It was midnight aboard the Thousand Sunny and the cold, still air of winter made the world seem frozen in time.
Nami woke with a start. She had fallen asleep reading hours ago and now the lantern on her bedside table had run out of oil, letting the moonlight cascade through the window and onto her face. The spot next to her in the bed was empty, with the sheets thrown back onto her lap. Ignoring the cold sweat sticking to her body she sat up, her head throbbing with the movement.
She glanced down at the book which sat overturned in her hands, before putting it away with a sigh.
It had been five years since they had claimed the One Piece.
Not long after, while on a visit to Cocoyashi village she had asked Luffy to accompany her to Ballamere's grave. She knew how he would respond. Although he was sometimes dense, she felt like there had long been an unspoken agreement between them. Yet she still wanted to hear him say it, to confirm what she believed.
She had first thanked her mother for giving her the chance to live and told her she had found her place. Then she quietly made her peace with Luffy "I would like for us to travel together until the end." Luffy had replied by picking his nose, a frustrated look on his face, "I thought that's how it already was?".
After departing Nami's hometown, they leisurely sailed wherever they pleased, visiting old friends, staying for a bit here and there. But as time wore on Nami began to notice something change in Luffy. He spent a lot of time atop the Sunny's prow, staring blankly into the horizon. A thoughtful look stuck on his face, as if trying to solve some great problem.
She was fairly certain that the cause of his melancholy was due to things slowing down. They rarely had enemies now. There were no longer any marines, and other pirates didn't dare to challenge a king still in his prime.
While the quieter pace seemed to work for most of the crew, Luffy's desire for adventure and excitement had driven him into a depression of sorts.
Back in the present, Nami sighed again. She gazed at the stars through the window for a moment, before gently getting up and putting on a dressing gown.
She quietly closed the door to the captains quarters behind her, then went down the hall, careful not to wake any of the snoring crew as she passed their quarters. She opened the door to the deck and was immediately greeted by the sting of winter air. In an attempt to warm herself, she lifted her hands to her mouth and breathed on them. This did little but create a cloud of steam, which lingered in the still air. Resigning herself to the cold, she crossed the soft grassy deck, to the base of the stairs. The small climb warmed her legs slightly but she was still shivering when she reached the top.
She found Luffy exactly where she thought he would be, perched on the lion's head, a large coat draped over his shoulders and his straw hat sitting snugly on his head. He sat cross legged, his right elbow was on his knee, with his face firmly planted in his hand. His eyes seemed to look at nothing as he stared at the starry horizon. Nami leaned on the balustrade for a moment, observing him. Finally she decided to speak, "Hey."
Luffy glanced around. Seeing nami he turned slightly so he could look at her. "Hey." he replied with a soft smile.
Nami inspected his eyes for a moment. She once thought he was stupid, but the more she had gotten to know him the more she had realised he was smart in his own kind of way. Now that she had seen it, the intelligence in those eyes seemed to pierce her. At first it had made her uncomfortable, but she had come to like the intensity, realising that it was a look only she received. It made her feel like it was imperative to him that he understand her.
"What were you thinking about?" Nami asked.
Luffy set his eyes back on the night sky, a grin spreading across his face. "Do you remember, in Jaya, when I let Bellamere beat up me and Zoro."
Nami smiled "Mhm."
"You were so angry at us for not fighting back!" Luffy laughed at his own statement. "At the time those felt like shit parts of the journey, but thinking back, I still treasure even those moments."
Nami's smile widened, "Sometimes I miss yelling at you." Luffy let loose another laugh and turned his attention back to the woman.
"I miss the excitement Nami, I want to adventure and go discover new places! ... But we've done it all... When I was younger, I would never have dreamed that I'd reach a point where the world feels too small…"
Nami walked to the base of the lion's head and held up her hand, Luffy let his rubber arm stretch down to her, before pulling her up next to him. She immediately tucked herself into his coat and shivered as his body warmth rushed over her. The two of them sat silently for a moment, staring at the stars.
Nami broke their reverie, "I forgot to tell you but I read in yesterday's paper that Old Man Cricket, from Jaya, died."
"Tch, did it say how? Must have been something big if it was published."
Nami sighed "No not really, his lungs finally gave out and he died of decompression sickness. I found it in the obituaries."
Luffy turned to her, "Do you always read the obituaries?"
"We've made so many friends. I like to know that they're safe."
Luffy nodded. "That's a bummer but at least he achieved his dream first."
This time it was Nami's turn to nod. She opened her mouth to speak, then stopped herself. Luffy's gaze drifted back to her, his eyes alight with interest.
"Luffy. I think we need a new dream."
Nami waited for Luffy to reply but he just stared at her. Without breaking his gaze she put on a determined face and spoke, "Do you want to have a child?"
Luffy grinned at her "You want to have children? Out here? On the ocean?"
"Why not?" replied Nami, "Everyone on this ship is the best at what they do. You couldn't find a more reliable bunch anywhere. Besides, they will have the King of the Pirates to protect them, security doesn't get much better than that. "Or cheaper" She thought to herself. It will be a new adventure. We can show our children the whole world. A world they've never seen before!"
Luffy nodded and placed his hand on his chin, thinking for a moment. "Nami, what is the ship's bearing?"
"Due East" replied the navigator, slightly confused.
"So we'll see the sunrise from here real soon." Luffy said.
He settled his gaze back on the horizon, Nami was slightly confused for a moment but quickly followed suit. She knew that it was best to just go along with his odd behaviour sometimes.
Protected from the cold air by Luffy's coat and each others warmth, they waited together for the dawn.
Just as the sun was starting to peak above the ocean and the vista was bathed in swathes of pink light, Luffy smiled and turned to Nami.
"Ok. Let's do it."