Ch. 6- The Real Reason


One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Mel, "Mad Dog" Jones and the Mad Dog Pirates © Me


Warning: OOCness ahead.


Later that night, after dinner, the Straw Hats had gone to bed.

Luffy had taken up watch tonight, and was up in the crow's nest with Mel, who, being the squirt that she was, had fallen asleep in his lap.

As Luffy gently combed his fingers through Mel's navy blue hair, the child's soft, steady breathing was all he could hear. He had to admit, she looked really cute this way, all peaceful and tranquil and curled up like a little kitten.

The only thing was he was starting to get hungry, and he couldn't move with Mel lying in his lap like this, and he had the grumbling stomach to prove it.

At that moment, Nami entered through the trap door in the floor. Not just that, but she had a plate of meat!

"Hey, Luffy," Nami greeted. "I figured you might be hungry, as always, so I brought you a snack."

"You're a lifesaver," Luffy said as he gratefully took the plate and happily chomped on the meat.

As Luffy ate, Nami turned her attention to the sleeping Mel in his lap. She smiled and brushed her fingers through the half-pint's hair.

"She's cute, isn't she?" the navigator asked.

"Who?" Luffy asked.

"Mel, stupid."

"Oh! Yeah, she is, huh? Like a little kitten."

"She's really taken a liking to you, Luffy. It's like she doesn't wanna be away from you."

"Yeah."

A pause came.

Nami looked outside the window, staring at the stars in the dark sky. Then she turned back to Luffy, who had already gotten to the fifth leg of meat on the plate.

"Luffy," Nami said.

Luffy turned to Nami in mid-bite.

"What?" he asked.

"I think know why you're really helping Mel," said Nami. "It's not just because you want to. Luffy…this is because of what happened between you and your mother…isn't it?"

Luffy froze, and then exhaled.

"Nami, can we not talk about that?" he asked the navigator.

"But it's the truth, isn't it?" Nami questioned. "You're doing this because you don't want Mel to go through what you had to when your mother died."

Luffy was silent.

"So what if I am?" he questioned, sounding a bit angry.

"Luffy," Nami started, "we've all something. Mel's going to experience some loss in her life, even if she's too young."

"Can we just not talk about it, at all?" Luffy asked. "Please?"

Nami heaved a sigh before she stood up and prepared to leave.

Once he was certain that she was gone, Luffy looked back down at Mel's sleeping form. He went back to gently brushing his hand through her hair, listening to her soft, steady breathing as she slept.

He couldn't say that Nami was wrong, though. He considered it unfair for a child like Mel to experience the loss of a loved one, just like he had.

"Mel," Luffy whispered. "I promise…I'll protect you, no matter what."

As if she really did hear his words in her sleep, Mel made a tiny smile and clutched Luffy's pants-leg tighter.

Luffy just smiled at her, and then leaned in and lightly and briefly pressed his lips against the slumbering little one's cheek.

"Yeah," he said. "I'll protect you, Mel."

XXX

The next morning, everyone was met with a rude awakening by Brook's wake-up song, in spite of the sun barely rising over the horizon.

He was soon silenced when Nami threw one of her boots at his afro.

Everyone slept for about 30 minutes more until the sun began to rise up, fully.

The moment the sun's rays hit Luffy's face, he let out a huge yawn and stretched his arms, drowsy tears forming in his eyes. As he absentmindedly scratched at his chest, he noticed that his legs were asleep. It was then that he remembered that Mel was still sleeping in his lap.

With a smile, Luffy put his hand on her shoulder and began to gently shake her awake.

"Hey, Mel," he called, softly. "Wake up. It's morning."

Mel squinted her eyes a bit before they fluttered open. She let out a yawn of her own before she greeted Luffy with tired, sea foam green eyes.

"Hey, Luffy," she said.

"You sleep okay?" Luffy asked.

"Yep," Mel answered. "Your lap makes a good pillow."

"Glad I could help," Luffy replied with a snicker and a grin.

Mel just smiled back at him.

Suddenly, she spotted them something out of the corner of her eye.

"What is it?" asked Luffy.

Mel didn't answer. Instead, she looked outside the open window. She gasped silently.

"Look, Luffy!" she said.

Luffy looked outside the window, as well.

XXX

In the women's quarters, Nami was getting dressed into her number purple 3 jersey and a pair of blue jeans shorts with fuzz around the bottoms of the pants legs, when suddenly, Luffy's voice could be heard on the intercom.

"Hey! We're approaching an island!"

At the sound of island, Nami and Robin headed outside to the helm, as well as the rest of the Straw Hats. The only ones who didn't end up there were Luffy and Mel, since they were still in the crow's nest, and the former couldn't really move because the latter was still sitting in his lap.

Mel wore a huge smile on her face, like the kind any kid would get on his or her birthday or on Christmas.

"This is it," said Mel. "We made it! We're here! The home of the 1000-Year Flower, Jucia!"

Luffy looked ahead at the island that the ship was approaching and made a smile of his own.

He could just smell the adventure from where he was sitting.

Mom, Mel thought. Just hang on, a bit longer! You'll see the 1000-Year Flower soon, I promise!


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