Wednesday went by in a blur, the new couple went shopping for Luffy, they purchased an entirely new wardrobe, some expensive colognes, and name-brand items courtesy of Nami. Of course, the paparazzi never left them alone for a minute, already speculating the two were now dating. There wasn't much to do at the Zou dome other than the modification concerning the stage so the models got the day off. Luffy took the time on his day off to type out his resignation letter to have it delivered to his former workplace.

It was now Thursday evening, the Zou dome is now fully decorated for the show tomorrow, the seats were assigned for the special guest, and the models were now rehearsing walking the stage, while the musical artists were centered warming up their vocals.

Nami, Chiffon, Nojiko, and Decken sat in the audience watching the models walk whilst an instrumental of one of Soul King's songs plays in the background. Brook clears his throat in the mic after tuning his guitar.

"Mic check...one, two," Brook speaks into the mic.

Hina speaks from the sound booth. "Okay models, get back in place, we're taking things from the top, there is a ten-second countdown until our first model opens the show. There is a stage director backstage to give you the count. Let's focus, everyone."

Brooke gives her the thumbs up after checking with his backup singers. The instrumental starts to play again, Brook starts playing on his guitar, the first model appears from the right side of the stage. Walking on the left-hand side, the second model who came out three seconds later entered from the left side of the stage and walked on the right-hand side. Brook starts singing his song beautiful Dressrosa, a song he wrote specifically for this show. Making the fashion show the debut of his new single.

Luffy finally enters stage left, walking down on the right-hand side where Nami was seated. The models performed an intersection pattern, so each side of the audience can get a good look at each outfit.

Luffy walked with hands in his pockets and a serious expression on his face. He walks back on the left-hand side with the empty audience. After two minutes had passed, Brook performed the last minute of his song. He got a standing ovation from Nami and Nojiko who happened to be huge fans of his music.

"I love it!" Nami exclaims. She gives a thumbs up to Brooke and Hina from where she stood. "The stage looks absolutely marvelous, will a twenty-five hundred bonus suit you?" She turns to ask Decken.

Decken nods his head frantically, agreeing with her amount, "Oh certainly Ms. Karlsson."

"We're looking really good here." Nojiko places her hands on her hips, standing next to her sister.

Nami excuses herself from her seat to walk upstairs to the sound booth to talk with Hina.

She knocks on the door first before entering.

"You like what you see Ms. Karlsson?" Hina asks, smirking confidently at her directing.

Nami smiles at the soundtrack manager and Hina. "I love it, it's a beautiful way to open the show. Say, when does Apoo get here? He's closing for my show and he needs to-"

"I've been thinking about the lineup, Apoo is bringing a small band here and he's playing the lead with a saxophone. Because the saxophone is romantic and our theme is romance, I suggest we open with Apoo and close with Soul King who's more upbeat and can liven up the place." Hina interrupts her.

"First of all Hina, it was very rude of you to cut me off like that, let's have respect for one another, " Nami looks at her carefully, "my apologies," Hina fake chuckles lightly, Nami looks down at the stage from the bird view of the sound booth, "the stage is gorgeous, don't you agree?" She asks the pink-haired woman.

Hina looks at her, then follows her gaze down to the stage. "It is. Decken has really outdone himself."

"I like your suggestion for the musical lineup, but I think it's best if we keep it how it is. It's too late to change the lineup, besides, for Apoo's performance we're raining down rose petals to really sell the romantic atmosphere."

Hina thinks to herself, then nods her head in satisfaction, "I can see your vision."

Nami receives a text from Chiffon who was seated in the audience with Nojiko and Decken.

"Looks like Apoo has just arrived. I'll leave you two up here to get back to it. I'm going to say hi to Apoo." Nami closes the door behind her walking down the steps and onto the ground level.

After catching her breath for a few seconds she puts on a bright smile and walks over to Nojiko and Chiffon who were already talking with Apoo and his band.

"Hey Apoo, glad you decided to show up, I thought you'd cancel on us today and come in tomorrow for an early rehearsal." Nami smiles at him.

"Ayo, I would never do that, check it, I got my band here, and we're ready to rock," Apoo says in an upbeat tone.

"Well, here's the line-up, we just got done with Soul King's opening, there's going to be an instrumental for our second walk, then you'll be closing with your performance. We have rose petals set to flutter slowly on the runway while you perform, is that okay?" Chiffon asks.

"Better than okay. It's perfect." Apoo gives her the thumbs up.

000

After the late-night rehearsals were over, Luffy and Nami drove back to Mary Geoise. Nami gave Sunny the day off so he can rest up for tomorrow. After parking the red SUV in the reserved underground garage parking. The couple went upstairs to the penthouse where Nami is cheffing up a home-cooked meal for the two.

She ties her shoulder-length hair to the back of her head in a small bun, washes her hands, and puts on an apron to start preparing dinner. Sweet pan shrimp fajitas. A recipe she found on the All Blue app. Luffy sat at the kitchen island watching her, he was hungry before they even arrived at the Zou dome.

"How long is it gonna take for you to finish?" He asks impatiently.

"I haven't even begun yet," she takes the defrosted shrimp she placed into the sink before they left into a bowl for seasoning, "about 20 to twenty-five minutes."

"If I help you will it be quicker?" He gets up from his seat.

"I guess you can help with the seasoning...I need, salt and pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, olive oil, and-"

Luffy stares at her.

"What is it?"

"Is there something else I can do? Something easier?"

"Okay, I guess I'll season the shrimp. Can you cut the onions, red and yellow bell peppers?"

"Hmmm, I don't know how to cut those."

"What do you know how to do?"

"I can fry bacon, cook a potato in the mirror, scramble eggs and make the best chocolate chip waffles...in a toaster." He beams at her proudly after counting on his fingers.

Nami lets out a sigh, "okay, tell you what, you can make yourself busy by….inviting your friends to the show tomorrow."

"Really?! That means you'll get to meet them?"

"Well, yeah. If we're in a relationship now, we should get to know each other's peers. We can get to know each other more over dinner tonight. I'm intrigued about your background and your history with Ace." She says while obtaining the spices and vegetables.

Luffy goes over to lay in the living room to call up his friends inviting them out for tomorrow's event. Nami finds herself the skillet to head up the tortillas in the oven.

After making his calls and catching up with his friends, dinner was finished. Nami plated their food and brought it over to the living room.

"Should I pour us something to drink?" She asks him, taking her apron off.

"I'll get it. Here." He gets up and waits for her to give him the apron.

She does so and sits down on the couch to rest her legs waiting for him to come back. She turns on her DevilFruit box which powers on the flat-screen television, immediately she sees her and Luffy's face on the screen. The media didn't waste any time spreading photos of her and Luffy today leaving Mary Geoise together and returning. Luffy comes back with a glass of water and wine.

"Oh hey, it's us again." He says casually setting down the beverages.

"Sorry, but you can't have any wine. I don't need you having a hangover tomorrow."

"Come on, it's only one glass."

"No way. Maybe tomorrow you can drink some to celebrate."

Luffy groans and takes the bottle and glass back to the kitchen to return with a glass of water.

The two lounge on the couch eating their dinner and laughing at the ugly photos of them being caught off guard. There were photos of Luffy holding up peace signs and making a ridiculous expression which turned into a meme.

" 'when your friend starts talking about being suicidal while driving' " Nami reads the caption of one of the memes posted on television.

She laughs and looks over to Luffy who was laughing even harder. Once they are done eating dinner, Nami puts on a television show called The Late Night Foxy Show.

"So...who all did you invite?" She shifts on the couch to prompt her arm on the couch to support her head.

"I invited my friends Zoro, Usopp, Jimbe, and Sanji."

"Isn't Sanji the cook from Baratie? And Zoro's that guy from the night we met right?"

"Yup. Sanji and Usopp are so excited to meet you. Usopp couldn't believe the story I told him about you."

"What did you tell him?" She raises a brow.

"...well, I don't wanna go into details, but I told him you were great...in bed."

"Luffy!" Nami blushes and hits him with a cushion.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." He laughs at her hitting him over and over.

Nami sits back and hugs the cushion. "What's your relationship with Ace?"

Luffy smiles at the memories flooding back to him, "Ace, he's my frat brother. I went to college and I was a freshman, he was a junior. I only went for one year before dropping out."

"How come?" She looks at him curiously.

"I was born and raised in Brazil and I moved to America when I was eight. For those first eight years of my life, I lived in an orphanage, this lady named Dadan. She took care of me."

"What happened to your biological parents? Are they...dead?"

"Well, my mom died when I was pretty young, around a few months old. My dad abandoned me at the age of six months...I think. Anyway, my grandfather Monkey D. Garp who took me out of the orphanage was in America all that time getting straight so we could have a better life. Winding down to my freshman year of college, my grandfather fell sick. I had to drop out of school to take care of him because I didn't want to put him in the nursing home. He was the father figure I had growing up and seeing him bedridden sick disheartened me."

Nami gives him a look of sympathy.

"He always wished I'd join the police force as he had, so I ended up in the academy, where I met Zoro. We went different paths and I became a firefighter instead. To this day Zoro and I are still friends, I think our bond is strong enough to call him my best friend. The reason Ace and I fell out of touch is because my phone had broken after enlisting in the academy. I couldn't remember his number at the top of my head so it was kind of a bust. I don't have social media either so that was out the window."

Nami's eyes flutter and she takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry about your grandfather, he seems like a really interesting man. Have you spoken with your father or Dadan ever since you moved to America?"

"My dad? Not since he left me at the orphanage, I don't even know if he's alive. My grandfather says he's a wanted criminal, that's why he couldn't look after me. He's probably somewhere in the world on the run or sitting in a jail cell in Brazil. Dadan on the other hand, keep in contact from time to time. We got even closer after the death of my grandfather. She's like a mother to me and I hope to pay her back, by spoiling her with the money I make."

Nami's small smile turns even bigger after hearing his goals for Dadan, she really would like to meet her herself.

"What else are you planning to do once you make a lot of money?"

"I wanna travel the world. Pay off my loans and provide for us. Even though you already have more than enough for the baby, I want to feel useful and bring in something too."

Nami smiles when he said 'us' he was already thinking of a future with her. Something Arlong failed to achieve with his selfish nature.

"What major were you in college?"

He blows air out his mouth, "I was undecided. I just went and took normal classes hoping something would interest me."

"Would you want to go back? I mean after all these years?"

"...I haven't thought about it. Probably not, we're all here just to die so in the end a degree wouldn't really matter, I wouldn't want to be stressed out with college and modeling."

"Hm, makes sense" Nami gets up to refill her water, "...I think I've asked enough about you. I'm glad you shared your story with me...now it's time for you to hear mine." She sits back down.