Disclaimer: One Piece does not belong to me.
Hello! Another huge thank you to those reading The Bounty who voted on their favorite prompt! And here it is, Married Life! As I was writing it, the one-shot became a two-shot. I hope this is alright! Part 2 is in the works.
Hope you enjoy!
Married Life: (Part 1)
Slam.
Papers struck the table with a thud. Hand atop the stack, Nami stared around the table. "Alright. The Sunny's in serious need of repair. We need money to fix it – and we need it sooner rather than later so those damn marines don't catch up with us."
A finger tapped against the manila pile. "And this is how we're going to get it."
She moved her hand and the jewel at her finger caught the light. The ring – a diamond surrounded by sapphires – must have cost a small fortune. Zoro had yet to tell her how he'd obtained it.
Across the table, the man himself reclined. With his good eye half closed, he lazily watched the proceedings. He was clothed in his usual green garb. Black, scuffed boot balanced against the table's edge. Not an expensive wardrobe by any means. She could only hope no one had died for the ring she was currently wearing.
Beside him, Luffy leaned forward. His elbows dug against the wood. "We're gonna sell those papers?" He scratched his head, scrunching his nose at the unimpressive stack.
Blowing out a breath, she looked to the ceiling. After Enel, she wasn't sure if she believed in a god, but if there was one – please give her the patience to deal with his stupidity.
"I believe these are blueprints. Perhaps our cat-burglar has devised a way to make us some quick money?" From across the table, she caught sight of Robin's supportive smile.
Nami grinned back. She made a mental note to also thank any potential deity for the godsend that was Robin. "Exactly."
She spread the papers across the table with a flourish. "Zoritoni Manner. The third largest estate of Leonard Zoritoni." She shuffled the pages, drawing out a frontal image of the mansion. An arching roof was supported by thick white pillars. Expansive windows covered the front of the house. The decorated glass gleamed in the sun.
"He's made his fortune by engaging in the trade of human slaves. This guy's one of the world noble's main dealers."
The crew stiffened, clearly remembering their previous encounter with the world nobles and the sick sport of buying and selling slaves.
"Good job finding a bastard we won't lose any sleep over ripping off." Franky's chair creaked as he leaned back. Arms crossed over his chest, he observed the the ostentatious house with a grim smile.
She shrugged. "I figure it won't matter if we wreak a little havoc in the process of robbing him." Her lips twitched. "Leonard Zoritoni isn't at his third estate at the moment, which makes our job easier." She drew out a large, crinkled paper from the pile. On it, rooms and passageways had been painstakingly drawn.
She spread it across the table. "The blueprints to the manor." Tapping her finger, she indicated a small, isolated room on the third story. "I have on good authority that this is where Mr. Zoritoni keeps a nice little reserve of back-up cash. And what is 'back-up' for a guy like him, is going to be more than enough to repair the Sunny."
Sanji leaned forward. Balancing a cigarette between two fingers, he exhaled a cloud of smoke. "So what's the plan, Nami-san?"
"I'm glad you asked, Sanji-kun." Nami grinned, surveying the room. She'd spent the better part of the night going over this plan in her head. It was fool proof – or as fool proof as it was going to get. She'd long ago acknowledged that with this group, there were certain variables that simply defied prediction. After all, you never quite knew what Luffy was going to do once he was set lose, plan or no plan.
"As far as I've been able to tell, the manor's security is comprised of four levels. Level one: patrolling the mansion's outer yards, are dogs."
Usopp snorted. "Dogs? We can handle that, no problem."
But dogs weren't exactly what Nami would call them. Really, she wasn't sure what to call them. They were like dogs – if dogs had been fused with something much bigger and meaner. She'd taken a couple of hours the day before to scope the place out from outside the gate. She repressed a shudder. Whatever the things were, they'd stood a couple meters high. Mangy fur raised in hackles as they'd sniffed the fence, lips lifting to reveal rows of yellowing fangs. Needless to say, she hadn't stuck around long.
Grimacing, she uncovered a pencil sketch – a crude drawing she'd made of the 'dogs'.
Usopp jerked back. "Actually, I volunteer to be back up on this one."
Luffy practically crawled across the table. He spoke, the half-crumpled drawing gripped in hand. "I'm gonna fight it!" A trickle of drool collected at the corner of his mouth. "Do you think we can eat it?" He shoved the drawing toward Sanji.
The cook swatted it away. "There's no way I'm defiling my kitchen with some shitty dog!" He took a second glance at the picture floating away. "Er – dog thing."
Nami clapped. At the sound, they both silenced. "You're not going to fight them Luffy." She turned, instead, to the side of the table that until now, had remained quiet. "Chopper, Brook. You guys are 'Take Care of the Dogs Squad'."
There was a beat of silence. Brook took a long sip of tea.
Crossing her arms, she waited.
Hot liquid spewed across the table. The skeleton sputtered, tea dripping from his chin. "I can't do that!"
At his side, Chopper began to wail. "They're gonna eat me! They're gonna eat me!"
She tried to interject. "No, you guys don't-"
"I'm going to die! But I'm already dead! Skull-" Brook sobbed. "Joke…"
"I'm so small, there's not that much to eat – but they're gonna eat me anyway! I'm a snack! A delicious dog snack!"
Nami raised her hand, ready to smack the table.
"Oi!"
At Zoro's voice the cries instantly silenced. Brook's teeth closed with a snap while Chopper sniffled, pressing his lips stubbornly together.
Still reclined, he glared across the table. His eye squinted open. "Nami's not gonna let you guys die. So shut up already and listen to the plan."
As Chopper's sniffles quieted Luffy opened his mouth.
"You too Luffy. You're not gonna fight those things." Having said his piece, Zoro tipped his head back, his eye once more dropping closed.
Deflated, Luffy pouted. "Zorooo, you always take Nami's side now." His voice emerged as a whine.
"What'dya expect? Bro's a happily married man. Course he's gonna side with the missus!"
Nami looked to Franky. "He doesn't always – you know what, it doesn't matter." Rubbing a hand against her head, Nami worked to straighten her thoughts. This burglary job was going to take some serious work – she couldn't afford to be distracted.
That said, she couldn't ignore the fact that there was a serious distraction vying for her attention. One that Zoro really needed to know about. Nami glanced across the table. Boots propped against the wood, Zoro appeared to have returned to his nap. She'd planned on telling him a week ago – but then they'd been attacked by marines – marines who had given them chase. They'd managed to escape, but not until after the Sunny had taken some serious damage – which they now had to find the money to repair. So the conversation had been postponed. Nami closed her eyes. It needed to happen. Soon.
"Nami?"
"Huh?" She blinked and the room came back into focus.
"Are you alright?" Robin stared at her, concerned.
"Oh – yeah, yeah. I'm fine. Sorry, just thinking over the plan." The lie was seamless – she hoped.
Robin appeared unconvinced.
From the corner of her eye, she felt Zoro's stare. Great, he'd woken up in time to be worried about her too.
"Anyway." She spoke, refocusing on the task at hand. "Chopper, Brook."
Both crewmates seemed to have regained their composure. They listened on in silence as she spoke.
"If you'd let me finish before, I would have told you that neither of you will be fighting those things. You're the distraction. Your only job is to make them chase you. All you have to do is draw them to the back yard before climbing over the fence to safety." She looked between them. "Think you can do that?"
Sniffing, Chopper nodded. "Yeah. I can do that."
She looked to Brook.
The skeleton poured another cup of tea. "I suppose – though I'll be scared to the bone." He sucked in a breath. "Skull-"
"Moving on."
Brook sagged in his chair as she turned away.
Brushing her hand along the blueprints, she indicated the mansion's walls. "Second level of defense: video transponder snails. These guys line the mansion's outside walls. We won't have a chance of getting inside if those things spot us."
She looked to Robin. "Which is where you come in. Once Chopper and Brook have the dogs distracted, I need you to temporarily blind the snails."
"Like this?"
Arms sprouted from Franky's shoulders. Before he could react, hands pressed over his eyes.
"Perfect. And Franky-"
Still blinded by Robin's hands, Franky's head swiveled in her direction.
"While Robin has the transponder snails temporarily immobilized, I need you to get in there and disable the video receiver."
Franky's lips pulled back in a toothy grin. When Robin's hands peeled back they revealed the cyborg's eyes, bright with excitement. "Give me five minutes. I can disable it, no problem."
She nodded, pleased. This might actually work. "Okay, next level of security: the guards. This guy employs anywhere from fifty to seventy guards on the premises. The bulk of them will be in the mansion itself."
For that number guards, they'd need their big hitters. "Luffy, Zoro, Sanji." She gave them a hard stare. "As soon as Franky disables the feed from the transponder snails, you guys will go in and fight them."
Luffy threw up his hands. "Yosh! Finally!"
"You need to immobilize them – or otherwise keep them busy long enough for us to get away with the treasure."
Sanji tipped back in his chair. "That shouldn't be a problem, Nami-san."
"What about you?" Zoro was no longer reclined. Now, he leaned forward, forearms resting on the table. For the first time since the meeting had started, he seemed intent.
"Me?" For a second, she was thrown by the sudden focus on her. "Uh, Usopp and I are the last phase. From the blueprints, you can see the room's got some kind of mechanized security." She hesitated. "But – well, they aren't detailed enough to show exactly what it is. But with our combined skills, I'm confident that Usopp and I can disable any security we come up against and make it out with the money. From there, it's a full on retreat. You, Luffy, and Sanji hold them for as long as-"
"I'm not fighting the guards."
Nami had already begun to collect the scattered pages. At his statement, she snapped up. "Huh?"
His voice had been flat, leaving no room for debate.
She set the papers back with a frown. "Of course you are Zoro. We've got to deal with at most seventy guards. You, Luffy, and Sanji are the muscle here."
"They can handle it."
Nami stared, perplexed. It wasn't like him to turn down a fight. She frowned, meeting his eyes. What the hell was going on in his head?
Sanji blew a slow stream of smoke. "Not that I don't agree – Luffy and I are definitely strong enough to handle some guards. The question is, why the hell don't you want to fight?"
"I would – but I'm going with Nami."
At that, everyone but her seemed to relax. Leaning back in their seats, they nodded to themselves as though Zoro's reluctance to fight suddenly made absolute sense. Nami watched them, mystified.
Out of everyone, only Luffy appeared confused. He glanced between she and Zoro a few times. Finally, he grinned, the glint of her ring reflecting in his eyes. "Ohhhhhhh." He laughed. "This is one of those married people things."
After their marriage, Luffy had taken to calling anything that Zoro and Nami did together – from sleeping in the same room to holding hands 'married people things.'
"No, this isn't a 'married people' thing, Luffy." Nami watched Zoro, trying to read his face. "I can do this Zoro."
"I'm sure you can. I'm still coming with you."
She leaned forward, flattening her palms on the table. "You wanting to come so bad makes me think it's the opposite."
Chairs around the table slowly scraped.
Zoro leaned on his elbows. "Yeah? I didn't say that."
Around the table, the rest of the crew shuffled, silently making their escape. Usopp tapped her as he left. "We'll be ready to go tonight."
She nodded, not taking her eyes from the swordsman across the table. With his elbows resting on the wood, his hands balled in fists at the center of the table. The thick, metal band on his finger was bright against his tanned skin.
The rings had been exchanged a little over three months ago. They'd had the ceremony on a summer island. Vows were traded on the sand, with the feel of the sun on their skin and the low crush of the waves, a tuneless accompaniment.
Her dress had been light, beautiful – she'd made sure of that. And Zoro – well he really hadn't looked half-bad. They'd managed find a suit that very nearly fit his muscular torso. The front buttons had only looked slightly stressed. All-in-all, he'd cut a handsome figure.
But if she was truthful, what stood out in her memory was everything but the suit. The way he'd stood close; close enough that she'd been shielded from the chill breeze gliding off the waves. Her feet had been bare; her shoes long since abandoned so that she might walk on the shifting grains. Nearly toe to toe, she'd felt the sand shift every time his toes wiggled in his boots. Halfway through the ceremony, she scooted her feet close enough to press her toes over the top of his shoes. The leather was warm beneath her feet. The wiggling stopped. When she looked up, she found his lips tugging up – an almost smile. When she reached for his hands, her fingers brushing over his callouses, it become a full one.
And they'd kissed. Her hands found their way to the front of his shirt, as his reached around her. She remembered his lips, warm from the sun and salty from the ocean mist that had rained down upon them; they'd tasted like the sea. It seemed appropriate, the taste on his lips. The sea. To her, it had always been synonymous with freedom, friendship, love, adventure. Now he was too.
Of course, not long after, marines and a few pirate crews had joined them – uninvited. And so ended the ceremony – with a bang. Literally. In the chaos quite a few of the attackers were summarily electrocuted. They'd gotten away easily enough and the reception had been relocated to the Sunny's deck. If nothing else, it had been a memorable wedding.
Really, other than the brief excitement after the ceremony, this was the first major conflict that they'd faced since the wedding. Zoro had always worried about her, but this level of protectiveness was new.
Sighing, she leaned forward, balancing her elbows against the wood. "You know I've been pulling this kind of stuff off for years. Seriously, what's going on?"
Matching her stance, Zoro held her gaze. "I could ask you the same thing."
"What are you talking about?"
"You've been off – I can tell. At night, I feel you rolling back and forth. You can't be sleeping that much. You've been quieter too. And in the last week, I've hardly seen you eat at all."
Nami's stomach rolled. It was true, all of it. And he'd noticed – of course he'd noticed. His silent gaze noticed more than most gave him credit for, especially when it came to the crew – and her.
She tried to push down the guilt, because really, how was she supposed to act, knowing what she knew? The secret that had been silencing her, which clogged in her throat – it wasn't trivial, by any means.
Yet for all she'd suffered, he had too. Worrying, knowing only that there was something wrong, without the slightest hint of what it might be. She should tell him. Resolved, she opened her mouth, the piece of knowledge on her tongue-
And snapped her jaw shut. Not yet. The single thought, neither born from fear nor logic, but an emotion without name, dragged it back down. Her gaze drifted to the weapons strapped against his side. To become the world's greatest swordsman, how many distractions could one afford?
Ink-stained fingers gripped the table. And what of her own dream?
"You don't have to tell me. Not right now anyway." Zoro's voice was resigned. "You're doing that thing where you bottle stuff up."
Nami looked up, guilty.
"It's fine. It'll come out eventually. But for now, I'm coming with you. You're off your game, and I'm not letting you go in there alone."
"But Usopp-"
"Usopp's great, but if things go to shit in there – and knowing this crew, there's a pretty good chance they will – I want to be there with you, ready to bust us out if need be."
Her lips twitched. "What are you going to do, break through a few walls?"
At her half joke, his expression relaxed. He shrugged. "Always a possibility."
Nami sighed. She could tell, he wasn't going to let this one go. And he wasn't completely wrong. She was a little off. For good reason.
"My job in this is all about stealth, Zoro. Can you do that?"
He gave her a stare. "Stealth is my middle name."
She stepped around the table. "Roronoa Stealth Zoro, huh?"
Sensing her intent, his boots slid from the table. She dropped lightly onto his lap.
Brushing her fingers against his hair, she gave him a mock frown. "I don't recall you using that name when I married you."
"Yeah, well I was saving it. Trying to keep the mystery alive."
She shrugged, playing along. "Well of course. The mystery's what attracted me all along." Gazing over his shoulder, she mused. "Why does he have green hair? This man, how can he have the directional sense of a dodo?" She grinned as she cupped his jaw. "And why on earth does he frown so much?"
"I don't frown that much," he said, frowning.
"It's okay, I love you for it."
She sat up, pressing a kiss against his lips. The frown wavered.
"I resent that dodo comment."
"But you're my directionally challenged dodo."
"Not helping."
She scooted closer. Running her fingers through his hair, she parted her lips, pressing kisses from the corner of his lips to his jaw. She smiled against his skin. "How about now?"
He spoke low; she could feel his voice, a rumble in his chest. "Starting to."
She hummed, trailing her lips along the line of his jaw. At the juncture of his throat and jaw, she sucked, nipping at the skin. "Now?"
His hands were at her hips. Calloused fingers traced the bare skin at her waist. "Helping a lot," he answered in a throaty hum."
Shifting, she half rose, and braced her knees on either side of him. Her fingers traced patterns against his chest as she nipped at his lips. "Tonight. You're gonna be stealthy? Not go picking any fights?"
"Anything you want."
She grinned against his lips. "Welcome to the team."
"How long till we leave?"
"A few hours."
He abruptly rose. The chair scraped back as he easily lifted her with him. Before she could say a word, the door was kicked open. They were halfway to their cabin when Luffy shouted across the ship.
"Zoro! Nami! Where're you guys going?"
Not missing a step, Zoro called over his shoulder. "Strategizing."
Luffy rolled the long world over his tongue. "Strategizing." He laughed. The sound was giddy. "Can I come too?"
But they were already at the door. Reaching behind her, Nami twisted the knob.
Usopp joined their captain.
Reaching for Luffy's collar, the sniper tugged him back. "Nooope. You can't join them Luffy." He hesitated. "It's uh-" He blew out a breath. "It's a married people thing."
The door swung closed, cutting off Luffy's disappointed moan.
Thank you for reading, and voting! As I said, look for Part 2 soon!