One Piece Goda belongs to. Author's notes bottom at.
Chapter Titles The Beatles belongs to.
Chapter Eleven
Don't Let Me Down
"Your hair in a bun. Bun would be adorable," Robin, in her freshly dried high-waist boyfriend jeans and a plain white loose t-shirt, suggested as she turned the navigator to face their dressing mirror in their room. Nami would usually be really as enthusiastic as Marzia Pie when it comes to fashion and beauty, but her mood just wasn't there that very minute. She stared at her reflection in the mirror while Robin turned her around, lifted her chin, examined her shoulders and hips and, "are you wearing Luffy's hat to the wedding tomorrow?"
"Well, this belongs to the captain," Nami replied, "I'm sure he wants it back."
"Maybe a braid," Robin suggested again, brushing her chin with two fingers. "Luffy's hat will stay, you'll look lovely in it."
Nami's cheeks reddened. "It's the captain's so, if he wanted it back... You know."
Robin chuckled. Somehow she would know that the navigator would remain holding his straw hat for him at least until the wedding ceremony started. Sabo did mentioned about having to take Luffy off their hands until the wedding ceremony, on the Den Den last night. Meanwhile, Koala would be having a sleepover with her and Nami, the maid-of-honor tonight, perhaps. That thought however, reminded her that oh, Koala haven't arrived yet...
"Robin, I'm not really in the mood for dress ups right now," Nami sighed, leaning against the dresser. "Look, I've got a dress, I've got a nice belt, and I've got good shoes. I'll put them on tomorrow, decide what to do with my hair, and it'll be fine for me. It's not that I'm aiming for some Best Dressed award or something..."
Robin smiled, arms folded over her chest. "Nami, new dress. We're going to get you fitted for it with Koala soon, but she's not even here yet, I wonder..."
"Robin," Nami started biting her nails, "can I just stay in?"
Robin seated herself on her bed, her legs crossed. Of course, she have yet to announce to the navigator that Koala and her had agreed to have Nami as the maid-of-honor. "Nami, dear, you have to come. Koala and I wanted to tell you-"
"I don't appreciate being dragged as well, Robin," Nami said sternly, so suddenly. Her eyebrows furrowed, she was clearly upset, but Robin couldn't quite catch on why. Rather, Nami didn't give her a chance to finish her sentence this time, because ugh, you know of that that that that, that that and you're making me a teensy bit - no, a lot - jealous, Robin. "You're the maid-of-honor, she's the bride, and I have nothing to do with this wedding except being a good guest and probably steal a few hundred Bellies from the other guests, alright? I appreciate you being all caring and motherly and all but this is all bullshit for me right now-"
Robin's face fell into a slight frown. She sighed, not bothering to look at Nami anymore. She was hoping that Nami would come - besides announcing to Nami that she's going to be the maid-of-honor instead of her, she wanted to discuss over something else, something Zoro had tried to ease her feelings off but ah, well.
Nami realized she had somehow offended Robin a little. "R-robin, I'm sorry, I don't mean any-"
"It's alright," Robin said quickly, avoiding her gaze. "I'll just go see if Koala arrived..." The archaeologist left the room hurriedly.
"Robin," Nami called out again in attempt to apologize more, but was ignored. The ginger navigator turned back to the dresser, and slammed a fist lightly onto the dresser. "Great job screwing someone else's mood, Nami. Gadamnit."
Breakfast was a big feast - well, it's a normal sized feast for a table consisted of a blonde Revolutionary, a 400 million bounty pirate, their legendary former Marine Admiral grandfather, their mountain bandit foster mother and their sweet barkeeper care taker. Luffy and Sabo dined with bumps on their heads, earned from Garp's so-called fist of love, for growing up opposing justice and all that yada yada yoda Dadan grew tired of listening - "justice my ass, you trusted a family of mountain bandits to raise them, whadya expect?" - but nonetheless, Garp was overjoyed to reunite with the two as well. It was another Aokiji-like speech of, "I'm retired, I'm not here to capture you little brats."
The subject of Ace was never raised, however. The table was cool with that.
"Ain't it funny? It's just like the old days!" Dadan gave a loud laugh, twisting a big chunk spaghetti with her fork.
"Yeah, before this Nick Carter faked his death," Garp added as he gave a hard pat on Sabo's shoulder.
"I didn't fake my death, okay? How was I supposed to know that I'd be rescued? Took me a week to wake up from that, and took me a few months to heal my burn. Thank God this scar over my eye doesn't make me less macho," Sabo mumbled over chewing his thick piece of blueberry pancake.
"Macho enough to earn you a woman," Makino teased, chuckling sweetly with it.
"Yosh! Need to tell Sanji to have a scar to get woman-" Luffy suggested dumbly, but Dadan nudged him sharply.
"Says the one who had a bigger scar on his chest. Well, aren't you with a woman too?"
"Oi oi, what's this? Luffy finally hit puberty?" Garp laughed.
Luffy's nose wrinkled in embarrassment. With his crew, he would always be the captain, but with this bunch, who might or might not have carried on watching the rubber boy grow up, Luffy was the only one who would get teased and bullied. Although, he would remain being spoiled once in a while, like a child who found his home again. The reunion was rather embarrassing at times, but quite comforting.
"Well, I'm not saying anything but guess who has his most-prized-possession of a straw hat now!" Sabo said.
Dadan and Makino raised their hands, both answering at once. Makino's "Cat Burglar Nami" was overheard slightly over Dadan's "that redhead girl in his crew, we saw her with your hat the other day."
"Eh? Her?" Garp's eyes widened. "I suppose she's alright. Hadn't been causin' any trouble unless when she was with your crew. Overheard something good about her from Smoker and Tashigi a few years ago..."
Sabo gave Luffy a thumbs up. "Grandpa approved!"
"Approved what? What?!" Luffy said, being oblivious as ever.
"She's beautiful," Makino commented, "nice hair, and all."
"Makino, course you always find red-heads pretty," Dadan interrupted, "you have Shanks what-"
"Shanks!" Luffy grinned widely at the mention of his name. "Is he coming? Is he coming too?"
"I'm sorry, Lu, but he wasn't in the list," Sabo said. "I mean, I don't know him personally and all..."
"Shishishi, it's okay. Plus, I promised to be The Pirate King by the time I see him anyway!"
"That good for nothing Red Haired Shanks," Garp commented, although he would disagree to that as Shanks has played his part in balancing the world's power, but it would bite on his pride to admit so. "And you, stop yappin' about being the Pirate King, you won't want to end up like Roger-"
"I'm gonna be the Pirate King, you shitty old man!" Luffy protested.
"What did you just call me? I'm your Grandpa-" Garp yelled back, pulling a side of Luffy's cheek to stretch. Sabo laughed at the two, but later earned a scold from Garp as well. "And you, who told you to go follow my son around and be the second-in-command to the most wanted man in the world? You, out of all, I expect to be a little bit sane than the other two! You can't be runnin' around being rebel and everything-"
"Grandpa, didn't you listen to Obama - or was it Sengoku - at all?" Sabo slammed his fist on the table. "Yes we can!"
"I think this cappuccino is too sweet, Dadan-san," Makino said after sipping her hot beverage, not minding the three men at all.
"Hahaha! That's why I ordered wine!" Dadan replied proudly. "Alcohol fixes everything. It's like a general drink, ya know? It's the same everywhere you go."
"I don't know my dad but he'll sure be on my side! You can ask him when he comes tomorrow!" Luffy boasted, which made the other four quieted down. Luffy couldn't care any less about the responses he had gotten - Makino probably knew Dragon as they originated from the same damn town anyway, Dadan probably knew Dragon since he was also residing there since Oda-knows-when. Garp's reunion with Dragon these days were never mentioned to public or anything, but Luffy was certain that his Grandpa would at least make way for short catching-up conversations before trading cannonballs. Sabo's expression was priceless - a smile still handsome, but worriedly furrowed his eyebrows as if he was hiding something.
Robin wasn't checking to see if Koala have arrived. That was what Nami could deduce when she had stepped out into the living room of their guest house, only to be greeted by a sleeping swordsman, in his white loose wifebeater, who sat on the couch with his eyes closed. She had expected it, though. She did felt bad for being a little mean to Robin, but she didn't mean to drive her away with that sort of emotional reaction plastered all over the archaeologist's face. Nami was just a little pissed off - jealous, maybe - not to mention that she was also pissed off at herself for being pissed off that she didn't get to be in the limelight as Luffy's partner, kind of.
Shut up, Nami. This has nothing to do with that idiot. Denial, denial, denial.
Nevertheless she felt she should apologize to the raven-haired woman she called her elder sister. Nami grabbed her leather jacket, the one with the Straw Hat jolly roger embroidery at the back - and yes, the one that made her look like hipster Lana Del Ray and yes, the one that Robin has too - and began to reach to the door. Koala's place was the first thing she could think of.
"What have you done to her?"
Nami stopped, and from under her straw hat she peeked at the not-so sleeping swordsman. He looked at her casually, or lazily if you must, with his arms folded over his chest. "Go back to sleep, bastard," she told him.
"She's out with Usopp," Zoro said again, not minding what she told him. "What exactly did you said to her?"
Nami fidgeted. The swordsman didn't seem like he was intimidating her, but being caught doing something wrong like this isn't something she could laugh off with the green-haired comrade of hers. "I accidentally said stuff and offended her. Look, I'm going to apologize, okay?"
Zoro said nothing in response. He continued to glare at her with his one eye. The aura he gave off was rather uncomfortable, to her at least.
"Don't do that, Zoro!" Nami turned towards him.
"I'm not doing anything. I'm going back to sleep," Zoro grunted, as he shuffled on the couch for a comfortable position. Still, he only took up one space and slept sitting upright, instead of conquering the whole couch like the others probably would.
Upset, Nami sighed and joined him on the couch. She rested her legs over the coffee table like a boss, and threw her head backwards like a boss, still. The straw hat shifted a little to cover most of her forehead, so all in her view now is just the half-ceiling, half-straw. "You bastard, why do you need to make me feel so bad about everything?"
"I didn't do anything," Zoro repeated, both eyes still shut. He wasn't trying to go back to napping, Nami could tell. He was just being his lazy self. "What did you say to her?"
"I rejected her effort of being all kind and all," Nami sighed. "She was just trying to be nice but she was pushing me with this whole wedding thing that I'm not a part off. Do I sound like an asshole to you?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"You're supposed to comfort me. Raising your debt up 5,000 Bellies because you suck."
"Whatever, I don't even care about my debt anymore." Zoro lifted his legs over the coffee table - now they both looked like bosses. "And you're an asshole for not letting Robin finish. You're a part of the wedding, duh. Koala and her agreed last night that they're making you the maid-of-honor instead."
"What?" Nami's eyes widened as she turned her head sideways towards the Zoro. The straw hat almost flipped over, but she managed to readjust. "When did this happened? Why would she do such a thing?"
"After supper. Heard them mentioned something about pairing you off with Luffy or something. Pfft. Shippers."
"Where on earth did you learned that word?" And then Nami came blushing suddenly. Pairing me off with Luffy? Does this woman even know how obvious she was on teasing me? Who does she think she is, Oprah? "And you knew about this? Why didn't you say so sooner? Or even at breakfast?" So many questions, never answers.
"Didn't think you'd make a big deal out of it," Zoro replied casually. "Can't see why you'd get upset over not being the bridesmaid."
Nami rested an arm over her eyes as she leaned back at the couch, attempting to hide her blushing skin. She sighed once more. "Trust me, I don't understand myself either."
"And then, Robin said, you had a crush on Luffy."
Nami's heartbeat quickened at this, and she could feel her cheeks grew warmer. "D-don't believe what Robin said!"
Zoro gave her a smirk. "You don't need to be all dramatic about it, tch. It's okay to like someone. It's not like you're killing anyone innocent or something."
Nami nearly snorted at his speech, as he was usually one of those unromantic ones among all. "Ugh, Zoro, you must be drunk."
Zoro pulled out a bottle of sake by the couch and handed it to Nami. "Don't tell Curlybrow I took this."
Nami took the bottle without hesitance. She could use some alcohol, anyway. All these that that that that, that that have been nothing but headache. She swallowed a few gulps. Her insides burned for a split second, but the heat down her throat to her chest felt relieving. "For someone who could only think of being the greatest swordsman in the world twenty-four seven, you're not that bad of a conversational partner."
Zoro gave a short muffled laugh. "Heh, I would slice you for making her sad and all, but we all need a navigator, so I wouldn't do that."
Right. Of course Zoro could be at least a little dramatic. He had been going on having private affairs with Robin, anyways. "I know about you and Robin, you know," she told him, trying to push his shoulder teasingly but he wouldn't bulge.
"Sure you know. You're nosey."
Nami only laughed - it's true. Often times when they got bored of sailing, Usopp and her would snoop around other people's affairs. But the Zoro-and-Robin's secreto de amor was rather new to her ears. "So you love her, huh."
Zoro shrugged. "We're nakamas."
She gave him a sympathetic look. "Are you telling me that you and her just... That meant nothing?"
"We have mutual needs and understanding."
Nami shook her head. She was expecting some romance. "But, you guys did those! Those are for people with feelings! You know what I mean. And after all, you've been a little caring towards her lately, if you didn't notice that. Now don't go telling me that you don't have feelings for her. Ain't nobody got time for that!"
Zoro nodded. He had realized too, well, except the accidental post-sex kiss the previous day. He had been listening to her and responding to her more often in conversations, and actually care about how she feels, most of the time. For one, it was probably affection. Or, Zoro was only attempting to comfort her after the pregnancy test results... "I was just trying to make her feel better after the-"
"-pregnancy test," Nami continued. "I just remembered about that. Robin told me she took the test with Chopper..."
"What, she hadn't told you yet? She said she wanna talk to you about it. I thought you already knew, that's why I was calling you an asshole-"
"Shut up, bastard." Nami didn't need any more of those guilty feeling that had been happily residing in her head since earlier that afternoon. "What does the result say?"
Zoro left a long sigh. "She... She couldn't have a kid of her own. She's infertile."
Nami gasped, with one hand clasped lightly over her mouth. "Oh God, why am I such an asshole?"
"It bothered her a lot. She said she doesn't want a kid, yeah. But the inability to have one made her somehow sad. Maybe she wants one in the future, I dunno."
"Every woman will want to have her own kid, you idiot. Gah, why was I too selfish with my own dilemma of impossible romance to listen to more important conflicts like this?"
Zoro took back the bottle of sake, and took a gulp.
"Well, on the bright side, at least we wouldn't have little versions of you running around."
"On the bright side, I don't have to worry about coming inside her-"
"Euw Zoro, too much information!" Nami threw him a disgusted look.
"-especially that we're doing it so often these days, and she'd-"
Nami plugged her ears with both her index fingers. "I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening..."
"-she likes it deep."
Nami quickly shoved her knuckles onto Zoro's head. That was definitely not something she would want to hear from him, at all. The thought of Marimohead and Mama Straw Hat doing kinky things around the ship made her want to quickly want to swallow a spoonful of sugar so she wouldn't poppins the mary out of her stomach. "How are you not embarrassed about this!?"
We made it! We made it to chapter eleven!
An apology in advance for the late upload. I'll be really busy for the next two weeks - I'll be doing my proposal submissions this week, going home/meeting friends/working on songwriting collaborations next week, and proposal defense presentation the week after. I'll be back after June 5th, but I've prepared two more chapters in advance and will upload them on Saturdays.
For those, for those on the cruise (to be sung following the 'We Are' melody) of S.S. Sabo/Koala, come and enjoy our great midnight entertainment located at our Seis Fleur Superdramatic AU Bar & Lounge. Do enjoy 'Of Popcorn Kisses and Backyard Swings' for a more relaxed reading and cheesy Sabo/Koala fluff. Free drinks on Wednesdays. Leave a review for free cheesy wedges.
In other news, I have an unhealthy crush on Sabo. Been obsessively checking his tags every hour.
Arigato gozaimasu Awsme Grl, one piece pro, Shiningheart of Thunderclan, ButterPie, murasakiana, scatteredPhilosopher and Megumi Satsuki for your lovely, lovely reviews! To readers, thanks for the reads, reviews, favourites and follows. I love you like I love fried chicken and ramen and teh tarik and shrimp dim sum and tom yam.
