A/N: Sorry again, minna! I'm gonna try and get back in the habit of posting every week, but life just gets crazy and I end up passing out at the end of the day instead of updating. x.x Thanks as usual for all the WONDERFUL reviews! They mean the world to me! Honest!

Chapter 9: Resolve!

A string of arms snaked after the Captain, grabbed him and hauled him back inside, pinning him down. "Captain. I forgave you going to Water 7 after I told you not to, but if you don't start talking I may have to reconsider..."

The swordsman blinked down at Usopp. "...We're definitely missing something," he agreed.

Luffy just grinned, one hand on his hat. "Sorry."

"Luffy."

Even Zoro gulped. "Just tell her, Captain, whatever it is, is not worth your manhood! Just look at what she does to Franky, and she's not nearly as fond of yours as she is of his!"

He got several nasty looks for this and ducked behind a door.

"No, really. I can't tell you." The Pirate King's smile grew a sweatdrop. "It's a secret. I promised."

Sanji, Franky, and Usopp hung their heads. Vaguely the thought that it was a good thing the rubber man and his wife were on the rocks at the moment crossed the room, as it became painfully obvious that no matter what the archaeologist planned to do to their captain there was nothing any of them could do to stop it. Worse yet, Luffy, himself, seemed resigned to taking whatever the ebony-haired woman decided to dish out without cracking. It was uncertain if his mental flexibility was due to his Devil Fruit or his idiocy, but if there was one thing The Strawhat didn't do, it was crack under pressure.

Robin eyed him. Usually it was easier to talk around it with the rubber man than speak directly. "Mm-hmm. You promised, specifically, to keep a secret... from your own Nakama? You must be joking."

"Nah. Not just Nakama. Everybody. Nobody's 'llowed ta know, 'xcept me."

His smile grew, and there was a flash in his eye, back to the fall of the World Government where the very last supposedly loyal Shichibukai had turned on his employers in a flurry of bright pink feathers that had given the Strawhats the opportunity to breach the Gorosei's stronghold. His Nakama had seen the large bird-man go up in a puff of expelled feathers, falling from an impossible height to crash to the ground as though whatever invisible line that had been holding him had been severed. There was no possible way for him to have survived. Each and every member of the Strawhat crew was sure of it! The implication otherwise sent chills through the room.

The stoic woman considered her captain for several long, tense minutes. "...This secret. It's not going to bite us in the ass, now is it?"

Zoro twitched. Robin was... cursing? Freely now? The situation had to be more dire than he'd knew. His eyes darted to Franky, and the shipwright shook his head, a motion that was carried through the others around the room as well. This most definitely did not bode well.

"Nah." The captain was cocksure, and apparently oblivious, as always. "Birds don't scare me."

Robin nodded. "Then I will let you keep your secret. Everything comes out in the wash," she remarked mysteriously before slipping out of the room.

The swordsman stared after her and blinked. "...Da fuck does that mean?"

Luffy broke out laughing, falling on the floor holding his sides, the glare he received only made it worse. His mirth was infectious as Franky smirked, chuckling softly as he patted the swordsman on the shoulder before following his lady. Even Usopp was fighting off laughter, as the sound of a lighter near the first mate's ear cut through the dark, tumultuous aura growing like so much moss around him.

"I'll explain it later, aho-Marimo." Sanji had the ember of his inferno dancing behind his irises playfully again.

Zoro threw up his hands and stalked from the room, cheeks flaming. He couldn't help it, that woman just—just—just—

"Stupid... riddle talk... fucking... fancy words... goddamn... gypsy tongue," he grumbled irritated as he paced the deck.

Seeing this as a perfect opportunity, the blond cook tucked the sniper's dirty dishes under his arm, and took the long way around from the dishroom. All too often in the last several months things stood in his way, and well... a flustered marimo was a sexy marimo. So after delivering his burden to the busboys, he deliberately sauntered past the fuming swordsman, tossing a coy eyebrow flick over his shoulder.

The larger man was drawn to that gaze like a moth to his cigarette cherry. He stopped his pacing immediately to follow after him, watching his ass move.

As soon as they were around the corner, the blond snaked his leg out to wrap around his lover's hip mid-walk. A steady, decisively powerful hand gripped the other's chin where rough, green stubble that had yet to be cleared away that morning made the moss ball analogy that more realistic. The butt of his cigarette was forcibly thrown over the side of the rail, and his last lungful of smoke trickled out of the corner of his mouth.

It made his voice husky and demanding. "I love it when you get jealous."

Zoro eyed him even as strong hands pulled their bodies flush. He had eyes only for his cook, his lover, his mate. When he spoke, his voice, too, was low and husky. "Dozzat mean I get ta reassert m'claim?"

"Why else would I taunt you so recklessly?" Sanji teased, nipping at the expressive thin lips in front of him.

Those thin lips stretched wide in a feral grin. "Good. 'Cuz we ain't gettin' nothing else done for a while."

With that he picked up his cook, went through the nearby door, and locked it behind him.

On the deck of the Lotus, Franky smirked at the lovebirds before ducking his head into the secret door that protected his beloved's precious library. "Bobby?"

Robin was in there, sitting on the table, hat at her side, and, for once, she wasn't holding a book. "I'm here, Franky."

"You ok?" He stepped in, shutting the door behind him, carefully.

She rubbed the back of her neck and sighed. "...mostly. But I can feel the lingering tension. And looking at Usopp... seeing what our feud has done..." She shook her head. "I didn't want to turn into Ms. All-Sunday again, Franky. But I have, and I suspect I'll be staying this way until Bellamy lies at the bottom of the sea."

He reached out, took the hat gently between inhuman fingers, held it up for a moment, then placed it atop the tallest shelf in the underwater room. "Then it's about time I reminded ya who ya are behind closed doors. I ain't involved wit' Ms 'Sunday." He stepped around the table to use the same gentle caress to cup her chin, his thumb brushing along the edge of her bottom lip. "That girl don't exist, 'xcept in yer own mind. In here, where it counts, all ya are is Bobby." He kissed her softly, "Sweet." Lips. "Special." Jawline. "Nerdy." The hollow of her neck just below her ear. "Free."

Her arms came around his thick, augmented shoulders and a long sigh was breathed into the air. Her body went pliant and soft, and a little smile lifted her mouth.

"Mmm. Yes. Bobby. Still not quite sure where that name came from, my dear." She took comfort from him even as her body began to respond.

"S'a nickname. Back when everybody had their own language and letters and stuff the people who came up with the symbols fer 'Robin' met up with some people who had th' same meaning but said it differently." He slipped his hands down to circle her waist and winked. "Sides, it suits ya better. Bobby sounds small and spunky. Robin sounds like somethin' ya do ta people who have too much money."

Robin's laugh rang out, an oft-missed sound these days. It was the strangely delicate, chiming laugh that was unique to her and it hadn't been heard since before the mess with Nami. She just buried her face in her man's neck and giggled, even snickering a time or two. She couldn't even respond, she was so breathless. Oh, moments like these reminded her why she loved this man so much.

He flat out grinned. Yup, just needed to remind her that under all the subterfuge and secrets, the pain and panic, the fear and fighting, there was light and laughter. It didn't matter how dark things ever got, and they had been dark all too-often for the shipwright's way of thinking. The important thing was that even if they had a heck of trip ahead of them, they were all still Nakama, and regardless of whether she had to don that hat again or not, she would never be forced to live as Ms. All-Sunday ever again.

When she was at last able to breathe again, she pulled back just enough to touch her forehead to his. "Love... why the Hell haven't I married you yet? Officially dragged you in front of a preacher or the Captain? After Bellamy's been rent limb from limb, I think that we should celebrate."

It was an impulse. She didn't know what possessed her to let it come tumbling out of her mouth. But it was out now, and she really did mean it, so no point in taking it back.

His eyebrows shot up. "M-mar-marry me? What happened to 'I don't trust marriage' and 'commitment is more sacred than contracts'? I mean... eh... sure, if that's what you wanna do... uh... I'm fuckin' this up ain't I?"

Worry creased his forehead, and color stained his cheeks. He'd not been surprised when they had first talked about it, though it had hurt a little. Tom-san and Kokoro's marriage had not been recognized by the government because of their Fish heritage back then, meaning that they'd never been able to fully, legally adopt either Franky or Iceburg, but he had shoved his own feelings about it aside because he'd long before decided that Robin was the one he wanted to be with. If she didn't want to get married, he was willing to sacrifice that for her as long as she let him treat her like his wife anyway, which she did.

"No, dear, I know what you mean," She assured with another giggle and a kiss. "As for what happened to it? I don't know. Perhaps it has something to do with my deep desires to say 'get your filthy eyes off my husband' which I cannot technically, legally say. And you know how I am about the technicalities. That and…" She flushed a little, "...Zoro got me thinking about it."

"Zoro did?" He let his hand trail along her spine, stopping just north of being suggestive while still teasing. She always understood what he meant, even when he didn't sometimes.

"Yes. He gets frustrated sometimes, with his jealousy. He feels he doesn't have the right to get jealous sometimes because it's not legally permanent between him and Sanji. And he's got this pathological fear Sanji will find someone better someday," she wriggled slightly in his hold, teasing back.

"Well, I can see how you'd feel the same." He rolled his shoulders, making the metal joints crack as though they were flesh and blood, and consequently making the muscles of his exposed chest ripple. "Who wouldn't want a super body like this?" He grinned, smugly, but just as quickly, pulled her tight against him, "That's why I leave whole islands full of broken hearts, cuz not a one of 'em can compare ta you."

"Quick save," she purred teasingly as she snuggled up to his chest. Arms bloomed around him to hold her steady as she sighed deeply. "And that's my man. My Franky."

"Always yers, babe." He brought his mouth to hers again, ending the conversation.

Back inside the room where Usopp had hardly been left alone the entire time he'd been laid up at the All-Blue, the captain and his sniper were oddly quiet. Both felt the weight of how the others in their crew had deliberately toned down their interactions with their partners for the sake of the two that were missing. As soon as they were alone, the two dark-haired men, both carrying a burden neither one could share but both understood, met eyes and all attempt at frivolity fell away. Luffy tucked his hat down to shade his face, and Usopp turned to watch the gulls outside the porthole.

"Say, Luffy…" The sniper began.

"Ah?"

"Kaya… Kaya would never leave forever. Guess I'm lucky that way. She might get mad at me. Say things she didn't mean, but eventually, sooner or later, she'd come back. Thing is, she can't stand to be away from me. She hates that she can't because for a good long time, it meant that she couldn't stand to be with me either. I was always doing stuff that that drove her crazy. She'd yell and scream and throw things, but that was the best part. I knew she never was really angry, because she'd always end every argument the same, with tears. People…" He had to stop for a moment, and take a deep breath. "People who hate someone don't care if there's tears. In fact, they expect it. They seek a person out specifically to cause those tears, but someone who loves you… they cry when they're angry because they don't want to be angry."

The Pirate King was quiet for a while, then he padded over to sit against the bed, his back leaning on the frame at Usopp's hip where he sat on the floor with his arms resting on his drawn up knees.

"Hm."

"I really am the luckiest guy in the world. I wish everybody could be as lucky as me." The sniper's voice was wistful.

Luffy put his chin on his crossed arms, "Yeah."

They still didn't look at each other, keeping to their own thoughts for a while. The sea gull got bored and with a soft cry flew off. The sun climbed higher into the sky, and though there was no sign from any of the other crew, neither brunet needed it. The silence between them spoke volumes about the depth of their bond as Nakama.

"You'll make a great dad, Luffy."

There was a longer pause this time, because being frank wasn't something that happened often with the long-nosed man from the East Blue, but eventually, the captain's head rolled to press his cheek against his bicep, bringing the burning ember of determination within his eye around to catch the steady, steel-hard gaze from the sharpshooter. That corner of his mouth turned up, and he used a finger to tip up the brim of his hat, the same way his older brother used to do when he was showing off. This time when he spoke, the single syllable carried the full brunt of the Pirate King's Will.

"Yosh!"