What if Luffy was the one who taught Ko how to walk? -byungwha-chan

The captain groaned in frustration as Zoro swapped his one-year-old little brother away with a heated scowl. Luffy childishly demanded that he give Ko back to him, but the swordsman snorted sarcastically, stating that he didn't have to since Ko was his son. This argument, or more like refusal, went on for several minutes until Sanji became tired of the rubber man's loud protests.

"Oi, the hell is going on out here? Did you eat Ko's baby food again?" the cook spat accusingly. Luffy shook his head as he stiffly crossed his arms and pouted.

"Zoro won't let me teach Ko-kun how to walk!" The captain pointed a finger at the glaring first mate, "He can't crawl forever!"

"I know that, but you can't teach him," Zoro clarified.

"WHY NOT?!"

"Yeah, why not?" Sanji added nonchalantly. He didn't see why Luffy couldn't be the one to do it. After all, he did know how to walk in a straight line, unlike Zoro. Ko would be better off learning from anyone else first rather than his own mother. Zoro sighed, releasing Ko from an unknown death hug he was putting him through. "It's nothing against you, Luffy," he explained, "but you're really accident prone."

Pfft, like he knows what that means, the first mate mentally scolded himself. Although, it was without a doubt true. Whatever the captain did, may it be fighting, eating, playing, or walking, somehow he always ended up with a scrape or two. Just thinking of what would happen if Luffy had been Ko's teacher made a never-ending cycle of worst case scenario appear. Ko wiggled impatiently in his arms, probably wishing to be put down for a change. Zoro was reluctant until the child kicked him in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Again, Zoro cursed Sanji's abnormal leg strength for the twelfth time that week.

Once Ko touched the floor, he attempted to stand up on his own, but failed immediately, causing him fall backwards. Sanji's foot was casually there to catch his head, thankfully. Luffy, remembering that Nami said something about accident prone a while back, took his hat off and placed it on Ko's tiny head. It was too big, of course, for it to be steady enough not to block his vision. Luffy smiled dearly at him; Zoro noticed it was the same smile he gave whenever he had undying faith in something. With a sigh, the swordsman gave his son a final worrisome look then nodded at the captain.

"But only if me or the cook is around," he quickly added. Luffy grinned when the realization that both of said people were standing beside him, basically meaning that he could get started.

H{}H

Luffy tries to teach Ko how to walk either in the galley with Sanji, or in the crow's nest with Zoro for the next couple of days. Of course, the infant doesn't get it at all at first, but it's slowly processing in his brain that he needs to put one foot in front of the other and not both at the same time.

Surprisingly, Ko only progresses when Luffy gives him his hat or either hold or wear. Zoro thought it was just perfect timing, but as soon as the hat wasn't in his grasp anymore, the small boy fell to his knees every single time. Testing this theory the next day, Zoro asked Luffy to give Ko his hat and let him keep it for a short while. Luffy petulantly narrowed his eyes at him for the first time ever in suspicion, but complied nonetheless.

The cook automatically set down his oven mitts once Zoro and Luffy entered his domain. The swordsman put Ko on the floor confidently, although the infant could barely see with the big hat on. Sanji raised an eyebrow in confusion, but Zoro didn't really give much clarification on the matter. He only told him to call Ko.

"Okay, Ko, walk to Daddy," Sanji cooed, kneeling with his arms stretched out encouragingly. The blurimo blinked lazily up at the blonde with an uninterested expression, almost as if he was growing tired of trying to walk. Sanji wiggled his fingers and smiled, his unlit cigarette hanging halfway out of his mouth. With Luffy's hat drooping off the side of Ko's head, the infant balanced himself of his hands before pushing forward lightly, standing wobbly on the heels of his feet. Sanji gave him positive feedback the entire time. Ko shook unsteadily many times, but stand upright. One step forward, only about four more to go. Zoro grinned; he knew the ordinary straw hat would give him some willpower.

"One more, you can do it!" Sanji was practically beaming with pride, if not brighter than the very sun. Once Ko was but inches away, the cook couldn't hold in his happiness. He brought the infant into a gentle hug, though he wanted to squeeze the life out of him. Zoro smiled at them, feeling like he should be apart of that embrace, but stayed where he was.

"The power of the hat," he chuckled. Who would have thought Luffy's determination resigned in it?