Sanji could have stood there for ages, his arms wrapped around Nami and his lips on hers. But the reality was that it was a very cold night, and he could feel Nami shivering despite his body warmth. Perhaps he would have sent her back to sleep if he hadn't been a little selfish in that moment. He wanted her with him and savor this moment as long as he could.

»Wait here«, he murmured apologetically, leaving her alone on the deck for a few minutes. When he returned, he had fetched two fluffy blankets from the guys' bedroom. He draped one around Nami's shoulders and wrapped the other around both of them.

They sat together in front of the main mast, still able to see the sea in front of them. Nami sighed contentedly as she leaned against his chest. Sanji still felt like he might wake up any moment.

»So...«, Nami began quietly, to which Sanji responded with a satisfied »Hm?«.

»We feel the same way about each other, right?«, she asked softly, and Sanji made an affirmative noise, pressing his lips gently to her temple.

»We should take things slow, shouldn't we?«, she mused aloud, absentmindedly playing with her fingers. She needed to inform the crew about her pregnancy first so that everyone would know. »And as for the baby...«, she added thoughtfully, prompting Sanji to interrupt with a gentle »Nami-san«.

She lifted her head, catching his gaze. Sanji had a smile on his face. »I love you«, he whispered softly. »And I don't care if the child is from another man. It's a part of you, how could I not love it?«

Unsure of how he always managed to do it, Sanji seemed to know exactly what was going on in her head.
She felt a lump in her throat before her eyes even became moist. »Sanji-kun«, she whispered, touched by his words.

He rested his forehead against hers. »Whatever role I'm meant to play in your child's life... I'll be there, no matter what. After all, it will be part of the crew, won't it?«

Still moved, Nami nodded. »She«, she corrected him.

Surprised, he raised an eyebrow. »You already know?«

»No, well... Robin and I talked about it because I didn't want to always refer to her as it when talking about her«, she began to explain before opting for the shorter version. »Somehow, I have a feeling it's a she.«

The smile on Sanji's face widened. »I'm sure she'll be just as enchanting as her mother«, he whispered to her, gently pressing his lips to her forehead.

Then both lapsed into a comfortable silence, deeply immersed in their thoughts and the happiness they felt, until Sanji eventually noticed how Nami's breaths became more even.

He gently brushed a stray strand of hair from her forehead before slipping his arms under her sleeping body. With soft steps, he carried her back to her bedroom, placing her on the bed along with the blanket. To avoid waking Robin, he only stroked Nami's cheek once more before returning to his night shift on deck.

He still couldn't believe that this incredible, perfect woman also had feelings for him.

The next morning, Sanji, as usual, was up before everyone else, preparing breakfast in the kitchen. One by one, the other Straw Hats entered, settling around the large dining table. Each time the door opened, Sanji looked up expectantly, but Nami actually came in last. She yawned loudly as she sat down at the table, but when she caught his gaze, she smiled shyly. The agreement to take their relationship slowly also involved the fact that they wanted some time before telling the crew.

»Okay, I have something to announce«, Nami finally raised her voice, while the others around her were busy with their breakfast. She caught Sanji's gaze and felt encouraged by his soft smile.

»I'm pregnant«, she announced.

Zoro stopped mid-bite, and Brook's laughter, which had just sounded, fell silent instantly. Franky nervously glanced at Nami, debating whether her revelation was good or bad for her. Usopp snorted in his cereal. »YOU'RE WHAT?«, he exclaimed loudly, staring at Nami.

She just nodded and confirmed »Pregnant« in case he misheard.

The fact that she was still being stared at from all sides made her a little nervous.

Then, Luffy spoke up. With a broad smile, he stood up and put a hand on her shoulder. »That's great, isn't it, guys? Another nakama for our crew!«

That seemed to have flipped some switch for the other crew members.

»Congratulations, yohohoho!«
»That's SUPER!«
»Great, why didn't you say something earlier?«
Zoro resumed his movement, chewing silently.

»I just wanted to keep it to myself for a while, to get used to it«, she explained apologetically to Usopp.

A conversation developed, in which, to her delight, no one asked about the father of the child. While Usopp and Franky were already discussing how to build a nursery with a self-rocking cradle, Nami noticed that Sanji was watching her. She smiled at him, feeling a warmth inside as he returned it.

It was hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, she had been so afraid of the future. The crew had taken her pregnancy positively, and Sanji and she had found their way to each other.

Everything was perfect.

The next few weeks felt like a dream for Sanji.

Well, almost.

In his dreams, he always had more opportunities to catch Nami alone. But the reality was that on a ship with a whole crew, there were hardly any opportunities for a little privacy.

At least not while they still wanted to keep their relationship a secret.

So, Nami occasionally sneaked back into the kitchen after dinner while Sanji was still busy with the dishes.

»Nami-san, my love!«, Sanji cooed when he heard the door close and saw his girlfriend in the kitchen. By the time he dried his hands, Nami had come to him. He gently cupped her face in his hands and kissed her eagerly, as he had wanted to do all day.

»I missed you«, she announced with a smile, causing Sanji to playfully raise an eyebrow. »You just saw me a moment ago.«

»Fool! You know exactly what I mean!«

He chuckled and kissed her again, more passionately than before. With a gentle but firm motion, he pushed Nami in a certain direction until she felt the edge of the kitchen table behind her. As if they had read each other's minds, Sanji lifted her up on the table while Nami wrapped her legs around his hips and her fingers began unbuttoning his shirt –

An annoyed groan sounded behind them, causing them to separate, at least as far as their position allowed.

Zoro stood behind them, one hand raised to shield his good eye from the scene unfolding in front of him.

»Please tell me you're not breeding a clone of the Curly-Brow in there«, he said, obviously addressing Nami.

This brought Sanji back to life. »Get the hell out!«

»Why? So you pervs can do it where we eat? Pah!«, he retorted.

Sanji was about to go after him, but Nami's fingers had dug into his shirt. Her face had turned almost as red as her hair as she tried to somehow hide her face behind Sanji, not wanting to look at Zoro.

»Take what you came for and leave«, Sanji growled at him. Zoro didn't need to be told twice. His path led him – as one would expect – to the pantry. He returned with a bottle of sake and headed for the door without looking at the two.

»The sake is empty«, he informed them, then he was gone.

Sanji and Nami didn't have to worry about how to tell their crew members about their relationship because most of them found out sooner or later, similar to Zoro.

This actually had the advantage of granting them more privacy.

One evening, Robin had volunteered for the night watch and winked conspiratorially at Nami.

While she observed the calm waves outside, she heard the door to the boys' sleeping quarters open. A shadow slipped out and disappeared into the room she shared with Nami.

With a grin, Robin looked away and focused on the sea again.

»Have you thought of a name yet?«, Sanji whispered as he absentmindedly traced his finger over the skin on Nami's stomach.

Her belly had noticeably grown in the past weeks, making her pregnancy evident to outsiders.

Nami loved her little bump, and Sanji felt a significant excitement thinking about the tiny person inside.

In his imagination, it was a little girl who looked just like Nami, and he couldn't wait to meet her.

Nami looked up from the book she held in her hand, glancing at Sanji who was laying a bit lower, his head at the level of her belly. She smiled at the sight.

»So... I was hoping we could come up with something together«, she admitted, putting the book aside to gently run her fingers through the blonde strands.

»Just in case my hormones make me give the child a name she'll regret for the rest of her life«, she added amused.

Sanji leaned into her touch, smiling. »Of course«, he replied softly, lovingly placing a hand on the roundness of her belly.

»We could name her after someone«, Nami pondered aloud.

»You could name her after Bell-mère«, Sanji suggested, continuing her train of thought.

Nami nodded thoughtfully. She found the idea beautiful, but somehow, the name just didn't seem to suit the baby. In her mind, there was only one Bell-mère.

»What was your mother's name?«, Nami asked quietly and felt Sanji tense almost instantly.

»Sora«, he replied hesitantly.

Nami brushed another strand from his forehead.

»The name is very beautiful«, she responded, while Sanji's gaze remained on her midsection. »But you don't want her to have that name?«, she asked finally.

He sighed audibly. »It's not that... I don't want it«, he replied slowly. »It's just that there are a lot of memories attached to it. And I don't know... if I'd handle it well.«

»Okay, then a different name. No problem«, Nami quickly replied with a smile to distract him.

She had asked him about his mother occasionally, but she hadn't gotten much information out of him.

As far as she knew, Sanji had loved her very much, and then she died.

That was all.

Talking about her seemed to rip open old memories for which he wasn't ready. And who was she to force him to tell her about it?

»But you do realize there's a chance it might be a boy, right? Just because you have a feeling it's a girl doesn't mean it will be«, Sanji pointed out.

»Are you doubting my intuition as a mother?«, Nami retorted.

»Never, my love.«