snarled at him, then turned the full force of her wrath on her daughter.
Mello just held up the limp sea monster, torn sleeve and collar and all. She was grinning proudly in the face of her mother's considerable and terrifying ire. "Look Mama! I caught dinner!"
"Owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwowwow!" Mello howled as Nami grimly worked a comb through the tangled mess that was her daughter's hair.
"Be quiet, you naughty girl," Nami growled, "It serves you right. If you were less of a tomboy..." She nevertheless tugged more gently at yet another snarl. How did such short hair develop so many snarls?
"We n-needed dinner! And I needed tr-training!" Mello said through chattering teeth. She had a blanket wrapped around small frame and a possessive watch over the sea monster she'd brought down.
"It's dangerous! Unnecessarily so!" Nami continued to scold, "You should have been more careful - the only one who could've helped you in the ocean was Usopp, and he's a coward!"
"Hey!" Usopp exclaimed indignantly, "I am a proud warrior of the sea!"
Nami tsked at him, but she knew deep down if Mello had been in any serious trouble, Usopp would help. She just wasn't rational about her daughter's safety. But really, who would think hooking a nine year old on a robot arm fishing pole and throwing her into the sea so she could be the bait for sea monsters was a good idea? Luffy, Brook, Usopp and Chopper did, apparently.
"She'll be fine," Chopper announced, putting away his stethoscope. "She just has a bit of a chill. She should have something hot."
"Achoo!" Mello sneezed, looking thoroughly put out.
"Papa can probably make you something," Nami sighed, finally letting her daughter get up since she'd gotten the last knots out of Mello's hair. She kissed her daughter on the forehead. "Go ask him for something yummy."
"Knowing Sanji, he's already gotten something prepared," Usopp muttered.
Just then, Sanji burst out with two steaming bowls on a tray, "Nami-love! Mello-chan!" He called blissfully, "I made some soup!"
"Yay!" Mello jumped up, throwing off the blanket and running towards her father. She hugged his waist enthusiastically. Nami winced as she saw Sanji go to ruffle his daughter's hair, but frown when he realized she was wet.
"What happened Mello-chan!?" quick as a flash, the tray was on the floor as Sanji put his hands on Mello's shoulders. "You're wet! Why are you what? What happened?!"
"I caught dinner, Papa!" Mello cheered, "Look!" She pointed to the sea monster on the deck.
"Good job, Mello!" Sanji cheered with her, then did a double take at the size of the monster, "How'd you catch that?"
"Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Brooke, Laboon and I went fishing! I was bait!" Mello explained.
"You were WHAT?!" Sanji exploded in a literal fiery fury. He rounded on the trio.
Mello brought Nami the tray, and the two of them sipped the warm broth as Sanji proceeded to beat Usopp and Luffy into a bloody pulp with his flaming leg. Normally, Nami would have smacked them, but she'd been too concerned with Mello to think of beating the idiots first. She snuck a glance at her daughter, but Mello was unperturbed, since she'd grown up on the Thousand Sunny.
"Papa, you promised to teach me how to cook," Mello called when she finished the cup of soup. Nami handed her daughter her empty cup, and Mello ran to the galley door with the tray of the empty cups. She looked back at the kerfuffle. "C'mon Chopper!"
"Coming!" Chopper joined her at the galley door.
"Coming Mello-chan!" Sanji trilled. He left the two clowns in a bloody pile on the deck and picked up the sea monster Mello had caught, and offered his other hand to Nami with a flourish. Nami smiled. Ten years later, she still smiled at his romanticisms.
They forgot about the pile of bodies that was Luffy and Usopp on the deck. Brook peeked around from his hiding place on the other side of Laboon. It looked like the coast was clear.
"You need about this much rice," Sanji demonstrated, sleeves rolled up in an elbow and wearing an apron that said "gentlecook" across the front. He watched as Mello and Chopper copied him, Mello giggling at Chopper's fumbling with his hooves. Chopper was putting on a bit of a show to make Mello laugh. The ships doctor was the closest to Mello, considering the amount of time she'd spent in the sick bay as a kid. They shared a mutual love of sugar, especially cotton candy, although they often disagreed whether the blue or the pink tasted better (Nami didn't have the heart to tell them Sanji just added different colourings).
"Mama, what kind of filling do you like?" Mello smiled at her mom, "I'll make you some!"
"Wa, really? Hmm, Mama likes whatever you do," Nami petted her daughter's head.
"Ah, no fair!" Mello pouted.
"Mama's favourite is orange zest duck, Mello-chan," Sanji pointed out an orange dish full of filling and winked at Nami, "But she likes anything you make her."
"Okay!" Mello cheered.
"Arara," Robin smiled when she came into the Galley. "Are we making Onigiri?"
"Yep!" Chopper grinned. "Come help us, Robin!"
"First, Robin, here you go," Sanji presented her with a gorgeous yellow coffee cake and a coffee service.
"Oh my, is it that day already?" Robin smiled, joining Nami at the counter. She offered the other woman a slice and a cup of coffee. Nami took it with a small blush.
Onigiri making went a lot faster with Robin there. Mello practiced on the orange zest duck onigiri, while Chopper worked on another platter and Robin made the others. They were soon done, but there was still some leftover rice.
When Mello and Chopper were done, they wandered over to Robin, who gave them two slices of coffee cake she'd been saving. Mello tried the puppy dog face to see if she could get a cup of coffee as well, but Robin only laughed.
"No, Mello-chan. Coffee will make you short," Robin smiled.
"Awww," Mello pouted, but went ahead and dug her fork into the slice.
"Yummy! It's lemon flavoured!" Chopper said through a mouthful, "Sanji makes the best sweets!"
"Neh Aunt Robin, why do you get coffee cake every year?" Mello asked, kicking her legs against the stool.
Nami and Sanji both froze. Robin saw their reaction to the innocent question, and her gentle smile edged into the smirk category. "Well, Mello-chan," Robin smiled innocently, dragging the moment and Mello's parent's discomfort out. Nami sent her an imploring look over her daughter's head. Understandable, Robin thought. How do you tell a child that you gave her parents a chance to express their overwhelming sexual tension? "I made a lot of Onigiri. People will do a lot for Onigiri." Robin smiled at Mello, grinning on the inside when she saw Sanji and Nami's shoulder's relax.
"Really..." Mello murmured. She ate the rest of her lemon coffee cake contemplatively, and if Nami hadn't been so flustered, she wouldn't've missed the crafty gleam in her daughter's eyes. But since Sanji was soon absorbed in making dinner, and Nami and Robin were talking about their poneglyph map challenge, they missed Mello sneaking a plate of the leftover rice under the table with Chopper.
"Sanji, I'm hungry!" Luffy burst in, Usopp close behind him, "Wow look at that!"
"That's a lot of Onigiri!" Usopp goggled, "Are any of them sea monster?"
"We're having sea monster soup for dinner. The Onigiri are for lunch tomorrow," Sani scolded, "Mello, Chopper, and Robin made them."
"Really? Which ones did Mello make?" Luffy grinned.
"The ones on the orange platter," Nami nodded, then yelled, "Hey don't eat them all! Those are my onigiri! My daughter made them for me!"
"She can just make more, can't she?" Luffy said through a mouthful of onigiri. "These are yummy."
"Yeah," Usopp agreed, his cheeks puffed out with more riceballs. He looked around, "Where is Mello, anyways?"
"Eh?" Sanji turned around, dropping his ladle. He closed his eyes and activated his Observation Haki, "Mello-chan!"
The table jumped as Mello yelled "Ow!"
Nami turned around and looked under the table, where Chopper and Mello were making some plain white onigiri. "More Onigiri, Mello-chan?" Nami raised her eyebrows. "Why are you under there?"
"Cause I'm making special rice balls! They're for a special person," Mello grinned, rubbing her head. This time, Nami noticed the glint in her eyes.
"Mello-chan, what are you planning?" Nami asked her.
"Nothing," Mello tried to look innocent. Nami wasn't fooled for a minute.
"Special onigiri, eh, Mello-chan?" Sanji came around, went down on his haunches. He pointed to his mouth. "Does Papa get one? I am your special person, aren't I?"
"Nope," Mello refused, sending Sanji into sulks, "I'm saving them for Uncle Zoro!"
"That Marimo!?" Sanji cried, shocked and hurt. He went to sulk in a corner. Mello looked at him witheringly, but finished up the last of her rice balls. "Okay, I'm off to deliver them!" She exclaimed, emerging from under the table carrying a plate of plain, white onigiri.
"Be careful, Mello-chan," Nami called to her daughter, then went over to her husband, who was still sulking.
"C'mon Papa," Nami patted him on the shoulder, "Get over your daughter complex, Sanji-kun. The stew your daughter caught the fish for is burning." She sighed when he still didn't budge, still planting the mushrooms gloomily in the corner. She whispered another suggestion in his ear.
That got Sanji moving.
Zoro prized his naps.
And his rest.
"UNCLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ZOROOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Dammit.
Zoro propped open one eye from his sleeping pose as for the second time today, a small orange head popped through his trap door. He really needed a lock on the damn thing to keep inquisitive brats out.
"What?" He scowled at her, noting the rice clinging to her shirt and the same black smears on her blue shirt. And the plate of onigiri she put on the floor.
"You missed dinner, Uncle Zoro," Mello smiled, all innocent, "I brought you something!"
"Oh yeah?" Zoro opened the other eye, reached towards the plate. "Th-"
Mello pulled the plate away from him, "Only if you promise to teach me swordsmanship."
Zoro scowled at her, "No."
"No dinner for you then," Mello kept the plate behind her back.
Zoro contemplated his options. He could definitely overpower her, get the onigiri from her, but the brat would probably get a little scuffed in the process. Nami and Sanji would beat him up for it. Sanji, Zoro wasn't worried about, but he still owed Nami money. He could go down and get some more food, but he was lazy.
"There's no more food left," Mello lied quickly, reading his mind.
Zoro contemplated her. Ah, what the hell. Why not?
"Give it here," Zoro said gruffly, holding out his hand.
Mello gave him a suspicious look, "You'll teach me the three sword style?"
Zoro scoffed, "I'm taking the food aren't I?"
"Yay!" Mello passed him the plate, then jumped with joy. Zoro unwrapped the plate, picked up one of the onigiri and took a big bite. And winced.
He remembered this flavour.
"Sweet?" Zoro spluttered through a mouthful of rice and Nori.
"Yup!" Mello cheered, "Because sugar is the best! I made these rice balls just for you!"
Zoro looked down at the onigiri he was holding, and shrugged. He ate the rest without complaining, and got up after he was done. "Alright, brat, there's a wooden practice sword in the corner. You gotta learn one before you can learn three."
The sun was slanting through the round windows in the crow's nest when Robin went in through the trap door. She saw Zoro's physique, highlighted by sweat and the sunset, as he swung a two ton weight and a small, sleeping form on a pile of mats.
"You wore her out?" Robin asked, coming to sit beside the sleeping form. She stroked the little girl's hair, turned fiery bronze in the light.
Zoro grunted through a ton of steel in his mouth. He continued swinging, but glanced over to where Mello was sleeping.
"How were the onigiri?" Robin tipped her chin at the empty plate.
Zoro grunted again, and Robin smiled. "I'm sure she was happy that you liked them. You ended up teaching her?"
Zoro grunted again, this time sounding decidedly disgruntled. "She's definitely Nami's daughter," Robin responded.
Zoro grunted again and rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm not sure where she gets the motion sickness from either. Maybe from a dragon or something."
Zoro snorted, and Robin actually laughed. "I won't forget the first time she puked down Sanji's collar either. Well, it's time for her bed time, anyways."
Robin sighed, got up, and used her devil fruit powers to lift Mello up. Mello stirred, woke up grudgingly.
" 'M a big girl, Aunt Robin, 'n 'm too heavy," She complained, trying to get up on her feet. Robin's hands steadied her, but the minute she let go, Mello wobbled again, looked like she was about to fall over, when Zoro reached over, picked her up, and slung her over his shoulder.
"Geez, that Ero-cook should be the one picking up his own daughter," He complained.
Robin tilted her chin to the window. Zoro looked over, then rolled his eyes, "Ero-cook," he scowled.
Mello looked up blearily, then her eyes blinked wide open, and she squirmed to be put down. "Mama and Papa are dancing!" She gasped, running to the window to press her nose against the glass when Zoro did so.
Robin followed her over, watching what was making the little girl's eyes sparkle.
The strains of Brook's violin reached over the sea to them in the crow's nest. It was slow and romantic, something that was mellow with time and memories. Robin had heard the musician recording the tone dial last week. The sunset was a glorious backdrop that set the sea asparkle like a carpet of diamonds and lovingly gilded their silhouettes. Robin smiled. Ten years later, and they could still sky-dance across the sea to romantic music, could still smile at each other as if they were the only two people in the world.
"Wow!" Mello exclaimed, as they watched Sanji effortlessly spin Nami around. She'd gotten quite good at it, Robin noted. Then again, the tradition had started because Nami had been determined to learn, so she could protect Mello if Sanji was busy fighting an enemy, after Mello had puked down Sanji's collar for the first time.
"Why do they dance like that, Aunt Robin?" Mello asked.
"To celebrate their love, Mello-chan," Robin replied.
"Why?" The little girl demanded.
Robin paused. This question really should've been for Nami or Sanji to answer. "Because their love made you, I guess," Robin finally replied.
Mello considered her answer with all the gravity of a young Vegapunk. Then she asked, "Do you love anyone, Aunt Robin?"
The question took Robin by surprise. She blushed slightly, and quickly glanced at Zoro, but the swordsman was still looking out the window and didn't seem like he was paying attention to the exchange. "Why do you ask?"
"Well, because if you don't love anyone, you could love Uncle Zoro!" Mello explained brightly. "Then your love could make me another cousin to play with!"
Robin was speechless as both she and Zoro turned a bright red. Zoro abruptly picked Mello up and slung her back over her shoulder. "Hey!" Mello complained.
"Time for bed, brat," Zoro muttered, heading for the trapdoor. Robin followed. Her cheeks felt hot to the touch.
Nami was breathless and laughing when Sanji finally put her down on the deck of the Thousand Sunny, dipped her one last time to the infectious cha-cha beat. It was long past moon fall, and most of the crew were in their beds. They had the night watch. Nami was looking forward to it.
Twelve years. Ten years as lovers. Nami smiled deep into Sanji's clear blue eyes, their daughter's eyes. There were grooves there, smiles etched by time. His voice was deeper, raspier from the smoking, and his shoulders were broader, from carrying the responsibility of a family, of a daughter. Time had settle comfortably on Sanji, and while he was still fighting trim, he was more solid, more settled in his skin than he had ever been.
"I enjoyed dancing with a goddess tonight, Nami-love. You are as beautiful as the day I first saw you in the Baratie," He brushed his lips across her knuckles, executing a lavish bow.
Nami laughed again - a clear, bell-like ringing that always made Sanji smile too. She really was the most beautiful thing in the world, second only with their daughter. Time had ripened her beauty like a fine wine. If it had left its marks on her face, it only served to mark her happiness and her experience, all the wonderful things that made her his wonderful Nami-love.
"We should check on Mello," She reminded him, taking his hand to lead him towards their room. They'd both kept an eye on her with their observation haki, of course, knew that Zoro and Robin had tucked her in earlier, knew that she was sleeping soundly. But a parent always wanted to see.
It always startled Nami a little, that their beautiful, mischievous, intelligent daughter had come from them, come from that lucky accident. But then she looked at Mello, and she saw herself in Mello's craftiness, and Sanji in Mello's solicitude. Somehow, their daughter made it work. Nami was so proud.
The moon light spilled through the open door as the parents tiptoed in. Mello was sleeping soundly, snoring quietly. Sanji leaned down, kissed her large forehead (that Mello was so self conscious about, but that Sanji was convinced meant she'd inherited her mother's brain), and tucked the blanket more securely around her. Nami stroked her daughter's hair, the same true orange as her own, off that forehead.
Her hand brushed a piece of paper placed on Mello's pillow. Nami picked it up, surprised to realize that it wasn't Robin's scholarly hand, but Zoro's slashing script.
"What's that?" Sanji peered at it over her shoulder. "Ass...hole... cook... That damn Marimo. He writes like a five year old. I can hardly read it. Tell... your... brat... to... watch... her... damn... mouth? Tell your brat to watch her damn mouth? Why that asshole!"
Sanji was ready to go find Zoro to beat the swordsman up for his rudeness, but Nami started giggling. He stared at his wife. "What is it?"
"Mello's been asking me where she came from," Nami said through her giggles, "She must've asked Robin and Zoro whether they were in love. She wants a cousin to play with."
Sanji stared at her. "Robin? She's got better taste than that shitty swordsman."
Nami smiled, keeping her friend's confidences to herself. She tugged on her husband's arm to lead him out of their room, so they wouldn't wake their daughter. As the door shut behind them, Nami whispered in Sanji's ear.
"Why don't we make her a brother or a sister instead?"
And I'm done! Holy moly. That was a long one. The story turned out a heck of a lot longer than I was anticipating when I began this. Thank you all so very much for your words of encouragement along the way, for reading it all the way through. I hope you enjoyed it!
I was actually really nervous about Mello. The last time I wrote FF, I was flamed out of existence because of my OCs. I hope I did Sanji and Nami's prospective daughter justice! Let me know what you think in the reviews – constructive criticism is welcome, of course.
See you next time – I'm already plotting a couple one shots and an epic.