One Piece Goda belongs to. Author's notes bottom at.


Chapter Three

I Wanna Hold Your Hand

The one amazing perk of being a captain is that, you get what you ordered for from your crew. When Luffy ordered to cook extra food for dinner, Sanji did cooked extra food for dinner. Surprisingly, the reason for that wasn't to fulfill mister glutton demon residing in the pits of Luffy's stomach, but rather, the two soon-to-be newlyweds were invited to their guest house for a round of get together. Koala threw her arms around Robin the first thing when Robin opened the door, and Sabo was welcomed by the rest of the crew like family. Sanji cooked an all-seafood dinner for that evening, and he put out a bottle of old wine he got as a gift from the local wine shop earlier that day. They all clinked their wine glasses together - except Chopper, who had his fancy blackcurrant juice instead of an alcoholic beverage to suit his age and taste - in celebration of a reunion, and a good life ahead. It was one of those Kodak moments - the whole crew, the newlyweds and the private dinner party.

"The Revolutionaries are coming too, right?" Robin said over the salmon teriyaki she was having. "We saw three ships at the private harbour."

"Only the ones in our circles," Koala answered excitedly. "Well, Sabo is famous in the organization anyway, being second in command. He's like a celebrity."

"You're a revolutionary hero, you get fame, you get the girl. Damn, Sabo, your life's like one super action movie!" Franky complimented.

"Can't say I'm not thankful for it, Franky."

"Iva-san has been crazy about meeting you guys," Koala spoke again, turning to Sanji, "you, included. Said he's gonna turn you into a woman if you didn't come to see him."

The rest of the table laughed, some bombarding him with questions of how he he had gotten to know the Okama Queen himself. Embarrassed, he pretended to rub his temple in an attempt to hide the other half of his face. "He almost killed me with his shitty death winks once, or twice, or a thousand times, okay?"

"Oh, he's affectionate for you," Koala added.

"Iva-chan's gonna be around at the wedding, cool!" Luffy continued to swallow his fried rice, three swift spoonful at a time. "My dad's gonna be around too, right?"

The chatter and laughter of the whole table died down at his question. Everyone shifted their awkward glances between Luffy, who was still with his food as if he had never asked at all, and the couple, who were probably trying to figure out Luffy's possible reactions for their answer, later.

"He said he would."

Luffy said nothing else for the rest of the dinner - except laughing at Brook's skull jokes, asking Nami for her portion of octopus cake, and thanking Sanji for the meal in his most monotonous voice, a habit of concluding his every meal since when he was still a child.

After dinner, Koala insisted that she helps with the dishes, but Sanji refused her to, so she went off to Robin instead with another serving of wine. Brook played some sort of celebratory music on his guitar, while Chopper and Usopp danced along as Usopp explained to the little reindeer what a real wedding celebration is like. Zoro joined the others outside, on the turfing of the guest house's not so empty porch. Nami wanted to join Koala and Robin in hope that she could squeeze into what they call, girl pillow talks and shit, but they instead were too busy mesmerizing old memories of back in the days with the Revolutionaries.

So she chose to sit by the raven-haired, rubber idiot on the grass, who was gazing up facing the moonlit night sky. "You've been awfully quiet," she said, nudging him with her elbow. "It's a bit creepy when you're surrounded by people, yet, you're not the life of the party."

Luffy gave her that silly grin again.

"Wipe that off your face," she pushed on his cheek playfully. "Wanna tell me what's on your mind?"

"I wanna see my dad. I'm excited about that."

"So that was what on your mind, huh?" She gave her a comforting smile. "I'm sure he'll be around."

"Hey, he won't wanna miss my big day," Sabo interrupted, being the cock-blocker he didn't realize, and seated himself next to Luffy. His brunette fiancée joined as well, next to him.

"Oh, where's Robin?"

"Zoro-san kept bugging her with something, so she went inside."

"Oh."

"You know, I never thought Dragon-san is your dad, until that day when Sengoku announced it to the whole world," Sabo continued, the four sitting side-by-side with their butts on the grassy ground and their chins up towards the sky - and each other, sometimes. "After that day, he was all worried that everyone wants to kill you. Thought that he'd could protect you if no one knows your affiliation or connection with the Revolutionaries."

"Huh? I don't need his protection, I'm all grown up already! Shishishishi!"

"Idiot. He did save you once back at Loguetown! You're just too dumb to realize it."

"So, how's he like?"

"Eh, let's see. Strict. Determined. Stubborn. Hella strong. He could be very laidback sometimes. To the point of him falling asleep while actually talking!"

"Eh, sounds very much like Luffy and Garp-san!" Nami interrupted.

"It's called family ties, Nami," Luffy tried to sound smart.

"Traits. Family traits, idiot," Nami corrected him, as Koala chuckled at her spot. "I don't know how you could even get that one mixed up."

"Hey, Luffy." Sabo continued again. "I've got a favour to ask from you."

"What is it? What is it?"

"Be my best man. At the wedding."

Koala became excited. "Oh my God, Luffy-san, say yes! Please say yes!"

Nami turned to Luffy. She couldn't imagine how this boy would look like in a suit, or a tuxedo, but if he agrees to, she hoped he wouldn't be causing too much trouble at the wedding. She poked him, "Luffy?"

"Yes!" Luffy answered, which made Sabo, Koala and Nami cheered. Luffy made a clueless face, and picked his nose with a pinky finger, adding, "the best man means the hero of the wedding, right?"

Nami, Sabo and Koala facepalmed.

"Well, technically, you get to be by Sabo's side the whole day and make sure everything's alright on his side," Koala explained. "I guess that could pass as a hero."

"But as a hero, I get more food than anybody else, right?"

"Damn it, Luffy, you never changed at all," Sabo laughed. "You know, on second thought, Ace might make a better best man than you!"

Luffy laughed. "He'll burn everything, I can bet you on that!"

"Yeah... Damn, I wish Ace is here with us."

Upon noticing a little tear at the edge of Sabo's eye, Koala took his hand reassuringly. She gave him a warm smile, hoping to comfort him somehow.

"Hey Sabo, you know what would be funny?" Luffy asked.

"What?"

"If he's in heaven - or the sky, or whatever - and find his mom and dad, cos all the dead people are supposed to be there, and he tried to find you too, but you aren't there at all, cos you're not dead, and he'll be all glad-"

Sabo bursted out laughing. Damn, that joke though, Luffy!

"I wish he's here too, Sabo."

They two men sat in silence for a few seconds, gazing up into the night sky again, thoughts wandering off revolving their old memories with Ace. The look on their faces, the smile they were wearing, God they're really, really missing Ace at the moment.

Nami shifted closer towards Luffy, and laid her head on his shoulder. He fidgeted a little, surprised by her action, but she shushed him, and she closed her eyes, settling to a comfortable spot on his shoulder. She thought it would make him a little less lonely somehow, filling in that spot where he wanted Ace to be, a little, not wholly. Sabo gave them a teasing smile, which they didn't quite catch, fortunately, and Koala rested her chin on Sabo's shoulder, eyes locked with his, sending a telepathic message of 'let them be, don't ruin their moment'.

They stayed this way for about ten seconds, all thanks to another unintended cock-blocking moment when Franky stepped out onto the front yard with a bunch of fireworks and firecrackers in his hands. "Guys! Let's lit these suuuuper firecrackers up!"

"Firecrackers! Firecrackers!" Chopper and Usopp chanted as they marched behind the cyborg. Sanji, Robin and Zoro went out of the house too in curiosity of the whole commotion. Luffy, on the other hand, got excited too and quickly got up onto his feet, and pulled Sabo up to join the whole merrymaking.

Nami sighed and pouted a little without her realizing so, until she caught Koala's teasing smile. The brunette shifted closer next to her. "So, does he know?"

"Wh-what are you talking about?" Nami stammered.

Koala raised her eyebrows. "You know what I'm talking about, c'mon Nami!"

"Pfft, Koala, you're talking nonsense." Nami laughed nervously as an attempt to dismiss the discussion. She felt her heartbeat quickened for reasons she wasn't quite sure of. Well, damn.

"One, two..." Franky counted, and the firework he lit shoot high into the sky with its whistling sound, and when it explodes, the colourful sparks were goddamn beautiful above them. Chopper, Usopp and Luffy danced and cheered with their hands up in the air, waving them like they just don't care, yeah. Sabo was dragged into their odd dances, Brook sang on his guitar, Sanji watched the fireworks from where he stood, leaning by the open front door. Zoro and Robin sat on the steps leading to the front door, side-by-side, for one moment, the three of them looked as if they were an two-men one-woman indie band.

Fireworks continued to decorate the night sky above them, and Water 7 looked a little merrier that night.


I know. One chapter per week pfft. I've been impatient.

I have been fangirling Sabo these past few days - even sang Beggin' for Sabo on #PeronaThePinkGuitar - and forgive me though. I know, I know my ultimate OP crush is Roronoa Zoro but spare me okay? It's not my fault that Sabo showers more frequently than Zoro. Haha I'm just joking. I love you Zoro, here, gimme a hug.

Thank you, dbgztfan2004, and the two Guest reviewers - all hail Sabo/Koala shippers! scatteredPhilosopher, I'm so glad you popped in, and I hoped you'll be around yeah? 'Here Comes The Sun' is an adorable song! You probably have gotten it by now that the titles of these chapters would be titles of their songs, the idea induced by that one time I decided to name this story 'Luffy In The Sky With Diamonds'. Haha! RosesAndRavens, I'm gonna answer this in one exhale, here goes = Water 7 is pretty, mmmngeahahergh, Ice-Ossan makes ships for the Revolutionary, to be answered in the next chapter, the father is who I mighty shipped with her, (head exploded from the thought), hahaha I tried to have everything logically explained but agh I need to have Dadan and Makino at the wedding so yeah, I leave the four years thing to Oda, Iva-chan is going to kiss Sanji soon really soon, and thank you so much baby!

Thank you for the reads, follows, favourite and reviews. I appreciate those so much right now and reviews, especially, as I sometimes got writer's block and I needed motivation and your thoughts/ideas to be able to generate brilliant ideas for scenes because you this fic is for you guys anyway, so yeah... I'll stop rambling.

See you around, flowers!