The Crimson Tattoo
A One Piece Fanfiction
By Sacred Sakura

Written: 8/25-30/2007
Published: 8/30/2007

Rating: T
Genre: Angst (for now)
Pairing: Nami still won't tell
Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. The story and any concepts/characters not original to this series does belong to me, however. Also, this fanfic is no longer based off of The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, but the "tattoo" in the title will still remain a central part later in the story, so no worries.

Dedication: To Darkmaster2, Lord of the Shadows, and AR1502599. Thanks for hearing out my weird ideas and putting up with my obsessive otakuness! Also, thanks to my reviewers! Your reviews give me hope. (cries from happiness)

A/N: Okay, now this chapter is when things start to get interesting. Heh heh heh... Next update? Uhh... think "October" or "November"...

-------

Chapter Four: Problems Arise

"I still can't believe I'm twenty-three and already have a kid," sighed the red-haired young woman sadly. Sadly because despite her fashionable attire of a slim white blouse over a black lacy cami and denim miniskirt, she had to babysit a five-year-old instead of going clothes shopping with Robin. Not that Robin really shopped for clothing so much as for books, but that wasn't the point.

She sighed again.

"Is something bothering my dear Nami-swan?" lovingly called out Sanji from the foot of the deck stairs. His expression darkened. "Did one of those shitty bastards harass you again?"

"No, Sanji, it's nothing like—" She stopped midsentence as an idea came to her. "Actually, Sanji-kun, my day would feel ten times brighter if you would do just one teensy thing for me."

"Anything for you, my sweet Nami-san!" cooed the love-blind blond.

"Take care of Kaiyume, will you?" said the redhead breezily as she made her way down the steps, depositing the toddler in the cook's arms. "Thanks, Sanji-kun," she added, delicately placing her hand on the man's shoulder.

"It is my never-ending pleasure, my sweet!" sighed Sanji happily, melting into a glob of bliss at the girl's touch.

Zoro snorted from the spot on the edge of the deck where he had been sleeping. "Moron. Hasn't he figured out by now that she's only using him? I mean, come on, it's been almost six years..."

The dark-haired woman standing beside him smiled. "Well, they do say love is blind."

"Kaiyume-chan!!!" called out the blond cook, swinging the child up into the air. "What game shall we play today?!!"

The swordsman snorted again. "I know one thing for sure: I'll never be reduced to that guy's level. Ever."

"Oh, really?" A knowing smile played on the woman's lips as they watched Nami drag Luffy and Usopp through the sprawling town. She knelt down and leaned forward so that her jade eyes were level with his. "And just how sure are you about that?"

"Completely." He glared at her. "Now quit messing with me, woman, and let me go back to sleep." He turned away and immediately began to snore.

Her ambiguous smile made no move to change as she slowly stood.

Couldn't anyone see? See that she, too, felt loneliness of the heart?

Yes, Luffy-senchou had known that she desired companionship. So he had allowed her the honor of joining the crew. And she had made friends, gained true nakama.

But what he hadn't known, what no one knew...was her desire for something more.

She walked away from the swordsman, toward the blond blissfully playing charades with the little girl. Sanji was currently mimicking a certain proud long-nosed person, to which the adorable child answered, "Daddy Liar!"

Sanji did a doubletake as he fell to the floor. "'D-Daddy'...?" he repeated, utterly flummoxed.

The dark-haired woman, curious, knelt to speak with the young girl. "Kaiyume-chan," she asked gently, "why did you call Usopp-san 'Daddy'?"

Kaiyume stared back with those odd hazel-lagoon blue eyes of hers. "Isn't Daddy Liar my daddy?"

"That damn bastard Usopp!!!" yelled Sanji, leaping from the deck, furious. "How dare he touch my precious Nami-san!!! Why, I oughta—"

"And aren't Daddy Luffy, Daddy Shitty Swordsman, and Daddy Crappy Cook my daddies too?" added the young girl.

"—HUG MY PRECIOUS SUGAR PLUM, WHOM I LOVE SO DEARLY!!!" exclaimed the blond cook, sweeping the child up in his arms again. "KAWAII MELLORINE!!!" It somehow seemed to escape Sanji that Kaiyume had just given him a title of "Crappy Cook."

"What about Franky-san? And Chopper-kun?"

Kaiyume, ignoring Sanji's loud embrace, replied, "Uncle Franky's too old to be my daddy. And Cousin Chopper can't be my daddy. He's a reindeer."

The dark-haired woman smiled at the child's logic. "And what about me?"

Kaiyume pointed. "You're Aunt Robin."

The child then glared—or seemed to glare—at such named woman. "You're too old for any of my daddies." To which the dark-haired woman sweatdropped and Sanji froze in shock.

"K-Kaiyume-chan!!" protested the cook. "What are you saying?!"

Kaiyume was as blunt as could possibly be for a child of five years. And her words struck Robin's heart like a steel arrow. "I don't like her."

-------

"Ahhhh!!! That was so refreshing!!!" called out Nami as she burst through her bedroom door, carrying an ungodly number of shopping bags in her hands and in cheerful spirits. "Nothing like shopping to make a girl's day!!!"

She had been about to skip to her bed and try on clothing for the fun of it when something stopped her. Or rather, someone.

This mysterious person stood in the shadows of her room, silent. Yet their presence was unmistakable.

"Who are you?!" Nami demanded, furious that someone had trespassed in her room. "What the hell are you doing in my room?!"

She couldn't see the man's features, but his smirk was obvious. As was the rope that had suddenly appeared in his hands.

'Oh. Shit.'

-------

Anyone entering the Thousand Sunny's galley an hour before before the sun had reached its zenith would have found a cook at work in all his magnificent culinary glory. Smooth, cared-for hands preparing food with expert dexterity—washing, chopping, slicing, mincing, measuring, seasoning, sauteing, combining, blending, and adjusting the heat. The sleeves of his blue shirt, rolled up so as not to interfere with the labors of his santoku, chef, and other various knives of his trade. Black dress slacks, dress shoes and tie to accent an air of professionalism and class. Blond hair falling over his left eye, a casually lit cigarette—complementing his overall look with suave coolness.

Consequently, the savory and enticing aromas of quality cooking would, inevitably, draw unwanted company. Namely, Luffy—who right at that moment burst through the door demanding food.

"C'mon, Sanji," wheedled the dark-haired boy pleadingly. "Gimme a taste..."

A vein throbbed in Sanji's temple, irritated that he had to go through this harassment multiple times every single day. "Hell no!! This food's for Nami-san, Robin-chan, and Kaiyume-chan!! If you want lunch, it's on the table over there!!" He jerked a thumb toward the table behind him, atop which were splayed dishes and dishes of various courses.

"MEAT!!!" And thus, the dimwitted captain with a bottomless appetite commenced attacking the pile of food with frightening gusto.

"Baka," snorted the blond as he took up two trays from the counter and headed for the deck outside.

As usual, the azure skies were cloudless, the turquoise waves for the most part complacent, and the golden sun shining as bright as ever. The Thousand Sunny's deck inhabitants, too, were in their usual positions. Zoro leaned against the railing, dead asleep, his swords propped up beside him. Usopp worked on another one of his odd yet useful inventions, Chopper his admiring audience. Seated on a chaise longue was Robin, deep within the pages of yet another volume from Nami's library. Franky, sprawled in the middle of the deck, was working on another blueprint for something, probably a new weapon. Amid Nami's orange trees played Kaiyume, experimenting with a sextant and watching a compass needle react crazily to the Grand Line's magnetic fields.

"Robin-chan! Kaiyume-chan!!" called out the cook, enraptured by the dark-haired woman's mature beauty and the child's adorable cuteness. "Lunch is ready!!"

And yet something was off. Someone was missing.

"Robin-chan, have you seen Nami-san?"

Zoro woke. "Oi, is that lunch?"

Robin smiled at the food yet replied uncertainly, "No...not since she returned from shopping an hour ago." She frowned, concern showing in her jade eyes. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Nami's probably trying on her new clothes right now," Usopp piped up, removing his goggles. "She sure looked pretty happy coming back."

"Robin-chan, while you and dear Kaiyume-chan enjoy this Lunch of Love I have prepared for you, I shall bring Nami-san up to join you!" And with a lovestruck flutter, Sanji went floating down the stairs.

"What a moron..." Zoro muttered as he swiped a sandwich from one of the trays.

"Hey!!" Usopp yelled, outraged. "I'm hungry too, you know! Save some for me!!"

"Damn, no cola," grumbled Franky, looking over the selection. He headed for the galley, from which familiar munching sounds could be heard. "Hope Luffy didn't drink it all already..."

-------

Sanji pranced down the dim corridor, humming a tune. He couldn't wait until his dear, precious red-haired navigator tasted the delicious sandwiches he had made for lunch. The very thought of seeing her angelic face brighten with tastebud-tingling satisfaction made him giddy with pleasure.

Arriving at the door of Nami's room, he called out, "Ohhhh, Naaaaami-saaaaaan!! Lunch is ready!!!"

No response.

He knocked. "Nami-san?"

Still no response.

Worried, he knocked on the door again. "Nami-san, I shall be entering your room..."

To say that no licentious thoughts involving Nami half-dressed—or even naked—entered Sanji's mind would be an absolute lie. Yet modesty and respect for the woman he desired led him to open the wooden door slowly to allow her time to quickly cover herself.

Yet upon opening the door, the blond was shocked to find the room in utter disarray. Furniture had been upturned, books and papers scattered everywhere. The bed was shoved into a crooked angle, the bedsheets and pillows tossed about in an unbecoming manner. Clothes had been dumped all over the floor.

And there was no navigator in sight.

-------

Comments, explanations, etc. You know the drill.

time discrepancy: Yes, yes, I know, this story's becoming more and more AU. Then again, considering the fact that Nami had a baby in the first place, it was already AU from the very start, wasn't it? We'll just say that this chapter occurs long after the events of Enies Lobby and Thriller Bark, and work our way from there.

Sanji ignoring Robin: What can I say? Kaiyume's incredibly adorable. What do you expect, her being Nami and someone-else-attractive's daughter, after all? Kawaii... (heart)

Kaiyume's apparent dislike of Robin: Yes, well, this was a surprising turn of events, especially for me. I didn't expect this to happen. I didn't PLAN for this to happen. It just happened while I was typing... Well, we'll see as the story progresses how this will affect Robin and Kaiyume's relationship with each other and the rest of the crew...

mocking Sanji: Yes, I am. He's so pathetically lovestruck, I can't help but make fun of him.

Nami kidnapped: To use a time-worn phrase, "And so the plot thickens..."

fathership: Sorry I'm killing you guys here, but I'm not ready (and Nami's not ready; duh, she's just been kidnapped) to reveal Kaiyume's father yet. However, some of you are pretty close! (Your deductions need some more work, though...)