Disclaimer- not mine
My White Knight
It did take a few weeks to find the next island, but by the time Nami was thirty-five weeks along, Zoro found himself almost believing that the entire rest of the pregnancy would go off without a hitch. It had been decided, once they left the last island, that they needed to find a stable place to reside for the next few months. Since the last island had consisted of too much jungle and not enough civilization, it wouldn't have been suitable so they continued on.
The doctor would have preferred Nami already have a stable home on land, so he began fretting over almost every thing she did. He even scolded her if she didn't chew her food long enough! Zoro could tell the navigator was getting quite fed up by the reindeer's incessant fussing. It was a relief when the next island pulled into view and Sunny bounded over the waves in its direction. It was a promising looking island too. There was obviously a city, but also a fair amount of forest surrounding it. Hopefully, they could set up a base outside the city and still have access to all the conveniences of the metropolitan life.
Soon, Sunny had been pulled up to the shore and the pirates were splitting up into groups to find an ideal location for their new base. The smartest thing to do would be to build a place away from the city but within walking distance. If the pirates didn't make waves, the city would be much more likely to tolerate them, especially if they got some odd jobs around town and proved useful.
Two groups were about to disembark when Zoro noticed Luffy's rigid posture. A cold dread gripped his gut and there was a sinking feeling in his gut. "What is it?" the swordsman asked, his voice heavy with concern.
"Shichibukai," Luffy whispered in a low voice to his first-mate.
Although he knew without the need to confirm it, Zoro still asked, "Which one?"
The straw hat was pushed down over the captain's eyes before he balled his hands into fists and said, "Doflamingo." The first mate had never felt such hatred emanating from his captain and for a moment Zoro stood stock still as he let the name flood over him.
Zoro gritted his teeth. Damn it! Fate was mocking him! It had thrust them all into a terrible situation, and just when they'd made the best of it, Fate was throwing them back to the wolves. Every inch of Zoro's body began to tremble ever so slightly in anger. Curse the ill-fated luck that brought them right to that man's doorstep!
But there were three things Zoro trusted in more than Fate and more than Luck: himself, his captain and his nakama. And he'd be damned if he was going to let some occult force like fate rip away the happiness he had found! His hands balled into fists. In an angry blur, he whirled around and stalked through the ship in a blind rage until he found the cook. Zoro grabbed the blond man's arm so roughly it would have dislocated the shoulder of a weaker man. It was in a low growling tone that the swordsman finally spoke, "Do not let her out of your sight! Do you hear me?"
Sanji, catching the seriousness of Zoro's demeanor, did not argue. Something big was going down on this island. He gave a short nod and Zoro disappeared as quickly as he'd come up and looked for the reindeer doctor. "Chopper, you stay here too!" Zoro commanded.
Chopper also could see how serious Zoro was and said, "Of course. I wanted to check Nami again today anyhow."
Zoro nodded and went on his way. "Change of plans!" Zoro shouted coming to stand beside his captain. "We're leaving in one group. Anyone ready for a fight, come with us." Luffy nodded, clearly too angry to speak. Doflamingo would know they were coming. The sheer rage pouring out of them would arrive long before they themselves did.
Brook stepped up next to Zoro and soon everyone but Sanji, Nami and Chopper was ready to disembark. They could all feel just how dangerous this situation so they all stood together looking grimly toward the dark recesses of the forest. Looking at their fierce faces as they jumped to the shore, Nami turned to Sanji and asked, "What's going on?"
Sanji had read it in Zoro's expression when the swordsman had grabbed him wildly and shouted for him to watch Nami. The cook knew exactly who was on this island and what Zoro planned to do. Taking a drag of his cigarette and exhaling, he said, "Luffy noticed someone strong on the island is all. They are going to go take care of him."
Nodding her understanding, Nami moved to the sick bay for her now weekly appointment with Chopper. As agreed, Sanji would not let her out of his sight so he went too.
There was no doubt he knew they were coming; the small party of pirates moved toward the large mansion behind the town searching after their prey. And when they finally got there, he was sitting crossed legged above the door, the pink feathers of his coat swirling around him in the warm breeze. Dark sunglasses obscured his eyes, and he was laughing wildly. "Have you come to seek revenge on the Puppet Master? You should know how useless that is! Fuffuffuffuffuff!"
"Listen," Zoro shouted to his nakama. "This man did something really bad to Nami and I won't forgive him! What we plan to try, it's not perfect so don't get in the way. Now, Brook!"
The skeleton nodded and began to prepare as Doflamingo continued talking. "Do you know what I like so much about this island? It's the perfect size."
"This man can move your body like a puppet!" Luffy warned Franky and Usopp, "If he posses one of your nakama, knock them out, but try not to hurt them."
The Straw Hats all nodded as they braced them selves and looked at the shichibukai.
Doflamingo was still talking. "Because of the size, I can reach and control anyone in this island without moving from this very spot. I might even be doing it right now. Fuffuffuffuffuff!"
Wide eyed, Zoro realized that even though they left Nami behind, she might still be in danger. There seemed to be no limit to the amount of people Doflamingo could control. He might be sending villagers to the Sunny at the moment. They needed to end this quickly!
"Say?" Doflamingo said looking over the crewmembers in front of him. "Aren't you missing a few people? Fuffuffuffuffuff! We don't want them to miss all the fun do we? I'll send them an invitation to join us!"
"Nami!" Zoro shouted and he knew his nakama were thinking the same thing as they all got into their fighting positions.
Luffy attacked first, jumping into the air with a giant fist aimed at Doflamingo that instead went crashing through the trees to the left of the mansion. Franky took aim, but found that before he could shoot it off, his body had redirected the fire at Robin.
"Nico Robin!" the cyborg shouted in a panic.
"I'm fine Franky!" the woman called as the smoke cleared around her.
"Fuffuffuffuffuff!" Doflamingo laughed above them. "So much fun! Alright, now it's my turn!"
Back on the ship, Chopper was finishing up Nami's exam. "Everything looks good!" the little reindeer said, "Just think! Only one more month until we meet the little guy!" Chopper, started to clean up the exam area, while Nami fixed her blouse.
"Nami-san," said a low voice beside her.
Nami turned to look at her best friend and was surprised to see his leg lifted straight up in the air. With a small laugh, she shook her head and asked, "Sanji, what are you doing?"
"Nami-san," the cook said his body shaking slightly with strain, "You have to run."
"What?" Nami was confused but caught sight of the wildly hopeless look in Sanji's eyes.
His voice was desperate with terror as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. Suddenly he shouted, "Nami run! I can't hold it anymore!"
Nami had barely rolled off the exam table when Sanji's foot came crashing down shattering the entire table to pieces.
"Hey!" Chopper cried looking up, "What do you think you are doing asshole?"
But Sanji ignored him and looked straight at Nami with eyes that pierced straight through her. "Nami-swan, run! Please! I don't want to hurt you!" And then seeing her still standing there in shock, he yelled in desperation, "Why won't you run?"
Nami had seen those eyes before, the helpless eyes of a friend as they attacked her relentlessly apologizing and telling her to get away. "Sanji?" she asked quietly, "Sanji?"
His body was shaking again as he fought the compulsions inside him, knowing he wouldn't last for long, "Nami, please run! Please! Get out of here! Get as far away from me as possible!"
Nami swallowed the lump in her throat, "He's here isn't he?"
"Yes!" Sanji shouted completely overwhelmed by the rising compulsion to kick straight at Nami again. Even now, his knee was bending and lifting straight up to his chest so he could kick out at her. "That's why you have to go!"
As Nami turned and fled the sick bay, she heard the cracking of the wood door splintering after bearing another of Sanji's kicks. She could hear Sanji standing up and sense him aiming again. Why didn't she run the first time he told her to? She'd never get away now. Sanji was too fast! As she neared the end of the dining hall without receiving the blow she'd been expecting, she turned around to see Chopper in his Kung Fu Point holding Sanji back.
"I don't know what's going on," the doctor shouted, "but I don't think he's going to stop! You'd better run and hide Nami! I'll hold him off!"
Nami gave a short nod and fled the ship running as briskly as her waddling gait would allow.
At the center of the island, Usopp suddenly started firing pop greens in the direction of his friends.
"Hey Usopp!" Luffy shouted lifting a wiry rubber arm over his head, "That's dangerous!"
"Doflamingo's got him, Luffy!" Zoro shouted.
"Sorry, bro!" Franky shouted as he hit Usopp in the back of the head with a Strong Right only just hard enough to knock him out momentarily. When Usopp came too he rubbed his head and asked what happened.
"At least we know that works," Franky shouted.
"Yes," added Robin preparing to attack, but Zoro knocked her out of the way.
"You too?" Luffy asked looking at Zoro.
But the swordsman shook his head. "I think it's best if Robin stays back until we subdue him a bit more. We don't want him taking her over. He can be quite cruel." Images of Nami were flashing before Zoro's eyes, images from when Doflamingo took over the young Navigator's mind and made her perform all sorts of violating sexual acts much to her shame.
Not everyone present understood his meaning, but Robin's eyes narrowed and she said, "Thank you, Zoro." She had guessed some of the truth behind what happened with Nami and she understood perfectly. A few of the others might have guessed as much, but there was no time for Zoro to think on that now.
He nodded. "I don't want to play around with him. I want to finish him off quickly. Brook, you ready?"
The skeleton nodded and said, "Please stay back. This move is by far flawless."
Branches scratched at Nami's arms and legs as she tore through the jungle as fast as her body would allow. Being quite large, it was hard for her to catch her breath and she was panting wildly as tears flowed from her eyes.
All the resentment, fear and shame Doflamingo inflicted the first time months ago came back all at once as she was running, but this time her resolve was stronger. She wouldn't let him catch her again, and she would not let him hurt her baby! The only thing to do was run. Run from Sanji. Run from Doflamingo. Run from the feelings that threatened to overwhelm her.
Footsteps could be heard in the woods a good deal behind her. She would be okay if she just kept going. Suddenly a pain erupted from her back coursing straight through her body. Instantly, Nami doubled over and could think of nothing but the blinding pain searing through her. After a moment Nami could suddenly focus again and could hear the footsteps again only now they were much closer! Using a tree to support her, Nami began to move through the woods once more trying to escape.
She was able to run for a while before another blazing pain shot through her. Nami could hardly breathe, her belly was tight, and her tired limbs were shaking under her weight. There was no way she was going to be able to keep running. This body wasn't meant for escaping through the woods and wasn't reacting well. The only option she had left was to hide. As soon as her legs would support her, Nami took off in search of shelter.
Zoro and Brook stood side by side and got ready to attack. All three of Zoro's swords were drawn and ready to fight and his bandana was around his head.
"Oh?" Doflamingo laughed looking down on the two swordsmen. "You want to cut your friends up? Well if you insist! Fuffuffuffuffuff!"
And then Doflamingo stretched his invisible hand to capture Zoro. The ghost of his presence passed through Zoro's mind and when he was sure it didn't take hold, the swordsman launched himself forward at the large Shichibukai.
The shock was evident on Doflamingo's pale face. The wide grin turned to an ugly confused sneer as Zoro's blades cut through the man's belly for the first time. After coughing blood, the Shichibukai hollered, "What? Why aren't you under my control? I sent my hand straight through you!"
With a gleam in his eye, Zoro opened his mouth and spoke. "Yo ho ho ho ho! Sorry, Mr. Shichibukai, but there is only room for one occupant at a time!"
It was only then that Doflamingo and the rest of the Straw Hats noticed that Brook's skeletal body was lying crumpled on the ground and hadn't moved at all.
"What?" Doflamingo's eyes were wide.
"Yo ho ho ho ho!" Zoro laughed again. "Did you think you could piss off our first mate and he wouldn't figure out the limitations of your ability? He's been working for months to figure out the perfect way to cut you down! I don't know what you did to earn his wrath, but you certainly picked the wrong man to mess with! Luffy, guys, lend me your strength now."
And then they were all attacking the shichibukai at once. Doflamingo being a ranged fighter, was not used to such close combat. Intermittently the shichibukai was able to take hold of one of the Straw Hats nearby, but with Zoro's body attacking relentlessly, Doflamingo hardly had the concentration to possess them for long.
He still put up a decent fight, but his defeat was inevitable after a while. As he took over Luffy, Franky hit the shichibukai with a steady stream of firepower. Usopp shot a pop-green right behind the large man and Robin made sure he was sent backward toward the man-eating blossom. Doflamingo recovered just in time to duck out of the flower's jaws, but the maneuver put him once more in the path of Zoro's blades. Taking over Robin, Doflamingo attempted to bind everyone using extra arms, but Zoro had a second attack that landed before the arms could bloom. Reeling backward, Doflamingo's concentration snapped and the arms disappeared. Before the sadistic bastard could even get on his feet, a giant haki-reinforced fist crashed into the man as Luffy sent him flying. They all hoped it was straight to the bottom of the sea!
Once their opponent was defeated, Brook floated back to his own body. "Ah! It seems we did it Zoro-san!"
Zoro's head shook as he pulled off his bandana and cleared his throat. "Yeah." Being possessed by Brook was a strange feeling and it was different from being controlled by Doflamingo. When the musician took hold of Zoro's body, Zoro had ability and strength to kick him out. So it as with a great deal of effort that he was able to submit long enough to pull off their plan. The two swordsmen had worked for months so that Brook might learn how to control Zoro's movements while Zoro figured out how to lend his strength to their combined force without kicking Brook out of his mind.
"Zoro!" Luffy was shouting as he bounced excitedly, "That was so cool! How did you ever figure it out?"
Usopp and Franky were dancing in approval while Robin chuckled at the three men. Beside them Brook was standing up in a wobbling manner.
"I had a hunch," Zoro said in a serious tone. He was glad that it worked actually; he hadn't been certain that it would. But he did realize that Doflamingo used a "will" to possess the bodies of his victims. That was why when Zoro was under his influence, he could still think and speak, but he couldn't control his body. Shortly after that night, he spoke with Brook about the particulars of his devil fruit powers and asked Brook if he could try to possess him the way Doflamingo had. When Brook entered him, it was markedly different. The dead spirit was able not only to control his motions, but his speech as well. In fact, Brook and Zoro's minds fought for dominance inside of the swordsman. It had taken months of practice for Zoro to get the feel of willfully submitting to Brook's control and helping Brook direct his body so that they could fight Doflamingo. By the time they made the attack, Zoro and Brook could move as one single entity. The biggest flaw in their plan was that it was un-tested in actual combat. Zoro feared that he might throw Brook off without truly meaning to in the heat of the fight.
Zoro had suspected, with Brook's spirit possessing him, there was no room for Doflamingo's will to sneak inside and take him over. Putting Brook's spirit in Zoro's body was the most powerful weapon they could come up with, and it had thankfully worked! They had made a few other experiments and realized that Brook couldn't possess Chopper as he wasn't completely human. Banking on Doflamingo's powers working the same way, Zoro had made sure Chopper had stayed with Nami as well- just in case. But that wasn't enough to get rid of the uneasy feeling surrounding him when he thought of the trio on the Sunny. "Guys, I know this is the time when we usually celebrate, but I want to get back to the ship. After something that man said, I'm worried about Nami."
Everyone could see how serious Zoro was so they agreed and took off running toward the Sunny. It only took a moment for the rest of the crew to notice that the swordsman had taken a different path veering into the forest, and it was Robin who called out, "Zoro-san! You're going the wrong way!"
But he was already too far away to hear. So Luffy decided, "We'll go to the ship to see Nami and then go find Zoro in the woods. He'd want us to check on Nami first anyhow."
The pirates nodded their assent and took off again toward the ship.
Zoro rushed through the woods in what he thought was the direction of the Thousand Sunny. But as often happened when he went in the wrong direction, his feet were taking him where he needed to be as opposed to where he thought he was going. It was the dread in his heart that pulled him further into the woods.
When the sickening possessed feeling finally left Sanji's limbs he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd been hunting Nami down in the woods and had the sinking feeling that he was getting closer and closer. He waited five minutes before moving- if he were going to suddenly become possessed again, he didn't want to be any closer to Nami than he already was. But as the minutes passed and he remained in control of himself, he decided it was time to find Nami.
It was not so hard to find her, she had been hiding in the hollow of a tree trunk a hundred or so paces from where he had been standing. If Sanji had remained possessed for a little bit longer, he would have easily come upon her and...
The thought was too painful for him to finish. Instead he rushed toward the orange haired woman hidden in the tree, calling, "Nami-san!"
When she saw him, she flinched and tried to melt further into the tree.
"No, Nami. It's me!" Sanji assured her, "He's gone he doesn't have me anymore."
"Sanji?" Nami asked in a high panicked voice. "Sanji, I'm scared!"
The cook looked over the woman in front of him, she was covered in dirt and scratches from the trees and she was so sweaty that her hair and clothing were plastered to her body. Her arms and legs appeared to be shaking and he could easily tell just how upset she was.
"Don't worry, Nami!" Sanji said in a calm voice trying to reassure the distraught woman. He crouched low next to her, but refrained from reaching out incase the incident had caused her any set-backs. "That possessed feeling left. I'm sure that Luffy, Zoro and the other's beat that guy up! He's gone he has to be."
"No Sanji. Not. That." And then another wave of pain over took Nami and she cried out from the force of it. It was only then that Sanji noticed the pool of liquid between her legs and felt his stomach drop. Something was wrong! And it was all his fault for chasing a pregnant woman through the woods! But there was no time to worry about his feelings now. He needed to do something for Nami and fast!
He grabbed her hand and spoke words that he hoped were convincing even if he didn't know whether or not they were true, "Don't worry, Nami. Everything will be fine." Brushing the wet hair away from her damp forehead, he said, "I'll run back to the ship and get Chopper. Don't worry."
"No!" Nami was looking around frantically and grabbed at him with her two shaking hands. "No, don't leave me alone!" Her large honey eyes were wild and panicked. This woman knew what was coming as was terrified of the results.
Her pleas pulled at his heart even though he knew he was no good to her here. Their best bet for a favorable outcome was to get the doctor.
Just then a figure burst through the underbrush causing Sanji to look up and shout, "Marimo?"
Hearing this Nami sat partially up and reached out, "Zoro!"
The swordsman was by her side in an instant and had her torso gathered in his arms. "It's alright now, I'm here." He said.
Sanji noticed the way Nami's face eased at this proclamation and was touched by her faith in the man. "Sanji," Zoro was saying pulling the cook out of his thoughts, "You're fast and we need a doctor. I don't want to move her until we know it's okay. From the look of things we won't have a lot of time to decide."
"Right," Sanji said standing up and taking the command. Two years running from Drag Queens had made him among the fastest legs in the crew. "I'll be back with Chopper before you know it."
As he left, he saw Nami grab Zoro's shirt and writhe in pain once more while Zoro held her and whispered into her orange hair.
Back on the shore in front of the Sunny, the crew was gathered around the furry little doctor who was just sitting up in a pile of rubble and rubbing a large bump on his head.
"What happened, Chopper?" Robin asked gently.
For a moment Chopper's eyes were fuzzy and then realization came to him and they cleared. "Nami!" he shouted. "We have to save Nami! Sanji's acting really weirdly and... he's gonna kill her!"
"He was probably possessed by Doflamingo," Usopp pointed out. "Don't worry Chopper, he won't try to kill Nami anymore, Doflamingo is gone."
"Thank goodness," Chopper said with a sigh of relief. "But still I don't like how she was running! She went into the woods and he was following her! I tried to stop him, but Sanji over powered me! If he caught her in the woods..."
Just then Sanji came barreling out onto the beach. "CHOPPER! We need you right now!"
Luffy was on his feet shouting. "What happened? Did Nami get hurt?"
Sanji caught his breath and said, "No. She got away, but I think..."
"What?" Prompted Franky.
"I think she's in labor!" Sanji shouted hating to voice the thought.
Chopper shook his head. "No, she can't be. It's too early!"
But Sanji shook his head and looked down sadly, "She's in a great deal of pain... it's coming in waves and there was a lot of fluid..."
At the word fluid Chopper was on his feet. "You guys, boil some water and find us towels! The bed in the sick bay was destroyed, so we'll need something else in there! If this baby is coming we need to get prepared! Send someone to the town to find a doctor. Tell them a woman aboard our ship is about to have her baby five weeks too early! Sanji, take me to her!" By the time Chopper finished talking he was in his full reindeer form. In this manner, they rushed through the woods running by the trees that had been cracked and bent by Sanji's kicks earlier.
"Zoro, what if..." Nami was saying, but the swordsman silenced her.
"Everything will be fine, I believe in you." He kissed her head again and noticed the tears streaming down her face. "Remember," Zoro said, his voice full of steady conviction as his strong arms cradled her weakened form, "I love you. Always."
No one would accuse him of being eloquent, but still his words were effective.
Nami nodded with her head in his chest and her hands clinging to his shirt.
After a few moments, Sanji and Chopper were back and Chopper was transforming into his most human form. "Look," Zoro whispered, "Help is here."
By now Chopper was kneeling between Nami's legs. "Yes, her water definitely broke. There is no way to stop the labor now. Nami, I know you don't let do internal exams, but I need to see how far along you are. If you labor is too advanced, we can't move you. If you aren't that far, we can take you back to the ship to give birth there."
"No..." Nami was saying, but Zoro laid her back gently and caressed her face.
"Nami," her lover whispered, "I know it makes you uncomfortable, especially after running into him again, but right now we need to do what's best for the baby. I'll be right here, okay?"
Nodding, Nami looked up into Zoro's face with a wild look in her eyes. Zoro leaned over her while Chopper put on his gloves and instructed Nami to put her hands under her hips to get the best angle. The pressure was uncomfortable and caused Nami a great deal of resentment, but Zoro was petting her hair so she knew she could get through it. After a moment, the pressure was gone and Chopper let out a deep breath. "Three centimeters. She's not that close yet! We still have time to mover her!"
Both Zoro and Sanji let out the breaths they were holding, and Nami, who was beginning to get a bit delirious, was asking, "Is that good?"
"Yes, Nami," Zoro said pressing his lips to her forehead, "that's very good."
"Alright," Chopper was saying, "It isn't too far to the ship, but it will be a far enough walk carrying her. At this point I would like to keep her labor from progressing until we get back to the ship. That means no walking, and we need to keep her as flat as possible. I'd offer to carry her on my back, but I'm worried about the bouncing of the ride. I think if we all lift her together, we will be able to convey her to the ship. I wish we had some sort of stretcher, but we will have to make due."
Brushing Nami's hair back from her face, Zoro said, "Is that okay, Nami? We're going to carry you back to the ship. It's cleaner there than it is here."
Nami nodded as she gritted her teeth against another contraction. The three men situated themselves under her so that Zoro was on her left with his hand under her hips and knees and Sanji was in a similar position on her right. Chopper was at her head, holding under both her shoulders. With her hands Nami gripped the shoulders of Zoro and Sanji's coats tightly. The small party made their way to the ship.
Since they had to pause for contractions and couldn't move very quickly carrying her all together, it took almost an hour to get her back to the ship. But eventually, they made it and brought her into the sick bay. Chopper immediately went to wash up and instructed Zoro to clean Nami up. They laid Nami down on the floor and Robin came over with some wet rags. Using these, Zoro cleaned the dirt and sweat from Nami's body and changed her clothing into the simple gown Chopper had produced for her.
While Zoro attended to Nami, Sanji had gone to clean himself up as wekk. Once they got Nami situated on the bed Franky had made for the room, Zoro left Nami in Sanji's care so he could get cleaned up as well. Chopper was busy preparing everything he could, it was going to be hard delivering a premature baby on a pirate ship, but without better transportation, he didn't want to risk transporting Nami to the town. Thirty-five weeks and five days, by their counting. Everything would hinge on whether or not the lungs were fully developed. Hopefully when Luffy got back from town it was with a doctor who would bring more equipment than Chopper could carry on the ship.
While Zoro washed up and changed Sanji morosely held Nami's hand. "Nami-san, I'm so sorry," he said with a wretched expression on his face.
After another contraction, Nami squeezed his hand and said, "Like Zoro. 'S not your fault."
Unfortunately, it had taken a similar experience for him to understand how she had forgiven Zoro so easily and why they sought comfort in each other. Sanji wanted nothing more than to wrap his arms around her and whisper in her ear just how sorry he was and how badly he felt. He wanted to feel her weight in his arms holding him and not only telling him it was fine, but showing him with her touch. But such displays were not to be. Instead, Sanji squeezed her hand again and used a damp cloth to wipe the sweat from her brow.
When Zoro reentered the room, Nami's face light up. "Zoro!" she called, reaching for him. In seconds he was by her side holding her other hand and threading his fingers through her hair. Despite the pain and the fear in her heart, she smiled.
The contractions were coming faster now, and Chopper checked her again, "Five centimeters," the reindeer doctor announced.
"You're doing great!" Zoro whispered to her, ever focused. "Why don't you lie on your side for a little bit?"
Guiding her with his hands, Zoro helped Nami roll onto her side facing Sanji. He instructed the other man to take her hands. Sanji, who had been quiet and mostly awed by the way Zoro was handling the situation, accepted the task and took Nami's soft hands in his own and rubbed the backs of them with his thumbs.
While Sanji held her hands and whispered encouraging words to Nami, Zoro began massaging her back paying special attention to her lower backs and hips. Every contraction seemed to get stronger and soon Nami was screaming with every one.
And yet, the whole ordeal went by agonizingly slow. Chopper announced Nami was Eight centimeters and though Zoro kissed the back of her shoulder and said she was getting close, he was finding it difficult to watch her in so much pain for so long.
Luckily, the last few centimeters went quickly and soon Chopper said, "Nami! It's time to push!"
She was on her back again with a few pillows supporting her. Zoro's right hand was around her shoulders and his left hand was holding hers. Sanji was on her other side holding her right hand. How he managed to get a front seat to the birthing process was beyond him, but there was no way to get out of it now.
"Help pull her knees up!" Chopper instructed both men.
For a moment, Sanji paused awkwardly as Zoro hooked his arm around Nami's left knee and lifted it up, but then he realized that this birth thing was not the time for modesty. In fact, Nami seemed to have lost all concern over her dignity some time ago. So Sanji hooked his arm under her right knee and pulled it up as well.
"Alright, Nami," Chopper started, "On the next contraction I want you to bear down and push!" Beads of sweat were forming on Chopper's forehead, as he stilled himself in concentration. "Ready, push!" the young reindeer called as Nami was hit with another contraction.
"Not bad," the doctor said, "but next time push less with your face and more with your belly. Keep your chin down, that will help. That's it!" he said as Nami pushed better with the next contraction. "Just a few more. I have the head in my hands!"
There were tears in Nami's eyes as the contractions rocked her and she pushed. It was, by far, the hardest thing she'd ever had to do and once she almost thought she wasn't going to make it. The room started to get a little blurry and things got distant, but then Zoro's arm tightened around her shoulders and she gave one last great push and felt the child slip from her body.
And then everything was quiet, Zoro's forehead was pressed firmly against hers and his arm was gripping tightly around her shoulders. He let her leg down and quickly brought his hand up to grab hers. He was holding her so tightly, she wondered if he was afraid to let her go. Sanji had let go of her leg and her hand and had backed away. Why was it so quiet? Where were the congratulations? Where was... Where was the baby cry? Oh god! Nami began to squirm as she realized why it was so quiet.
It was too early! He wasn't ready for the world yet. How could she have done this? All she needed to do was keep him inside a few weeks longer and she couldn't even do that! What kind of a woman was she that she couldn't hold onto her child long enough? She began to struggle against Zoro, but he kept holding her tightly while her tears streamed down her face.
And then suddenly, an outraged wail cut through the thick silence as the room's newest occupant made his presence known. Nami sucked in a deep breath at the same time that Zoro released the breath he'd been holding. A few wet drops fell onto her face and only afterward did Nami realize they had come from Zoro's eye. It was a strange sight considering she'd never seen him cry before.
And then he was backing away slightly as Chopper came over carrying a tiny squirming form. "Congratulations, Mommy!" he said as he lied the wriggling child down on his mother's stomach.
Chopper watched with a very intent look as the child began to pull itself up it's mother's body and search for a breast. He let out a relieved sigh. As soon as the baby had been released from his mother's womb, Chopper started suctioning the boy's airways. The baby wasn't crying, but there was time yet. Waving Sanji over, he motioned to a pair of snips and a clamp that they would need soon. They waited until the cord stopped pulsing to cut and clamp it and turned the baby onto his stomach and rubbed his back while the child sucked in his first reluctant breath of air. And then Chopper had listened to that small child's heart and lungs trying to decide if the child had been ready. He was quickly weighted and examined and passed every test top notch. The lucky child had probably only just been ready to come out and would have been comfortable staying put a few weeks longer, but at least he was fully developed. The little boy would live!
The last test for the infant was to see if he had that natural instinct to crawl to his mother's breast. And the child, for all his small size and skinny limps, made his slow way crying over to his goal. The small babe moved centimeters at a time, but was very clear about where he was headed. And then Nami, sensing the need of her little one pulled down the shoulder of the gown so the child could attempt to latch.
The tiny baby opened his mouth right away and Nami was surprised to see that it was barely larger than her nipple. The little head went to the right of its goal and then the left, but soon saw the right direction and launched itself forward. It wasn't as easy as the baby thought and it took him three good tries to get a nice latch, but he did it. His little fist pounded against the soft pale flesh of her breast as he took his first mouthful of pre-milk. And the little being, finally satisfied, looked up at his mother proudly ready to share this first big accomplishment.
As Nami looked down on her suckling son, she could hardly believe that he was here in her arms. She smiled fondly at the little boy and then started running her fingers over his soft lightly-haired scalp, then over his little nose. Her fingers traveled down his arm to count his fingers and then his toes. His little body had not yet shed the light covering of hair it had grown in the womb, so his arms and legs were very soft to the touch.
The infant was small, scrawny even. He was far from the perfect-looking little creature Nami had been imagining throughout the pregnancy. There was barely any fat on his little body and his skin was rather wrinkly and had a very purplish hue. And yet as Nami looked down into his round little face she couldn't help but feel he was the most perfect creature to ever grace the planet. Indeed, she had never seen a more beautiful child.
The men in the room watched awe-struck at the sight of the new mother fawning over and taking inventory of her little child. There was something so primal and yet so romantic about the sight that they all smiled. Even Sanji watched the seen in reverence free of both nosebleeds and improper thoughts despite being exposed to Nami full breast. But eventually he turned to give the mother some privacy. Looking instead at Zoro he said, "How did you know to do all that stuff back then?"
Without taking his eyes off his lover and child, he shook his head. "I don't know. I hadn't even been thinking about the delivery yet as it was supposedly still more than a month off. But then in the moment, things just started happening and I knew what to do because I needed to." Zoro shook his head again and added, "You'll see one day, when it happens to you." And then Zoro left a stunned Sanji behind him as he went to join Nami in the adoring of their son.
Sanji chuckled to himself. After seeing all that, he was quite sure he could wait some time for that "one day." As much as he fancied himself in love with Nami- and to some degree the rest of the female population- he was nowhere near ready to relive that experience.
Over on the bed, Zoro wrapped his arm around Nami and whispered, "We have a son," before kissing her on the top of her head.
Nami nodded and looked down at the baby in her arms adding, "And he's beautiful!"
"You're beautiful," Zoro said kissing her lips when she looked up at the compliment. And it was true. Nami was exhausted looking and sweaty. Her skin was pink all over with the effort of her great struggle and her hair was sticking out in many different directions, but to Zoro, she was the most beautiful woman alive.
The baby unlatched now and stared up at the world with a quiet content. When Nami put herself away, Chopper wandered over again. "That's quite a little fighter, you've got there. What's his name?"
With a fond smile, Nami looked down at her little son and was certain of his name. She passed the small boy to his father as she said, "Roronoa D Kichiro." No sooner had the child left her arms then she was asleep.
"D?" Sanji said from across the room a bit startled, but with Nami unconscious, no one was going to get an answer.
Zoro shrugged, "If that's what his mother says." Then he looked down at the little boy proud that Nami had willing given the child his surname despite the fact that they were not married. "Hello Kichiro," he said to the small boy, "You're mother named you well. You are indeed one lucky child!" The little boy was light in Zoro's hands, but Zoro looked into the child's eyes and saw how strong he would be.
Roronoa D Kichiro was a fine child. He was a little on the small side at birth being only two-thousand four hundred and thirty-eight grams and forty-seven centimeters long, but he had an appetite befitting of a true Straw Hat pirate and began putting on weight right away. As Zoro stared at the little boy, the child kicked his little feet and waved his arms.
"We should get him in wrappings and swaddles," Chopper suggested. "We don't want him to catch cold."
That was the part Zoro had no idea how to accomplish and he had to be shown a few times by Chopper. Once the child was wrapped up, Zoro asked Sanji if he wanted to hold his godson.
Sanji lifted the small bundle carefully as he wasn't quite certain how to manage, but the little being was more solid than Sanji had accounted for. The child blinked at Sanji a few times before closing his eyes and going to sleep. Once the child was out, Sanji passed him back to his father and told him to go introduce him to the crew.
Stepping out of the sick bay with his son in his arms, Zoro said, "I'd like you to meet my son, Roronoa D Kichiro."
There were many gasps, and many tears- mostly from Franky- many questions and many laughs as the crew ogled the sleeping newborn. Soon, Luffy bounded up with a specialist who promised to look over the child. Kichiro was indeed marked as having passed all expectations and was perfectly healthy even if a little small. They would only need to monitor and make sure he didn't lose too much weight before Nami's true milk came in.
Nami woke up almost exactly two hours later, just before Kichiro started to cry for his next meal. As she brought the child to her breast, Zoro asked, "Why did you decided to name him with a middle name D?"
"I did?" Nami asked.
"You did. Roronoa D Kichiro," Zoro informed, "you did mean to give him the name right?"
Nami nodded, "Of course. I wanted to give him your last name and when I finally heard him cry, I thought how lucky he was and how lucky he made us. I don't know where the D came from. It must have been from him." Nami looked down in wonder at her strong little son. She had no doubt that he would beat whatever obstacles he came up against in his life.
Laughing, Zoro brushed her hair back and kissed her. They were alone in the room now and Zoro could hardly believe the small family he held in his arms. It had been lucky indeed to go through such a terrible event and come out with such a miraculous outcome. When mother and baby finally fell asleep, Zoro lifted the small child and laid him in the cradle next to the bed and kissed his head. Then Zoro climbed into bed beside Nami and held her while they slept.
Author's note: Yay! Got this up faster. Yeah this chapter was a bit darker than the last few have been. I know we don't know much about Doflamingo's powers so I've taken my liberties. We are almost there now! Only a little bit left.
Thanks for reading! Please review! :)