Thanks to yukino76 for your review.

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03/24/22 EDIT : Thanks to KumaZura for proofreading this chapter.

Chapter 13

Feminine intuition

"Franky, can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah." The engineer gave a final brushstroke to the girls' bathroom door and smiled, satisfied, before turning towards his captain. "What do you wanna know?"

"I'm in love with Nami."

"What?!" The cyborg dropped his paint can, which happily didn't splash the floor, and stared at the perfectly calm straw hat boy in front of him. He then decided he had necessarily misunderstood. "Say that again, please?" He said, picking up his things.

"I'm in love with Nami", Luffy repeated.

Franky froze and carefully put his brushes down at his feet. "Okay but, uh... It ain't a question," He pointed out, confused.

"You think I should tell her? Sanji asked me to think about it but I don't know!"

"Huh..."

"I still have a stomach ache, it won't go away!"

"Huh..."

"What am I gonna do?!"

Franky stared at his captain. This conversation was totally beyond him. He had simply understood that Sanji knew something, that was a start. "Let's go see the cook, he needs to explain a couple of things," He grumbled.

"Hey, Sanji, tell me something," Franky began as he was entering his galley, "It seems that Luffy's in love with Nami, what's going on?"

The blond turned to the two newcomers, the cyborg at a complete loss and the captain with an outsized smile. He sighed and stuck his cigarette butt between his teeth. "That's the truth, Luffy discovered love. Chopper diagnosed him, he thought he was sick."

The carpenter turned toward the straw hat boy, perfectly stunned. "Wow, I can't believe it," He mumbled as he watched the amazed face of his captain who was smiling even more.

"Luffy, did you decide if you want to talk to her about it?" Sanji took the opportunity to ask him.

"I dunno what to do, that's why I asked Franky!" He explained.

"Franky or anyone else can't help you. You have to choose if you prefer to stay like that or take the risk to talk to her and see what she thinks."

"Hm..." The straw hat boy concentrated for a moment before raising his head, disappointed. "I don't know what to do!" He shouted.

"No need to scream," The cook grumbled while the cyborg sighed.

"What's going on here?" Usopp inquired, poking his head around the door.

"Just Luffy who's in love with Nami and doesn't know if he should talk to her or not," Franky replied.

"Wh-wha... W-What?!"

"Yeah, that's about what I said five minutes ago."

The sniper rushed towards his friend and grabbed him by the shoulders to look him in the face. "Are you serious, Luffy? You're in love with Nami?!"

"Yeah, I think so. Chopper told me."

The gunner hugged him with emotion and Luffy hugged him back, laughing. "You're all too funny!"

"Who knows?" Usopp then asked the other two.

"A lot of people," Sanji shrugged.

Usopp turned to his captain again, delighted. "This is Straw Hat Luffy's biggest adventure!" He trumpeted, starting a dance with him.

"Great, an adventure!" The captain replied excitedly.

As they were whirling together, Franky interrupted them. "It's all very well to dance but maybe we should answer his question. I don't think he'll get through by himself on this one. Beating the shit out of Warlords, that's okay but women, he's far from fathoming anything about it!"

The gunner stopped twirling and nodded. "You're right, we need to think about it seriously. Let's see... You know Luffy, if you don't feel like telling her, it's best to get positively noticed and she'll be the one to talk to you," He advised him.

"It ain't a bad idea," The cook agreed.

"Great, we'll do that!" Luffy exclaimed, delighted.

The two friends danced again for a few moments before Sanji kicked everyone out to keep working. Franky and Usopp then dragged Luffy outside, embarking on precise explanations for Nami to fall under his spell. On the way, they met Brook and exposed the problem to him. The skeleton immediately suggested writing a song in honor of the navigator so that Luffy could offer it to her and the captain accepted with enthusiasm.

They settled on the deck and began their composition not far from Zoro whose nap they disturbed and who refused to join them. Finally, Chopper came out of the infirmary with Robin and the young woman was let into the secret in turn.

In less than fifteen minutes, all Sunny was aware except for the person concerned who was doing the accounts in her cabin. With the advice of his friends and deciding to follow Usopp's strategy, the captain decided to take action during the next meal.

What the hell is he doing?

Nami stared at Luffy for the third time during lunch. He was nicely asking her if she wanted again a bit of the dish he hadn't completely devoured. Logically, she couldn't help but find his attitude totally unseemly. Since when was he making efforts concerning food? Maybe to thank her for finding those few gold charms? No, it wasn't like the captain.

She glanced at Sanji who was agreeing with the straw hat boy, handing her the dish. "What's with this dish, you don't like it?" She asked Luffy suspiciously.

Around the table, her friends coughed awkwardly and she frowned a little more. She was missing something and she didn't like being left out. Seeing all the faces fixed on her, waiting for her answer, she decided to avoid the question. "No, thanks. I'm full."

She might have thought Luffy would be disappointed but he swallowed with a big smile the portion he offered her a few seconds ago. In contrast, the cook seemed upset. "It's very good, Sanji-kun," She added, "It's just that I've eaten enough and we'll be arriving at our next destination soon, I need to keep heading."

"Don't worry, sweetie. I'll be making cocktails this afternoon!" The blond said with a seductive smile.

Reassured, the navigator hastened to leave the kitchen to find fresh sea air. She observed the Log-Pose which confirmed they were still in the right direction. They should arrive in the early evening if her calculations were accurate. It was obviously a winter island and snowflakes were beginning to flutter in the sky.

After redrawing the outlines of their last destination on her map, Nami met Robin who was watering her flowers. She took the opportunity to warn her that she should plan warm clothes for their disembarkation. "By the way, don't you think the boys are weird right now?" She asked her friend.

"No more than usual," Robin replied, pouring out the contents of her little watering-can.

"It's strange, I've got the impression that they're trying to tell me something but I don't understand what it is..."

"What do you think about Luffy?" The archaeologist suddenly asked.

"Luffy? What do you mean?"

"Do you like him?"

"Wh-what?" The navigator stammered. "I don't know. Honestly, I never thought about it..."

"Maybe you should," Robin suggested.

"Why?"

"No reason."

"You're as strange as the boys," Nami mumbled, glancing suspiciously at the young woman before heading for her tangerine trees.

"Land!" Chopper exclaimed enthusiastically.

The crew rushed to the front of the ship, bursting with excitement at the thought of a new adventure. The sun was falling on the Grand Line and the last rays were breaking down, snow light around them. The atmosphere was magical despite the polar air, and confident smiles were stretching on all faces.

A hat on her head, Nami gave the starting signal as soon as they berthed. She had decided to take the crew to have dinner in town, to the delight of her friends. The harbor was guarded and there was no reason to watch the Sunny this time.

The captain quickly located an inn with tempting smells and everyone ran in noisily. Sitting down at a long table by a large fireplace, they ordered half of the dishes on the menu which they ate with gusto, laughing.

"Hey, innkeeper, you have another bottle?" Zoro suddenly called him out through the room. The man nodded and sent his waitress to drop the order. Sanji turned his head so fast it almost fell off as he watched her and Brook caught him before he fell to the floor.

"Guess who I imitate," Usopp snickered, placing a strand of hair in front of his heart-shaped left eye. "Miss, I'll be your white knight until the end of time!"

The table burst out laughing and the sniper thanked his audience before Luffy took his place. He put his hair up into an unlikely pompadour and took off his pants under the flabbergasted eyes of the other patrons. "Where are my cola bottles?! You'll get smacked if you don't return them!" His crewmates shrieked with laughter and the captain slipped on his pants under the applause.

"Well, well. There's a great atmosphere in this village!"

A guy with a sinister look had just appeared, immediately killing the mood in the restaurant. "Man, you give us a round?" He added, turning to the innkeeper.

"If you don't have money, you can go home," The man replied, undeterred.

"I have money but see, I don't wanna spend it." He sat down not far from the straw hat crew table and his acolytes barged in behind him, laughing nastily. "Hey, we're thirsty," The man repeated.

As the innkeeper wasn't moving, the pirate snorted disdainfully. "Don't force me to get up, you'd regret it." At these words, one of his underlings showed a knife to the innkeeper who took a step back.

"Are you deaf or something? He told you no, rat face!"

The seated man looked up at a black-haired kid hidden under a straw hat who was seething with anger in front of him. Around him, his friends laughed and one of them threw him a wanted poster. "We're the Watermelon Pirates! The captain's head is worth 100 million berries!"

Luffy let the sheet of paper fly behind him, totally ignoring it. "I don't care who you are. You're gonna get outta here, that's all I'm interested in."

The watermelon captain burst out laughing and the others did the same. "Are you sure of that, kiddo?"

"As sure as I'll be one day the Pirate King!"

This time, the man and his friends laughed contemptuously. "Pirate King, no less!" The captain spoke again. "The bunch of greenhorns behind you are your crew then?"

"Exactly! We're the Straw Hat Pirates!"

"The Str-" The man stopped for a few seconds, tensing. He glanced at one of his subordinates who rummaged through a bag before turning pale. "It-It's them, boss. The whole crew!"

Furious, his captain stood up brutally, looking at the other crew defiantly whose calm smiles had nothing to reassure him. "You may be a rubber man, Straw Hat, but I'm a watermelon man and there's nothing you can do against me! I'll make you eat your hat and I'll pocket the reward!"

His men positioned themselves behind him, taking out various weapons and greedy smiles. For their part, Franky, Zoro and Sanji got up to join Luffy.

"We can never eat in peace," Nami grumbled to herself as she grabbed a French-fry.

The watermelon man blew up until he burst the ceiling, his body becoming as round as a watermelon. His whole body seemed to have become the famous fruit, up to his red flesh and black pips. "It's pretty cool!" Luffy admired.

"You haven't seen the best!" His opponent sneered. "My body is whirling faster than a spinning top and if I catch you, you'll be beaten into a pulp by the poison from the watermelon fruit!" To prove his words, he plopped himself down on the table which disappeared in a sucking sound, literally devoured by the poison that ate it entirely.

The inn's patrons ran screaming in front of this last unpleasant detail and Luffy decided to avoid being touched. "Impressive!" He exclaimed with shining eyes.

"Luffy, concentrate," Sanji muttered at his side, "This guy tries to impress us but it's just smoke and mirrors."

"You're right," His captain said, "Zoro..."

"No problem, we'll deal with the others," His first mate assured him.

At these words, the swordsman put his hand on his swords, a predatory smile in the corner of his lips. He then charged at the nearest ten men, wielding his swords in a Falcon Wave whose breath brought his enemies down. Sanji raised his right leg, ready to knock the next ten out and Franky unscrewed his arm in the direction of the last ten. "Take this, watermelon blockheads!"

The battle raged for just a few minutes and soon, only Luffy and the watermelon man were still on stage. The rest of his underlings were lying in a mess in the destroyed room while Sanji, Zoro and Franky didn't look like they had suffered. Behind them, the rest of their friends were waiting, ready to intervene if necessary.

The opponent of the Straw Hat was fast and his only weak point was his head since the rest of his body was decimating everything he touched. Luffy was struggling to target such a small part of his body in view of his speed. The watermelon captain was also spitting his pips in his face and they cut each obstacle on their way, forcing his crewmates to back down at a reasonable distance.

After a few moments, Luffy turned his gaze on his enemy who was once again trying to crush him, a smile on his face. "I gotta say you're fast, watermelon guy, but I'm gonna beat you to a juice! Gear second!"

Immediately, his body began to go pink and smoke. His next attack finally reached the head he was coveting, half knocking him out. He carried on with a Gum-Gum Gatling that didn't allow the man to come to his senses and he stayed unsteady on his feet. Determined, Luffy sent him a huge Gum-Gum Pistol that sent him flying into the sky before falling heavily to the floor he dug into several tens of meters. His face was disfigured and his round belly deflated.

His wounded men dragged themselves to their unconscious leader before pulling him out of his hole and scampering away, not without promising vengeance to the Straw Hat and his crew. Satisfied but tired, the captain screwed his hat back again on his head and made for the innkeeper. "Sorry for your restaurant but at least, they won't bother you anymore!"

"Don't worry, I'm used to it," The man answered, sighing, "Thank you anyway."

"Well, guys, we need to find another place to finish the evening! I need to get my strength back!" Luffy said with enthusiasm, turning towards his friends who gladly agreed.

The crew got a referral to another inn a few blocks from the first and they ordered the desserts they hadn't had. While resuming their laughter and discussions in the middle of Brook's violin notes, Nami suddenly felt melancholic. Intrigued, she automatically glanced at her Log-Pose and the bracelet that was glittering reminded her of the reason.

"Is something wrong?" Robin asked at her side.

"No, nothing serious," She reassured her, "I think I'll go back to the ship, I'll wait for you here."

"Are you sure?" The archaeologist insisted.

"Yes. Don't worry." At these words, she got up and made a small sign of goodbye to her friend while the others watched her cross the doorstep with surprise.

"Where is Nami-san going?" Sanji asked. "If those bastards hurt her, I'll make them look like lunch meat," He added darkly.

"It's nothing like that, she just left to rest," Robin said.

"All alone?" The blond kept on, preoccupied.

"Our navigator knows how to defend herself."

The cook nodded with a sigh and Chopper stood up. "If she's sick, I have to listen to her chest."

"I don't think she's ill," The archaeologist said, "I would say that this is more like a lack of morale."

"Nami's feeling depressed? That's a new one," Franky stated.

"I know many songs to get the men's spirits back!" Brook offered.

"Luffy, this is your chance to look your best!" Usopp chimed in by grabbing his friend's arm.

"What do you mean?" His captain asked.

"You have to speak to her!" The sniper explained.

"Are you sure? If she isn't in the mood, now's probably not the best time," The cook pointed out.

"Quite the contrary! Luffy, you have to care about her and comfort her!"

"Comfort her?" The captain wondered. "Okay!" He got up and put on his coat. "Do I have to tell her about my stomach ache?" He asked the gunner.

"If it's increasing when you talk to her, do it." Luffy gave him a huge smile and Usopp watched him go away, his eyes bathed in tears. "It's like my little boy is all grown up," He whined when the captain left in his turn.

"It's gonna be okay, long nose," Franky said, offering him a handkerchief.

"Your advice is the best regarding this side of our captain," Robin agreed.

"Th-Thank you very much." The sniper blew his nose and the conversation slowly resumed among the remaining members of the crew.

Nami was watching the moonlight reflected on the sea, sitting on the edge of the deck and feet swinging in the air. She played a few moments with the gold bracelet that was adorning her wrist and rested her head against the railing. The polar air was freezing her breath but she was enjoying the bitter cold sensation against her skin.

"Are you sick, Nami?" Luffy was staring at her with curiosity, leaning over her.

"Luffy? What are you doing here?" She asked him, surprised.

"Robin said you didn't feel well and wanted to go back here. You don't like the new inn?"

"No, it's all right," She reassured him, "In fact, I was thinking about Nojiko..."

"Is she sick?"

The young red-haired woman gave a hint of a smile. Her captain could be so blunt sometimes. "I don't know. I hope not. It's been so long since I've had any news..."

The straw hat boy sat next to her. "You can use the Den Den Mushi, right?"

"Yes but I'm afraid the line is kept under surveillance and I don't wanna get them into trouble. I have done that too many times before."

"It wasn't your fault, Nami."

The navigator smiles at him. To this day, she was still feeling immensely grateful to Luffy for ridding her of Arlong's yoke. "Actually... Today is her birthday. I always managed to be present that day with her but since we're on the Grand Line, I couldn't fulfill the promise I made to myself," She then confided to him.

"You want us to buy her an enormous present?" Her captain asked excitedly. "We can send it from all of us!"

"You- You'd do that?" The young woman stammered.

"Of course! If it's important to you, we can spend our berries as a gift for your sister!"

Nami saw the young straw hat captain give her his huge smile. She then measured how lucky she had been to meet him. "I'm sure it'd please her but you know, I have my own money," The navigator replied softly, "It's my turn to buy this gift for her but the fact that you've offered means a lot. Thank you, Luffy. For everything you've done for me since... all this time."

Her captain didn't answer but he gazed at her with a smile, visibly satisfied. The young woman observed both his proud and boyish profile, his cheerful face that could yet be so serious and angry. She raised her hand close and caressed the straw hat he never left. "I won't forget it," She whispered, looking into his eyes.

Luffy nodded and smiled again before he spoke with determination. "I need to tell you something, Nami."

His words shook the navigator who hurriedly moved back, embarrassed. She hadn't noticed her face had come so close to his. She then thanked the Grand Line's gods for it to be Luffy. "What's the matter?" She asked in a voice she hoped assured.

"When I see you, I often have a stomach ache."

Puzzled, the redhead looked at him and waited for the next developments.

"Chopper said it was okay and then Sanji assured me it wasn't a disease but Usopp thinks I need to tell you," He continued as if he was telling her the most obvious thing in the world.

Nami frowned, the pieces coming together little by little in her brain. "I dunno why it happens to me but sometimes, I feel weird when I'm with you. Like right now."

Stunned by the revelation, the navigator felt her eyes widen and she remained speechless for a few seconds. She understood better his strange attitude during lunch, the looks of their friends and Robin's questions suddenly.

She watched him as he was gazing at her serenely, already reassured about the fact that she would probably know what to do. The young man was a good captain, though perfectly crazy and out of control. He was loyal and honest to the people he loved. Besides, what person other than Luffy had always had blind faith about her intentions, even though she had herself doubted?

"How is it... when you feel weird?" She asked him cautiously.

The straw hat boy began to think. "It's like before a fight except I don't wanna fight."

"What do you wanna do then?"

"I don't know," Luffy said sincerely, "I have no idea what I should do!"

"I do." Before he had time to ask more questions, she gently placed her lips on his, watching out for his reaction. She didn't think she was wrong but it was Luffy so anything could happen... With a victorious smile, she soon felt the young man trying to reply awkwardly to her kiss and she increased the pressure of her mouth to guide him while she was pulling him more against her body.

A few moments later, out of breath, the straw hat boy stared at her, completely astounded. "That's amazing! How did you know it was that?! I'd never have guessed!"

"Feminine intuition," She answered with an amused smile.

When the rest of the crew came back to the Sunny some time later, they found the captain and the navigator deep in conversation on the deck, their cheeks reddened by the cold. Trying to find out what had happened without looking like it, Usopp ostensibly cleared his throat as he walked past them.

Nami raised her head and smiled, understanding the desperate looks the sniper was sending to Luffy. Unconscious of his mute request, the captain contented himself to get up, his huge smile on his lips. "So, Usopp, was it cool?"

"Yeah, yeah. And... you?"

The navigator wished them a good night and disappeared before having to answer instead of the straw hat boy who would certainly not understand the hidden meaning of the question. Robin did the same a moment later and headed for their room while Franky was encouraging her to extort information from her friend when they would be alone. The archaeologist smiled mysteriously and closed the door behind her.

Usopp planted himself in front of his captain, looking the most serious in the world, while Brook, Franky, Sanji and Chopper were gathering around him, just as impatient. Only Zoro went directly to the crow's nest, not a bit interested.

"So, Bro, did you nail it?" The naval engineer asked.

"I nailed it!" Luffy laughed, not sure what he meant.

"I expected nothing less from the proud Straw Hat Captain!" Brook exclaimed.

"Wait, I ain't sure he got it," The cook chimed in, dubious, "Luffy, how did it go with Nami-san?"

"Good!" The captain said, grinning from ear to ear.

"What else?" Usopp encouraged him. "What did you tell her?"

"We talked about Nojiko, she was sad because it's her birthday!"

"Oh, that's why Nami didn't feel good earlier," The little doctor guessed.

"And so, what did you do?" The cyborg urged him. "You hooked up?"

"Hooked up?" The captain repeated, confused.

"Did you tell her about your stomach ache?" Sanji clarified.

"Oh, yes!"

"And?!" All his crew was hanging on to his every word and Luffy burst out laughing.

"She asked me what I wanted to do when I had a stomach ache and as I didn't know, she kissed me here." He pointed out his lips and smiled blissfully.

"Oh, Luffy..." Usopp hugged him, no longer holding the tears running down his face. "I'm really proud of you," He sniffed against him.

"Oh?"

"Bravo, Captain," Franky agreed with a smirk.

"Hurray for our captain!" The skeleton exclaimed.

"Hurray!" They all sang.

In the midst of his crewmates' enthusiasm, Luffy got carried away by their good humor and he also shouted his joy. He didn't quite understand why his crew was congratulating him so much but their happiness was what made him happy so he enjoyed it with them.

I hope you enjoy the way I built Luffy and Nami's relationship. I tried to keep it light because I don't see Luffy being too serious about it.

Besides, they're fast enough compared to some people...