Chapter 10

I smiled as I spat into the sink, my toothbrush in hand. I felt like an idiot. My time with Luffy the night before was constantly running through my mind. I bent my head under the tap and rinsed my mouth with water. When I straightened up, I saw Hancock in the mirror. I tapped my toothbrush against the edge of the sink and put it away before turning to her.

And I simply walked past. The interaction we'd had the night before was enough for now. When I entered my room, after leaving Luffy on the lawn deck, I hadn't been surprised when she was sitting on Robin's bed, waiting for me. Salome had been curled up at her feet. She had barely looked up at me when I entered, just sat there while I changed into shorts and a t-shirt for sleeping in.

"Where were you?" –it was the first phrase out of her mouth at the time.

"Out," I responded simply.

"With Luffy?" She said it like a question, but she already knew the answer.

"Mm," There was no point in denying it. "He wanted to show me something."

"Show you what, exactly?" She had smoothed the covers on the bed with her hand.

"I don't see why that's any of your concern," I said.

"So do you like him or don't you?" She asked, watching me as I adjusted the log pose on the desk. I paused in my actions, but didn't respond.

"What would you do if I did like him?" I asked in return; my voice had been firm and cold.

"I spent two years with Luffy," She said. "I know him well."

"Luffy usually lays all his cards out immediately," I shrugged. "Even if you were to ask him, the length of time you spend with someone is not important."

"That doesn't matter to me," She said. "Not that it matters, because I'm beautiful."

"If Luffy cared about beauty, maybe this would be a different game," I didn't dare back down. Shichibukai or not, I would not lose. "But you should know that, having spent two years with him."

"A game?" She scoffed. "This isn't a game to me. If you're only doing this because you're jealous that I'm more charming and beautiful than you then stop this now."

"Jealous?" I rolled my eyes, "As if."

"So you like him," Hancock said.

"I don't see how my feelings are any concern to you," I told her. I walked over to my bed, where Mitsuki was sleeping soundly. She must have been really tired. "But I'm going to sleep. Goodnight."

And with that I had lifted the covers, pulling them up over my head. I had been furious from dealing with her, but Luffy's warmth still lingered on my body, giving me great dreams that night. I smiled again.

Mitsuki rolled over as I exited the room, eternal pose in hand. It was still dark outside. I headed for the kitchen where I got a mikan from the fridge. I paused as I closed the door, grabbing a second and tucking it in the pocket of the sweater I was wearing that day. I went back out on deck where I saw Luffy emerging from the men's quarters. He waved, yawning slightly, then came over to me.

"Morning, Nami," He greeted.

"Morning," I replied. Before I could rethink it, I gave him the mikan.

"Eh?" He looked surprised.

"For…" I paused to think, "For showing me something good last night. Thank you."

"Shishishi," He laughed. "I should show you something good more often."

I turned my gaze up to the tied up sails, "Well, let's get to work, shall we?"

"Yosh," He said. I glanced back down to see him putting the mikan in his pocket. I was surprised he hadn't peeled it and eaten it right away. And I wondered if he was aware at how embarrassed he'd just made me. I should show you something good more often. In my mind, when I'd heard that, I responded, yes, I'd like that.

"Let's get to work, Sanji," Luffy called down to the cook as he came out of the men's quarters. He looked up at the crow's nest. "You, too, Zoro!"

"Where's Franky?" I asked. "And Usopp?"

"I'm here," Franky followed Sanji out of their room. "I'll go lift the anchor. Let's get going."

"Mm," I agreed.

"I'm glad we'll be able to return," Luffy said, jumping back down from the mast. "I really like this island. If we can have more time to explore it I'll be happy."

I smiled, but didn't say anything in return. But I didn't need to. Franky had raised the anchor, so I started giving the orders needed to get out of port. And soon we were off. A new adventure –though, maybe it was morbid to call it that, when Mitsuki's sister was at stake.

"That was definitely one of the more peaceful leavings we had from an island," Robin came up beside me as I leaned on the railing. I watched the waves. They were small, and calm. I saw a large ripple and wondered if it were a sea monster. I had no worries if it were. Luffy –and the others –had no problem taking them down.

"You mean how we weren't chased by Marines? Or other pirates? Or the townspeople?" I said without turning.

"That's exactly what I mean," She said.

"I'm glad though," I told her, lifting my head up at the sun started breaking over the horizon. "It's a nice island. And now we can return and set the log pose."

"And spend some more personal time with Luffy," She added slyly.

I laughed, "Nothing gets by you, does it?"

She just chuckled.

When everyone was awake, we sat down for breakfast. Hancock still hung onto Luffy, and she would glance at me, with eyes that said she was doing something that I wouldn't dare to do. So what if I wasn't pressing my breasts into his arm? And it wasn't that I didn't dare to do it, I just didn't want to seem like a bimbo.

Salome hissed something, and Chopper threw his fork and knife down onto the table, changing into his human form out of anger and pointing at the snake. "Stop it! Just because no one else knows what you're saying doesn't mean that I'm just going to let it slide!"

We were all silent as he sat back down, angrily gripping his fork and stabbing a piece of meat before Luffy could grab it. He narrowly missed his captain's fingers. I had never seen Chopper so angry. Maybe that was why he was hiding this entire time. Not out fear, but out of avoiding a conflict. Sometimes I forgot that Chopper, too, had changed over the two years apart. He was still our concerned doctor when we were injured, but he could fight now, and have confidence in his fighting skills. Sometimes I worried about how stuck in the past my mind tended to be.

"Chopper?" Robin asked.

He threw his fork down again and stood up. "Excuse me."

We were quiet until the door closed.

"Teenagers," Franky laughed.

"Yohoho, Remembering my teenage years gives me goosebumps across my skin!" Brooke laughed. "But look! No skin! Yohoho!"

Without a word, Zoro got up and walked out of the room. I hoped he was going to go talk with Chopper. He looked up to Zoro –it would help. Well, more than likely. But then Zoro might just tell Chopper to cut the snake to pieces. I wondered if I should be worried.

"Nami," Mitsuki began.

"Hmm?" I looked at her.

"Are we still on course?" She asked tentatively.

I smiled, bringing out the eternal pose, "No worries, alright? We won't let anything stop us from making it there as soon as possible."

She nodded. I stretched, leaning back far in my seat before sitting up straight suddenly. "Yosh! I think we should get cleaning today."

"Eh?" The guys groaned.

"Namiiii" Luffy complained.

"I'll help you, Luffy," Hancock said, blushing.

"You'll clean for me?" He exclaimed, totally misinterpreting what she had said. I turned my head to smirk. He jumped to his feet and ran out of the room, shouting, "Thanks, Hancock!"

"If Luffy's not going to clean with me, then I won't do it," She pouted after he was gone.

"Beautiful hands like yours shouldn't have to do a days work on this ship, Empress-sama~" Sanji said.

"You stay here on the ship; you can do the work like everyone else," I said firmly.

"Even if I don't work, you'll forgive me, because I'm beautiful," Hancock smiled, over confident.

"Ahhhh~ empress-sama~" Sanji exclaimed, falling all over her.

"Hancock-sama~" Usopp and Franky were just like Sanji.

"Hancock-sama~! May I see your –" I hit Brooke over the head, before turning to the other guys. "Oi! Guys!" They didn't even turn to look at me. I placed one hand on Sanji's head, and the other on Franky's, then hit their heads against one another.

"Oi! Nami! What was that for?" Usopp, having been the one in the middle, turned on me.

"What is it that you're doing?" I asked, ignoring Usopp.

"Oi! Nami! Listen to me!" He kept at it, until he finally gave up.

"I'm not doing anything," She shrugged innocently, and then laughed, tilting her head back in her arrogance. "I'm just so beautiful that men and women alike will fall at my feet."

"I didn't fall at her feet," Mitsuki muttered.

"Mm," Robin said, taking a sip from her cup.

"You're going to help us clean," I said to her once more.

"Sanji will do my work for me," She said, dragging her finger over his shoulder. Blood gushed from his nose, and she looked angry when it splashed her skirt. She looked ready to kick him, but I stopped her.

"You can clean up the bathhouse," I told her. "And you'll do it."

"And if I don't?"

"I don't know," I admitted, bending down to aid Sanji to his feet. Usopp helped me, and I nodded towards the infirmary door. He nodded, taking the cook there. "All I know is that Luffy admires a hard worker more than a slacker." It wasn't a lie. It was pure truth.

"Don't think you can use me by inputting Luffy's name here and there," She said, looking down on me. Robin's extra hands passed me a cloth from the kitchen after she wet it in the sink. I handed the cloth to Franky –who was silent because he knew better than to interrupt me –and he began cleaning up the blood on the floor.

"You can ask him yourself," I sighed, walking to the door. I gestured for Mitsuki to follow me, "But I thought you had said you knew Luffy better than I did."

She clenched her fist. "How dare you make an empress do work? You're doing this to spite me, aren't you? You really do love Luffy, don't you?"

"This and that are two entirely different matters," I said. "Either you pay expenses, or you do a little work on the ship. This isn't a place to vacation. Remember that."

"I'll clean the aquarium and balcony," Robin told me.

"Mitsuki and I will tackle our bedroom," I said. "I need to make room in the closet for my new clothes." I looked at Franky. "You make sure the laundry gets done for you guys. And the grass has been getting a little long again."

"Super," He said sarcastically.

I opened the door, then paused and looked over my shoulder at Hancock, who was still fuming. She glared at me. That crease between her brows wasn't as pretty as she must have thought it was. And her arms were crossed, making her watermelons look like they were going to fall out of her shirt. And people said that I had no modesty, "Oh, and Hancock?"

"What? Want me to scrub the decks too?" She snapped.

"Nothing of the sort," I said to her. "I just wanted to remind you…"

"Bathhouse, right? I'll do it. So just go."

"Right, but not that," I said. I paused, taking early satisfaction in my words. "I just wanted to remind you that Luffy isn't going to marry you."

And with that I walked out and onto the deck. Mitsuki was grinning by my side. I was pretty damn proud of myself too.

"So are we really going to start cleaning?" She asked.

"Mm," I said. "Well, you can start cleaning. I feel like counting money."

"Only if you pay me," She grinned.

I laughed, "You're so funny. I wonder who taught you how to joke around like that."

Walking away, she hurried after me. "But I was serious!"