Nami stared for a while at the door through which the captain had disappeared.
"You really should go after him," came quietly from Zoro now. "The question really seems to have been gnawing at him for a long time."
Nami straightened up and nodded. Now she too had disappeared from the room.
"That was really surprising." came it from Franky, who was the first to regain his speech.
"Yes!" confirmed Usopp, who was still in shock.
"But now I understand why he acted so strangely towards her when we sailed from Cocoyashi," Usopp added after a while. His voice sounded much more composed now.
"Don't talk nonsense!" came from the ship's cook. "Luffy wasn't acting strangely, was he?"
"Yes he was!" interjected Zoro. "Usopp is right."
You could tell the swordsman was swallowing his insult for the ship's cook. "You probably just didn't notice because you just joined us."
Zoro paused for a moment, too pleased with himself that no insulting word crossed his lips after all.
"Luffy kind of, well, avoided her back then. Even though shunned is kind of the wrong word," Usopp continued the explanation. "Before Nami took off with the Going Merry back then, he was always around her. That stopped when we sailed from Cocoyashi."
"And really only when we sailed away from Cocoyashi," added Zoro. "I remember he even barged into the treatment to ask the doctor where Nami was."
"You're right." now came from Sanji. Something had struck him through his friends' account. "But that changed abruptly when Nami got sick."
Robin, Franky and Brook turned to Sanji. They had not been there then when Nami had fallen ill with the five-day fever.
"Yeah, I remember, Luffy carried her all the way up the mountain to me and Dr. Kurea," Chopper remarked.
"Yeah. That too." came thoughtfully from the ship's cook. "But that's not what I mean. Luffy would have done that for any of us."
His last statement was acknowledged by nods from everyone else.
Sanji lit a cigarette, "He'd been with her pretty much the whole time, trying to cheer her up. I mean, we noticed how bad she was feeling and I thought at the time that Luffy was just worried. Especially because he was so helpless in this situation. But I'm starting to think there's a lot more to it than that."
"I hope it's not too late for that," Robin bowed her head sadly.
"Huh? What do you mean?" came a startled voice from Chopper. He looked at Robin with wide fearful eyes.
" Jeez Chopper! You were just there too, weren't you?" came sternly from Usopp.
The little reindeer now looked back and forth between the gunner and the archaeologist in confusion.
"You just overheard what he asked her, didn't you?", Robin turned to the little doctor in a soft voice.
Chopper nodded.
"I just don't understand what you meant by if it's not too late for that," he added. "I mean sure, Luffy did seem a bit glum. But then, he did say a couple of times that he wanted to change the subject."
Franky sighed. "Chopper, the fact that Luffy seemed as glum as you put it wasn't down to us."
"It wasn't?!" the reindeer huffed. "Then what was it because of?"
"Because of her answer.", Robin said sadly, lowering her head.
"But she didn't say anything, did she?", Chopper was now confused.
"That's exactly the point.", Usopp now agreed.
"I don't get it," Chopper said, looking back and forth between his friends.
"It's quite simple really," Brook began. "She didn't answer because she regrets it. If she didn't, she could have told him in front of all of us. It's hard enough to tell someone you regret something like that. And impossible when so many are then listening too."
"That's bullshit, why would Nami regret that," Chopper shook off the thought. "She likes Luffy after all."
"It has less to do with liking," Robin began, but this time she didn't know how to explain it to the little reindeer.
"Chopper something like that is just an ultra complicated thing," Usopp added. "I think, for example, that Nami had never done anything like that before Luffy."
The gunner's cheeks turned pink at the thought.
"True. It's not that far-fetched, considering she was slaving away for that scumbag Arlong in the time before," Sanji noted.
"Something like that could be a reason for Nami to regret it," Robin now explained to the reindeer. "But there could also be other reasons. It's hard to put yourself in the picture. But one thing is clear, they both tried to suppress it, otherwise they would have talked about it."
"And our idiotic captain seems to be taking a lot of heat for it," Sanji said worriedly.
"You mean the Luffy likes Nami that way?" the little reindeer wanted to know.
"Yes!" came not only from Sanji, but also from Robin, Usopp, Zoro Franky and Brook.
"It's more than obvious that he's in love with Nami."
Nami had walked to his favourite spot, the lion's head, but found that her captain was not there. Frustrated, she sighed. She stopped on deck, letting the cold wind pass her by.
"Where the hell are you, Luffy," she cursed softly to herself.
When something was bothering him, he always retreated here.
She wouldn't need to look in the galley.
Luffy was a glutton, but not when something was bothering him.
Nami's eyes widened as she realised where her best friend was.
There had once been a moment in their travels when Luffy had not retreated to the figurehead after a dispute. It was then that he had argued so much with Usopp over his decision to abandon the Going Merry and had retreated to his hammock.
"Luffy?!" asked Nami cautiously as she entered the boys' dormitory. The room was dark, so she couldn't see if he was actually in the room.
She got no answer.
"Luffy?", this time she asked herself more directly.
This time she got no answer either.
"I know you're here!" came angrily from the young woman.
When she received no answer this time either, she flicked the light switch.
"Hello Luffy, I'm talking to you?" she said angrily as she strode to his bed. But Luffy didn't answer either.
"I can see you're there," she said annoyed as she stood in front of his bed.
But Luffy turned away from her and lay down on the other side.
"Luffy, I want to talk to you," she said sternly.
"But I don't want to talk to you!" he grumbled grumpily.
"May I know why?" she raised an eyebrow sceptically.
But the next moment she was standing there, completely perplexed. All at once Luffy had jumped up and was standing in front of her. She could feel his angry aura.
Nami swallowed fearfully.
"Because I don't want you to tell me what an asshole I am," his voice was full of anger and so loud that even his friends in the aquarium room understood every word.
Even a few seconds after his verbal outburst of anger, his lips were still quivering. He had just taken out all his anger on her. Only he didn't feel a jot better. He swallowed. He continued to be angry with himself and now he was also standing in front of his anxiously trembling navigator.
"So piss off.", his voice was calmer now, but you could still hear the anger coming out. Luffy lay back down on his bed. He folded his arms behind his head. The anger was still visible on his face. He squinted once more at Nami. The young woman was still standing there, not moving. He glanced at her hands. They were clenching into fists. Then his gaze fell again on the face of what should have been his best friend.
She was seething with anger.
He knew that if he provoked her now, the situation would escalate.
"Didn't you hear me?!" he growled. "Fuck off! Get lost!"
He closed his eyes and waited for his navigator's reaction. He knew whatever she was going to throw at him now, he deserved it. Ever since that one special night with Nami, he had been plagued by a guilty conscience. It had been him who had kissed her first. It had been him who had undressed her first. It had been him who had thrown her on the bed. It had been him who had first started touching her and it had been him who had penetrated her. And what he had found out then, he was also the first one who had ever done that to her.
He had also learned earlier that she regretted having sex with him for the first time.
There was no word to describe how bad he felt right now and no measure of how much he hated himself right now.
"Yes you are an ass!" shouted Nami angrily. "The way you're acting right now."
She stared at him for a moment. But he showed no reaction at all. His blank stare was fixed on the ceiling.
"Oh you know what! You can go fuck yourself! I really wanted to apologise to you, but it just doesn't make sense to talk to such a childish idiot like you about it," now Nami turned away and went to the door. She stopped at the door.
"You know, I never regretted it with you well you know," her cheeks turned pink.
"But I'm beginning to regret the decision to sail with you," her sad voice showed him that she meant what she said.
She left the room.
The Straw Hat Boy had jumped up all at once and run after his best female friend.
He had caught up with her quickly, but he did not call out to her, instead he used his devilish powers.
He had wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him.
"Nami.", his shaky voice brought out. "You don't mean that do you?"
He held her close and hugged her closer.
Luffy was afraid that she would now confirm what she had just thrown at him.
He didn't know what to do then.
"Yes, I did," Nami said seriously. She noticed how tense her best friend was and wanted to put him on the spot. A little act of revenge for the way he had just snapped at her. She felt him press her tremulously against him. He didn't say anything, but she sensed his fear. A guilty conscience quickly overcame her so she added quickly, "I really came to apologise to you."
He hugged her closer. "That's not what I mean," his voice was shaky. "You don't regret coming with me, do you?". He was afraid of her answer.
"No." she relieved him and turned to him. "You drive me mad often enough, but there's nowhere I'd rather be in the world than with you." Gently, she stroked his cheek.
"Really?" he breathed uncertainly. "Then why did you say that?"
"Because I was mad at you." she replied softly. "Because you were being stubborn again."
"You're stubborn often enough, too," Luffy murmured sheepishly, hugging his best friend closer again. She put her arms around his neck.
"That's not true at all," came defiantly from her.
"Oh yes it is!" laughed Luffy teasingly. "You're a real defiant one."
Nami pinched his cheek. "Am I?"
"Yes," Luffy brought out indistinctly. "And let go of my cheek or I'll tickle right through you."
She, after his threat, actually let go of his cheek. Luffy sat down on the floor and pulled Nami down with him.
Automatically, he shifted her into a position that her legs encircled his legs as she sat on his lap.
He looked her straight in the eyes. "You really never regretted that we...well...you know...had sex," even though he was really embarrassed about the subject, he finally had to know.
Nami cheeks turned dark red. It was so typical of her idiot captain to bring up such a subject when they were sitting in such an ambiguous position.
She looked into his eyes and realised how serious he was about the subject.
Gently she shakes her head. "No! Why should I? Just because you're my idiot captain?"
"I don't know," came hesitantly from Luffy. "I mean, I realised when I was just...so first...so just...with you." His face colour had suddenly turned a crimson red. "That was something special...so...I don't know."
"Yes, it is something special." the young navigator confirmed. "Just because it was with you."
After her last sentence, she gave him a kiss on his cheek.
"Because it was with me?", Luffy could hardly believe what she had just said. His heartbeat sped up and all the repertoire of happy hormones just flowed through his body. It was strange that this statement of hers gave him such feelings of happiness.
But her kiss on his cheek triggered a completely different feeling in him. This feeling awakened the need in him to engage her in a real kiss.
He had made eye contact with her, so he noticed her nodding head immediately.
"Then why did you look at me so horrified when I asked you that," Luffy had to know the answer. That curiosity was currently even greater than the need to kiss her.
"And why didn't you say that in front of the others."
She avoided his gaze and looked to the side, embarrassed. "I was shocked by your question," she murmured.
"I don't understand," Luffy countered.
"It was just that then I realised the others were right. We always avoided talking about it and that was a mistake. We should have talked about it."
"You didn't want to talk to me about it," Luffy grumbled.
"You never wanted to talk to me either," Nami scoffed sourly.
"But you said earlier that you didn't have to," Luffy's voice also became angry.
"But that's because I talked myself into it.", she headbutted her best friend.
Silently, both friends looked at each other for quite some time.
"Do you want to talk about it now?", Luffy asked cautiously.
Nami nodded, "I think so."
But even then, the two friends were silent again.
"I don't regret it either," Luffy broke the silence with a grin. He hoped that it also released a feeling of happiness in her like it had in him when she had told him.
He flashed him a smile as he noticed a pink glow forming on Nami's cheeks.
"But I always wondered if you regretted it. I started it, after all, and I always felt like I'd blindsided you with it. And so."
"Why didn't you ask me that before, if it had bothered you so much?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow skeptically at his best friend's question.
She lowered her head in embarrassment. "Sorry. It was a stupid question." she muttered.
"But I always thought it had bonded us both in a special way. I mean it was the first time for both of us. It's a special bond between us and it always will be. That's why it never occurred to me that you might be afraid that I'd regret it," Nami explained her question.
"I just didn't know how," Luffy began his explanation, however. "I mean, I was totally overwhelmed with the situation at the time. I don't know how that could happen at all."
"What do you feel now?" echoed Nami.
"I don't know. Normal.", Luffy said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Mm..." came from Nami. "I have this idea. A little experiment."
"An experiment-" the Straw Hat Man huffed, but was interrupted by his navigator. She had put her lips to his. Hungrily, Luffy returned the kiss. Passion quickly overtook them both and the kiss developed into a passionate French kiss. Hormones controlled the body of the nineteen-year-old captain and so with he released his navigator on her top.
Carelessly he threw it aside and then wanted to kiss her shoulder. But then he realised what he had done.
"Sorry," he muttered, his head red.
But then he looked at her in wonder. She laughed.
"Why are you laughing?" he wanted to know.
"Because my experiment showed you to be a normal teenager," she smiled. "Sometimes I forget that too, that you are actually a normal person."
Again Nami engaged her captain in a kiss. This time she pulled off his shirt as she did so.
Luffy looked at her in wonder.
"So now we're even," she giggled, "both upper bodies free."
"Not quite.", Luffy said with a diabolical grin and stroked his fingers down her back to the clasp of her bra.
"Don't you dare Monkey D. Luffy." she admonished with a laugh.
" Hmph." he grinned.
"But Nami, other than now, after our first time, have you ever thought of making love to me?" asked Luffy.
"How do you know I want to now.", Nami opined. "Why, yes. There were times when I would have liked to do it with you again."
"It was a shot in the dark," came from Luffy. "But you also want to now, don't you?"
"Maybe." she whispered seductively in his ear.
"Shall we go back inside then? To my room?", Luffy asked in a whisper.
She shook her head. "We've been lucky before when we didn't use contraception. I don't want to tempt fate again."
"True." sighed Luffy. He thought for a moment. "Mm, maybe we can steal some from Sanji."
"Lufffy?!" came from Nami.
"Yeah?" he replied in an innocent tone.
"You little lecher," she teased him.
"Hey, this time you started it!" he grinned at her.
"But tell me Nami..." he added. "What is this between us? Is it love yet?"
Nami eyes widened. "Lo...Lo...Lo...ve?" she stammered, startled.
"Yes, love.", Luffy now said firmly. "I mean, you only have that kind of desire if you love the other person."
"Do you think you love me then?", fear could be heard in Nami's voice.
Luffy shrugged his shoulders, "No idea. I don't know what love feels like. I just know right now that I feel the same way I did then."
"It's just lust," Nami dismissed his feelings. She tried to stand up, but Luffy held her by her pelvis so she couldn't.
"No." came firmly from Luffy, who backed up his statement with a shake of his head. "It's not just lust. I have so many feelings right now. I don't know what they mean though."
Nami avoided his gaze.
"I've had the feelings since then. I mean, when I had sex with you. Or before that too. I was so afraid back then that you had really betrayed us. But I didn't want to believe it. Because you always give me this tingling feeling. And then I was just so happy to have you back. Then we just, you know. And then I was totally confused because I didn't know if maybe I did like you in the other way than friendship."
Nami looked to the side, embarrassed. Then her ears heard the question she had been dreading.
"Didn't you ever think that you might like me more."
"Yes, I did," she confessed, but looked to the side. "You freed me from Arlong's tyranny then, and a short time later you saved my life."
"Yeah?", Luffy didn't understand why she was telling him this now.
"I had a crush on you back then. That's why.", she mumbled.
"You had a crush on me?", Luffy's eyes had widened. "Like, really?".
Nami just nodded.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?!", Luffy huffed.
Now she turned back to him. Her face had once again turned crimson. "Firstly, because it was super embarrassing," she nagged, but then lowered her voice. "Also, I didn't want to date you even if you had returned my feelings."
"Why didn't you want to?" asked Luffy in a sad voice.
"Simply because it would not have gone well. Neither seventeen-year-old Luffy nor eighteen-year-old Nami were ready for it. Honestly, they were two huge stubborn heads. It would never have worked out. We would have had a total falling out at some point for sure."
Luffy thought about the words spoken for a moment. "You're right about that."
But there was one statement that made me wonder. "And what about nineteen-year-old Luffy and twenty-year-old Nami? Both of them have matured, haven't they? Do you think it would go wrong with those two too?"
"They've both matured considerably," Nami evaded the answer.
"Yes they have!" confirmed Luffy, annoyed. "But do you think that's enough to give us a chance?"
"Luffy don't you want to figure out your feelings first?", Nami tried to avoid the subject.
"What are you afraid of?" asked Luffy.
"Because it would change everything," came fearfully from Nami.
"Hmm?" pondered Luffy.
"Once we start getting really intimate there's no going back."
"You mean apart from then and now?"
" Now?"
"Sure, I thought that was already settled, that we were about to have sex."
"Luffy!" she yelled at him and headbutted him.
"What? You want! I want! And if we can't find condoms, I'll just pull it out first."
For this statement he caught several blows from his navigator. "You didn't hear the shot!" she nagged. "How are you going to make sure something doesn't come out of there first. Nothing works without a condom! I really don't fancy having to worry about you shoving a bun down my oven again!"
"A bun in the oven?" asked Luffy, puzzled.
"That's a synonym for pregnant, you idiot!" she nagged at him.
"Oh well, why didn't you say so?" he said now. "Sure, that would be stupid. At least now! Although I have to say, a baby like that would be cute."
"Luffy!" she admonished.
"What? I told you it would be stupid now."
"Yeah, we're pirates."
"Already! But if I'm Pirate King, then it would be an option. For later!"
"Luffy!" she urged desperately.
But instead of saying anything, he kissed her. She returned his kiss hesitantly.
"This is really getting serious between us," Luffy said after the kiss, grinning broadly. "So really in love, engaged, married serious."
"I don't follow you anymore Luffy." she said a little annoyed.
"It's simple. We're in love with each other."
"I told you I had a crush on you."
"Yes, you were and you still on!"
"No, I'm not!"
"Yes, you are!"
"No."
Luffy kissed her passionately again and Nami returned that kiss with exactly the same passion.
"Yes you are! And you just proved it."
"How?"
"Well, the way we kiss. It's not just lust."
"What are you two doing?" asked Franky, puzzled.
The Straw Hat Crew members had decided to go to bed and had passed the half-naked captain and the half-naked navigator on the way.
Nami embarrassingly buried her face in Luffy's shoulder.
"What did you see?" she mumbled.
"Should we tell them we saw the kiss or not?" giggled Robin extra loudly.
The young navigator turned bright red.
"You'll have to get used to that now," laughed Luffy loudly.
"Luffy!" admonished Nami.
"Because Nami and I are officially together now," he grinned broadly.
"Don't I get a say in this anymore?", Nami huffed.
"Not if you refuse like this," Luffy said and kissed Nami on the cheek.
"You just admitted yourself that we were ready for this."
"True!" now Usopp interjected. "At least mature enough to admit you have feelings for each other before."
"I can't get out of this, can I?" asked Nami cautiously, smiling gently.
"Nah. Never.", Luffy said gleefully. "Like I just said, you and I are going to stay together forever. Just really in love engaged married."
A soft smile conjured itself on her lips. Yes, she had to admit, it didn't sound bad. A life alongside Luffy.
"Hey Sanji? Can you give us some condoms right now?", Luffy now asked.
"Luffy.", Nami admonished angrily.
"What?" asked Luffy. "Well, we don't need to steal any then."
"It's not like the others need to know what we're up to."; mumbled Nami sheepishly.
"We'd catch on anyway," Robin smiled. "Besides, it's already very obvious that you two are about to snap." She winked at her two friends.
Again, she buried her head in her boyfriend's shoulder.
"I'm going to do some reading in the library," the archaeologist giggled. "Then you'll have some privacy."
"Great!" laughed Luffy.
Everyone joined their captain in laughing too.
"And tomorrow we'll celebrate having a couple on board," Zoro grinned, "With lots of sake."
"With a lot of sake.", the young woman now said. "I really have a reason to get drunk."
"Hey!" complained Luffy, who had understood the innuendo very well.
But then he turned back to his ship's cook. "Sanji, what about the condoms now?"
"As a matter of fact, I don't have any," the blond ship's cook shrugged.
"What really now?! We need some though!" grumbled the straw-hatted man.
"Sorry!" was all Sanji said.
"Guys, anyone else?" the captain now asked.
But he couldn't scrounge from his other friends either.
"Never mind, we'll do Luffy Junior now," the Straw Hat Man chuckled.
"Forget it," his friend nagged, smacking him on the head with her fist.
"Hey, I was just kidding," the nineteen-year-old complained.
"You don't joke about that," Nami pouted.
"Oh come on, a little mini-captain crawling all over Sunny would be cute," Robin interjected.
"Robin!" cried Nami indignantly.
Luffy in turn laughed: "You see, Robin is for it too."
Pouting, Nami looked at him.
"Don't worry! It's really too early for that!" said Luffy now at Nami's look. "That's for future-Luffy and future-Nami."
Then he gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Guys! Let's party the night away then!" said Luffy as he stood up. "There's plenty to celebrate! I have a super awesome steady girlfriend. The best friends in the world. And we're ultra-close to One Piece. That means not long now, and I'll be King of the Pirates."