Chapter 3: Stars In Her Eyes

"Are you really going to wear that?"

"What do you mean?"

Hina looked at her roommate like she was crazy. "You're going on a date, not a ballgame."

"I'm going to a harvest festival, Hina." Bell-mere said. "There's going to be a good amount of leaves and hay involved. I'll be uncomfortable going in some shrilly dress."

"Well, at least wear a sexy top if you're gonna wear pants." Hina scoffed. "Hina is annoyed. Utterly annoyed."

"Thanks for telling me." Bell-mere shook her head as she turned to the mirror to get a better look at herself. "I'm fine with what I got on. Besides, I'm only going with Rosinante."

"Wrong. Utterly wrong!" Hina objected. "You are going with your crush. You want him to notice you right?"

"Roci is not the type of guy that goes for looks."

"Guy being the keyword in that sentence, Bell-mere. It doesn't matter how nice and sweet he is, boys care about a girl's appearance."

Bell-mere sighed. "I don't want to look frumpy but…I don't want to lose myself either."

Hina sighed as she came over to Bell-mere, wrapping her arms around her.

"You are a beautiful girl, Belle. Utterly beautiful." Bell-mere laughed at that. "I'm serious! You got looks and spark. I can see why Rosinante likes you."

"Rosinante doesn't like me like that."

"If you weren't my friend and roommate, Hina will utterly kick your ass." The older teen chided. "That giant klutz has had the hots for you since our first day of the Academy."

"Even if that's true…"

"Which it is."

"How am I supposed to get Roci to pay attention to my looks?"

Hina's eyes suddenly lit up as she retreated to her closet in a hurry. Bell-mere looked at the other girl confused.

"Hina? What are you up to?"

"I got the perfect outfit for you to wear to the festival. You'll be able to impress Rosinante while staying true to yourself."

Bell-mere looked at the outfit Hina was holding and smiled widely. "Hina, that's fabulous! Utterly fabulous!"

Kuzan was about to take his daily bike ride to the village when he caught sight of a certain clumsy Marine officer, fumbling over a tie.

"What you doing there, Rosinante?"

The blonde boy looked at Kuzan briefly before going back to struggling with his tie. "I'm trying to get this damned tie to cooperate." He gritted.

"Got a date?"

"Not really. I'm going to South Quarter's harvest festival with Bell-mere."

"Why are you dressing so formal? I ain't no fashion guru, but one usually dresses comfortably when going to a harvest festival.

Rosinante began to respond when he accidently choked on his own tie. Kuzan shook his head and sighed as he came over to Rosinante and loosened his tie, effectively taking it off.

"Easy, Roci." The black man said. "You don't wanna choke to death."

After taking several deep breaths, Rosinante groaned in frustration. "Who am I kidding?" He relented. "Bell-mere is never gonna like me in that way. Why am I wasting my time trying to impress her?"

"Honestly, you really don't need to do much, Rosinante." Kuzan shrugged. "Bell-mere already likes you just fine. You just need a little confidence boost, that's all."

"Where am I gonna get that?"

Kuzan thought for a moment before replying. "Let's go to my place. I might have something for you to wear that should be both comfortable and attractive. Mind your steps as you walk."

"I can take care of myself, Kuzan." Rosinante objected. He tripped on his feet and landed face first on dirt, three seconds later.

Kuzan laughed. "I know, Rosinante. I know."

The streets of the South Quarter were abuzz as their annual harvest festival kicked off in full swing. Patrons were selling various foods, clothing, and jewelry. People were dancing in the streets, children were playing with piles of leaves, and music can be heard throughout the village. Rosinante took a moment to observe his surroundings. He's never been to a harvest festival before (or any festival for that matter) but something about the atmosphere in South Quarter, made the blonde teen feel at ease. He tugs at the loose fitting blue tunic Kuzan gave him.

Relax Rosinante. He said to himself. Bell-mere is going to love you regardless.

Rosinante's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by someone tapping his shoulder. He turned around to see Magdalena smiling at him.

"Rosinante! You look like a catch, my giant child."

Rosinante's outfit consisted of khaki pants, a loose-fitting sky-blue tunic and a long gray cardigan sweater.

"Thanks, Magdalena." He smiled. "Do you and Abigail have a booth set up?"

"Not this year, no. But my son has a little photo booth in the far back if you and Bell-mere want to take a picture together."

"Oh thanks. But…I don't know if she'll even show up."

"Are you being self-defeating again?" Magdalena frowned.

"No, of course not! I'm just a little…hesitant."

Magdalena saw someone walking towards them and flashed a sly smile.

"Seems like your doubts are about to be put to rest in about 3 seconds." She mused.

Rosinante followed the old woman's gaze and nearly fell where he stood. His eyes widened when he caught sight Bell-mere walking over to him. The younger girl was wearing a sleeveless light blue romper suit with white polka dots and white Chelsea boots. Her red hair, usually in a ponytail was brushed down to the side. Rosinante had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. Magdalena firmly nudged Rosinante, snapping him from his thoughts yet, again.

"Are you going to stand there gawking or are you going to say something?" She chided.

"Nana!" Abigail called, saving Rosinante from a nervous breakdown. "Will you please leave Bell-mere and Rosinante alone so they can enjoy the festival?"

"I'm not bothering them, child!" Magdalena scolded. "I was just telling them about your father's photo booth."

"That's nice, Nana, but I'm pretty sure they want to explore the festival by themselves. You have to help me with food anyway."

"Very well, I suppose." Magdalena sighed in resignation. She turned to the young friends, "Abigail says that I must take my leave."

"You sure you don't want Roci and I to help you with the food?" Bell-mere offered.

"Go! Have fun at the festival with each other." Abigail insisted. "Rosinante might spill the food anyway."

"True." Bell-mere laughed.

"HEY!" Rosinante interjected.

"Pay those girls no mind." Magdalena assured. "Have a good time and don't forget about the light show."

After saying goodbye to Magdalena and Abigail, Rosinante and Bell-mere looked at each other awkwardly, unsure of what to say next.

"Um…you look…" Rosinante stammered. "You look beautiful, Belle."

Bell-mere felt her cheeks turn red and smiled widely. "Thanks. You look fashionably hip. I really thought you were going to wear a suit and tie."

"I was, not gonna lie. But Kuzan let me borrow some of his clothes, so…"

"Makes sense, he's the only Marine in HQ that's taller than you."

"Not that I'm complaining, but…that jumpsuit looks like something Hina would wear." Rosinante pointed out.

"That's because it's hers." Bell-mere replied. "She let me borrow it."

"It really suits you. I like it." Then Rosinante's reddish-brown eyes grew wide. "Oh, I almost forgot." Rosinante took out a small box from his sweater pocket. His hands shook as he tried to give Bell-mere the box and ended up dropping it in the hay. "Ugh! Sorry."

"Don't worry, I got it." Bell-mere laughed. She picked up the box and opened it. Inside the box was small blue hairclip with tangerines on them. "Roci," she breathed. "Where did you get this?"

"From a second-hand store not far from Navy HQ." Rosinante replied. "You said your parents had a tangerine grove back in your village in East Blue. I thought it might go with your outfit, but you have on different colors so…"

"That's okay. I'm pretty sure it won't clash with my outfit." Bell-mere smiled. "Think you can put it in my hair without breaking it?"

"Give me some credit, Belle." Rosinante deadpanned. "Where do you want me to put it?"

Bell-mere pulled her hair back and pointed to the crown of her head. "Right here, up top."

Rosinante nodded as he took the hairclip from Bell-mere and carefully placed it in her hair. His hands were steady, and the hairclip didn't break. Bell-mere felt the clip as she gingerly touched her hair. She looked at the older blonde teen. "Does it look okay on me?" She said softly.

Rosinante smiled. "It's perfect."

Bell-mere and Rosinante smiled at each other before looking away. After an awkward silence, Rosinante asked: "So…what do you want to do first? Shop for weird stuff, eat some weird stuff, or play some weird games?"

"Weird food, definitely." Bell-mere decided.

"Sweet! Shall we depart, milady?" Rosinante asked, extending his arm.

Bell-mere laughed as she looped her arm around Rosinante's. "We shall."

Rosinante and Bell-mere spent nearly two hours eating Autumn-themed food, playing games, and looking at different booths. Rosinante was surprisingly steady on his feet. He was having so much fun with Bell-mere that he didn't even fall once nor have a clumsy accident. Of course, the redhead girl noticed.

"What's going on with you, Rosinante?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Two hours into this festival and you haven't had a single moment of clumsiness."

Rosinante shrugged. "I don't know. Guess today's a good day."

"Well, I'd rather not jinx it." Bell-mere suddenly eyed a particular booth. "Oh, look Roci! A photo booth!" Rosinante glanced over at Bell-mere's direction and saw a dark-skinned man manning a photo booth.

"Oh yeah. That's the photo booth Magdalena was talking about." He said. "I think her son is running it."

"We should totally go!" Bell-mere suggested. "I've always wanted to go to one but never got the chance!"

"Let's go visit it now!" Rosinante smiled.

The young teens sprinted over to the photo booth and were greeted by the dark-skinned middle-aged man.

"Good evening! You must be Rosinante and Bell-mere!"

The teens looked at the man in shock. "Um…yes, we are." Bell-mere replied. "You must be Magdalena's son."

"The name is Jean-Baptiste." The man introduced. "Both my mother and daughter talk about you all the time. I feel like you're part of the family!"

"Wow…that's a real honor." For some reason, that statement made Rosinante feel emotional.

"If you're here for your souvenir photo, you've come to the right place." Jean-Baptiste said. "Did you two want to make an individual photo or just one as a couple?"

Rosinante and Bell-mere looked at each other for a moment. Then Bell-mere's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Let's take one together, Rosinante." She decided.

Rosinante's eyes grew wide. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure! It's fun to do a photo booth with someone you love."

Rosinante felt his cheeks grow warm and his heart beat ten times faster. Could it be that Bell-mere, his best friend and longtime crush, feel the same way about him as he did about her? He immediately dismissed the hopeful thought, shaking his head. There's no way Bell-mere would ever love a klutz like me. Doubts filled Rosinante's head again, making him feel sad. Bell-mere noticed the sudden change.

"Rosinante? What's wrong?" She asked softly.

"Sorry, I just got lost in thought." Rosinante assured. "Don't worry, I'm okay. Let's take our pictures, the light show is going to start soon."

"Yeah, you said you wanted to go see that. Let's get started, then." Bell-mere turned to Jean-Baptiste. "We're ready!" She beamed. "Where do you want us?"

"Just sit on that bale of hay with the blanket on top; and scoot closer together."

Rosinante sat on the bale of hay…and fell backwards.

"OOF! Uh…Belle? A little help?"

Bell-mere shook her head as she hoisted her clumsy friend up. "I knew shouldn't have jinxed it." She sighed.

"Mama was right." Jean-Baptiste laughed. "You are quite the clumsy one."

After wiping the hay off of Rosinante's clothes, Bell-mere sat beside him on the bale and scootched closer to him. The blonde boy was sure his heart was two beats away from catapulting out of his chest. But he kept his breathing steady as he wrapped his arm around Bell-mere's shoulder. The redhead girl felt her cheeks flush as she wrapped her arm around Rosinante's waist.

"How's this?" Rosinante asked Jean-Baptiste.

The photographer smiled. "Perfect. I'm going to take four pictures. You can pose however you like."

Rosinante and Bell-mere looked at each other and smiled, as if they were having a mental conversation with each other.

"We're ready!" Bell-mere exclaimed.

"All right then, I'll take on the count of three. 1…2…3…smile!"

The four poses went like this:

Photo 1: Rosinante giving Bell-mere bunny ears as they smiled widely

Photo 2: Bell-mere squishing Rosinante's face and laughing (Rosinante pouting deeply)

Photo 3: Rosinante took a bold move and kissed Bell-mere on her cheek, the girl's eyes widened in surprise.

Photo 4: After the surprise kiss, Bell-mere and Rosinante gaze in each other's eyes, smiling softly. Their hands are intertwined.

(It was then, in that fourth photo, Donquixote Rosinante saw what Magdalena was talking about. He saw the stars in Bell-mere's eyes when she looked at him. That's when he realized his feelings weren't one-sided. Bell-mere loved Rosinante just as Rosinante loved Bell-mere)

Jean-Baptiste looked at the Camera Snail and smiled in satisfaction. "Wow, these pictures came out perfectly!" He beamed. "I'll get these pictures developed and Abigail or Mama will give them to you the next time you visit our restaurant."

"Sounds good!" Bell-mere nodded. "Thanks, Jean-Baptiste! You were awesome!"

"No, thank you! You two photograph really nicely! The light show is about to start. You don't want to miss it."

"Of course." Bell-mere ruffled Rosinante's hair lightly, snapping the older teen from his thoughts. "Come on, Roci! We gotta go." She urged.

"Oh, right. The light show." Rosinante blinked. "Thanks for taking our picture, Jean-Baptiste."

"The pleasure is all mine." Jean-Baptiste smiled. "Enjoy the light show!"

The teenage Marines arrived at the field where the light show was going to take place. They found a bench under a large oak tree and decided to sit there.

"It's a nice view." Rosinante observed. "We can see the light show perfectly from here, you think so?"

"Yeah, it's very nice." Bell-mere agreed. The cold autumn breeze rushed in, making Bell-mere shiver soundly. "Damn, it's so chilly! Why didn't I bring a sweater with me?"

Rosinante gasped. "Oh my! Are you cold, Belle?" He immediately took off his grey sweater and draped it over Bell-mere's shoulders. "I know it's kinda big because it's Kuzan's. But it will keep you warm."

"What about you?" Bell-mere asked. "Won't you be cold?"

Rosinante waved it off. "Ah, don't worry about me. This tunic is long-sleeved and quite warm. As long as you're comfortable, I'll be okay."

"Thanks, Roci." Bell-mere smiled.

The Master of the Ceremonies stood up on a podium and proceeded to speak.

"Welcome one and all, to our Annual South Quarter Harvest Festival!" The audience clapped loudly. "I hope you all are having fun tonight. This year's harvest will sure to be a bountiful one! I want to thank everyone who participated in making this festival memorable and enjoyable. Now, I know you don't want to hear me talking, so without further ado, let's commence with the light show!"

The audience clapped again once the light show began to start. Soon, the night sky was lit up with various images. Rosinante and Bell-mere looked up at the sky in awe as various pictures of Sea Kings, birds, castles, (you name it) appeared in the sky! These images danced around beautifully as if they were in a coordinated dance with each other. Then the lights flickered and the images turned into stars, hearts and two turtledoves. Bell-mere unconsciously rested her head on Rosinante's shoulder. The blonde teen gasped softly in surprise, but he quickly regained his composure and put his arms around her. Bell-mere realized what she did and felt her heart skip a beat.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" She asked, looking up at the tall blonde teen with wide green eyes.

"Of course not." Rosinante whispered. He took Bell-mere's arm and rested it around his waist. Bell-mere snuggled close to Rosinante, tightening her arm.

"You're very fluffy." She purred.

"That's an oddly specific compliment." Rosinante laughed. "You smell like tangerines."

Bell-mere giggled. "This is nice. I really had a great time. Thanks for taking me to this festival, Roci."

"Of course. Maybe…we can do this again sometime? It doesn't have to be a festival."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Maybe…kinda. Yeah?" Rosinante portrayed a look of sadness. "I know I'm an extreme klutz and way too tall…and probably not even your type…"

Rosinante's self-defeating rant was cut off by lips crashing into his. It took him a good two minutes for him to realize what just happened: Bell-mere, his best friend and crush, had just kissed him on the lips. (let that sink in for y'all.) Rosinante's red-brown eyes widened in shock. The girl in his arms merely laughed.

"You don't give yourself enough credit." She said. "You are my type, Donquixote Rosinante."

Rosinante's smile grew ten times wider. "You wanna get outta here?"

"Thought you never asked."

In Navy HQ, every Marine had a small apartment to live in that could house at least two Marines (four is the max). Only the Admirals had their own apartment to themselves. Rosinante stayed in such apartment even though he was only a Commander.

(One of the few perks of being the adopted son of the Navy Fleet Admiral)

So, Rosinante carried Bell-mere up to his room in the apartment Sengoku provided for him, kissing on and off during their ascent. They reached the bed and Rosinante placed Bell-mere on the bed (more like threw her on the bed) and jumped on the bed…then rolled off the bed and landed on the floor. Bell-mere saw the comedic scene unfold and cackled so hard.

"Roci! How on earth did you fall off the bed while getting in the bed?!" She cried.

"Shut up, Belle!" Rosinante pouted as he stood up from the floor. "I'm just really excited, cut me some slack."

"You're such a clumsy fool."

"I hope I'm your clumsy fool."

"Of course, you are."

Rosinante sat down at the end of the bed across from Bell-mere. He stroked her cheek tenderly. "You're so beautiful." He whispered.

"Is this real?" Bell-mere asked. "Are you here right in front of me?"

"It's real. I'm here, and I love you so much."

Bell-mere felt her eyes water with tears. "I love you too."

Rosinante leaned forward and kissed Bell-mere deeply which the latter eagerly reciprocated. The kiss was soft and chaste, but it soon turned heated and passionate. Bell-mere took off Rosinante's shirt as the boy laid Bell-mere down, leaving soft kisses on her lips, neck, and chest. But just as things were about to get heated between the teenage couples, Bell-mere immediately sat up on the bed, abruptly stopping the make-out session.

"Why'd you stop?" Rosinante asked breathlessly.

Bell-mere said nothing. She just hugged her knees together and placed her head between them, crying softly. Her sudden reaction scared the crap out of Rosinante.

"Bell-mere, what's wrong?" He asked desperately.

"I'm sorry, Rosinante." She cried. "I thought I could do it but…I can't."

"Can't what? It's okay, you can tell me."

Rosinante rubbed Bell-mere's back soothingly to ease her breathing. After a few minutes, she calmed down and looked at her new lover tearfully.

"I'm not ready to have sex." She revealed. "It's not that I don't want to go all the way with you. I do! God, Roci, you have no idea how long I've waited for this day."

"Then what's the matter?" Rosinante asked.

Bell-mere sighed. "It may sound stupid and archaic, but…I want my first time to be with my husband." She saw Rosinante's eyes grow wide and quickly explained herself: "I'm not asking you to marry me here, Roci. I just don't take sex lightly. When I finally decide to go all the way, I want to be confident that my partner will still be next to me when I wake up in the morning. I'm not making any sense, am I?"

"Actually, you're making perfect sense. And wanting to save yourself for marriage is not stupid."

"You're not mad?"

"No, my love. Of course not!" Rosinante reassured, kissing Bell-mere's forehead. "If anything, I love you even more now."

Bell-mere felt a new set of tears fall from her eyes. "Rosinante." She squeaked.

Rosinante smiled softly as he gently wiped Bell-mere's tears with the back of his hand. "I will never force you to do anything you don't want to do, Belle." He told her. "I've been in love with you for three years, I'm happy just having you next to me."

"Me too." Bell-mere yawned, suddenly feeling exhausted. "I'm tired."

Rosinante nodded. "You can sleep here tonight," He said. "I have a guest room you can use and you can borrow one of my shirts to sleep in."

Bell-mere proceeded to get up off the bed and take one of Rosinante's shirts from his dresser (she's done this before). "I'll be back, okay?" She smiled.

"I'll be here."

Bell-mere left Rosinante's room to change and the blonde boy exhaled deeply. He never thought in a million years that Bell-mere would be in love with him. But then again, Magdalena had a point. Just because he was uncoordinated and had a very checkered past, it didn't mean he was any less capable of love than the next person. Rosinante felt like he was on cloud nine and he never wanted this feeling to go away. There was a soft knock on the door and Bell-mere's head popped in the doorway.

"Hey Roci, can I come in?" She asked.

"You don't want to sleep in the guest room?" Rosinante asked, confused.

"I don't wanna be away from you. I…I want you to hold me while I sleep."

Rosinante smiled softly as he walked over to Bell-mere, took her hand and led her inside the bedroom. He saw that she was wearing his favorite shirt: a red button down long-sleeved shirt.

"Damn, you look sexy in that." He breathed.

"Easy boy," Bell-mere laughed. "Let's go to bed."

The teens climbed in the bed and got under the covers. Rosinante shifted his body so that he was face to face with Bell-mere. The redhead girl shifted closer to the giant boy and wrapped her arms around his waist. Rosinante pulled Bell-mere to his body and wrapped her in a loving embrace. Bell-mere gently brushed some of Rosinante's hair from his face and looked at him lovingly.

"I love you, Rosinante." She whispered.

"I love you too, Bell-mere." He whispered back.

They shared a deep loving kiss before snuggling closer to each other and falling asleep.

The next morning, Sengoku, Garp and Tsuru arrived in Rosinante's apartment when they realized that neither he nor Bell-mere arrived at base camp.

"Are they all right?" Tsuru said worriedly. "It's not like any of them to miss curfew."

"They're probably tuckered out after the Harvest Festival, Tsuru." Sengoku assured. "I'm sure they're fine."

"Who wouldn't be tired after that festival?" Garp remarked, chomping down on some rice crackers. "It's the highlight of the year for us Marines. And the food this year is top notch! Want some pumpkin spice rice crackers?"

"Sounds disgusting." Tsuru grimaced.

"Ah, you're no fun."

"Will you focus please, Garp?" Sengoku chided. "We're trying to find Rosinante and Bell-mere."

"Those kids are fine. They're probably sleeping in Ross' room."

"Don't make jokes like that." Sengoku warned.

"Who said I was joking?" Garp laughed. Then he shouted to the empty apartment: "YO, ROSINANTE! BELL-MERE! YOU KIDS ASLEEP?!"

"Garp!" Sengoku hissed.

Tsuru shook her head. "No home training whatsoever." She muttered.

A few minutes later, however, the door to Rosinante's room creaked open and the giant teenager trudged out of the room, looking sleepy and disoriented.

"Who the hell is shouting?" He cursed. Then he caught sight of his adopted father with his two best friends and panicked. "DAD! UNCLE GARP! AUNT TSURU!" He was so flustered that he tripped over his feet and landed on the ground with a loud thud. His accident was so loud, that it woke Bell-mere out of her sleep and she immediately rushed over to Rosinante.

"Roci! Are you all right? Did you hurt yourself?" She asked frantically.

"Bell-mere?!"

Bell-mere suddenly froze at the sound of Tsuru's voice. She looked up and saw her commanding officer alongside Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp with astonished looks on their faces. (well, Garp's look was pure and utter joy.)

"Uh, heyyy…Vice Admiral Tsuru." She chuckled nervously.

"Lieutenant Commander Bell-mere, what are you doing in Commander Rosinante's apartment?!" Tsuru demanded.

"Admiral Tsuru, we can explain…" Bell-mere pleaded.

"Yeah, it's not what it looks like." Rosinante added.

"So, you kids didn't make out?" Garp asked.

"Well, yeah. Belle and I made out last night but…"

Garp cuts Rosinante off, laughing loudly. "Hahaha! I knew it! See that, Senny, I totally called it!"

"Now it's not the time to celebrate, Garp." Sengoku gritted.

"Sengoku, your son had better not take advantage of my girl." Tsuru fumed.

"Rosinante is not that kind of boy, Tsuru, you know that!" Sengoku argued.

"Besides, from the looks of things, I'd say it was a consensual agreement." Garp added.

Rosinante rolled his eyes, completely done with the Admirals' antics.

"WILL YOU THREE OLD ASS GEEZERS SHUT UP?!"

Sengoku, Garp and Tsuru looked at the blonde boy in shock.

"Did you just tell us to shut up, Commander Rosinante?" Tsuru growled.

Rosinante felt his legs shake but he stood his ground. "Listen. Bell-mere and I came back to my apartment after the festival. We confessed our feelings for each other, made out and fell asleep in each other's arms. That's it. Nothing else happened beyond that. I love Bell-mere and I will never take advantage of her. So, can you guys please stop acting like meddling old people and be happy for us?"

There was a lengthy silence before Garp broke it with his maniacal laugh.

"HAHA! My boy!" He exclaimed. "I knew you had it in you."

"Garp. Don't you have training to do?" Sengoku warned.

"Alright, alright. I know when to take a hint." Garp grabbed his pumpkin spice rice crackers and headed out the door. "I'll talk to you later, Sengoku. Don't rough your boy up too much. To Rosinante, he gave him a thumbs up. "You the man, Roci!"

"Uh, thanks…I guess?" Rosinante shrugged.

"Let's go, Bell-mere." Tsuru commanded. "You're already late for your target practice. Change your clothes quickly, I'll be waiting outside."

"Yes, Admiral Tsuru." Bell-mere sighed. She looked at Rosinante and smiled widely. "I'll see you later, Clumsy Fool."

"Can't wait, Spitfire. Love you."

"Love you too."

The Admirals looked on as the two teenagers kissed each other on the lips.

"Ah, young love." Garp awed. "Isn't it great, Tsuru?"

"Riveting." The old woman remarked.

Garp and Tsuru left the apartment while Bell-mere went into the guest room to change, leaving Rosinante alone with Sengoku. The fleet Admiral stared at his adopted son.

"So, you and Bell-mere, huh?"

The blonde boy smiled and scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I didn't tell you sooner, Dad. It just…happened."

Sengoku gave a small smile. "You and Bell-mere have always been inseparable. It was only a matter of time when your relationship blossomed into something beautiful. I'm happy for you, son. You deserve it."

"Thanks. But if you're happy for us, why do you look so disappointed?"

"Because I owe Garp 100,000 beris. We sorta made a bet on whether or not you and Bell-mere get together."

"WHAT?!" Rosinante exclaimed.

"YA'LL ARE SOME MEDDLING-ASS OLD GEEZERS!" Bell-mere shouted from the guest room.