Chapter 2: Surprise surprise

The green-haired swordsman had woken up to the last rays of sunlight and decided to take a break from napping and rather get some exercise. After all, it took a worked out and steeled body to be a skilled and successful swordfighter. So now, he was kneeling close to the door, doing push-up after push-up, iron weights pushing down on this shoulders. It was after several dozen exercises that the door behind him opened up and a pale-looking Nami stepped out onto the deck.

"Yo!" Zoro started, pushing himself up into a sitting position, laying his weights beside him. "So what did the doc say?"

Nami seemed startled, surprised that there was somebody there apart from herself.

"Umm…", she tried, head mind obviously consumed by some other though, "Just… just a stomach flu or something. Should be over soon." She stated with a nod and walked off.

Hmm, Zoro frowned inwardly, lying to me, huh? So obvious. She used to be better than this… There has to be something else about it…

While Zoro was still in deep though about what that "something" could be, little Chopper stepped outside. And as if he had smelled or somehow sensed it, the cook was by his side within split seconds.

"So what is it, Chopper? What's troubling my Nami-san?" Sanji asked impatiently.

Chopper seemed nervous, though he certainly hid it well, Zoro thought. Well now let's see what story he's got for us…

"That? Oh… umm… It's probably just from the weather changing. Her… her body heavily reacts to it."

There there, should've made sure you'd tell the same story…

"That's it? Really? So she's going to be ok, right?" the cook inquired, visibly relieved after hearing the information.

"Y…Yeah, she'll be ok", Chopper answered and nodded early, "But there's something I have to read up now, sorry!" he added hastily and hopped off.

"Just from the weather changing, huh? Yeah right…" Zoro watched the little guy leave and shook his head.

"What is it, idiot? He's a doc, he's gotta know!" Sanji bellowed at the green-haired man.

"So what?" Zoro yelled back, yet regained control over his temper and quietly continued with a smirk. "Just that he knows doesn't mean he's gonna tell us the truth."

Sanji got down and grabbed the other man by the collar.

"Tell me what you're talkin' about already! Why would he be lying to us!"

Zoro freed himself from the cook's grasp and glared at him.

"You want me to talk, right? Then keep your hands off of me!… Well, just a bit before you talked to Chopper, Nami came out here and I asked her what they'd found out. And she said it was just a stomach flu. Now, I'm not a doc or somethin', but a stomach flu and the effects of weather change aren't exactly the same, are they? Next time they make up stories, they better agree on what to tell first."

Sanji looked baffled. And though he hated to admit it, the swordsman was right. Something seemed to be wrong. Something serious enough to make them lie to their nakama.

"So… what can we do about it?" he asked, reluctantly, not liking the fact of having to ask Zoro for advice.

"Well", the latter started, "Nami won't talk, of course, if she doesn't want to. So that only leaves Chopper. He can be pretty stubborn though. And if Nami had him promise, and she sure did, then you just won't get him to talk. It sucks, but I guess all we can do is wait."

"I don't like that…" Sanji said, gritting his teeth, and fingered for a package of cigarettes in his pocket.

"Nobody said y'had to like it", Zoro stated grimly.

Several days had already gone by without Nami or Chopper deviating from their original stories. So far, Sanji and Zoro had been able to hold themselves back from confronting the two. They had not even told Usopp or their captain about their suspicions. Too easily would they spill the secret out to anyone willing to listen.

Needless to say that Nami's physical condition had not improved. The tiredness, the occasional sickness, it was all still there, just like it had before. Something else about her had changed though. Since the check up with Chopper, the navigator had become much more withdrawn than ever before. She was often found hunched over her maps in her room or retreated to the little grove of orange trees. Certainly, she still joined the other crew members at meals and other group activities. But wherever she was and whatever was going on around her, she always seemed to be worried and in deep though. Something serious seemed to be on her mind constantly. She was just not the old Nami anymore.

That day, it appeared to be no different. While everybody was sitting at the table devouring their dinner, the red headed girl just picked at it listlessly. Her glass of juice was but half empty, her plate still as full as it had been when Sanji had placed it in front of her.

"Aren't you hungry, Nami-san?" Sanji asked her, worry etched into his features, "You should eat something."

Nami just shook her head in reply and forced a smile.

"I'm fine, Sanji-kun, just not really hungry."

"But Nami…" Chopper spoke up, pushing her plate closer to her. "Sanji's right, you really should eat something."

"Mhm…" Nami nodded and gave in. Slowly, she started helping herself to some of the fruits the cook had piled on her plate trying to make sure that she would get enough vitamins.

Man, something's really wrong here… Sanji thought to himself and stood up from his place. After putting his dirty plates into the sink, he leaned against the wall, took out his matches and was right about to light himself a cigarette when:

"Sanji, please, could you go outside to smoke?" Chopper demanded, glancing at Nami quickly.

"What the…?" Sanji yelled. His crewmembers flinched at the sound, and the navigator guiltily stared at her hands, biting her lower lip. But Sanji did not feel like remaining quiet this time. He rose his voice again. "Since when can somebody tell me what to do in MY kitchen? What the hell is going on here anywayz? You and Nami telling us these stories that don't even match! Now would somebody please tell me what the f..k is wrong here?"

A clanking sound echoed abruptly through the room as Nami jumped up and knocked over her chair.

"I'm pregnant, damn it! That's what's wrong! You happy now?" she yelled, her eyes tearing up as she glared at Sanji.

"N-Nami-san…", he stuttered.

That had done it. She now had the unshared attention of every single person in the room. They were gaping, surprised, to say the least.

"But… how?" the cook stammered.

Nami gave a sarcastic chuckle brought her hand up to her forehead.

"I doubt I'll have to explain to you how it works."

Sanji was trying hard to regain control over his voice and senses.

"T…That's not what I meant. But when… and especially who?"

"Well", Nami started, leaning back against the wall with a grim look. "The former I can answer. You all remember that night two months ago, right? After that one big party. We all were pretty drunk, and I don't remember anything that happened. Chopper said it must've happened two months ago though, so that's the only possible answer."

The ship's doctor nodded in agreement. Usopp and Sanji looked perplexed, Luffy slowly munched on his food, looking back and forth between his nakama.

"And while Luffy and Usopp fell asleep right at the bar, the last thing I remember is going back to the ship with Sanji and Zoro and having some more wine on the deck…" she sighed, looked up at the ceiling and mumbled under her breath: "God, I swear I'll never touch a single glass of alcohol again…"

Usopp's eyes turned the size of saucer as he realized what their navigator had just told them.

"So, that means either Sanji or Zoro is the father?"

Nami nodded with another sigh, hanging her head low.

"Father?" Luffy barely stopped chewing for an instant and looked back and forth between the cook and the swordsman. "I didn't know you had kids?"

"Ahhhh they don't yet!" Usopp yelled at his captain impatiently. "But one of them is the father of Nami's baby!"

Luffy blinked once again and looked at his navigator.

"Nani? I didn't know you have a baby, Nami-san?"

The young woman face-faulted and Usopp knocked on his captain's forehead.

"You dimwit, weren't you listening at all? She didn't have it yet, and she's not gonna have it until in some months!"

"If she's going to have it at all", Zoro spoke up quietly and thus had everybody look at him questioningly.

"What are you saying, you idiot, why shouldn't she?" Sanji shot him a deadly glare.

"Well", the green-haired man continued calmly, "it's up to her to keep the baby or not, isn't it? If she doesn't want it, there's nothin' we can do about it."

"Stop that shit already, will ya?" Sanji threatened and glared at him once more. "You just want to get away from taking responsibility, don't you? You selfish… little…"

"No, Sanji", the little reindeer spoke up, using all of the self-confidence he could muster. "He's right. It's Nami's choice after all." Chopper straightened himself up and looked at Nami sympathetically. "How much longer until we reach the next island?"

She quickly did some approximate calculations in her head and, giving him a puzzled look, said: "About four more days. After that, the next one is about three months away. Why?"

"Well", Chopper started, "That means you have about four days left to make your choice. When we reach the island after that, you would already be five months along, which is too late for an abortion."

Nami flinched slightly at the sound of the word, for the first time these days realizing what her options were and how soon she would have to make that decision which could have such grave an effect on her life.

"Anyway", Chopper added, "No matter what choice you make, you will need a check-up with a more experienced doctor. Just to make sure."

"Mhm, okay…" Nami acknowledged with a nod. "Well, I think I'll be going to my room then. There's some more calculations for the course I have to do." Pushing herself off from the wall with much more effort than usually, made her way out of the small kitchen, avoiding the eyes of her crewmates.

"Nami-san…" Sanji whispered as he watched her walk out. This was not going to be easy… On all of them…

Nami sighed deeply and sank down onto her bed. At least now they knew. Was that not supposed to make her feel better though; not having to hide a secret from her crewmates any longer? The huge boulder in her chest had not crumbled however, but had even increased in size. Her chest seemed to be tightening with every single breath she took. The reactions of her nakama, she had mostly expected them. Yet the harsh tone in Sanji's voice, the completely empty look of his face. Even now, just remembering it, she flinched slightly. Of course, she couldn't be mad at him for what he had said and done, but she still could net help feeling somewhat pushed off.

Though she believed that she had the support of her friends. On Chopper she could certainly count. He would give her all the advice and information she needed. Luffy would be his usual self; he did whatever was best for his crew. The same went for Usopp. The long-nosed sharpshooter sure was a great friend when it came to it. Zoro and especially Sanji, however, she was not able to judge. As the two possible fathers of the child she was bearing, the situation for them was much more serious than for any other member of the crew. If I have the child, who knows if they at all want to take responsibility? After all, nobody really wished for this situation, she thought to herself and walked out onto the deck to get some fresh air.

The night was falling and the stars were shining brightly, unclouded. Their had become chilly from the lack of sunlight. But Nami didn't care; she had always been able to think best under the open sky. She leant down on the railing. And this was definitely a situation that needed much consideration. After all, she would be having a child. And when she had it… if she had it…

That's right, if I have it… she thought and brushed back a strand of red hair that the soft breeze had blown into her face. Just four days left to make the decision, not exactly much time… Jeez… The though of an abortion haunted her mind. But was she really willing to murder the child that was growing inside her, her child? Sure, it had not been conceived in love and she was barely out of her teens herself. And of course, the Going Merry wasn't the perfect place to raise a child, but things could be arranged after all, right? She was not exactly poor and she had friends to count on.

Speaking of friends…

"Oi, Nami-san?" Sanji smiled and stepped up to her, holding a blanket.

She looked at him questioningly.

"I figured you would be here", he said and gently put the blanket around her shoulders. "It's a little chilly, and you don't want to catch a cold, do you?"

Nami forced a smile, appreciating his concern. "Arigato, Sanji-kun." Thus she returned her gaze to the starry sky.

"Thinking, huh?" he stated plainly, following her gaze.

Nami nodded quietly, not looking at him. "There are some things I have to make up my mind about."

The cook gave a short nod and continued staring at the sky. "Look, I'm sorry about what happened earlier." He said and earned a surprised look from Nami. "I didn't mean to be so harsh. After all, it's not like you did anything wrong. I was just… somewhat shocked, you know?"

The redhead looked back at the starry sky and attempted a smile. "It's okay, Sanji-kun.", she closed her eyes, sighing softly. "I can't blame you for reacting like that."

With a short nod and the closest to a smile he could produce, the cook stood up and straightened his back. "I just want you to know that, no matter what choice you make, I'll try my best to support you."

At these words, he turned on his heel and started walking off, leaving behind a slightly perplexed Nami. About halfway down to the door, though, he stopped for a short moment and said quietly: "And please, Nami-san, get some rest. And don't worry too much, okay? We'll help you through this." Thus he went inside, closing the door behind him with a low, squeaking noise.

Nami forced a small smile and ran her long slender fingers though her flaming hair. So he does care after all… she thought to herself and tugged the blanket a little tighter around her.

"Well?" Zoro inquired and looked questioningly at Nami, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm?" the navigator glanced up from the sea chart she was using to check the Going Merry's course. "Well what?"

"Well", the swordsman repeated plainly, "have you made your choice yet? You know we're reach the island by tomorrow now."

Nami did not answer straight away. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed softly. "Not yet. Not really."

"Then", Zoro started, soundly placing his feet on top of the table in front of him, "you'd better make it soon. We can't afford to waste any time."

Before Nami had any chance to react, Sanji jumped up from where he was reading in a book about the rarest types of edible fish and grabbed the swordsman by the collar.

"How dare you be so rough to my Nami-san? This is none of your business. It's Nami-san's choice and nobody else's!" The blonde cook was fuming, but Zoro simply grinned at him.

"You know very well that this is as much my business as it is hers or yours. It will affect all of us after all!"

With a clank, Nami's chair toppled over and she quickly but quietly walked out of the room, leaving the two arguing men to themselves.

Sanji stared at the door for an instance until her returned to his crewmate and tightened the grip on his collar.

"See what you just did to her? This all is hard enough on her already, even without you making your idiotic remarks!"

Zoro just shrugged and looked the cook in the eyes: "I'm right, though, and you know it. This is not just her business. This concerns all of us."

Nami pressed her back against the outer wall of the kitchen and closed her eyes tightly. From inside, she could still hear Sanji's yelling and Zoro's remarks. She just was not able to stand that situation any longer. Since she had given away the secret to her nakama, there had not been a single normal day; Sanji was constantly getting furious with Zoro, and at those times when there was, for a change, no yelling, there would be an awkward, uncomfortable silence.

And although she was getting tired of all those remarks and reminders by Zoro about how the whole crew was involved in the situation, she certainly knew that he was right. Sanji and Zoro of course were involved the most, being the two potential fathers. But then, also, the rest of the crew would not remain unaffected if she decided to keep the child. After all, she was the ship's navigator and thus a very essential part of the crew. If she were to keep the child, she would not be able to give her fullest for the crew, neither before nor after birth. Actually, considering how many battles they had already fought and how many very most likely still to come, she would just be in their way, neither able to help nor to defend herself, yet constantly in need for protection.

With another deep sigh, Nami closed her eyes and grabbed her forehead. It was more by chance than intentionally that she listened in on the argument going on in the room she had just left.

"Just think of what it would mean for all us. One of us, as the father, of course would need to take care of her and the kid. Not just financially but in all other aspects as well. But it does not end up with only one of us having to give up his dream; this ship would lose its navigator", she heard Zoro state calmly. "Or do you think she'll stay on the ship once the kid is there? That would then mean the rest of the crew would have to find themselves a new navigator. And you should know damn well that, even though she's money-crazy brat, there's no better navigator than her out there. See what I'm aiming at? No navigator, no course, no reaching the destination, no One Piece."

Nami bit her lip. He's right, she thought bitterly, this is not just about me. More about everybody else than about me…

"But I'm sure we could find a way. I think Luffy would say the same", Sanji said, the quiver in his voice was audible even through the thick wooden walls.

Zoro gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "Just face it, Sanji. Life's not just all "lovey-dovey", you know? There are consequences to be considered. And in this case, they wouldn't exactly be trivial."

Sanji growled. "God, I hate to admit it, but you seem to be right." He grumbled.

So that was what they really thought, huh? She thought bitterly and hung her head low. Can't blame them either, they're right after all… How could I be so stupid to ever consider it?

She clawed the fingers of her slender right hand into her perfectly flat stomach, a single tear escaping from below the curtain of fiery-red hair.

So the decision had been made…

...to be continued...

a/n: You all saw it coming, didn't you? Ah, I'm so transparent--

I can't remember ever updating a story that fastOo First, thank you all for the nice reviews! They really helped me continue this. However, the writing still seems to forced, and I even when I read it, it still doesn't sound right to me. I just have no experience what so ever in writing One Piece fanfiction, so getting into the characters heads, especially in such a situation so unlikely for the series, is incredibly hard for me. So don't be surprised if you find the characters acting extremely weirdly. I think I might well continue this story, since so many of you seem to want me to, but I'm still not too sure about it. Probably because, apart from a very rough plan, I have absolutely no concept of the following chapters (apart from the one that would now be published next). Happy Ending, Drama Ending, what do you prefer? And who's the better 'daddy'? (this brings back memories of Zoro in a pink Apron..)

And now a few words to my reviewers:

Namibean: Antlers? lol Very nice idea. But considering this is One Piece, it wouldn't even be unsual. Sca-reeOO
mushi-azn: You like my sentence structure? gasp Why thanx! As a foreigner studying English, I consider that a wonderful compliment)
Rune-Spirit: I already am feeling better, thanx) Annoxeric, huh? Hmm that would explain those waists, after all..
Miss Goupil: Never mind your English, I'm not a native English-speaker myself (as if you couldn't tell..) so I know what it feels like to be struggling with the language.
all: Why she wouldn't be eating? Well, mental stress, of course. It does those kinds of things to you. Sure, it doesn't have the same effect on everyone. Some ppl stuff themselves with chocolate or chips whenever they feel stressed or nervous, but personally, I can't swallow a single bit of food. Same as when I write exams or wait for the announcement of imporant grades. My stomach will be growling for food all the time, but I just won't be able to eat for days. That's all there is to it) (Notice how Chopper tells her to eat cuz it's no good for her to "diet"? There goes my plot lol