Here the Bird Sing
Chapter 03: Mama Said That—
For the longest time, Zoro have heard his Captain make off handed comments about his 'Mama', most of the time, they are sound advice that came from the mysterious woman of steel – she must be, if she raised Luffy and managed to make her life advises stick – and some other times, they are words of praises extolling the woman's virtue and character. It can either be one or the other.
The phrase "Mama said that," will never be as frequent as "I will become the Pirate King!" or "Meat" or "Food" or "Gomu Gomu no—" or "Shishishi" but it is frequent enough that even an outsider would notice. Zoro knew that she has been dying to ask.
(None of them did. The witch kinda did, when she asked Usopp about what the woman looked like, but not again after Arlong. If Luffy wanted to tell them, they would listen, but otherwise they didn't bother to ask. Luffy never asked questions about their past so why should they? Their ship is a ship of hopes and dreams of the future, why bother of the past and regrets?)
"You really love your Mother, ha, Luffy-san?"
The Captain stops mid-rant of his Mother's holy advice towards a starry-eyed Chopper, an attentive Carue and Usopp who knows the woman as well – from what Zoro gathered, they knew each other as children. Luffy's turns his head literally, it would have been eerie had he not been doing that since Zoro met him, based on Vivi's squeak, she has yet to get used to it.
The wide smile became even wider if it were possible, eyes sparkling in the same way he talks about his dream, but a tad warmer.
"Of course I do! Mama is the best! The best Mama in the World!" He says it with so much conviction like stating a fact, like when he's declaring his aspiration as the next Pirate King, arms raised to the heaven's as if the sky would agree.
Wind blows to his face playfully and Luffy giggles with a nod as if he just heard confirmation to his statement.
Usopp scoffs and raises his long nose to the air, "As if, that title belongs to Mom. Though it is undoubtfully true that Nee-chan is great, but Mom is greater. Nee-chan could be second best instead."
The smile disappears into a frown and furrowed brows, his head unwinding to snap back to Usopp.
"You're only sayin' that because Auntie Bachy is your Mom," Luffy also raises his nose to the air, elongating it to be longer than Usopp just because he could. Frankly, he looks ridiculous, and Chopper laughs at him. "But I'll forgive you for that based opinion."
Usopp looks offended, Zoro doesn't know if it's for the remark or the Captain openly mocking him.
"It's bias and not based! And like you're one to talk!" He pokes Luffy's elongated nose down to normal human levels. "You're also saying that because Nee-chan's your Mom!"
Luffy slaps Usopp's hand away. "But lots of people said it! Ace, Sabo, Law, Dad, Maki, Shanks, Big Blue, Dadan, Shitty Gramps, Bastard Rosi—" For every name mentioned, Luffy lifts a finger and by the time he ran out of digits to count, he lifts Caroo's wing and started plucking it for a name, much to Vivi and the duck's offence.
Luffy only gets to pluck three yellow feathers before Usopp cuts him off.
"Fine I get it already! Jeez!" Luffy's hold slackens and Carue takes this opportunity to run towards Vivi and Zoro, hiding behind the princess.
"But get this," Usopp smirks, triumphant and smug. "Your Mom called my Mom a great mother, and all these people you've said called your Mom a great mother then therefore," He places a thumb on his nose, smirk getting wider as steam practically poured out of their Captain's ears. "These people would also think that my Mom is a great Mother since your Mom thinks my Mom is a great mother."
It's all backwards and childish and Zoro huffs in exasperation. Nami sighs from the helm, already knowing an impending argument while the stupid cook swoons at her irritation. Chopper is mostly confused.
"I didn't get what you just said! But Mama is still the best!"
"No, she is not! Mom is!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"Is too!"
Luffy threw a punch and it's downhill from there, poor Chopper got caught in it on the virtue of sitting close to the two idiots. Zoro sighs as he stands from his lounge on the main mast to get the little reindeer.
A stray fist lands on his stomach – it's Luffy he was sure – so he smashes their heads together in retaliation because he was annoyed enough, and irritably huffs as the idiots fall back down. He picks Chopper by the scruff of his back and Zoro goes back to his former position, Chopper safe on his side with a, "Thanks, Zoro.".
"Don't mention it."
Vivi then apologizes for asking and consequently starting a fight.
He huffs again, "Don't worry about it, this always happens." And he closes his eyes and snores.
It won't be his problem anymore if the two decide to continue their stupidity if he was asleep now, won't he?
"Eh? Were they really that pretty?"
Luffy interrupts his extolments of the gorgeous women of Louge Town from over two days ago. He said it with all the care of a tactless braindead barbarian.
Sanji's head swirled to his classless Captain – who was disgustingly picking his nose – and gave him a swift kick to the gut. How dare he insult the women of Louge Town! Those exotic beauties with enchanting mesmerizing eyes. Louge Town is quite a tourist spot and a trading hub, so beauties from across the seas were scattered in every streets. It's a town filled with beautiful flowers and his thoughtless Captain just had to slight them!
"Of course they are, you Shitty Captain!"
The cook huffs as the younger teen whines, Sanji takes out another cigarette and lights it, scoffing when he catches the other brainless brute napping yet again.
"Tch. Stupid brute, you don't know what true beauty is even if it kicks you in the face."
"Yeah I do!" Luffy finally stands, glaring at him like he's the one who got offended. "I'm just saying that they aren't that pretty."
Sanji growls. "Why you—"
"My Mama is way prettier than any of them! Way, way, way, way, way, waaaaaaaay, prettier! No, she's prettiest in all the seas!"
Luffy yelled at the top of his lungs like he would declare him being king. It's loud enough to wake mosshead, catch the lovely Nami-swan's attention, and surprise Usopp that causes another explosion.
Ah. Sanji's anger abates a little. He and the rest of the crew already noted the fact that their wild Captain is every inch of a shameless Mama's boy. Sanji suspects that if it weren't for that wonderful woman who had raised Luffy, he would be more of a simpleton. Only her lovely advice and words seemed to stick to the meat-brained idiot, and in Sanji's opinion, must be one hell of a lady to manage that.
Also, Luffy's one track mind often meant it's either his way or no way at all. The jackass probably thinks that there could only be one beautiful woman to exist and he has decided that it would only be his mother. Which was very sweet of him, Sanji admits, but that doesn't mean he could insult all the other ladies!
"But that doesn't give you the right insult those lovely ladies!"
"Mama is still the prettiest though! Lots of people even said so!"
Sanji is clearly getting nowhere through his thick skull. He sighs and exhales a breath of smoke.
"I'm sure that she's a lovely woman, Luffy, but other women could also be just as lovely as her."
Luffy looks at him as if he's the one who's stupid and Sanji grits his teeth, Nami-swan said to not cause another ruckus earlier and he intends to see it through.
"Silly Sanji, I know that already, Maki-nee is pretty after all, Salome-baa and her wife are too, Uta-chan and Koala-chan too and so is Nami,"
"You bet I am." Nami-swan said automatically though she seems a little surprise, which she shouldn't be since it's a fact, then again it came from their Captain, who is mostly in love with his hat.
"Shishishishi. I guess Dadan too, her long curly orange hair is pretty, but it's her heart that is prettier, since her face is more manly than pretty." Luffy tilts his head to the right, a hand going under his chin. "Hmmm… but Sabo's very pretty too, even though he's a guy shishishi probably because he looks a lot like Mama." He tilts his head up and squints at the sun. "Well, Ace is too, his got freckles and cool but pretty silver eyes and his hair is pretty, it waves like the ocean. I guess Law can be pretty, shishishi but he's more scruffy than pretty. But his eyes are such a pretty color, I don't know what color it is but it looks like a mix of shiny gold and honey and Mama's eyes are the same."
Sanji had tried to calm himself, but his rubber brained moron of a Captain wasn't staying on track! Naming unknown men to his face and even grinning like a loon! He does not mind knowing more about the ladies he's named – Nami-swan is in it after all! – and he is sure they all have their own charms and beauty, but Luffy just had to name random guys at the end!
"Why the hell are you bringing up men now! We're talking about pretty women and not pretty men! Who even are they?!"
"Shishishi, they're my brothers. Mama said that men can be just as pretty as women, or sometimes even prettier than women though I haven't seen one yet, but I'm sure they're real since Mama said so."
"I didn't say they can't be you idiot! And we're talking about beautiful ladies not—"
"Hmm… Mama always says that we're all her beautiful sons so that's why my brothers are pretty and they all are and Mama never lies, wait,"
A look of realization crosses his face, and Luffy is so grim faced and urgent as he carefully points at his face that Sanji cuts off a cutting insult for being interrupted.
"Does that mean," A bead of sweat rolls down his face. "I'm also pretty?"
"Not in the slightest you idiot!"
Well, Sanji has to admit, Luffy isn't bad looking perse compared to a common brute, dark hair and bright brown eyes in a youthful innocent face that always held a smile, but it's the principal of the matter here. And no, he is not feeling embarrassed, not in the slightest!
Nami's giggles greeted his ears like the sweetest of music, Usopp's muffled his laughter with his hands while the shitty swordsman all but fell off the rails in how hard he's laughing.
Luffy scoffs at him. "Mah, I don't trust your jaydge— no, joodge—no, judge-ment Sanji. You called those other girls pretty even if they really weren't."
Sanji is too stunned to speak.
The others just laughs and giggles even harder.
"Hey Nami, Usopp, Zoro! Am I pretty? Not that I doubt Mama's words, but she can be based sometimes."
Nami is the first to reply. "The word is biased Captain and not based. And to answer your question, I think you're pretty cute," She winks playfully. "But you're not really my type, sorry."
"It's fine."
Usopp clears his throat. "Ahem, as one of the greatest Artist to ever live once in a lifetime, I, the Great Captain Usopp, thinks that you have a pretty, symmetrical face," At the his look of confusion, Usopp sighs and settles for a simple explanation. "That means you have a balanced face, that means, if I cut the center of your face in half, I would have two matching halves. That's important."
"Oh, then why didn't you just say so." He blinked. "Am I pretty?"
Usopp pretends to think about it more but answers anyway.
"The human eye likes things that are balanced and matching, so I guess you are pretty Captain."
"Shishishi. Zoro?"
"Hahahahaha, oh yeah, don't listen to Curly Brow, Cap," Zoro smirks at him like he just won, very smug and extra kickable. "You're pretty."
"Shishishi, see Sanji, Mama never lies." Then he poses, arms akimbo and a pleased blush dusting his cheeks.
"I'm pretty."
Sanji pulls back his leg in preparation for a kick.
"And Sanji is too!" He almost falls from getting off balanced, cigarette bitten off clean from surprise. "Sanji has pretty hair like the pretty yellow daffodils Mama grows in the garden and has pretty blue eyes like the sky in a cloudless afternoon and he has cool looking eyebrows shishishi!"
Sanji is at lost for words yet again, he could feel his face warming up and it has nothing to do with the afternoon sun.
"Yo-You can't just say stuff like that!" He blanches as he kicks the asshole's left ankle, his head resolutely down and not looking at the other man or the others.
Damnit! Why would he just blurt out shameless shit like that! And knowing his Captain who he pledged himself to, Luffy meant every word. And no, he is absolutely not blushing. Zoro, the bastard is dying of laughter right now, rolling on the deck and punching it, Sanji is so going to kick him overboard later, along with their stupid Captain.
"Zoro too is pretty!" Zoro chokes in Luffy's proclamation. Good, Sanji hopes he keels over. "He's got unique hair like the green cris-ante-mum in Mama's garden, Mama said that it's one of a kind and I think it's one of the prettiest flower there and Zoro also has pretty silver eyes the same color as his blades shishishi!"
"You can't just say stuff like that." Zoro grumbles under his breath, not looking at anyone, his ears red from where Sanji could see it.
Ha! Serves the bastard right.
"'Course I can."
Luffy turns to Usopp who has been cackling the whole time. Sanji will make sure to punt him to the ocean as well.
"And Usopp is also pretty!" Long nose inhales wrong, Sanji hopes he stays that way. "His eyes are like dark chocolate and his got extra-long lashes too and caramel looking skin and, and, a cool mystery curly hair!"
"…T-Thanks."
"No problem!"
Luffy is practically bouncing now. Like he just didn't render three men speechless by calling them "pretty".
"Shishishishishi! Nami is obviously pretty, with her tangerine hair, tangerine smell and milk chocolate like eyes. Haha! My crew is filled with pretty people and really is the best! And I chose them because I know that they're the best! Woo-hoo!"
"You said it, Captain!" Nami-swan flicks her said beautiful tangerine-colored locks up, a delightful blush dusting her cheeks and a beatific smile etching to her rosy hued lips. A vision in her joy of being complimented by their simpleton of a Captain.
A simpleton who meant every word spoken.
Maybe Sanji can forgive him this time after all.
And if he paid special attention to the meat dishes meant for the rubber brain then nobody mentions it.
"Oh! Oh! I know this one! Shave head has Scurvy!"
Nami's head whipped back to her laughing 'Captain', happy with his shockingly correct diagnosis.
"Scurvy?" The man with dark sunglasses, Johnny, asked in obvious confusion that shocks Nami to anger. And it doesn't help that it was echoed by the directionless swordsman and the long-nosed sniper.
"You guys don't even know what Scurvy is?"
Zoro the directionless moron scoffs. "How should I know? I haven't caught it."
"Yeah, me either."
"You guys are idiots! Usopp, cut me some limes from the kitchen and bring it back here."
"Huh?" Usopp just stared at her blankly.
"Do it now!" She roared, scaring the sunglasses idiot across her.
"R-Right!" Usopp runs off to the galley, doing what she asked.
Jeez, how clueless are these guys when they're roaming the seas! Scurvy is one of the common illnesses for morons like these guys are. By the seas, how are these idiots still alive?
"U-Uh what is Scurvy? Is it curable? Will my bro Yosaku be alright?"
"Shishishi, that's what Nami is doing, so don't worry too much Sunglasses Guy."
"Ha, how could a bunch of limes help him? He looks like he's done for."
Zoro grumbled, earning an irritated growl from Nami. Seriously, how did this guy survived alone in the seas for so long? Not only is he a directionless meathead, he is, apparently, one hell of an idiot that doesn't even know something as common as Scurvy! Even Luffy knows it, and that's saying something.
"Silly idiot Zoro," Luffy shakes his head in disappointment as Zoro growls, because that's hella insulting to come from a guy who can't pronounce the word 'judgement'. "You should really know this type of stuff, specially if you're sailing, Mama said that it's a matter of life and death."
There it is, the source of his leaps of knowledge and logic. The mysterious woman who could actually hammer down common sense, she must have the patience of a Saint or monstrously fearsome to get it to her son's rubber skull.
"Oh yeah Mama's boy?" The insult slides off the teen with a grin, seems like he doesn't care being called one. "Care to enlighten us then."
It was by this time that Usopp comes out of the galley carrying the sliced limes that Nami requested.
"That's easy! Scurvy is the thing that you get when you don't eat fruits and veggies, because your body doesn't get enough vit-a-mins and that's why you can get sick! Vit-a-mins are important 'cause they make the body healthy and strong and stuff and that's why I also eat fruits and veggies instead of only Meat even though I don't like veggies much." Luffy crosses his arms, satisfied with his fairly correct, albeit simple explanation.
Nami had to give him kudos for making sense.
Usopp, Zoro and Johnny gapes at Luffy like the bunch of idiots that they are.
"Wow, Nee-chan's amazing." "Wow, your mother is amazing." Usopp and Zoro said in tandem.
"Hey!" Luffy yells at the perceived insult to his intelligence.
"I see, thank you for informing as Luffy-bro! And thank you for helping Yosaku-bro, Nami-sis!" Johnny cried out, much to Nami's irritation.
"Don't thank me yet, Usopp! The limes!"
"Ah! Ye-Yes, here!"
Then Nami proceeds to forcibly open Yosaku's mouth and squeezed the citrus down his throat, not caring that the man is choking underneath her. That's what he gets for being a massive idiot.
"Hey, I think you're killing him more."
"Shut up Zoro!"
Everyone winced at her harsh treatment, looking away as the man helplessly choked and squirm. Good, they should be afraid, they're getting too chummy with her, after all this is all temporary and she would get back to swindling them all.
Under his breath, Zoro mumbles "Witch." Much to the other men's alarm because it wasn't quiet enough, Nami ignores them.
(Nami doesn't really want to go back. She wants to stay here in this crazy crew. With an idiot rubber captain, a directionless disaster and a shaky liar. She wants to stay so bad but she can't. Nami will betray them and it's better if they see her more as a witch. They're still filthy pirates at the end of the day, like Along who once ravaged her village and what Nami does best is steal from them.)
"Shishishi, I can't wait for Mama to meet all of you! Mama said that she'll visit some time."
Luffy's happiness is a tangible thing, and Usopp is ready to match his grin.
"Yeah! I can't wait to see Nee-chan again and show her my amazing work and the amazing Merry!" He raised both of his arms for emphasis, ignoring the fact that there are still splotches of paint there.
And it's the truth. He misses her. It's been so long since the older woman has visited Syrup Village to visit Usopp and his mother. Even though she is constant with her letters, it's still different from seeing her face to face. She's one of the only few people who never laughed at his dream about becoming a brave warrior of the sea, if anything, she's one of the few people who cheered in his corner. It doesn't hurt that, even though she's super strong – Usopp has a feeling that she is despite never seeing her fight, the power she holds for being able to stop Red Hair Shanks from drinking is another – she still feels scared about general scary things and relates to his experiences. Like that one time Usopp and Luffy pranked her by showing her a cool looking centipede, she cried then fainted from fright. Usopp never pranked her with any bugs again and Luffy vowed to not make his Mom cry again.
(Senritsu was the one who taught him that being scared doesn't necessarily mean that you're a coward, because being brave is being able to face your fears despite being scared and wanting to run away. She said that she used to think the same way he did because she's constantly afraid and crying as a kid and people called her a coward for it, but two patient old men taught her otherwise. Usopp thinks she's one of the bravest people he knows, constantly kind even though the world had been cruel to her. He did learn why she was so afraid of centipedes because Shanks told him and Luffy, so they'll learn not to prank her with them again, that it was serious and that it hurts her. Usopp winces as he thinks back of the three traumatizing experiences to her that involves centipedes and a centipede looking monster.)
Big sis Senritsu is one of his favorite people across the seas and he is now adventuring with her youngest son, his childhood best friend and it all felt so unreal.
He still can't believe that he's actually sailing with Luffy now, the little kid who used to bounce around declaring himself as the next Pirate King, the kid who eats like a blackhole, a kid who befriended him when Usopp's Dad came to visit with the encouragement of Luffy's Mom, now his Nee-chan.
(And because of that visit, his Mom was able to get the right treatment for her illness, treated by Red Hair's doctor, and it's all because Senritsu's encouragement for his old man to visit them.)
(Usopp will never forget, his Mom was saved by that young woman with a heart of gold, and his not-so-deadbeat Dad also agrees.)
"Hey Usopp, I've been wondering." Nami starts.
He hums as his encouragement for her to continue.
"I get that you've met Luffy as a kid and also his Mom and are really close, but why do you call her 'Nee-chan'? Shouldn't it be Aunt?"
It's a valid question, though Usopp thinks that some people also call their Aunts 'Nee-chan' instead of Aunt, specially when they're close in age. But yeah, since she has Luffy as a son who is a teen that Usopp is close in age with, so that clears that notion. Usopp also has a feeling that Nami is asking this because she is curious about Senritsu who raised a person like Luffy, who is constantly giving away crumbs about what he thought and what he learned about his Mother.
Usopp saw Zoro's look of interest on the topic, he must be really curious since he is the one with most exposure to Luffy by now being the first mate. So, he must want to know about their Captain's past and the person who brought him up and is constantly being brought up by him.
Well, Usopp can tell them some, but he's not going to spoil his big sister's name and other details.
After all, the greatest of stories has to have some mystery in it, and Usopp may be a liar but he is not one for spoiling a great story.
"I don't call her Aunt because it feels wrong to do so." Which was not a lie. "I met her when I was seven and back then she looked like she's barely out of her teens. It lasted an impression on me and it stuck."
"Hmmm… So, she's baby faced like Luffy."
"Who are you calling a baby, Zoro?!"
"Nothing Captain, just said you look like on—"
Nami cuts Zoro off and the impending argument. "Does she still look the same though?"
Usopp answers with a shrug, even though she fairly does look the same, looking more like in her twenties rather than in her mid-thirties.
"I dunno, she hasn't visited in a while." True enough, Senritsu hasn't visited them for four months.
But Nami doesn't know that. And she would have known more had she paid attention to the frames and sketches dotting his and his mother's home.
"Does she look anything like Luffy?" Nami pushes on.
Should he or should he tell? Luffy doesn't seem the type to tell about his actual parentage, maybe let others come to their own conclusion or unless they ask him direct questions, so Usopp is fairly sure that the others don't know that Luffy is adopted. And why would they? Luffy talks about Senritsu like she's the greatest thing even before meat. And meat is very important to him.
Usopp decides to be vague then.
"Well," Nami and Zoro scooches closer. "She's pretty tall," about two meters and ten centimeters tall, he demonstrates it by putting his arm above his head and standing on his toes. "Her skin is a bit lighter than Luffy's," He squints an eye at Luffy to make sure. "Yeah, lighter than his. Hmmm… she's got black hair," On the left side anyways, the right side is a bright blonde that has orange tips. "And it's straight up top but a bit wavy at the bottom and it's long." Really long, about knee length, and he hasn't seen it out of a braid or an updo. "Her eyes are lighter too." A pretty amber, the same color of the sky when the sun is about to rise or to set from the horizon.
And that was that. He's not going to describe her eyes, nose and face shape, Usopp leaves it to their imagination.
"That's all?"
Nami seemed irritated by his vague description that didn't really answer her question. Usopp moves back but it's not because he's afraid of her or anything!
"Usopp forgot one thing though!"
"Huh? What did I forget?" Usopp hopes that Luffy won't spoil the fun, he wants to see their reaction once they actually met her.
"She has the most beautiful smile in the world."
Then his big dark brown – almost black – eyes go distant, perhaps picturing said smile in his head. Usopp had to gaze away for a moment because his Captain's beam could rival the sun, Zoro and Nami seemed to be experiencing the same, but unlike them, he had some exposure from it multiple times.
Huh, maybe they do kinda look alike.
A/N: Sheesh, would you look at that, a new AU cause why not. I shall drop this upon you.