Title: Family Made of Us
Author: Chibimono Akuno
Fandom: One Piece
Pairing: ZoLu, ZoRoLu
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 1045
Warnings: Pregnancy, though NOT of the Mpreg kind.
Disclaimers: Not mine. Just pretending. Though, I'd like to have Oda's babies.
A/N: For 101kisses theme #91: Endless love. Luffy wants his family to grow with love. A piece of them all together, forever.

Family Made of Us
by Chibimono Akuno

Of all things, Luffy had just asked. Just asked as if curious it could happen. Zoro had stood back at a distance and watched it all go down, all his doubts securely in place.

Much to the swordsman's utter horror, the question in question was dropped and negotiations were immediately under way.

Within a month's time, Luffy was able to proudly announce to everyone at dinner... that they were having a baby.

Questions started flying and Luffy gladly answered them all. Apparently, for once, he had put a lot of thought into the situation. Zoro had sat through the thinking himself and voiced all the same questions that everyone else was now asking.

Who's having the baby? Why a baby? On a pirate ship? What the hell's wrong with you? What about attacks? What about storms? What about the care and the food and everything else?

"We are a family," Luffy smiled, "and don't families always grow? They get bigger with kids and they grow up to have kids and they grow up to have kids. We need something of all of us, right? And we'll love it forever together, right? We need to grow, so we have to have a kid. I've decided."

The four other members were in an uproar, with Zoro remaining silent as Luffy grinned with ridiculous pride beside him. It was Robin's gentle, yet amused tone that calmed everyone.

"Sencho-san and I have talked it over, and I have agreed. Besides, there is not much we can do at this point, since the baby is already on it's way."

The insults that were aimed towards the captain suddenly became congratulations of sorts for the archaeologist. It was a strange and fast turn around, but Zoro only sighed and wished his captain was not such an impatient, spur-of-the-moment person.

Through the next nine months, the crew's excitement grew and everyone had a little place in their heart for the soon-to-be new member of their pieced-together family. Nami was hording her money to spoil the child endlessly, because there was nothing too good for the Strawhats' child. Usopp created every gadget he could to baby-proof the ship for the child's safety, and began preparing himself for babysitting duties. Sanji went through every recipe he knew and then some, more than willing to cater to the child's every wish. Chopper's excitement could not be contained, so glad that he would be able to see the child grow from birth till whenever they should part ways, in both a medical and a family-like way.

Luffy was not exactly near ready to become a father, but he was taking the responsibilities to heart. He knew what was being expected of him, and he seemed to tack it onto the responsibilities he held as captain. It was strange, yes, but Luffy was beginning to look at his captaincy as being the head of a family, and thus "being a father" fell under there somewhere. Never the less, he was at Robin's side at all times, gushing endlessly over her slowly extending belly and the new being growing inside.

The influx in attention did not seem to bother Robin at all, nor did the actual pregnancy. She seemed quite happy to be carrying the captain's child, a small, knowing smile always on her face. Through Marine battles and attacks from other pirate crews, her nakama protected her through thick and thin, though she could still protect herself with a limb manifesting from oblivion.

Zoro just sat back and took it all in. The child was coming, whether he liked it or not. But he would not protest it anyway, with Luffy being so happy over it. And the swordsman would not allow himself to become jealous either, because at the end of the day, Robin would retire to her room with Nami, and the captain, enjoying the newfound freedom with the touchy-feely-ness of closer and sometimes more intimate contact, needed the support and cuddling of his first mate.

The only thing about the situation that Zoro did not care for were the comments from the cook.

"So, if Luffy's the 'father of this family', so to say... That makes you the 'mother', doesn't it?"

The day finally came, and it took both Zoro and Usopp to pin down and calm the overly excited new father. Luffy wanted to be there, right there, when the baby was born, but he would definitely put himself in the way. With baited breaths and thudding hearts, the whole crew awaited the arrival of the newborn.

Several hours later, with confused expressions abound from those that assisted the young doctor, Luffy was allowed into the room with Zoro in tow. Trembling with excitement, Luffy was presented his daughter, who already seemed to carry her mother's amused smile, along with her father's green hair.

"It's our baby," Luffy smiled, kissing Robin's sweaty forehead. She smiled and nodded, mouthing Luffy's words back to him.

Zoro had stood back, too weary to see the results, but he was pulled in close by his captain. A gentle kiss on Zoro's lips and Luffy was smiling wider still.

"It's our baby. A baby made of us."

Robin was allowed to rest and the crew took turns holding the baby. As Zoro took his turn and cradled the tiny child in his strong arms, Luffy sat beside him and played with his daughter's fingers.

"You made a pretty girl, Zoro," the captain smiled, leaning against his first mate's shoulder.

"Only because you asked it of me," Zoro sighed, which was much like the same sigh he gave so many months before, when he knew he could not turn down his captain's wish. The little one sighed, too, but she sounded much more pleased.

"Everyone will love her..." Luffy whispered, kissing the small hand that wrapped around his pinky. "We'll love her and she'll love us, and we'll all love each other... and be.. be a happy family... If we ever... ever part... she will be a piece of all of us..."

The swordsman put an arm around Luffy and pressed a fierce kiss to his forehead. "We'll never part. A family forever."

"Forever," the captain nodded resolutely.

- owari -

Omake:

Though everyone now knew who the father really was, Luffy still proclaimed himself as the daddy and named the child "Meat". He then proceeded to wheedle Nami and Sanji into making a baby, but was thoroughly shut down by the navigator, despite the cook's heartfelt loyalty to follow the captain and his request.