Enjoy your reading.

Chapter 63

Frustration

"Luffy, can you help me, please?"

The straw hat boy gave up his race after Usopp who took the opportunity to run away and he slammed on the brakes in front of the navigator, his feet grating on the rear deck to slow down his speed.

"What you wanna do?" he inquired with curiosity as he was moving closer to her.

Nami pointed out her tangerines trees.

"Catch all the fruits that are more or less ripe, they must be protected from the cold."

"No problem!"

As her captain was disappearing between the trees, the young woman frowned as she was examining them. It had been three days since they'd been back to sea and she knew a cold snap was going to hit the Sunny by noon. The next island wouldn't be in sight for a few days, so she still had to find a way to shelter her harvest. The navigator was indeed determined to keep alive the memory of her late adoptive mother wherever she was thanks to the tangerines she had loved so much.

Suddenly, a loud noise of foliage was heard and she abruptly came out of her thoughts.

"Easy, Luffy, don't shake them like that!"

The straw hat boy put away his elastic hand that had started to valiantly move the first tree within reach and emerged from the branches, obviously not knowing how to do it.

Nami understood his dismay in front of his puzzled look and she came closer to show him.

"Look."

She grabbed a branch before them and pointed out a firm-looking fruit.

"When they're ripe, they're orange-colored and they easily come off. You can pull a little bit but not too hard and they come off."

She illustrated her move and the tangerine slipped into her hand. She then repeated her example on the next fruit and showed him the difference.

"See, this one hangs: it's because it's not ripe so we leave it here."

The navigator then placed the picked fruit in a huge crate at her feet and Luffy gazed at all the trees in front of them.

"But what are you gonna do about the ones that don't come off?" he asked her. "Are they gonna freeze?"

Nami shook her head and pulled a new branch towards her.

"Bell-mère was sometimes grafting certain hybrid breeds of lemon tree to help them withstand the cold but I don't have any here…"

She grabbed two more fruits and put them in the crate.

"Robin's gonna help me stretch a tarp, it'll be better than nothing."

Luffy nodded and began to pull on a tangerine not far from him.

"That one!"

The fruit quickly came off and he threw it into the crate in his turn, delighted. Nami then shifted towards the nearby tree.

"Take care of the ones at the top of the trees, I can't reach them. Meanwhile, I'll do the more accessible ones", she decided.

"Okay!"

Nami and Luffy stared at the two large crates filled with tangerines on the table in front of them. They had moved them to the aquarium so that they could sort them properly. Indeed, the cold had suddenly settled on the ship a few minutes before and Nami had barely had time to put up a tarp with Robin's help while Luffy was running to carry the fruits under cover. Sanji had then given them two boxes for the navigator and captain to select the fruits according to their ripening state.

"We're gonna sort them", Nami explained. "On the one hand, the ripest fruits to eat quickly and on the other, those that can wait. That way, Sanji'll cook them in the next few days or keep them in a cool place."

Luffy dipped his hand into a crate before picking up two random fruits and comparing them, curious.

"How do we do it?" he asked. "Looks like they're all the same!"

The navigator smiled and took a tangerine from his hands before gently pushing her fingers into the fruit to test its resistance.

"The softer the fruit, the riper it is", she showed him, placing it in the box for the fruit to eat as the tangerine was sinking under her fingers.

Luffy leaned towards the crates again, looking focused, and Nami started sorting the one in front of her, choosing to put the fruits in one box or the other. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the captain slowly set a tangerine down in his turn then pick up another fruit before finally coming to a stop.

"Is there a problem?" she asked him after a moment.

"I can't tell if it's ripe!" the captain showed her, annoyed.

"Lemme see."

Nami walked over and touched the tangerine.

"It's borderline", she noted. "Put it in the one for the cool place, we already have a lot of ripe fruits."

Luffy did so before gazing at her in fascination as she quickly resumed sorting her own fruits.

"That's so cool, you're fast!"

The young woman shook her head as she continued her work.

"I'm used to it. I've been doing this since I was little."

Luffy picked up a fruit again, tested it before thinking, then put it in the box for the cool place. He then took another one but after having touched it, he frowned.

"I dunno", he sighed.

The navigator smiled in front of his disappointed face and she came closer again. She then placed her hand on the one of the captain's who was holding the fruit and pressed her fingers on his so that he was feeling the suppleness of the tangerine when she squeezed it.

"See, the tangerine's skin is slightly sinking in", she showed him.

Luffy nodded in concentration and Nami moved her hand over his to turn the fruit.

"If you're not sure, test it somewhere else."

She repositioned her fingers on his and squeezed them lightly on the tangerine.

"It's tougher!" the straw hat boy exclaimed.

"That's right", Nami agreed. "So it'll be for the cool place."

"Great!"

Luffy put his fruit down and happily moved on to the next one. Nami showed him the procedure again and quickly, the captain sorted the tangerines quite efficiently.

The navigator then returned to her place on the other side of the table, her cheeks flushed in spite of herself. Her proximity with the straw hat boy and the touch of his hand and hers had disturbed her more than she would have thought. Luffy had even grabbed her hand at one point to make her feel the fruit he thought he had judged right and his warm skin entirely wrapping hers had made her shiver. However, he hadn't noticed a thing and he had released her hand just as suddenly to grab a new fruit.

Nami finished sorting her tangerines, her mind elsewhere. She was going to have to think of a strategy if she wanted to see the captain of the crew more interested in her…

The cold snap Nami had predicted had taken over them an hour earlier and Sanji had taken care to prepare a hot meal to comfort his crewmates for lunch.

That's why a little before noon, noting that he still had a little time before calling them and that his dish was quietly simmering, the blond decided to take a break and left, putting on his coat. He leaned on the first floor's railing and peeked down. Only Zoro seemed to have stayed outside since he was seeing him moving with his two blades, shirtless despite the bitter cold. He then heard Franky's hammering from his workshop and supposed that Usopp must also be working in his. He knew Luffy and Nami were sorting the tangerines in the aquarium and Robin must have taken refuge in the library, maybe with Chopper.

Sanji slowly stretched and decided to take a few steps on the deck. He was about to take a cigarette out of his pack while going down the stairs when he suddenly lost his balance halfway up. He tried to straighten up, but his other foot also slipped and he sprawled out on the steps to the bottom without being able to hold back.

When he opened his eyes again, pain pierced his spine and he gasped.

"Got trouble staying on your feet, curly?" the swordsman mockingly asked above him.

"Shut up!" the blond barked, abruptly sitting up.

Yet the brutal move made him wince in pain and Zoro frowned.

"You got hurt?"

"Of course not, moron", the cook grumbled, slowly getting back on his feet. "Fucking black ice…"

"I always knew you were fragile, cook", his partner casually insisted.

At these words, Sanji fixed his gaze on his, furious.

"I'll show you I'm fragile, octopus head!"

He threw his right foot to his face and Zoro barely stopped him with one of his swords. He then replied cheerfully, a predatory smile on his lips. His two blades brushed against the blond, who quickly stepped back before he bent down in his turn to avoid a knee in the plexus.

After just a few minutes, Sanji felt the sweat beading down his back despite the cold and his breathing quickening. He spared no effort despite the tension he was feeling in his back and the crisp air was preventing him from properly catching his breath. In front of him, the fencer was redoubling his efforts and he was visibly having fun exchanging each kick for one of his swords. The blond could see his chest heave with the rhythm of his breathing and the icy air make his hair dance.

After he has straightened up to avoid another attack in his direction, he enjoyed a second where he examined his opponent again before swallowing, a knowing smile on his lips. Zoro was always particularly attractive when he was fighting against him like this and he knew the fencer was thinking just the same if he judged by his feverish gaze.

"Maniac marimo", he sneered, throwing his left leg against his chest. "I know what you're thinking."

"Pervert cook", the swordsman replied, deflecting it with his blade. "I know you want it."

The assault started again and the power of their blows intensified. However, their attacks were also giving way to prolonged light touches, more intensive contact and knowing looks.

Finally, they both lowered their weapons, panting and eyes shining, a few inches apart. Zoro was the first to crack up and he quickly grabbed the neck of the cook to press his lips against his despite his sword. Sanji didn't want to be outdone and he gripped the sweaty and yet icy hips of his lover to enjoy their embrace. The fencer then used his other hand on his back to pull him even closer but the blond flinched, a fleeting pain running through his spine again.

Zoro tore himself away from his lips, frowning.

"Your fall from earlier?"

Facing him, Sanji bit his lips, tensed.

"Dammit, I think it is", he admitted, trying to catch his breath.

The swordsman put his swords away and ran a hand behind his partner's back, who winced again.

"Go to Chopper, cook. It can't be a simple bruise."

Indeed, it wasn't a simple bruise and Sanji sighed as he was grabbing the toast he wanted to spread with his fingertips to avoid straining his back as much as possible. He couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that such a trivial fall had been enough to wake up an old injury, the one he had suffered following an avalanche in Drum Kingdom and that Dr. Kureha had tended at the cost of a real session of torture. Today, his spine had moved again and his fight with the marimo hadn't helped: now, a throbbing pain was immobilizing him with each sudden move.

Chopper had realigned his vertebrae but had been very firm with his patient: when he had fought too soon against Wapol, his spine had broken and the same thing was threatening him now. He then had to protect himself as much as possible at the risk of seeing his skeleton get damaged even more, thus limiting his suppleness and his moves until the ship's doctor could no longer do anything about it. Sanji had shuddered at the thought of not being able to move or use his fighting technique. So he had taken the reindeer's recommendations very seriously and anyway, the pain was great enough for him to keep quiet.

The blond rose carefully from the kitchen table where he had put his aperitif for dinner. All he had to do now was squeezing a few tangerines that Nami had brought him to make a cocktail of fresh fruits. So he grabbed a dozen fruits and slowly took a hold of his juicer he positioned next to the sink.

"So I'm told your back is messed up."

Sanji didn't bother to turn to his partner and began to cut his tangerines as if nothing happened.

"It's that fucking wound I got when we met Chopper. My whole spine has moved so I need to stay still for a while."

"That's what I heard", the swordsman said, coming closer. "He said I gotta leave you alone for some time…"

"We'll fight later, marimo", the cook approved, squeezing his first fruit.

The fencer didn't reply and Sanji carried on with his task until he felt Zoro's body lean over his. The blond was about to sharply rebuff him but the swordsman was careful not to press against his back when he put his hands under his shirt.

"I wasn't thinking of a fight", he whispered in his ear. "We were doing a much more interesting activity before you started writhing in pain…"

The fencer then put his lips on his neck and Sanji shivered, his motions less confident on his tangerine.

"Stop it, moron."

"I can be gentle, curly", he insisted, trying to blindly unbutton his shirt.

At these words, Sanji couldn't help but laugh mockingly. He then wiped his hands and removed the swordsman's hands from his stomach.

"You can't be gentle, Cactus-kun. Even with all your willpower, I have my doubts", he slyly pointed out to him, picking up another fruit.

"Usually, you don't complain", the swordsman reminded him, now placing small kisses on the back of his neck and by no means demotivated. "You like it when I do you against the wall and you can't move…"

"Keep dreaming, stupid muscle head", the cook muttered, pushing him away with his shoulder.

Having finished squeezing his tangerines, Sanji turned on the tap and rinsed his hands, indifferent to the increasingly intense caresses of his partner.

"Go take a walk, marimo. You can forget about it."

"I can't", the fencer growled, trying to free his shoulders from the fabric to get more room. "I wanna do it since earlier…"

Sanji shook his head and grabbed a jug to pour his juice into.

"Go take care of this on your own 'cause I won't give in", he firmly continued. "Until I'm fully recovered, absolutely nothing will happen."

"What you mean 'absolutely nothing'?!" the fencer behind him got indignant. "We still can do little things if we're careful!"

"Nothing at all. It'll inevitably degenerate if we do anything and I don't wanna take any risks", the blond grumbled while preparing his glasses.

Zoro folded his arms in an obvious sign of bad mood to fix him for a moment as he was bustling in front of his utensils. Yet finally, he decided to turn on his heels.

"Fucking tease", he muttered as he was walking out the door.

Sanji rolled his eyes and grabbed some towels. He was motivated. He wouldn't flinch.

Nami had an appreciative smile as she was observing the deck's setting around them once more that evening. Franky had put up a huge cloth above their heads to protect them from the snow while Usopp had placed several torches in the four corners to warm the crew pleasantly during their dinner. The whirlwinds of ice fluttering lightly in the sky were giving a festive atmosphere that had encouraged them to have their meal outside to enjoy the show while still being warm enough.

The young woman had therefore taken off her coat when she had sat down next to the captain already settled around the table to devour the aperitif that the cook had served them. Now that the end of the meal was approaching and Luffy had finished stuffing himself, she thought it was possible he could finally turn his attention away from his plate. For this purpose, she furtively glanced at her low-cut dress. She had tried on her best outfits this afternoon and was pretty sure this one was one of the best. So, thanks to the sniper's ingenious inventions, she could test its seductive potential tonight.

"Luffy, can you hand me the jug of juice, please?"

The elastic boy grabbed the jug with one hand and passed it to her without taking his eyes off his plate. Disappointed, Nami helped herself without flinching.

"Superb outfit, Navigator-san", Robin said, sitting to her left.

"Thank you", her friend smiled.

"Nami-san, you're so beautiful!"

The navigator gave the cook a flirtatious look as the latter was giving her a steaming cup of coffee. She had just had a formidable idea and she wouldn't miss the opportunity.

"This weather is perfect for nostalgic ballads", she noted with her most innocent air. "I've always loved the soft and relaxing atmosphere snow can offer, it makes me want to dance by the fire…"

"I'm sure I can provide you with the right atmosphere!" the skeleton immediately got enthused, taking out his violin.

"And I can be your partner all night long!" the cook offered her right away, drunk with joy.

"No way!"

Nami hid her smile by pretending to be surprised as the ship's doctor was shaking his head, adamant.

"Sanji shouldn't move too much so he can't dance even if he's careful", he firmly reminded. "It's an activity that places too much strain on the spine's functionalities."

"But… But if Nami-san wants to dance", the blond tried to plead, crestfallen.

"It's okay, Sanji-kun", she sighed, falsely disappointed. "I can dance with someone else…"

She then quietly turned to the captain who was finishing the cyborg and swordsman's chocolate cakes. Thanks to her suggestion, the musician would serve them soft and sultry music and hopefully that would put the straw hat boy in the mood she was looking for…

"You who always have a lot of energy, you would like to dance, Luffy?" she asked him with a confident smile.

The latter raised his head after swallowing his last bite before strongly approving.

"Oh yeah!"

He jumped up on his chair and turned to his musician.

"Brook, I wanna party! Make sure it swings!"

"At your service, Captain!"

This one started a rhythmic music and Luffy jumped to the ground before stomping on the deck. He dragged Chopper and Franky out of their seats to join him and took a few wild steps before turning to his navigator.

"You're not coming?" he wondered.

"No thanks. I changed my mind."

Luffy shrugged and went to sway his hips with his friends, oblivious to the reason of her sudden change.

For her part, Nami grabbed the jug of juice again and stole two more bottles near the fencer who was talking with Usopp and Robin. She really needed it.

"So, you wanna dance but you can't spend five minutes with me?"

The swordsman had pulled the blond away from prying eyes behind the mast as the latter was heading for the kitchen. A few steps across, Chopper, Franky and Luffy were dancing in front of the skeleton while the girls and Usopp were still chatting around the table.

"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't, marimo", the cook muttered, checking that no one could see them.

"We'll be careful", the fencer decided, placing his lips along his jaw without giving him time to protest.

"N-No… Stop it, Zoro…"

"You just have to tell me if it becomes too much", the swordsman insisted, increasing his caresses.

"But… But I wouldn't be able to stop myself either if we start… That's the problem", the blond finally confessed while breaking away from his partner, his cheeks flushed and his breath already short.

Zoro stared back at him before giving him a predatory smile.

"You turn me on when you say things like that, cook."

The blond blushed even more and the swordsman firmly grabbed him by the arm. Sanji had an instinctive move of resistance but at last, his crewmate gently pulled him forward.

"We'll be careful", he repeated, sliding his hand down his hip in a light caress. "I just want us to take a few minutes, I want you so bad…"

Hypnotized by the bewitching gaze of the fencer, the cook put his hands around his shoulders to show his agreement, also impatient. He then let himself go forward to meet the lips of his partner who was already leaning towards him. Zoro moved slowly and pressed him more against his chest, being careful not to rest heavily on his back. His mouth invaded the one of his partner and their two tongues met with hunger.

Sanji closed his eyes and took advantage with delight of his crewmate's embrace to drown under the fire of sensations. If they were reasonable, there was no harm…

"That's not fair", Nami muttered as she was swallowing her alcoholic drink sullenly.

Beside her, Usopp and Robin glanced at her, curious. The navigator refilled herself and swallowed the contents in one sip, starting the swordsman's second bottle.

"Are you all right?" the sniper asked her.

"I'm okay", she grumbled.

"This bottle won't last long", the archaeologist commented.

"I hold my liquor very well", Nami reminded them. "Too well, by the way. If I could feel a little bit drunk, I'd be even better."

She swallowed another drink and Usopp stared at her.

"What is it, Navigator-san?" her friend asked.

Nami glanced suspiciously at the gunner who widened his eyes, interested in the confidence to come.

"It's not easy every day to date someone as naive as our captain", Nami suddenly confided to the archaeologist.

"No kidding!" the sniper sneered. "You knew what to expect, right?"

"Who do you take me for? I'm not stupid!" she snapped back.

"So… what's the problem?" he wondered.

"It's…"

The navigator leaned towards Robin to whisper in her ear.

"… that this fool is as mentally naive as he is about everything else if you know what I mean…"

The archaeologist gravely nodded and Usopp banged his fist on the table.

"What? Tell me, I wanna know too!"

"Get the hell out, Usopp! It's a girl problem, you can't understand!" Nami barked, glaring at him.

"That's sexism", the latter growled as he was sulkily walking away towards the dancers.

The redhead young woman then returned her attention to her friend with a sigh.

"I don't get why he doesn't even think about it when we can see these two at every turn on the ship…"

She pointed with her chin at the intertwined swordsman and cook who surely thought they were well hidden in the half-light of the mast a few yards away. Robin followed her gaze and smiled sympathetically.

"The captain will probably need an excellent guide in this field", she confirmed.

"I know", Nami whispered, refilling herself. "It's not easy, I can't see myself showing him everything… I thought I'd send him to see Sanji but I don't want this pervert to know anything … I think Luffy would listen to Zoro but this guy is a real psychopath and besides, I don't want him to claim the restaurant debt from me… Brook is as sick as Sanji on that side, Usopp would probably be too embarrassed and Chopper is… a reindeer. Maybe Franky?"

The archaeologist chuckled at the suggestion.

"I think our shipwright would probably be a little too blunt."

"Probably… And what about you, Robin? You could suggest him some things, don't you?" the navigator asked hopefully.

"It seems to me that it makes more sense to believe that at some point, reflexes will simply prevail over his innocence", her friend cautiously answered.

"You're probably right… And then, I need to look on the bright side, I'm sure no one will want to pinch me such a moron", she pointed out when seeing him fall flat on his face on the deck.

"There is that Angie who seemed to find him to her liking in her club", Robin then remembered.

Nami gave her a desperate look and let her head fall on the table.

"I'm cursed", she whined.

Poor Nami! We can really doubt if Luffy has a sexuality so make him move on was quite a challenge. But he's learning from the beginning at his own pace.

The other two don't have that kind of problem. Each to their own!