Treasure Hunters
Author Notes: In this chapter, the action gets into motion a little more. It's a little shorter, but things are still being set up.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gilly. Yay Gilly!
Chapter 2: The Smallest Pirate Meant for Impel Down
"I feel a little guilty, celebrating a pregnancy without the mommy present, but hey, it's not like he can drink now anyway," Brook chortled, as Zoro and Sanji toasted between two shots of sake. They had adjourned to the ship's lounge, and Robin had started to show Franky and Brook her and Chopper's records of Luffy's first pregnancy. Nami, who had joined them, laughed.
"Well, he's had a couple months to celebrate by himself, right? He probably had his suspicions long before telling us. He said he wanted to get past the riskiest part before telling anyone. The first three months are the most risky." Nami grinned, as she flipped the page. Franky laughed aloud as he saw the photograph of Luffy leaned against the wall with a big belly, head tilted back and pouring drool.
"It just looks like he overate!" Franky, still laughing, slapped his leg at the comically round captain. Zoro rolled his eyes, but continued to drink.
"Luffy does get very weird when it comes to Gilly. It's like he's actually serious with his own progeny," Usopp remarked shrewdly. "He's probably just as protective of the next kid as he is her."
"I don't blame him," Robin replied. "Let's not forget how very rare and risky the very prospect of a Devil Fruit pregnancy is, so Gilly is truly a miracle child. Besides that, he didn't have a very good family when he was young, did he? He probably wants his own children to have things a bit differently, with their loving parents."
"Yeah," Zoro muttered, thinking. He glanced over at the wall where their Wanted posters were hung, with their real names and titles written on little plaques beneath them. Their total, according to the posters and including Brook (since they weren't sure if his bounty counted now that he was dead and alive again), was 700,000,050 bells. However, there was a plaque without a poster. "Roronoa D. Gilea- Ship's Good Luck Charm" was at the bottom of the wall, and though the entire crew knew she had a bounty, her poster was not displayed. "We do want to protect her."
"We know, Zoro. I guess you still feel guilty about before she was born, huh?" Sanji tilted his head back, looking at the swordsman over his shoulder with a nasty smirk. Zoro gritted his teeth- Sanji reopened that old wound every opportunity he could.
"The past is the past, don't keep bringing it up," Zoro snapped. "I've been forgiven, okay? I have to start thinking about the future now."
"We all do," Luffy added from the door, and the crew looked up to see him enter with a few pieces of paper under his arm. "I've got something to do." Luffy approached the Wanted poster wall and hung up three pieces of paper under Gilea's name. Everyone but Zoro leaned forward to take a closer look.
"Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 10,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"
"Bastard Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 40,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"
"Bastard Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 60,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"
Each poster, with its increasing bounty, was accompanied by a photograph of Gilly. The first was of her as a very small infant, taken while she was wrapped up in blankets and clutched to Luffy's chest. The next was of her as a toddler, in a brown jumper and sloppily chalking their crew's flag on a sidewalk in Waters 7 outside the Galley-La building. The sharp increase must have been attributed to the crew's involvement at Enies Lobby. The third was taken only a few months ago, just before her third birthday, and she had obviously been told her photo was being taken, because it was a close-up and she was smiling directly into the camera. Most of the crew looked at their own bounties with shock: Gilly had done nothing and her bounty was higher.
"I don't know why, but the Marines really want Gilly," Luffy stated simply. "I want to get rid of her bounty."
"Holy shit, Luffy," Sanji muttered, shaking his head. "She's worth as much as Franky and Nami combined."
"It's the same as your bounty when I met you, Zoro," Chopper pointed out, obviously in awe.
"Yeah, and it makes me sick. It's your damned grandfather, Luffy!" Zoro slammed his fist on the arm of the sofa, and stood up. "I don't want him to ever lay hands on her!"
"I don't want that either. I don't know how we're going to do it, but we have to make them not want her," Luffy declared firmly. Robin looked away solemnly.
"Luffy, I don't think that's even possible. I've had my bounty for years and years, even though I didn't do anything. They want her because of her potential to do harm, and unless they see that she won't do harm, she will continue to rise in price." Robin sighed softly. "They probably only want her alive because she's done nothing wrong. They probably will want to reform her. But if they can't, they'll just ship her to Impel Down."
"Gilea is not a criminal, and she doesn't need to be reformed! She's a pirate, but she's not a criminal!" Luffy folded his arms and scowled. Chopper giggled joyfully.
"Mood swing!" All male members of the crew other than Luffy gave Chopper an odd, uncomfortable look, but the female members giggled and nodded understandingly. Luffy, however, frowned a little harder.
"It's not funny!" Everyone quickly looked away from Luffy, and Nami scratched her head and sighed.
"Well, my information shows that the next island, which we're supposed to reach tomorrow, has a Marine base on it." Nami pulled her book from her pocket and flipped it open. "Briefer's Wake. Maybe if we do some recon, we'll be able to get in and cancel Gilly's bounty."
"Yeah, I want to be sure this happens as quick as possible!" Luffy grinned.
"We've got some other business on the island too. You." Zoro looked at Luffy. "You're seeing a doctor."
"But I'm not sick," Luffy replied cheerfully, folding his arms behind his head. Zoro snorted and glared. He cast one jaundiced eye towards Chopper, and smirked.
"You're going to the doctor, because you are four months pregnant and since I haven't seen you sneaking off to a clinic, you haven't had a prenatal check up yet." At this, Chopper squawked indignantly.
"F-f-f-four?!"
"At the very least," Zoro nodded, and Luffy found himself faced down by heavy point Chopper, who looked angry, to say the least. Luffy smiled nervously up at him.
"Yes?"
"You're coming with me right now!" Chopper roared, and he yanked Luffy by the arm. Luffy's arm stretched, proving Chopper's efforts futile, and Robin giggled softly.
"Doctor Chopper, why don't you just go with him tomorrow? That way, you will be able to see the results and keep closer track of him."
"That's a good idea, Robin," Chopper chirped, releasing Luffy's hand and turning back to his brain point. "But Luffy, the baby is my top priority!" He put his hands on his hips, puffing up his chest and smiling at the crew. "As long as I don't have emergency priorities, I'm going to take the best care of you and the baby as I can!"
"The baby's safe, I promise. I don't want anybody to worry about it," Luffy replied simply. "It's the baby that's already out in the world that I worry about."
"He's right. When we are on this Marine base island, I want Gilly disguised, and she's going to have to go by a false name," Zoro declared, folding his arms.
"I'll help disguise her," Usopp offered. "I'm very good at constructing disguises!"
"Better be more than a stupid cape and mask," Franky snickered. "That won't fool anybody except Luffy."
"Yeah, especially with how good her most recent picture is," Robin added. "After all, they were able to keep track of me on a twenty-plus year old photograph for years because it was close up and I have very distinct facial features. However, because Gilea is so young, it would be hard to discern her from face alone."
"That's good," Zoro nodded. "Won't have to change her face up too much, then."
"Yes, but… Gilly's hair stands out," Robin pointed out. Everyone's eyes turned to Zoro's hair.
"Mini-mossball," everybody said at once, and Zoro groaned.
"First thing I'll change, then!" Usopp clapped his hands together with a smirk, and turned to Nami. "May I have some tangerines?"
"Good idea!" Nami grinned. "Usopp, how about you and I do this together? I'll modify some of her clothes so that they're unrecognizable as hers." The two of them smirked deviously, plots running through their minds. Robin giggled softly again.
"I think they will be able to handle it. But what can we do specifically about the Marines?"
"I've got an idea," Nami cut in, looking up from her brainstorm with Usopp. "We send someone into the Marine base and have that person do some manipulation with the officials there, from destroying the file to changing it so that the men-in-charge there will be adamant that she doesn't need a bounty."
"What sort of idiot would be willing to go on that suicide mission?" Sanji muttered.
"Sanji, since your Wanted poster has the least accurate portrait, you should be the one to infiltrate the Marines," Nami suggested. "Besides, I know you've got a talent for thinking on your feet." She winked at him. Sanji giggled stupidly and nodded quickly.
"Consider it done, my swan!" As Nami and Robin continued to do the heavy thinking and plan out their venture on the next island with the rest of the crew, Zoro changed seats to sit next to Luffy, who had tilted his head back and closed his eyes in thought. He opened one eye to look at Zoro again, and they shared one of their quiet smiles. It was one of the things that reminded Zoro of why they were married.
"Zoro, I could use a favor," Luffy said quietly.
"Better make it good."
"It's a small request, and I've put it off for a couple weeks," Luffy started, his grin spreading a bit wider. "Shiitake. Like, a bunch of them. With hot sauce on top."
Sanji was not going to divulge the combination for the refrigerator's lock, but Luffy got the cure for his new craving for breakfast. Gilly had her tongue stuck out as she watched her father devouring shiitake mushrooms practically soaked in red chili sauce. She also had her sharp little nose wrinkled up at the strong smell of tangerines in the air. They had reached port in the night, and docked on a small peninsula on the far side of the island, and Nami and Usopp were hard at work giving Gilea a make-over.
"Now, Gilly, you're going to be with me and Uncle Usopp today, okay?" Nami chirped, as she untwisted some of the foil from Gilly's hair and wrung tangerine juice from it. "Except we're going to play a game. We're going to play family. I'm going to be the Mommy, Uncle Usopp will be the Daddy, and you're going to be our little daughter, Hitsuji." Gilly frowned.
"Only Daddy calls me that!" She pointed at Luffy, and Zoro frowned over at Luffy.
"Hitsuji?"
"No, Hitsujiko, my little lamb," Luffy insisted through a mouthful.
"I just got it from her plush sheep-" Usopp started, but stopped as he realized Luffy had done the same thing. "Ohh. Well, we're calling her Hitsuji. You can keep Hitsujiko. We won't use that at all."
"Actually, using a name she's responded to before might be good," Nami chuckled, and she began to remove all the foil from Gilly's hair. It had been turned from the usual green to a bright, vibrant orange. She carefully worked out the tangerine pulp with a thin comb, and Gilly looked fairly irritated until Sanji set down a bright green mousse before her.
"For the little lady! A key lime tart!" He grinned affectionately. "How dignified you look with orange hair! You look so much like Nami-swan now!"
"Really? Am I really as pretty as Aunt Nami- er, Mommy?" She looked at Nami for approval, and Nami giggled and turned pink at being called 'Mommy.'
"You can wait to start the game until we're in public," Nami corrected through her blush. Sanji chuckled and winked at Nami.
"Nami-Mommy?" Nami, indignant, blushed more, but simply smirked.
"I don't think I like the thought of my daughter calling someone else Daddy," Zoro muttered, rubbing his forehead. Usopp crouched by her and began to paint on freckles. "I know this was my idea, but I don't like her having a substitute father."
"It's only for today. It's just a game, anyway," Usopp reminded him in a quavering voice. He obviously didn't want to get Zoro angry, but they wanted to keep Gilly from knowing anything was particularly wrong. Zoro simply grunted and rubbed his forehead.
"Wait, what do I call Daddy and Daddy, then?" Gilly looked at her fathers, wide-eyed. Usopp and Nami glanced at one another.
"You can call them Daddy too, Hitsuji," Nami reassured. "You probably won't see them while we're in town today. Your Daddy is going to the doctor, and you can't go with them."
"Oh." Gilly shrugged, and began to eat her breakfast. Zoro sighed; he didn't like the thought of being separated from her, even if it was only for a few hours. He didn't like the fact that she now looked more like Nami's child than his, especially in a purple skirt and pink shirt with yellow flowers embroidered on it. He knew, however, that his beautiful little Gilly would be endangered if she looked like herself without him there to protect her. "Hitsuji" would have to do until he washed her disguise off.
"Here's your pocket-money for the week, Hitsuji." Zoro reached into his pocket and pulled out two hundred Bells. It wasn't much, but he figured she could buy herself a piece of fruit with it for a snack. It was Nami's idea to start giving her an allowance for when they went ashore so that she would learn to handle money. Zoro had never seen her actually spend it, but since she was a three-year-old sugar junkie, he was sure she did. Gilly carefully tucked it into a pocket on her skirt, and jumped from her seat to run and kiss Zoro's cheek.
"Thank you. I will be good with it." She planted a big kiss on his cheek, and he grinned. He scooped her onto his lap and squeezed her.
"You know I'd love to go with you today, kiddo, but you wouldn't like visiting the big doctor. Your daddy doesn't want to go either."
"Daddy doesn't like doctors?" Gilly's little mouth formed an 'o.'
"Doctors have to do things that hurt you sometimes, Gilly," Luffy mumbled. "And besides, doctors are for sick people, and I'm not sick."
"Luffy, don't scare her," Zoro hissed, before explaining to Gilly, "He's just going to the doctor for the baby."
"Oh, dear, swordsman," Robin giggled softly. "That may have been the worst thing you could have said." Gilly's eyes were wide with anxiety.
"The baby is sick? Daddy! Why is the baby sick?!"
"No, calm down, honey, the baby is not sick, we just want to see him!" Zoro insisted, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.
"We get the baby today?!" Gilly gasped, clenching her fists. "I wanna go! I wanna get the baby!"
"No, Gilly, no-"
"Gilly, finish your breakfast," Luffy instructed cheerfully but firmly, before Zoro could say another word. Gilly immediately calmed.
"Okay." Gilly hopped back to her seat and dug into the green custard, and Zoro sighed with relief. It was hard to believe this precocious child belonged to the Luffy he knew most of the time, but every once in a while, his genetics shone through.
They disembarked in three teams. Zoro codenamed them 'Team Cute,' 'Team Uncute,' and 'Team Serious Business.' 'Team Serious Business,' Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper, were going to go to a clinic, mostly against Luffy's will. Sanji in particular did not like being on the 'Uncute Team,' until Nami convinced him that 'Uncute' was just another name for sexy. Sanji and Franky were going to the Marine base. Robin, Usopp, Nami, Brook, and Gilly were 'Team Cute,' and they were going shopping.
"Oi, Brook, do you have the grocery list?" Sanji asked, as he adjusted his Marine-issue cap and began to shine his shoes to Marine standards. Robin had discreetly gone ahead and "acquired" a Marine uniform for Sanji. Nobody asked where it had come from, but they all knew where it had come from.
"Yup, got it all right here in my head!" Brook responded cheerfully, flipping his skull open and pulling out a pad of paper, and then laughed raucously. Robin giggled, as Gilly hugged her leg fearfully. "Skull joke!"
"I hate skull jokes," Gilly said spitefully, and Brook chortled loudly in spite.
"Maybe he should go with Sanji and Franky," Zoro remarked hotly. (He wasn't sure which one of the two, between Brook and Gilly, was more mature, but Gilly was at least potty-trained.)
"The less conspicuous we are, the better," Sanji replied. "And no offense, but an eight-foot-tall skeleton is pretty distinct." Brook chortled, sockets almost vanishing in his wide, wide grin.
"And Franky, you're inconspicuous?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow at the resident cyborg.
"I'll be outside with the Baby Den-Den Mushi," Franky replied, holding up one of their snail-phones. "Just in case Sanji gets into any trouble with those female Marines."
"Oi, oi, I can control myself," Sanji grumbled. Nami scoffed.
"Maybe it really is a bad idea to let Sanji go…"
"Uncle Sanji!" Gilly called to him suddenly from Nami's side. Sanji looked, and could see that the child had discreetly lifted Nami's skirt. "Aunt Nami's panties today are pink with strawberries on them!"
"Mellorine!" Sanji wailed, tilting his head back with his nose bleeding. Brook laughed along, and Nami was pinker than her underwear and very obviously resisting the urge to smack the small monkey, but Gilly was unstoppable.
"Uh huh! And if you are very, very good with the girlie Marines and do everything Captain-Daddy told you to do, she will let you see them later for free!" Gilly informed Sanji with a blithe smile. Nami giggled; she knew where Gilly had learned that trick.
"I'll do anything!" Sanji declared, fire in his eyes. "Franky, we've got a mission to complete!"
"Gilly-sis, do you have a reward for me?" Franky asked jokingly. Gilly continued to smile.
"I will buy you a cola and a girlie magazine with my own pocket-money."
"The kid's good," Franky reported to Zoro seriously. Luffy laughed and squeezed her in his arms.
"She learned from the best!"
"Come on. We've got business here." Zoro took Gilly from Luffy, and tapped her nose. "You have to be on your best behavior. If you're not, the Marines will take you to Impel Down." At this, Gilly whined and folded her arms.
"Fine. But only cause I don't want to go to Impel Down."
Damn right, Zoro thought.
End Notes: Any suggestions or comments? Please review!
With school back in session, updates will still be spaced. Look for chapter 3 in about 2 weeks!