Little one shot I wrote for the LuNatic zine (LuNafanzine on twitter/x), but this one is edited in my current writing style. Takes place after Wano, have fun reading everyone :)

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece

Kaido had been defeated, and peace had returned to Wano. A grand festival swept across the entire country, painting the sky with endless fireworks. Beer flowed freely, and food was now readily available to all the citizens. Although the festival continued late into the night, everyone still possessed the energy to revel further, especially the Straw Hat crew. They were party experts and showed no signs of slowing down. Nevertheless, a break was occasionally needed.

"Whatcha doing?" The navigator spun around abruptly, startled to find her captain standing behind her, head cocked in confusion. Nami understood the confusion; she had been sitting alone on the rooftop of Wano's palace.

"Luffy, you scared me," Nami exclaimed, her hand pressed against her chest as she tried to steady her breathing. Meanwhile, Luffy took a seat beside her, gradually comprehending why she had chosen this spot. "We were watching the fireworks and observing the people from up here."

"We?" Luffy inquired.

"Yeah, Usopp and Franky went downstairs to fetch some fresh beers."

"Ah, I see."

The fireworks continued, filling the silence. It was not an uncomfortable silence, but Nami couldn't help but wonder why Luffy was here instead of down at the party. Perhaps even he needed a break after an eight-day-long coma? Nami took a sip from her nearly empty beer.

"Thanks," Luffy suddenly said, prompting the woman beside him to wear the same puzzled expression Luffy had worn just moments ago. Thanks for what, exactly?

"Eh? You're welcome? But what did I do?" Luffy flashed his signature toothy grin, followed by a snicker deep from within his throat. "I heard about what you did," he replied, gazing into her eyes.

"Oh?" Nami asked, her curiosity piqued. Who had been gossiping about her, and what had she done? Nami retraced her steps but couldn't recall anything significant that would warrant gossip or Luffy's gratitude.

"Yeah, you stood up to Kaido," Luffy stated. "But that was risky. Don't do it again."

"Oh, that! Well, that bastard shouldn't have lied," Nami retorted with a scowl, her lips pressing against the wooden tankard before she took another sip from her dwindling beer. When were Franky and Usopp returning? Luffy smiled as he observed her scowl. Nami sensed his continued gaze and confirmed her suspicion when she glanced at him from the corner of her eye. "You're acting oddly, Luffy. How much did you drink?"

"Only one. I'm not much of a drinker," Luffy declared with a casual shrug. He was more of an eater, and he could feel his stomach beginning to growl once again. Truth be told, he had missed a whopping 40 meals during those 8 days of unconsciousness. Luffy found it amusing how Nami had noticed his unusual behavior, largely because he was feeling a bit unusual himself. "I also heard that no one, except you, was allowed to clean me."

Nami sprayed her beer out in surprise, hastily looking away to conceal her deep blush. Who in the world had told him that!? "T-That was because—Yamato and Momo wanted to clean you. It just didn't sit right with me, so I wanted to do it," Nami muttered, still avoiding eye contact. "Just leave me alone."

Luffy hummed softly, maintaining the same grin. "I see."

"Who spilled the beans to you!?" Nami asked in frustration, finally locking eyes with him but still sporting the rosy hue on her cheeks. "Was it Yamato!? Or Robin!?" A mischievous grin spread across Luffy's face. Who would've guessed that witnessing all these expressions on Nami's face would be so much fun?

"Tell me, or I'll push you off this roo—"

"You did."

Nami stared at the man sitting before her, looking completely dumbfounded. She never revealed such things to Luffy. This conversation was even their first interaction after his coma.

"No, I didn't," Nami replied, concerned about her captain. "Are you still feeling unwell? Did you hit your head too hard?"

Luffy shook his head and uttered the words that sent a shiver down Nami's spine: "I heard everything during my coma."

Nami gaped at Luffy, her mouth moving like a sea king without water, gasping for air.

"E... Everything?"

Luffy nodded.

"A... And you remember... Everything?"

Luffy nodded once more. "I was in a coma, so all I could do was listen to you guys. I was really bored, but listening to you guys was fun, even with the things you said."

Nami was no longer paying attention to Luffy's words; instead, she was trying to recall everything she had said around him. It was true; some had said that Nami was lucky when Marco protected her from Kaido's attack. Yet again, he shouldn't have lied because he had complete trust in Nami's ability to defeat Kaido, and Luffy had just proved it.

Chopper also asked if someone wanted to volunteer to clean Zoro and Luffy once a day before putting on new bandages. It wasn't much work, just carefully cleaning their skin with a wet cloth after opening their kimono. Hiyori volunteered for Zoro, and Yamato and Momo wanted to volunteer for Luffy to show gratitude, but Nami couldn't help but feel a twinge of... jealousy.

"You really don't want any help?" Nami looked up, her gaze meeting Yamato's as she sat across from her, on the other side of Luffy. "I'm sure," Nami replied, carefully tending to Luffy's arm wounds. "I've assisted Chopper with patient care before, so I know what to do."

Yamato hummed, observing Nami as she continued to work on Luffy's arms. Nami cautiously opened Luffy's kimono, her eyes falling on the wounds on his chest. Even though she had seen him with injuries many times, it was something she would never truly get used to. However, the sight of his chest rising and falling with each breath brought a smile to her face. Yamato kept her gaze on Nami, and in that moment, Nami's actions resembled Toki's. It was as Oden had described: their love was not spoken, but shown.

"Are you sure that's the reason?" Yamato suddenly inquired.

Nami was taken aback for a moment but continued to focus on cleaning Luffy. "What other reason could there be?"

"Perhaps you don't want anyone else to take care of him, except for you."

A faint blush spread across Nami's cheeks, revealing the truth. "Am I that obvious..." she whispered, but her words were still audible enough for Yamato to hear. Yamato's smile widened, but she decided not to press the matter further, sensing Nami's discomfort.

"I'll show my gratitude by bringing him food when he wakes up."

"Luffy would absolutely love that," Nami replied with a wide smile.

It was lunchtime, but Nami decided to linger a bit longer with Luffy and Zoro to clean their bedding. Even though everyone had told her it could wait until after lunch, it just didn't feel right to her to enjoy a meal while two crew members lay in sweat-soiled bedding.

As Nami hung up the bedding to let it dry, the door to the room swung open, revealing Robin with a plate of food. "I brought you some omurice. Let's have lunch together."

Nami's smile widened, and suddenly, she felt her stomach growl. Maybe she should have eaten first...

"Oh, this is delicious," Nami commented, her cheeks filled with omurice. She glanced down at Luffy, wondering if he would wake up for the umpteenth time when she held a spoonful of food under his nose. Besides him drooling unattractively, he remained unresponsive, which disappointed Nami.

Robin smiled as she watched Nami. "You were fortunate that Marco was there when Kaido attacked you."

"Well, yeah. That moron shouldn't have claimed that Luffy was dead. He got what he deserved in the end. No one believed his words."

That... wasn't entirely true. Almost everyone had believed Kaido, except for Nami, which only confirmed what Robin had always suspected. "Yeah," Robin mumbled, "love can drive people to do funny things."

Nami immediately choked on her omurice, prompting Robin to grow an arm to pat Nami's back soothingly. "There, there."

"Was that really necessary!?" Nami retorted with an irritated look. Robin couldn't help but giggle softly, finding Nami's reactions amusing.

Nami pouted and scowled, but her expression shifted to shock when she heard, "Is oneechan going to confess to aniki?" behind her. She turned around to find O-Tama holding a few apples. "I brought dessert."

"Thank you," Nami said with a smile, unable to get mad at the young girl. "And no, I won't confess to Luffy."

"Why not?" Tama and Robin practically asked in unison, causing Nami to raise an eyebrow. Since when did Nami's nonexistent love life become this intriguing?

"Because I don't want to hear Luffy's response. It's as simple as that. He'll either not understand me or interpret it as a different kind of love."

"So you admit you love him?" Robin inquired, taking a small bite of her apple while hiding her cheeky smile. Now it was Nami's turn to hide her mouth behind her apple, but more to conceal her pout.

"It's no use hiding it anymore after choking on my food, is it?" Tama looked at Nami with wide eyes and a blush, daydreaming of experiencing this kind of love when she grew up.

"Since when have you felt this way?"

"Pfff, I have no clue," Nami replied, exhaling with a huff. "Skypeia? Weatheria? It was always just small feelings, but at some point, those moments transformed into one big feeling."

"Just tell him, oneechan!" Tama urged with sparkling eyes. "I bet Luffy loves you too!" Robin smiled somewhat ruefully. Luffy's feelings were always uncertain since he rarely expressed them verbally. His actions were more telling, so they had to guess...

"Sure, he does," Nami responded with a shrug. "Just like he loves Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, and the rest. I'm not going to lay it all out because I'd look like a fool, and he's no different."

O-Tama and Robin exchanged apologetic glances. "I think you're right," Robin whispered with a nod, looking at the two unconscious men who showed no signs of movement except for their breathing. A teasing smile crept onto Robin's lips. "Maybe it's better to wait, considering his top priority is becoming the Pirate King. Maybe after that, he'll want to marry you and have kids too."

Nami choked on her apple this time, her face turning a deep scarlet. "Don't jump ahead too quickly!"

The noises in the room were what initially roused them from their slumber; hunger and thirst were the second reasons. Luffy grunted softly, feeling as though his body had been drained of energy even after "sleeping" for eight days. Zoro felt like he had been struck by a brick larger than the Thousand Sunny, even though he had also "slept" for eight days. The only difference between their "sleep" and their coma was that they had heard everything.

"Did you hear everything too, or do I need to give you a summary?" Zoro muttered, his voice sounding hoarse as hell.

Luffy chuckled with his typical "shishishi," rubbing his eyes and face in the meantime. "No, I heard."

"Are you going to talk to her or...? You had plenty of time to think about it, even though thinking isn't your hobby."

Luffy sat up straight, causing those around him to gasp. The first person he laid eyes on was Nami, who was seated with O-Tama, and both could only stare back in shock. "Yeah, I'm going to talk to her."

Zoro was the next to sit up straight, but the moment they were upright, they both had an immediate need.

"FOOD!"

"BOOZE!"

How was Nami supposed to know that people in comas could actually hear!? Luffy had given Nami all the time in the world to reflect on the things she had said around him because he'd been busy stealing food by stretching his arm down below.

"Oh no, I even said that," Nami whispered with her hands on her face, concealing her blush. Well, she hadn't mentioned anything about kids, but Robin had. At this moment, Nami wished she could sink into the magma alongside Kaido and Big Mom, as that would be less painful than this moment. "Look, Luffy, can't you forget everything I said?"

"Nah, don't wanna."

Nami felt like crying, and she didn't know what to do. The only thing she did know was that she still wasn't going to confess because she had no idea how he would react. "Can't we just postpone this conversation until you become Pirate King?" Nami asked somewhat humorously.

"Sure," Nami looked up in surprise, finally meeting Luffy's gaze, where he was only smiling at her. "But I won't forget because you made me happy."

Nami's heart skipped a beat at his genuine, broad smile. She looked away, feeling as though her heart might burst out of her chest. "Alright... Please, wait for me."

"I will," Luffy grinned. "I've thought a lot during these past few days, even if it gave me a headache during my coma. But I hope you'll wait for me too!"

"Wait for what?"

"Until I'm Pirate King so we can get married and have kids!"

If Nami had been eating, she would have choked again, because, for some reason, everyone seemed determined to give her near-death experiences in the past few days. "You actually—Oh my Oda, he said it," Nami said, wanting to drop off the roof. She felt like a lovesick schoolgirl. Luffy couldn't help but snicker at her. If Luffy had to describe how he felt right now, it would be like having a mysterious feeling that gave him a tickling sensation in his belly.

"Alright, I will wait for you too," Nami said, feeling the lingering blush on her cheeks tingle. Even though she wasn't ready to confess, this seemed like one heck of a confession. "Just promise me you'll stay alive."

"Deal!"

The fourth round of fireworks ignited in the sky, enveloping the Captain and Navigator in various colored lights. Nami's hand accidentally brushed against Luffy's, and just as she was about to pull away, Luffy had already grabbed it. Both couldn't help but smile, savoring this peaceful moment caused by some accidental eavesdropping... Or could it even be counted as eavesdropping? It didn't matter, because in one way or another, love truly drove them to do funny things.