Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, cause if I did, Sanji and Zoro would be all over each other and Blackbeard would already have his butt kicked … damn guy… -walks off mumbling about stupid Blackbeard and his stupid powers-
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The irony of life, and death, is that right after something bad happens to a person, their dreams come true. Such is the case when an athlete looses a leg and finds that he had just been accepted to a college on a running scholarship. Such is it when an artist goes blind just before they are written to, saying that someone will pay them millions to do their craft. Such is it when a chef dies, only to have the pirate ship he was on to land in the middle of the All Blue only two days later.
It was a cruel irony, and one that the Straw Hats never got over.
There had been a storm, a storm of such ferocity and unpredictability, that no matter how fast Nami called out orders and the crew scrambled to obey them, they were swept into the wind and water, clinging on for dear life and praying that they could live through this storm, just so they wouldn't be kicked in the head by their dearly departed chef for being too early. In all honesty, there were moments during that storm that even Luffy admitted defeat… but every time they were just near loosing all hope, the storm would change in a way that they could all catch their breaths and build up the hope that they would survive, just before their ship was taken by the storm once more. So went the cycle for three days, until the winds became so fierce that they caught the edge of the furled sail and lifted the ship into the sky, the wind and water of a cyclone somehow supporting the heavy wooden frame without breaking it. Two hours of near death experiences within the billowing winds passed before suddenly everything stopped, and the ship crashed down in the middle of an ocean, throwing most of the members off with the shock of the fall.
No one drowned, but everyone nearly died when they recognized fish that shouldn't be in the Grand Line swimming before their eyes. There were tuna from East Blue, swordfish from West, whales from South, and a rare species of dolphin from North.
Zoro spent that night at the bow of the ship, staring into the water. No one dared to approach him or speak to him, not even when he lifelessly came in, grabbed himself a makeshift dinner, and then returned to his position, half-heartedly chewing the meager meal and staring into the sea.
The next morning, Chopper noticed that none of Sanji's cigarettes were on board.
When confronted about it, Zoro said he dumped them into the ocean. No need to keep them anymore.
No one said a word about it since.
They sailed lifelessly through the ocean, searching for an island to set the log pose in (it had taken to spinning wildly, and Nami had replaced it for a compass, which seemed to keep pointing in the relatively same direction) for nearly three months, keeping alive by catching fish and cooking it when Robin and Chopper declared the fish safe and non-poisonous. No longer did they have the skilled eyes and hands of Sanji to take any fish, poisonous or not, and turn it into a tasty, first-class meal that made their taste-buds sing for more. They were stuck with Nami's third-rate, slightly crispy dinners until they could find an island, and a chef.
However, when Nami suddenly collapsed on deck, things went from bad to worse.
Everyone had noticed the growing closeness of Luffy and Nami, but no one had thought anything of it. After all, who would expect innocent little Luffy knowing enough to impregnate their navigator? Strangely, everyone was calm about it, and much to Nami's annoyance, they even went as far as teasing her about it. However, no one made her do anything too strenuous anymore. After all, if she was going to give birth on a pirate ship to their captain's child, that made all of them the baby's family… it made all of them its parents. Sure, by blood Nami and Luffy would be, but everyone on board was adept at teaching certain life lessons.
However, the frequent fainting spells weren't setting Chopper's mind at ease. There was something wrong with her pregnancy… and when he spoke to the navigator about it, she just smiled and nodded, saying that she knew, and had known all along, that something wasn't right. Her tone had been gentle, but her eyes had held an understanding and sadness that Chopper didn't like.
He should have known then.
But no one blamed him.
Five months, five measly months later, Nami paused in yelling at Zoro, her breath hitching, face paling, and her hands clenching the swollen belly. The swordsman, for a loss of what else to do carefully lowered Nami until she was lying on the grass of the deck and shouted for the rest of the crew. Chopper and Robin set up a tent around her writhing form, and the rest of the crew was left to hover and listen to the sounds from within, none of which seemed reassuring.
Pants, grunts, reassuring words, and screams came from the cloth separating them from the two people helping to birth Nami's child. Luffy's face mirrored the look of worry he had when he saw Sanji's bleeding form on deck all those months before, and if one looked closely enough, all of the crew assembled mirrored that emotion.
Usopp was standing, biting his thumb and staring intently at the opening to the makeshift delivery room, flinching at each cry from within. Zoro had taken a seat, and was absently running a hand over the white sword resting against his shoulder as he stared out into space, preoccupied with something… and everything. Franky was pacing, sending the tent a worried glance every now and then, Luffy just stood still, his hands fisted tightly and his bottom lip between his teeth.
Finally, there was one more yell that turned into a choked sob, and the wailings of something else, something entirely new to them and the world, joined in the din. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stood still, craning their ears to hear everything that was going on. Chopper was muttering something in a fast, low voice, but everyone could hear the urgency. Robin was cooing gently to what was obviously the baby, and the sound of something splashing in water came every now and then.
Finally, the white fabric separating them rippled, and from the seam emerged a very weary Chopper, who was quickly crowded by the men of the ship. Not a word was said as they waited, just waited, for the small Doctor's analysis. Finally, Chopper looked up, and one glance at the tears running in tiny rivulets sent Luffy dashing into the tent and made the other crew members mumbled tiny no's and look away, each taking care of their grief in different ways. Usopp hid his face in the crook of his arm, but it did nothing to hide the evidence of his tears. Chopper pulled down his hat with his tiny hooves, attempting to hide the water running down his face, but having about as much result as Usopp. Franky hid his own face in one large hand, sobbing audibly, and Zoro just looked away, his mouth drawn in a thin line of pain and sorrow as he rapidly blinked back tears he hadn't even noticed coming.
Inside the tent, the scene was quite different. The only tears falling were from a small baby cradled in Robin's arms, a third hand extending from her shoulder to run its fingers through the short, soft red-brown hair on the baby's head. Robin's eyes were trained on the figure of her captain, and a two hands grew from the tent, pushing gently at his back and sending him towards the prone, gasping form of Nami on the blanket covered ground.
"There's…" Luffy muttered, and Robin's mouth tilted downwards in an understanding frown, "…so much blood… how… how can there be… so much blood?" the archaeologist had never heard Luffy's voice so sorrow-filled, nor had she seen him so frightened, so pained, as he looked now. However, it wasn't she who spoke up. It was Nami who lifted her head weakly from where she lay to send a shaky smile Luffy's way. It was evident how much her strength was failing her with every shaky, shallow breath.
"There can't," she muttered, and Luffy found himself drawn towards her voice, so he followed what his body wanted and found himself kneeling by her side, his own shaky hand reaching out to thread its fingers through hers. "I love you…"
"I… love you too," Luffy muttered, blinking back what Robin and Nami knew to be tears. "Na-… Nami…" he sighed, closing his eyes and sitting, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb as he thought.
"Take care of her?" she murmured, drawing Luffy out of his mind, causing his breath to hitch and his eyes to blink rapidly. However, he couldn't help that small drop of water to run down his cheek. "I… I don't want her to grow up… only to be hunted," she smiled sadly at her lover, hoping against all hope that he would understand. It was one thing for both of them to be pirates, they had been lucky. There was no way that every other pirate was as kind hearted and fortunate as the eight of them had been… she didn't want her daughter to grow up and be like those other pirates… she wanted her daughter to have the chance at a normal life, uninfluenced by things beyond their control.
"I…" Luffy started, mouth drawn down into a thoughtful frown. Then, he understood Nami's request and smiled, allowing her to know that he did, in fact, understand. "She won't. I'll make sure of that."
Nami smiled, closing her eyes in a wordless sign of thanks… and then she took one last shuddering breath, and any spark of life in her shuddering, pale form was gone. Snuffed out as easily as a candle.
And Luffy cried.
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The pain of our separation was measureless. She had been growing inside my belly for months upon months, and even though she kicked, squirmed, and hurt more than anything I'd ever known, I loved her with every fiber of my being. I suppose that I was lucky to even survive long enough to see her sweet face staring up at me, sniffling up at me as her dark eyes stared into mine, memorizing my face with every ounce of her little baby brain. I could see the light scattering of red-brown hair on her head, and that made me smile against the pain.
I couldn't hear anything, but I noticed when Chopper left and Luffy walked in.
I wonder if that's how Sanji felt when he died… mouth on autopilot while his body just waited to finally pass on. There was no use in fighting the inevitable while you were so close to the edge. There was no use on fighting if even the doctor had walked out on you.
Poor Chopper, I hope he doesn't take it too personally. I've known this was coming since the beginning.
Woman's intuition and all that.
But Luffy, and his face. I wonder if Sanji felt the same way looking up at Zoro. There was a sense of hopelessness on his face that I needed off of there, so I provoked a smile by making him promise me something.
I guess becoming Nakama really makes everyone act the same way in the same situations.
Still, as long as I know my little girl will be safe and will grow up without becoming a wanted pirate, I could be happy… and judging by the smile I finally coaxed from Luffy, I knew he would respect that. He wasn't one to ever break a promise.
I closed my eyes, then, feeling the tug of wherever I was going, and I smiled, fully content for the first time in my life.
There was warmth. Perfect, sudden warmth that filled my entire being. It was perfect, I was happy, I was safe. Wherever I was I knew that I was loved… and that I was complete. As my ears started to hear, they wee met with the gentle sound of waves lapping at the sides of what could only be a ship. My nose started picking up the scent of orange blossoms and the smell of very familiar cooking
I wrenched my eyes open, the sudden blaring of light somehow soothing as I took in the familiar sight of a mast with various metal braces, the familiar head Luffy used to sit on, and the random fixes to walls and railings from Zoro and Sanji's various fights. It was perfect, Merry was perfect. Everywhere I looked memories jumped out at me… and I felt like I was finally home.
A soft presence behind me caused my head to turn with a strange sense of calm, taking in the two figures there with little surprise. He looked just like when we met on the Baratie. Gone was the weariness and maturity he had gained in our two years together, gone was that knowing look in his eyes. He was the bright-eyed teenager he had been in those first few minutes we had met, and as our eyes met, I knew that I had changed as well. The hazy figure hovering over his shoulder smiled, and I had a feeling that Merry had known all along.
His hand raised, palm up in an offering matter that was just so him. His lips twitched upwards into a smile around that cigarette he always seemed to keep clamped in his mouth.
"Come on, Nami-san. I was just making parfaits," and as our eyes met, I smiled and took his offered hand, allowing him to lead me into the galley.
I really was home.
