Chapter 11: Heavy Lies the Crown

Nami wasn't the best navigator in the world for nothing. While the Straw Hats undoubtedly had an endless supply of luck on their side, their success in conquering the turbulent climates of the Grand Line was largely attributed to Nami's unparalleled instincts and expertise. Naturally, she had been frightened to death half of the time as she grappled for the best course of action with all of her nakama's lives on the line, but she slowly discovered that even the seemingly most unpredictable currents and skies had their moments of clarity. One just had to be perceptive and patient enough to see through them.

Dating Luffy was very much like traversing the Grand Line—vastly unpredictable on the surface but strangely exhilarating. Sometimes it was smooth sailing, and other times it was random cyclones and thunderstorms with fish flying everywhere and slapping you in the face. Nami took immense pride in being the first (and only) woman to navigate these uncharted waters, but at the same time, it was rather…lonely. Not physically, but mentally. Being the Pirate King's queen was honestly a title she'd never even hoped for. However, Luffy had deemed it so, and what he said was final. It was glorious in name and the thought that he viewed her as his counterpart filled her with so much joy. But at the same time, she recognized the immeasurable burdens associated with assuming the crown. Heavy lies the crown, or so they say.

She worried. A lot. How long could they keep it a secret from the rest of the world? Would she just wake up one day and see her face on the cover page of all newspapers around the world, with a hefty bounty associated with her new title tacked on her head? A rude awakening, indeed, but one that she somehow had to prepare herself for, should law enforcement catch wind of their circumstances. The only blessing thus far was that apparently Luffy had been right about Smoker keeping it from the press, for whatever reason.

It wasn't that she was second guessing her decision to be involved with Luffy—no, nothing else in her entire life had felt more right. But, no matter how much she thought she understood what being his partner and queen entailed, the fear associated with it was still paralyzing. At the root of it all, she was afraid of what would happen upon bringing a child into this world. And, it certainly didn't help that Luffy seemed determined to keep charging forward. Ever since the crew had all agreed to the creation of a new room aboard the Sunny, he found it necessary to remind everyone rather frequently that it was all part of the process for a future baby.

She really couldn't fathom how Luffy constantly remained so buoyant and spirited; it had only been a week since he'd called her his queen, but she was already floundering in the water. She desperately wished there was a guide or manual of some sort that addressed all of her worries pertaining to being in a relationship with the most wanted man in the world. She'd even entertained the impossible idea of Portgas D. Rouge leaving a note or something about her secret relationship with the former Pirate King. Of course, that would've been a very dangerous piece of evidence used against her, but Nami just really wanted some encouragement, no matter how brief or cryptic, from someone who understood first-hand what it was like to be involved with the Pirate King.

Her nakama were only helpful to a certain extent; while they offered solid advice every now and then, they often also liked to be bystanders who simply sat back and watched things unfold. After all, to them, Luffy was certainly the Pirate King—but he was first and foremost their idiotic captain who they loved to tease and watch squirm. Their relationship seemed destined to remain as the main source of entertainment for the rest of the crew. And really, she didn't blame them; she'd be highly entertained in their shoes too. But did that really mean they had to be constantly scrutinizing?!

Since Little Garden, she hadn't been able to eat a single meal without receiving some kind of look from at least one of her nakama. From Robin, who continued to be highly invested in pushing their relationship along, it was always a subtle upturn of her lips that accompanied a piercing stare. From Chopper, it was subdued excitement, as if he was always prepared to launch into an explanation to answer any question she may suddenly have about reproduction and babies. From Usopp, it was at times a smug grin and other times wide-eyed blinking, as if he couldn't quite believe what was happening either. From Franky, it was always approval, as if he was trying to give her a thumbs up with his face. From Zoro, it was a passive and almost bored stare that made her feel a little uncomfortable and suspicious, as if he knew something she didn't. From Sanji, it was a quiet and pensive gaze that, for whatever reason, made her feel slightly guilty. From Jinbe, it was a small encouraging smile that made her embarrassed. From Brook…well, she couldn't really tell with Brook because his expressions were difficult to differentiate, but he nonetheless stared. And he often voiced, rather dramatically, how envious he was of their relationship anyway.

They looked at her because there really wasn't much to look at with Luffy—he largely remained unaffected and oblivious, all of his attention on consuming as much food as possible, as per usual. Being in a relationship hadn't fundamentally changed him at all, and Nami was grateful that he was still the same person. But at times, it was utterly infuriating.

Today, they were set to move into the new room Franky and Usopp had spent the past week constructing and perfecting for them. As adding another level to the Sunny wasn't possible, the only practical way to add another room was to divide one of the current rooms into two. Robin had immediately offered to relinquish half of the women's quarters, insisting that it was too much space for herself. Other ideas thrown around included modifying the aquarium bar or library, but ultimately Robin's proposal made the most sense. Nami felt apologetic for having to impose on her nakama, but the archaeologist curiously seemed more than happy to downsize.

As Luffy unsurprisingly hadn't had any valid opinions when it came to interior design (because any kind of food storage was completely ridiculous and unacceptable), Nami had taken it upon herself to determine the exact furniture she preferred. Together, Franky and Usopp built and assembled a king-size bedframe (at Luffy's insistence because "King-size for a Pirate King!"), large double door closet, dresser, vanity, sink, and quaint sitting area with two plush armchairs and a small table. And of course, there was a corner reserved for her beloved treasure chest.

Nami was about to see the whole room for the first time since its completion, and she felt…ambivalent. Of course, she was excited for this next phase of their relationship. But at the same time, it was a very major step. It was one that further cemented their relationship and came with the grave reminder of the possibility of them being exposed at any time. Their relationship was a double-edged sword; while she was blissfully happy, there was always the added risk of others using their relationship against them.

Naturally, with all of these increased worries, she hadn't been sleeping well for the last few days. She could really use a distraction of some sort. One step at a time, she silently reminded herself.

"Well, I guess this is it," she determined with a glance around the recently downsized room, feeling strangely sentimental. She already had everything packed and ready to be transferred.

Robin chuckled from where she was seated in an armchair. "You're moving next door."

The navigator huffed out a laugh. "I know, but it's still so bizarre. We've shared a room all these years, and now…"

The archaeologist smiled softly in understanding. "My door is always open for you, Nami."

"Thanks, Robin," she returned sincerely before grinning cheekily. "Who knows how long I'll be able to stand cohabitating with Luffy? I'll probably be back before you know it!"

The two women shared a laugh that was interrupted by incessant and hurried knocks from the door. Nami opened it cautiously, finding herself face-to-face with Usopp, who appeared to be struggling very hard to suppress himself. He burst into an obnoxious fit of laughter upon seeing her, wiping tears from his eyes and clutching his abdomen.

She frowned at him and his suspicious reaction. "What's so funny?"

After failing to form a coherent response, he instead gestured for her to follow him. They ended up right in front of the entrance to her new room, and Nami's eyes zeroed in on the messy scrawl on a piece of paper stuck to the door.

"Baby room," she read out loud after taking a moment to decipher the characters. She gritted her teeth. It was obvious who the culprit was.

"I-It's hilarious cuz of how ambiguous it is," the sniper managed to utter in his state of hysteria. "Is it a room for the baby?! Is it a room to make a baby?!"

As Usopp continued to wheeze with laughter, Nami twitched in irritation and ripped off the sign before throwing open the door, fully intending to give Luffy a piece of her mind. She was surprised to find the room unoccupied and actually forgot about her anger for a few seconds as her eyes roamed the beautiful space that had been created. She had chosen a deep ruby red and gold as the color scheme for the room, and the furniture perfectly reflected this combination.

Then, her eyes fell onto the heap of…junk that had been thrown haphazardly onto the bed.

"Oi, where's my sign?!"

There it was. The perpetually demanding tone of the love of her life. She steeled herself for a confrontation that may or may not end in violence.

Luffy was in front of her in the next instant, pouting. "Nami, do you know where my sign went?"

"Oh, this?" She held up the crumpled piece of paper and chucked it at him. It bounced harmlessly off his body.

He stared at it for a few seconds before glaring at her in a mixture of anger and offense. "What did you do that for?!"

"I'm gonna go," Usopp excused himself hastily to no one in particular, bolting without another word.

"That is not staying on the door! This isn't even a room for a baby!"

"It will be!" Luffy retorted as he picked it up and unfurled it. "You ruined it!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "If we ever need a sign in the future, it'll be professionally crafted." She stomped over to the bed and gestured wildly to the pile. "And what's all this?!"

He blinked at her. "My stuff."

Her lips twisted into a look of contempt as her eyes raked through the items in the pile. It mainly consisted of various articles of clothing. "Are these clothes even clean?!"

He pursed his lips and glanced over at the pile, shrugging. "Dunno. My clean and dirty clothes kinda got mixed up."

"How do you 'kinda' get them mixed up?!" She took a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. "Where's your laundry hamper?"

"Don't have one anymore," he responded evasively.

She didn't have the patience to ask what happened to it, when it even happened, or why he didn't think to ask for a replacement. His answers would probably only incense her further anyway. So instead, she focused on a simple and concise order that left no room for interpretation. "You're going to wash all of them."

"What?!" He exclaimed as his jaw dropped open, aghast. "All of them?! That's gonna take forever!"

"Now," she commanded irately.

He gave her a jerky nod, grabbed the pile, and rushed out of the room. She collapsed onto an armchair and groaned. The perfect start to cohabitation indeed.

Luffy returned a while later, bursting through the door and wiping his brow with the back of his hand. "I'm so tired!"

Nami carefully hung up her favorite cardigan before glancing over her shoulder to where he was panting in the doorway. She arched an unimpressed brow. "Just from doing laundry?"

"Well, at first I was only washing everything like you told me to. Then Usopp showed up and we played—"

She abruptly whirled around and barked, "Don't even think about it!"

He recoiled in surprise at her sudden outburst. "What?!"

"I saw the direction of your gaze," she insisted and jabbed an accusing finger. "You were about to dive onto the bed!"

He gawked at her. "How did you know?!"

"You think I don't know you by now?" She clicked her tongue. "You have some predictable behaviors."

He shrugged and laughed boisterously. "Oh really?"

"Well, I guess now's the perfect time to go over some rules," she ventured with a sigh.

"More rules?!" He made a face. Then he looked over longingly at the very soft and fluffy bed. He knew what it felt to lie down on the sheets because he'd already done it earlier, before Nami had even set foot into the room. But there was no way in hell he was ever going to admit it.

"You can sit in the armchair," she compromised flatly. He leapt delightfully onto the chair. "First rule is no touching the bed unless you're clean."

It took him a few seconds to comprehend those words. "B-But that means…"

She smirked a little evilly. "Yes, that means you'll be showering daily before I allow you to get comfortable in those sheets."

He regarded her as if it was the end of the world.

She held her ground, planting her hands on her hips. "Did you think that you could keep getting away with it? This is the third time I've brought up showering regularly."

"I'm already showering regularly like you told me to!" He protested hotly.

"Every few days is not regularly," she retorted with a sniff. "You thought I wasn't paying attention? I'll admit that it's a significant improvement from your previous horrifying record of showering once per week, but if you'll be sharing a bed with me…you follow my rules, understood?"

He stomped his foot childishly. "I'll shrivel up if I shower every day!"

She snorted in amusement. "Don't be so dramatic. You'll be perfectly fine."

"B-But—"

"I'll reward you."

His mouth closed, and he stared hard at her. After a beat of silence, he finally asked, with suspiciously narrowed eyes, "What kind of reward?"

"Hm, curious, aren't you? Why don't we find out tonight?" She suggested in a low, seductive voice. "And I can think of a few ways to make showering fun," she added with a flirty wink.

He continued to stare at her. "That's impossible."

She shrugged nonchalantly. "Believe whatever you want. If you behave, I might be inclined to prove it to you sometime."

Usually, she wouldn't have the confidence to so brazenly use sexual innuendos. But she had found that with Luffy, they flew right over his head, and it was rather entertaining to test the waters and see if he would ever catch up. Today was no different; he merely gave her a blank look, and she smirked.

"Anyway," she continued blithely, "in terms of maintaining the state of the room, I expect you to always keep your belongings neat and tidy."

He looked dumbfounded, as if he'd never heard the words "neat" or "tidy" before in his entire life.

She pushed on with a roll of her eyes, "How much space do you need for your clothes?" She gestured unabashedly to the closet, which was already at half occupancy. It could easily be filled completely with her clothes and shoes alone.

He shrugged indifferently. "I only had a locker before."

It was her turn to gape at him. She had completely forgotten what furniture the men's quarters actually contained. Very little, from the sound of it. She tended to stay clear of that room; she could only imagine the miserable state of it.

Luffy hopped onto his feet and padded over to the dresser, mindlessly opening and closing each drawer. "I probably only need one or two of these." He opened the third drawer down before she could stop him. "Ah."

Of course, she'd just sorted and placed her undergarments into that very drawer before his return. While a large part of her was extremely mortified, the rational side of her decided that this was an inevitable aspect of living together. He would've discovered them sooner or later, and she figured there was no reason to throw a fit, provided that he continued to be respectful and not come up with any weird ideas.

"Obviously, that's my drawer," she stated dryly. "You can have the first two drawers. I assume you also have a few jackets and other items to hang inside the closet."

When he didn't say anything and she noticed that his attention remained transfixed on the contents of her drawer, Nami huffed in chagrin and forcibly slammed the drawer shut. His gaze snapped over to her in astonishment.

A light flush spread across her cheeks. "Don't stare like that. It's not like you've never seen them before." She pursed her lips. "I don't feel like I should have to say this, but just to be sure…you're not going to snoop around my stuff, got it? And likewise, I'll respect your belongings." She paused. "Unless they're disgusting, then that's a different story."

He audibly swallowed and nodded but remained disconcertingly quiet.

She hastened to change the topic. "So what do you think of this room?"

"Oh," he started with a cursory glance around the room. "It's pretty good I guess."

"Wow, you sound so excited," she quipped sarcastically and folded her arms across her chest, eyeing him accusingly.

"It's just a place to sleep," he asserted.

Her face hardened and her jaw clenched. That was not what she'd wanted to hear. "So to you, sharing a room with me doesn't mean anything more than a mere place to sleep?"

He looked at her strangely. "It's supposed to be for the baby."

Again, with the baby. He was getting way too comfortable bringing it up whenever he wanted. Nami reflexively balled her fists. "If you say 'baby' one more time today, it's never going to happen!"

That ticked him off. "But you already agreed to it!"

"Is having a baby as simple as a business transaction?!" She snapped back fiercely. "I'm entitled to call it off whenever I want! My body, my rules!"

"You have too many rules!" He threw back at her furiously.

"If you don't like them, you can crawl back downstairs!"

He fumed at her silently. She closed her eyes, pinched the bridge of her nose, and took a few deep breaths.

His next words sounded strangely vulnerable. Disappointed. "Nami, don't you want a baby?"

Her eyes flew open, and she took in his downcast expression. Instinctively, she softened and said quietly, "I do." She was slightly taken aback by her automatic response but nevertheless continued, "But I'm not ready for that yet. Before we get there, I want it to just be you and me. Just the two of us."

He was watching her closely. Waiting. She closed the distance between them, affectionately twining her arms around his torso and smiling gently at him. "For now, I want to just enjoy having you all to myself. Once there's a child in the picture, there's no going back to the way things currently are. Our lives will be very different."

She saw a spark of something in his eyes. Comprehension, hopefully. Then, he was wrapping his arms around her in return. She pressed herself closer and rested her chin on his shoulder, feeling her smile stretch when she felt him reciprocate her actions.

"So, what do you say?" She proposed lightly as she pulled back a little to look at him.

"Okay," he conceded. "Just the two of us for now. But I'm ready whenever you are."

She snorted in slight amusement. "Yes, Captain." She grinned and pecked him briefly on the lips. "In the meantime, I hope you'll learn to appreciate our room and see it as more than a place to sleep."

"But what else do you do besides sleep?" He seemed genuinely baffled.

She arched an eyebrow. "Look around you. There's a sink for brushing your teeth and washing your face. You can change your clothes and get ready for the day."

"That's all boring stuff!"

"We have a set of armchairs where we can have meaningful conversations."

He stared blankly at her.

Her eyes strayed over to the lavish bed, and she bit her lip. "Then of course, the bed is the highlight of the room. And you should know that it has plenty of other uses aside from sleeping."

"You mean…" He blinked owlishly at her.

Her lips quirked up, and she slyly snuck her hands underneath his shirt to caress his bare back. "I think you know exactly what I mean."

He grinned roguishly in response, and she tampered down the sudden urge to tackle him onto the sheets. It seemed that action was what it took for her insinuations to fully get across to him.

Nami cleared her throat in an attempt to stay on track. "I picked out the mattress and sheets myself—all of the finest quality. It was a rather ridiculous splurge, but the Pirate King should only have the best, right?"

"Yeah!" The grin he flashed her was blinding.

"I'm glad you approve," she remarked. "I should finish putting my things away. Do you still have anything else to grab from the men's quarters?"

He looked around the room pensively, furrowing his brows. Then, a look of enlightenment overtook his face and he gave her a firm squeeze before letting go and heading toward the door. "I gotta get some things!"

She watched him sprint out of the room and affectionately shook her head before fixing her ponytail and resuming the task at hand.

He was zipping back into the room a short while later and decked out in a preposterous amount of gold and jewels, from the crown atop his head to the large medallion and necklaces around his neck and various rings decorating his fingers. He was also wearing a regal and antique cape around his shoulders. There was something rolled up in his hand.

He cackled in glee. "Almost forgot about my treasures!"

She chuckled fondly. "Where are you going to even keep all of that?"

His bright gaze landed on her treasure chest. She narrowed her eyes, now finding the situation considerably less entertaining.

"What's in that treasure chest?" He demanded immediately.

"My treasures," she responded with a haughty sniff.

"Can I keep mine with yours?" He asked hopefully.

She hummed in thought. "I suppose so. Your valuable assets are essentially mine anyway." She smirked at him triumphantly. "70%, remember?"

Clearly, he either didn't remember or was intentionally pretending that he didn't, but she decided to let that go for the time being. There would be plenty of opportunities to pester him about it later on. "What's that in your hand?"

"Oh!" He quickly unrolled it, and it turned out to be two items. Specifically, two wanted posters. He proudly brandished them in front of her face.

She blinked at them, the significance of this action completely lost to her. "Our wanted posters? Why do you even have them?"

"I saved them from the newspaper last time! These are gonna go up on the wall!"

She wrinkled her nose in confusion. "Why?" She didn't see the appeal in being forced to look at their faces on wanted posters on a daily basis. Admittedly, they were actually flattering pictures, but she really didn't need another reminder that they were criminals. Her mind already had that covered.

"I did this with the guys too. We had all of our posters up in the room." He paused. "Oh, except for Sanji cuz his always got messed up."

"Okay, but why?" She repeated, still completely bemused.

"Cuz we're pirates!"

She blinked slowly.

"We like to compare bounties," he added.

She arched an eyebrow, regarding him listlessly. "Well, you win by a landslide, so there's no need for us to compare, right?"

He pouted deeply at her. "Come on, Nami! I just wanna put up our posters! This is my room too!"

She had a foreboding hunch that he would be using "this is my room too" as an excuse for everything from now on. She rolled her eyes in resignation. "Fine, but not on the wall opposite of the bed. I don't want to see them first thing in the morning."

Luffy cheered and proceeded to whistle merrily and scope out the perfect spot for their posters. Nami shook her head to herself, silently wondering when she'd gotten so soft and just what the hell she had gotten herself into.

"Oi, Usopp!"

The sniper didn't react. His attention remained steadfast on the weapon he was tinkering with.

"Oi, did you hear me? Usopp!" The captain's nagging voice was suddenly coming from the entrance of his factory.

Usopp sighed quietly and glanced up briefly to acknowledge him. "What's up, Luffy?"

"I'm bored!" Luffy announced in a manner that commanded someone to do something about it. And this unfortunate someone at the moment was Usopp.

"I'm busy right now, and besides, we already goofed around earlier," the sniper responded matter-of-factly. "Go bother Nami."

"She told me to come bother you," the rubber man countered simply. "She's also boring right now, still sorting through all her things. She has way too much stuff!"

Usopp internally groaned at the fact that the crafty navigator had purposely sent Luffy his way. "What do you wanna do?"

The captain shrugged. "Dunno. Anything I can help with?"

"No!" The sniper rejected immediately. At Luffy's affronted look, he hastily amended with, "I'm actually about to take a break! Let's go see if Sanji has anything for us to eat!"

"I already checked," Luffy informed him.

"And you got kicked out?" Usopp guessed.

"Yep. Lunch isn't ready yet." The captain stared wide-eyed at all of the various gadgets and tools laid out on the workbench.

The sniper promptly smacked Luffy's curious hands away from his possessions and racked his brain for something to preoccupy the restless captain with. "Oh, Luffy! Have you decided on our next destination?"

Luffy hummed and rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

Usopp furrowed his brows. "We haven't received any updates recently from the Grand Fleet, huh?"

The captain scratched his nose. "Must mean everything is okay then. Anywhere you wanna go, Usopp?"

The man in question hesitated. He did in fact have a very specific destination in mind. "Well…I've been thinking more about my hometown lately…"

Luffy's face split into a broad grin. "Me too! And I know Nami wants to go home sometime too!"

Usopp mirrored the grin, excitement blossoming within him. "Back to East Blue then?! Zoro and Sanji have people to visit too!"

"Where should we go first?!" The captain began to bounce around in anticipation.

"We should discuss this with everyone else," Usopp reasoned. His eyes grew distant and his grin softened as he voiced his next words, "I can't wait to see Kaya again."

Luffy abruptly ceased his chaotic movements and bluntly questioned, "Ah, she's your woman, right?"

The sniper spluttered incoherently, his face turning an alarming shade of red. "N-No! I m-mean no? Not really? B-But—"

The captain threw his head back and laughed heartily. "You're so funny, Usopp!"

Usopp struggled to recollect his jumbled thoughts, taking a few deep breaths to calm himself. "What I mean is…my relationship with Kaya is very different from what you and Nami have."

"Nami is my queen, so of course it's different," Luffy stated without hesitation. "But I don't get it. Is she your woman or not?"

"Wait! Back up!" The sniper ordered, his arms wildly flailing about. "Did you just call Nami your queen?!"

"Yep," the captain confirmed. "But that's not what we're talking about—"

"How did this happen?" Usopp interrupted forcefully. "What does that even mean?"

"Huh?" Luffy frowned at him, perplexed and effectively distracted from the question he'd wanted to ask. "Usopp, you don't know what a queen is?"

The sniper barely resisted throwing his tools at him. "Of course I know what a queen is, idiot! What I want to know is how you decided that's what she is to you!"

"Oh," Luffy said in understanding. "Well, it just makes sense."

"Please elaborate," Usopp pressed.

The captain blinked at him, and silence fell between them.

"Do you…see her as your equal?" The sniper supplied.

Luffy nodded.

"As someone you want next to you?"

He nodded again.

"As someone who deserves the royal treatment?"

He seemed a little confused by that but nodded slowly.

"As someone who deserves your undying love and affection?"

He blinked and nodded.

Unable to restrain himself this time, Usopp lunged for a wrench and hurled it at the rubber man. "Then why didn't you just say so?!"

Luffy flinched, startled by the sniper's sudden indignant outburst. He didn't understand why people kept throwing things at him today. "I was thinking, but you just started talking!"

Usopp rolled his eyes at his infuriating captain, feeling a haze of exhaustion descend upon him. On one hand, he empathized with poor, unfortunate Nami for likely having to deal with such behavior tenfold. On the other hand…she knew exactly what she'd been getting herself into. He could only hope that being "his queen" made all of her headaches worth it.

"So when's the wedding?" The sniper asked casually.

At Luffy's stupefied expression, Usopp guffawed. "I'm joking!" He was only partially joking, but he supposed this was something Luffy wasn't quite ready to discuss. Waggling his brows for emphasis, the sniper asked mischievously, "How's it feel to be shacking up with Nami the Pirate Queen?"

Luffy came to life as his nostrils flared and eyes lit up. He promptly launched into an impassioned rant. "First, she's stupid for ruining my sign! She's got too many stupid rules! And she keeps saying that she'll reward me if I behave but never tells me what kind of reward!" Usopp smothered a bark of laughter; he was confident he could correctly guess what kind of nauseating acts this reward entailed. "She's making me shower every night, Usopp! Can you believe it?! You gotta make her take that rule back!"

"And how am I supposed to do that?" Usopp chuckled in amusement. "If there's anyone on this ship who actually has the ability to negotiate with Nami, it's you." He paused. "Well, you and Robin."

"Me?!" Luffy echoed in astonishment. "Really?!"

"Yeah, it's easy," Usopp encouraged with a wicked grin. "All you have to do is refuse to kiss her or do anything with her until she agrees to your demands!"

The captain's mouth dropped open in abject disbelief. "I can't do that! She'll kill me!"

The sniper snorted. "She won't. She loves you, remember? You definitely have the means to negotiate with her."

"But…" Luffy pursed his lips, dissatisfied. "I wanna kiss her though."

Usopp blinked a few times, dumbfounded. "I'm just gonna pretend I didn't hear that."

"What do I do, Usopp?" The captain whined.

The sniper shrugged and placed a comforting hand on Luffy's shoulder. "Unless you wanna get Robin involved, I'd say that you don't have much of a choice." He added under his breath, "Since you're already so unbelievably whipped."

"Okay! I'll go talk to Robin right now," Luffy decided resolutely.

"Look," Usopp interjected, effectively halting the rubber man in his quest to seek immediate backup from the archaeologist. "Here's what I think. Dating Nami means that you unfortunately have to compromise on some things. You're equals, remember? And honestly…you should just be extremely grateful she's even willing to share a bed with you! No offense, but you couldn't pay me to share a bed with you. Showering daily is the least that you can do. You gotta learn to pick your battles, Luffy."

The captain looked entirely put off. "So I just have to do it?"

"She'll reward you generously for it, I'm sure," Usopp replied, trying his best to not gag.

Before Luffy could protest some more, a blood-curdling shriek from the decks above punctured the air. The two men looked at each other in alarm and sprung into action, scrambling to race up to the source of the sound.

"Nami?!"

"What happened?!"

The navigator was shaking uncontrollably, whether in rage or sorrow or something else entirely remained a mystery to both men, as she remained fixated on the letter she had clutched in her hands. This was not what she'd meant by wanting a distraction! "How could she?!"

Luffy tentatively took a step forward. She was definitely angry. The rest of the crew burst out from different doors in various degrees of alarm. As everyone waited with bated breath, Nami transitioned into brooding over the letter in silence, a look of absolute displeasure making itself known on her face. Then she huffed in aggravation and sank down onto the grass deck, her attention never leaving the piece of paper she was inspecting inch by inch. She held the letter in one hand and drummed the fingers of her other hand against her thigh, a calculating look crossing her features.

Luffy slowly crept toward her until he was standing over her, waiting expectantly. Without even glancing up, she roughly proffered the letter, still incessantly drumming her fingers. "It's definitely not forged," was all she muttered.

He took it carefully and read through its contents, a puzzled frown pulling at his lips.

"Nami, what's there to be so mad about?" After giving it one last bemused squint, he passed the letter on to Usopp, who practically ripped it out of his grasp with burning curiosity. The rest of the crew gathered around to see for themselves.

The navigator shot their captain one of the deadliest glares to ever exist. "Wouldn't you be mad if you suddenly found out, so completely out of the blue, that Sabo was getting married next week?! To some mystery partner, no less?!"

There was a beat of silence that was broken as Sanji began to sob about injustices. He did it so frequently nowadays that most of the others just ignored him out of habit.

"Oi, what do you have to cry about?" Usopp asked in a mixture of confusion and disgust.

"I'd be happy," Luffy responded plainly.

She scoffed in disdain, "You don't get it! Nojiko only just admitted to me a few letters ago that she had been seeing someone, and now, all of a sudden, she's getting married?! I literally know nothing about this person who's about to become family!"

"Nami," Robin spoke up thoughtfully. "Perhaps your sister had a reason to hide the details from you."

"Yeah!" Usopp agreed enthusiastically. "She's gotta have a good reason!"

"Well, I don't want to hear it!" Nami snapped stubbornly. "And she has the audacity to ask me to be her maid of honor in a letter that arrived barely a week before the date of the wedding!"

"Well, who else was she gonna ask? You are her only sister," the sniper pointed out, only to receive a dark glower that made him shut up.

"I'm not prepared to be her maid of honor! I don't have a speech, a dress, the right pair of heels—"

"You have a lot of those," Luffy interjected unhelpfully.

She continued to speak as if he hadn't said anything at all. "—and isn't the maid of honor supposed to help plan events prior to the wedding?! There's no time for me to plan anything! I don't feel 'honored' at all! And who the hell is she even marrying?!"

Zoro, who had very surprisingly been paying attention, snorted in wry amusement. He found this whole situation exceptionally entertaining. "Only one way to find out."

"Nami-san," Brook started kindly, "I understand that you are frustrated, to put it lightly, but I think that if you take a step back and read the letter again, you'll find that your sister seems to express profound guilt and regret at having to break the news to you this way."

She pierced him with a withering look, and he received several blank stares from some of the others.

The musician cleared his throat delicately. "I'm an artist—I try to read between the lines to uncover the true feelings and thoughts of the creator. And this letter is absolutely overflowing with remorse!"

Nami waved off that notion dismissively. "You can all say whatever you want in her defense, but the fact remains that she…she, for whatever reason, didn't feel like she could discuss the details of her love life with me!"

"Like I said, only one way to find out," Zoro repeated gruffly.

The navigator abruptly shot to her feet, nearly knocking Luffy over in the process. She wore a look of fierce determination. "You know what, Zoro? You're right!" The swordsman eyed her dully, while the others regarded her in stark surprise. "I'm going to go home and be the best maid of honor there ever was, despite the limited amount of time left! The wedding will be so perfect that she'll bawl for days!"

"Uh, wait," Usopp interrupted, scratching his head in bewilderment. "I thought you were angry at her?"

"Absolutely furious," Nami confirmed, her eyes still blazing. "Which is why this will all lead to her experiencing immense regret for not confiding in me!"

"She already does feel immense regret," Brook tried but was ultimately ignored by everyone except Robin and Jinbe. They both gave him supportive smiles.

Luffy whooped ecstatically. "We're going back to East Blue!"

Chopper jumped up and down excitedly. "We're finally going to visit your hometowns?!"

"Yep!" Usopp grinned broadly. "Man, it's been so long! I guess our first stop is all set then, huh?"

"I've never been to a wedding before!" Franky declared with gusto. "This is super!"

"It's very kind of your sister to have invited all of us," Robin mused. "I hope there isn't an unprecedented murder."

There was a brief pause.

"What kind of weddings have you been to, Robin?!" Usopp exclaimed in dismay.

"Well," Sanji began with a grimace, having somewhat recovered from his meltdown, "I'm sure I don't need to remind everyone what nearly happened at mine."

They all silently and collectively decided that the events that had occurred on Whole Cake Island were best left in the past.

"Oi, Nami, how's your sister's taste in booze?" Zoro asked seriously. "I don't want any of the fancy crap."

Brook chortled. "Yohohoho! How exciting! This will be my first real wedding in decades! Nami-san, if your sister wishes, I would be delighted to provide live music!"

"Nami, can I help with any of the planning?!" Chopper enthusiastically asked.

"What kind of food will be there?!" Luffy demanded.

Nami clenched her fists tightly. "Does anyone care that I'm still enraged?!"

When her nakama only continued to chatter animatedly, she huffed dramatically, snatched the letter from Brook, and stormed off. They watched as she comically barged into what was now Robin's room, only to throw the door open again a second later with a stream of curses. She stomped over to the next door over and disappeared into her new room.

"See? We need a sign!" Luffy declared loudly. Usopp promptly dissolved into a fit of laughter at the reminder of the "baby room" sign.

There was a brief lull of silence when everyone collectively settled down.

"Someone should go check on her," Usopp suggested with a slight cringe.

Luffy nodded fervently in agreement. He waited for someone to volunteer, only to belatedly realize with a start that his nakama were all looking expectantly at him.

He pointed dumbly at himself. "Me?!"

"You're dating her, aren't you?" The sniper reminded smugly.

"As much as it pains me to admit it," Sanji spoke up, "Nami-san needs you the most."

"But she's mad!" Luffy objected heatedly. "How am I gonna make it better?!"

"Give her your undivided attention," Robin advised.

"Remember that human females are mysterious creatures," Jinbe asserted.

When the captain remained rooted in place, sweating profusely with dread and indecisiveness, Zoro growled irritably, "Just go already!"

Chopper, Franky, and Brook began to chant in what was meant to be encouragement, but to Luffy, it sounded like a death march.

He reluctantly trudged up the stairs, shooting disgruntled looks at his nakama over his shoulder as they continued to urge him on. Did dating Nami really mean that he always had to be the one to deal with her anger?! This was so unfair!

Luffy came to a halt outside of his new room and gulped. He cast one last glare at his nakama, who continued to watch him in great interest, before barging into the room. He figured that it was stupid to knock on his own door.

Nami was hunched over in front of her vanity, her head resting on her arms. She sat up straight upon his entrance and dashed away some tears, her moist eyes narrowing dangerously. "What do you want?"

He honestly had no clue how to answer her, so he opted to stay silent.

She exhaled shakily. "Well, are you just going to keep standing in the doorway? Either come in or stay out."

After a prolonged moment of deliberation, he stepped forward and allowed the door to swing shut behind him, sealing his fate. He felt a sense of impending doom.

As she considered what she wanted to say to him, she watched him fidget uncomfortably. He clenched and unclenched his fists, and his eyes darted about as if he was unsure what to do with himself.

Just as she was about to speak, he brusquely and rather randomly cut in with, "I'll go shower."

Her eyebrows shot up. She hadn't expected those words at all. "Right now? It's not even lunch time yet."

"It'll make you happy, right?" He questioned seriously.

She chuckled, and it was a watery sound. "Yes, but I only expect you to shower before bedtime. I'd hate for you to have to shower again later tonight."

He was at a loss. "Then what should I do?"

She smiled softly and stood up from her seat before the vanity. "Let's have a meaningful conversation." She gestured invitingly over to the pair of armchairs.

For a second, Luffy appeared as if he wanted to retaliate, waves of unease radiating off him. But to her pleasant surprise, he ultimately acquiesced and settled into one of the armchairs. Nami unlocked her treasure chest, which now also contained some of Luffy's prized possessions that she'd deemed worthy of sharing her sacred space, and carefully retrieved the framed photograph of Bell-mère, Nojiko, and herself. Picture and letter in hand, she walked over to sit down in the armchair opposite of him. It took valiant effort, but she decided against scolding him for his awful posture with his legs propped up on the seat. She read through the letter once more.

Nami,

I debated for a long time how to best tell you this, and I came to the conclusion that you'll be angry (and rightfully so) no matter what I say. So, I think the only reasonable course of action is to cut straight to the chase. I'm getting married on the first of next month, and you're the only one I want as my maid of honor. I'm not sure where you are now, but by the time this letter reaches you, I suspect that there will be little time left before the wedding. You can yell and scream at me all you want if you decide to come home, and of course, all of your friends are invited as well. Your attendance would mean the world to me, but I understand if you're unable to make it, for whatever reason. You probably think I'm extremely selfish and unbelievable, but please know that I didn't intend to hide everything from you—it's hard to adequately convey my thoughts and feelings in letters. I hope you'll give me the chance to explain everything in-person soon.

Love, Nojiko

With an exasperated huff, Nami set the letter down onto the table between them. She ran a finger over the photograph and finally looked up at Luffy, who was openly watching her. "Do you think I'm wrong to be angry?"

"No," he said simply.

"But you wouldn't be mad if the situation today was with Sabo," she pressed.

"No," he confirmed. "It's his decision."

She frowned. "You wouldn't feel offended at all for not knowing beforehand?"

He shrugged. "As long as he's happy, I don't care."

"It's not that simple for me," she countered fervently. "Nojiko and I…we've always told each other everything." She paused. "Well, our relationship was obviously strained at first when I was with the Arlong Pirates and there were certain things I couldn't tell her, but she…" She trailed off and sucked in a sharp breath, blinking away some tears and tightly clutching the photograph resting on her lap. "You know, she got all of those tattoos to show her support and solidarity. Nojiko has always been there for me, even when we're not physically together. So obviously, I'm going to be there next to her on one of the most important occasions of her life. And I'm extremely happy for her for finding someone she wants to marry and spend the rest of her life with—I can't believe she's getting married! I didn't see this coming at all! I guess something must have changed between us along the way though, if she didn't feel like she could share the details of her relationship with me. It just really hurts to have been left in the dark about everything leading up to this marriage. I don't understand…"

Luffy waited to see if she had anything more to say. When a few seconds passed and she only continued to stare glumly down at the picture, he asked bluntly, "Have you told her about us?"

Nami's eyes flew up to his in surprise. "What?"

He folded his arms across his chest, regarding her with something akin to disapproval. "If you haven't, then aren't you being a hypocrite?"

Her mouth opened and closed, astounded by his logical reasoning. "I-It's different!" She insisted defensively.

"How?"

She blushed furiously and searched desperately for words. "We're not getting…married…"

"That's not the point," he chastised sternly.

She scoffed in slight irritation, "What's the point then?"

"We're dating and we have plans for the future, but you haven't told her any of that."

"I've been planning to!" She argued vehemently, disliking his accusatory gaze and tone. "I just haven't found the right words, and I'd really prefer to just speak to her—"

"Isn't it the same for her then?" Luffy interrupted curtly.

Speechless, Nami could only gape at the man before her. He truly had his moments of brilliance, even if she loathed to admit it. Shaking her head in awe, she released a breathless chuckle. He was suddenly infinitely more attractive. "Fine, Luffy, you win."

"What did I win?" He asked eagerly, leaning forward in his seat with a grin plastered on his face.

She winked coquettishly and laid the framed photo flat on the table before smoothly positioning herself to kneel next to his seat. She settled both hands on his thighs and inched her fingers up until they were teasing the waistband of his shorts. Peering up at him from under her lashes, she suggested coyly, "Why don't you take these off first?"

"Nami," he began slowly, blinking a few times at her and her seduction techniques, "you said that these chairs are for meaningful conversations."

She smirked in approval. "This is meaningful. Now hurry up before I change my mind."

He was obediently up in a flash, his hands poised to shuck off his shorts. Then, the photograph on the table made him pause. "That's your mom?"

Confused, she followed his gaze to the picture. "Bell-mère-san? That's her."

"Oh, I didn't know that's what she looked like."

"Really? After all these years?" Her brows creased in bewilderment. "Well, I guess it makes sense if you've never seen a picture before." She raised an eyebrow. "Any more questions, or are you ready to get on with it?"

"What's she like?" He asked, still immobile with his fingers awkwardly hooked into his waistband.

"You really want to ask me that now?" Nami asked in utter disbelief. Talking about her late adoptive mother was effectively killing her libido. "Didn't you pay attention to my life story in the past?"

He merely shrugged.

She shook her head incredulously and swiftly stood up, silently lamenting a missed pleasurable opportunity. "How is it that the others know more about my past than you do?"

He shrugged again and looked at her curiously. "What were you like as a kid?"

She studied him carefully, biting the inside of her cheek. "If you remove your hands from your pants, I'll tell you." She paused as the most absurd thought suddenly struck her. "And come to think of it, I only know bits and pieces of your past."

It seemed that the two of them were doing things completely out of order. They were certainly a dysfunctional pair.

"Oh," Luffy said as he dutifully released his waistband with an exaggerated snap. "What do you wanna know?"

She returned to her armchair, pondering his question. "Everything."

"Everything?!" He echoed in shock and dropped into his seat. "That's gonna take forever!"

"You better get started then," she advised with a radiant smile.

The next morning, Nami awoke with a start, her eyes wide as she took in her seemingly unfamiliar surroundings. It took her sleep-addled brain a few seconds to process that she was in her new room. That she shared with Luffy. Who was still blissfully snoring away somewhere behind her. She shifted onto her other side to observe him, a gentle smile involuntarily forming on her lips. With plenty of space on a king-size bed, his limbs were sprawled out and half of his body stuck out from under the covers, but that didn't seem to bother him one bit.

She had fallen asleep the night before in his arms, and while a part of her had hoped that she'd also wake up in his arms, she supposed this wasn't bad either. Just being able to sleep next to him pleased her to no end, even if he was an atrociously noisy sleeper. She was surprised that she'd finally managed to sleep rather soundly after several consecutive nights of poor sleep. It seemed that he actually had the power to assuage all of her worries, even if only temporarily. His presence was soothing, and when they were together, she felt that she could gain the confidence to face the challenges yet to come. Regardless of her feelings, he definitely possessed more than enough confidence for both of them.

Much more awake now, she moved closer to him and propped herself up with her arms as she continued to watch him snooze away. She bit her bottom lip appreciatively as she took in the sight of his naked torso. He had been perfectly content to sleep completely nude and was only wearing boxers because she had insisted that they should still appear decent. It didn't make any sense to him, and she was now sharing his sentiments and regretting making both of them keep clothes on. She was in her usual ensemble of a tank top and shorts.

She quickly sat up and attempted to clear her head of these increasingly inappropriate thoughts. She needed to occupy her hands before they decided to act on their own. Raking through her wavy locks, she winced as her hand snagged on a particularly resistant tangle. It was the curse of maintaining such long hair, but it was one she was happy to bear because Luffy seemed fascinated by her hair as it was. He occasionally played with it, running his hands through her orange tresses and attempting to use the ends to tickle her. And of course, he continued to pretend he had an orange mustache whenever he could. His antics were silly but sweet and completely Luffy.

Nami contemplated getting out of bed. She estimated that it was still early in the morning, but they had a long day of sailing ahead of them. They were finally returning to East Blue, where they would first attend Nojiko and her mystery partner's wedding and spend an unspecified amount of time in Cocoyashi Village. Thanks to Sunny's recent upgrades, they could cut across the Calm Belt and save several days of travel time.

After coming to terms with her mixed feelings on Nojiko's impending nuptial, she found that she was ecstatic to reunite with her family and everyone else in the village who had been nothing but caring and supportive. She was just as excited to show all of her nakama her hometown and merge the most important people in her life together in one setting. This reunion was occurring a lot sooner than she'd expected, and naturally she still had many qualms associated with returning to East Blue…but there was no way she was missing her sister's big day. It was surreal to her that all of this would be happening very soon.

Her eyes found the slumbering Pirate King once again. She had been thinking more recently about wanting to share the most intimate act between two people with him. It was, by natural progression, the next step. But she had yet to determine the perfect time. Robin had said that she would know when the time was right…somehow. In the meantime, she made a mental note to have a nice long talk with Chopper. She just knew that the little doctor was going to be unnecessarily enthusiastic, and she could only hope that it wouldn't be as mortifying as she imagined it being.

The snoring abruptly ceased as Luffy jolted in his sleep and muttered something unintelligible, rolling over and somehow ending up with his arm thrown over her lap. She inhaled sharply as his arm proceeded to wind around her waist, and he unconsciously pulled her in—a tendency she noticed he'd recently developed. She found her back pressed flush against his chest and blinked rapidly at this sudden change in position. Her lips curling upward, she decided to just go with it. Pressing more of herself against him, she slyly tangled their legs and basked in the warmth of his body heat. The sigh that escaped from her lips could only be described as pure bliss.

"Mm..." His arm tightened around her.

She idly stroked his arm, wondering if he was starting to awaken.

"N…Nami?" His voice was thick with sleep, and she was seconds away from turning and kissing him senseless. Then, he was abruptly scrambling away from her and tumbling off the bed in his uncoordinated frenzy. "Wah!"

She snorted in amusement and shifted to peer down at him. "Good morning to you too."

He gaped up at her. "W-What are you doing here?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Are you still dreaming?"

He blinked a few times, and clarity gradually returned to his dark orbs. "Oh yeah, we moved."

"If you're done having your little crisis, come back to bed." She beckoned with a sultry look. "I promised last night to do something for you in the morning, remember?"

She had rewarded him spectacularly last night for following her rules and promised to give him a bonus in the morning for being surprisingly insightful and helpful.

He stared dumbly at her for a few moments before a look of comprehension dawned on him. A wide grin stretched across his face, and there was an almost feral glint in his eyes as he pounced. As Nami proceeded to ardently fulfill her promise, she decided right then that from now on, she wouldn't settle for anything less than waking up next to him every morning.

~To Be Continued~

End Notes: And here we are, finally heading back to East Blue! I guess I was kidding about this update taking longer...surprise! I'm actually extremely surprised I managed to get another long chapter written and revised (I self-beta excessively) in the time that it took since my last update. I guess I was just that excited to share this chapter! Special shout-out to berserkerpups, who suggested many chapters back that I bring in Nojiko. I've been meaning to bring the East Blue group home, and of course, I just had to add some drama and present Nami with an indisputable reason to return. Any guesses as to who Nojiko is marrying? (Don't worry, it's not Sabo; I'm saving him for later.) I promise there actually will be a wedding in the next chapter and her letter isn't just a ruse to make Nami come home. I envision the next few chapters taking place in East Blue and ultimately plan to bring them back to the New World. I hope you all stick around for the next segment of the adventure, despite my unpredictable updates! Thanks for reading and all of the encouraging feedback! And to my lovely guest reviewers, Mara and Danny Ketchum, you're both fantastic and I really appreciate the love! :)