Genuine Treasure
Author Notes: This is the last proper chapter of this story. I am very, very sad about this.
But in the meantime! Before I get started, has anybody ever heard of a flower called the Scarlet Gilia? They're quite lovely: star-shaped and bright red when they first bloom. When their chief pollinators, hummingbirds, fly south for the winter, they turn white to attract moths so they can keep getting pollinated. Very interesting, I think.
… Nobody cares about flowers? Fine. Onward!
One review response:
Her- You pointed out the X-rays! Good catch. Pregnant women are generally not allowed near X-ray machines. Biopsies are about the same: very risky for baby. Little chance of survival. Kind of an indicator of how little the doctors actually cared about the baby. As for kebobs, kebabs, or kebaps, I'm glad you caught the spelling. I don't know how they're spelled, but I do know that they are delicious. -^_^-
Disclaimer: I only own what I have made up. All else belongs to Oda, and if he wants what I created, he can have it.
Please to enjoy!
Chapter 11: Ready or Not
Suggested Track: "Supernatural Superserious," REM; "Satellite," Dave Matthews Band
Luffy had to wear his shiny gold wedding band around his neck on a chain because his fingers were swollen. Zoro, however, wore his on his left ring finger according to tradition, and he shined it every day the same time he sharpened his swords. He and Luffy had signed the forms and filed them, and though they weren't sure their marriage was legal, they considered it valid, and the entire crew agreed. He had never thought he would like marriage, but when it was as nontraditional as his was, he was completely okay with it. It was as if nothing had changed but the way they thought of one another, and since they were newlyweds, that was exciting and fun.
They didn't have much honeymoon. There was simply no time for a vacation, and Luffy wouldn't be able to consummate the marriage due to his 'condition.' This was Zoro's idea more than his- Chopper had warned him that late-pregnancy sex could trigger labor. Luffy was disappointed because, as he put it, "I've been horny for seven goddamn months, and you're holding out on me!" After a few hours of begging, pleading, and prodding, Zoro finally conceded to give Luffy the pleasure he wanted.
The night after they filed the papers, Luffy asked Usopp and Sanji to give him and Zoro a few minutes privacy. He waited very patiently, sitting on the edge of the cot while waiting for Zoro. Zoro was preparing himself mentally, cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed, meditating on what he was about to do. He opened one narrow eye to gaze at Luffy. "You said it's not really that bad?"
"I like it. You have a really nice flavor, so it's like food except I'm still hungry after," Luffy chirped. He wiggled his toes in eagerness. Zoro grumbled a bit, and closed his eyes again.
"What if you taste bad?"
"Why would I taste bad?" Luffy half-pouted, half-scowled. "I probably taste like I smell. Smell yourself. That's what you taste like."
"I can't smell myself. I just smell like me," Zoro remarked coolly. Luffy swung his feet a bit, thinking.
"You taste a lot like… well, there's this weird smell of metal in the air when there's a swordfight, and you taste like that plus sake. But I don't know what I smell like." Luffy paused, and grinned. "Oi. Tell me what I smell like." Zoro opened his eyes, and grinned deviously as he got what Luffy was implying. He rose and crept towards Luffy, swiftly pinning him against mattress by his shoulder. He wore a dark look like he was preparing for a good fight, and a wide, wicked smile. He kissed Luffy's lips, sliding his tongue between them and across Luffy's tongue just for a second, and kissed down Luffy's chin and neck. He firmly gripped Luffy's forearms, rubbing the muscles with his thumbs, and gently squeezing. Luffy gasped under his breath, soft grunts at Zoro's touches and grasps as he groped his way to rest one hand on Luffy's thigh. Zoro ran his tongue across Luffy's breastbone, and finally inhaled him deeply.
"You… smell like meat, and spices. And you taste… like peppered steak." Zoro moved his hands to grasp Luffy's hips, and paused briefly to kiss Luffy's swollen belly. His hands traveled under it to find Luffy's cock. Luffy was already hard, and Zoro wrapped his hand around it, resting his thumb just under the head. He gave it a few tentative strokes; it was smooth and hot, and Zoro slid back from Luffy, tilted his head to the side, and carefully put it between his lips. He rested his hands on Luffy's sides in an embrace as he dragged his cock in and out of his mouth. He pursed his lips around it to apply pressure, and Luffy moaned aloud and leaned back so Zoro could consume him easier. Luffy was hot in his mouth, like a skewer of grilled meat in feel and flavor, and his voice was thick with pleasure.
"Mm, Zoro, I love your mouth…" He kept his hands planted beside him, before moving one to run his fingers through Zoro's hair. "It feels so good… keep going…" Zoro bit gently down in response, and Luffy cried out eagerly. Zoro resisted the urge to smirk, and flicked his tongue along the shaft and head before giving a few rough, wet slurps. Luffy stomped his foot like an excited dog, and placed both hands on the back of Zoro's head. Zoro drew slowly back on the shaft, and Luffy's orgasm exploded across his tongue. He gagged and jerked back from Luffy, and quickly spit onto the floor.
"Ugh! Salty! You lied! That sucked!" Zoro wiped his mouth and raised his hackles, face red with fury.
Luffy giggled. "I guess I've never tasted that." He pushed himself to his feet and yanked his shorts back up. "Thank you, Zoro. I liked that." He crouched by Zoro, cleaned off his tongue with his own, and wrinkled his nose. "I'll go get you some sake."
"Nah, that's okay. You've done enough for me. It's about time I did something for you." Zoro messed up Luffy's hair, and Luffy smiled and hugged Zoro.
"I'll make it up to you."
Within a week of Zoro and Luffy's marriage, Nami navigated them to a small, uninhabited Fall island that they could use as a temporary base. The island's name was Tsunami Magnet. It had been inhabited at one point, but was abandoned when the weather patterns changed to include a massive, destructive storm season three times every calendar year. Thankfully, some of the homes near the center of the island were still intact and surrounded by sand bags, so upon landing, the crew quickly moved in to the abandoned village. The houses were simple huts, set up in a circle, and the crew appreciated this quasi-vacation. They rented an Eternal Pose that would direct them to the nearest inhabited island where they could restock their food supplies, and another one to bring them back to their current home. Nami took the opportunity to make a detailed topography map, roaming the island during the day, often with Usopp at her side for "protection." (It was just a question of who was protecting who.) Sanji tried some fishing, as well as examining some of the local flora for different flavors. Chopper searched for fauna, and met a few plain brown birds and odd-looking, undersized squirrels, but no deer of any variety. He was still happy to talk local gossip, even if he didn't know any of the names or anybody's business, but the animals were all very curious about the crew. Robin took the opportunity to catch up on her reading along the shoreline. Zoro set up a makeshift dojo in the center of the circle of huts and trained most of the day, but when he wasn't lifting weights and attacking log dummies, he was inside with Luffy.
Luffy was tired often, an utter reversal from his usual self. He didn't go around exploring and looking for trouble. He spent most of his time inside, laid out and asleep, or somewhere between awake and asleep. Zoro would lean against the wall, sharpening his swords and napping in place. Upon awaking, Luffy would occasionally hoist Zoro over his shoulder as he slept and lay him on the mat next to him, cuddling up for comfort. Zoro always felt a bit confused when he woke with Luffy's nose pressed to his chest and a spot of drool on his shirt, but he didn't mind. It almost made him wonder why he hadn't crawled into bed with him in the first place. He did like being close with Luffy, and despite his determination to make sleeping with him normal, he still felt apprehensive about being accused of being any less of a man for loving Luffy. He couldn't imagine how Luffy didn't care. Luffy just wore that silly smile and kept his arms tight around Zoro, not letting him move from his grasp. Zoro stopped caring once Luffy was smiling and almost asleep; he surrendered to enjoying it. Zoro liked the way Luffy had to bend himself to fit against Zoro, arching his back and bending his knees. his round, shifting belly pressed against Zoro's middle, his knees against his thighs, and Zoro kept one hand on his back, squeezing his stressed muscles. It was the most he expected from him. When Luffy did go outside, he wouldn't go too far from his hut, often just to see what Sanji was cooking, or to chatter idly with the others. He was almost entirely unlike himself, but the crew understood- he didn't want to take any risks.
They lived on the island for more than two weeks, and Luffy was showing all the signs of nearing the end of his pregnancy. The bump in his midsection seemed to have sunk lower on his pelvis, appearing bigger than it was. Luffy was somewhat broody and often seen contemplatively tapping his belly like he was trying to crack an egg. Robin and Chopper were staying close to him, and Zoro felt somewhat guilty for not doing the same. However, Luffy told them all not to worry, and Zoro knew that Luffy could handle himself. Chopper and Robin, however, flat-out refused to leave him alone and told him not to be silly. He obviously did not like this, and Zoro noticed that Luffy became a different, silent sort of angry when he was denied. Zoro didn't like it, but Luffy asked for no help. It was one midmorning that Luffy figured out he could simply get away from Robin.
"Hey, Zoro!" Luffy called from his usual post on one of the logs Zoro had driven into the ground. He was perched haphazardly with his feet and hands keeping his balance, and Robin was watching him. Chopper was in walk point nearby, nibbling at some weeds. Zoro sheathed his sword and turned to Luffy.
"Yeah?"
"I wanna explore the island! Will you show me around? I feel like I've been here forever but I don't know anything about this place." Zoro nodded, and Luffy jumped to his feet and the pair walked off onto a trail. Luffy, oddly enough, took Zoro's hand and squeezed it in his. Zoro felt a bit unnerved, but he swung his arm slowly and interlaced their fingers. Luffy was smiling his familiar, excessively cheery smile. "Figure I should do this while I can. I mean, for the next couple weeks, I'll be pretty much stuck inside with the kid." Zoro chuckled a bit.
"Luffy, how long are we gonna keep calling her 'the kid?' She's gotta have a name." Luffy looked a bit confused.
"We already talked about this a while ago. Roronoa." Zoro rolled his eyes.
"No no, a name. A real name. Like my name is Zoro, and yours is Luffy," he chuckled. "I guess we've been too preoccupied with the big picture, and forgot about a few small details, like what we're going to call our daughter." Zoro scratched his head and put a hand around Luffy's back, squeezing him from behind. Luffy folded his hands over his middle, pressing in slightly as he thought. "So, I've got nothing."
"Okay, I've got an idea." Luffy grinned. "We'll name her after the island we were reunited on. Gilea."
"Gilea?" Zoro glanced at Luffy quizzically.
"Gilly for short." Zoro smirked, as Luffy patted his belly like a drum.
"I think I can go with that."
"Good. I don't have any other ideas." Luffy sighed contently, before grabbing Zoro's arm. "Uh, can we stop for a minute?"
Luffy sat cross-legged on the ground, pressing his hands to his knees. He was panting softly as though out of breath. Zoro leaned against a tree, watching with his brow raised, but said nothing. Luffy looked up after a moment, and started trying to get to his feet. Zoro took him under the elbows and lifted him. Luffy slouched as he stood, eyes downcast. "You're thinking about something. You don't do that too much."
"Shut up, I'm counting," Luffy mumbled. Zoro raised an eyebrow again, but didn't inquire any further as they continued to walk. Luffy began to pant after only five minutes, and Zoro stopped. He placed a hand on Luffy's forehead.
"You're sweating. It's not hot, and we're not doing anything rough. You okay?"
"Yeah," Luffy nodded, and Zoro smoothed Luffy's damp hair back from his face to try and look in his eyes. "Can you take me to where the ship is anchored?"
"I can, but should I?"
"Captain's orders," Luffy chuckled, and Zoro wrapped one arm around his waist in worry. Luffy's breathing was labored, his walking unsteady. He could see that he was pale and sweaty. Zoro wrapped his other arm around Luffy's shoulders and held him in place, giving his belly a tender rub.
"Luffy, you're not in good shape, you should be resting."
"Nah, Chopper told me that walking will help labor go faster." Zoro froze, gritting his teeth. Under his hand, he could feel Luffy's muscles moving.
"You're in labor right now?!"
"Yeah, she and I talked about it two nights ago when I was trying to sleep, and we decided that it was a good time for her to be born. It only started actually hurting this morning, and I think Chopper's right. I can feel stuff moving down." Luffy grinned, proud of himself. Zoro found himself in a panic.
"Shit. Shit. We're going back, you've gotta tell Chopper!"
"I don't want to. You know everyone's just going to hang all over me." Luffy looked away, oddly pensive. "I want to go to the ship."
"You want to set sail at a time like this?!" Zoro shouted, taking Luffy by the shoulders.
"Ow!" Luffy flinched, shivering, and Zoro drew his hands back.
"I didn't mean to-"
"It's the baby, she wants out. No, I don't want to set sail. I just want to be on the ship. I got knocked up there, might as well start the rest of her life there."
"I can't let you do that. This is really dangerous, Luffy. I want Chopper there."
"Fine. Go get him." Luffy grunted, resigning himself and pouting. "But nobody else. Just you and me and Chopper. Go, quick. Kid's impatient." Luffy winced, and sank to his knees at the side of the path, cradling his middle.
Chopper was entirely confused when he saw Zoro dashing towards him with his bandanna off. Zoro grabbed Chopper by the muzzle. "Come on, fast as you can, I need you right now."
"You need me?!" Chopper squealed as he shifted back into brain point.
"Yes, I need you, and we need to move fast. You need to come with me!" Zoro dashed back off, and Chopper went back to walk point and dashed alongside Zoro. Chopper could see telltale signs of fatigue on Zoro's face; he'd obviously been running a long distance, but he wasn't tiring. Chopper was naturally faster than Zoro as a reindeer, and he had to try to slow himself to follow. A muffled cry gave him a bearing: Luffy was crumpled in a little ball with Zoro's bandanna between his teeth. Chopper shifted to brain point, and Zoro caught up. Luffy smiled at Chopper, handing the bandanna back to Zoro.
"Okay, you're here. Let's go." Luffy began trying to push himself up to his feet, grunting softly in pain, until Zoro helped him up and wrapped his arms around Luffy.
"You're so damn stupid sometimes, it drives me insane," Zoro muttered, shaking his head and hugging Luffy tight.
"That's nice. Get me to the ship or I'm going to have the kid right here." Zoro didn't hesitate to put Luffy over his shoulder like a child, careful not to put pressure on his tender abdomen, and start walking. Chopper scampered right behind them, trying to talk to Luffy as he swayed against Zoro's chest.
"How far apart are the contractions?"
"Last count, four minutes." Chopper squeaked in panic, trembling.
"That's really close!!"
"It didn't start really hurting until- ow, Zoro-" Zoro passed his bandanna to Luffy again, who bit down on it hard. Chopper gaped as Luffy 'bit the bullet' in his own way, and he hopped and skipped after Zoro as he walked.
"Doctor Kureha only let me help with a birth one time before. She said it was simple and instinctive, and I've been reading about it, but I hardly know what to do!" Chopper whimpered.
"It's more experience than either of us have. And if it's instinctive, we'll probably be able to handle it!" Zoro muttered, squeezing Luffy's backside briefly. Luffy hissed, and slapped Zoro's back.
"Keep your hands to yourself! That's what got us in this mess in the first place!" Luffy growled, and Zoro's eye twitched.
"Sorry!" Zoro snarled, and he resisted the urge to smack Luffy back.
"Zoro, he's going to be in a lot of pain," Chopper warned, chewing his hoof nervously. "You might not want to be around."
"I wasn't around for enough of this. There's no way I'm going to miss my daughter entering the world." Zoro stopped as he reached the jetty. "Luffy, you can scream at me, swear at me, insult my manhood, and beat me like a rug, whatever it takes for you to feel better about birthing our daughter." Zoro carried Luffy to the deck. "And I won't even get mad. Where do you want to go?"
"Men's cabin," Luffy mumbled, and Zoro carried him into the cabin house, rubbing his cheek against Luffy's shoulder. Luffy panted breathlessly, and Zoro realized he was red with rage. "J-just put me down." Zoro obliged, and set Luffy down in the galley. Luffy got down the ladder on his own and stumbled down the hall to his cabin. Zoro and Chopper followed, and Luffy pushed himself to sit on his bed, biting his lower lip and clutching his belly. "It hurts so bad. I've never felt pain like this before." Tears of pain were sliding down his face. Chopper quickly rushed to the storage room to grab medical supplies, and Zoro stepped forward and took Luffy's hand.
"Show me how much it hurts," he instructed Luffy, kneeling in front of him. Luffy obliged and squeezed Zoro's hand as the contraction passed. Luffy's voice rose in a wail, Zoro's eyes were wide and he was grinding his teeth. "Fuck, shit, you…" Zoro flinched as Luffy gripped down harder and his voice broke. Luffy finally let go, panting, and Zoro shook his hand out. "God damn! I'm glad you didn't break it…"
"That was just one, Zoro, you've got at least couple hundred to go," Chopper reminded him as he entered. "I'm, uh, I'm going to have to take a look at what's going on where the kid's going to come out. Luffy, can you show me?" Chopper put his hands on Luffy's knees, and Luffy, rarely shy, removed his pants and boxers. Chopper, very shy, turned pink with embarrassment for a moment, but, as a doctor, got over it and spread Luffy's legs. Luffy lay back, and Chopper simply gaped. "Uh..."
"Don't say anything!" Luffy hissed. Zoro winced, as Chopper took heavy point to use his most human form and pulled on a pair of latex gloves. Zoro didn't like where Chopper's hands went, but it was only for a second.
"You're, uh, six centimeters dilated," Chopper told him, and he disposed of the gloves. "You're going to need to get to ten before you can actually push. Have you felt your water break?"
"I don't think so," Luffy mumbled, shaking his head. "I'd know, wouldn't I?"
"I imagine so, yeah, it'd be like a flush of water. It might not break on its own because of how stretchy you are… I'm going to try and break it for you." Zoro swallowed hard. "That'll help speed things up, okay? Get something to wipe this up, Zoro." Chopper brought out a long, thin needle wrapped in sanitary plastic, unwrapped it, and spread the cloth Zoro had brought under Luffy's thighs. He inserted it into what was now a birth canal, and fluid rushed out and soaked it through. Luffy winced, stomping one foot on the ground in rage and pain.
"It hurts," he snarled, before sitting up and grabbing Zoro's shirt collar. "Why are you hurting me more than anyone else has?"
"I don't mean to, it's not my fault!" Zoro snapped, trying to back away. Luffy let go, sinking back to the edge of the cot.
"I don't like this pain," Luffy muttered through gritted teeth. "Nobody makes me feel pain like this." Zoro sat beside Luffy, taking one of Luffy's hands. Luffy put the bandanna back in his mouth. Chopper sat on his other side, rubbing his back. Luffy hissed in a few breaths before starting to scream again. Zoro flinched as Luffy gripped his hand, and he felt his bones crunch again.
As part of their daily exploration of the island, Nami and Usopp had climbed to the top of a large cliff, working their way up with picks and ropes. They finally stood at the summit, despite Usopp's whining and sudden-onset acrophobia. As Nami began to sketch its location and make notes on her map about things she could see, Usopp took out a pair of binoculars to enjoy the view.
"You can really see the whole island from up here!" He laughed, gazing around. "There's the little village, and the clearings, and I can see the river! Oh, and the ship!" Usopp focused on the Going Merry. "Hey, looks like Zoro's on deck!"
"What would he be doing there?" Nami mused, as Usopp adjusted the scope to get a better look.
"Looks like he's pacing, and his hand's wrapped in bandages. I wonder what happened." Nami gasped softly.
"He must have gotten into a fight with Luffy. Usopp, we better get over there and talk to him. For all we know, he's going to try and steal the ship!" Nami quickly shoved her supplies back into her satchel and slung it over her shoulder.
The pair rappelled back down the cliff face as quickly as they could, and rushed back to their village, through the circle of huts towards the jetty. "Sanji! Robin! Chopper! We've got to get Zoro! Lu-" Usopp called urgently, but as he started to call for Luffy, Nami ribbed him.
"Don't call Luffy! He doesn't need to worry about this," Nami hissed, as Robin looked up from her book.
"Why would we need to get Zoro? He was on a hike with Luffy." Usopp and Nami stopped in their tracks, heads tilted in confusion.
"We saw him on the ship. He looked injured."
"Makes sense that he's injured," Sanji said as he emerged. "I heard him come yelling for Chopper." Nami's eyes sparked as she did the math.
"His hand is broken. Luffy broke his hand," she babbled. "Luffy broke his hand and the baby is coming and that's why he broke his hand." At this, Robin's hands sprung up by Luffy's pack, scooped up some baby supplies and started throwing them out the window to her, and Sanji and Usopp scrambled in a panic. Usopp whipped out his bullhorn.
"Baby on the way! Baby on the way! This is not a drill!"
"There's not much we can do to help, but we can at least be there for support!" Nami declared. "Guys, get the stuff!" Sanji rushed into the icebox and prepped a small cooler with a few bottles of ale and one bottle of milk. Usopp grabbed some of his special slingshot pellets, and Nami grabbed a special scroll of parchment. "Let's go get them!" Nami ordered, pointing one finger as a 'forward, march!' The group ran down the path, reaching the jetty in good time. Zoro was still on the deck, sitting on the railing with his legs hanging off the side, as the crew bounded up the ramp in file.
"What are you guys doing here?" Zoro asked, still massaging his injured hand.
"We could ask the same thing of you, idiot," Sanji muttered, before taking Zoro by the wrist. "You should take better care of your hands. You need them for your swords like I need mine to cook."
"I know!" Zoro snapped, looking ready to bite Sanji's head off. "It's just a few fingers broken, and I don't need them!"
"Does Luffy need you?" Robin asked provocatively. Zoro's head whipped to look at her, frowning.
"You figured it out, huh?" Zoro ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, Luffy said he didn't want everyone hanging all over him. Chopper kicked me out. Something along the lines of," Zoro imitated Chopper's squeak "'You can't get your hand broken any more than it is or you'll never be able to use it again!'" Zoro rolled his eyes. "I said I'd use my other hand, but then Luffy started screaming at me and I got the hell out." Zoro sniffed irritably. "Can't disobey a direct order, I suppose."
"And when have you ever cared about that before?" Nami demanded sharply. Zoro said nothing, and Sanji and Usopp chuckled.
"Point, Nami-swan."
"I… I should at least check on him, right?" Zoro looked at the other crew members for approval, and Robin patted his shoulder.
"You don't want to miss this particular miracle. I know that, swordsman." Zoro nodded, and shuffled back into the cabin house to go to the lower deck. The rest of the crew gathered themselves in the galley to wait.
Zoro re-entered Luffy's cabin. Chopper, who was out of the room, had Luffy seated on the very edge of the bed, his legs spread in a squat, and he was soaked with sweat. Luffy had substituted Zoro's swords for the man himself. Luffy had the hilt of a sword in each hand and the third in his mouth, gripping down on them in his pain. Luffy scowled at Zoro as he entered. "Get out!" He hissed around the hilt. Zoro shook his head.
"Not leaving. Our kid, our responsibility. Do you want some cold water?" Luffy looked at Zoro in near-disbelief, and nodded. Zoro took one of the swords from Luffy and banged on the ceiling. "Can someone bring us some ice water?" he yelled. In less than ten seconds, Robin was there with a basin and a rag, along with a receiving blanket.
"Usopp says not to do that again. He doesn't want you to break the floor." Robin said as she handed them off to Usopp. She glanced at Luffy briefly, turned pink and rushed away. Zoro sat beside Luffy and began to rub the wet rag on his forehead. Luffy looked somewhat relieved, and he removed the second sword from his mouth and put the third down.
"Are they all here?"
"They're upstairs, they won't come down here. They really want to see her, Luffy." Zoro kissed his forehead, and wrung water onto his hair. "I do too."
"Zoro! You're back!" Chopper exclaimed as he rushed back in with an armload of fresh cloth. Chopper was still in heavy point so he could use human hands, and he began to lay the blankets and towels on the floor under Luffy. "Luffy's gotten stretched out really fast. The baby will be here any minute, Luffy's been pushing by himself for a while now! I haven't even had to tell him what to do! This is so exciting!" Chopper hopped up and down happily, forgetting his size and making the floor shake. Zoro nodded, and held his arm out as Luffy moaned in pain. "Luffy, try and push again, I can see the top of the head!" Luffy bit down on Zoro's forearm and grunted as he squeezed his abdominal muscles with the contraction. Zoro resisted the urge to pull his arm away as the blood began to flow from the bite mark.
"You can do it," Zoro hissed, trying to keep the pain from his voice as Luffy kept biting down. He leaned forward to where Chopper knelt, and gaped. "Shit." He hadn't imagined just how large the baby's head would be in comparison to the opening it was emerging from. As Luffy gasped and let go, Zoro got down on the floor next to Chopper, reaching for the head as it hung in place but not looking at it.
"Luffy, you've almost got the head!" Chopper squealed.
"That was nothing, you need to do it again." Zoro beckoned him with a devious grin. Luffy grinned back at him, eyes weary.
"Bet you couldn't do this."
"Bet you can do it harder," Zoro challenged him. The pair looked like they were readying for a fight, wearing smiles like madmen. Luffy groaned suddenly at a new contraction, and Zoro leaned forward and gave Luffy one arm to chew and Luffy muffled his scream as he forced his muscles down again. Zoro kept one eye on the growing mass between Luffy's legs, as the features became more recognizable. Zoro tried to keep the horror from his face as he recognized a face, eyes, nose, mouth, soaked in what Zoro could identify as blood and something else he couldn't identify at all.
"Stop pushing, stop, stop!" Chopper ordered anxiously, and Luffy gasped breathily.
"Water, please, water!" Zoro tried to keep one eye on Chopper as he poured water on Luffy's damp head. Chopper was carefully but quickly working around the baby's neck, and Zoro winced as he realized that the cord was wrapped around it like a noose. Zoro thanked whatever god there was that Luffy still couldn't see past his middle. Luffy lay back, moaning at another contraction, and Chopper cried out in panic. Zoro gave Luffy his unbroken hand and leaned to see the rest of the head and part of the torso emerge. She was still wrapped in umbilical cord, trussed up like a present, and Chopper was slowly twisting the cord around to unwrap her. Zoro felt the blood rushing through his body like rapids stop flowing to his face, and he tried to pull away to watch Chopper with the baby. Luffy's arm stretched as he still gripped Zoro's hand, and Zoro was able to watch as Chopper untwisted and received a tiny body into a towel. Luffy let go of Zoro and slumped back in weakness, gasping anxiously, and Zoro scrambled to the doctor's side.
What looked like bloody water poured from Luffy, as Chopper took two metal clips and clamped them on the still-pulsing cord. He offered Zoro a pair of sanitary scissors, and without even being instructed, Zoro clipped the umbilical cord in two, freeing the baby from Luffy's hips. Luffy still moaned as the placenta emerged, but Zoro suddenly found his daughter thrashing and gurgling in his arms. Chopper had a bowl of warm water ready, and Zoro began to instinctively clean her off with a little bit of cloth. His hands couldn't stop shaking, even when she was whisked off by Chopper. Chopper weighed her and recorded the time of her birth, and handed her back to Zoro so he could write all the information down on a plain yellow pad. As he rubbed her head, she let out a piercing wail, and Zoro gaped. Utterly stupefied, he lay her beside Luffy.
"Luffy, this is ours," he whispered, as Luffy forced himself to sit up and carefully claim the baby into his arms.
"Yeah," he chuckled weakly. The blood was gone from his face, and he was bruised like he'd been beaten from biting his lips and gripping anything he could. Chopper quickly cleaned up the mess, and watched eagerly as Luffy held his daughter for the first time. "Roronoa D. Gilea."
"What's the D stand for?" Zoro asked absentmindedly, rubbing Luffy's back with and staring at the baby.
"D stands for a lot of things," was Luffy's only reply, and he cuddled the crying baby to his chest. "Gilly, pretty little Gilly," he mumbled, as Chopper offered Zoro the knit hat. Zoro carefully pulled it onto her, covering her wispy hair.
"Luffy, she must be cold, let me dress her," Zoro suggested quietly, and as Luffy slowly slumped back onto his bed, Zoro reclaimed her and lay her on the ground. He diapered her, and pulled little yellow pajamas onto her, ensuring each booty was snug around a tiny ankle. Zoro turned back to Luffy to show him, but he'd fallen asleep. Chopper simply grinned and returned to brain point.
"He's had a rough morning. Let him rest a little bit. Why don't you go introduce her to everybody? Oh, and say what I wrote at the top. That's what you do." Chopper passed Zoro his notepad, and once Zoro bundled Gilly into a blanket, he reviewed it and tucked it under his arm. He made his way up the ladder backwards, carefully cradling her close to his chest. He stared at her pink face, her puffy cheeks and pouting lips. He stopped at the top of the ladder, keeping her to himself for just a few moments longer. They felt like eternity. The second he turned around, he was mobbed by his crewmates.
"Well, Zoro?" Robin smiled, as Nami, Usopp, and Sanji (who had put out his cigarette) all leaned in. Zoro shifted the blanket so they could see her face and passed Nami the notepad.
"Seven pounds, four ounces. Roronoa Gilly." Nami cried out with joy and began to scrawl down her birth information onto fancy parchment. Sanji passed around ale and put the milk bottle in a pot of boiling water to warm it. Usopp shot off a few bullets that exploded into little fireworks, and Robin got Zoro into a seat to start bandaging his bleeding arms. Gilly was laid on the table for examination, as Nami counted off her fingers and toes through the folds in her swaddling. Sanji handed Zoro a bottle of ale and a warmed milk bottle with a nipple attached.
"Here, kiddo, Uncle Sanji is gonna make sure you never go hungry," Sanji cooed gently, his visible eye full of affection. "Be sure you give her the right one, mossball." Zoro chuckled and restrained himself from retorting as Sanji tousled her moss-colored hair. "If she isn't the cutest little girl in the whole Grand Line, I don't know who is." Zoro smirked at Sanji, glancing back down at the wrinkled, purplish baby in his possession.
"Yeah, you don't need to flatter her. But… thanks."
"Wait, so she can call me Uncle Sanji?" Sanji grinned eagerly. Zoro chuckled.
"Hey, why not?" Zoro eased the nipple into Gilly's lips and cradled her close. He smiled down at her as she latched on and began to suckle hungrily. "We're crew, and that's as good as family. So, Gilly, you've got Uncle Sanji. He makes the food. When you get teeth, you'll really appreciate him. Then you got Aunt Nami, she tells us where to go. She's bossy but we like her. And then, there's Uncle Usopp. He's a 'fraidy cat, but he tells good stories. Aunt Robin's very smart and tells good stories too, but the difference is, hers are true. She'll tell you everything you need to know about the world. Doctor Chopper- he's not here, you saw him before, though- he'll be sure you never get sick, even if he does look kinda funny. And last, is me and Daddy. We're your Daddy and other Daddy, and… and we love you very much."
That evening, after Luffy woke up, he made his way to join the others. He was still fatigued, but he had some important business to take care of. He had decided long ago what his first act as a father would be. He settled himself on the figurehead with Gilly in his arms, giving her a bottle and telling her stories. He told her about his grandpa and his brother, how he decided to become a pirate, about Red-Haired Shanks, and his special straw hat. He told her about when he first set off in a rowboat, about Coby and the Marines, meeting Zoro and freeing him- "I knew, when I met him, that he was special-" and then about each crew member in turn. He told her about their adventures on the Grand Line, Drum Island, Princess Vivi and Arabasta, and then about falling in love with Zoro. He left out the part about Zoro leaving, but did tell her about how he saved both of their lives when he went in the water. "And now, we're here, Gilly. You were born here, you're very special."
"Hey, Luffy," Zoro called. Luffy glanced back. Zoro had rolled an empty barrel to the center of the deck, and had one foot up on it. "Let's do it, eh?"
"Coming." Luffy slid down the masthead, cradling Gilly tight. She was barely awake, sleepy black eyes blinking through her baby thoughts. He passed her to Zoro, and put one foot on the barrel. "Gilly, everyone on this ship has a dream. We have dreams that we could only accomplish on the Grand Line."
"I want to be the world's greatest swordsman," Zoro said.
"And I want to be the King of Pirates. You're part of our dreams now, Gilly."
"I thought I gave up everything when I decided to pursue my dream to be invincible," Zoro added, "However, I know that I can be invincible and human at the same time. My other dream is to be the best father I can for you. I'll never be beaten, so I'll always be here for you," he chuckled, and tickled her nose with his finger.
"And my other dream is to be a great father too." Luffy rested a hand on her tiny head. "Gilea, you have dreams too. You're so little you can't tell us what they are yet, but we're going to help you achieve them. Until you can tell us what your dreams are, we will dream for you."
"Our dream for you is to be happy with us," Zoro finished, and cradled her tight to his chest. "So, Roronoa D. Gilea, welcome to the world, and welcome to the Grand Line." He and Luffy lifted their legs and, together, smashed the barrel.
End notes: Next week, I'll have the epilogue. This was a pretty big chapter, so leave a review and let me know what you thought!